#Diana Quincy

[triviareads]

ARC Review of The Duke Gets Desperate by Diana Quincy

Summary:

Raya Darwish unexpectedly inherits her late cousin's castle, much to the displeasure of Anthony, the Duke of Strickland. Stick's father should have passed the castle onto him, but instead chose to leave it to his wife, who left it to Raya, an American interloper. Now Raya and Strick are forced to work together to bring the crumbling castle and the lands surrounding it back to life...

My review:

First, as a daughter of Asian immigrants, I deeply appreciated the Arab-American rep we got with Raya and her aunt. Raya was born and raised in Brooklyn and is pretty American in her attitudes (as Strick derisively points out every time she brings up ways to monetize the estate), but she also holds onto the Palestinian culture of her parents. I appreciated the references to the food she enjoyed back home, as well as her describing how her parents took care to protect their daughter's modesty, something that is culturally very important from my understanding. Raya's Auntie Majida reminded me fondly of all the aunties in my life, particularly in the way she melds her Arabic and English when speaking (Diana Quincy also wrote Majida's accent into her dialogue), as well as her attitudes towards certain, uh, *improprieties* lol.

Regarding the romance of it all, I enjoyed this variation on the enemies to lovers trope. The management and ownership of the castle and its surrounding estate is the main point of contention between Raya and Strickland— which is not so lighthearted as a petty grudge, but neither is it something super intense or horrific. And it makes sense: Of course Raya's entrepreneurial American spirit would clash with Strick's aristocratic English attitudes, but they're forced to work together anyway. Which leads to an abundance of sexual tension between them.

There's this particularly great period of time between them where there's just.... unmitigated horniness on both their parts (but of course they don't act on it minus the time he's like "show me your tits" and she's like "...yeah why not") where Strickland keeps trying to use his sexual wiles on her to persuade her to marry him, and Raya keeps inadvertently turning him on by using business lingo. He delivers what might be the most and yet the least persuasive proposal in HR history which goes something like this: "I want to fuck you so bad it hurts. I cannot wait to be inside of you. Ergo, marry me."

Luckily, Raya is a smart gal and before agreeing, she takes care to secure her legal right to the castle using an actual solicitor thanks to property right laws that have changed recently. See, this is why I like historical romances set in the Victorian era (this is set in the 1880s): there's far more potential for racially diverse characters, as well as feminist themes, even if they're subtle. Raya getting a legal agreement on paper and making Strickland sign it to protect her rights absolutely counts.

There is also a mystery aspect to the plot, though it doesn't pick up until more than halfway through the book. Raya's late cousin died under mysterious circumstances by falling off the top of the castle, and this is related to Strickland's missing artifacts (which he's passionate about excavating and collecting). In addition, there's a bunch of will-related issues which also serves to drive a wedge between the couple. Does Strickland also attempt to use sex to grovel? Absolutely. Speaking of which—

The sex:

This book has solid sex scenes, and Diana didn't skimp on the foreplay (I'd argue the foreplay was the best part). I really liked this scene where in order to "seal" their bargain, Strickland asks to see Raya's tits (like I mentioned earlier) and goes to town on them. Specifically, the wording here is that he "clawed" at her bodice and tbh I find that level of desperation very hot.

The standout sex scene is probably when he covers her in Anglo-Saxon-era gold jewelry and then proceeds to finger her while making her watch them in the mirror. That being said, the unsung hero sex-wise might be Strickland's dirty talk. Like, man has some hits including "your quim wants to be friends", "I'm going to enjoy your sweet tits every day until we're old and grey", and "I'm going to keep burying myself in you until I'm too old to move". The future-forward dirty talk really did it for me. Bravo Anthony.

Overall:

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, and specifically anyone looking to start their historical romance journey. This is your quintessential "enemies to lovers" historical romance complete with a smart, plucky heroine, a hero that's initially arrogant and suspicious of the heroine but falls HARD for her later on (and that's after him panting after her for a good chunk of the story), and a plot that really makes you reassess the role of the aristocracy by this time period. Like, no longer are dukes infallible beings; they have to deal with money loss, railroads buying them out, possibly opening their homes up to tourists, and so on. For me, it was this aspect of the plot, combined with the dynamic between the hero and heroine, that really sealed the deal for me.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

[fated-mates]

We love HER NIGHT WITH THE DUKE so much that we named it a Best Romance of 2022, and did a deep dive, as well.

It's on sale for $2 right now! Don't miss out.

[bettslovesromance]

This year I read a lot of awesome historical romances and realized that some of my favorites, have couples that are from different classes.

I recently finished The heiress effect by Courtney Milan and I absolutely loved it!

Do you have any book with this trope that you love?

[overflowingshelf]

Trope Tuesday: 9 Historical Romances Books Featuring Women in Business

One of my favorite tropes in historical romance novels is women in business! We so often see female characters from the nobility, and I love it when we break from tradition and focus on a woman who owns her own successful business. Female business owners for the WIN! I think this trope resonates so well today as it’s still a struggle for women to be taken seriously in the business world. For…

[sarah-maclean-completist]

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A post shared by ✨A m b e r ✨L e e ✨ (@amberleelettersandreads)

[metaforadohomeminvisivel]

The Wiz

Sidney Lumet, 1978

[thechanelmuse]

The Wiz's Emerald City Sequence

1 choreographer - Louis Johnson.

400 dancers.

3 costume changes each.

