Free is so great when you are a book-phile. A quick press on my Nook download it button, and I was transported into Sabrina Jeffries short novella The French Maid. Actually, more like a short story. I think it took me about twenty minutes to read. So it was perfect for a very sleepy evening … Continue reading »
Gifts for the Ones You Love: This Continent Called Love, Quotations from Nobel Prize Winners by David Pratt. $0.99 from Smashwords.com 500 quotations on love in all its forms from Nobel Laureates. Combining love with wisdom, it will delight readers of all ages. Perfect for speeches at weddings and anniversaries. Send it to sweethearts, mothers, … Continue reading »
Eloisa James is by far one of my favorite contemporary historical romance authors. She has a consistently funny and entertaining style and memorable characters. She also is a master at crafting the hero, with a unique insight into the male mind. Winning the Wallflower, a novella, was a short and sweet read. I burned through … Continue reading »
During a lull in fighting at Waterloo in 1815, British solidiers found the bodies of two women. “I saw one of them,” wrote Captain Henry Ross-Lewin of the 32nd Regiment of Foot. “She was dressed in a nankeen jacket and trousers, and had been killed by a ball which had passed through her head.” Other … Continue reading »
Is there such thing as an Austen purist? If so, I think I might be one. I get a lot of “Jane-Fiction” sent to me to review. It seems the shelves of romantic fiction are packed with takes and spin offs on Jane Austen’s books and characters. And generally, they aren’t for me. Just like … Continue reading »
The kitchen garden was a common thing for many households in England with a bit o’ land, particularly after the medieval era made them popular for physic uses. By the Regency era, the use of herbs and spices for their culinary properties would have been common practice, particularly as Imperialist expansion saw the import and … Continue reading »
Just a nice update for everyone re: my review post of a Lady in Disguise. After reaching out to Jacqueline on twitter, she gave me the opportunity for some off line conversation about my strong hist-ro book cover opinions, and why I took umbrage with hers. After discussing some of the difficulties with resources available for … Continue reading »
I suppose I should’ve guessed from the cover this was going to be a bit alternative. But always game to try out a new Regency author, I gave it a whirl. Wicked Mourning is a novella. Thirty minute read tops. And the action starts almost from page one. And I do mean action. Apparently Heather … Continue reading »
Is it just me or is there a hot crop of Duke books hitting the hist-ro shelves. Personally, I have been sort of turned off on Dukes ever since Ralph Fiennes portrayal of the Duke of Devonshire. Not that I don’t love Ralph, but it gave me a distinct taste that Dukes would be pompous … Continue reading »
Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, was known as Lord Grantham for much of his life. Born on the 8th December 1781 at Whitehall, his father’s death in 1786 ascending him to the title of 3rd Baron Grantham. Entailed was an estate at Topcliffe in Yorkshire. In 1792 , Thomas de Grey also became baronet Robinson of Newby after … Continue reading »
Just seven years before the official beginning of the Regency era, a ghost was haunting Hammersmith. Rumored to be the spirit of man who had committed suicide, the ghost was said to have claimed victims who died from sheer fright. Described as very tall and very white, the ghost was known to chase passersby through … Continue reading »
Set around 1839, a trio of ladies boldly enter in a business venture…an academy for Governesses. In the first of the series, Rules of Surrender, Dodd spins a tale of a governess sent to manage a group of unruly children…only to find their father … Continue reading »
Leah Carrollton had dreams of meeting—and marrying—the perfect man. Then a scandalous affair ended in abandonment, and she left London rather than face her disgrace. With no one to turn to, Leah ran away to the country. Abruptly Devon Marshall, Viscount Huxhold, strides into her life, enveloping her in his strong embrace and offering her … Continue reading »
Ah, the scourge of the coaching roads. No wonder the railway was destined to become a staple of British travel. Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) was a British inventor. Growing up in the mine rich landscape of Cornwall, he was also a mining engineer. It was as a child where he first saw steam pumps in action, … Continue reading »
The triumphant return of Francesca Cahill to the page leaves fans like me breathless. Joyce holds no punches as familiar characters light up on the morning of Fran’s marriage to the devastatingly wicked Calder Hart. We finally find out the fate of the scandalous painting…and delve more into the secondary character love stories. And although … Continue reading »
Back to back, I finished new (for me) author Delilah Marvelle’s Scandal series. I really enjoyed the first book, so was a bit disappointed by the middle of the series. I think the writing is really top notch, the plot just relied too much on confusion and misunderstanding for an old salty dog like me. … Continue reading »
Join me on twitter and get exclusives on the hist-ro community at large! Enjoy comical tweets sure to make you spit water all over your computer…. And garner little gems like this: @Regency_Reader: @jennaromance hey jenna…anything new in the works?9 Apr jennaromance Jenna Petersen Yes! Pubbed a short in Apr, Aug is last “Billingham … Continue reading »
Review of the golden prince New excerpts Top 10 list: Spring reads More regency history! I welcome any suggestions….
