Long and Short Reviews welcomes Marie Sexton who is celebrating the recent re-release of Promises, the first book in the Coda series.
Hello, everybody! I’m Marie Sexton, and I’m here today celebrating the re-release of my very first book, Promises. Promises was first released in January of 2010. The new version has been re-edited. It also features a brand new Coda short story called “Meant to Be”.
It was suggested that I write a “top five” post, but I couldn’t decide what exactly to talk about. Then I received a text from my daughter, who’s at school literally counting down the minutes until we see Endgame. So I decided to write about my five favorite Marvel movies.
A few caveats:
1. I’m sure many people won’t agree with my choices. That’s fine. What fun would it be if we all agreed?
2. I’m listing them in no particular order, because I couldn’t quite decide which ones I liked more.
3. For my purposes here, I’m sticking to the Avengers side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not the X-Men side. Deadpool sort of straddles the two, but I feel like it’s mostly X-Men. After all, some of them even make an appearance! The nods to Avengers are smaller. So, right or wrong, Deadpool will not be on this list, not because I don’t like it, but because I consider it to be in that other MCU.
4. I’m writing this before seeing Endgame, so everything could change! EDITED TO ADD: I’ll have to watch Endgame a couple more times before making my final verdict. But after one viewing — I did like it, but it doesn’t change my top 5 list.
And now, let it begin:
Iron Man – I have a confession: I’ve never read a comic book. Although my parents were always willing to buy me books, comic books absolutely did not count, in their opinion. When the movie Iron Man came out, the only thing I knew about it was that Black Sabbath had a song with the same title. (A song I didn’t particularly like.) A friend talked me into seeing the movie anyway.
I went. I watched.
I totally didn’t get it.
I walked out of that theater thinking, “What the hell? Why did I sit through that? That guy seems like an asshole. Why in the world did they make a movie about him?”
I didn’t see the next few movies in the series. Hulk, Iron Man 2, and Thor all came and went without pinging on my radar. Even Captain America didn’t interest me. But sometime, somewhere, somehow….
It all changed.
Iron Man 3 – I know a lot of people will say this movie shouldn’t be on this list. For some reason, Iron Man 3 gets no love. But I have to say, I seriously enjoy this movie. The way I remember it, I saw IM3 on TV and liked it. Then I went back and watched the movies I’d missed, then saw Avengers in theaters when it came out. Clearly, that’s wrong, because IM3 came out after Avengers, not before it. So although I can’t really remember how exactly the timeline played out, I know it was this movie, combined with Avengers, that finally won me over.
Avengers – What’s not to love? Once Joss Whedon came on board, everything started to click. I could easily do a list of my top 5 favorite lines of dialog from this movie. Except I’d need to expand it to top 25, because five just isn’t enough.
Guardians of the Galaxy – I’m trying to remember if I saw this one in theaters. I feel like I didn’t — like despite having loved some of the earlier movies, I hadn’t quite learned to trust Marvel completely. I thought this one looked weird.
Well, I was right. It is. But that’s also what makes it so damn awesome. This is absolutely one of my favorites of the bunch. And Kevin Bacon really is a hero.
Winter Soldier – I know I said “in no particular order.” But had I counted down from five to one, this would have taken the spot of honor as my favorite Marvel movie. I absolutely, unequivocally believe this is the very best movie of them all. It has so much heart. Steve and Sam, Steve and Sasha, Steve and Bucky. If Avengers won me over, it was Winter Soldier that made me a true believer.
Incidentally, I spent a couple of years telling my daughter I could turn her into a Stucky shipper with a single movie. I assured her she’d love the MCU. Of course, being a teenager, she didn’t believe me. It wasn’t until her friends talked her into watching that she dove in. But guess what? I was right! She loves this movie as much as I do, and definitely ships Stucky.
So, there it is: my top five Marvel movies to date. I’ll be seeing Endgame in exactly four hours, so we’ll see if that changes my mind.
What about you? Do you agree with my choices? Which Marvel movie is your favorite?
Thanks for hanging out with me! Don’t forget to check out the re-release of Promises. And also, a huge THANK YOU to Long and Short Reviews for having me here today.
Includes the Coda series prequel novella, Meant to Be
Jared has simple goals for his freshman year of college: make friends, lose his virginity, come out, and maybe fall in love. He doesn’t anticipate getting caught between his friend Bryan and Bryan’s flamboyant ex. Through the awkwardness, Jared learns love doesn’t always mean sex and the most meaningful connections might have nothing to do with romance.
*****
Can a man who loves his small hometown trust it to love him back?
