Apr 1 2011
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990 and a bit of 1925) Genre: Historical Romance/Drama Grade: B+ In honor of Edmund Rostand today’s film review is for Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s swashbuckling, it’s funny, it’s romantic and it’s ultimately tragic. It’s perfect for clearing out the tear ducts by either weeping in a hankie or crying in your(…)
Mar 21 2011
Less than twenty-four hours after fleeing to Paris, Maya Sinclair is the prime suspect in a brutal murder-’and targeted by the real killer. When she’s viciously attacked in the gardens of Versailles, Maya barely escapes with her life thanks to sexy French journalist Simon Girard. Simon has been investigating the mysterious death of his brother,(…)
Mar 17 2011
Dear Mr. Harvey, When we were contacted about possibly reviewing your first book “Grayton Beach Affair,” the WWII setting plus the intriguing German born/American raised hero who returns to the US on a mission caught my attention. Now this was something different and I looked forward to discovering how a romance could develop between Christian(…)
Mar 14 2011
Dear Ms. Rock, I enjoy a good historical mystery and with a cover quote from Ariana Franklin, I knew I had to try your novel “The Rhetoric of Death.” It also didn’t hurt that it has a most unusual setting of late 17th century France and a hero who is on the path to becoming(…)
Feb 9 2011
“For straight-and-narrow art restorer Ardis Bellamy, a trip to the South of France to reclaim a historic blue diamond necklace should have been only mildly nervewracking. Understatement. In order to succeed, she’s going to have to learn whom she can and can’t trust, give the thugs who are chasing her the slip, and decide whether(…)
Jan 28 2011
To Catch a Thief (1955) Genre: Mystery/Crime/Romance Grade: B+ Though not one of Hitchcock’s more suspenseful films, “To Catch a Thief” has always been one of my favorites. With two fantastic leads backed up by a strong supporting cast and exteriors shot in the beautiful south of France – how can you go wrong? There(…)
Jan 21 2011
Les Rivieres Pourpres (The Crimson Rivers) 2000 Genre: Action/Thriller/Mystery Grade: B Remember in my review of “Brotherhood of the Wolf” when I said that by the end of the film, the plot has gone to hell in a hand basket? Well, here we go again. But this time, at least most of the actors involved(…)
Dec 9 2010
Dear Ms. Brant, When you offered DA the chance to review some of your books, I got all excited. After all, I adore mid 18th century Georgian era set novels and that seems to be your specialty. Since I try to read series books in order, I decided to try “Noble Satyr” first. It also(…)
Nov 4 2010
Dear Mr. London, You promised us romance in the second book in the “French Letters” trilogy and you delivered. You promised us characters who are “Engaged in War” as the Allies liberate France and you delivered. You promised us answers to some of the questions posed in the first book “Virginia’s War” and again, they(…)
Oct 22 2010
Ever After (1998) Genre: Romance Grade: B A few weeks ago when I reviewed the Rodger’s and Hammerstein Cinderella musicals, I promised I’d be doing more Cinderella movies in the coming months. Here’s a different version of the fairy tale which is both more and less grounded in actual history but which I find charming(…)
Sep 10 2010
Warning: this review contains spoilers from the last book, which are central to the plot of this one. Dear Ms. Carriger: The cliffhanger to your second Parasol Protectorate book, Changeless, definitely worked its storytelling magic on me, and by the time Blameless was released, I was still dying to find out what happened. It is,(…)
Aug 27 2010
Dear Ms. DiPasqua: I placed a recommended note by your book after I read it because I appreciated the freshness of the location (France), the spirit of the stories (that woman are often oppressed during certain time periods and must find their own ways of gaining agency), and the clever mirroring of the fairy tales.(…)
Apr 27 2010
A few years ago I bought a trade sized copy of Laura Florand’s first book, “Blame it on Paris.” In it, she describes her year long stay in the City of Light as she studied French Literature, met a handsome Frenchman and began to fall in love. Then comes the hilarious recounting of what they(…)
Apr 20 2010
Dear Ms. Belmond, “A Rather Charming Invitation” is a lovely reunion with American Penny Nichols and her English fiance Jeremy Laidley along with their assortment of English and French relatives. It’s also another book in the series which takes me back to the style of mysteries from an age before every book had to have(…)
Apr 8 2010
Dear Ms. Franklin, I knew there’s a reason why I love doing this blog. It’s so I can get my hands on the copy of your latest book, “A Murderous Procession” before it hits market shelves. Even though it’s book 4 of the “Mistress of the Art of Death” series, Adelia and Co are in(…)
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