Designs by Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Mary McFadden, Ralph Lauren, Halston, and Norma Kamali.

22 playback speakers.

385 crew members.

4 nights of shooting.

1 piano-playing Quincy Jones (The Wiz was the beginning of Q and Michael's relationship).

Appx 10 mins.

[taxi-davis]

[musicmattersmedia]

In this unmissable episode of the Music Matters Media podcast, we're turning the spotlight on a remarkable moment in music history – the night when the stars aligned for charity, captured in the must-watch Netflix documentary, 'The Greatest Night in Pop.' Join us as we journey back to that unforgettable January evening in 1985 when icons of the music world came together to record the anthem "We Are the World." We'll share fascinating insights and our personal takeaways from the documentary, highlighting the most touching and revealing moments. From the anticipation-filled build-up to the powerful execution, we dissect what made this event so special and why it resonated so deeply with audiences around the globe. Our discussion will also delve into the song's monumental impact on charity and its enduring legacy in music history. We explore how "We Are the World" transcended its initial charity goals to become a symbol of unity and compassion, changing the landscape of celebrity philanthropy. So, plug in your headphones and join us for a heartfelt appreciation of a night that showcased the best of pop music while making a difference in the world. It's an episode filled with nostalgia, inspiration, and the reminder that when we come together, we can create something truly world-changing.

Visit our website: MusicMattersMedia.com All Music Matters Media links: linktr.ee/musicmattersmedia

The Music Video & Song: https://youtu.be/9AjkUyX0rVw?si=i0kZcHQsKogsWvLq

The Netflix Documentary: https://www.netflix.com/title/81720500

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

I know ‘Ding Dong the Witch is Dead’ is iconic an’ all, but have you heard this  utter banger from The Wiz? 

[onenakedfarmer]

Currently Watching

THE WIZ Sidney Lumet USA, 1978

[triviareads]

Is there any good historicals with the hero and the heroine having to stay together on a cabin or an inn?

Hi! Sorry for the delay. For some reason, I couldn't think of any more books even though I'm pretty sure there are way more historical romances where they're in a secluded space together.

The Chasing of Eleanor Vane by Sierra Simone: Eleanor tries to run for it to escape her betrothal to Ajax's nephew but he catches up with her and saves her from the storm by bringing her to a cabin he owns. The entire scene is SUPER hot, super emotional and I cry every time I read it.

A Rogue's Rules for Seduction by Eva Leigh: The guy who owns the estate Dom and Willa are staying at has what's pretty much a fuck cabin equipped with toys and everything. Dom and Willa stay there for a night during the house party and basically do sex act known to man.

Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean: Honestly some of Adelaide and Clayborn's finest moments take place in inns as they travel to stop a couple from getting married. And by finest moments, I mean this dumb man gets injured because he was distracted by her hair or something, she tends to him, he says the immortal lines "a little fucking", there's face-sitting. It's great.

Her Night with the Duke by Diana Quincy: After Hunt saves Leela from a gang of thugs at an inn they're both staying at, they spend a night together, only to find out later that she's the stepmom of the gal he wants to marry.

The Rogue not Taken by Sarah MacLean: This is a roadtrip romance so Sophie and King do find themselves in an inn or two. There's a great scene where he's *pointedly* looking away while she's bathing (he fails ofc), and then they pretend to be newlyweds.

The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden: Jane and Harrison stay in a coaching inn on their way to his country seat after their wedding, and she wakes up to him cuddling her and like, groping a tit but she's super into it except the second he wakes up, he runs away :(

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas: St. Vincent and Evie stay in an inn after their wedding and they consummate their wedding here because St. Vincent, unlike Harrison, doesn't have scruples.

It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas: This does technically count because after Westcliff beats up St. Vincent for kidnapping Lillian, they stay in the same inn for the night, and agree to cut their losses and continue the journey north to marry in Scotland.

[fated-mates]

This week, we’re talking about one of Sarah’s favorite recent historicals, Diana Quincy’s beautiful Her Night With the Duke, which was on our 2020 Best Romance of the Year list. This one fires on many cylinders, and the conversation it inspired covers a lot of ground. We talk about how you won’t get a better Bridgerton read-alike than this one, about the third-act breakup, why it works and the work it does in a romance, about why widows are allowed to be sexy, about responsibility and aristocracy, about hot golf, and about how modern historicals are really doing the business.

S04.30: Her Night With the Duke by Diana Quincy

RELEASE DATE: April 13, 2022

[bettslovesromance]

🎶🎶 My bookish Playlist 🎶🎶

A couple of years ago I posted about songs that made me think about some books and I wanted to do it again.

Also, because it's something that I think about A LOT.

All the songs in this post are on my go-to Playlist.

.

.

And yes, I used the same template that years ago because I'm lazy 🤷🏻‍♀️

[overflowingshelf]

September 2023 Reading Recap

September felt like it was over in the blink of an eye! I didn't get as much reading done as I wanted, but I still managed to read 6 books. See what they were here:

Was it just me, or did September feel like it passed by in the blink of an eye? Seriously, this month flew by faster than any other in 2023, and I’m still in shock that we’re in October. September was a busy month for me as I had both my sister and husband, as well as my parents, come to visit me up in Boston, all within a week of each other. That ate into some of my reading time, especially at…

[myvinylplaylist]

USA For Africa: We Are The World 7” Single (1985)

Side A: We Are The World

Side B: Quincy Jones : Grace

Columbia Records