Jared Thomas has lived in the mountain town of Coda, Colorado, his whole life. He can’t imagine living anywhere else. But Jared’s opportunities are limited—the only other gay man in town is twice his age, and although Jared originally planned to be a teacher, the backlash that might accompany the gig keeps him working at his family’s store instead.
Then Matt Richards moves to town.
Matt may not be into guys, but he doesn’t care that Jared is. A summer camping and mountain biking together cements their friendship, but when Matt realizes he’s attracted to Jared, he panics and withdraws, leaving Jared all too aware of what he’s missing.
Facing Matt’s affair with a local woman, his disapproving family, and harassment from Matt’s coworkers, Jared fears they’ll never find a way to be together. But for the first time, he has the courage to try… if he can only convince Matt.
About the Author 
Marie Sexton is the author of over thirty published works. She’s written contemporary romance, science fiction, fantasy, dystopian fiction, historical short stories, and a few odd genre mash-ups. Marie lives in Colorado, where she recently fell head-over-heels in love with the Colorado Eagles. She’s happily married, with one teenage daughter, one adorable dog, and one very stupid cat.
Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.
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Canamanwholoveshissmallhometowntrustittolovehimback?Jared Thomas has lived in the mountain town of Coda, Colorado, his whole life. He can’t imagine living anywhere else. But Jared’s opportunities are limited—the only other gay man in town is twice his age, and although Jared originally planned to be a teacher, the backlash that might accompany the gig keeps him working at his family’s store instead.Then Matt Richards moves to town.Matt may not be into guys, but he doesn’t care that Jared is. A summer camping and mountain biking together cements their friendship, but when Matt realizes he’s attracted to Jared, he panics and withdraws, leaving Jared all too aware of what he’s missing.Facing Matt’s affair with a local woman, his disapprovingfamily, and harassment from Matt’s coworkers, Jared fears they’ll never find a way to be together. But for the first time, he has the courage to try… if he can only convince Matt.
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The Colorado Eagles — Hubby and I have always been football fans, but whenever he suggested hockey, I resisted. “We already put our lives on hold once a week, 16-20 weeks of the year for the Broncos,” I would say. “No way are we adding a second sport. Especially not one with over sixty games per year.” Then, several years ago, my daughter’s school choir sang the National Anthem at an Eagles game, and I was hooked. We’re now season ticket holders. In 2017, hockey saved my sanity. Between January and June, my mother had a stroke, my husband’s uncle died of cancer, my dog died, and my grandmother passed away. Had it not been for the Colorado Eagles and their amazing Kelly Cup championship run, I’m not sure I would have survived. 
Stella — We adopted Stella in July of 2017. When DD chose her at the shelter, I thought, “Really? This dog?” I’d fully intended to adopt a pittie mix, but there weren’t any at the shelter that week. Instead, my kid picked out this scared little terrier mix. Well, it took me all of about a week to fall head-over-heels for this silly little goof. She’s exactly what I needed. 
Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation): This is an amazing Chinese novel turned manhua (manga) and donghua (anime), and now also an audio play. I think I heard it’s going to be live action too? It’s the slowest-burn BL (boy’s love, Asian for gay romance) you’re going to find. Wei WuXian, once the feared and mighty YiLing Patriarch, was stabbed in the back and killed by his shidi, but now is brought back to life by someone seeking revenge. However, waiting for Wei Ying all this time has been Lan WangJi, who Wei Ying thought hated him, but it turns out Lan Zan’s feelings are much deeper and more complicated than that. Adventure, sex, death, betrayal, resurrection, ghosts, fighting, feelings, everything! Come join the party.
Kyo Kara Maoh!: This amine is old, but fabulous, and though I already watched it, I’m rewatching it with Anna. Japanese high school boy gets flushed down a toilet to another world where he discovers he’s the long-awaited demon king, but instead of leading them gloriously in war, he turns them all into pacifists and unites the continent. Also gets accidentally engaged to a man who hates him at first, then follows him around jealously protecting his fiancé.
Paul Hannon flunked out of vet school. His fiancée left him. He can barely afford his rent, and he hates his house. About the only things he has left are a pantry full of his ex’s kitchen gadgets and a lot of emotional baggage. He could really use a win—and that’s when he meets El.
Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Colorado Eagles and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one teenage daughter, one adorable dog, and one very stupid cat, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.
Author of over thirty novels, Midwest-native Heidi Cullinan writes positive-outcome romances for LGBT characters struggling against insurmountable odds because she believes there’s no such thing as too much happy ever after. Heidi is a two-time RITA® finalist and her books have been recommended by Library Journal, USA Today, RT Magazine, and Publisher’s Weekly. When Heidi isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, reading novels and manga, playing with her cats, and watching too much anime. 
