March 11th, 2010 — About
Before I begin, thanks Susan for your 5 tells - they're hilarious!
Now, when it comes to our favorite literature is it possible to ever read too much of it? What are some of the tells of overindulgence in romance? Let's take a look!
You Know You Read Too Much Romance When...
- Most of your email is author newsletters telling you about latest releases, contests, and book signings.
- You insist on bringing a chaperone on romantic dates; even though you're 25 years old.
- You own a digital copy of every print romance book on your favorite’s shelf.
- Your favorite’s shelf is now the entire bookcase and the area in front of it on the floor.
- You have a plot trope, character type, or preference you are too embarrassed to share with other romance readers.
- Your bookshelves are classified first by subgenre, then by author.
- After kissing each other breathless, you accidentally say, "Please Lord Mark take me now to your bedchamber."
- He says, "I know-I know you can't spend the night with me because your aunt Lady Marie will start the rumor-mill."
- Your fictional boyfriend is Mr. Darcy, Mr. Thornton, or another romantic alpha hero.
- You once had to question where the hymen was located, because most romance novels have the hero penetrate it somewhere inside the vagina instead of at the opening.
- You clip the covers off your romances and make a mantitty wallpaper collage.
- The name Vladimir de Laaf, the Duke of Longwood, sounds like a valid name for a man and Lady Saramia, the Widow of Evesham, makes for an equally good heroine name.
- In your mind, being unwed and over twenty is a crime.
- When making love-you find yourself moaning, "Oh yes, all the way to the hilt!"
- You’re actually disappointed he showed up in his Lexus....where's the black stallion?
- You own or are following every romance blog you encounter or have written blog posts for them.
- If the first thing you can find in your purse is your latest romance read.
- You’ve attended more than five romance conventions just because. Jane Austen and Regency period conventions count, even if they aren't about books at all, because the subgenres are prominent.
- You can spot a secret baby within a 100 yards.
- If you ever daydreamed about being a heroine in one.
Bonus 21: If you’re like me than you’ve come to the conclusion, there’s never too romance in your life!
Photo Credits: rtbookreviews
Originally posted 2009-06-18 03:45:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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February 18th, 2010 — 5 Stars, Big Misunderstanding, Entrepreneur, Great Britain, Movie Reviews, Spinster, Victorian
Have you worn out your copy of Pride and Prejudice? Are Colin Firth
and Matthew MacFayden
in need of a little healthy competition? Richard Armitage is just the man to sooth your hunger for another hunk of delicious brooding male. You will melt. Mr. John Thornton is a new Darcyesque figure to fall in love with over and over again.
Richard Armitage is not only singularly fine; he’s also a terrific actor. When he proposes, you’ll die. Loved Mr. Darcy’s fumbling attempts at wooing Elizabeth Bennet? You’re going to enjoy watching Mr. Thornton try to win over the forthright Miss Margaret Hale. Daniela Denby-Ashe does a beautiful job portraying the vicar’s headstrong opinionated daughter.
The story is about a retired vicar and his family moving to the North to Milton, a fairly large factory town. Here they confront illiteracy, poverty, ignorance, and social mores their life in the South leave them unprepared for, especially the mother and daughter. Mr. Hale befriends Mr. Thornton soon after Mr. Thornton makes a singularly bad impression on Miss Margaret Hale. Misunderstandings and stubbornness are rife throughout the miniseries as the protagonists dance around each other trying to understand one another.
If you come into this knowing nothing, you will love it. If you have read the Elizabeth Gaskell novel by the same name
, you will love it. Trust me, if you borrow this instead of buying it outright you’re going to be bummed at the thought of returning it. Sandy Welch’s screenplay is phenomenal—four hours of 100% heart-warming goodness can’t be beat. This may just have replaced the BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries
as best BBC miniseries.
Rating: 5 Stars
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Originally posted 2009-03-24 05:18:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 25th, 2010 — Guest Blogger, J-L, Jane Austen
by Sharon Lathan, guest blogger and author of My Dearest Mr. Darcy
The pearly treasures of the sea,
The lights that spatter heaven above,
More precious than these wonders are
My heart-of-hearts filled with your love.
- Heinrich Heine, “Of Pearls and Stars”
Several years ago I set out on a mission. Inspired partly by a beautiful love story portrayed on screen and within the pages of a book, and equally by my own love story of over twenty years, I embarked on a quest to intimately reveal a happy marriage.
Today the concept of a “happy marriage” is deemed a fantasy; an oxymoron. I do not believe that, not now or when I first sat down at the keyboard and wrote the opening lines of Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One
. I knew it was possible to have a fulfilling, contented, romantic, and passionate relationship within a marriage, even after several decades. I knew it because I witnessed it with others. I knew it because God said it was to be so. I knew it because I possessed one myself.
And the moments which find life there
Become the brightest stars above,
Which live forever beautiful
In the sky of my heart’s love.
- Steve Lathan, “Your Smile Stops the Minutes”
I knew it was not a “Mission: Impossible
.” I approached the life of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy with my goal clearly in mind. The mission statement was clear. Love. Romance. Passion. Those are the attainable treasures that they would pursue. Daily. Weekly. Monthly. Yearly. And maybe even on into eternity.
Throughout my Darcy Saga series I have faithfully held to the ideal. I wanted to give Darcy and Lizzy the life that I believe Austen intended. I wanted to allow the reader to journey along with them as they attended to their normal lives with an unusual event thrown in occasionally. I wanted to show the Darcys growing in their accord and deepening their love.
Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love, time is eternity.
