I picked this up from the library after browsing some old CBR reviews for inspiration. The story circles around two women in Mullaby, North Carolina: 17-year-old Emily Benedict, who comes to Mullaby to live with her extremely tall grandfather after the death of her mother Dulcie, and her 34-year-old neighbor, Julia Winterson, who has returned to Mullaby to run her father’s BBQ joint for a few years after his death. Emily quickly realizes that her mother’s legacy in Mullaby is actually pretty scandalous, and she tries […]
Rock me like a hurricane
The world that Thea Harrison has created for her Elder Races series is a complex, fully realized one with many cultures and traditions having their stories told. As you go further into the series, it becomes clear that she is committed to giving each its own time in the spotlight, and I kind of love that. It makes for richer, more interesting story telling since characters that were the protagonists in earlier novels become maybe not antagonists, but definitely on an opposing side from the […]
A Sweet Love Story about pre-WWII New York City
North River is a warm-hearted and touching love story written about pre-WWII New York City, a doctor with a conscience, and a tough cookie – or should I say cannoli—named Rose. Dr. Jim Delaney is the son of a long-gone Tammany Hall big shot who came back from WWI emotionally scarred and physically unable to practice as the surgeon he longed to be. He returned to a bitter and angry wife named Molly and a little girl named Grace who didn’t remember him, and he […]
In Which I Question My Sanity
I’m going to say the words that few book lovers ever utter. I completely understand if, from this moment on, no one ever trusts my judgement again. I can’t even trust my judgement anymore. But… *deep breath* The movie was better than the book. I know, I know! Blasphemy! But the fact still remains, the Wachowski siblings and Tykwer were able to pull it off where Mitchell mostly floundered. (Not that the movie was a cinematic masterpiece, but I feel like I “got” what they […]
A historical romance with melodrama
3.5 stars Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride, and secure her hand in marriage. She can’t really be an heiress or a diamond of the first water, because it’s really quite imperative that she accept his proposal, no matter what. When he spots Miss Iris Smythe-Smith suffering behind her cello at her family’s infamous annual musicale, he is intrigued. Very blond and pale-skinned, she should be unremarkable, but she’s clearly good at playing her instrument, which can’t be said […]
This dragon sure ain’t Pete’s (and that’s a good thing!)
If you’re of a certain age, I’m going to assume that you saw the Disney movie Pete’s Dragon at some point in your childhood. Here’s a visual reminder in case you need one: In Dragon Bound, Thea Harrison has created the complete antithesis of Pete’s invisible dragon pal in the hero, Dragos. Dragos has been around since the dawn of time and is a complete bad ass. He is not rotund with purple hair and fond of small children. Instead he is the leader of […]