Thursday, November 23, 2017

Kristi Scores with Book Four!



RITA Award-Winning Author Kristi Ann Hunter's Hawthorne House series transports readers back to Regency England. Fans are ecstatic that now in book four Griffith Hawthorne, Duke of Riverton, is getting his own story in An Inconvenient Beauty.

Griffith is a man who "like[s] order...traditions and routines. He especially liked when those around him followed them, because predictability meant a minimum of surprises." (Hunter, 127).  He applies these same characteristics in his search for a wife. His sights are set on Miss Frederica St. Claire, but the lady of the hour seems intent upon alluding his courtship and foists her beautiful cousin, Miss Isabella Breckenridge on him. Making her society debut, Isabella Breckenridge is quite the toast of London with "her ridiculously fashionable and symmetrical features." (Hunter, 142).  Her presentation is overshadowed by her main purpose...obtaining the money needed to save her family's farm, thus begins the story of An Inconvenient Beauty.

Hard to put down, this book is filled with romance intertwined with blackmail, intrigue, and surprising plot twists.


Earlier this summer I had the privilege of meeting Kristi in person. She was kind, gracious, and exceptionally funny. Kristi wears many hats, one being a talented author. After reading her books, she was everything I expected she'd be...and more.


~~ An Inconvenient Beauty was provided to me by Bethany House in return for my honest opinion. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and the author herself, for which I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone ~~

Here’s Looking at You Kid!


Celebrating Casablanca's 75th Anniversary
 Who doesn't recognized these memorable movie lines?!
 “Round up the usual suspects” 
"Here’s looking at you, kid”
and Bogie’s ad-libbed last line,
“Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” 


."

I recently had the incredible opportunity to see Casablanca in theaters, honoring the 75th anniversary of this momentous film. Hitting the silver screen in 1942 Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three; Outstanding Motion Picture, Best Director and Best Writing/Screenplay.



 By the time Casablanca premiered in 1942 American-born actor Humphrey Bogart had 20 years of acting under his belt. The role of Rick Blaine, an expatriate nightclub owner, was his first romantic lead. During the course of his career Bogart was nominated for best actor three times, winning only once for The African Queen (1951).  Casablanca was one of the films that earned him status as a cultural icon and according to the AFI (in 1999) he's classified as the greatest male star of classic American cinema. Bogie is also credited with having five famous film quotes, the most of any actor on  AFI's top 100 Quotations.






Swedish-born actress Ingrid Bergman had been in the film making industry for about a decade when the role of Isla Lund, (the lovely Norwegian wife of Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), an anti-Nazi underground hero) cane along. Not surprisingly, this is a role she is most remembered for. Always carefully screening the roles she played Bergman would continue to act for another 40 years. She accepted her final role in 1982, passing later that same year at age 67.
Bogie and Bergman, what a perfect pair!
So much more I could say
about this enduring film,
Casablanca
but I'll just simply end
with paraphrasing one of the
movie's popular quotes,
"Play it again, Sam."