- Henry van Dyke, “Time Is”
My newest novel, My Dearest Mr. Darcy
, follows along in the same vein as the previous two. The Darcys travel to the seacoast for a holiday jammed with history, entertainment, action, and romance. Of course! Then they return to Pemberley, settling in and enjoying the autumn months. The culmination as their first year of marriage draws near is the birth of their child. As with all my novels, the theme is positive with the love between these two heightening as they await the addition to their family.
Have I convinced a skeptical world? Have I succeeded in restoring hope? That is for each individual to decide. I have succeeded in my mission: The Darcys are still in love, are passionate for each other, delight in their company, respect and honor their vows, and are not ashamed to express their feelings.
Darcy was gazing into his lap with a soft smile upon his mouth. He did not answer hastily, finally speaking lowly, “I do not know if I can sufficiently place it into words. Perhaps that is why the poets wax eloquent with platitudes and analogies as mere common phrases do not suffice. All I know for certain is that almost from the moment I saw her she has filled my senses and my heart. There is joy with Elizabeth in every way and every moment, whether present or no. I feel light and buoyant, yet also grounded and secure. Giddy and frivolous, yet strong and steady. Childish and masculine simultaneously.” He chuckled softly, closing his eyes and leaning back against the carriage wall. “Yet you know what the most miraculous part is, Richard? Greater than how she makes me feel is the miracle that she loves me.”
An excerpt from My Dearest Mr. Darcy © Sharon Lathan, Sourcebooks Landmark 2010
True love. Everlasting love. Passionate love. These are goals to reach for. Do you agree?
MY DEAREST MR. DARCY—IN STORES JANUARY 2010
Married life is bringing out the best in the Darcys. Their mutual attentiveness brings readers into a magical world of love and wedded bliss.
Elizabeth is growing into her role as Mistress of Pemberley, and Darcy has mellowed under her gentle teasing and light-heartedness. Pemberley becomes a true home and a welcoming environment for loving family and friends. The Darcys travel to the seaside, welcome their firstborn, celebrate their anniversary and second Christmas, and at every moment embrace the love gifted to them.
“I love you, my Elizabeth. You are my soul, my blood and bone, my very life.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharon Lathan is the author of the bestselling Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, and Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley. In addition to her writing, she works as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. She resides in Hanford, California in the sunny San Joaquin Valley. For more information on Sharon and her saga, come to her website at: www.darcysaga.net
Giveaway: One set of Sharon ’s three books (Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, Loving Mr. Darcy
and My Dearest Mr. Darcy) is up for grabs. One winner, US and Canadian readers only please. Sorry international readers! One entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends: February 1, 2010.
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December 12th, 2009 — 3.5 Stars, ARC, Business, Category, Contemporary, Cooking, Enemies, Executive, Great Britain, P-R, Tycoon
Callum Ironstone wanted nothing more than to get Miranda Owen off his conscious. He could still remember her grief-stricken accusations that he killed her father, drove him to suicide. He’d done his best to make up for the harshness of his actions in the years afterward, not that she knew, but guilt still plagued him. In a last ditch effort of redemption Callum offers Miranda a contract to be a caterer for his holiday dinner party. What he didn’t expect was to be thrown completely off his guard… and for her to wind up in his bed. But now that she’s there he’s determined to keep her there.
The first concern I had about the novel was how the two would finally resolve the issue of Miranda’s father. Would Callum reopen the case and find the father innocent? Or would he show her undeniable proof about her father’s guilt? I found it hard to believe she’d land in his bed despite the uncomfortable attraction she felt for him. Uncomfortable is me projecting – because I would be seriously upset to find myself lusting after the man whose actions forced my father to consider suicide as the only way out and then take action on those suicidal thoughts.
While Miranda was anxious and worried once or twice about her attraction to him, she manages to push aside her feelings on that topic because of a conversation where they talked at cross purposes. She thought he was apologizing for wrongfully accusing her father. He was apologizing for being so harsh and public about his retaliation.
One of the biggest things in favor of this novel was how little time to took to deal with the breakup near the end and the follow up angst. Callum was very mature and worked quickly to fix and keep things from deteriorating. He was understanding and had foresight when most heroes would have been bullheaded, hurt. He did miss his chance to pull a Mr. Darcy behind Miranda’s back to humbly help her brother, but he did help (with her tagging along) and managed getting his HEA anyway.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Buy from Amazon: Millionaire Under the Mistletoe
Buy eHarlequin: Millionaire Under the Mistletoe
November 22nd, 2009 — About, Contemporary, Fantasy, Great Britain, Magic Users, P-R
This post was written in response to the Miami Book Examiner's defense of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley as one of the five most romantic literary couples.
Point One: Great literary romances develop in a believable way.
The Book Examiner would have you believe that because J.K. Rowling had seven books to write that the love story between Harry and Ginny developed naturally over time. To that I say prove it because what I read was not a realistic love story.
Ginny is all but ignored as the younger sister to Ron Weasley until book five. Book five she joins the secret DA club in order to learn how to defend herself when the Ministry was determined to make sure that the children did not know how to defend themselves. The same could be said of Cho, Luna, Hermione, and half a dozen other girls ranging from the Quidditch team to rival housemates.
Then Harry gets a green eyed monster in his stomach in book six and totally acts out of character for the whole book not just when he's around Ginny. Considering Rowling's history of introducing little seeds that explode into a major plot point, I figured it was the Amortentia potion at work. Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the wizarding world and was used throughout book six to show how it influenced Voldemort's life. It made sense for JKR to use it as an influence on Harry's life as she has manipulated several similarities of the same ilk. (Unless there is a book eight that proves this interpretation of the sixth book to be true, Harry/Ginny can't be explained away as a the case of Amortentia. That leaves just bad writing.)
