Period mini-series watch-a-thon

And you thought I was going to talk about that neat Jane Austen fest that's going down over at PBS starting tomorrow....

Nope. (Although I do have my DVR set up to record and all). I've been ensconced in a veritable plethora of BBC dramas thanks to my friend GailK. Yesterday and today I watched an adaptation of Edith Wharton's The Buccaneers (whose cast included a very young Mira Sorvino) and this evening I have gotten 1/3 of the way through George Eliot's Middlemarch. tumperkin, I have spotted dear Rufus and he is a doll. Here's hoping he gets the girl in the end. I still have Bleak House and Elizabeth the Virgin Queen to get through as well. Good times.

In other news I did a bit of shopping today and managed to snag some post-holiday clean-out-the-store sales. I love a good bargain, and I REALLY love shopping for clothes in my new size(s). Speaking of sizes, what is up with standard sizing? It seems that every single label has their own chart because I never know what I should try on and end up grabbing 4, 6 and 8 and it's a crap-shoot as to which will be my size. pfft. Anyways, cute clothes inspire one to keep up the healthy habits and whatnot. I even did pilates in front of the TV whilst watching my period dramas. *g*

On the reading front, I finished DoY (le sigh) and let me just say that Richard Armitage plays a fantastic Derek. At least in my head he does. Now I'm a chapter or so into Devil's Bride. And wouldn't you know it, but the hero is dark and handsome and I might just have to slot poor Richard into playing that role as well. One can never have too much Richard, imho. Nor too much of this picture.

Man Love Monday spillover...

Just because it amuses me, here's a Guy of Gisborne/Robin Hood slash-y fan video. Enjoy...

Man Love Monday - Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade review

And now for the second part of my contribution to Man Love Monday...(if you still haven't checked out the awesomeness on lisabea's blog, make sure you do!)


Now we move to a more somber and serious story. I’m a longtime reader and fan of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books. When Lord John Grey showed up, I must admit that I wasn’t very fond of him. Mainly because he carried a torch for Jamie and I’m irrationally protective of Jamie. He’s Claire’s (and mine of course, but that doesn’t count), and I don’t want anyone else lusting after him. Like, I said…irrational. But since Lord John has started starring in his own series of mystery stories, my views on him have taken a complete turn.

I “read” Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade as an audiobook. There is something to be said about curling up in bed, in the darkness of the night and falling asleep gently to the sound of a story. Each night as I got further into the story and got to know Lord John better, the more I was intrigued by him. He’s a man of intense honor. A soldier who knows how to lead men and how to inspire loyalty. And yet, he must keep the most essential part of him a secret. I found it fascinating how LJ is both completely comfortable with his sexuality (in a conversation with a lover, he says that he’s never wished he was not gay) but yet completely in the closet. He HAS to be for the sake of his career, his family, and his very life. Being a gay man in 18th century England was not accepted. Indeed, there were repercussions far worse than simply being looked down upon. Dishonor, ruin, even prison and death.

This book is not a romance novel but does contain romantic elements. As far as the actual plot of the story is concerned, it is like any good Gabaldon tale. Long and seemingly meandering but everything falls together in the end. Long ago, the death of Lord John’s father cast a shadow of scandal over the entire family. Although it was accepted a suicide, LJ is certain that it was in fact murder and new information prompts him to undertake a quiet investigation. In the meantime, his regiment is preparing to reenter the war in mainland Europe, he embarks on a new love affair and all the while manages to balance everything with his trademark wit, grace and dry sense of humor that makes him such a memorable character. Something that I particularly enjoyed was the delicate and unspoken dance of words, gestures and double meanings that serve to convey meaning between himself and other gay men right in plain view of everyone. For an excellent example, check out the following excerpt.

As it happened, I was listening to this book at the same time I was reading My Fair Captain. The juxtaposition of gay men in an open society vs. gay men in a closeted society was really quite interesting. It made me very sad that Lord John would never be able to openly experience a loving relationship with a partner of his choice. By the end of the book, I was aching for him and what seemed to be a lonely future stretching before him. I know that Gabaldon isn't finished with him yet and he still has a role to play in the Outlander books, so I'll continue to hope that he finds some measure of happiness. And I'll continue to have a little crush on him.

A

Man Love Monday - My Fair Captain review

Yep, it's Man Love Monday! Be sure to check out lisabea's blog for hilarious commentary, HAWT photos and loads of fun. My humble contributions will come in the form of book reviews. Let's begin, shall we?

