creativefence

[acocktailmoment]

El Cantinero !

Ingredients:

2 OZ. Blanco Tequila or Mezcal

1 OZ. Grapefruit Cordial

3/4 OZ. Fresh Lime Huice

Dash of Ghost Pepper Tincture

_____________________

Grapefruit Cordial:

10 OZ. Fresh Grapefruit Juice

10 OZ. Sugar

3 OZ. Fresh lime juice

3 OZ. Aperol

1 TBSP. White Peppercorn Lightly Ground

20-30 Scrapes of Star Anise on a Microplane 

_____________________

Ghost Pepper Tincture:

7 1/2G Thai Chili 

10G Ghost Pepper

375ML Vodka

Preparation:

Add all of the ingredients to a shaker and shake with ice. Strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish. 

Note: If you’re spice-averse, you can leave out the ghost pepper tincture all together.

Grapefruit Cordial:

Add ingredients to a sealable container. Stir and infuse overnight. Strain. Will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks.

Ghost Pepper Tincture:

Chop peppers and combine with the vodka in a container such as a mason jar. Make sure to use gloves when handling the ghost peppers. Shake and let it sit overnight. Will keep indefinitely.

Recipe: Keith Larry (Little Rascal, Brooklyn),

Photo: Joanna Lin

This article was not sponsored or supported by a third-party. A Cocktail Moment is not affiliated with any individuals or companies depicted here.  

[fazcinatingblog]

Joanna Lin appreciation

[geekcavepodcast]

Mufasa: The Lion King Trailer

Sooooo, did Mufasa seize the throne from the cub who helped him?

Rafiki tells Simba and Nala's cub Kiara the story of Mufasa; how he met the royal cub Taka, who would later become Scar, and how Mufasa rose to become King of the Pridelands. Timon and Pumbaa join in with their usual banter.

Mufasa: The Lion King stars the voice talents of Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka), Tiffany Boone (Sarabi), Kagiso Lediga (Young Rafiki), Preston Nyman (Zazu), Mads Mikkelsen (Kiros), Thandiwe Newton (Eshe - Taka's mother), Lennie James (Obasi - Taka's father), Anika Noni Rose (Afia - Mufasa's mother), Keith David (Masego -Mufasa's father), John Kani (Rafiki), Seth Rogan (Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (Timon), Donald Glover (Simba), Blue Ivy Carter (Kiara - Simba and Nala's daughter), Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (Nala), Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis, and Dominique Jennings. Songs are written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and produced by Miranda and Mark Mancina. Additional music and performances are by Lebo M. Barry Jenkins directs.

Mufasa: The Lion King hits theaters on December 20, 2024.

[veryslowreader]

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Tam-Lin

[displayheartcode]

I seen you like Tam Lin too! Do you have a favorite version of it?

For one that understands the pro-choice part of the narrative – Tam Lin by Pamela Dean

For ones that understand the vibes and having an angry/feral girl – The Darkest Part of the Forest and Tithe by Holly Black

For one that understands a major point of Tam Lin is to hold on tight and never let go – Echo North* by Joanna Ruth Meyer

And let me not forget the third book in the October Daye series, An Artificial Night

For one where the Janet figure falls in love with the evil queen – The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska

Fire and Hemlock...it's hard to recommend because of how weird it is. DWJ’s prose slaps and the stuff about memory is fascinating, but the age gap is.............uh...........yikes...

*Yes, yes. It's an East of the Sun retelling, but the second part is heavily inspired by Tam Lin

[mermaidsirennikita]

A few people have asked me for the recs that come with my historical romance archetype quiz in full, and since it's been around a week and I've been procrastinating.... Here they are, in order of popularity (check your triggers, as always):

The Good Guy (by far the winning result... which saddens me a little as a reader but I respect your life and your choices):

Unclaimed by Courtney Milan--virgin hero, sex worker heroine, he's a genuinely lovely man

Scandal in Spring by Lisa Kleypas--a lot of people like Matthew Swift, I like Matthew Swift, there's a very good scene where she hides a key in her bodice and is like COME FIND IT

My Fake Rake by Eva Leigh--gender-flipped She's All That retelling with a nerdy hero who fake dates his equally nerdy friend while being super in love with her

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian--this blurs into a rake vibe, but the hero is a disaster bi who falls in love with his new best friend, only to find out that said best friend is not a man but in fact AFAB and NB; there is a delightful scene in which he watches them from across a ballroom while they pull their glove off with their teeth that lives rent-free in my head