Book seven Harry and Ginny are separated and exchange no communication but by the end of the story they are happily married seventeen years later with three kids. Riiiiight.
Point Two: Great literary romances are based on a mutual admiration and respect for the other's strengths and talents.
So Harry admired feared Ginny's bat boogey hex, but honestly that spell is not the stuff of romance. Harry had more respect for Hermione's brains and puzzle solving skills. In fact, Hermione shows the most strengths and talents in the entire series and by this reasoning alone she should have been Harry's match. After all the smart and witty Elizabeth Bennet fell in love with the popular and wealthy Mr. Darcy and Hermione and Harry play those roles far more convincingly than Ginny and Harry.
Heck, Harry greatly respected Luna even if he thought she was sometimes a little weird. He took her on a date too. Why not Luna over Ginny? Luna would have been a great candidate. She shared loss with Harry and like Harry knew what it was to be lonely. She also admired him for his own worth not because of the Boy-Who-Lived nonsense Ginny was always going on about in the earlier novels.
Point Three: Great literary romances are willingly sacrificial.
What did Ginny sacrifice? Or Harry for that matter when it came to the relationship? For those that read book seven you know the ending and the sacrifice Harry made can back me up that he would have made it whether or not Ginny even existed.
Point Four: Great literary romances feature a well-matched pair.
How are Harry and Ginny a well-matched pair? She's his number one fangirl and he's the savior of the wizarding world. Her talents are limited. Rowling built up the history behind the magical meaning of number seven but never gave the 7th Weasley child anything to make her unique, except perhaps making her the only female sibling in the bunch. Hermione was the smartest witch of the age, Cho the lovliest, and Luna the most unique with the ability to see and process the world in a different way than most. Ginny can't even stand on her own two feet and say she was a challenge to him on the Quidditch Pitch because it was Cho not Ginny who battled Harry in game matches.
Point Five: Great literary romances celebrate the steadfast and unwavering love of the underdog.
Of the girls: Hermione, Ginny, Cho, and Luna. Only Hermione and Luna can be considered underdogs because Ginny and Cho were exceedingly popular in their years. Hermione was ostracized originally because of her intelligence and showy talent and Luna because she was seen as odd for her appearance, speech, and beliefs.
Conclusion:
Harry and Ginny never stood a chance against literary romantic couples. Not only because of those reasons but also because H/G had no real on page romance. Rowling condensed everything about their courtship to a few paragraphs where Harry reminisced in book six that the time spent with Ginny didn't even seem like his own life. Their total time on page is less than 2% of the whole series. Rowling's best romance was the one she didn't expressly show us and that was James Potter and Lily Evans. What are your thoughts?
Originally posted 2009-02-18 17:41:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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November 13th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Jane Austen, M-O
Keira: Which is your favorite Jane Austen novel and why?
Jane: Persuasion is my favourite Austen novel. There are lots of reasons why I love it – the characters are fabulous, the theme of love being lost and found is timeless, and Jane Austen’s writing is at her best, I think.
Keira: How do you get your Jane Austen fix?
Jane: I immerse myself in the books, but I also enjoy some of the adaptations. I read Jane’s books several times a year.
Keira: Most Jane Austen sequels focus on the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice; what inspired you to try your hand at Colonel William Brandon and Marianne Dashwood?
Jane: I wanted to know more about their relationship, as there are few clues at the end of Sense and Sensibility. How did Marianne come to love a man she considered to be too old and staid? I thought it would be exciting to explore how the effects of their former relationships might impact on their life together.
Keira: What do you feel is the hardest aspect of writing a Jane Austen sequel? Is it the research, the writing, the dialogue, or other?
Jane: I want to do justice to the original book and try my hardest to keep the same themes, tone and flavour. Because I am writing for a modern audience, it is sometimes challenging to keep the balance right between writing for them and yet staying true to style.
Keira: Marianne is torn between Brandon and Willoughby in Willoughby’s Return. Why is the decision a difficult one and what qualities does each man have in his favor?
Jane: Marianne is still quite immature at the start of Willoughby’s Return. She is ruled by her emotions and Willoughby comes back into her life at a point when she is questioning Colonel Brandon’s love and affection for her and when she is at her most vulnerable. Willoughby reminds her of a time when she had few responsibilities and for a moment she is swept along by her feelings. I don’t think Marianne sees each man in terms of what they have going for them, she reacts to circumstances and their behaviour towards her.
Keira: If you had to choose, what scene in Willoughby’s Return is your absolute favorite—one you would not allow to be edited out of the novel?
Jane: I think the winter scene where Marianne and Margaret go skating on the frozen Serpentine Lake. Without giving too much away this is a dramatic scene which ends at a critical point. I love writing descriptions and thoroughly enjoyed doing the research about frost fair activities held at the time.
She (Margaret) had heard of famous frost fairs in London when the great River Thames had frozen over but nothing had prepared her for the sight of the Serpentine Lake fringed with glowing lanterns in the dim afternoon light, the branches of trees dipping their lacy fingers into the polished, black ice. Crossing and re-crossing the vast expanse skated a myriad of figures in a stately ballet, silhouetted against ribbon streams of sunshine in tints of rosy pink to gild the clouds. There were icemen sweeping and burnishing the lagoon to a gleaming finish, hiring out skates for those intrepid enough to try them. Several booths had been set up from which hot ginger wine, ale, or brandy could be purloined. The costermongers were setting up shop by selling fruit, their wives tempting weary skaters with oysters and hot meat pies. The noise of people shouting, cheering, and laughing echoed in the still air to the accompaniment of cracking ice, loud as a firing musket.
