Take Rachel Weisz, and the rugged landscape of Cornwall, and Sam Claflin in the role of a Gothic Heroine, and base it on a mindfuck from Daphne du Maurier, and you have a VERY pretty mindfuck of a movie. Based on the book of the same name (reviewed by Carrie), this is directed by Roger Mitchell (he also directed Notting Hill and the 1995 Persuasion with Ciarán Hinds and Amanda Root). Phillip is an orphan in … Continue reading Movie Review: My Cousin Rachel →
This summer we are graced with a movie version of My Cousin Rachel, which delights me no end. The question is, what version of the story will we see? It would be completely possible to make multiple different versions of this story, all faithful to the original book, and yet all very different, because this is a story about how the stories we tell ourselves and the characters we create take over our heads and … Continue reading My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier →
It took me awhile to really get into The Spinster’s Guide to Scandalous Behavior by Jennifer McQuiston. I’m not sure if that was totally the fault of the book or the fact that my brain is exhausted from my day job and I’m slowly crawling out of a reading slump. The book is brimming with awesome feminism and a beta-hero I loved, but it felt a little like the beginning dragged. Miss Lucy Westmore is a … Continue reading The Spinster’s Guide to Scandalous Behavior by Jennifer McQuiston →
The Lake House by Kate Morton is part historical fiction, part gothic mystery and part family saga–which means it’s 100% Elyse-bait. The mystery that binds this book together involves the disappearance of an eleven-month-old baby, Theo Edevane, in 1933. The Edevanes were a prominent family in England, and they were hosting their annual Midsummer’s Night party at their summer home in Cornwall the night he vanished from his nursery. The book centers around three women: Alice … Continue reading The Lake House by Kate Morton →
I love Elizabeth Hoyt. Everything she writes is Elyse Crack. True story, at RT, I showed up at the awards after-party in my pajamas just to have her sign my book and fangirl at her for awhile. I even snagged a glass of champagne from a waiter who was deeply confused as to why I was attending in my PJ bottoms, space cat tee shirt, and no bra. I am from Smart Bitches, sir. This … Continue reading Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt →
If you’re going to read Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh, plan on calling in sick to work. Trust me–just do it. Either you’ll need the day off to power through the book because putting it down is not an option, or you’ll need time to recover from the crushing weight of your own feels and the emotional hangover you’ll have. I recommend calling your boss and starting off with “I got dinner from a … Continue reading Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh →
OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH I LITERALLY CANNOT EVEN. We reviewed the tv series as it aired in the US, and PBS was kind enough to send me the first two books in the series, which is what the first season of the TV show was adapted from. I’m obsessed! If you didn’t follow the TV series (and I loved everything about it so you should watch it), the series is … Continue reading Poldark by Winston Graham →
