Secrets of a Marine’s Wife – Review

Secrets of a Marine’s Wife – Lifetime – 2 hours and 0 minutes

John nervously sits while he asks Erin’s parents for their blessing to propose.  Before they can answer, Erin comes down the stairs and notices the quizzical look on her parents’ faces.  But they reveal nothing to her.  Then, the couple gets on a plane to Las Vegas for a Marine Corps Ball.  At the ball, John asks Erin to marry him.  She takes full advantage of their location and gets married in a Las Vegas Chapel.  They move to California into Marine housing with several other families.  Ashley introduces herself, her husband, Connor, along with Chris and his wife, Nichole.  The three couples make fast friends, but the loneliness of military life starts to affect Erin.  However, when Erin learns she is pregnant, she has a future.  But she suffers a miscarriage, and she becomes lonely and sad again.  Unfortunately, she doesn’t think John feels the same.  After an argument about money, Erin leaves to get some fresh air.  Chris sees her walking and offers to give her a ride to a ranch.  There, she can volunteer to work with the horses.  This moment of understanding will begin an affair and end in murder.  But when the police investigate John, they uncover that two more people wanted Erin dead.

Based on Secrets of a Marine’s Wife: A True Story of Marriage, Obsession, and Murder by Shanna Hogan, you will see that two years of bad decisions cause a ripple effect of chaos (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  If you don’t read the story before the movie, it’s a thriller and a mystery.  As the film focuses on Erin and Chris’s affair, it’s the last 10 minutes that will make your heart crack in half.  The killer reenacts Erin’s murder with horrific detail.  Then, the assailant drops her body to the ground with a sickening thud.  Don’t be surprised if you have to look away from the screen.  No one believes an erroneous decision or trusting the wrong person could result in their murder.  But it happens all too often.  And Erin is a victim of that disbelief.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars

She had me – John

Just let me know if we’re too loud for you.  We share a wall – Nichole

Are you going to be able to behave yourself – Erin

I don’t think so – Chris

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The Killer in My Backyard – Review

The Killer in My Backyard – LMN – 2 hours and 0 minutes

Allyson decides to use her trust fund to buy a home with her fiancé, Eric.  While his name isn’t on the mortgage, he will be living with her.  At first, the fully furnished home makes Eric asks the realtor questions about the previous owner.  The realtor tells Eric the previous owner died, and there was an issue with the next of kin.  So the furniture is theirs, if they want to keep it.  Before Eric makes another statement, Allyson decides to buy the home immediately.  After Eric and Allyson leave, a man comes up to the realtor and inquires about the property.  She tells the man, Josh, that the property is off the market, but the owners will be renting the guest house.  After the couple relocates, Josh comes to the house and inquires about the rental guest home.  Eric tells Josh they are looking for a tenant who will stay for six months.  Josh offers to pay for six months but will occupy the house for three, and he gives cash.  Eric accepts Josh’s offer without calling references or checking with Allyson.  This guest will grow into a nightmare, but the couple must discover why.

Eric is the most inconsiderate fiancé in Lifetime’s history without committing murder.  First, he complains about the house.  Then, he allows someone to move in without consulting the homeowner, Allyson, or checking references.  Next, he bring an unregistered gun into the home.  Finally, he alters her property to make Josh miserable.  Allyson would fare much better without him.  With that aside, this movie gives valuable information about tenant laws.  But it doesn’t leave much room for entertainment.  This movie is background noise.  

I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars

Will you stop talking, it’s fine – Allyson

He can rent a space in my guest house any day – Tara

Absolutely, you never know when you might need one of those – Josh

Imagine that.  Something in your life you can’t control – Eric

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Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer – Review

Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer – Lifetime – 2 hours and 0 minutes

Celeste works as a waitress and enchants Steve Beard, a widower.  She leaves work early to go on a date with him.  After a few months, he asks Celeste to move in with her daughters, Jennifer and Kristina.  Celeste worries that people will look down on her quick relationship, so he offers to give her a job as house manager.  After moving in, Celeste gets a shock.  Steve proposes.  At the wedding, Sam’s daughter, Becky, doesn’t hold her tongue about Celeste.  But Celeste tells Becky to back down because Celeste signed a prenup.  To prove his love, Steve adopts Jennifer and Kristina.  It’s not long before a retired Steve sees his wife loves money and clothes.  When he tells her to stop spending, or he will file for divorce, she panics and threatens to attempt suicide.  Steve suspends all talks about a divorce and puts Celeste in a mental institution.  It’s there that she meets Tracey, a mentally unstable woman that is unlucky in love.  The women start a romantic affair that continues after their treatment is over.  As time goes by, Celeste tells Tracey that Steve mistreats her, but she can’t leave because of the prenup.  She would get nothing in a divorce, but she would get something as a widow.  It’s not long before a masked intruder walks into Steve’s bedroom and shoots him in the stomach.  Steve calls 911 for help.  At the hospital, Celeste tells them she doesn’t know who would hurt her husband.  But Kristina thinks Tracey did it.  Celeste told her daughters that Tracey became obsessed with her and started stalking her.  As the police close in on Tracey, they have no idea she is a pawn in a deadly game of golden chess.