Keira: Tell us a little about Margaret and her quest for a love match.
Jane: Margaret has reached the age for falling in love, but has not met anyone who has yet stolen her heart. I wanted her to be bowled over and fall head over heels despite her initial resistance to the idea. I loved writing the twists and turns on her journey to forming a lasting relationship.
Keira: Which character did you have the most fun writing?
Jane: Mrs Jennings – she is an interfering busybody with a good heart, and I enjoyed writing her character very much.
Keira: How do you define love?
Jane: Love can be defined in so many ways – of romantic love with a partner, I’d say it involves caring for that person with unconditional affection, putting their wants and needs before your own, sharing their triumphs and disasters – being with them!
Keira: Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Jane: Jane Austen’s characters are never caricatures. It was important to me to explore how Marianne and Margaret, not to mention Willoughby and the Colonel would react in certain situations, and to be honest about how they would behave bearing in mind the constraints of the time. There are many unspoken thoughts, conversations and misunderstandings, which change the course of the plot or move it forward. I’ve always enjoyed the fact that Austen employed these devices in her books – it is largely a modern concept that we share our feelings and discuss them openly. In Willoughby’s Return, I try to show how a relationship might unravel if communication between a married couple might break down, but in the best Austen tradition I guarantee a happy ending for all concerned! Thank you very much for the interview Keira.
Buy: Willoughby's Return
About the Author
Jane Odiwe is an artist and author. She is an avid fan of all things Austen and is the author and illustrator of Effusions of Fancy, annotated sketches from the life of Jane Austen, as well as Lydia Bennet's Story. She lives with her husband and three children in North London. For more information please visit Jane’s website, and on Twitter.
Giveaway: One lucky commenter will win 1 copy of Willoughby's Return. Open to US and Canadian readers only. Enter by asking Jane Odiwe a question. One entry per comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends: November 18, 2009. Increase your chances by reading Jane's guest blog Some Sights and Sounds of Regency Britain and answering her question about Austen fantasies.
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November 12th, 2009 — About, Gentry, Jane Austen, Stephenie Meyer, Vampire
In the fashion that orange is the new pink, is Edward Cullen to be touted as the ideal man for future generations in the same manner Mr. Darcy has been glorified? I’m not saying that Edward Cullen is a Darcy Double or Darcy Reincarnated or even a Darcy Sequel. Edward Cullen is as far from Darcy as a literary romantic hero can be – he’s the undead after all.
Women of all ages and ethnicities have fallen at the feet of the passionate and feral Edward Cullen. He is as impossible a character as Mr. Darcy with his moodiness, aloofness, and let’s face it overbearing behavior. Elizabeth Bennet would not have stood for it, but Bella is enchanted by it. What Edward Cullen can get away with on paper no man in his right mind would try in real life. It is one thing to love Edward’s protective stalker tendencies and quite another to experience it first hand. I’ll be the first to admit I love every aspect of Edward Cullen’s character, so by pointing out the obvious I’m not dismissing his infinite appeal.
Edward Cullen watches over Bella Swan in a similar manner that Angel watched over Buffy in season one
. Of course when Angel loses his soul in season two
and hovers over Buffy while she sleeps it’s seen as creepy and more than slightly unnerving. Naturally, there is a dramatic difference between being watched over by a protective presence than a sinister one. I’m quite sure Buffy would not have minded Angel watching her; it was Angelus that was the demonic and unwanted presence. Edward does not behave like Angelus and of course Bella wants him around. She thrives off his very presence and noticeably misses his absence awake or asleep. It also helps that as the reader we are enlightened to Edward’s true motivations and can be sure of him. Edward is seen as a guardian angel… and who would tell a guardian angel to go away? That would indeed be madness.
Speaking of madness, this brings me to the next point; to be desired as Bella or Elizabeth is every woman’s secret fantasy. Darcy loved Elizabeth ardently; Edward loved Bella fiercely. It is a heady thing to be wanted so much that to be parted from you is sheer agony of spirit and body. Darcy would do anything for Elizabeth, including reunite her sister with the man she loved or patch up one seriously incriminating scandal; Edward would kill for Bella… he would even leave her if he thought it best… and he did. Both. Edward even tolerated the presence of his competition, Jacob, because to do otherwise caused Bella great distress.
Darcy and Edward share many characteristics, being men born to a similar time. They are strong-willed, powerful, imposing and dependable. Despite their good qualities, both literary heroes exhibit some very negative qualities that at the whim of one stroke of a pen or tap of the keyboard could easily have alienated them permanently from their loves. Including a severe lack of the society grace for small talking, Darcy showed the character flaws of pride and prejudice. Also suffering under a lack of social graces, Edward’s more serious flaws are arrogance and a stubborn certainty that he is always right. He is so determined to protect Bella from himself he fails to admit her feelings or opinions have merit. This grossly unacceptable behavior throws the star-crossed lovers into intensely charged conversations and months of grief stricken paralysis, where both are unable to function because of their emotional wounds.
Luckily for both men they get out of their own way and win against all odds love, happiness, and peace. Nothing could be sweeter to readers or more potent. As I’ve demonstrated, Edward while similar to Darcy is distinctly set apart and it’s not just because he’s immortal. His very presence has rocked the foundations of the great romantic literary heroes and they have shifted aside to give him space. It’s yet to be seen if Edward will match Darcy’s fame in the generations to come or perhaps to even eclipse the brooding figure all together.
