Movie Review: Dead in Tombstone

Length: 1 hr and 40 mins
Released: 2013
Genre: Western, Action, and Science Fiction
Rating: R 
Directed By: Roel Reine 
Where I Got It: Watched on Netflix

SUMMARY: 
As a ruthless gang overruns a small mining town, they murder their own leader, Guerrero Hernandez, in a cold-blooded power grab. Sentenced to eternity in hell, Guerrero finds himself confronted by Satan himself, offering a daring proposition: deliver the six souls of his former gang and he will escape damnation. With time running out, he sets out on a brutal rampage to avenge his own death!




TRAILER: 

CAST:

Guerreo - Danny Trejo

The Blacksmith/Devil - Mickey Rourke

Red - Anthony Michael Hall

Calathea Massey - Dina Meyer

Jack Sutter - Richard Dillane

Judah Clark - Colin Mace

Baptiste - Emil Hostina

Darko - Ovidiu Niculescu

Ramos - Ronan Summers

Snake - Edward Akrout 

REVIEW:

This was def a Boyfriend movie. I came home from and work and he had this on pause. He said he was "waiting for me to come home, so I could watch this with him". I missed the first 10 minutes, but it was easy to understand what was happening.

I do love Danny Trejo and Mickey Rourke, so the combo was entertaining for me. Now...the thing with Danny Trejo is that he is NOT a great actor. He is alright, but he is totally badass and old. He's old, but he does 90% of his own stunts and fighting scenes. Kuddos to you man! That is why I like him. If I was an actress I would demand to do my own fights and the majority of my own scenes. Screw the scary ones like jumping out of burning buildings or driving fast cars. Nope.

Anyways....

The story was really intense! This guy, Guerreo is this gang (I think he was the either the leader or co-leader) and he is betrayed and killed by who he thought were his friends. Why they killed him? It is not explained or I missed it in the first 10 mins. I did ask Boyfriend and he just shrugged, so I assuming it was not explained in the 10 mins I missed. That annoyed me, but oh well. Well, this guy makes a deal with the Blacksmith aka Devil for revenge and his life. If he fails, well, the Blacksmith will own his soul and torture him for the rest of eternity. 

The action was really good and some of the acting was okay. I did think the role of the girl was totally unnecessary. She didn't help at all with anything. I think she did save Guerreo once, but she was totally in the way and getting herself kidnapped. >__> If they wanted to include this character they should have made her more badass or helpful, but she acted all tough, but ultimately was just a damsel in distress and an annoyance. I did like the fact that Guerreo was not hero...he was a bad man, who was still bad ultimately. He did help the town, but only because it benefited him. I'm glad they did that. 

In the end, this was a good action movie. The plot was missing a few key aspects and some of the characters were not needed. Some of the acting was to be desired, but some was pretty good. I would totally recommend this to those that love Western or action-y films. You'll get a kick out of it. In the end, I shall stamp this with 3 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Guerreo, Red, and The Blacksmith

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Calathea and Snake (>__>)

Rewatch? Prolly not

Book Review: Ghost of Lost Eagle by Dean Sault

Author: Dean Sault
Title: Ghost of Lost Eagle (#1 Sweetwater Canyon Series)
Genre: Adventure, Western, and Romance
Pages: ebook
First Published: July 8th, 2013
Where I Got It: Given to me by the publisher/author for an honest and unbiased review

"Mason "Tuck" Tucker meets Sass Thornton when she saves him from death in a flash flood. She dubs him "dumb-ass" for entering a box canyon during a rain storm. It is a label he will hear many times as she fights against her own unwanted attraction to him.

Sass's father, Phil, owns the cattle ranch and has been keeping two secrets from his daughter. Despite her contempt for Tuck, the father hires him to run the bunkhouse and control growing racial tension between white cowhands and Mexican vaqueros who work for him. Tuck surprises Phil with his easy, yet tough, management skill. The old man takes Tuck into his confidence and reveals a deadly truth about a killer who is terrorizing the bunkhouse residents.

Throughout the book, Tuck is haunted by howls of a lone wolf and life-like dreams of an old Indian ghost named Lost Eagle. The spirit medicine man wakes Tuck when he is in danger and repeatedly warns the young man about a coming destiny he must face. Ironically, that destiny will force Tuck to choose life or death for the Indian ghost as well as another.

Read what happens when the ghost of Lost Eagle, the lone wolf spirit guide and Tuck's new found love, Sass, come together in a life and death struggle. How does the murderer in the bunkhouse seek revenge against Sass and her father? Will Tuck leave the woman he loves to save the aunt who raised him, the only mother he’s ever known?"

Like earlier stated I was given this to read and review for the author/publisher for my unbiased and honest opinion.

