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In Over Her Head is the ultimate beach read. No, seriously, it is. You have talking fish, Mers (only humans would classify them by gender), sea monsters, underwater cities hidden by the Greek gods, heirs, thrones, adventure, a cache of diamonds… there’s so much going on in this book.
In so many ways this book is a retelling of Little Mermaid, though I prefer to think of it as the reverse of The Little Mermaid. The hero is a prince, but he’s also a Mer. It’s the heroine who is human and is afraid of the water. She is petrified to be in the ocean: sharks, sharks, mysterious voices, sharks, and well sharks. It’s a wonder she ever got certified to dive.
Both characters are driven by the urge to prove themselves. Erica has been labeled incompetent, useless, and a nutcase ever since the Incident. She’s been struggling to prove to her brothers, who’ve teased her mercilessly ever since, that she is capable and smart and well normal.
Reel, being the second son, is the Spare… as in the heir and the… all his life he’s been a part of the Mer world without any of its perks. As the second son he doesn’t have fins, he has legs. Sure he can breath underwater, speak to fish, but he’s never had respect. The most important race in his life and he was four minutes behind. He doesn’t have the power or the immortality the rest of them do and has been struggling for acceptance into a society that looks down on him. If only his father would get to know him instead of considering him the ultimate embarrassment.
It’s a fish of a tale, pun so intended–bad as it undoubtedly is. If you’re looking to kick up your fins and read a good kelp-turner… yeah, okay I’m done with the water jokes. Judi is much better at these than I am. Well, no I do have one more. Have you ever heard that joke about the Merman, the Kraken, and the Female Human?
Rating: 3 Stars
Classified interracial because of Mer/Human relationship.
Vikings were warrior men from the Scandinavia region of the world including specifically Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Viking is linked to naval expeditions or naval raids. A member of such a trip is called a Viking. Typically it is thought that the Viking period began as early as 700 A.D. and ended somewhere in 1100 A.D. Women warriors were known as Valkyries. At the peak of their influence Vikings reached as far east as the Byzantine Empire and as far west as Iceland and Greenland.
Warring or to ‘Go a Viking:’
Viking expeditions were one of two things. Firstly, Viking could be referring to a mercantile seafarer dealing in commerce and trade. Secondly and most commonly referred to today when brought up, Viking relates to warriors seeking vengeance or urged into the act by need/greed to find slaves and other worldly goods. The term to ‘go a Viking’ specifically relates to warring or act of raiding and pillaging.
Ships:
Longships, or dragon ships, are the warring vessel. They had sails and room for oarsmen so they could battle and move without interference from the wind. Longships are shallow and narrow, and this design aids in Viking expeditions by making it easy to land and deploy troops.
A knarr vessel was roomier and could hold far more cargo than a longship. It did not have room for oarsmen. This ship was specifically used in trade and commerce.
Horned Helmets:
Horned helmets were never a part of Viking apparel. Sorry to say, the idea of a horned helmet being Viking is merely a myth. It was dreamt up as part of the romanticism revival to associate them with Classical antiquity. A horned helmet would be too unmanageable in battle because of the ungainly weight of the horns.
Cleanliness:
Steam-houses (saunas), dips into geothermic pools, and regular bathing occurred in Viking culture. It is thought they bathed every Saturday as it is referred to as the washing day still in Scandinavian countries. As part of their ablutions Vikings washed hands and faces every morning. They also had a wide diversity in grooming items including soap. The soap was used to clean their hair as well as strip it of color to make it blond. Vikings are not the unclean barbarians we imagine them to be, perhaps however they were blonder.
Classes:
There were three classes of men in Viking civilization.
The Thrall - an unfree servant whose status was marked by a collar around the neck and short hair
The Jarl - a member of the aristocracy or nobility, was a man of high birth and includes kings
The Bondi- included farmers, craftsmen, landowners, and other freeborn people
Women’s Rights:
A girl or woman had no right to choose her husband. However, if she was under her brother’s protection and rule she could declare rights to marry the third suitor to seek for her hand.
