This is a fabulous contemporary update of the Christmas Carol. Matthew McConaughey is Connor Mead. Connor is the new Mr. Scrooge, except he’s gorgeous, charming, and wealthy. So what’s wrong with the guy? Connor is a miser, just like Scrooge. How? Unlike Scrooge, Connor withholds love/feelings instead of money/possessions. Just like Scrooge, Connor gets visited by 3 ghosts and is forced to learn just what kind of man he really is.
The first ghost is the Ghost of Girlfriend Past. She is a 16 year old girl to whom Connor lost his virginity. Played by Emma Stone, she’s hardly recognizable in braces, frizzy red hair in pigtails and a crazy outfit. If it wasn’t for Stone’s distinctive voice I wouldn’t have been able to place her at all from her role in House Bunny.
Noureen DeWulf plays Melanie, the Ghost of Girlfriend Present. As Connor Mead’s overworked secretary she is the most consistent woman in his life. Melanie’s job includes scheduling everything from photo shoots to play dates. She draws the line at breaking up with his women (a firm believer in karma). DeWulf is fantastic and a sheer joy to watch on screen.
Nadja, Ghost of Girlfriend Future, is played by Emily Foxler. Beautiful and ethereal she leads Connor through the life he can expect if he doesn’t change his ways. Silent like the angel of death from Christmas Carol, she is nevertheless affective in communicating to the audience.
Daniel Sunjata is the wedding beefcake brought in to sex up Jenny Perotti’s love life. It bugged me the whole movie how gorgeous he was and how familiar his face and unable to place him. Ladies before you go to IMDB.com he’s James Holt from the Devil Wears Prada. He plays a sincere, sweet, and intelligent man, luckily for him when Jenny and Connor reunite he is not left out in the cold.
Jenny Perotti, played by Jennifer Garner, is the love of Connor Mead’s life. We watch them as youngsters, as teenagers, as just starting out in life adults and as established adults. Jenny is the girl next door, the one right under your nose. She’s been hurt by Connor in the past. If only being around him didn’t make her feel for him all over again she could move on with her life… will Connor learn his mistakes and if he does can he get her to believe in him again?
I predict Ghosts of Girlfriends past becoming a favorite among many. It certainly is one of mine!
This love story is one of the most endearing I have ever read. Lisa Kleypas spins a tale worthy of mystical magical world of fairy tales. Based on Russian superstition, a prince who is like the Beast in Beauty and the Beast meets the woman of his dreams and learns to love. The bedroom scenes are exciting and steamy. Prince of Dreams is a novel not to be missed.
Despite his wealth, Prince Nikolas did not lead a charmed life. Taught early on the abuses man could inflict, Nikolas is determined to avoid emotions at all costs. Tortured and exiled from Russia, Nikolas makes a new home in England where during his recovery he meets Emma Stokehurst. At the tender age of thirteen, Emma is the girl Nikolas is certain he will wed. She is his destiny.
Nikolas remains on the fringes of Emma’s life as she grows and now at the age of twenty, he is more certain than ever that she is the one for him. Emma is tall and lithe, her body he imagines will match his own to perfection. Her red hair, independence, and forthright attitude remind him of the women back in Russia. Though she has a large dowry, Emma is left alone and dismissed by the male of the species. Everything about her is unfashionable in the eyes of polite society.
When he discovers that a man is wooing her under false pretenses, Nikolas strikes swift and sure, cutting her secret beau out of her life with a single conversation. Everything is working according to his plan as Nikolas seduces and marries the bewitching Emma. Now with her by his side as his wife, he is positive that his life is going to turn for the better. He was wrong.
Emma’s gentle nature and guileless giving is more threatening than the memories of those that tortured him in Russia. She can cause more havoc with a single kiss than Nikolas is comfortable with. His life has been dedicated to suppressing his emotions and the feelings Emma brings out are threatening to destroy all that he’s worked for, so Nikolas does the most hateful thing he can think of… he sleeps with another woman.
But despite the wedge he’s driven between them, the bewildering flashes of déjà vu keep happening to him. Snippets of conversation leave him in a cold sweat and a painting once revealed causes him to faint dead away. When Nikolas awakes he is angry and confused. Destiny has taken him back in time to mother Russia, where he lives life through the eyes of his ancestor Prince Nikolai. It is here in the midst of the past, Nikolas learns to become a better man… Emelia, beautiful Emelia, who is in every way his wife Emma, teaches Nikolas how to love. Disaster tears them apart and sends Nikolas to the future.