Taking a break from my usual Regency fare I took a trip to 1912 with Rebecca Dean’s The Golden Prince. The main thrust of the story focuses on a fictionalized young Prince Edward and his wild first love for a beautiful country miss. It is at her home that the heir to the throne can … Continue reading »
Here is what I have been working on…(scheduled to be released in August of this year!) Lila St. John had a very opinionated older brother. And as the head of the household, he was in the position to enforce his will upon her. Lila would never say that he purposefully abused this power, it was … Continue reading »
Must have oldies but goodies and new on the shelves hist-ro reads to get you in the mood for spring! The Gamekeeper’s Lady by Ann Lethbridge On sale date: Apr 1, 2011…this one sounds perfect for days indoors with the rain beating down, longing to get outside! A natural aristro’s daughter and a bad boy Lord ala gamekeeper–hot! … Continue reading »
Regencies describing adulterous females are wont to use the word cuckold. Where does the term come from? mid-13c., kukewald, from O.Fr. cucuault, from cocu (see cuckoo) + pejorative suffix -ault, of Germanic origin. So called from the female bird’s alleged habit of changing mates, or her authentic habit of leaving eggs in another bird’s nest. … Continue reading »
The middle of the trilogy. Somehow, I always seem to start in the middle. Part of the Spice Series, Her Secret Fantasy also worked as a single title. But it interested me enough to want to read the rest of the series; the series features the Knight family and the impact their former life in India has … Continue reading »
Travelling through Britain as a child, I always thought the term “digestive” before biscuit was hilarious. But today it got me thinking. What exactly is the history of the biscuit? The etymology of the word is a combination of bis (twice) coquere (cooked). Originally, biscuits were first baked and then slow cooked in an oven. … Continue reading »
Dating back to the Middle Ages, the charter fair was a street fair or market established by Royal Charter. Originally held as markets for merchant trading, by the 19th century the charter fair began to shift towards entertainment as the main attraction. One of the most notable summer charter fairs was Bartholomew Fair, held for … Continue reading »
If you participate in the romance slanted twittersphere, you may have heard the burble this week about #romancekills, the conversation surrounding a controversial article suggesting romance = porn for women = marriage destroyer. I read the article which is written from a LDS perspective and features psychologist Dr. Juli Slattery (on a book junket) as … Continue reading »
http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2011/05/04/3207499.htm?site=sydney Fascinating short podcast on Jane Austen’s world and crime in the Georgian era. Definitely improving for the historical turn of mind.