For those who have read both love stories what are your thoughts on the subject? If you haven't you need to read them right away!
Buy: Pride and Prejudice Novel
, Pride and Prejudice Movie.
Buy: The Twilight Saga Collection
, Twilight Movie
.
Originally posted 2009-03-14 05:17:20. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 10th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Comedy of Manners, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Movie Reviews, Regency
I’m pretty certain a select group of individuals will think what I’m about to say is sacrilegious. I think that the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly, Donald Sutherland, and Matthew Macfadyen is the best version of this Jane Austen classic made to date. Sorry – sorry! I know the die hard A&E fans loved Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, but I’m going to stick with what I said. The main reason I love the 2005 Pride and Prejudice is pretty simple... better acting! Especially in the way Elizabeth Bennet and the mother are played.
Keira Knightly plays Miss Elizabeth Bennet to a tee. You could not ask for a better actress in this part. Opposed to Ehle who was over the top and rude, Knightly stayed just shy of too much is too much. Knightly plays Elizabeth with sass, a sprinkling of saucy wit, humor, intelligence, and grace. Her remarks are sharp and cutting without getting annoying (think Ehle as nails on a chalkboard grating). Whereas Knightly plays Elizabeth as able to fun herself and others, Ehle played Elizabeth haughty, arrogant, and more than a touch above her company. It is my opinion that Knightly played Elizabeth without overdoing it.
I choose Matthew Macfadyen as the better Mr. Darcy simply on the fact that I love how he says his lines, the emotion in his face, and that he’s my kind of drop dead gorgeous. Firth is quite handsome and plays his part well but saddled with Ehle, it’s no wonder he thought so ill of her at first! Who can withstand the deep-rooted passion that he carries through his tone and posture? I know I can’t! Yowza! You'll have to tell me who you think is the better Mr. Darcy and why! Let's start a list going for pros and cons. I'll even help by giving Colin Firth the pro of the wet white shirt... Grin.
I also find I just enjoy the cast of side characters better in the 2005 version. The mother is by far the best played and I have seen them all – including the Laurence Olivier aka 1940 version of Pride and Prejudice. I can stand Brenda Blethyn as Mrs. Bennet even as I hate her (the mother) if that makes sense. Lydia and Kitty and Mary are perfectly well suited. Some will say Mary is too pretty in this version, but I like what the director said about her part. Check out the commentary on this film – I loved it and learned much trivia for future Trivial Pursuit matches.
Mr. Binghley is a delightful boob in this film. He’s so adorable how he stumbles all over himself around Jane Bennet. You’ll love him on sight! He’s eager and open and amiable in all the right ways. He’s just what a young man ought to be! Grin. His sister is perfectly wonderful for her role, again an actress who can play her part without going so far as to gross you out in it.
The scenery alone is enough reason to buy this movie, but think of the many rainy days and cups of tea you will enjoy while falling head over heals in love again and again. What's your favorite version?
Rating: 5 Stars
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Originally posted 2008-10-04 05:21:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 9th, 2009 — About, D-F, Guest Blogger, Jane Austen, Regency
by Monica Fairview guest blogger and author of The Other Mr. Darcy
Conflict is the bread and butter of romance. Of course, those of you who don’t like butter will probably object, so I’ll say it another way: conflict between a hero and a heroine are like a spark to kindle. Without one or the other, there’s no fire.
Having said that, I can’t say I’m a fan of plots where two people quarrel all the way through the story except in bed, and then, in the last chapter, they realize that their differences aren’t that important, or that one of them was missing some crucial information that he/she needed to resolve their differences. I don’t really think this is about romance. It’s more about two desperate people who’ll take what they can get. You can almost predict their future.
To me conflict has to be about opposition. There is something about the human psyche that hardwires us to deal in opposites, even if we can do this in many different ways. If we look at the ancient Chinese concept of yin and yang, it’s based on opposition: darkness and light, hardness and softness, hot and cold, positive and negative. But the relationship between yin and yang is always moving. It’s not a static, fixed thing. Just as daylight dissolves into twilight, which is neither light nor darkness, but both, so, too, do relationships, which aren’t simple oppositions, but are interactive, revolving situations that bring about change and growth.
That, to me, is how conflict in a real romance works. You bring together two people who initially don’t like each other, who are so different that you can’t imagine they could have anything in common, and you allow them to interact, to play the yin and yang game, pulling, pushing, dissolving, standing fast, until one day they find themselves changed. They’ve found that middle ground, and they can now dance around it. When they reach this state, a state one which belongs to neither one nor the other, then they can experience love.
When I started out writing The Other Mr. Darcy, I knew right away that my characters would not like each other from the first second they met. We already know what Caroline Bingley is like because Jane Austen told us. She is snobbish, given to gossiping and making snide comments, and, as a social climber, she is very much a champion of social rules and all that is proper. The other Mr. Darcy, on the other hand, doesn’t need to climb. He’s a Darcy, with all that this implies, and he can afford to be casual about both his wealth and position. Plus, as an American, his ideas of what is important are very different from those of Miss Bingley, who has had her ideas fed to her ready-made at finishing school. She is Miss Rigid, he is Mr. Floppy. There’s no way on earth this is going to work. And of course they’re going to clash. It’s going to be a huge clash, too. And as long as they simply stay in those positions, they will continue to clash for infinity. And they’ll have to, because they’re stuck.