Based on The Fortune Hunter by Suzy Spencer, several crime shows covered this deadly lover’s triangle from every angle except one (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  It was only a matter of time before Lifetime put their spin on the story.  But unlike all the other retellings, this movie gives insight into Celeste’s children and their role in the saga.  After being put in and out of foster care, Jennifer has issues with Celeste, including not calling her mom.  But her sister, Kristina, is the polar opposite.  She wants to believe Celeste has a good soul.  When the movie ends, you will see that that Celeste’s depravity and greed know no bounds.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars

You better tip me better this time, no of that 10% crap. I’m a single mother – Celeste

You just figured that out – Jennifer

I really like him. Maybe he’ll be good for her – Kristina

I don’t trust her – Becky

Well she’d be an idiot not to love my money – Steve

But a sucker doesn’t get angry, I do – Tracey

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Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Til Death Do Us Part – Review

Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Til Death Do Us Part – HMM – 2 hours and 0 minute(s)

With four days until they say, ‘I do,’ Aurora and Nick greet incoming guests and put the final touches on their wedding.  But Aida has to leave because someone called about a problem at one of her properties, and Aurora comes along to check it out.  At the building, Aurora and Aida see Arthur taking notes.  He tells them the construction workers found a skeleton under a slab of concrete.  Aurora wants to know more, but Arthur has no information to give her.  He still doesn’t know if it was an accident or murder.  However, Arthur wants to talks to the previous owner to aid the investigation.  Aida tells him the previous owner was Bernard, a friend of Aurora’s dad, Charles.  Charles’s other friends, Ted and Dennis, meet at Aurora’s house to welcome Nick and congratulate the couple on their upcoming nuptials.  After a few days, genetic phenotyping creates a composite sketch of the man under the slab.  Aurora sees a familiar face but can’t put a name to it.  So, she takes the picture to Charles, and he recognizes it as Sam Woods, an old acquaintance that left town and never spoke to them again.  Before the night is over, Arthur talks to all four men – Charles, Bernard, Dennis, and Ted – about the last time they saw Sam alive.  They tell Arthur that Sam came to their poker game and told them he was leaving town for good.  Since Sam hated the area, so his lack of communication after leaving didn’t phase them.  Although Arthur becomes suspicious of the men, he has nothing to hold them on.  So, he tells them to stay in town.  The next day, Lydia walks to the police station and declares that she was Sam’s fiancé.  She believes one of the four poker players is the culprit.  As the evidence points to Charles, Aurora won’t accept that her father or his friends are killers.  She must investigate Sam’s murder, but could this investigation kill her wedding?

Based on the novels by Charlaine Harris, this installment keeps viewers on their toes while having them worried about the wedding (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  This double suspense makes this movie the most nerve-racking ever.  Since each man had bad blood with Sam before he died, it’s hard to narrow it down to one suspect.  One man lost thousands of dollars, while the other had a physical altercation with Sam the night before he disappeared.  When the plot unmasks the killer, it will leave you shocked and delighted.  Many mystery series fall into predictable plots and easy-to-spot perpetrators, but Aurora keeps the fans on their toes with each episode.  And let’s not forget about that dress.  You will watch this movie multiple times.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars

Sounds perfectly macabre – Aida

And you are still a firmly rooted tree – Charles

Yes, please answer her questions. Yoga doesn’t like me – Sally

A misunderstanding, of sorts – Aurora

You never have to apologize for being you, Ro – Nick

You mean fight for justice – Philip

Your priorities will forever mystify me – Lillian

You mean, it sounds like a motive for murder – Arthur

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The Perfect Wedding Match – Review

