Poetry Monday Redux

"may i feel said he" by e. e. cummings


may i feel said he
(i’ll squeal said she
just once said he)
it’s fun said she

(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she

(let’s go said he
not too far said she
what’s too far said he
where you are said she)

may i stay said he
(which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she

may i move said he
it is love said she)
if you’re willing said he
(but you’re killing said she

but it’s life said he
but your wife said she
now said he)
ow said she

(tiptop said he
don’t stop said she
oh nn said he)
go slow said she

(cccome?said he
ummm said she
you’re divine!said he
(you are Mine said she)


I am trying to download a copy of this being read by Tom Hiddleston....ooh, that voice...

Wicked Wager- Anya Wylde

This was a hoot! Emma has snared the one of the most eligible rakes in England, only her uncle the Duke isn't so sure he approves of the match. He orders Emma to come to his country estate and think things over. Richard, Em's betrothed, decides to come along disguised as a gardener, and if she can't persuade the Duke to let them marry, plans to compromise so that he HAS to allow the marriage. Things get tricky when the Duke (who is sharper than they think) decides to invite the prospective bridegroom to the estate and Richard enlists a friend to pose as him. The friend keeps forgetting who he is supposed to be in love with and winds up falling for Emma's cousin, who is conflicted about everything at this point. Add in an impromptu house party, blackmail, and a murder, and you have quite the entertaining read! I'm looking forward to Anya's next book, which I believe is due out later this year...




Note: I recieved a free e-copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

Monday Musings- One of my favorite TV shows

Something a little different today, dear readers!  I loved this show when it first aired. The relationship between Hannah & Marty as they fumbled their way into falling in love, the interaction with their friends, loved ones, & coworkers, Hannah's wardrobe...well, it WAS the end of the 80's and cool at the time. I still love it and watch the DVD's repeatedly. My favorite episode is the 2nd one- Hannah thinks she's lost Marty's story in the computer, they have to pull an all-nighter to rewrite it, and a scheming co-worker sends in "romance expert" Anthony Amore (played by an over the top Taylor Negron) to derail their progress. You can tell that the actors were all having a lot of fun with this epsiode by the barely suppressed laughter that is clearly bubbling in them. Jamie Lee & Taylor come very close to cracking in one scene and I suspect it was probably not the first take they had to shoot. Any show that gets the entire cast singing and dancing to "Come A Little Bit Closer" is worth watching!

I keep searching online, hoping to find the later season has been released. John Ritter briefly joined the cast as a fellow journalist and rival for Hannah's affections and those episodes, along with the culmination of the love story were wonderful. Maybe I'll get lucky and find them someday...

Sugar & Spice- Jules Stanbridge

From Amazon: When Maddy loses her high-paying city job, her instant reaction is blind panic. But after the 'drowning her sorrows' hangover has cleared, she realises that this is an opportunity to change her life and do what she loves best: baking cakes. And so she sets up her own cake company, embracing the highs and lows of getting a new business off the ground, while looking for love along the way.



 
This was a light read, very British, and seriously chick-lit. I'm a sucker for anything involving baking (despite the fact that I *WAS* a baker and hated every minute of it) and loved the fact that Maddy associated the various people she met with different cakes. There's romance, sorrow, misunderstandings, and an ending that isn't excatly a happily ever after, but is still satisfying.
 
The biggest problem I had with this book is the craving for a Victoria Sponge Cake that it left me with!

Book of Lost Fragrances- M J Rose

I loved this book! It's sort of a melange of Katherine Neville's The Eight & Patrick Suskind's Perfume, with a dollop of Steve Berry's mysteries. Jac & Robbie are the heirs to a long standing family perfume business. Jac wants nothing to do with the business, while Robbie is convinced that there is truth to the family legend of a Book of Fragrances once owned by Cleopatra. He goes missing after an attempt on his life and Jac returns to the family estate in France to search for her brother, whatever he was working on, and the truth about the repressed 'memories' that have plagued her entire life. Throw in some cloak & dagger espionage, a Chinese defector, the Dalai Lama (no, really) and Jac's ex-lover who may or may not be involved in a reincarnated love affair with her and you have quite an interesting read.