But it’s a romance, and a romance is different from a Tom and Jerry cartoon where cat and mouse are condemned to that permanent state of enmity. Here is where the yin and yang principle comes into effect. In The Other Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy tries to convince Caroline to set aside her scruples and discover freedom. She tries to convince him that his concept of freedom is false because it doesn’t work in a social context. Slowly, without them noticing it, they both change. He’s no longer Mr. Floppy, go where the wind blows you. She’s no longer Miss Rigid, her ideas carved in stone. They’re both something else, both transformed into some new thing that is a new combination of both. Call it the middle ground. Call it an opening up to each other. Call it love.
Conflict is an essential ingredient in a romance, but only if it is capable of bringing about transformation and change. Otherwise, conflict by any other name is simply a fight.
The Other Mr. Darcy—in stores October 2009!
Did you know that Mr. Darcy had an American cousin?!
In this highly original Pride and Prejudice sequel by British author Monica Fairview, Caroline Bingley is our heroine. Caroline is sincerely broken-hearted when Mr. Darcy marries Lizzy Bennet— that is, until she meets his charming and sympathetic American cousin...
Mr. Robert Darcy is as charming as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is proud, and he is stunned to find the beautiful Caroline weeping at his cousin's wedding. Such depth of love, he thinks, is rare and precious. For him, it's nearly love at first sight. But these British can be so haughty and off-putting. How can he let the young lady, who was understandably mortified to be discovered in such a vulnerable moment, know how much he feels for and sympathizes with her?
Buy: The Other Mr. Darcy
About the Author
As a literature professor, Monica Fairview enjoyed teaching students to love reading. But after years of postponing the urge, she finally realized what she really wanted was to write books herself. She lived in Illinois, Los Angeles, Seattle, Texas, Colorado, Oregon and Boston as a student and professor, and now lives in London. To find out more, please visit http://www.monicafairview.co.uk/
Giveaway: 1 copy of The Other Mr. Darcy—for one lucky reader of LRP. US and Canada readers only. Enter by leaving relevant comments. Multiple entries allowed. October 16, 2009. Extended to October 20, 2009 because site was down.
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September 24th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Artist, Book Review, Contemporary, Gentry, Great Britain, Jane Austen, M-O, Regency, Time Travel, United States of America, Writer
You have to love the cover of this book. Wow! The male model is scrumptious! Anybody know who he is?
This story revolves around one question and one question only… do you believe in fate?
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is one of many Fitzwilliam Darcys. It’s a family name, one that’s been used many times over the centuries. His family established Pemberley Farms in 1789 for horse breeding. In the 1800s when Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first published in America it caused quite a scandal. If Rose Darcy, the first mistress of Pemberley Farms, hadn’t been absolutely positive her husband, Fitzwilliam Darcy, had never set foot on English soil she would have left him. The current Mr. Darcy is extremely interested in learning how Jane Austen came to know about the Darcys and Pemberley Farms. He’s bought old documents in his quest to find out if Austen’s Darcy was based on a real man.
Eliza Knight is a romantic at heart. Her talents lie with fine arts, think painting not writing. When she encounters a charming little vanity table and mirror in an antique seller warehouse she snaps it up. In the process of cleaning the wood and putting the table together Eliza discovers two letters. One from a Mr. Darcy directed to a Miss Jane Austen which is opened and a sealed letter from Jane Austen to a Mr. Darcy. Surprised, Eliza is unsure if it is a hoax or not, but in case it is not she leaves the unopened letter sealed not wanting to be known as the fool artist who ruined a historical artifact of great importance. In her quest to authenticate the letters, Eliza burns to find out if Austen’s Fitzwilliam Darcy ever existed.
The novel is broken into three volumes, following the setup of Jane Austen’s novels. The story is charming and completely engrossing. You can’t help but believe in true love and happy endings by the end of this book. I highly recommend this novel to all readers and especially to those that love Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The Man Who Loved Jane Austen is one of the best renditions of this timeless classic I have ever had the pleasure of reading… soul stirring.
Rating: 5 Stars
Originally posted 2009-01-23 05:34:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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September 22nd, 2009 — Cursed Lead, Defining the Genre, Gothic, Jane Austen, Suspense/Thriller, Widow or Widower
Gothic romance is a genre you can't find all too easily today. It was a popular genre a few decades ago and lovers of this romance sub-genre will have to troll secondhand bookstores to find titles. Classics of this genre are novels such as Wuthering Heights and Scarlet Letter. Well known authors of Gothic romance/horror include Ann Radcliffe of the past and Stephen King of the present.
A typical Gothic romance revolved around conflict and mysteries. It made the heroine choose between two male characters for love. One is bright, sunny, cheerful and charming. The other was dark, mysterious, secretive, and brooding. Plotlines of cursed leads and daring adventures took place on wind-swept moors, and places that were haunted. The heroine would embark on a thrilling journey to discover if her hero was worthy of love. Her task usually boiled down to find out if the hero really murdered his first wife, brother, mother, insert other relation.
It is interesting to note that Radcliffe introduced this brooding male as the Gothic villain, which developed into the Byronic hero. She is considered a pioneer of the genre. The movie Becoming Jane
shows a meeting between Radcliffe and Jane Austen but there's not basis for this meeting. However it does provide an interesting backdrop on the dual rise of the two types of popular novels.
As Gothic or dark romanticism developed it became more distinctly separated. The first direction of Gothic novels glorifies gore. The second took on the key aspects of modern romance. This new evolution made the focus on the romance instead of the mystery. These are the romances that disappeared after the eighties.
So what is a Byronic hero?