A free woman in Viking culture owned her children and could divorce without stigmatism associated with other cultures of the time a man who was a bad husband. All she had to do was declare herself so at the door to their home and at their martial bed.
The gravest insult for a woman is a slap to the face done in public. The insult goes beyond her and impugns on the family’s honor.
Viking Weddings and Romance:
Vikings would marry on Friday or Frigg Day. Frigg was the name of their goddess for marriage, thus explaining the tradition.
Courtship was frowned upon and poetry expressly forbidden as it was thought that the wording could enthrall a woman. Only the goddess Freyja could be given poetry.
Women were expected to be unsullied or virginal before marriage and after display fidelity within her marriage.
The ring a man gave to a woman was highly important as it was indicative of the respect and esteem he held for her.
Weddings were rarely conducted for lovers. Typically a marriage was arranged between the groom and her family or between both families. Occasionally a marriage was served as a ‘peace-pledge,’ which means the marriage is a sign of cease fire between feuding families.
The wedding ritual consisted of exchanging swords between man and wife. The groom gave his sword to his bride as a legacy to be passed down to their first born son. The bride then gave a sword that represented their union and future family to the groom. It was then his duty to take care of the sword as he would take care of her and their children. Vows were then said over the groom’s new sword to cement the union.
The Wedding Night and Morning:
The bride wore a bridal crown and it was in their bedroom chamber that this crown was removed by her husband as a symbol of their sexual union. After this symbolic removal the wedding witnesses would leave the couple alone to consummate the vows.
The morning after, once again before witnesses, the groom gave his wife a gift. This gift marked that the marriage was complete. He then would give her the keys to his home and all the buildings he owned. The keys represented her dominion over his holdings and declared her as his lady.
Vikings in Romance Novels:
Nearly always Viking romance novels contain references to the mythology and religion of the time period. They take place in the Scandinavian region, sometimes including the regions within the wide reach of the Vikings. Without fail Viking romance novels include a Viking warrior. He is strong, robust, and very masculine. You could say he is the epitome of alpha males. Standard themes of Viking romance include bride stealing, kidnapping, slavery to freedom archetypes, enemies to lovers, and strong women. Rape also comes up in Viking romances whether or not it actually occurs due to the nature and background of the culture. Viking romances are easily recognizable by their titles which usually include the word Viking.
Viking Love on Youtube:
Originally posted 2008-12-13 22:06:51. Republished by Old Post Promoter
For the most part I truly enjoyed reading Beast. It’s a twist on the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast and has a scarred hero who just happens to be a prince… a prince of nothing as it were because it was a French aristocratic title bestowed after the dissolution of the monarchy. The hero is extremely fond of perfumes and perfume ingredients. He’s a botanist, chemist, and a nose which is to say an expert at smelling things. He’s quite a vain creature who has worked very hard to be charming, well thought of, wealthy, and seen as handsome instead of grotesque. His manners are faultless, his skill as a lover unparalleled, and his person dressed and draped in the finest money can buy.
The heroine is a vain person as well, but hers is a beauty that was bestowed upon her from birth and not anything she ever had to work to achieve. In fact she sneers at anyone who comments upon her beauty. If only they could see the girl beneath whomever that girl may be… She doesn’t want to marry at all and she’s certainly not inclined to marry someone who is not as beautiful as she is because isn’t that something she deserved? Couldn’t the man she married be handsome as well as titled, wealthy, charming, and whole of body?
It was a good set up but about halfway through I thought wouldn’t it be great if the hero to put the heroine in her place. Of course it never happened. In fact the reverse did. Why though? Sadly, I believe it is how the initial key plot points unfolded. So despite the hero perpetrating the whole disaster and the heroine being the cause of the disaster, the hero was forced to grovel.
