Rated R, 121 minutes. Director: Dexter Fletcher Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gemma Jones, Steven Mackintosh, Tom Bennett, Matthew Illesley, Kit Connor and Tate Donovan Last year’s BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY launched new interest in music biopics when its success pushed back into the spotlight the generationally beloved and iconic rock star Freddie Mercury, played by “Academy Award” winner Rami Malek. Sitting at number three from this weekend’s box office is another flashy film about the rise and struggles of a rock figure. But unlike BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, ROCKETMAN, a musical interpretation of piano man and singer Elton John’s early success, shows no fear while portraying Elton’s eventual spiral into alcohol, drug, sex, food, and shopping addiction with just a splash of uncontrolled anger issues on the side. Despite the grittiness, ROCKETMAN at least wants to have fun with the film’s subject, even when the story digs into his darkest moments. Taron Egerton’s entrance as Elton John is majestic and sassy; a red-horned devil with wings splayed across his back hammering through doors on his way to a group therapy session. Soul crushed with tears streaming down his face, Elton launches into a rendition of “The Bitch is Back” as…

Defending Harlow is a story of second chances. Harlow and Black knew each other in high school but didn’t run in the same circles. When he meets back up with her years later, Black is immediately attracted, except Harlow has written off dating, especially because she’s dealing with trying to keep the residents in the women’s shelter she works at safe. Harlow always had a crush on Black but figured he was out of her league, and it’s impossible to date him now that he’s showing interest because she’s absolutely positively decided that she’s done with dating. She’s had bad date after bad date and figures she’s just not meant to be with someone. The proof is in her last five horrible dates: 1. The guy who kept leaning over the table and stealing food from her plate without asking. 2. The man who ordered for her, which she thought was nice, until he started asking about how many calories were in each dish and then ordered her the baked chicken with vegetables and no butter. 3. The date who did a background check on her to make sure she didn’t have any skeletons in her closet that would make…

How does a 17th-century British historian move from mead and murder ballads to cocktails and speakeasies? When I first announced my new series, The Speakeasy Murders set in 1929 Chicago, I was met with excitement and some questions. Why the big jump? After all, my first series was set in mid 17th century London. Some people, very sweetly, even asked if Gina Ricci (my new protagonist) was the great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter of Lucy Campion (my original 17th-century protagonist)! I get the questions. I mean, on the one hand, as someone who has taught world history from the beginning of recorded time to present day, I can assure you that 260 years is not very long timespan at all! But on the other hand, the Roaring Twenties probably seems a thousand years away from the 1660s, with its decimating plague, religious warfare, and the Great Fire (After all, I used to half-joke that contemporaries referred to 1666 as the “Devil’s year.”) Socially, culturally, politically—these are very distinct eras, and I approached researching my new series very differently. While I did seek to familiarize myself through scholarly books with the general trends of the 1920s, and Chicago more specifically, I also spent a lot…

We are so excited to share this interview with New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ashley and Fresh Fiction Editorial Manager, Danielle Dresser! Thanks for coming to Fresh Fiction! Can you tell us about your Kat Holloway Mystery series and the latest book, Death in Kew Gardens?  The Kat Holloway series revolves around a cook in Victorian England. Kat is young for a cook, but she’s the best, and she knows it (though she strives to be modest about this). She’s also a very curious person and gets involved in solving murders and ferreting out secrets. In Death in Kew Gardens, Kat becomes distressed when the police accuse a Chinese gentleman who has been kind to her of murdering her employer’s next-door neighbor. Convinced the man is innocent, Kat sets out to prove her new friend, Mr. Li, couldn’t possibly have done it.  One of my favorite things about accomplished cook/ amateur sleuth Kat Holloway is how steadfast and hardworking she is, but she still has moments of vulnerability and even some fun now and then. What are some of your favorite qualities about Kat, and how has she changed since book one, Death Below Stairs? Kat is a woman of her time…