I  honestly read this in a 24 hour period! I think I needed a good douse of western mixed with romance or something, because I just gobbled this down and nearly in one sitting at that. Kuddos to me. Also major kuddos to Dean Sault with his writing style. There is something about his writing that is so addictive. It might be because its so flowly and....not simple...but not over the top. It was an easy read and you can't help but keep reading even though your feet are falling asleep, because you haven't moved in a couple of hours. The only thing that annoyed me was there was a couple modern references that slipped in. It happens to everyone. Plus I only noticed a couple terms and etc.

More kuddos to Dean Sault for adding a little supernatural stuff to this story. I was worried at first that it wouldn't work well...but it did and I'm glad he added it. It was like...hot sauce. It added a special zang to the storyline. Made it really stand out. Buuut 

WHICH brings me to Tucker who was"cursed" by the supernatural stuff going around. GAH! I can see why Sass called him a "dumbass" throughout the whole novel. He truly was a dumbass. Sometimes I wanted to slap him himself.  I liked him...I did...but he truly was an idiot. WHICH in a way made me like him more, because he wasn't at all the A-typical hero in a romance novel. Sass was the same too...not the A-typical herione either. She was bitchy and didn't take mens shit. Sometimes she was overly mean to people who didn't deserve it, but hell, she had a LOT of baggage.... 

Man, Teresa I wanted to punch her.....

Need to cut myself off, before I give away some big spoilers. 

In the end, this was a good book. I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to see what else Dean Sault has in store for us. His writing is really good, even though a couple oopsies slipped in.  This wasn't your A-typical western/romance. It had some hot sauce - aka supernatural stuff - mixed in. I would recommend this to those who like westerns, hot cowboys, romance, and lots of adventure. Out of five stars I shall stamp this with....4 stars.

Favorite Character(s): Tucker (even though he was a big ol' dumbass), Sass (a bitch, but funny), Phil, Mando, and Manny (super cute).

Not-so-Favorite Character(s): Richard (ass) &Teresa (stupid chit)

Book Review: Cowboy Moon

Author: Cait Lavender

Title: Cowboy Moon (Lupine Moon series #.5)
Genre: Fantasy, romances, Western
Pages: ebook

First Published: February 1st, 2012 
Where I Got It: my shelf (Amazon)

"Hank Cooper pretended an average bull rider, going from town to town trying to get those elusive eight seconds. But when he and his best friend, Sam, come to the cowboy town of Clovis, California, he meets a woman destined to be his. Hank can’t run away from what he is any longer, but will she? 

Tammie Flint is just a girl who wants to have a good time at the rodeo with her best friend--maybe even meet a few cute guys. She didn’t expect to fall in love with a cowboy or to put the lives of everyone she holds dear in danger. 

Will any of them survive the Cowboy Moon?"

Just a warning...this is a short story, so the story is rather, well, short. This review may be short as well. Also this is the "prequel" to Hunter Moon, which I already read. I would advice to read Hunter Moon first, but in the end it doesn't really matter. This is the story on how Hank and Tammie met. 

It was really cute, but very quick. Tammie and Hank fall in love right away at the bar one lovely night. Also Hank's buddy Sam falls in love with Tammie's gal pal, Denise. It was a nice touch that both boys found their "soul mates", but it did irk me on HOW quickly they fell in love. They all knew each other for like 3 days and that was it. It didn't feel realistic...but it is a short story and people in short stories fall head-over-heels quickly. 

Also, I did not like the ending one lick. It was a huge cliff-hanger and I wanted to slap both Tammie and Hank. GAH! Morons! >.> I can not say more for I fear I will ruin it. But I shall say it was a cute story, but with not a HEA ending that you would expect. There is a rather tragic twist all over that I was not expecting AT ALL. *sighs*

In the end, I really like Cait Lavender and I can't wait for the sequel to Hunter Moon to come out. This was a nice filler until she gets the other book done. It was quick, sweet, and had me for a loop. I would recommend to those that like werewolves and all that fantasy stuff. Also, I would say to read Hunter Moon before diving into this, but it really doesn't matter. I shall stamp this with 3 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Hank, Sam (awwwweeee), and Denise.

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Vampires (evil creatures in this one) and Tammie (I could be slightly biased on this one, but oh well.)

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<3CaroleRae

Book Review: Apache Flame

Author:  Madeline Baker

Title: Apache Flame
Genre: Historical Romance, Adventure
Pages:342

First Published: September 1st, 1999
Where I Got It: Borrowed from my library

"As a child, Mitch Garrett was excluded from respectable society. His father was the town drunkard, his mother was an Apache, and his only friend was Alisha Faraday, the sweet, innocent daughter of a preacher.

But as adults, their secret affection turned into a powerful love that neither could deny. And when the forces of prejudice and anger drove Mitch from his hometown, neither forgot the joy and desire they'd once shared in each others arms.

