Talkie Tuesday: Persuasion (1995)

 

"I have loved none but you."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome again to yet another rendition of a favourite of mine.

 

Listen, okay, I can't help it.

 

But I'm now wondering if, after TWO successful iterations, I should risk it with the Netflix one.

 

Oh I'm sure it's fine and all but, remembering the trailer, I can honestly say it comes across as quite comedic, which this story is not and never was.

 

So I'm nervous. Can you blame me?

 

I might skip that one, because man oh man, if this isn't my favourite Jane Austen story then I don't know what to tell you. And the 1995 one doesn't disappoint, just like the 2007 one doesn't!

 

So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, for the second time: Persuasion.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Persuasion (2007)

 

"I have loved none but you."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Terribly sorry about last week, but life just got in the way of practically EVERYTHING else, and I couldn't find either the time or the energy to write up any blog posts.

 

BUT.

 

I'm making up for that this week with a rather lovely choice, if I do say so myself, because I'm starting to realize I have different preferences regarding Jane Austen than I did while still in the throes of growing up, so to speak.

 

Don't get me wrong, Pride and Prejudice will ALWAYS be her best work, but her other novels deserve the same sort of respect, too.

 

Especially and most particularly the one I chose for tonight's blog, or its adaptation at least.

 

Bonnets out, everyone. Enter Persuasion, the 2007 version, stage right.

 

Tome Thursday: The Nightmara Affair

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome back to the review of officially the second book of the series, but the third review on this site seeing as we started the journey with the prequel, three weeks ago.

 

Man, time sure does fly, doesn't it?

 

I've been noticing that more and more lately.

 

I also have to be completely honest.

 

I'm disappointed with this one, and starting to regret reading so many romances all at once, because I keep forgetting that the reason I tend to avoid them is because the heroines really, truly, slay all my desire to do so.

 

This book was unfortunately no different.

 

However, I'm going to let you decide on it, as we go along, so without further ado, let's have a look at our choice for the night.

 

The title: The Nightmara Affair.

 

Tome Thursday: The Spellbinding Courtship

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome to the beginning of what will hopefully be a full series review, if I can make it happen.

 

I do know there's three books after this opening novella out right now, and a fourth one on the way, so I'm thinking this can very much become reality!

 

As you know, if I have nothing better to read, it's to BookSirens I go. The online service that connects authors with reviewers is really, really good for people who may not have the funds to be able to support their reading at the moment, because you get books for absolutely free - all you have to do  is read them within the time frame the author asks for, and leave a review.

 

Easy, right?

 

Right!

 

So that's how I bumped into this particular series. And honestly, I wouldn't have even read this prequel if not for the fact I'm organized enough that I don't want to just start a series in the middle. Since I really want to get to the third book, I had to start at the beginning, first.

 

Which is how we ended up with the review of The Spellbinding Courtship.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Queen Charlotte, a Bridgerton Story

 

"What matters madness when true love flourishes?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

Or should I say, dearest gentle reader?

 

That's right, a month after the release on Netflix, I finally sat down to watch this show over the weekend.

 

See I'm REASONABLY on time for this merry-go-round.

 

I'll admit that I was a little bit apprehensive, because my past experiences with anything coming out of Shondaland have been ... skewed, really.

 

Because while most of the time it's OKAY, it then starts to deviate a little from what you'd expect, and not in the best way possible.

 

To my intense surprise, however, I truly, deeply loved this one. Loved it to the point I'm actually considering re-watching it, which hasn't happened with any of the regular seasons thus far.

 

If that isn't an endorsement I don't know what is!

 

So let's find our best manners, and have a look at Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Pride & Prejudice

 

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in 

possession of good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

 

Hello everyone!

 

So initially I had a very different plan for this week's blog post, but then this past weekend happened, and this was an actual conversation in our house.

 

"Ice hockey runs all afternoon."

 

"Yep."

 

"You know what we should watch in the meantime?"

 

"What?"

 

Movie theme song plays.

 

It's been absolute AGES since I've seen this movie to begin with, and it's always a pleasure watching it with someone who's more than fine discussing certain issues that crop up or that are being argued about on screen.

 

Without further ado then - let's time travel back to 2005 and Pride & Prejudice.

 

Tome Thursday: I Close My Eyes

 

Hello everyone!

 

A slight departure from my usual reading choices, but I thought that a cute little romp through a Regency novel wouldn't hurt any of us, right?

 

Right.

 

Besides, with all the hype around Bridgerton, there's literally an influx of these now.

