Christmas/Holiday Themed Romances

Usually it is during this time of the year (late August-mid September) when I start craving Christmas/Holiday type stories.  I tend to enjoy the anthologies that come out involving this type of theme.  I am going to start listing my favorites in this post, as updates.

1.  Anne Gracie - The Mistletoe Bride ("Mischief and Mistletoe Anthology).

2.  Mary Jo Putney - The Best Husband Money Can Buy (2-novellas anthology Christmas Candles).


3.  Mary Jo Putney - The Christmas Cuckoo (Christmas Revels anthology).

When moderators are "on your face" and hypocritical

I recently discovered what I thought was, at the time, a really good historical romance oriented FB group.  For the first 2-3 months of my participation there, things were perfectly fine.  Then, from one day to another, another moderator "popped up".  As background, the group is supposed to control promotion posts and that includes self-promotions.  Well, this admin has her own reviews blog and that's how she pretty much came back to the group (apparently she had been on hiatus).  She also started "policing" posts, continued mentioning her own reviews, tried to start discussions to make the group more active (not that it needed it, btw, this group was moving along really well without her "assistance").  We later (the members of the group) found out she's also writing her own HR book.  Most of the pieces of the puzzle (her pushiness to promote discussion, her questions about writing and what readers like, etc.) fell into place at that point.  Someone must have said something about her own self-promotion though, as she went ahead and created a "sister group" for promotions and more writer oriented because why not benefit from the already established membership in the original group.   Personality wise, it also became obvious that she has to be the "leader of the pack".  Sadly, I realized from the moment she came back and posted about her own blog, that my days in the group were numbered... and I was right.

To make the story short, and I acknowledge this was my fault, I posted something that could have invited controversy.  The admin I dislike, of course, had to jump in to "intervene".  It wasn't really necessary at that point, but the point is moot... She did it in such a way that it looked like an attack on my post.  I confronted her as a reply to her comment, and then proceeded to delete my post and remove myself from the group.  She PMd me to justify her actions and alleging that it was not an attack on me or my post... then got defensive and in her "justification" proceeded to make the hole she had dug herself in even larger.  I kept my replies to her PMS purposefully very VERY limited and controlled.  She ended up saying that I was welcome to return.  I said thanks (mentally adding "... but no thanks"), and didn't further interact.

Sometimes I miss the group, though there was quite a bit of repetition, I liked login on a few times a day to read posts.  A lot of recommendations are posted.  People ask for recommendations on specific tropes, people post asking for books for which they can't remember titles but rather plot points, etc. ....and then I remember who's "managing" it.   If I go back it is an acknowledgement that she was right in saying things the way she did... which is not the case.  She could have managed this differently, but the equivalent of public humiliation is what she chose.  As some say, hindsight is 20/20, though.  If I do go back it will not be under my main FB account because, frankly, I don't want to reassure her that she is alright... because she is not.  Call me petty if you want.  I understand her "I need to protect this group" policy, but not when she's treating everyone as if it is kindergarten and have this terrible need to assert her dominance.

Most of my activity there was confined to commentary on other members' posts rather than posting my own... and even more so once that one showed up.  She had already deleted another post of mine regarding plagiarism, because it was linking to an article on Nora Roberts, who was involved in a recent particular incident in which many authors' work was plagiarized and she went after the plagiarist.  The admin said that some people were "upset".  I know it was BS, she just misread my intent.  She thought it was an I love Nora Roberts post which it's funny, because I don't like Roberts' work.  I posted that because many of the authors plagiarized were, actually HR authors and that's why it was relevant to the group's topic (HR).  But I digress...

If I sound resentful, it's because I am.  I was enjoying it, felt that it was a unique group, and all it took was for one person to flush that down the toilet.  Oh and yes, I have created my own group, but it still needs work, and I am not sure I have what it takes to admin a forum/group again.  That's why I said I understand her need to protect.  I've been a mod/admin.  Either way, this is a venting post.  I needed to take this off my chest in some way.

"Wicked Angel" by Julia London

THERE ARE GOING TO BE SPOILERS IN THIS POST, SO DON'T READ THIS COMMENTARY POST IF YOU WANT TO READ THE STORY AND SPOILERS BOTHER YOU:
S
P
O 
I
L
E
R
SPACE

I recently decided to try Julia London books.  Though I've been familiar with her name for years now, I don't think I ever tried to read any of her books in the past.  So far I've tried to read two titles and both have been the "skip-to-my-Lou" types of reads.  First of all, I do have to say I like this author's writing style quite a bit.  I find her style fluid and appealing.  Sadly, other equally important elements (characters, plot devices) were not my cup of tea.  Main reason I am not calling this post a review is because I did skip large chunks of the book I am going to talk about.  I did want to comment on it though precisely because I wanted so much to like this book.  I do like the author's writing style, as I said before.  Additionally, I actually did like the beginning 1/3 of the story.