The Duke Is Mine- Eloisa James

I first found Eloisa James when I was working for Hawley Cooke Booksellers. At the time, it was my job to shelve the romance section, which I did, rather unwillingly. I hadn't read romances in years and had developed the mindset that many have toward it, thinking it to be low class garbage. I was an avid staff reviewer and generally had at least one pick in the monthly newsletter, so one of the owners came to me and requested that I start reviewing romances. He said a lawyer friend of his had told him that she always felt like she was being looked down on when she bought them, and he wanted to try to change the perception of them. Well, I couldn't really say no to the man who signed my paychecks, so I looked over the section and took a handful of books home. Honestly, I chose half of them by the covers. One of them was by Eloisa James, and I originally picked it up becasue the cover had a lot of purple on it. Dumb reason, smart move. I was so enthralled, once I started reading it that I went back to work and asked our inventory manager to order at least 3 copies of each of the books this author had out. (I think there were only 3 of 4 at the time)

Anyway, the last few years, Ms James has taken to adapting classic fairy tales to her Regency romance style. The Duke is Mine is the story of Olivia, who by all accounts is NOT the thing, but is doomed to be a duchess because of an agreement made by her father and an old school chum. Her much younger fiancee is hapless, and because of an accident during his birth, viewed as a general, albeit sweet natured, idiot. He insists on being allowed to go of to war before their marriage. Olivia, in turn, is packed off to the countryside with her sister who is now being considered as a prospective bride for another Duke. The problem is that he and Olivia wind up falling in love.

Because it's a romance novel, there is a happy ending. It doesn't get there easily, but is quite satisfactory. And a little bit tear-jerking. I was reading it on my kindle while flying cross-country to visit my cousins, and quite startled the man seated next to me when I started sobbing at what happened to poor Rupert, the original Duke. It doesn't give much away to tell you that he does die, but it's how he dies that made me cry. There are elements of The Princess & The Pea, and I think the Ugly Duckling makes a showing as well. Read  it for yourself and see what you think.

5 for Sunday

back to something a little more literary...like 5 of my favorite romance novels!

Shanna- Kathleen Woodiwiss  "Shanna is a brat, but I'd like my own Ruark."


Jezebel's Sister- Emily Carmichael

"Wild West hookers meet a Christian wagon train led by a wanted man...I laughed out loud at this one"

Rose In Winter- Kathleen Woodiwiss

"We should all have our own Christopher..."

Scandalous- Karen Robards 

"Ummm, what dead brother? He won't mind us spending his money- really!"

 Devil's Desire- Laurie Mc Bain   "Elysia & Alex are a hoot as they learn to love each other"

Ransom My Heart

From the book:

He's a tall, handsome knight with a secret. She's an adventurous beauty with more than a few secrets of her own. Finnula needs money for her sister's dowry, and fast. Hugo Fitzstephen, returning home to England from the Crusades with saddlebags of jewels, has money, and lots of it. What could be simpler than to kidnap him and hold him for ransom?


Well, for starters, Finnula could make the terrible mistake of falling in love with her hostage.

My review:

I was afraid that this was going to be horrible- it's a one off from the Princess Mia books. The premise is that Mia has written this historical romance. But despite a few moments that DO come across as written by a clueless teen, this is actually an entertaining story! I would honestly recommend it to some die-hard romance reading friends of mine or anyone who wants a light-but-fun read.

And One Last Thing

From the book: "If Singletree’s only florist didn’t deliver her posies half-drunk, I might still be married to that floor-licking, scum-sucking, receptionist-nailing hack-accountant, Mike Terwilliger."

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! Lacey's soon-to-be-ex husband finds this out the hard way as she informs everyone they know (and then some)of his affair via the company newsletter he asks her to write for him. The story goes viral and now Lacey has to hide out while her lawyer tries to get things settled down. As she swears she never wants to look at a man again, she finds herself being intrigued by her new neighbor......you have to read the book to see what happens next!