Trivia: The name of this hero comes from the English poet Lord Bryon.
The hero himself is highly intelligent, urbane, sophisticated and introspective. In other words he's arrogant, mysterious, seductive, and moody (see bipolar). We see male figures like this all over, you could make the argument that Mr. Darcy is a Byronic hero on top of being a Regency hero, as Byronic heroes dislike social formalities and functions. Of course Mr. Darcy doesn't have a troubled past or flippant air towards the wealthy and privileged, as he is one of that set. While Mr. Darcy was disliked he was not a complete social outcast and exiled from polite company. All these things are attributed to the Byronic hero.
What's a good modern Gothic romance?
Some titles of the modern Gothic romance include: Bells of Widow's Bay by Miriam Lynch, Castle Midnight by Evelyn McKenna, and Satan's Rock by Marilyn Ross.
Authors to look for include (past and present authors): Victoria Holt, Dorothy Daniels, Theresa Weir, Phyllis Whitney, Barbara Michaels, Allison Knight, Mary Stewart, Joanna Challis, and Megan McKinney, Kay Hooper, Eve Silver... to name a few.
Trivia: In the 1980s Harlequin had an all Gothic line of books. See here for Gothic titles. Harlequin Intrigue also contains several titles that could satisfy your craving.
Originally posted 2008-09-24 15:10:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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September 2nd, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, ARC, Business, Friends, Gentry, Great Britain, J-L, Pregnant, Regency
Loving Mr. Darcy is the second novel in a trilogy by Sharon Lathan detailing the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy after their marriage vows. As such, I recommend reading the first novel Two Shall Become One before entering into this novel as it follows directly on its heels.
What I liked:
- Sharon really knows how to make Regency come alive. Her descriptions of people, places, and things suck you in and refuse to let you go.
- I loved her Georgiana, Mary Bennet, and Catherine de Bourgh. Their voices were perfect, and Catherine’s futile anger was fun to read.
- Darcy’s 23 gifts to Elizabeth for her birthday. I want a birthday like that.
- Pemberley Summer Festival. I'd spoil a little here but Sharon's done an excellent job teasing about clowns.
What I disliked:
- The over the top cutesy “Do you know how much I really, really, really love you?” dialogues Darcy and Elizabeth entered into at least once every chapter. It is extremely sickly sweet. I liked it in the first novel, but it was excessive in the sequel. Well at least for me anyways.
- If I had a dollar for how many times Darcy asked Elizabeth “Are you well?” or a similar variation of the phrase, I’d be a wealthy woman. Elizabeth’s pregnant, not an invalid! Trust me Darcy; you’ll know when she’s not doing well.
- There was no real direction for a good chunk of the story at the beginning of the novel. I wanted more conflict...
Like the first novel, this novel unfolds slowly taking it’s time to depict their daily lives. For those who've ever wondered how it would look, Lathan's trilogy is definitely something you want to pick up and devour. In this second novel, Elizabeth is pregnant and recovering from her episode in the last book which has the direct result in making Darcy crazy overprotective and hovering.
In the end I think this was the right novel, but wrong time for me to read it as Lathan's writing is very much a leisure read to be done while relaxing in a bubble bath for hours not while getting small patches of time here and there.
Rating: 2.5-3 Stars
Buy: Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley
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September 1st, 2009 — Guest Blogger, J-L, Jane Austen
by Sharon Lathan, guest blogger and author of the Darcy Saga.
Ever wonder where today’s common events or things come from? I always have. I am one of those people who loves playing Trivial Pursuit not only to test what superfluous knowledge may be lurking in the buried recesses of my wee brain, but because I learn so much. Most of it is utterly useless, but intriguing nevertheless. This thirst for education, both necessary and pointless, has helped me tremendously in the course of writing my Regency Era saga.
In my first book of the Darcy Saga, Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Darcy tells Lizzy of a family tradition that has not continued after his mother’s death: A summer festival to honor the workers of Pemberley. At the time it was a throwaway comment. But the more I thought about it, and as summer approached within the pages of my story, I decided I really liked the idea of hosting a festival, and decided to include one in Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley, the second book in the Darcy Saga and in stores now!
The next logical question was, “What would a festival in 1817 include?” I ended up discovering that many of the festival/carnival entertainments that we enjoy today existed hundreds of years ago! How cool! Among the numerous amusements that take place at the Pemberley Summer Festival (Guess you will have to read the book – LOL!) I included clowns.
The concept of individuals performing humorous stunts to entertain is as old as time. The ancient Greeks had their pantomimes, the French later borrowing the idea in their mimes. Royal courts had jesters and the Medieval common-folk had mummers. The Italians perfected the harlequin know for his amazing feats of acrobatics. Clown troupes of all types traveled the breadth of Europe for centuries, sometimes as part of an actors’ troupe or on their own.
The types of clowns and tricks they performed are too many to name here. Always the objective was to bring laughter through outlandish outfits, pratfalls, silent pantomime, and zany acrobatics. The men and women who pursued this profession did so very seriously. They studied the art, perfected their routines, and performed with mastery every bit as precise as a stage actor.
Clowns became associated with the circus in the late 1700s and we can thank Englishman Philip Astley for that. Astley was an ex-cavalryman who was a virtuoso horseback rider. In 1768 Astley opened an equestrian school to train riders. He used the opportunity to conduct shows –for a fee, of course – displaying his “feats at horsemanship.” The trick-riding phenomenon took off as a wildfire. He called his shows a circus based on the round ring he created. He discovered that the horses ran best in a circular ring and that the audience had better visualization. After trial and error the perfect size of 42 feet became his standard and is still so today.