I have to be honest. I did not expect to be particularly interested in reading an m/m romance novel. To be sure, I’ve read books that had gay secondary characters as well as ménage stories which included some m/m action. But my first love is historicals and I was under the impression that given the rigid social structures in the past, a satisfactory gay love story would be difficult if not impossible to find. I like my HEA and how happy of an ending can one have with the shadow of an oppressive disapproving (and downright dangerous) conservative society hanging over your protagonists’ heads? Enter J.L. Langley’s gay space Regency, My Fair Captain. Yes, you read that right. Gay space Regency! All of the fun clothes, stuffy balls, horses and carriages and social rules but recast in a totally gay society.

Captain Nathaniel Hawkins commands an intergalactic Navy space frigate. Banished from his own home planet years ago after a duel, Nate lives the life of a rough and ready warrior. Sent to the planet Regelence to investigate a case involving missing weapons, he finds himself in the middle of a highly formalized Regency-like society where young men are chaperoned and sought after in marriage by older more experienced men of the Ton. King Steven and his consort Raleigh are Nate’s hosts, and as luck would have it, one of their five sons literally falls into his lap. Aiden is a young, headstrong artist who has no interest in playing the marriage mart. He is only interested in furthering his training in art and wonders, “Why did everyone think a man needed a consort and children to make him complete?” (sound familiar?)

Readers of historical romances will pick up on the types right away; what makes the book so fun to read is that the standard formula we all know is turned just slightly on its head. Nate is the alpha hero. Strong, masculine, straightforward and just a little gruff, he can’t understand why he’s so attracted to Aiden. Although naïve and unsure of all the new feelings coursing through him, Aiden finds himself drawn to the dashing captain and reconsiders his antipathy towards marriage. They engage in a courtship that includes all of those delightful little Regency scenarios. The first waltz at the ball. A furtive kiss away from the chaperone’s watchful eye. Nate making his intentions known to Aiden’s parents. Even the standard “being caught in a compromising situation and being forced to marry in a hurry.” It’s all there. Oh and did I mention the wedding night? I have to hand it to Langley. This was hot and romantic and thoroughly believable. A natural physical expression of the emotional connection between these two men and not something merely meant to shock or titillate the reader.

There’s more to the story about the missing weapons and the dastardly bad guys who are trying to take over the world (or something) but I found myself skimming over that stuff to get back to Nate and Aiden. The developing relationship between them rings true and becomes more involved throughout the book. And the supporting characters like Nate’s adopted son and Aiden’s parents and brothers all have distinctive personalities and propel the story along. When I finished the story, it was with a big sigh and a sloppy grin on my face. And that’s what I really want out of a romance novel.

If you, like me, are new to the world of man-love romances and you want a good place to start, you could do no better than My Fair Captain. I know that I’m keeping Langley on my list of authors to watch and I can’t wait to read another story set in Regelence. Much thanks to lisabea for getting the word out on this book.

A-

showing my true colors

If you hadn't noticed yet, I'm not a blogger that reads a lot of new releases. I do try to get about one a month or so depending on the author and the buzz, but honestly, I can't afford all new books all the time. I'm a huge fan of the library and more recently started using paperbackswap a lot. Oh and then there is always trading with other online bloggers and buddies. (thank goodness for the ARC fairy).

Yesterday, I made it to the library before closing time, and after dropping off the DVDs that were due, I made the requisite head-turned-sideways shuffle down the paperback shelves. For some reason I wasn't in the mood to take chances and instead ended up with a lot of old favorites that were just begging for a re-read.

First off, I made a beeline for the classic Lord of Scoundrels. Apparently, enjoying this novel makes me a woman who is either the equivalent of a 13 year old masochist or who likes abusive heros. Huh? Alrighty then. Honestly, I don't mind people disliking books that I like. Heaven knows I hate a lot of books that get raves. But you don't have to make assumptions about the "kind of women" who read a book you don't enjoy, do you? Oh well. I am determined to make lemonade out of lemons. Last month, I read a thread at AAR about how someone hated The Serpent Prince, so I picked it up and reread it...and loved it even more! That person did me a big favor by getting me interested in the book again. So I will happily reread LOS and feel the lurve once more.

I kept going down the alphabet and saw a group of Jane Feather books. Now back in the day, I used to read Feather a lot. I'm not sure what happened but I haven't read her in years. Well, I seem to remember reading The Hostage Bride and enjoying it. And it was so long ago that it might as well be new to me. Into the stack it went.


Next up, the Kleypas section. Ooh, Dreaming of You was back on the shelf. Our library's copy of this book is tattered and worn and speaks to how beloved it is. It's rarely on the shelf, so when I see it, I often just have to grab it. Yeah, I've read it, but it's always good. A comfort read. And this will be my first time reading it post N&S. Richard Armitage dancing through my head as Derek? Natch.