The Perfect Wedding Match – UPtv – 2 hours and 0 minutes

Maisie heads the RSVP Plus One dating app with her friend, Dana, running the app’s database.  Dana got Maisie an interview for the app with a reporter named Luke.  At first, Luke asks light-hearted questions.  Then, his questions speculate about Maisie’s integrity because she doesn’t use the app and doesn’t want love.  After the interview, Luke writes a scathing article titled Lazy Maisie CEO, and it goes viral.  Maisie wants to rebrand after the database update, but Dana believes the bad press will die down.  Until then, Dana encourages Maisie to leave and focus on the wedding of her sister, Ali.  That gives Dana an idea.  Dana knows Maisie doesn’t have a date for the wedding, so Dana tells Maisie to use the app for a plus one.  As Maisie walks out the door, Dana plugs in Maisie’s stats.  But with an ice cream cake distraction, Dana fat-fingers some of the keys on her keyboard.  She pulls up Maisie’s and Luke’s profiles and changes the code.  The update dialog box appears, but Dana thinks something looks wrong.  However, she completes the update.  At her parents’ home, Maisie settles into her duties as maid of honor.  As she unpacks, Maisie sees Luke on her front porch.  He tells Maisie that he is meeting his match, Daisy.  She tells him that Daisy is her nickname and calls Dana immediately.  Dana tells Maisie that she matched with a guy they call Perfect Peter, and he is on his way to the wedding.  But the update glitch made a second match by mistake.  Before Maisie can make Luke leave, he ingratiates and introduces himself to her parents as her date.  They are all thrilled.  Especially Ali, because an even-numbered wedding is a good omen.  So, Maisie will keep up the charade, and Luke agrees.  As they connect, what will Maisie do when Perfect Peter knocks at the door and finds another scathing article about her?

Bring on Aunt Micky! With her secret stash and funny comebacks, she is the star of the movie.  She will have you laughing each time she is on screen.  While this movie follows the typical pattern, it does offer sage advice about relationships and traditions.  But you will not be concerned about any couple in this movie.  The plot tries to make you worry about the wedding, but you know everything will be fine.  You sit and wait for things to work themselves out.  While this movie won’t be a favorite of the June Grooms, it’s watchable for two hours.

I give it 3 out of 5 stars

Oh, who said I don’t have time to date – Maisie

Anybody lose a bottle of vino … last century – Aunt Micky

So, you read it – Luke

And, I’m so glad you have a man – Ali

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The Baker’s Son – Review

The Baker’s Son – Hallmark – 2 hours and 0 minutes

Matt works in the bakery owned by his father, Jean Pierre.  While Matt has the technical skills of a baker, his bread falls flat with customers.  Jean Pierre says that the men in the family must be in love to bake.  Matt laughs and leaves to make deliveries to the local shops.  He delivers bread to Annie.  Annie is Matt’s best friend and owns a restaurant.  She wanted to paint in Paris but put her dream on hold to run the business.  After seeing their interaction during Matt’s delivery, Matt’s sister, Meg, tells Annie that they love each other.  Annie doesn’t believe that’s true.  She thinks they are nothing more than friends.  On his next delivery at the pier, Matt sees a group of people arrive.  It’s a ballet company.  A striking ballerina, Nicole, catches his eye.  When he tells Annie about the encounter, she tells Matt to ask Nicole out on a date.  He considers baking bread with Nicole, but Annie doesn’t believe the food-conscious Nicole would eat it.  After a few clumsy run-ins, Nicole and Matt finally go on a date.  He tells Annie, and she is happy for him, or she pretends to be.  The next day, Matt bakes the best bread of his life.  Soon, the bread becomes local news, and the tourists swamp the financially destitute small-town for a taste.  Matt’s bread is a financial hit, and he wants to take his relationship with Nicole to the next level.  When Nicole doesn’t return his love, Matt tries to tell Annie, but she won’t talk to him.  Now, Matt’s bread is flat again.  Without the bread, what will the townspeople do? They will help Matt find love, one spare key at a time.

This movie starts slow and predictable, but the funny townspeople will win you over.  After the movie ends, you will want to see a series featuring Jean Pierre, Mrs. Katherine, and Meg.  You better believe the plot above is an oversimplified synopsis.  You will ask questions about the town, Meg’s baby, and the next step in Annie and Matt’s love story when the credits roll.  One movie will not be enough for you.  Let’s hope the producers will make a part two or turn this movie into a TV series.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars

You are such a charming little liar.  But I love you for it – Meg

Some cultures, it’s a sign of good luck – Matt

Please, I’m your best friend, why would I be enjoying this – Annie

Ok, maybe the universe likes me a little bit – Tim

What happened, the mouse king scared you – Nicole

Let’s not elevate me to sainthood just yet Walter – Katherine

We’re famous and all because of this guy – Walt

I think you are a baker and a very good one – Jean Pierre

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