Monthly Archives: September 2019
VBT – LONE SURVIVOR
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Anya will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly chosen winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
She needed a fresh start…
ICU Nurse Sadie Montgomery moved to New Orleans after her entire world fell apart. The idea was borne of desperation as she sank further into a depression so deep and dark, she had stopped feeling. It isn’t until she crosses paths with Ram that she finally feels a spark of life return. The only problem is, she doesn’t want to be dependent upon anyone. The pain of losing it all is still too fresh. Not to mention, in Ram’s world, the women submit themselves body and soul.
He wasn’t looking for love…
Former Army Ranger, Ramsey O’Malley, is not looking for a long-term commitment from a woman beyond a scene or two at Club Underworld. He doesn’t have the time nor the inclination to begin something he cannot finish, not as a single dad with a thriving psychology practice. Except, he is drawn to his newest patient. She’s forbidden, like the apple in the garden of Eden, and all he wants to do it take a bite.
But they could not deny their desire…
When Sadie makes a surprise appearance at Club Underworld looking to take a walk on the wild side, Ram knows he cannot let another man have her. He wants to be the one to introduce her to submission. But can he convince her to submit to his brand of lovemaking? And will just one night be enough?
Publisher’s Note: This steamy contemporary romance contains elements of power exchange.
Read an Excerpt
Later that afternoon, Ramsey was at home putting together a lasagna for dinner.
“Dad.” Rocky sat at the kitchen table, a pack of colored pencils beside him as he worked on his latest comic book sketch. His dirty blond hair had grown in the two months he had been in New Orleans. Ram added getting him to the barber to his mental to do list before taking him and his sister back to Dallas.
“Yeah?” He slid the pan into the oven and then turned, leaning against the counter to look at his teenage son. Jesus, how could he be thirteen already? Ram could still remember how tiny he’d been, and just how terrified he’d been of taking care of a toddler on his own after he and their mom had split when Rocky was two. It did something to him, staring at the boy on the cusp of manhood, and thinking back over the years. He would hit a growth spurt in the next year or so and be as tall as Ram.
“Do you think it’s possible that aliens exist?” Rocky asked, never looking up from his drawing. Ram had no idea how the kid came by his artistic talent. Certainly not from him. Although Rocky’s Aunt Becca, Ram’s baby sister, was an artist. So it was definitely there in the family tree.
“I think it’s a distinct possibility.” This planet had enough problems without adding aliens to the mix. Talk about throwing the world into a panic.
“Then why haven’t they come to Earth yet?” Rocky asked, lifting his face. It always filled Ram with wonder when he looked at Rocky and saw a younger version of himself in everything but eye color. Rocky’s eyes were a clear jade, just like his mom’s.
“And how do you know that they haven’t?” he teased his son.
“Because we would know. With technology the way it is, someone would have gotten a picture or video that proves their existence.”
“Have you considered the possibility that if they flew billions of lightyears to get here, it’s more likely that their technology is much more advanced than ours and they would be able to hide from detection?” Ram said with a smile hovering over his lips.
“Yeah, for all we know, the aliens left you with us at birth. It would explain a lot.” Hurricane Angela waltzed into the kitchen, her smartphone in her hand, and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket on the counter. Ram sighed. His daughter was fifteen going on twenty-five, with enough sass to outlast Satan.
“Then you should watch yourself. We like to suck out human souls at night. It would explain a lot about you,” Rocky countered.
Angela rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dork.”
“Ang, watch it. You can talk to your friends for an hour and then screen-time is done for the night,” Ram stated, hearing echoes of his own dad as he said it. Ram didn’t know how, but he had turned into his father. He’d like to think of himself as much cooler, down to earth, and more level headed. But yeah, it had happened. And the thing was, Ram loved being a dad—although the teenage years were going to give him a head full of gray hair.
About the Author:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.
Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.
Visit her website here: http://www.anyasummers.com
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Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers
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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anya-summers
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Don’t miss these exciting titles by Anya Summers!