 "Wicked Angel" sports what I call a TSTL heroine (think 1937 cartoon Snow White).  This is apparent from the beginning, and the heroine herself, early on in the story, does realize how stupid she really is... I should have taken that as the "red flag" it actually is.  The heroine is oblivious to her extraordinary beauty, makes incredibly idiotic decisions because she's oh so noble and good.  Frankly, however, no matter how much the author justifies the heroine's actions, it just doesn't work out.  It's the sort of thing that worked in the 1930s Disney movie "Snow White"... but in modern times, 21st Century... erm... NOPE.  You would have to have some sort of learning disability to be that naive and trusting.  Even the most naive individual, given her circumstances and her alleged priorities (she takes care of several orphans, but her home is pretty much bankrupt) wouldn't have made the sort of choice she made just off the bat ... yes, it is explained, and she realizes what she did was, in hindsight, a bad decision, but still, it comes across as weak ... and we are talking here about just the beginning to the story. 

The hero has to be one of the biggest selfish jerks I've ever had the misfortune of reading.  He had a fiancée , he allowed that fiancée to continue with wedding arrangements/planning, meanwhile, he was allowing himself to be seen drooling over the heroine in public, figuratively speaking, among other things... and yes, he does go all the way with the heroine despite STILL being engaged to marry...and the reader is supposed to be okay with that?  In short, he deserved a kick in the balls.

Despite the someone stupid heroine, I was okay for the first 1/3 of the book ... and then I just couldn't believe what was going on and so, the skipping started.... the last few chapters infuriated me even more.  The hero treated the heroine, in public, as if she was lower than a cockroach (yes, the author also "justified" it, and arguably, it is the sort of thing expected from someone of his position in that particular period of time, him being a duke and all).  The heroine is pretty much on her knees begging for him to forgive her. Reading all that I was on WTF mode by the end of the book, even when I skipped chunks of it.

I am going to try a more recent title of this author because the two I read are late 1990s. I so wanted to like her books, again, she has an appealing writing style, but the main elements (characters and plot devices) have been epic failures from my personal point of view.

Fairy tales and historical romance

Image: "Beauty and the Beast" by Sandara.

Once upon a time...

When I first started reading historical romance, I soon realized that among my favorite tropes was fairy tales.  I particularly favor the Beauty and the Beast inspired stories, closely followed by Cinderella.  This preference is consistent with my childhood’s fairy tale addiction.  What I will never fully understand is why it took me so long to discover romance, though I suspect those cheesy covers from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, didn’t help.  I found them embarrassing, and I knew I would have to endure endless teasing from my sisters and mom, and outright disapproval from my dad, if I dared pick one.  Additionally, as I later found out when I actually started reading romance, I don’t think the style of those decades (they were called “bodice rippers” for a reason) would have appealed to me at all. 

Over the 16 years or so that I’ve been reading romance, I’ve read quite a number of fairy tale inspired ones.  Some have been outstanding, others not so much, but I can’t remember one that I found to be terribly bad.  That right there says something about my favoring this trope. 

Following is my short-list of authors who have published fairy tale-inspired books which I have enjoyed:

Eloisa James

Elizabeth Hoyt

Emily Larkin

Teresa Medeiros

Julia Quinn

Robin McKinley

There is one author that seems to love the Beauty and the Beast trope: Elizabeth Hoyt.  She has several titles across two or three of her series, that are inspired by the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. 

Another popular historical romance author, Eloisa James, has a whole series of fairy tale-inspired novels.  It’s quite a nice series.  Eloisa James does not incorporate heavy drama/angst in her stories, so that is a plus. As a side note, the hero in one of those books was inspired by Dr. House, from the T.V. show "House". 

Teresa Medeiros also wrote a series of fairy tale-inspired books years ago.  They are heartwarming stories laced with humor. 

Julia Quinn doesn’t have multiple titles inspired by fairy tales but the third book in her Bridgertons series, “An Offer From a Gentleman”, is inspired by Cinderella.

 Of course, there are many more authors out there who have written this sort of story (Mimi Matthews, Claire Delacroix), so I intend to update the above list as I discover  more.

Telegram Posts

From now on, any super short post is going to be titled beginning with the words "Telegram Post".  This is a way for the reader of the post to know the blog article is nothing but a very short message from yours truly.

The purpose of this one is to announce that I am going to write a little about my favorite "tropes"/cliches in historical romance and then keep a running list of books I've read within the trope.  I figure it is another way of keeping my personal blog moving along instead of going dormant for extended periods of time, like it has happened in the past.  It will also help me, along with my reading journal, to keep track of what I have been reading and what I have liked and disliked.

"Beauty and the Beast of Thornleigh" by Kate Westwood

Disclaimer: I am a subscriber of Kindle Unlimited, where this ebook is available.

Setting: Regency England.

