Source: The 50 Greatest British Novels of the 19th Century | Flavorwire I wondered what women read during the 19th century. This article is an interesting look back and the type of literature.Continue Reading
19th-century Americans used cheeky cards to stretch social convention and find romance. Source: Saucy ‘Escort Cards’ Were a Way to Flirt in the Victorian EraContinue Reading
Related Source: The Peerage: A Primer on Understanding Lords, Ladies, Dukes, Earls and More All right all you duke, earl, and lady lovers . . . All the historical romance books set in England are pretty much focused around titled dudes – I mean dukes or whoever. It’s not like authors write about falling in love with the local farmer or bricklayer in the city, right? Where’s the fun in that? Well, here is a great article to understand how all the peerage stuff works in real life. Enjoy! Continue Reading
Play our quiz to see if you know Emma as well as you think you do. Source: Emma, In Our Time – How well do you know Emma? – BBC Radio 4 (I failed miserably. LOL)Continue Reading
Way back in September, our very own Esther Inglis-Arkell found a recipe for condoms from 1844. It was only two paragraphs long, so we thought, how hard can it be? Really hard, it turns out. Also gross and potentially dangerous. Source: We Made Victorian Condoms and It Was Much Grosser Than We Expected NOTE: After researching my own family history and looking at census records, I dare say most Victorians never used condoms, aka French Letters. One of my second great uncles had thirteen children.Continue Reading
Historical romance insults from the best – Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. “You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.” Source: Jane Austen Insults: Pride and Prejudice One-Liners | FlavorwireContinue Reading
What Happens Under the Mistletoe author Sabrina Jeffries shares seven reasons you should dive into a bodice-ripping historical romance novel.1. For the Fun Facts Did you know that during the early 1800s, women wearing drawers were considered Source: Why You Should Read Historical Romance Books | POPSUGAR Love & SexContinue Reading
Pick up a historical romance and you’ll find more than a pleasant read. Often, you’ll find a new connection to people, places and history– for example, the Battle of Waterloo, 200 years ago today. Source: Don’t Know Much About History? Read A Romance : NPRContinue Reading
Once upon a time, a girl could find some bad ass cowboys in historical westerns, tycoons in turn of the century NYC, and medieval Knights charging in to save the day. Source: What Happened to the Historical Romance Novel? | Maya RodaleContinue Reading
An exhibition I would like to see coming to North Carolina! Brides-to-be in need of a little inspiration (and other lovers of the mingling of fantasy and fashion) might consider a visit to Asheville, North Carolina early next year. A new exhibition dedicated to the artistry and style of the wedding dress and attire as seen in feature films is scheduled to open at the Biltmore House, a 250-room French Renaissance style chateau built in the late 1800s.“Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film” will feature wedding fashion from 19 classic movies set in the years 1645 to 1935, including three films based on the popular Jane Austen novels: Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Pride and Prejudice. Source: Wedding Gowns from Jane Austen Films to BeContinue Reading
Ah, Gothic Romance. If you haven’t seen Crimson Peak, it’s a good example. Almost makes me want to try and write a Gothic romance. If you are interested, here is a link to my review of Crimson Peak . . . beware. CLICK HEREContinue Reading
Another article. What do you think? The debate continues. Frankly, I think it’s come to a point that it needs a bit of rejuvenation on many levels. For me, it’s more than a love story – it’s a life story. I love historical romance because I love reading about lives in the Regency and Victorian eras. Are you bored with HR? What do you think is needed to spice it up? Here is the article below. Source: Topic Tuesday: Is Historical Romance Dead? | Modern Belles of History Continue Reading
I would love to see these! Brides-to-be in need of a little inspiration (and other lovers of the mingling of fantasy and fashion) might consider a visit to Asheville, North Carolina early next year. A new exhibition dedicated to the artistry and style of the wedding dress and attire as seen in feature films is scheduled to open at the Biltmore House, a 250-room French Renaissance style chateau built in the late 1800s.“Fashionable Romance: Wedding Gowns in Film” will feature wedding fashion from 19 classic movies set in the years 1645 to 1935, including three films based on the popular Jane Austen novels: Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Pride and Prejudice. Source: Wedding Gowns from Jane Austen Films to Be Featured in New Exhibit –Continue Reading