After K comes L. And what could be a better guilty pleasure (and probably shows how much of a tasteless romance reader I am at heart) than a reread of Stephanie Laurens' Devil's Bride? I think Laurens' Cynster books were the first set of pb romance novels that I actually spent money on and purchased new. They seemed awesome in college. Ok, so that whole Cynster schtick hasn't really aged well and nowadays they all blend together, but going back to the ORIGINAL is always a good time. Devil and Honoria. Alpha male falls in love at first sight. To have and to hold. la ti da ti da....

So far all of my choices were re-reads. Comfort food, so to speak. I thought that I ought to include at least one new-to-me book. I believe I may be the only blogger in romancelandia who hasn't glommed and followed the entire JD Robb In Death series. And I'm not shooting to read all 500 or so books just to catch up with everyone. BUT I thought it would be worth seeing what all the fuss is about, so since Naked In Death was in stock, I semi-reluctantly topped off my stack with it.

Who knows when I'll get a chance to read all of these great books. Manlove Monday is coming up and I need to go away and collect my deep thoughts so that I can be worthy of participating in such a weighty event.

More movies to recommend

Seems like my blog has become more of a movie review area than a book review site lately. Guess all that TV I watched over the holidays with the family and/or boyfriend has something to do with that. Anyways, I simply must throw in a little post about the movie we watched last night. I recently discovered that I have in fact had BBC America on my line-up all along (and all this time I assumed that I didn't and have been missing hours and hours of RICHard in Robin Hood...arg!) Annnyways, I saw a preview for what looked like a historically set movie with a romance, so naturally I set up my DVR to record it.

Under the Greenwood Tree is based on a novel by Thomas Hardy. Unlike my previous experiences with Hardy, however, everyone does not die in the end. Hooray! This is a cute little story about a simple village with rather ordinary people. Miss Fancy Day has recently moved into the village to be the new schoolmistress. In very short order she finds herself being courted by not only the richest farmer in the area (a rather blustery and chubby old fellow) but also a poor working man and the local parson. To mix things up even more, the parson is dead set upon pulling his little village into the modern era whether they're ready or not. He's just purchased a "harmonium" (an organ?) to replace the "choir" that has traditionally provided music in church. He wants Fancy to play the new instrument which automatically sets her up as something of a usurper in her new hometown. Fancy's father is dead set upon her marrying up and actively encourages the suit of Mr. Shiner, the richest man in town. But Fancy finds herself drawn to poor Dick Dewey (yes, you have to love the name) despite her better judgement as to who makes the best husband material.

What I enjoyed about this movie was that it felt gentle and charming. None of the main characters are part of the gentry, they are all country folk. It all felt very sweet. Also, the actors seemed very well cast. The handsome young country boy was played by James Murray, whom I don't think I've ever seen anywhere, but he was adorable. Check out those blue eyes!

Viewers of the Forsyte Saga will also recognize Parson Maybold as none other than Montague Darty. A bit of a change, but he does well as the pompous if well-meaning preacher with a very high opinion of himself.

Fans of light romantic drama set in Britain will probably want to put this one on the netflix queue. I'd recommend it for an evening of relaxation. It's no North and South (but really, that is in a category all of it's own) but in it's own way a very nice little film.

on the road again, and again, and again

Happy new years indeed. Last night my brother, my boyfriend, and I went to a small party hosted by a few of my friends. It was lovely, good food, good company, dancing, etc. but we had to cut it short because my brother was supposed to catch a flight at 8 o'clock the next morning. It takes about an hour to drive from my door to the airport and security lines being what they are nowadays, we got up at 5am and left the house by 5:30 in order to be there with plenty of time to spare. Mind you, I was the one who woke up early, made a hot breakfast for everyone, woke them up, herded them out the door in time, etc. We get there fine and drop him off, heading back for home just as the sun peaks up from behind the mountains. After getting home, we crash into bed, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep and look forward to a nice leisurly morning sleeping. Forty-five minutes later, my cell phone rings. I miss the call. I look at the number. No one I know. It rings again. Against my better judgement, I answered this time on the off-chance that my brother's flight was cancelled due to bad weather at his destination. Well, it was my brother but the flight wasn't cancelled. It was just supposed to leave at 8 o'clock at night. ARG! Why in heaven's name did he not double-check, triple-check and brand this information on his mind? So being the pushover I am, I fell victim to his whining about having to spend 12 whole hours in the airport and I drove back to pick him up. And I still have to drive him back tonite. And then drive home. I calculate that I will have spent about 6 hours of my last vacation day sitting in my car. If there was a way to insert a very angry looking emoticon, you would find one here.