Regency Romance Novels

Book Reviews

Travels in England in 1782…

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post-chaise-in-the-era-of-louis-xv

 After dinner, I sat down to do some more work, but I got distracted. Sitting here, I suddenly wondered what sort of free history e-books I could find. Within in minutes I came across this one; ‘Travels in England in 1782‘ by Karl Philipp Moritz

Moritz was a German clergyman who, thankfully for us, was an Anglophile. He’d long wanted to visit England and finally arrived on June 2, 1782 (which I thought appropriate as it’s June 3rd) and he takes the reader on the journey. After the first few pages, I’m utterly enchanted. He’s noting down everything that seems foreign to him, so we get to see what he sees and experience his journey. Historic gold! He only spent a few weeks in England, but he managed to see London and a few other places he’d dreamed of.

We join him as he’s leaving the ship. He and five other travellers are set ashore near some white cliffs and they walk to the nearest village. (I’m guessing they were travelling light!) From there they hire a post-chaise…this was a vehicle where the driver (or drivers in some cases) rode one of the horses (so there was no coachman making it a much lighter, faster and cheaper travel). Here’s a short excerpt… [Read more…] about Travels in England in 1782…

Book Review: Torn Trousers…

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This last year was mostly spent in a miasma of story consumption. I read books like a story-starved creature. The part of my brain that produces stories had malfunctioned. Strangely, It wasn’t writers’ block. I felt nothing as if someone had disconnected the story part of my brain. Then I started meeting up once a week with my friend Gwynn (who’s also a writer) and we’d talk about world events, history, anything that came up as well as discussing stories and writing. [Read more…] about Book Review: Torn Trousers…

Fiction Addiction…Three More Free Stories I’ve Recently Enjoyed

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The last few weeks I’ve been consuming other people’s stories like a literary black hole, but it’s priming my writer (I’ve actually cracked open several stories and tentatively started working on them). Here are three more great free stories (all romances in various genres). The links take you to the books on Barnes and Noble, but they can be found elsewhere (I found them on iBooks). [Read more…] about Fiction Addiction…Three More Free Stories I’ve Recently Enjoyed

Can a Romance Novel Change Your Life…?

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Some books we consume as light reading end up catalysts for change in our lives. Laura Florand’s romance novels have fallen into this category for me (I recommended her free story The Chocolate Rose in my last post). In her chocolate series her heroes are French chefs (the stories set in France). I’ve loved all her heroes. Even the book I gave two stars (The Chocolate Temptation) I’ve actually re-read the first half again (and will read again because the first half deserves five stars). Her French chefs are just so captivating I’ll probably break down and buy the rest of the series (soon).

So how can reading about fictional French chefs finding love change one’s life? If you’d asked me this question two weeks ago I would have raised an eyebrow and stared back with a blank mind. I think it was while reading The Chocolate Rose a second time that change set in. The hero is a pastry chef who pours his heart into his desserts. When he offers the heroine something he’s made for her the reader knows he’s offering his heart on a plate though she doesn’t realise this at first. It made me stop and wonder if I’m dishing up my heart for my creative endeavours and if not, why not? There is no point creating anything without passion (without pouring our hearts into it). It’s made me ask myself, do I dish up my heart in my stories? I do! Am I dishing up my heart in my other artistic creations? Hmmm – not all the time! Why not? What do I want to be creating? Does it make me happy to dish up my heart? Yes, but I must feel passionate about the feeding.

So what else is changing? [Read more…] about Can a Romance Novel Change Your Life…?

Fiction Addiction – Three Free Books I’ve Recently Enjoyed…

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The last few months I’ve been gorging on other people’s stories. Perhaps a part of me has been story-starved. Normally when I’m writing I crave non-fiction, but at the moment I crave fiction (like a fiction-addiction!). Perhaps I needed the escape so as to not think about not being able to write because my brain is still not right (I’m off to the hospital in a few weeks for an ultrasound on my thyroid) – in the mean time I have had new stories sprouting in my head and older unfinished ones demanding attention, but it’s like the characters are talking to me while I’m under water. I’m sure they’re frustrated! I know I am. In the mean time I’ve discovered new authors and tried out new genres. I’ve taken to haunting my local library once a week – willing to crack open any cover that grabs my eye. I’ve spent a lot of money buying books, but there are some great free books out there. I had to share my three favorite.

I downloaded mine from iBooks, but you can also find them free on Amazon (and I’m presuming other sites). My links will take you to the UK Amazon site so you may want to go straight to your own if it’s different. [Read more…] about Fiction Addiction – Three Free Books I’ve Recently Enjoyed…

Book Review: Just One Damned Thing After Another

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Every now and then you come across a book that sucks you in and makes you glad the author has already written several more books in the series, because if she hadn’t you’d probably explode in frustration. This, for me, was one of those books! Having finished the third book in the series (I stayed up all night) I’m now forced to wait…however looooong before the next one to find out what the heck happens next! Be warned the third book ends on a seriously steep cliff hanger. I’d almost call it cruel!

Just One Damned thing after Another by Jodi Taylor is not a Regency romance, but it is a romance set in England (Taylor is English) and it does take place at various points in history (though not the Regency). If it was a movie in England it would get a 15 as there is some sex (though not a lot), but if you love time travel stories that are funny with a romantic element (though there are sad moments too – real life is always a mixture) – if you love fast paced stories that drag you around by the nose…you will LOVE LOVE LOVE this book. It’s also super cheap.

Before you go look it up on your e-bookstore of choice… As Taylor points out, one of the theories of time is that it’s like a flowing river (or something to do with water)… A day or so after finishing the second book I came across this song by The Wallflowers (I’d never heard of them before) called Everybody Out of the Water. It’s like they condensed the series into a song! I should explain that in the lives of the employees of St Mary’s something or someone is ALWAYS exploding, getting burnt/getting burnt down, getting wet or running for their lives. I’ve been listening to this on replay!!! Here’s a link to the song on Youtube!

[Read more…] about Book Review: Just One Damned Thing After Another