Essays & Musings
What We’ve Been Thinking About
Thoughts on books, reading, culture, and the literary life.
An Interview (and a giveaway) with Anne Calhoun
May 31, 2016I am an Anne Calhoun fan. Uncommon Passion is one of my favorite romances and, even when I don’t think her books are that good, I almost always enjoy them. Her parsing…
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Cross-Country House Party: A Guest Post (and a giveaway) from Bronwyn Scott and Marguerite Kaye
May 30, 2016Scandal at the Midsummer Ball had its genesis when we received a house party invitation from Harlequin. The details were sketchy, we were provided with a picture of the venue,…
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Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas: A DIK Review
May 28, 2016Marrying Winterborne, the second book in Lisa Kleypas’s dearly anticipated Ravenels series, begins with Lady Helen Ravenel calling on Rhys Winterborne, a man to whom she was briefly engaged. As almost…
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Remembering Jo Beverley
May 24, 2016We were saddened to hear about historical romance author Jo Beverley’s death yesterday. (You can read about her and her passing at the Word Wenches blog.) Ms. Beverley was a…
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When Romance Dies
May 23, 2016WARNING: This post has spoilers for the TV shows Castle, Downton Abbey, ER, Robin Hood, and Being Human. I will admit, I love the television show Castle but I haven’t…
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DIKlassic: The Knight and The Rose by Isolde Martyn
May 22, 2016Title: The Knight and the Rose Author: Isolde Martyn Grade: A Setting: Medieval Romance (1320s England) Sensuality: Warm Readers who loved Isolde Martyn’s The Maiden and the Unicorn (Our DIK review is here.) have…
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Alexis Hall interviews K.J. Charles (and a giveaway)
May 20, 2016KJ Charles’s three Society of Gentlemen Regency romances were all rated Desert Isle Keepers by All About Romance. A Seditious Affair, which was awarded a coveted A+, was voted tied…
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Dee Ernst on Writing, Getting Older, and Lessons Learned (and a giveaway!)
May 16, 2016I began writing when I was in my forties, and I began for one important reason — I couldn’t find any books that I really enjoyed reading. I was a…
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DIKlassic: Never Love a Cowboy by Lorraine Heath
May 11, 2016Reviewed on April 20, 2000 Grade: A Setting: Post-Civil War Texas Sensuality: Warm Never Love a Cowboy is the kind of book that makes me wonder why I’m not more familiar with…
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Linda Howard's Troublemaker: A Pandora's Box
May 9, 2016Today, AAR reviewers Maggie Boyd and Mary Skelton tackle Troublemaker, the latest book by New York Time’s bestseller Linda Howard. Here is Maggie’s summary of the novel: Isabeau “Bo” Maran…
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O Harlequin, Where Art Thou? asks Michele Mills
May 5, 2016Once upon a time, back in the dark ages of the late eighties, I read a Barbara Cartland. I figured, why not give it a go? I’d heard Ms. Cartland…
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A Guest Post and Giveaway from M.L. Buchman
May 4, 2016The Three Components a Firehawks Book Must Have When I first conceived the Firehawks series, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I never do at the beginning…
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