Realizing what a mess he’s made of his own life, Nikolas is determined to set things right. But Emma won’t have him. She doesn’t trust in the changes Nikolas has under gone. She won’t love him… won’t let herself love him. This new man who is in every way the man she had hoped he would be can't last, because she knows his nature. As soon as she loved him he’d revert and mock her for her love. After all Nikolas is not a man that can change, he is a product of others hatred and fear, whose innate stubbornness rejects all kinds of affection. But he has changed and he will prove it. If it’s the last thing he does, he’ll make her believe in him; love him as she once did in the past.
by Julia Rachel Barrett, guest blogger and author of Captured.
I am a scrappy, fiery redhead and my heroines, poor things, generally end up redheads too. Mari Damon, in my new work of Science Fiction, Captured, gets kidnapped by an interstellar trapper because he notices her red hair shining in the sun. Like she says in the book – I’ll paraphrase – If I’d known you were coming by, I’d have worn a hat!
The story of Mari and Ekkatt flowed out of me – I had a blast writing it. Not only is the book an extremely sexy read, I touch on subjects like the Stockholm Syndrome, where victims begin to identify with their kidnappers, collective guilt and its repercussions, and religious intolerance and bigotry. Writing the book touched me in unexpected ways – like me, Mari is Jewish and her situation is fraught with guilt – she suffers from survivor guilt because she has managed to survive while the other women she arrived with were were auctioned off, and worse, she has fallen in love with her captor. She feels as if she’s betraying herself and her own people. Her captor, Ekkatt, on the other hand, is wracked with guilt over what he’s done. No, he’s never killed or even injured a human and his species is vegetarian, but in his job as a trapper, he’s sent many women like Mari to the meat market, having been taught by his own religious authorities that humans are nothing more than beasts, that they have no soul. From our perspective, it would be comparable to a tribe in the Amazon hunting and eating a monkey. When Mari inadvertently awakens from stasis during the voyage and Ekkatt has his first chance to actually speak with a human female, he experiences an epiphany…his entire life has been a lie and he is guilty of condoning murder. From that moment on, keeping Mari alive becomes his primary goal. Only her forgiveness can heal him.
Mari never expects to find herself caged in a cargo hold on a spaceship. She learns from her captors she's headed to the meat market. When they try to return her to stasis, she resists. The male in charge, Ekkatt, allows her to remain awake. Mari realizes her survival depends upon connecting with Ekkatt. She must make him see her as a sentient being or she will end up dinner.
Ekkatt has never spoken to any human. Humans are beasts. They are valued for one thing, the money they bring at auction. The Attun are vegetarians, but other species prize human flesh and Ekkatt makes good money trapping. Then the female with red hair awakens. She speaks to him and forces him to admit she has a name. Mari throws Ekkatt's entire life into question, the biggest question...can he watch her sold to the highest bidder?
Excerpt:
Mari heard him utter something in a guttural voice to his companion, right before he strode her way on his long, powerful legs. His strides ate up the distance between them. Unconsciously, Mari backed away from the door of her cage. In her current state, naked and vulnerable, if this thing wanted to rip her limb from limb, gut her, and eat her alive, he could.
He stopped in front of her and stared into her face. Legs shaking, Mari ordered herself to meet his eyes. She watched his nostrils flare, as if he could smell her fear. How could he not? She could smell it herself. Being naked made it worse. But, what was she supposed to do? Attempt to cover herself with her hands? That would be an exercise in futility. His eyes roamed over her perusing her from head to toe. He grunted something. Even though the language sounded alien to her it was impossible to miss the dismissive tone in his gravelly voice.
He stood in front of her with his arms crossed and his eyes challenging. He was obviously waiting for her to cower and cringe. Mari didn’t know where she was or what the hell was going on, but she remembered something she’d once read: the antidote to fear is courage. She realized she had no choice but to stare right back, step forward, cross her arms mocking his posture, and say loud enough for his companion to hear, “Fuck you, asshole.”
The fucker laughed. His laugh sounded human. Mari recognized it instantly. She didn’t know if he laughed at her words or at her chutzpah, but the fucker laughed.
“That is good,” he said in heavily accented English. The words sounded slow on his tongue. “You have courage, female.”
Mari watched him shift his weight. He seemed impatient. “You should not be awake,” he stated in his very thick accent.
Mari shrugged.
The man swept a sheathed hand toward all the other women lying on the floor of their cages. “You should not be awake,” he repeated.
Mari ignored his statement. Instead she pointed at his uniform. “I want my clothes.”
The man grimaced.
“You speak my language. You understand what I’m saying. I want my clothes.” One thing at a time.
“You have no need. You are a beast. An animal.” He enunciated clearly for her sake. “An animal has no need of clothing.”
“If I’m an animal, then why do you bother to speak with me? I want my clothes.”
He laughed again. “You are like a trained pet. Pets have no need of garments. Our buyers must be able to see the merchandise with imperfections and all.”
