My Picks of the Week! (1st October 2013)

 Hello, my lovely Muses!

I'm alive!!! Yes, it's been about a month since I last posted anything on my blog. I had a bit of a rough summer. In early September, I had to fly out to Colorado to be in my best friend's wedding, then start back to work (teaching), so things have been a bit hectic as of late. October is a new month, so I figured not to get so bent out of shape about I losing a whole month of blogging.

Anyway, October is here and with it some pretty cool releases. In Adult books, Caris Roane gives us a new hot series to get addicted to with the release of Born in Chains, book 1 in the Men in Chains series. Fans of J.R. Ward will be happy with Possession, book 5 in the Fallen Angels series. In Young Adult, Skulk by Rosie Best sounds really intriguing and unique. And last but definitely not least, NY Times best selling author, Simone Elkeles, smolders with her new novel, Wild Cards, the first in a new series!

In Movies, Disney's The Little Mermaid finally comes out of the vault for awhile, this time available on blu-ray and dvd. If you are looking for a good comedy, check out This is the End, starring James Franco, Seth Rogan and friends. Finally, in TV Series, the CW's Beauty and the Beast: Season 1 will be available on dvd. If you are a fan of Guy Pearce, definitely check out Jack Irish: Series 1, an Australian drama based on Peter Temple's award winning novels.

Hoping to have a new review posted this week. Until then, enjoy!

Best Wishes,

BOOKS (1st October)

ADULT BOOKS

Beautiful Illusion
by: Jacquie Underdown

A beautiful, spiritual story about a woman who meets the man of her dreams — and then wakes up...

The last thing Leah thought she’d get out of a shocking car accident was the perfect boyfriend. But there was Brennan in the hospital bed next to hers — equal parts charm, cheek, and chocolate. Their relationship, their love, her life, is almost too good to be true.

Then, to Leah’s horror, she discovers that it is. Her new life with Brennan is only a fabrication of her injured mind — a coma dream that ends when she wakes up.

Struggling with injuries and grieving for a man that never existed, Leah battles to put her life back together. But a series of coincidences hint that for some people, love can transcend all barriers and achieve the impossible

Release Date: 1st October 2013

Website | E-book

Between Friends 

by: Vristen Pierce

After being unceremoniously dumped by her long-time boyfriend, Stacy Washington hits one of the hottest clubs in town with her best friend, Nina. Stacy decides it's time to shed her good girl persona by letting go of her inhibitions. Relationships are trouble; casual sex is simple.

When she sees sexy bartender, Evan, she's instantly intrigued by his dark, good looks and his killer smile. Before she has a chance to get to know him better, an equally sexy prospect comes her way and this one is ready to play. Justin's not shy about telling Stacy exactly what he wants. She plans to have her way with both him and Evan until she finds out they're close friends. This could be awkward or this could be the most exhilarating experience of Stacy's life. She decides to take the plunge by coming between friends--in more ways than one.

Release Date: 1st October 2013

Website | E-book

Born in Chains (Men in Chains, #1)
by: Caris Roane

In the epic battle of vampire against vampire, one warrior's fate is bound to a mortal woman who controls him, commands him, and craves him like no other…

Chained For Life

Two years ago, the rogue vampires invaded Lily Haven's home and kidnapped her son. Now, if she hopes to see her child again, she must do the unthinkable—bind herself, body and soul, to a vampire warrior. She must choose one of the rogue army's prisoners of war and force him to do her bidding. But when she sees the warrior, Adrien, naked, beaten, and straining against his chains, it is she who is held captive…

Hungry For More

Adrien has been waiting for her. A beautiful woman who appears to him in visions. Who soothes his tortured body, feeds his erotic cravings—and quenches his thirst for blood. But Lily is more than he ever hoped for. She is the master of his destiny, and he is her willing slave. Even when she asks him to find the ultimate weapon for his enemies, he must obey her. Even if the task destroys them both, he will fight for her love, forever…

Release Date: 1st October 2013

Website | E-book | Paperback

TV Series News: 1980's Beauty and the Beast Remake!

Vincent: This is where the wealthy and the powerful rule. It is her world, a world apart from mine. Her name is Catherine. From the moment I saw her, she captured my heart with her beauty, her warmth, and her courage. I knew then, as I know now, she would change my life forever.

Catherine: He comes from a secret place, far below the city streets, hiding his face from strangers, safe from hate and harm. He brought me there to save my life; and now wherever I go, he is with me in spirit. For we have a bond stronger than friendship or love...and although we cannot be together, we will never, ever be apart.

The News: Sound familiar? That's right, the cult classic, live action Beauty and the Beast tv series that ran on CBS from 1987 to 1990 is getting a remake! For those of you who may or may not remember the show, it starred Linda Hamilton (Terminator) who played Catherine, a district attorney in NYC, who is beaten and left for dead in Central Park. Luckily, she is rescued by Ron Perlman's character, Vincent, a mysterious, yet gentle Beast man who nurses her back to health down in a secret society living beneath the city's sewers and tunnels. This show was one of my favorites! Hands down, the theme song of Beauty and the Beast is still the most achingly beautiful ever created for a series. The show really had it all: romance, drama, some action, and might I add some really great makeup artists for that time period. The reason it was cancelled after only 3 seasons is because the main star, Linda Hamilton, decided to leave the show after season 2 ended, due to her being pregnant. The network decided they wanted to steer the show in a darker more action packed direction so that they could get more male viewers, but Linda Hamilton's exit and her character being killed off only angered die hard fans. The show was finally cancelled after a severe decline in ratings.

It was announced back in September 2011 that the CW would be teaming with Jennifer Levin (Felicity, Without a Trace) and Sherri Cooper (Everwood, Brothers & Sisters) to write the script. Last week it was confirmed that the CW put an order in for a pilot episode. The new show will be simply called Beast. No actors/actresses have been confirmed for the parts yet.

My Thoughts: A part of me is very excited about this remake. So far I've been hearing that the CW plans to follow the original 80's show as far as plot-- if not, why would they call it a remake, right? Then again, I am nervous because how many movies and tv series remakes have we seen that are almost completely unrecognizable when compared to their original? I can't wait to see who they get to play the parts, especially Vincent's character. What will the Beast look like this time around? What do you think?

~Mia~