 

Not to mention that some are getting much more recognition from the earlier years they were released as well.

 

This one came to me because it was offered for free through BookBub, yet another service that's absolutely fantastic if you're looking for discounted e-books and more affordable options, and I was intrigued enough, really.

 

I mean, someone on the road to spinsterhood and a scarred Duke? Yeah, colour me interested.

 

So without further ado, let's just jump right into it, shall we?

 

Because I Close My Eyes waits for no one.

 

Talkie Tuesday: Bridgerton

 

"All is fair in love and war."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome back to the world of regency London and, er, questionable choices.

 

Editorial, make no mistake, as well as production choices.

 

Back during the heart of the pandemic, Netflix decided it was going to release what quickly became probably one of the most-watched shows of all time, and that's saying something since binge-watching is a thing.

 

Then they said they'd be coming back for season two.

 

And they did.

 

And I'm not okay with it.

 

Listen, I have thoughts, and this is my corner of the internet to share those thoughts. So strap into your stays and corsets and make sure you've got that money ready for the latest edition of Lady Whistledown's paper.

 

Because Bridgerton's second season was an even bigger doozy than the first.

Saturday Snippet: Bridgerton Season Two THOUGHTS

 

 

I don't remember Kate being such an absolute bitch in the book.

Please have this turn around soon, I LOVED Anthony's story!

 

xx

*image not mine

Saturday Snippet: Bridgerton SEASON 2 TRAILER

 

HOLD EVERYTHING!

March 25, please come soon, thank you.

xx

*video not mine

Talkie Tuesday: Bridgerton

 

"All is fair in love and war."

 

Hello everyone!

 

So continuing on with this month's trend, here's another series overview and recap from me to you, this time of one that dropped right at the tail end of 2020.

 

In the hopes of alleviating some truly awful moments of the year, Netflix gave us the Regency centered love story by Julia Quinn, and although there hasn't been any word yet about whether or not a season two is forthcoming, I think it's safe to say it might be.

 

After all, from all that can be seen and heard, this show was the most watched on Netflix at this time and it's saying a lot!

 

Make sure your stays are all in the proper position and that your tiaras aren't askew on top of your head.

 

It's time to be presented at court for the new season and to find a match.

 

In other words, its time for Bridgerton.

 

Saturday Snippet: Bridgerton

 

Reviews look good. Allons-y!

 

xx

*video not mine

Persuasion (Booktober)

 

"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope ... I have loved none but you."

 

 

 

What would any fall read-a-thon be without at least one Jane Austen book, am I right? Persuasion may not be one of her more popular or widely-known ones, but it still captures the essence of her writing and brings us characters from the Regency era that we either fall in love with, or want to strangle on sight. Anne and Captain Wentworth might even have benefited from the stronger obscurity that surrounds them as opposed to, say, Lizzie and Mr. Darcy. But if you want a story about constant, lasting love, then this just might be the book for you after all.

Twenty-seven-year old Anne Elliot is Austen's most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne's family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sister a tenant in Kellynch Hall, the Elliot estate. All the tension of the novel revolves around one question: Will Anne and Wentworth be reunited in their love?

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

The Longest Ride (Booktober)

Midnight Sun (Booktober)

Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Booktober)

The Chronicles of Narnia (Booktober)

Atlantis (Booktober)

Origin (Booktober)

Quo Vadis (Booktober)

Death on the Nile (Booktober)

The Little White Horse (Booktober)

The Sign of Four (Booktober)

Harry Potter #2 (Booktober)

Troublemaker (Booktober)

The Lord of the Rings (Booktober)

These Old Shades (Booktober)

"You offend my nostrils."

If you want some good old 18th century sarcasm and sass, there's absolutely no better book than Georgette Heyer's These Old Shades. The first in a series of Regency novels, this one introduces the two characters who will basically be the mama and papa of the lot of them later. I've read the other books, but none have captured my heart so much as this one, where Satanas prowls the streets of Paris and wreaks havoc over the English countryside just because he can, making sure everybody knows who's boss.

Want to take a jaunt with the Devil himself? Autumn is prime time for it!

Under the reign of Louis XV, corruption and intrigue have been allowed to blossom in France, and Justin Alastair, the notorious Duke of Avon and proud of his soubriquet 'Satanas' flourishes as well. Then, from a dark Parisian back alley, he plucks Léon, a red-headed urchin with strangely familiar looks. Among the splendours of Versailles and the dignified mansions of England, Justin begins to unfold his sinister plans against the Comte de St Vire - until, that is, Léon becomes the ravishing beauty Léonie ...