Dungeon Fantasy Club Series
Her Highland Master, Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/Highland-Master-Dungeon-Fantasy-Club-ebook/dp/B01E9UB8SO/
To Master and Defend, Book 2: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Defend-Dungeon-Fantasy-Club-ebook/dp/B01FNG23HI/
Two Doms for Kara, Book 3: https://www.amazon.com/Doms-Kara-Dungeon-Fantasy-Club-ebook/dp/B01GXGOAK0
His Driven Domme, Book 4: https://www.amazon.com/Driven-Domme-Dungeon-Fantasy-Club-ebook/dp/B01IIUY8Y2
Her Country Master, Book 5: https://goo.gl/YWhLqm
Love Me, Master Me, Book 6: https://goo.gl/QlTE9u
Submit To Me, Book 7: https://goo.gl/Or8pYr
Her Wired Dom, Book 8: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRJY9TF/
Pleasure Island Series
Her Master and Commander, Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/Master-Commander-Pleasure-Island-Book-ebook/dp/B06Y5SVVB9/
Her Music Masters, Book 2: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711R9D1H/
Their Shy Submissive, Book 3: https://goo.gl/ufyJLn
Her Lawful Master, Book 4: https://www.amazon.com/Lawful-Master-Pleasure-Island-Book-ebook/dp/B073SRDNNT
Her Rockstar Dom, Book 5: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075VSGP8Q
Duets and Dominance, Book 6: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075TG9RYC
Her Undercover Dom, Book 7: https://goo.gl/HKhVba
Ménage In Paradise, Book 8: https://goo.gl/qce2BD
Her Rodeo Masters, Book 9: https://goo.gl/HDZw6v
Cuffs and Spurs Series
His Scandalous Love: https://www.amazon.com/Scandalous-Love-Cuffs-Spurs-Book-ebook/dp/B079GBB57Z
His Unexpected Love: https://www.amazon.com/His-Unexpected-Love-Carter-Beginning-ebook/dp/B07C2NBGLQ
His Wicked Love: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B661RP1
His Untamed Love: https://www.amazon.com/Untamed-Love-Cuffs-Spurs-Book-ebook/dp/B07D9ZDHMH
His Tempting Love: https://www.amazon.com/Tempting-Love-Cuffs-Spurs-Book-ebook/dp/B07HYT1GVQ
His Seductive Love: https://www.amazon.com/Seductive-Love-Cuffs-Spurs-Book-ebook/dp/B07KXP3MMF
His Secret Love: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NKN5Y2S
His Cherished Love: https://www.amazon.com/Cherished-Love-Cuffs-Spurs-Book-ebook/dp/B07SBDTVMV
The Alcyran Chronicles
Taken by the Beast: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYNT21L
Claimed by the Beast: https://www.amazon.com/Claimed-Beast-Alcyran-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B07Q3HNP26/
Loved by the Beast: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W3QFLJW/ref=sr_1_1
Seduced by the Beast, Book 4 – Coming Soon
Chosen by the Beast, Book 5 – Coming Soon
Crescent City Kings
Lone Survivor, Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X4JN5DX
Far Reaching Consequences, Book 2 – Coming Soon
The Right To Remain Silent, Book 3 – Coming Soon
Bound To Protect, Book 4 – Coming Soon
Self Sacrifice, Book 5 – Coming Soon
Never Surrender, Book 6 – Coming Soon
Oath and Indenture, Book 7 – Coming Soon
Boxed Sets
The Dungeon Fantasy Club: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H6FPSFV
The Pleasure Island Collection: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N2NLY3L/
Anya will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly chosen winner via Rafflecopter
VBT – WITCHES PROTECTION PROGRAM
Witches Protection Program
by Michael Okon
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GENRE: YA, Action/Adventure
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BLURB
Wes Rockville, a disgraced law-enforcement agent, gets one last chance to prove himself and save his career when he’s reassigned to a 232-year-old secret government organization.
The Witches Protection Program.
His first assignment: uncover a billion-dollar cosmetics company’s diabolical plan to use witchcraft for global domination, while protecting its heiress Morgan Pendragon from her aunt’s evil deeds. Reluctantly paired with veteran witch protector, Alastair Verne, Wes must learn to believe in witches…and believe in himself.
Filled with adventure and suspense, Michael Okon creates a rousing, tongue-in-cheek alternate reality where witches cast spells and wreak havoc in modern-day New York City.
