Books
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Review: Quickies by Ollie Levy (Short Story Collection)
In this collection we meet a wide variety of people from all walks of life….some are married, single, engaged…..some have high flyer careers, and some are average Joe’s, but they all have one thing in common….they all love a good quickie. Why fuss with a marathon love making session when a quickie will get the job done? That’s the question that Ollie Levy explores in her series of short stories appropriately titled Quickies. What I loved about this collection was each randevú was short and sweet. There wasn’t a lot of back story and the characters literally got right down to business. It made for a fast and steamy read. It wasn’t overly graphic…
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Film Review: Anna Karenina
Love has finally arrived in theaters! After months of anticipation I have finally seen Anna Karenina. I normally don’t do film or TV reviews/discussions on this blog but I’m totally making an exception since this is a film based on a book…..and since I’ve been obsessing I thought it was only fitting that I do a review. Anna Karenina has been made into a film many times over so then the question becomes, how is this film different from all that have come before it? Hands down, Joe Wright’s vision is artistic and romantic. This is a film about love….the mise-en-scene and artful use of color, staging, and costumes really…
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Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Will Traynor has everything going for him–he’s rich, good looking, powerful, adventurous, cultured, vibrant, and successful. Until one day, a tragic accident takes all of that away leaving him with nothing but memories of a previous life. Will is now a quadriplegic who must rely on others to fulfill his basic needs. Naturally he is depressed and hates that his once fulfilling, active life is now nothing but a series of doctor appointments and catheter changes. He simply wants to die. After the accident, Will moved from his posh London residence to his parents house near Stortfold Castle in the English country side. He is miserable. Louisa “Lou” Clark has…
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Interview and Giveaway: The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift
I recently had the pleasure of reviewing The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift as part of The Gilded Lily Virtual Book Tour thanks the the lovely Amy over at Historic Fiction Virtual Book Tours! The Gilded Lily is a fascinating historical fiction novel set in the back allies of post Elizabethan London. The Appleby sisters are on the run and hoping they can start fresh again in London. But London isn’t all that it seems….the quickly fall into a dangerous circle and soon find that getting caught by the law might be easier than getting caught up in London’s criminal syndicate. If you haven’t done so already be sure to enter the…
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Review: The Lady of Secrets (The Dark Queen Saga #6) by Susan Carroll
In Edinburgh 1591, Maidred Brody is being executed. Found guilty of being a witch, she is sentenced to die by fire along side another well known witch names Tamsin Rivers. Everyone in town has turned out to watch the execution, including the king himself, James I. Maidred’s brother, Robert Brody, plans on appealing to the king and begging his sister’s pardon. When James refuses, Robert watches unable to do anything but watch her die. At that moment he vows his revenge on King James….someone will answer for this miscarriage of justice. As the witches burn, Tamsin Rivers calls out a curse on the House of Stuart forever striking fear in…
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Review: The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift
When Ella Appleby’s employer turns up dead, she knows what will be come of her….she will be out in the cold without a second thought unless she thinks of something quick. Ella wakes her sister, Sadie, and together the loot her employers mansion and head for the glitz and glamour of 17th century London. But when they arrive, they are met with anything but opportunity. Work is hard to find and the sisters are forced to take any employment they can get. Luckily they both find work at a wig shop and are able to rent a small room. Though their loggings and income are meager, Sadie is simply happy…
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Special Feature and Giveaway: Anna Karenina Film Prize Pack
Sometimes you just can’t ask why about love…..love is a choice but it’s a choice that doesn’t require any qualifications, it simply is. Fans of the novel Anna Karenina know that there are as many kinds of loves as there are hearts. That perhaps is why the novel is so appealing….it is a story about love and love effects us all. What kind of loves have you known in your life? Forbidden love? Dutiful love? Romantic love? Enduring love? Passionate love? Maternal love? Scandalous love? In the novel Anna Karenina, we find all kinds of love and on November 30th (in theaters everywhere) we will see director Joe Wright’s vision of love on the big…
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Review: Summerset Abbey (Summerset Abbey #1) by T.J. Brown
It is the dawning of a new era and the world is changing. The ridged confines of the Victorian and Edwardian eras are on their way out as England ushers in the modern age. The Buxton sisters and their adopted ward have just lost their father and are struggling with their grief. The eldest daughter, Rowena, is faced with the burden of providing for her younger, sickly sister Victoria and their ward Prudence. She is entirely overwhelmed and doesn’t know if she is suited for the task ahead of her but she is willing to try. Before the funeral is at a end, their uncle, the Earl of Summerset and his…
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Review: My Heart’s Desire by Andrea Kane
Lady Alexandria Cassell feels trapped. Her whole life promises to be a series of balls, entertaining, and perpetual boredom if she remains in London for the Season to find a suitable husband. So she does what any sensible girl would do in her situation….she runs like hell. Alexandria finds a ship leaving London bound for Canada where her father lives. She stows away on board, but little does she know what adventures await her on the high seas. Itching to put as many leagues between himself and London, Captain Drake Barrett sets sail when he discovers Alexandria hidden away in his cabin. Though he knows he should turn the ship around…
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Guest Post and Giveaway: Bittersweet Seraphim by Debra Anastasia
Bittersweet Seraphim has been released from Hell. Satan Jack invites you to come…and indulge yourself in his journey to save the angel he loves. After running Hell for over a thousand years one foul-mouthed Seraph has changed his end game. Even if it means destroying the universe, Jack refuses to give up on Emma. He didn’t know what love was until Emma’s skin pressed against his, the addiction to any of his other vices paling in comparison. Jack has never been a fearful man, but he gets it now. Fear comes when you have something to lose. Or someone.