The search for romance is the same as it ever was – we just don’t do it in corsets any more. Source: Sex might be easier to find these days. That doesn’t mean love is too | Nell Frizzell | Comment is free | The Guardian A fun article about the realities of love while comparing centuries. Continue Reading
My copy from Amazon arrived yesterday. It’s a classic reprint, originally published in 1872. What a hoot. It’s a goldmine of comments that might have you rolling on the floor with laughter. The book appears not to be just a set of rules, but contains a vast amount of thoughts on society, social intercourse (not the kind of intercourse you think I’m talking about), private habits, and social behavior, along with proper dress for a variety of occasions for men and women. (Ladies, only white gloves please. The new rage of lavender is scandalous. And for goodness sake, they better not be dirty!) I thought that I would post interesting tidbits regarding English thoughts and ways of life as I make my way through theContinue Reading
One of my hobbies is researching my British ancestry on my mother’s side of the family. Part of that process includes reading British newspapers in search of articles on my ancestors. My second great uncle was a Justice of the Peace, Alderman, and successful businessman, so I’m always looking for articles regarding his life and have found quite a few (over thirty thus far). While doing so, I stumbled across another fascinating area in the lives of men and women from 1800-1850 in regards to lawsuits for the “breach of promise of marriage.” My search has uncovered over 6,000 links to articles in newspapers across England regarding such cases. I thought I would share with you what I noted but must do so in genericContinue Reading
How do you commit murder? Well, in the Victorian era arsenic was a good way to do in your rivals, spouses, and enemies. My latest release, Blythe Court, contains arsenic, and you may wonder if my use is accurate. Hopefully, you know by now I do my research, even if it really does sound extremely odd when you read the story. Arsenic, in case you need a quick education, is a chemical element. It occurs in many minerals. During the Victorian era, it was widely used in commercial products. It was also available to purchase in bottle form from a druggist—half an ounce cost a penny, enough to kill 50 people. Unbeknownst to the Victorians, they were slowly poisoning themselves from wallpaper to clothes. TheContinue Reading
Okay, so I’ve been watching on Facebook and hearing everyone else talk about the “highly anticipated” Outlander television series on Starz. On the other side of the camp, all the Poldark lovers are going crazy over that series being redone by Masterpiece Theater. Because, I knew very little about Outlander, written by Diana Gabaldon, except for what I’ve read in multiple blog posts and reader comments, I finally downloaded the first book. From what I’ve gathered in searching the net and reading reviews, there is a lot of polarization regarding the story. The disagreeable readers say this — they liked the beginning and the premise, but as the story continued were appalled by scenes that turned them off (mainly, the supposed marital rape of Claire,Continue Reading
Stars:Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Reid, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon, and Penelope Wilton Yes, this is not a book review, but a movie review that is worth sharing. Since I actually touched on the subject of an aristocratic family, in my book The Price of Deception, making their fortune in slave trading, I found this movie both moving and inspirational on many levels. I took the commuter train to downtown Portland to see Belle at the one theater in which it is playing. It is a shame, because the movie needs to be released in many more theaters across the country. It is, frankly, the best film I have seen in a long time. The story pulls at the heartstrings of the audience and challengesContinue Reading
Hogmanay, the Scots name for New Year’s Eve, is pagan in origin, and probably came from the Vikings. Because Christmas was banned during the Reformation—and in Scotland for much longer* due to the very strict views of the Scottish Presbyterian Church, who believed it unbiblical—workers were required to work through Christmastide. For that reason, the winter solstice (New Year’s Eve) became the time that families celebrated the holidays with parties and gifts for the children. Traditions of Hogmanay The essential notion of Hogmanay (and New Year’s) is to clear out the old year and celebrate the clean slate offered by the coming year with family and friends. Not so different from most modern New Year’s celebrations, actually. But rather than making lists of resolutions, HogmanayContinue Reading