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EXCERPT
The narrator filled in more information. “It wasn’t until this land became my land that the government decided to create an organization to protect women at risk. The Davina Doctrine went against everything that the Willas stood for. Even though they ran the risk of persecution, the Davinas chose to work with law enforcement to expose the evil deeds of the rival sisterhood. President George Washington established secret legislation under Title VI of the Control Act of 1792. The law was enacted to protect the good witches that exposed the evil deeds of their sisterhood.”
The screen went dark. There was only a chair in the center of a dimly lit stage. A single spotlight focused on the top of the blond actress’s head. Wes was right; it was the actress he’d suspected. She had a hit sitcom and two Emmys, and there was some recent Oscar talk about her last movie.
“Yes. There are witches. Living among us. They are women who believe in using their power to protect love and life. And then there are some who use their powers for all the wrong reasons.”
The camera came to rest on her beautiful face. She winked saucily as she placed a triangular witch’s hat on her head. “Welcome to the Witches Protection Program.”
Alastair smiled broadly. “I love that part.”
“That was Jennifer Anis—”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance. Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling in his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters.
Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children.
Webpage:
Amazon Purchase Page:
Amazon Author Page:
amazon.com/Michael-Okon/e/B0752THRZV
Email:
michaelokonbooks@gmail.com
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:
Snapchat:
snapchat.com/add/iammichaelokon
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Michael Okon will be awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Card, then 5 signed copies of the book (US ONLY) to randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $50 Amazon/BN GC or a signed copy of the book – a Rafflecopter giveaway
VBT – FEAR JUSTICE
Fear Justice
by C.C. Bolick
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GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy
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BLURB:
Seventeen-year-old Rena Mason counts the days until she can leave for college. Every night her father drinks himself to sleep, leaving her to care for her younger brother. When her father is kidnapped by terrorists, her dreams of freedom become a nightmare.
Stunned that her father has a history with these terrorists, Rena knows she must run or be their next victim. She learns the tough guy at school has a reason to look after her – he’s working for a government agency with the same goal as the terrorists: find a woman who disappeared eighteen years ago. Time is running out since only this woman’s special gift can save the world from a looming nuclear attack.
Rena can’t trust anyone, especially not the stone-cold agent she’s falling for. Can they save the world before Rena’s feelings trap her in an agent’s fight for justice?
Fear Justice contains elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal, with a clean romance. It’s the first book in an exciting new series called The Fear Chronicles.
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EXCERPT
He smiled and held out a hand. “I’m Tony and no, I’ve never thought of myself as a nice guy.”
Staring at his outstretched hand, I hesitated. “Rena.”
Tony moved his hand closer and his eyes took on a look of intensity, as if daring me to shake his hand.
“What’s with the gloves?” I asked.
“Skin allergies. What’s with the hesitation?”
“Hesitation?” With defiance, I reached forward. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“What are you afraid of?”
As his hand gripped mine, my breathing sped and I fought to control my voice. Our skin wasn’t even touching. Hiding my feelings with Robbie had been easy, but this was… weird. “Why are you worried about who I date? You don’t even know me.”
“I know your name is Rena Mason. We’ve got physics together.”
A twinge of guilt caught me off-guard. “I haven’t noticed you before.”
“My dad taught me to blend in with my surroundings, like camouflage.”
“He was a hunter?”
“Not exactly, but he did teach me how to shoot before he left.”
“Left?” The instant his words were out, I felt a connection to him. It was a sadness that welled from deep inside, the knowledge that we were alike in a terrible way.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
C.C. Bolick grew up in south Alabama, where she’s happy to still reside. She’s an engineer by day and a writer by night—too bad she could never do one without the other.
Camping, fishing… she loves the outdoors and the warm Alabama weather. For years she thought up stories to write and finally started putting them on paper back in 2006. If you hear her talking with no one to answer, don’t think she’s crazy. Since talking through her stories works best, a library is her worst place to write… even though it’s her favorite!
C.C. loves to mix sci-fi and paranormal—throw in a little romance and adventure and you’ve got her kind of story. She’s written nine books including the Leftover Girl series, The Agency series, and The Fear Chronicles.
The Book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour.
Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N53W6CK
Author Links:
https://www.facebook.com/CCBolick/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15857316.C_C_Bolick
https://www.instagram.com/cc_bolick/
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3090
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INTERVIEW
Can you describe your dream home?