I had read somewhere that this was reported to be Heyer’s funniest Regency romp. While I haven’t given it a second read yet, I wasn’t laughing out loud quite as much as with Sylvester. Nonetheless, the Corinthian was a funny, delightful and sweet romantic tale involving some very devilish villianry, gender bending dress up, and … Continue reading »
I don’t read Harlequin series historicals very often, but this one landed in my lap from a neighbor and so I gave it a go. Here are the deets: Clara Wells’s eccentric family drew enough sidelong glances her way that she could do without the attentions of London’s most notorious rake. But the sinfully … Continue reading »
Every girl is crazy about a sharp dressed man. Or so they say. The Regency man was not immune to displaying his charms to catch the eye of the ladies. And in an era when the aristocratic class was still largely one of leisure fashion was formidable in terms of accomplishment. While Heyer frequently references … Continue reading »
I have to put it out there first thing. This book does have an eew Mansfield Park type plot. Now that that is out of the way I will state that this beautifully crafted book. The sub characters are really interesting and the plot moves along at a quick pace. Its a departure from the … Continue reading »
Mary Linwood was born in Birmingham in 1756 and at the age of nine moved with her family to Leicester after her winemaker father went bankrupt. Her mother started a private boarding school for girls at Belgrave Gate where Mary would later reign as schoolmistress for 50 years. Beyond educating the minds of young ladies, Mary … Continue reading »
Janeites and hist-ro fans undoubtedly have wished at least once (if not many, many times) that there were more Austens to read and absorb, to soak in during a long hot soak, to curl up to at bedtime. And almost having exhausted Heyer’s most excellent body of hist-ro works, I began to seriously wish this … Continue reading »
Okay, I know I am a bit late on this years post. But the weather in the PacNW has been wacky. Alternating hot, humid, rainy and cold; the weather man and weather woman are abnormally baffled about what to expect next. Couple with a ridiculously long hay fever season, I have been a trifle indisposed. … Continue reading »
I was scratching the noggin brainstorming for ways to improve my blog today when it dawned on me that as a reader I would love an easy “app” for finding similar hist-ros based on certain factors. After a little google monkey magic, I found book lamp. Currently in beta, these brave dataheads are trying to … Continue reading »
Miss Ellen Percy is spoiled rotten and takes for granted her family. With the early moralistic stirrings of pre-Victoriania* Mary Brunton sets her heroine down a brutal series of trials and tribulations that remind me a little of the bleakness of Nathaniel Hawthorne mixed with a tamer vanilla Story of O. There is a touch … Continue reading »
Everything about Lady Sophy is grand. Her figure, her laugh, her pets, her ideas…and her skillful machinations with other people’s love lives. She is Emma, if Emma had been raised by a flighty international diplomat of a father, travelling throughout the world. Sophy arrives in London after living abroad to be placed in her Aunt’s … Continue reading »
Member of Parliament, military man, and diplomat Lord Anglesey was scandalous enough to get a divorce and hearty enough to survive the amputation of his leg. The loss of a limb didn’t stop him from prolific baby making with his new wife, Lady Charlotte Cadogan (also a divorcee) nor did it stop his sense of … Continue reading »
Louise Armstrong’s Love’s Gamble is a short and sweet Regency retreat. Although a touch of the colloquialisms that drive some readers bonkers, I found this to be thoroughly enjoyable and new story that could be read in a sitting. It starts out at the country home with three sisters who, through turns of fortune, are … Continue reading »
As we look forward to long Autumn days and cold winter nights, its time to start stockpiling. I love series romance during the Fall and Winter months, when I am less distracted by the weather and nights get darker sooner. In no specific order, here are ten of my all time favorite (and re-read again … Continue reading »
The beautiful but poor Deborah Grantham presides over her aunt’s gaming house in Regency London. Here she meets Max Ravenscar who is determined to prevent his young cousin and ward from contracting an inappropriate marriage to Grantham. Incensed by the idea that she would exploit an innocent, Deborah decides to take her revenge on Ravenscar … Continue reading »
L’Enfant sauvage emerged from the French woods in 1797. Victor Aveyron was displayed for sometime in the village of Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, France before running away. He reappeared on his own in 1800 and became an instant object of study. Without language and apparently accustomed to exposure, it was speculated that he had lived on his own … Continue reading »
Jenna Petersen’s ebook exclusive Almost a Spinster is a collection of three novellas that were part of her “You Tell Me A Story” online interactive choose-your-own-adventure-esque event. Here are the plots: In “Her Every Desire” Lady Jane asks her old friend Wesley to do a favor for her, seduce the fiance of the man she … Continue reading »
Unclaimed by Courtney Milan Publish Date: September 2011 Reviewers are giving it an average: 9/10 In Pursuit of Miss Eliza Cynster: A Cynster Novel by Stephanie Laurens Publish Date: September 2011 Reviewers are giving it an average: 7/10 Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore Publish Date: August 2011 Reviewers are giving it an average: … Continue reading »
