About Layla
posts by Layla:
B Reviews / Book ReviewsEngland / Fantasy / Historical / Paranormal / selkies / shapeshifters3 Comments
On a windswept British coastline the tide bestows an unexpected gift… It was the cry that she first noticed, the plaintive wail that called to her over the crash of winter waves. Wrapped only in a sealskin, the baby girl looks up at Effie and instantly captures her heart. Effie ... more >
A Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Readsbeta hero / chick-in-pants / Historical / Regency13 Comments
While most young ladies attend balls and hunt for husbands, Ophelia Hardwick has spent the last ten years in disguise. As the land steward for the Earl of Carlyle, she’s found safety from the uncle determined to kill her and freedoms a lady could only dream of. Ophelia’s situation would ... more >
A Reviews / Book Reviews / DNF Reviews1880s / botany / Cornwall / duchess / fish-out-of-water / gardener / heroine in disguise / historical romance / joint review / redemption / Road Trip Romance / runaway bride / snobbery7 Comments
Janine: Layla and I reviewed Joanna Lowell’s last two historicals and when I saw that this one was coming out, I asked her if she would like to review it together as well. She agreed. The Runaway Duchess is the story of Lavinia Yardley, who was engaged to Anthony, Duke ... more >
B+ Reviews / Film ReviewsFriday Film Review / opera / Opera Singer / Scotland / village3 Comments
Falling for Figaro (2021) Genre: Romantic Comedy Grade B+ I was on an airplane and everyone knows that you watch movies on airplanes that you don’t normally watch at home (at least that’s true for me!). As I scrolled through the list, an image popped out at me. The cover ... more >
Book Reviews / Reading Lists / Top Ten Listsalternate England / Best of 2021 / businessman / Earl / f/f / family / Fantasy / heroine in disguise / historical romance / land steward / marriage-of-convenience / nun / paranormal romance / reframing / revenant / revenge / scholar / Scotland / secret society / self discovery / sportsman / suffragette / traumatic-past / Urban fantasy / werewolves / witch / YA fantasy9 Comments
Freya Marske, A Marvellous Light This was probably my favorite book of the year. I don’t read m/m romance much, but this book had me hooked. Full of angst and tension, containing a swoon worthy romance and with a very compelling magical world, it was hard to put down. The ... more >
Conversationscelebrity likeness / food comparisons / good-description / heroes / metaphor / othering / psychological insights / unappealing descriptions35 Comments
Layla: I’m starting off this conversation about hero descriptions with one anecdote and two questions. The anecdote is about a book I recently picked up, Erin Satie’s Book of Love. Jennie did a fabulous review of it. I usually love Erin Satie’s books, but there was a description of the ... more >