I have my dream home – my husband and I built it with the help of family and friends. It’s only about 1600 sq. ft. (I hate to clean), but the kitchen, dining room, and living room are all open at the center. We sacrificed some area for the dining room to make a huge living room for the kids to enjoy.
If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?
We have cookouts fairly often – my husband loves to grill. I’ll cook almost anything including venison, but it all comes with a southern flair.
Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received.
Someone wrote to tell me she loved all of my books – not just the first series but she’d read all eight and bought print copies. And she wanted me to continue the stories. Readers are busy, but it really means so much to an author for someone to take a few moments and drop a line of encouragement.
Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?
I’ve always wanted to visit Australia.
Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?
Fiona Jayde Media. She does an amazing job and has made twelve covers for me thus far.
Book Blast – FRAGMENTS OF FRENCH
Fragments of French, an Unexpected Journey of the Heart
by Wanda St. Hilaire
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GENRE: Memoir (travel)
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BLURB:
After a harsh brush with her mortality, shadowed by a premature divorce, Wanda St. Hilaire pledges to be true to her primary passion—living ardently through travel. On the fateful day her life intersects with Jean-François, a charming Frenchman, on a bustling street in Lisbon, every fiber of her being feels as though she has finally entered the doorway to a magical world that she knew existed since she was a young girl.
St. Hilaire turns a complicated romantic ballet full of missteps into a collage of people, places, and cultures. Fragments of French is an exquisitely detailed travelogue of Portugal, Canada, France, and Mexico, filled with minor characters who delight with their humanity. However, what really makes this tale a standout is a gift for pacing and description to rival Tom Wolfe.
The hero’s journey is not only for the characters of our favorite stories or mythical legends. At some point, each of us receives the call to adventure. Fate summons the hero; we can refuse the call, or step into something that will turn our lives upside down, and potentially change everything we know to be true.
From feeling “completely disarmed, no fortress standing”, to embracing her untethered strength, the author turns this account of living life out loud into lessons for us all.
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EXCERPT
Our day-to-day lives typically flow with the minutiae of the known. There is the mundane and the comfortable; like the ratty robe that we wrap around ourselves to watch movies in, with a hot cup of tea from our favorite mug. There are our unvarying routines, our jobs, the people we know, and the places we frequent, which give us stability and a sense of certainty in an uncertain world.
And occasionally, there are the extraordinary moments when a life-altering fork in the road appears, when constancy vanishes underneath us and we are presented with an opportunity that excites us, stretches us far beyond the boundaries of our self-imposed restrictions, and scares the bejesus out of us. We have the freedom to choose, but we cannot know the long-term ramifications, or predict the final outcome of either decision, be it yay or nay.
Had I picked the road most traveled, this house would look the same as it did three months ago. My heartbeat would be steady and, at this moment, I would be asleep in my big brass bed, safely tucked under a thick, goose-down duvet. Monday morning, I would awaken to a flurry of faxes and phone calls in the small office upstairs, and then race off on a snowy road-trip for a week of intensive work. But that pathway may have led me to a deep gorge of regret, and a lifetime of what-ifs. I could not take that chance, ending up an old, disenchanted woman, retelling what might have been.
No one I know has done this before; I have no frame of reference. I am taking the fork to the far left, one that holds an exciting adventure fraught with potential peril. I have overcome my fears by nullifying them one by one. I am leaping without a net.
I crawl into my sleeping bag and toss restlessly, a barrage of questions battering my bewildered brain. I will leave tomorrow on a jet plane for the most unknown journey of my life. I do not know what awaits me, and I do not know when I will be back again.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
Her prime passion is the thrill of travel—of experiencing other cultures, traditions, lifestyles, and languages—thus expanding her perspective.
Wanda St. Hilaire has a predilection and passion for all things Latin, and she believes life is too short not to do what you love, where you love. She spends time writing in Mexico for inspiration, and to escape the frozen landscapes of Alberta.
Through writing, St. Hilaire shares what she’s learned from the high peaks of adventure and love, to the dark valleys of illness and heartbreak. Her mission is to help people overcome the self, and tap into their wise inner guidance system. Her wish is to inspire others to live true to their unique and beautiful nature.
