Romance

Friday Film Review: Emma (BBC)

Friday Film Review: Emma (BBC)

Emma (2009) Genre: Novel adaptation/Romance/Regency Period Grade: B This is the latest entry into the “Emma” canon, released in 2009 by the BBC. I guess it would be more accurate to call it a miniseries rather than a movie as it’s told in four roughly one hour parts. And while I didn’t think it would(…)

REVIEW: Pride and Passion by Charlotte Featherstone

REVIEW: Pride and Passion by Charlotte Featherstone

Dear Ms. Featherstone: I confess that I read this book because I just loved the cover.  The positioning of the characters, the color of the dress, the frills at the cuff of the man’s outfit. It was very evocative.  The soft against the hard.  It’s a clinch but an evocative, sophisticated clinch.   This is(…)

REVIEW: Altered Destiny by Shawna Thomas

REVIEW: Altered Destiny by Shawna Thomas

Dear Ms. Thomas: I’m always on the lookout for a good fantasy story. They are rare in romance, perhaps because those writers that are devoted to this sub genre are more interested in exploring heroic tropes that are common in fantasy rather than romantic tropes. The setting is in some fantasy old world country and(…)

REVIEW: Angels of Darkness by Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook, Sharon Shinn, and Nalini Singh

REVIEW: Angels of Darkness by Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook, Sharon Shinn, and Nalini Singh

Dear Mss. Andrews, Brook, Shinn, and Singh, Are angels the new vampires in romance novels? It seems like the number of books starring angels continues to expand exponentially. When choosing to write about angels (or winged beings, in the case of the Guardians), authors invite introspection from readers about the nature of good and evil(…)

REVIEW: Silent Blade and Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews

REVIEW: Silent Blade and Silver Shark by Ilona Andrews

Dear Ms. Andrews: Thank you for sending me a complimentary copy of this short story. Because it is short, I admit I don’t have much to say about it. When I was told that this book was connected to another short, “Silent Blade”, it made sense to read it and review it together. I had(…)

REVIEW: The Dragon and The Pearl by Jeannie Lin

REVIEW: The Dragon and The Pearl by Jeannie Lin

Dear Ms. Lin: I’m thrilled that you are writing this series and thrilled that Harlequin is publishing it and giving us such in-your-face Asian covers instead headless bodies that hint at its Eastern origins. I am not super familiar with this area of history and I read this story more as if it were a(…)

REVIEW: Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh

REVIEW: Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh

Dear Ms. Singh, Archangel’s Blade opens with a flashback in the vampire Dmitri’s POV, one that takes us back to Dmitri’s human life. In the flashback, dark, ruthless Dmitri is revealed to have once, a thousand years ago, been a loving and tender hearted man devoted to his two children and to his wife. Smiling(…)

Friday Film Review: Roxanne

Friday Film Review: Roxanne

Roxanne (1987) Genre: Romantic Comedy Grade: B When I reviewed “Cyrano de Bergerac,” some of you said you couldn’t watch or didn’t want to watch it or hated it because of the tragic ending. I can understand that. More often I’m in the mood for a HEA too. So here one is in the form(…)

Friday Film Review: Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Friday Film Review: Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010) Genre: Graphic novel romance Grade: B+ I just finished watching this and TBH am not totally sure what the fuck I just saw. But it sure was entertaining. It looks like a graphic novel x comic book x video game. It’s got great dialogue, great visuals and I know(…)

Wednesday Midday Links: Plagiarism in Blogland

Wednesday Midday Links: Plagiarism in Blogland

Yesterday was hate on romance readers day. I actually read one of these a week, if not more frequently, and generally don’t share them because what is the point, right? It is culturally acceptable to repudiate the romance genre and romance readers. From columnist, Kimberly Sayer-Giles, we have the “romance as pornography” meme*; Russell Moore(…)

Friday Film Review: Cyrano de Bergerac

Friday Film Review: Cyrano de Bergerac

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(…)

Friday Film Review: Brown Sugar

Friday Film Review: Brown Sugar

Brown Sugar (2002) Genre: Romance/Comedy/Drama Grade: B Since I’ve started doing these Friday Film Reviews, I’ve been trying to expand my film horizons. Netflix has helped since it makes it relatively easy to try new-to-me films and actors and “Brown Sugar” is a case in point. I’d seen Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs in other(…)

REVIEW: Archangel’s Consort by Nalini Singh

REVIEW: Archangel’s Consort by Nalini Singh

Dear Ms. Singh: I feel like I am being a bit disloyal to the Psy/Changeling series by admitting that right now I am enjoying the Angel series more but it’s true.   Even though we only get one book a year in this series (or maybe because we only get one book a year), I always(…)

Friday Film Review: Ever After

Friday Film Review: Ever After

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(…)

REVIEW x2: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

REVIEW x2: Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Andrews: Other than Magic Mourns, the short story that was included in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology, I haven’t read any of your Kate Daniels series. I’m not sure why Kate Daniels unfortunately flew completely under my radar, but due to my giant, listing TBR stack, I doubt I’ll end up(…)