Synopsis: Capt. Asher Brandt has to find a wife.  His older brother died in battle leaving behind a young daughter.  The girl's maternal grandmother will take the girl away unless Capt. Asher marries.  He's desperate, as he was seriously burned in the same battle in which his brother died and his face is badly scarred as a result, his attempts to find someone to accept his suit have been unsuccessful so far due to his disfigurement.  As a last attempt, the grandmother suggests someone that might be amenable to marrying him because of the young lady's unique circumstances.

Characters: And this is where my issues with the book begin.  The book is mostly told from the heroine's perspective.  We are regaled to all her motivations, etc.  We are also regaled to a lot about her and her family and friends (many of whom are really unlikeable).  I would dare say 85% of the book is all about her.  Her name is Georgiana Hall... and I really didn't care about her and whatever emotional situation of her own doing, she is in.  The whole book was about her... and sadly, I could care less.

Then we have the character that is supposed to be the hero, Captain Asher Brandt.  He is introduced to us in the prologue as a hero who saved his ship and most of its crew in battle.  As a result of his heroism, he was severely burned, particularly on the face, and he's disfigured.  His main problem is that he has a very young niece who is going to be taken away from him unless he marries.  Though I did want to like him, fact is that the author made it impossible for the reader to get to know him.  Why?  Because she bothered very little in fleshing him out.

Impressions: First, the pace of this book is very slow.  I am okay with that if there is a good story and the characters reel me in.  Additionally, the pacing in a Regency romance is usually slow to begin with, even if the story is engaging.  I am perfectly fine with that.  Sadly, this book didn't accomplish catching this reader's interest.  The story could have been good, but the lack of balance between the hero and heroine's development, what motivates them, etc. really did a disservice to what otherwise would have been a good story.  

The whole Beauty and the Beast trope is nominal.  Yes, the hero is referred to as the beast of Thornleigh early on and his face is disfigured, but that is pretty much it.  He wasn't cruel to the heroine.  I actually felt bad for him because of her.  

Georgiana Hall...I don't even know what to say about her.  I wanted to slap her a few times over.  Initially her reaction to the proposal is understandable, but once that initial reaction goes on and on and on and on and on... I got to the point in which I just wanted her to go AWAY already.  Given the fact that there is so little interaction between her and the hero, I also couldn't understand how in a matter of a few days she suddenly falls in love with him.  Yes, this is something that happens in other books...but in many of those it hasn't bothered me because it was handled well... in this one after being regaled with endless narrative about the heroine agonizing, I just don't buy it.  

In short, it really bothers me when a book I am reading involves less than 30% interaction between the characters that are supposed to be the main characters; gives more attention to one of those two characters (in the case I am talking about, the heroine gets about 85% of "air" time); the heroine is a Mary Sue; and the reader only gets to know about the hero almost as an afterthought by the author.  The story seemed promising, until I started wishing that the heroine would just go away. It is a Regency HR (meaning an attempt at following Austen's style), I don't think I'd dare call it a "romance" as we define a romance in modern times, though. I liked the description/blurb, but ended up quite disappointed.

As a final note, this book has no heat (not even a bit of physical attraction) to speak of.

Bottomline? The author is promising, but she definitely needs to work on her characterizations.  I will not be picking another one of her stories unless it is also available in Kindle Unlimited, as this one is.

Another adaptation of "Emma"... really?

I just saw a post in a FB page mentioning yet another adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, “Emma" is in the works, this time for the big screen.

I found the main character in “Emma” to be bratty, not particularly likeable and, frankly, she is the main reason why I have not been able to read the whole book.  I just can’t stand the character.  My point of view is not that different as it pertains to the movie/T.V. adaptations I have watched (no more than 3, because I can't stomach this story as I mentioned), with the exception of  “Clueless”.  In the case of “Clueless” I didn’t feel as strongly about her probably because the action doesn’t take place in its corresponding historical setting, but rather takes place in the 1990s.  The heroine is an immature, self-centered and entitled high school girl, and I guess that makes me better able to understand her, as I viewed her as a child.  Additionally, the movie really did a good job in showing her as someone who did care, although she was seriously misguided… That doesn’t mean that I actually like the character, though, I just understood her better and appreciated the positive aspects of her personality, something I was incapable of doing with the book for whatever the reason. 

Although I really didn’t like the book, it seems to be quite popular among fans of Jane Austen, as the adaptations just keep coming.  There are quite a number of adaptations of “Pride and Prejudice,” which is understandable given the fact that it is Austen’s most popular and better known book.  There also seem to be a few adaptations of her other works as well, with maybe the exception of “Northanger Abbey”; but by far “Emma” seems to be at the top of the list of remakes of her stories into movie/T.V. adaptations.  Frankly, I wish there were more adaptations of my favorite book of hers, “Persuasion”, rather than adaptations of “Emma”.