Posted by: fshk on: October 17, 2009
I am both a romance reader and a history nerd, so you can imagine the little thrill I felt when I stumbled upon this post on Racy Romance Reviews about Kathleen Winsor, “a romance foremother,” who wrote a book that frankly sounds awesome, if only because the Massachusetts government tried to ban it. In honor [...]
Posted by: fshk on: September 8, 2009
I recently read Double Play by Jill Shalvis, which is a baseball romance. I picked it up because I love baseball. The plot wasn’t even relevant when I first saw the title; I saw “baseball” and “romance” and clicked “buy.” It turned out to be a sweet little romance, on the fluffy side, but good [...]
Posted by: fshk on: August 13, 2009
+ Check out this review of the awesomely titled Pregnesia. + Check out All About Romance’s list of lists. If you’re a romance reader who likes specific themes (curvy heroines, for example, or the dread virginal heroines), it’s worth taking a gander.
Posted by: fshk on: August 6, 2009
There has been some discussion in the romance blogs of late about historical accuracy in romance novels. This is one of those things I always took with a grain of salt. Mostly I read historicals about periods I don’t know much about, so that the details don’t bother me or pull me out of the [...]
Posted by: fshk on: August 6, 2009
Title: The Phoenix Author(s): Ruth Sims Publisher: Lethe Press, 2008 Genre: Victorian Epic Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Warning: There are some spoilers in this review, mostly because the part of the book I liked the least was the last quarter of it, and I don’t think this would be an adequate review without [...]
Posted by: fshk on: July 29, 2009
Candy at Smart Bitches has a thought-provoking post up that gets into some interesting questions. I think a lot of romance readers probably have a love/hate relationship with some of the tropes of the genre, especially as pertains to gender roles. Candy certainly does, and she writes: So, in romance novels, acceptable, masculine behavior for [...]
Posted by: fshk on: July 18, 2009
I’ve been thinking for a while that I wanted to do more reviewing on this here blog, but haven’t really followed through with that. So, here’s my attempt to establish some kind of book review format. Let’s do the basics up top: Title: Cut and Run Author(s): Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux Publisher: Dreamspinner Press, [...]
Posted by: fshk on: July 14, 2009
Hey, wanna hear something crazy? You know how I don’t like rapey romance heroes? It’s because I am a Young Person!. Amanda Hess picks apart a blog post by an old-skool romance writer defending rapey heroes. The writer says: Mind, this definition of “rape” is not a legal one; it’s a highly stylized one in [...]
Posted by: chocolatetort on: July 14, 2009
OMG! Back! With the first book of the series I have not yet read prior to recapping!
Posted by: fshk on: June 29, 2009
Line, Publication Date: Harlequin Romance, 1981 Cover Steaminess: 5. Classic clutch, but they’re both wearing parkas. Back of Book Description: “For reporter Sarah Grey it was the assignment of a lifetime—accompany the supertanker Arctic Enterprise on her maiden voyage through the Northwest Passage. Despite the hazards involved she was determined to turn in the best [...]