So what happened? Louise found out her husband wasn’t as magnificent as her parent’s said he was and she was determined to find a lover who could give her everything she was certain her new husband could not. Charles overheard and hatched a scheme to force her to see beyond his face and his original intentions were to reveal himself and make her the butt of the joke. Instead he fell in love and tried to unsuccessfully woo her as himself in daylight. She figures it out eventually because he slips up. He’s tried to tell her who he is/was but Louise is clueless and refuses to see the connection because that would just be too horrible!
So because Louise didn’t grow up and Charles did the only growing I’m going to have to give Beast 3 Stars instead of the 4 Stars I would have if the heroine had owned up all of her faults instead of just a few and try to make amends to her husband.
Pirates, good/evil twins, bride stealing, quasi-spinster/virgin widow, quest for justice, nursing wounded hero, and fights to the death. There’s not much missing from this set of romantic plot elements. I was left unimpressed. There was too much to juggle and for me to believe without a large suspension of belief. (I know you’re thinking it’s romance there is always a suspension of belief, but this was a little much.) Only with Your Love is a sequel to When Strangers Marry. We get to see Max and Lysette again this time with kids of their own. As it usually happens with sequels that feature somebody or somebodies from other books, I tend to find more negative in the sequel. It’s because I develop preconceived ideas about the original secondary characters [in this case the twins] and I just don’t like giving them up or letting them get their own story. Still, the story was well-written, the sex scenes diverting, and the ending neatly wrapped up. If you don’t have my hangups about sequels you’re sure to find this a wonderful read.
Celia Vallerand is an ex-spinster but still virgin wife of Philippe Vallerand. They are currently headed towards New Orleans from France. Celia speaks little English and is fluent in French. She’s also the daughter of a doctor, the perfect companion for the charming Dr. Vallerand. Her delicate beauty and shy nature attracted Philippe from the first. She is well bred and refined, sure to fit in amongst the old blood Creole crowd. Until now he’s been happy to accommodate her desire to wait on lovemaking, but he is tired of waiting… unfortunately pirates besiege the ship. Philippe is killed and Celia captured.
On the pirate island, Captain Griffin [Justin Vallerand], watches in disgust as a finely portioned, well bred miss is brought by Dominic Legare to his spoiled sexually perverted brother. She would be dead by morning or broken beyond fixing. Nobody, well bred miss or whore, should have to suffer at that man’s hands. When the little miss manages to escape Andres clutches and runs into him, she begs him for help. He would give it of course… but everything changes when she says she’s Philippe Vallerand’s widowed wife.
Titanic is one of the highest grossing films in romance. Romeo and Juliet were not as star-crossed as Rose and Jack. Interesting how both couples names start with R and J. Before you ask, Rose and Jack are a fictional couple not based on historical accounts. A J. Dawson did exist but he was a Joseph Dawson who worked down in the boilers. The romance was invented to keep moviegoers engross in the unfolding historical catastrophe.
I found this interesting website that looks into the fact and fictions of the movie compared with real life and it makes for a really great read. There are also several actors and actresses paired against photos of their namesakes in the movie. This was fun to see because some are very uncanny in how alike they look.
Jack Dawson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in this disaster film, wins a poker hand and gains a ticket on the RMS Titanic for its maiden voyage for America. Excited by this once in a lifetime opportunity Jack Dawson rushes to the harbor and scrambles as quickly as he can onto the departing vessel. As his ticket is a third class ticket, he’s living below deck much like the ship hands were. Life is an adventure for him and every moment was not to be wasted. His life’s philosophy is to make it count.
Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Kate Winslet, is a poor little rich girl stuck in an engagement she does not want with the snobby and slimy Cal Hockley, Billy Zane. Distraught by the life she sees unfolding before her, Rose attempts to commit suicide off the back of the boat. Jack casually smoking nearby comes to her rescue as her attempt almost succeeds and she slips off the railing.
Her shriek alerts Cal and sailors who were nearby and they hotfoot it to the scene. One glance and it appears that Jack was attempting to rape poor Rose which would have lead him to be locked up were it not for Rose’s intervention and a quick story. Jack confirms her telling.
