Recently I read Prospects of a Woman by Wendy Voorsanger, and discovered a new Kickass Woman in its pages. One of the characters is loosely based on real-life photographer Anne Brigman, a passionate traveller and artist who was a leading figure in the Photo-Secession Movement in the arts. The real-life photographer was in California later than her fictional counterpart, but the real and fictional women share a common artistic style and personal philosophy. Anne was born … Continue reading Kickass Women in History: Anne Brigman →
Deathless Divide has women killing zombies while building complicated friendships, and that was delightful enough to make me (almost) happy. If I could excise the parts of the books that frustrated me, I would be even happier. The first book in this series, Dread Nation, was a near-perfect book, so my hopes for Deathless Divide were high. This series is set in an alternate-history 19th century United States, where Civil War ends after the walking … Continue reading Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland →
Jill Shalvis is one of my go-to “feel good” authors, so when I needed a lift I picked up The Lemon Sisters, and, man, it did not disappoint. This book was cathartic. It made me laugh and it made me cry, and it helped me let loose some of my own bottled-up feelings. I left this book feeling recharged and satisfied, which was exactly what I needed. The third book in the Wildstone series can … Continue reading The Lemon Sisters by Jill Shalvis →
The Wedding Date is charming and delightful, and it saved me from getting overly hysterical on a flight to Costa Rica. It’s not a perfect book, and I found myself giving the hero my “WTF” face a few times, but the awesomeness of the heroine thrilled me. To give you some context, for me, flying is essentially a panic attack from take off to landing. I can take two Xanax to soften the impending misery, … Continue reading The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory →
This month’s Romance Wanderlust features a place that I’ve actually been to. The Winchester Mystery House is romantic in the sense that the owner, Sarah Winchester, seems to have been devoted to her husband, and it’s romantic in the sense that if you go on a candlelight tour then you can clutch each other in terror. Otherwise, it’s not so much as romantic as it’s just strange and unusual. You can’t stay at the Winchester … Continue reading Romance Wanderlust: The Winchester Mystery House →
Jill Shalvis is my go-to feel good author for contemporaries. I was stoked to see she had a new series coming out (Lost and Found Sisters is the first book in the Wildstone series). I enjoyed the book, but strictly speaking, it’s not a romance novel. So I enjoyed what I got -but I didn’t get what I expected. While I can’t fault the book for being tagged as a romance at places like Goodreads, I … Continue reading Lost and Found Sisters by Jill Shalvis →
On today’s Romance Wanderlust, we visit a place that I actually have been to: Hearst Castle, in San Simeon, California. Hearst Castle was the retreat of William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies. It housed a substantial amount of Hearst’s art collection from Europe and hosted world leaders, famous athletes, and Hollywood stars – as well as local vendors and some very lucky Hearst employees. Hearst Castle (which Hearst called La Cuesta Encantada, “The Enchanted Castle,” … Continue reading Romance Wanderlust: Hearst Castle →
The book Calico Palace is a romance/historical novel/adventure story that brings the California Gold Rush to vivid life with wonderful characters, a robust sense of humor, some harrowing tragedy (the Gold Rush was not a place for wimps), and a strong message of the importance of building your own family, being emotionally hardy, and seizing the life you want in a forthright way. It’s a powerfully feminist book and while some of the romance comes … Continue reading Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow →
