Sometimes a blurb is so horribly misleading that it does a book a disservice. Certainly the blurb for this book is unhelpful at best. By describing things as ‘ghoulishly fun’ and ‘wickedly whimsical’, it’s clear that the person who wrote the blurb did not, in fact, read the book. There was no ‘whimsical fun’ for me in this book. But there was a lot of absolute brilliance though. This Gothic tale feels fresh and real … Continue reading A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers →
With its brooding hero, numerous ghosts, a charming-yet-haunted old house, multiple historical murder mysteries, and the beautiful but dangerous moors of England, A Stitch in Time was a fun and engaging book to start out my spooky season reading. Was it somewhat derivative and convoluted? Yes. But it was also delightfully atmospheric and endearingly quirky in its delivery of a number of gothic and paranormal romance tropes. It sort of reminded me of Crimson Peak … Continue reading A Stitch In Time by Kelley Armstrong →
Welcome to Wednesday Links! I had to double (and triple) check that it was Wednesday, as Monday holidays always mess with my sense of time. SBTB hopes you all had a great Valentine’s Day, whether your date was with a partner or just yourself. Though I am in a relationship, I took myself to an afternoon showing of Birds of Prey. Seeing it a second time was still a joyful experience. … Sticking with your New … Continue reading Links: Resolutions, Fiber Libraries, & More →
Ignore your first impressions of the cover — yes, I’m already frantically googling that dress for the inevitable closing date of my Gothic mansion, but the cover doesn’t exactly scream romance novel. Rest assured, The Widow of Rose House is 100% a historical romance, complete with charming sequel-bait family members, protagonists smelling like sandalwood (it’s the heroine this time!), sex scenes with protection (more of this in historicals, please), and a central love story that … Continue reading The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller →
Halloween is just around the corner and it’s my favorite time of year. I love kids getting to dress up as adorable pumpkins or superheroes, my getting to buy bulk Reese Peanut Butter Cups and pretend like they’re for trick or treaters when the bag is totally going in my freezer, and my reading all of the spooky books and movies that get released. The Witch of Willow Hall immediately caught my eye with its … Continue reading The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox →
Happy Hump Day! It’s Wednesday again and that means more links to share with you all. We’re halfway through the month of October and the end of the year is slowly creeping upon us. For me, it’s pretty much all downhill after this month! Are you excited for the upcoming holiday season? … HBO Go and HBO now offers Miss Sherlock, a Japanese retelling of the Sherlock and Watson pairing. Both characters are played by women! … Continue reading Links: Sherlock Adaptations, Gothic Romance, & More →
There’s such a wonderful feeling in discovering a new author that works for you and realizing they have this whole backlist to dive into. It’s like when you treat yourself to a fancy coffee on a frigid day and the first blast of heat and caffeine and sugar hits you, and you’re just warm and happy. That happened to me this weekend with Sarah Maine. I picked up Women of the Dunes because it featured an … Continue reading Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine →
Before I ever read a romance novel, I devoured Gothics by Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. When I was probably around twelve I found them on a bookshelf in our basement, and I think over the course of one summer I read everything both authors had written. Gothic romances were and are the perfect blend of the creepy and the sexy. Usually set on a crumbling estate, the innocent heroine shows up (sometimes as a … Continue reading His Dark Kiss by Eve Silver →
‘Til Death Do Us Part is a gothic Victorian romance that features a shrewd businesswoman and a scarred, brooding mystery novel author. There’s a creepy mansion, lots of feminism, and a plot that revolves around Victorian mourning customs. It had me at “tear catcher.” Calista runs an agency that introduces single people to each other in a series of salons held at her home. In order to keep the business thriving, she has to be … Continue reading ‘Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick →
Redheadedgirl and Amanda saw Crimson Peak, as did I (but on the other side of the country). For RHG and I, Crimson Peak is pure crack. It has gothic romance. It has stunning costumes. It has my imaginary movie star boyfriend, Tom Hiddelston, making puppy eyes at everything that moves, and Jessica Chastain looking daggers at everyone and it’s basically everything we love in life. It’s hard to describe the plot without getting into spoilers, … Continue reading Movie Review: Crimson Peak →
She’d never make it to Chicago alive. Not unless she got some coffee. Stat. Friends, if I had read those first lines before I signed up for this, I never would have reviewed this book. Nothing screams twee-I’m-a-special-snowflake-reader-fill-in than coffee pandering. Maybe I’m grumpy because I’m not a coffee drinker. I wanted to like this more than I did. I LOVE gothic novels and their melodramatic creepy goodness. But this read more like a contemporary … Continue reading The Headmaster by Tiffany Reisz →
