Posts tagged with historical-fiction
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Grand Sophy, by Georgette Heyer
This week's Book Giveaway pick is Georgette Heyer's The Grand Sophy. (I'm hoping that discussing it will magically encourage the universe to give me an update on the proposed Grand Sophy movie, which seems to have faded from our collective consciousness.) A full review will follow shortly...
Suppressed passion... and bees
Variety informs me that Anna Paquin will star in a movie adaptation of Fiona Shaw's 2009 novel Tell It To The Bees. According to the article, the story is set in the 1950s, and Paquin will play a doctor who returns to her hometown to take over her late father’s medical practice. Her situation grows complicated when...
Hero in the Highlands, by Suzanne Enoch
I rarely pick up Scottish romance novels. I have no beef with Scotland, but I have never understood what makes it such a rich source for romance novel fetishization. (I mean, why not Ireland? Or Wales? Is it the kilts?) But my inability to appreciate the appeal of itchy, smelly, difficult-to-clean wool skirts is offset by my faith in Suzanne Enoch, one of the few romance novelists I find consistently entertaining, so I decided to give her recent novel Hero in the Highlands a shot...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Hero in the Highlands, by Suzanne Enoch
This week's Book Giveaway is Suzanne Enoch's Hero in the Highlands, the first book in her No Ordinary Hero series. I'm not usually a huge fan of Scottish romance novels, but Enoch is a reliable writer, so I'm hoping for the best. A full review will follow shortly...
I dunno...
The trailer is out for Netflix's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1996 novel Alias Grace, which was inspired by the life of Grace Marks, an Irish-Canadian maid who was convicted in 1843 of murdering her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery. The adaptation looks extremely well-made and acted and everything...
Faro's Daughter, by Georgette Heyer
After slogging through last week's highly irritating historical romance, I picked up Georgette Heyer's Faro's Daughter as a literary palate cleanser. It might be one of her weaker efforts, but even C-grade Georgette Heyer still stands head and shoulders above most historical romances...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Faro's Daughter, by Georgette Heyer
This week's Book Giveaway is Georgette Heyer's novel Faro's Daughter. I don't think anyone is going to pick this as their all-time favorite Heyer, but it falls somewhere in the middle of her body of work—not perfect, but still featuring the kind of charm, wit, and historical detail that most other romance novelists can only dream of achieving. A full review will follow shortly...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Duels and Deception, by Cindy Anstey
This week's Book Giveaway is Cindy Anstey's Duels and Deception. There's a promotional quote on the back that claims Anstey's writing is "BETTER than Georgette Heyer", which is, uh, high praise, to say the least. Personally, I'd be satisfied to find something that's better than Avon's short-lived attempt at producing Regency romances for teens...
The Most Dangerous Duke in London, by Madeline Hunter
Madeline Hunter is not a romance novelist I read consistently, but she is high on my “reasonable impulse buy” list—the authors I save for beach vacations and particularly unpleasant head colds. Her books never blow my mind, but they never offend with hideous anachronisms or insane behavior, either, and sometimes that's all you can ask for...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Most Dangerous Duke in London, by Madeline Hunter
This week's Book Giveaway is Madeline Hunter's latest Regency romance, The Most Dangerous Duke in London. A full review will follow shortly, but spoiler: if this guy is the most dangerous duke in London, London's dukes are a singularly mellow bunch...
Comparatively famous
According to Variety, Rosamund Pike is set to star in a film adaptation of Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout, Lauren Redniss’s 2011 nonfiction graphic novel. This movie will feature some big names in the graphic novel world: not only was...
The creepiest
The trailer is out for Cary Fukunaga's miniseries adaptation of Caleb Carr’s bestselling 1994 novel The Alienist, starring Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans and Dakota Fanning. It looks like what Crimson Peak and Penny Dreadful tried (and failed, despite using fantasy elements as a crutch) to be...
The anti-Scarlett
There's a great interview over on Jezebel with romance novelist Alyssa Cole. Cole, an African American woman, decided to write a Civil-War era historical romance inspired by Mary Bowser, a former slave who became a Union spy in Jefferson Davis's White House...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Dark Days Pact, by Alison Goodman
Today's Book Giveaway is Alison Goodman's The Dark Days Pact, the sequel to last year's The Dark Days Club. I'll be posting my review shortly, but first I need to re-read the first book—Goodman's writing is best appreciated when one pays attention to the details...
The Promise in a Kiss, by Stephanie Laurens
It's been a few months, so it's time for another attempt in my ongoing (and frequently unsuccessful) search for historical romance novelists whose work I actually like. Sadly, if her 2001 novel The Promise in a Kiss is any indication, Stephanie Laurens is considerably closer to the dreadful Jane Feather than Georgette Heyer...