From there the pair meets up again and again, sneaking off and running around the ship. They fall head over heels in love and Rose gets the nerve to act on the lust she feels building inside her for Jack. One risky and risqué nude drawing later and Rose has had enough of proper conventions and respectable distance. They make love in a car, steaming up the windows as they pursue the phantom edge of ecstasy.
After this fated moment, the story turns as the RMS Titanic hits the iceberg and time as Jack and Rose knew it runs out. Desperate to see her safe, Jack struggles to get Rose to safety and in the process is framed for theft, locked up below level with frigid water rushing every second into the room. Their story is heart wrenching and tear jerking as they fight for their love swearing to do so to their dying breaths.
The movie won 11 Academy Awards. Here’s the list:
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Costume Design
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound Mixing
Best Sound Editing
Best Original Score
Best Film Editing
Best Original Song
Best Art Direction
Best Cinematography
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-10-23 10:44:27. Republished by Old Post Promoter
The Diamond King has got it all: Highlanders, pirates, lost souls, and love.
Alex Leslie used to be a noble in a world that seems to have existed long ago before the war between Scotland and England. Now he is wanted, without honor or hope for a life that had once been held so promisingly before him. Siding with the bonny Prince Charlie cost Alex far more than his pretty face, now scarred, and two strong legs, one now damaged and aching all the time causing him to limp.
Alex has seen horrors of war. The Battle of Culloden turned the tide of war against innocents as the redcoats and turncoats followed mercilessly on the trails of fleeing women, children and wounded – killing and raping indiscriminately. Stripped of his title but not his own sense of moral rightness, Alex came to lead a parcel of helpless Jacobite children out of Scotland to France. There he swore revenge… and two children swore not to be parted from him no matter the cost.
They followed him onto a ship that he was captaining under letters of Marque. Alex was planning to divest the British of their spoils on the sea and he could not do that for fear of the children. All attempts however to divest himself of the brats were pointless. They were far too crafty from their time on the run with him in Scotland to be forced to do anything they didn’t want to do. And truth be told, Alex did not want them to go. He would miss them.
His surrender to their wishes makes it all the harder on him when poor Meg gets wounded in the capture of Charlotte. To make matters worse, there’s a bloody Campbell on board. The Campbell family was the worst of all the turncoats and all the cruel deeds of the war could be laid at their uncaring, guilty feet.
Jeanette Campbell, never knew the horrors of the war. She was safe, sequestered at home where no tales of cruelty could reach her. This does not sway Alex to relent toward her. At least his hate of her is different than the hate she has felt at others hands. Jenna, as she prefers to be called, has been quite unloved by her aristocratic family and society at large. She has been spurned because of a birthmark she cannot help. Born with the Devil’s Mark on one arm from shoulder to wrist, Jenna has known only fear and instant loathing.
Given the choice of being disowned or marrying a man she’s never met, Jenna chooses to find a haven in Barbados. Certain the widow was not told of her birthmark, Jenna is fearful of her future. The thought of mothering his children is the only thing that kept her going. So when the Charlotte is captured, Jenna cannot help feeling helpless and angry that her one chance at happiness has been ripped from her. For what man will take such a bride; even a desperate one?
Rating: 2 Stars
Originally posted 2008-10-10 08:49:41. Republished by Old Post Promoter
“So here it is -finally! I’m not even going to say how long this took.” - Paul
Paul, this was well worth the wait! I’m so glad you managed to get everything sorted out with your computer and software!
There’s no billowy shirt in this entry, but I think you’ll agree that we got a lot of yummy goodness anyway! Johnny Depp eat your heart out! The creativity goes even farther than the cover too - just read the story behind this cover! I think choosing the winner will be tough.
Edit: I have a full version of this - and everything has been rendered to look like the photo realistic painting style found on most romance covers.
Design and Model: Paul Synopsis Author: Dex Xu
Synopsis:
With each setting sun, Gareth Falconheart stands at the bow of his ship, the Black Talon, scanning the horizon with piercingly dark eyes. A pirate by title as well as in nature, he has taken many a life and even more innocent hearts throughout his journeys of the seas. Orphaned at the age of three, Gareth has finally found his place. With dangerously handsome features and the belief that he needs nothing and no one, Gareth’s life is complete. Or is it?