Now Mitch is back --- to put to rest memories that have haunted him for years. What he finds instead is a love for Alisha that has never died --- a love he is willing to fight anything and anyone to keep, even as the shocking secrets of their shared past threaten to tear them apart once again."

This the third book I've read by Madeline Baker.

Alright, this is a slightly hard book to review, so I'll divide this review in three: beginning, middle, and end.

BEGINNING
I really enjoyed how Madeline Baker shook up the normal set-up of a romance. Normally two stranger meet, fight a little, find common ground, fall in love, fall into some trouble, and happily-ever-after. However, in this one the two grew up together and at first didn't have any connect until they stubble across a little conflict with one another. They then become best friends and as they grow they become lovers. I loved how she intertwined the childhood memories with the "present" events. As we get to know the character, we also get past events that lead to their separation. I loved how she mixed the past with the present. As time goes by and new events occur the memories slowly fade.

I did enjoy the beginning, but I felt it was pretty slow in some aspects. It was enjoyable though.

MIDDLE
Best part of the book by far! I couldn't keep my hands off the book (;D). I was dying to see what happened next. I was rooting for Alisha and Mitch the entire way! I mean I pretty much guessed who the son was, but oh well. Romances are not known to be very suspenseful. It was a fun and exciting ride.

THE END
Mhmm, this is where I stumbled a little. The last 60 pages (except the epilogue) was dragging along. It took me forever to actually get to the epilogue. Yes, there was some action and drama and whatnot, but I felt like it was at times not important to the tale at hand. I was also a little upset because there was a few loose ties and it ended to perfect. I feel like the ending was too perfect. It's hard to explain without giving away important points. I did like the ending, expect for how slow the last 60 pages were and the too-perfectness of it. 

OVERALL
I liked this book quite a bit. I'm a sucker for nice Historical Romances and for my Native men. If you like this genre, Native men, the crazy West, and one heck of an adventure I recommend this book for you!  Of course I'll be reading more of Madeline Baker's books in the future. Out of five stars I grant this one 4 stars...it would be 3.6 but I rounded. 
  
Favorite Character(s): Mitch, Alisha, and Red
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Roger and Alisha's father (a buttcheek)


    

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<3CR

Book Review: Our Hearts Fell the the Ground

Author: Colin G. Calloway
Title: Our Hearts Fell to the Ground
Genre: NonFiction, History
Pages: 226
First Published: 1996
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Amazon)

"This unique anthology chronicles the Plains Indians' struggle to maintain their traditional way of life in the changing world of the nineteenth century. Its rich variety of 34 primary sources - including narratives, myths, speeches, and transcribed oral histories - gives students the rare opportunity to view the transformation of the West from Native American perspective. Calloway's comprehensive introduction offers crucial information on western expansion, territorial struggles among Indian tribes, the slaughter of the buffalo, and forced assimilation through the reservation system. More than 30 pieces of Plains Indian art are included, along with maps, headnotes, questions for consideration, a bibliography, a chronology, and an index."


I was a little disappointed when I opened the book due to the fact that it wasn't what I expected. When I was reading it, I felt like I was reading a college textbook. I felt like after I was done reading it, I would have to type up a report or do a test. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind education books, but I guess I was expecting something else entirely! I was expecting more of a story, but it was a collection of small stories, historical facts, and etc. 


It's a small book, but it took me a while to read; I had to force myself to read it at some points. Other than that, the book was great! Colin Calloway did a wonderful job collecting all this information and personal stories to create one book about how the West was lost. I especially loved all the tales from real life people who lived through it. I found it interesting to see the world from their eyes. He even referred to James Welch's novel Fools Crow! I was excited and marked the page, because I love that book! As you may recall, I read and made a review for that novel. Click HERE to see my review.


I especially loved how Colin Calloway ends the book on a sort of happy note. Instead of leaving the reader upset and angry on how America treated its Natives, he leaves you with a hopeful set of mind. Throughout the book he wasn't pointing fingers or accusing the 'Whites' for being cruel, he just gives the facts and that's that. I learned SO much about the Western Natives because of this book.


All-in-all, I did like this book. It was very informational and a nice change. Even though I was upset that it reminded me of college, I couldn't help but find it interesting. If I do have to write a paper about Western Natives, I will turn to this book for aid.  If you have to write a report about the West, check this book out too. Well,  out of five stars I grant this one 4 stars. I do recommend this book to those that want a change in their reading or if they have any interest in American history.


~~*I did say that I would list my favorite and not-so-favorite characters, but this didn't really have any "characters" in it. So, I'm just going to begin with my next book/movie review.*~~

PS- Oooh! With this completed reading and review, I finally finished a reading challenge! Yayy! I feel like I actually accomplished something. ^.^

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<3CR