Fragments of French on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fragments-French-Unexpected-Journey-Heart/dp/189433115X/ref=sr_1_1
Companion Poetry Book, Of Love, Life, and Journeys
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Life-Journeys-Companion-Fragments/dp/1894331176/ref=sr_1_3
(Inspired during the story of my travel memoir, this collection of poems and verse was first published in 2004 and became a Canadian bestseller for poetry. This second edition was created as a companion book to Fragments of French,)
Blog: www.lifebyheart.wandasthilaire.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wandasthilairethewriter/
Twitter: @spicytraveler (https://twitter.com/spicytraveler
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RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY
Wanda St. Hilaire will be awarding a ribboned beret & Paris coin bag with an E-book of Fragments of French to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. (International offer)
Enter to win a special prize pack – a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book Trailer:
Movie Review – The Shadow People (2017)
Director: Brian T. Jaynes
Writer: David Wilson
Stars: Bug Hall, Kat Steffens, C. Thomas Howell
Storyline
Newlyweds Megan (Kat Steffens, Parkland) and Andrew (Bug Hall, Castle) have just moved into their dream home with aspirations to start a family. But soon strange events start happening. Voices and shadowy figures haunt Megan, and even Andrew, starts questioning his own sanity as their marriage is being torn apart. The visions grow increasingly real..and threatening, yet Megan is unwilling to relinquish her home. When the appearance of a mysterious priest (C. Thomas Howell, The Amazing Spiderman) unveils the truth behind their nightmare, Megan’s reality takes a desperate turn that her haunting visions never could have predicted.
Review:
I would not say that this movie is all bad. The Shadow People starts out bland enough. A newlywed couple driving home swerve to avoid a person on the road, and ultimately, their car gets stuck. What follows in n unraveling sequence of events that, at first only Megan can see.
My initial thoughts here were: Why didn’t Andrew turn off the car before they decided to prance home in the rain? Why didn’t one of them call a tow truck when they got home instead of getting down to sex? Was Cain supposed to be a remake of a similar character (Kain) in Poltergeist?
It is not until the final act that we see the reality of what happened in that “near miss car accident with mysterious girl on the road”.
I am not going to say anything here to give away the spoilers, but, the acting by Kat Steffens and Bug Hall was good enough to make me watch to the end.
IMDB Rating: 3.1
My Rating: 6.0
Movie Review – Dark Phoenix
Storyline
The X-Men. Protectors of peace. Jean Grey is one of the most beloved X-Men. But when a mission goes wrong, Jean is exposed to a dark and ancient power. This power has destroyed everything it comes in contact with, until her. Now that this power is becoming unstable, she releases it with destruction and anger. Now that this foreign power is consuming her, and the world is threatened, the X-Men have to face an important truth: they must save either the world, or their friend who threatens it.
Director: Simon Kinberg
Writers: Simon Kinberg, Stan Lee (comic book created by)
Plot: Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that corrupt and turn her into a Dark Phoenix. Now the X-Men will have to decide if the life of a team member is worth more than all of humanity.
My Review: Overall this was a good film – if it was an indie film spin-off from the Marvel universe – however, as this is a Marvel Studios film, how does this film “Dark Phoenix” fit into the X-Men universe as it should play out?
Yes, it is set in the younger years of the X-Men, but when Jean Grey was a late teen-early twenties, shouldn’t have Wolverine had a cameo in this, as he did all the others?
Also a few other things to the time-line of X-Men/Marvel Universe:
1. Mystique being killed off early in the sequence? (Wouldn’t this affect ALL the other X-men films?)
2. Towards the end Jean-Grey sacrificing herself for the classical Star Trek cliche of “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” (Although she didn’t say it, this is what the scene referred.
3. No Wolverine?
This is NOT X-Men, unless a lame attempt to introduce us to the “Elementals“, which, if it is, kinda borders in the story lines of “Thanos“. After all, if “Dark Phoenix” has the tie-in to “all things Marvel”, shouldn’t there be a film of Elementals defeating Thanos, rather than just the X-Men?
Yeah, just NO.
My Rating: 5 out of 10.
Meh….. The Marvel Universe Does Your Head In With The BS……
C.A. Milson 