Assassin's Masque, by Sarah Zettel
Assassin's Masque, the third book in Sarah Zettel's Palace of Spies series, is a fun, smart read with an eye-catching cover, but I suspect it lacks that special something that makes teen books fly off shelves. (It might look inadequately dramatic?) I'm sorry about this, because I've found all of Zettel's books solidly entertaining...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Assassin's Masque, by Sarah Zettel
This week's Book Giveaway is Sarah Zettel's Assassin's Masque, the third book in her excellent Palace of Spies series. I'm not a fan of that title (which makes no sense and has almost nothing to do with the story, but I guess sounds cool?), but whatever: Zettel is a reliably great writer, so my expectations for this sucker are high...
Devil in Spring, by Lisa Kleypas
I have long treasured Lisa Kleypas as one of the world's most consistently entertaining historical romance novelists. Unfortunately, her most recent series is putting a dent in that image, which I find very upsetting. I rely on you, Lisa Kleypas...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Devil in Spring, by Lisa Kleypas
This week's Book Givewaway is Lisa Kleypas's Devil in Spring, the third book in her Ravenels series and a second-generation sequel to her 2006 novel Devil in Winter. I'm really not feeling that cover art. I've seen a fair amount of Victorian fashion, and I'm pretty sure they weren't big fans of strapless wedding gowns...
Turn that angry squint to good account, Leo!
According to Entertainment Weekly, Leonardo DiCaprio will be starring in (and producing) an adaptation of Stephan Talty’s upcoming book The Black Hand, which sounds like it will be right up the actor's alley. Check out this plot summary...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Invisible Library, by Genevieve Cogman
This week we're giving away The Invisible Library, the first book in Genevieve Cogman's fantasy/historical fiction series of the same name. Our review of The Invisible Library and its sequel, The Masked City, will be posted shortly...
Arabella, by Georgette Heyer
As a longtime Georgette Heyer fan, I was tantalized by the recent rumor that one of her books (The Grand Sophy) is being developed into a feature film. News on the project is scarce, but my hopes are high. The Grand Sophy would make a wonderful movie, but so would any number of Heyer's other books—not least her 1949 novel Arabella, one of her lightest and most beloved regency-era romances...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Arabella, by Georgette Heyer
This week's Book Giveaway is Georgette Heyer's 1949 regency romance novel Arabella. I have no idea why the woman in the cover image looks so pensive; this is a totally cheerful book, I promise! A full review will follow shortly...
No theme parks, though
Publishers Weekly informs me that we can look forward to a new dinosaur-themed book by the late Michael Crichton. HarperCollins is planning to publish Dragon Teeth in May of 2017...
Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho
Zen Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown is a mildly amusing historical fantasy novel, full of nods to Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, and Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. While her book features some ambitious ideas, Cho rarely explores them in sufficient depth...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho
This week's Book Giveaway is Zen Cho's debut novel Sorcerer to the Crown. I'm a little nervous about this book, actually. It has great reviews, but it triggers two of my rage buttons: the British get a VASTLY superior cover than we do, and I can't find a solid release date for the sequel. What if I really like it and book two doesn't come out until...
And I Darken, by Kiersten White
As one might expect from a story about a gender-swapped version of Vlad the Impaler, Kiersten White's And I Darken is heavy on angst and violence. On the other hand, it is also unexpectedly well-researched and thoughtfully constructed—despite the lurid nature of her subject matter, White has written a respectable alternate-history fiction, not the YA equivalent of Dracula Untold...
Weekly Book Giveaway: And I Darken, by Kiersten White
This week's Book Giveaway is And I Darken, the first installment in a new teen series by Kiersten White. This book is apparently (very) loosely based on the historical events surrounding Vlad the Impaler. I have no idea how a story about a murderous, sadistic, 15th century nutjob will translate into a darkly seductive YA novel, but I'm looking forward to finding out...
Julia Vanishes, by Catherine Egan
Catherine Egan's YA novel Julia Vanishes is better than V. E. Schwab's thematically-similar A Darker Shade of Magic series—creepier, more complicated, and inhabited by less glamorous but more interesting characters. Unfortunately, the cover art for Julia Vanishes is merely adequate, while Schwab's books look spectacular. I sincerely wish Egan's publisher had shelled out for something more impressive, because...
Marrying Winterborne, by Lisa Kleypas
Lisa Kleypas's Marrying Winterborne is a massive step up from the first book in her Ravenels series, but it still falls short of her best work. It feels like a throwback to the romance novels of my teen years—books that relied on far-fetched, telenovela-style plot twists, rather than more realistic (and, to me, more interesting) interpersonal conflicts...