A few miles behind, Wolfmoon sails swiftly, captained by the headstrong yet breathtakingly stunning Sabra de Ivonlea. With the ship’s first mate Sculley by her side, Sabra operates on the promise she made at her father’s deathbed.
The mission: destroy their sworn enemy, the Black Talon. When the two ships clash in battle and their captains meet face to face for the first time, the sparks that flew far surpassed those of the booming cannons.
As the war rages on, the desperate couple must also fight against their forbidden love. Can their rapidly evolving feelings overcome a vendetta of a hundred years? Or will their souls be destroyed in the aftermath of a prophecy fulfilled? Whatever the outcome, no one would ever forget the day that Gareth Falconheart and Sabra de Ivonlea locked gazes in The Secret Weapon.
Yar! This be arr first entry to the Present Your Very Own Pirate Contest. What say ye? Is his shirt perfectly billowy? Is his beard scraggly enough for ye? Does he make ye want to cry out full rammin’ speed ahead?
When Sasha first told me she was entering, I got really excited. Sasha’s very clever with photoshop and editing programs. I think you’ll find that she lives up to the hype. Just check out the goodies below!
Model: Kevin, who is really French. Designer:Sasha
Romance Novel Title: Luring the Rouge
Pirate’s Tale:
Rouge is my own special 17th Century French pirate. He got his name from a woman who couldn’t read English too well. She meant to call him a “Rogue” because he’s a playfully mischievous scoundrel.
But looking at her French to English dictionary, she ended up with “Rouge,” which suited him just fine because he makes all the wenches and ladies alike, blush!
Are ye hot and bothered? Aye, I not know about ye, but I’d be wanting to read this piratey novel! Great job, Sasha!
As I have been discussing potential cuties for gracing the cover of romance novels, romance novel covers have been on my mind. No surprise there. Grin.
The other night I was talking with my pirate friend here on skype and superstitiously snapped his photo while mid chat. Twenty minutes play time in photoshop and I created this - my very own pirate cover, billowy white shirt and all. The quality of my image is based on the quality of the other person’s webcam. Your entry does not need to be super sharp, it can be blurry too. 72 dpi is more than enough.
Argh, and now it be yer turn. I want to see yer pirates!
Prize:
$10 gift card to Amazon to buy yourself some pirate loving of your choice. Buy used and get more than one pirate lover. (Ye kno’ terms like prepare t’ be boarded lass and full ramming speed get you all ho’ and bothered under th’ covers. We pirates are like that.)
Rules of Entry:
1. The guy in your photo must be someone you know. Ye can’t be about submitting a celebrity, aye, I no’ want to be seeing any of them Jack Sparrows!
2. You must do your own photo editing as that be the pirate code.
3. He must wear a white shirt. Got to have that white shirt, the more billowy the better.
4. The image should be: 468 pixels wide by 420 pixels tall.
5. Must include a name for your novel, like mine was entitled the Pensive Pirate. We’re a superstitious lot, pirates, and a ship without a name be a bad omen.
6. Optional: Discuss your pirate plot and novel or reasoning behind photo. We pirates like to boast and nothing beats a grand tale.
All entries will be uploaded in a post the day following their submission. Winner will be selected by getting the most comments in favor of their image and contacted by email. A poll might be included based on how many submissions are received. In that case the winner will be decided solely on vote percentage and the comments will be all in good fun dissecting the photos. If a poll is used voting will take place in the 24 hours following the deadline date.
Submission deadline: November 30th, 2008.
Can you think of a better way to be grateful in November then to win some pirate booty and view a plethora of guys in white shirts?
Voting, if done, will take place December 1st, 2008 and end midnight California time. All comments must be submitted by this time too if a poll is not used. The sooner you send in your entry the more chances you’ll have to get comments!
And now it is time to walk the plank ye landlubbers and get to hopping!