(from book jacket)

xx

*image not mine

Term Limits (Booktober)

Boudica (Booktober)

The Lady of the Rivers (Booktober)

The Name of the Wind (Booktober)

The Red Knight of Germany (Booktober)

The Kommandant's Girl (Booktober)

Nemesis (Booktober)

Outlander series (Booktober)

The Conqueror Series (Booktober)

The Lost Symbol (Booktober)

The Host (Booktober)

The Bridgertons (Booktober)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Booktober)

The Infernal Devices (Booktober)

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (Booktober)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

The Shadow of the Wind (Booktober)

Dracula (Booktober)

Life and Death (Booktober)

ACOTAR series (Booktober)

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (Booktober)

Sepulchre (Booktober)

Pride and Prejudice (Booktober)

Tempting Autumn (Booktober)

Harry Potter (Booktober)

The Hobbit (Booktober)

The Bridgertons (Booktober)

"Can there be any greater challenge to London’s Ambitious Mamas than an unmarried duke?"

Again here with a series, but every once in a while I really feel like mixing it up. In those cases, I go and pick up a book WILDLY different from something I'd read before. In this case, it would be Julia Quinn and her Bridgertons series. These books cover a family in Regency Era England, and all the nine kids are trying to find love in the ton. It's hilarious, there's a Corgi running amok, and of course there's also a figure similar to Gossip Girl.

Not everything makes perfect sense, but occasionally books don't need to make sense. They just need to make you laugh.

Once upon a time, a historical romance author created a family ...

But not just any family. Eight brothers and sisters, assorted in-laws, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, (not to mention an overweight corgi), plus an irrepressible matriarch who’s a match for any of them … These are the Bridgertons: less a family than a force of nature, and through eight bestselling novels, readers laughed, cried, and fell in love ...

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Booktober)

The Infernal Devices (Booktober)

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (Booktober)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Booktober)
Broken Sky (Booktober)

The Shadow of the Wind (Booktober)

Dracula (Booktober)

Life and Death (Booktober)

ACOTAR series (Booktober)

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (Booktober)

Sepulchre (Booktober)

Pride and Prejudice (Booktober)

Tempting Autumn (Booktober)

Harry Potter (Booktober)

The Hobbit (Booktober)

Pride and Prejudice (Booktober)

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in

 possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

 

Who didn't see this one coming? Of course you can't really have any kind of autumnal read without a Jane Austen novel. In this case, Pride and Prejudice is pretty much the author's most read and known work, and it also happens to be my favourite (sharing the spot with Persuasion). The timeless classic that features Lizzy Bennett marching across the wet fields to give Mr. Darcy a piece of her mind is one of those you can't miss out on during a long, rainy autumn afternoon.

Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

(from Goodreads)

xx

*image not mine

Tempting Autumn (Booktober)

Harry Potter (Booktober)

The Hobbit (Booktober)

Tome Thursday: Starcross Castle

Hello everyone!

Back with some more book reviews, and while I actually have a trilogy waiting to be typed up on here, I decided against starting it this Thursday. I've actually read a number of other books since and thought I might pick up something else first.

Namely, continue in the vein that I did last Thursday, when I reviewed December Heart by Merry Farmer, and of course once I start a series I will usually try to find other books from it.

Which I did.

And then of course I realized that, yeah, there will be other older gentlemen falling in love in the main books, there are NOVELLAS accompanying each book.

Like, two short stories per each novel.

How cool is that?!

It's basically like getting three presents instead of one for your birthday.

So for tonight, I decided to combine blog posts and write about the stories from Starcross Castle.

Tome Thursday: December Heart

Hello everyone!

Don't let the blog title fool you, this book does NOT in fact take place in December. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's set at about this time, or maybe spring-ish going into summer? It's not that big of a detail but it's still warm where the characters are and they can run around and ride without having to deal with heavy winter clothing, SO.

The title's about something else.

I have this lovely subscription with Bookbub where they send me an email every night with links to books that are either extremely cheap or free, so when I stumble on a good one I usually snap it up.

It's a really good thing to rely on if you read as much as I do!

I was browsing the selection in my email a week or so ago and stumbled across this one book that piqued my interest because, if done right, a May-December romance is definitely something to read about.

This one could be called a slight exception to the rule, but I did like the author's writing style, so let's dive right into December Heart, shall we?