His shows grew and within two years he closed his riding school, devoting all his time to perfecting the circus. He added tightrope walkers, jugglers, tumblers, musicians, and yes, clowns. Astley’s Royal Amphitheatre opened in London in 1773, the Parisian one in 1782, and before he was done another 18 would arise in cities throughout Europe. The modern-day circus was born!
Lizzy and Darcy tapped into this entertaining reality during their Summer Festival extravaganza. I had a marvelous time learning the facts and then writing a series of shows to dazzle the guests. Here is a small sampling of the Pemberley clowns:
A sudden hush fell over the audience as the tent flap opened to reveal a small man sedately walking onto the arena. He was costumed in a loose, garish patchwork suit of every shade in the spectrum, enormous blue shoes, face painted with colorful stripes, and head bald. If all that was not enough to awe the crowd, the little clown was walking on his hands! He advanced across the field unhurriedly, gigantic feet flapping and florid face grinning, until he reached the very end whereupon he abruptly crumpled into a heap, lying still as death. The audience collectively gasped, some even rising or taking involuntary steps forward, only to halt mid-stride when the tent flap exploded open and out blasted two more clowns. One was dressed as outrageously as the hand-walker, a fluttering ball of color with hundreds of brightly patterned strips of fabric apparently glued onto every inch of his body, a scarlet wig, oar-sized boots of green, and red circles about his eyes and mouth. He was running pell-mell and steering a rickety wooden wagon, inside of which sat the third clown. He was costumed as a proper English gentleman, only highly exaggerated. The collar of his waistcoat extended way past his ears, the cravat knotted at least three dozen times and some eight inches beyond his chin, jacket tails touching the ground, baggy breeches with three-inch wide knee buckles, and, of course, huge shoes. All this topped off with a ridiculously high beaver hat.
I hope you enjoyed my brief history lesson and the tasty treat! Thanks, Keira, for allowing me to guest on your blog. It has been tremendous fun. Be sure to pop over to my website to learn more of The Darcy Saga series. But first, tell us about your favorite circus act or a special circus memory.
About the Author
Sharon Lathan is a native Californian currently residing amid corn, cotton, and cows in the sunny city of Hanford. She divides her time as homemaker nurturing a husband and two children, plus the cat, dog, and fish; while also working as a Registered Nurse in a Neonatal ICU. Somewhere in there she finds time to write! Sharon Lathan can be found on her website/blog at: www.darcysaga.net, on Facebook as “Sharon Lathan, “ on Twitter as “@SharonLathan,” and on the Casablanca Authors’ blog at: http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com/
Buy: Loving Mr. Darcy
Giveaway: Sharon Lathan and Sourcebooks are giving away 1 set of Sharon’s books out so far: Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One and Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley. This contest is open to US and Canadian readers only. To enter leave a comment about your favorite circus/clown memory, ask Sharon a question, anything really! The winners will be announced on September 8th, 2009. Good luck!
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September 1st, 2009 — News
August blew July out of the water! Special recognition must go to Susan S. who wrote 2 reviews and 4 guest posts one of which was a terrific contest (and a challenge!) I got to meet Susan and her sister Isabel on a trip down to Miami which was a blast. After Susan, I want to thank Katiebabs (with Mho Fho & D.D.) and Heather Massey for visiting Love Romance Passion to share their expertise on peaches and sci-fi romance. Then the authors who've taken time out of their busy writing schedules to spend a day with us. Last, but not least, to you guys, my readers, whose comments have made all the difference in the world between an okay time and an awesome time. Thank you!
August's 11 Most Commented Posts:
Guest Bloggers:
Author Interviews:
Guest Book Reviews:
ARC Reviews:
Between the Sheets:
Movie Reviews:
Polls:
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August 10th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, 3 Stars, Book Review, Gentry, Great Britain, Jane Austen, P-R, Regency, Virgin Heroine, Working with Land
I love the title of this book. It rolls off the tongue because of the alliteration and reminds me of Sense & Sensibility
by Jane Austen.
This Austen variation however is not about the lovely Misses Dashwoods, it is about Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennet from Pride and Prejudice.
As is the tradition of Reynold’s Pemberley Variations, Impulse and Initiative is seeded from one major difference between Austen’s original and this new telling. For Impulse and Initiative this difference is Mr. Darcy and his decision not to take Elizabeth’s rejection lying down.
He reveals early to Charles Bingley his mistakes regarding Jane Bennet and together they head off to Hertfordshire to win back the affections of their respective Misses Bennets. As is expected, Charles lands immediately back into the good graces of the Bennet family.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth battles her feelings throughout Darcy’s renewed and more obvious courtship. She constantly wavers between falling in love with him and worrying that she’s allowing his attentions for all the wrong reasons: gratitude, pleasure in being desired, and the vanity of winning such a man do not make for a good relationship (to which I agree with completely).
I confess her constant waffling during the first half of the novel grated on my nerves. Abigail Reynolds carefully brings the two together ensuring its relative believability, though I and my grinding teeth would have preferred one or two or ten different tactics throughout the course of the telling.
Truly I must be a glutton for agony because frankly I missed the pain of their separation and surety that both were lost to the other. It was another something that I&I lacked in my opinion. Of course they argued and had mini ‘Big Misunderstandings’ and fretted about and over each but it wasn’t the same.
I end with saying that I closed the book fairly satisfied despite my misgivings and that I&I filled my Jane Austen craving.
Rating: 2.5-3 Stars
Buy: Impulse & Initiative
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