If you have ever seen Footloose, you know that the dance is a sexually charged activity usually engaged in by the young. Certainly, the Regency dance was no exception. In Austen, Heyer, and contemporary historical romance the dance is where the first touch between hero and heroine usually occurs (albeit through layers of gloves). When … Continue reading »
Robert, Lord Bradleigh, is a wealthy earl recently betrothed to a beautiful young girl in her first Season. Emily Townsend is an impoverished spinster hired as a companion to his grandmother, the dowager countess. Robert agrees to help his grandmother find a husband for Emily, but how is he to bear the thought of her … Continue reading »
When the incomparable Miss Milbourne spurns the impetuous Lord Sherington’s marriage proposal (she laughs at him-laughs!) he vows to marry the next female he encounters, who happens to be the young, penniless Miss Hero Wantage, who has adored him all her life. Whisking her off to London, Sherry discovers there is no end to the … Continue reading »
Born in 1741, Sarah Trimmer nee Kirby was a writer, philanthropist and reformer whose focus on education and children’s literature helped influence a movement towards equal opportunity education. Predominantly a scholar and journalist, her publishing career spanned from children’s books to instructional textbooks. Her work on children’s books really brought about a new study of … Continue reading »
When a gentleman said he bet a monkey, what did he mean? 500 pounds, of course. A gentleman close to the River Tick might have only afforded a pony (25 pounds sterling…which later, through rhyming slang, became macaroni). Although no one is quite sure where the term monkey (in reference to $500) came from, there … Continue reading »
Between 1400 and 1814, The River Thames froze over approximately 26 times. The Great Freeeze of 1683-1684 prompted the first commercial and full scale “Frost Fair”. Taken advantage of the thick layer of ice covering the Thames, stalls selling everything from printers to barbers, butchers to bakers set up tents to ply their wares. Games … Continue reading »
Pitched as a Regency romance/mystery, The Talisman Ring is actually a hilarious romp full with the Heyer staples; a grumpy (in this cased described as “cautious”) older man, a dippy and romantic young woman, a handsome young buck, and an older, independent woman with a brilliant sense of humor. And, as I have discovered and … Continue reading »
When her father dies, leaving her penniless and without prospects, Elizabeth Medford is faced with a horrible future: marriage to the utterly vile Harold Wetherby. Her family thinks he’s a brilliant choice, but Elizabeth has witnessed Wetherby’s cruel nature and knows a life with him would be a miserable one.. If only he didn’t want … Continue reading »
The recent local debates about Occupy movement and random acts of anarchy that sometimes follow protest got me thinking… About the Regency, of course! I love the Regency primarily because of my deep love for the urban form and all of its social implications. And because, on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution, it transformed … Continue reading »
Logging in to the bl0g to check in and do a little blogging, I spent the regrettable five minutes wading through the sea of spam. “Great post on cctv surveillance. Check out mine.” Huh? “I would love to post. Please clarify what your blog is about.” Okay. No. And as the absurdities of the spam … Continue reading »
Oh fudge. Now, we know you as an alternative curse word or a delicious chocolatey treat. But back in the Regency era, a fudge would be a falsehood. Here is a little etymological breakdown of the word: “put together clumsily or dishonestly,” 1610s, perhaps an alteration of fadge “make suit, fit” (1570s), of unknown origin. … Continue reading »
She was unquestionably a lady. Still, that had never stopped him before. He could see that she was not, he thought, that young. Even better. Another twinge of pain from behind his eyes lent a harshness to his voice. “Who the devil are you?” In no way discomposed, she answered, “My name is Caroline Twinning. … Continue reading »
You may be like me, dusting off the holiday theme hist-ro to get you in the mood for the season. But what was Christmas really like in the Regency? The Protestant Reformation in England condemned Christmas as a pagan celebration, and it wouldn’t regain its more contemporary fervor until the Victorian Era when scholars uncovered … Continue reading »
You may or may not have heard about the Bad Austen contest. Here is the original call for short, short Jane-fiction parodies: Join the esteemable company of Ms. Jane Austen! In the tradition of the Bulwer Lytton Contest and the Bad Hemingway and Bad Faulkner contests, here’s your chance pen a scene of a “classic” … Continue reading »
Don’t be fooled by the rather tatty covers of Jacqueline Diamond’s ebooks (the one above is the best version, below the worst) In the new style, author Jacqueline Diamond is going through her stacks (presumably now free from publisher copyright) and republishing many of her Regency romances in epub and ebook format. I was hooked … Continue reading »
After so much sugary temptation over the holidays, I confess I developed a bit of a sweet tooth. So, even after reading several other “clean” Regencies, I dived into the Candace Hern bookshelf to find the next read. A Garden Folly was in keeping with this month’s randomly met theme of disguises. This time, its the Duke who … Continue reading »
