My Picks of the Week! (4th March 2014)

Hello, my lovely Muses!

Below are the new releases for the first week of March! Also, I wanted to congratulate the winners of the SKIN DEEP (Skin Deep, #1) and Under My Skin (Skin Deep, #2) giveaways that ended on Sunday! Here are the lucky winners:

SKIN DEEP: Julianne V., Patricia M., Ellen W.

UNDER MY SKIN: Robin T., Kee Ke S., Stephanie L.

Stay tuned as I am hoping to post a new review this week that will include another awesome giveaway! Until then, enjoy these new releases!

Best Wishes,

BOOKS (4th March 2014)

ADULT BOOKS

Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate, #1)
by: Chelsea Fine

New Adult Romance

Pixie and Levi haven't spoken in nearly a year when they find themselves working―and living―at the same inn in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, they were childhood friends. But that was before everything went to hell. And now things are... awkward.

All they want to do is avoid each other, and their past, for as long as possible. But now that they're forced to share a bathroom, and therefore a shower, keeping their distance from one another becomes less difficult than keeping their hands off each other. Welcome to the hallway of awkward tension and sexual frustration, folks. Get comfy. It’s going to be a long summer.

Release Date: 4th March 2014

Website | E-book

Clipped Wings (Clipped Wings, #1)

by: Helena Hunting

An emotional love story that follows the touch-and-go relationship of Hayden and Tenley; two young people who desperately want to love and be loved but are afraid to completely let go of their pasts.

As Hayden and Tenley navigate their newfound but slightly unstable relationship, they want to trust each other, but Hayden is hiding a dark and shameful past that he doesn't ever want Tenley to find out about. And Tenley has secrets of her own that could make Hayden run away forever. When Tenley asks Hayden to put a beautifully elaborate tattoo across her back, the two form what they thought was an unshakeable bond. But when Tenley's past shows up on her doorstep, will Hayden stand by her side...or run?

Release Date: 4th March 2014

Website | E-book | Paperback

Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack, #5)
by: J.D. Tyler

Once, they were Navy SEALS. Now they are the Alpha Pack: a top secret team of wolf shifters with Psy powers who take on the darkest dangers on Earth. But sometimes the greatest danger lies within their own hearts....

Healer and black wolf shifter Zander Cole has survived horrors that would have broken a weaker man. But when a battle leaves him deaf and his powers dimmed, Zan is devastated. Believing himself to be a burden to his team, he sees only one option: leave the Pack forever.

White wolf shifter Selene Westfall knows pain—she is certain her father was responsible for her mother’s death. And she lives to exact revenge. So when she is challenged by a savage black wolf, she puts up a vicious fight—only to become the black wolf’s Bondmate as a result of his bite.

Two damaged souls—one filled with hatred and one who’s lost his reason for living—are forced together as they come to terms with their unlikely, turbulent bond. A love neither expected may be all that stands between them and a killer trying desperately to keep the past dead and buried....

Release Date: 4th March 2014

Website | E-book | Paperback

Friday Musings: New Movie Trailers and a... "Black" Doctor Who?

 So...life intervened this week which caused me to get a bit behind on my review schedule. I plan to do a double review next week to catch up. In the meantime, because I feel bad that I only posted on Monday, I figured to share what's been on my mind recently in film. Yup, because if books aren't on my mind, you can bet I'm thinking about movies or tv shows. Remember, my 2nd job is a cashier at a movie store!

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Out of the Furnace

Directed by: Scott Cooper
Starring: Christian Bale, Casey Affleck
Hitting Theaters: November 2013 (Limited), December 2013 (Worldwide)
Synopsis: From Scott Cooper, the critically-acclaimed writer and director of Crazy Heart, comes a gripping and gritty drama about family, fate, circumstance, and justice. Russell Baze (Christian Bale) has a rough life: he works a dead-end blue collar job at the local steel mill by day, and cares for his terminally ill father by night. When Russell's brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) returns home from serving time in Iraq, he gets lured into one of the most ruthless crime rings in the Northeast and mysteriously disappears. The police fail to crack the case, so - with nothing left to lose - Russell takes matters into his own hands, putting his life on the line to seek justice for his brother. The impressive cast of Christian Bale and Casey Affleck are rounded out by Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard and Willem Dafoe.

Trailer

My Thoughts: I'm a huge Christian Bale fan and we haven't seen him in anything since the epic The Dark Knight Rises last summer. What I love about Bale is the fact that he is so grounded as an actor. One minute he is in a huge blockbuster film, the next we see him in something more low budget and down-to-earth, although no one should expect a less powerful performance. Add in Willem Dafoe, Forrest Whitaker, and Woody Harrelson and I can barely suppress my excitement!

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12 Years a Slave

Directed by: Steve McQueen
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender
Hitting Theaters: October 2013 (Limited)
Synopsis:  Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Solomon Northup, the New York State citizen who was kidnapped and made to work on a plantation in New Orleans in the 1800s. Steve McQueen (Hunger) directs from a script he co-wrote with John Ridley, based in part by Northup's memoir. Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, and Paul Giamatti co-star.

Trailer

My Thoughts: I've been waiting quite awhile for a trailer to be released for this movie and now that it's here....wow. It literally gave me goosebumps. I originally was interested in 12 Years a Slave because Michael Fassbender was attached to it on top of the fact that I enjoy Steve McQueen's films. But I was almost brought to tears by Chiwetel Ejiofor's performance in one of the scenes-- if a 2 minute trailer can evoke that kind of emotion, I can only imagine what it will be like to sit through the whole movie. Oscar buzz begins!

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 Idris Elba...the new Doctor Who?

I don't know what it is about Idris Elba. The man is an amazing actor, has commanding stage presence, and oozes sex appeal. He's one of those actors that can have the smallest part in a movie but somehow has the ability to steal the scene away from the main headliner(s) (such as his parts in Thor, Prometheus, and Pacific Rim).

Recently it has been announced that Matt Smith is retiring from his role as Doctor Who. The internet has been abuzz with who should take on the iconic role. Amidst the rumors, Idris Elba's name was mentioned and I couldn't help but grin like a fool. While I was doing a little research to see how other fans were reacting to this idea, I noticed Elba is also being linked to the Bond franchise. The man just has the "it" factor. While I love watching him take supporting roles since he never fails to light up the screen, he is destined for bigger things. I can actually see him as the next Bond or Doctor Who.

While feedback has been mostly positive so far, there are those that are outraged at the idea of a "black" Doctor Who (and Bond). Does it matter that he is a British actor? Maybe, maybe not. It's sad we live in a society where we still can't get past the color of someone's skin.

In a recent interview, Elba, while flattered with the Bond and Doctor Who rumors, seemed to be more focused on pleasing his loyal Luther fans (hit BBC series) by seeing that his character makes it to the big screen. While I am personally not a Bond or Who fan, I think I would give both a shot if Elba was somehow involved..I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Luther- BBC Series Trailer