Giveaway: Julia is offering an e-book copy of CARA, her now out-of-print romantic suspense from Cerridwen Press, as a prize. Open to all blog readers and visitors with valid email addresses! Enter by leaving a comment or asking Julia a question. One entry per relevant comment; multiple entries allowed. Ends January 28, 2010.
Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood is the second book in the set of three novels, Guardian Angel follows on the heels of The Lion's Lady. I didn't know this when I started and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed the book. Usually I dislike sets of romances because one couple or half of a couple ends up irking me due to their actions in a previous book. However, Lyon and Christina are already wedded by this point and I loved them in their story. I did wonder as to their purpose in this novel, but Lyon is clearly Caine's friend and trustworthy ally which Caine will need before the novel is up. Speaking on ends, I thought the ending to Guardian Angel was lacking in some fashion. I can't put my finger on it but the ending left me feeling vaguely like how the ending of The Wedding made me feel... unresolved I guess.
The Marquess of Cainewood is on a mission. Revenge coldly calculated, this ruthless man has set out to avenge his brother's death at the hands of the notorious pirate known only as Pagan. The pirate would meet his maker, and then perhaps Caine's father would get some peace. Sitting in the back of a pub that had become his haunting place since his brother's death, Caine's evening is interrupted by the unexpected appearance of an angel with fiery red hair. She's scared, trembling, but determined.
Her first question is about his identity... is he Pagan?
His charade as the pirate was working, but instead of drawing out the real Pagan, he got a maiden in distress. She asks him to kill her before the men after her catch up and do the job themselves. She wants to die quick and painlessly and hoped the honorable Pagan would help her. Honorable indeed! Caine refuses and shoulders the burdens of the young woman.
Jade he will find leads him on a merry goose chase after criminals who do and don't exist. And all the while she is flitting about trying to keep Caine occupied, a real mystery is brewing... but also passion. Can Jade keep her heart safe or has a man finally pierced her shields to the vulnerable girl inside?
Rating: 4 Stars
Edit: The sex in this novel doesn't follow the usual path in romance novels. When Jade loses her virginity it's not a quick flash of pain and then over with. I enjoyed how Garwood handled everything when it became an issue between Jade and Caine. Jade was also very tender for her second time. It was different than what I am used to in a romance novel and I found that I enjoyed it because of that.
Originally posted 2009-01-06 00:40:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
I loved In the Prince's Bed by Sabrina Jeffries. It was dazzling, sexy, full of wit and great dialog. The characters and their motives were well thought out and spun together to create a wonderfully fantastic tale. This is the first of the Royal Brotherhood trilogy.
Alec Iversley, comes home from abroad at his father's death to find his inheritance gone and in its place a large debt. His childhood home is a wreck, his finances a wreck, his tenets and servants in terrible shape, and his honor in question because of his father's misdeeds. He needs an heiress and he needs those funds yesterday if he is going to save Edenmore and all the fortunes of those that depend on him.
Miss Katherine Merivale needs to get married. Her grandfather left her a large sum of money as her inheritance, but it can only be retrieved upon her marriage. Her mother needs the money to pay off her father's debts from gambling and whoring. Katherine and her childhood friend, Sydney Lovelace, have had a long time understanding that they will wed. So why hasn't he bucked up the courage to overthrow his mother's tyranny and declare her his bride?
From a deal struck up with his half-brothers the other byblows of the Prince of Wales, Alec has in his possession the name of his future heiress. At Lady Jenner's cherry blossom themed party he spies a lovely young miss with flame-red hair and a wildly exotic red dress. When he finds out afterward that this woman is his heiress he thinks to himself, 'no man can be that lucky.'
But Katherine has defenses Alec can scarcely hope to breach. She believes in the gossip about his past, dislikes rakehells, and defends herself at every turn from seduction. Lucky for him, she's a passionate woman with a streak of recklessness yearning to be set free and that Sydney is a spineless wet towel. Now all he has to do is prove he's not the man the gossip paints him, woo her with drugging kisses, and somehow show her that he's the better man.
Rating: 5 Stars
Originally posted 2008-11-26 21:57:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Beauty and the Beast by Hannah Howell is not a spectacular read. It is however a pretty solid read. I found several segments to be unnecessary and jumpy and predictable in others. This Highlander romance contains all the elements of the sub-genre including bride stealing, thwarted love, revenge plotting, and battle.
Thayer Saiturn is known as the Red Devil, a knight so fierce and courageous that his name inspires fear in the enemies. The second cousin in line for inheriting a title and land, Thayer knows his place in life is on the battlefield waging war to earn his bread and keep. He wishes for the finer things in life, namely a woman to warm his bed, but he knows his limitations. While men express awe and fear over him, women see nothing but an ugly, very hairy, very red brute covered with many scars (none on his face). He pays for the women in his bed, and does not seek one outside of this arrangement. Betrayed once by a beautiful woman, Thayer vows never to be so weak before another highborn beauty.
Gytha is promised by betrothal contract to the heir of Saiturn Manor. At first it was William, beautiful and strong bodied, but word came that he was dead. So too came word that the second cousin, Thayer was dead. Learning that she is to marry Robert, Gytha expresses disappointment. Robert is weak and his soft looks do nothing for her. She would prefer the knight coming in to witness the wedding – the tall one with flaming red hair, a lithe graceful body, and sweet soft brown eyes.
When she discovers that the red knight is Thayer, the true heir to Saiturn Manor, Gytha is relieved. Robert and his uncle are not but cannot fight the contract. Thayer is dismayed, having thought this to be William’s wedding he was attending, he finds no comfort in learning it is his own. The thought of the inheritance does not soothe him for his bride is the prettiest beauty he has ever seen. He was sure to be cuckold, made a fool of by his marriage to her. Men everywhere were vying for her attentions even as she walked down the aisle. He was doomed, for Gytha could not possibly want him.
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted 2008-12-15 23:06:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Highland Barbarian by Hannah Howell is an exceptional romance novel. The love story is both captivating and highly amusing. A tale of a Lowlander (with Highlander blood in her veins) and a Highlander (whose warrior skills include brains), this is sure to be on your favorite shelf.
With his Laird on his deathbed, Sir Artan Murray cannot refuse the task of going to the Lowlands to lure Cecily, his Laird's niece, home again. Throw in her tempting dowry and the fact that his Laird wants to make him, the second son of twins, the heir and future Laird, Artan finds himself traveling south before he knows it. In his heart of hearts, Artan knows he could never marry a girl no matter how bonnie she is or how bonnie her dowry. He wants a marriage like his parents, as all the Murray's wed for love.
When he first lays eyes on Cecily Donaldson, Artan thinks he's seen an angel. Glorious red hair and beautiful green eyes have tempted him as no woman has ever tempted him. Stealing kisses, usurping her arranged betrothal's rights, and fighting off a few dozen men are all fun and games until Artan overhears a conversation from the girl's guardians between her betrothed. His questions and fears answered, Artan knows what he must do.
He will have to kidnap his future bride from the midst of wolves and take her back with him whether she wants to go or not. Cecily, hurt and betrayed, struggles against her passion for this Highland barbarian. Her struggles however are halfhearted, because when Artan touches her or kisses her or loves her, she burns for him with a yearning that can't be denied.
This was definitely not one of my favorite novels. Not only did Boyle use hair color to give stereotypical traits to the heroine, but the big reveal didn’t feel so big! Major bummer! As Susan would say thank goodness I’m FF (finally finished)!
A kiss can change the fates of nations. It certainly changed the fate of one Miss Miranda Mabberly. She was going to marry an impoverished (or at least highly strapped for funds) Earl and become a Countess but one kiss altered everything, including the world on its axis.
Miranda’s family force her to flee London into the country and into permanent hiding from the shame of that kiss. Along the way she manages to make it back to Miss Emery’s Establishment and gain a teaching position in decorum (irony at its best) under a new name. It’s been nine years since that kiss and Miranda can still recall its flavor of it.
Mad Jack Tremont or Lord John can too. Poorer than a church mouse, he’s been banished to the country seat where disgraced relatives of the Tremont’s have been living for generations. When crossing Miss Porter’s prim façade and tightly wound red hair, Jack can’t help but think of ways to seduce her out of her hairpins.
The first trailer I saw in theaters looked so incredibly hokey. I wasn't sure I was going to want to see it despite how much I loved the novels. This trailer is dynamite in comparison. I'm growing to think of Robert Pattison as Edward. It's just taken awhile. Call me crazy, but I always pictured him with black hair and blue eyes despite the references to red hair and topaz eyes. On the other hand Kristen Stewart always looked like my idea of Bella Swan so I have no problems there. Pretty and plain at the same time.
The scenes all in the forest are very eerie and casts a cloud of mystery. Fog, mist, rain, Forks weather in action. Edward climbing trees like he's Spider Man... not kidding. Watch!
Best lines from the novel and preview:
"All super hero stuff right? What if I'm not the hero? What if I'm the bad guy?"
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you."
"You are my life Now."
It ends with the line 'Forever Starts Now.' It's suppose to have this chilling effect but all I can think of is that it truly starts here. This moment, this movie is what fans of Twilight have been waiting for. Guessing from IMDB New Moon might be coming out in 2010, the information is for pro members only but I certainly hope so now that the movie finally looks good to me. I have so many favorite scenes I want to see come to life. Harry Potter move over Edward Cullen is going to kick you ass.
I wonder if they're planning midnight releases. How many will go dressed up as vampires, werewolves, and characters from the series? If they do I plan to go opening night... just perhaps not in costume. Grin.
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