Gentleman in the Streets, Freak in the Sheets:

The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe--THEEEEEE PRIME EXAMPLE, "I'm going to cover you in bite marks, darling" Duke of Lockwood I'm your biggest fan

The Duke Who Knew Too Much by Grace Callaway--the one where the duke is like "oh my god girl I didn't murder anyone I'm just into tying people up consensually"

Waking Up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath--the one where the hero's cousin asks the hero to knock up the cousin's wife and the hero is like "I mean because you asked nicely"; SUPREME angst

The Earl I Ruined by Scarlett Peckham--uptight earl is slandered by the heroine who insinuates that he likes submitting in the bedroom; incorrect, he actually wants to tie her tf up

The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden--marriage of convenience with the world's most uptight duke and a heroine who thinks he finds her plain and fat and gross when in fact he mostly just spends his time restraining himself from doing nasty things to her

Villain Recs:

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas--because you gotta, though St. Vincent is a softer touch villain than some ("he wouldn't have actually... done it... riiiight?")

Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt--a kidnapping loony tunes hero who blackmails everyone, stabs freely, and calls the heroine the wrong name for like 70% of the book; he also stabs someone while completely naked except for his pink robe

The Dragon and the Pearl by Jeannie Lin--Tang Dynasty evil warlord hero kidnaps heroine to use her for information, then realizes he's falling in love

Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale--medieval assassin hero forces the heroine into marriage for his evil plot, makes her his apprentice in evil, then realizes he SUUUUPER likes it when she doms him

The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe--hero owns a casino and becomes the rebellious heroine's mentor, but is secretly plotting to destroy her father

Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean--hero was the villain of two previous books and maybe tried to kill the heroine when they were kids, either way she's super mad about it but oops he's OBSESSED with her

Tortured Hero Recs:

My Darling Duke by Stacy Reid--hero has had to use a wheelchair due to mobility issues after an accident, becomes very reclusive and angsty, until he finds out the heroine has been pretending to be engaged to him...

Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas--Derek Craven was born in a drainpipe, named himself, and essentially was a sex worker until he made his way up in the world, now feels completely not good enough for the intrepid novelist who's stolen his heart

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall--hero has survivor's guilt and chronic pain + a laudanum addiction after surviving the Battle of Waterloo when his best friend died... twist is that his best friend faked her death so that she could transition and live as who she really is, and now they met up again for the first time in years without him realizing it's her

Pippa and the Prince of Secrets by Grace Callaway--scarred hero reunites with his childhood sweetheart, who's now widowed and way above him in social station... but she's also tortured, and they come to find solace in each other (also: her old husband told her that pursuing her desires was wicked; hero DISAGREES)

Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth Hoyt--literally Georgian Batman, he is the night, also he has a home gym

The Duke I Tempted by Scarlett Peckham--super tortured duke who hides his masochistic tendencies from the world enters into a marriage of convenience with a woman he believes will reject him if she realizes what he wants

A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean--local man who lost his inheritance and land in a game of dice shows up again after years and forces his childhood friend to marry him so that he can reclaim WHAT IS HIS!!! (both the estate and her)

Rake Recs:

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean--prototypical rake book, Ralston is all "my God woman, binding your breasts is a crime and I am here to save them"

The Duke and the Lady in Red by Lorraine Heath--this guy's mom literally shows up at his house and is like "please tell me you've cleaned this place since the last orgy"; he then gets taken in by a con woman and learns how to love

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe--hero's not taken seriously by anyone because he's such a playboy; he makes a deal to teach the shy heroine sex stuff in exchange for recipes so he can start a SUPPER CLUB and prove himself as a Srs Person

A Rake's Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden--hero is a ne'er do well rake who realizes he's fallen for his best friend's little sister right when she's proposed to by another man; years later they meet up when she's a depressed widow, and he brings her to life if you know what I mean

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins--hero is a VERRRRRYYYYY smooth rake who also helps free enslaved people in the Underground Railroad, gets the shit beaten out of of him and ends up being cared for by the quiet and practical heroine; and he's like "HOLY SHIT SHE'S THE ONE"

Scot Recs:

When A Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare--heroine makes a Big Mistake and ends up having to marry the gruff hero, but it's only a handfasting so as long they don't consummate the marriage it won't be legit--SIMPLE ENOUGH

When a Girl Loves an Earl by Elisa Braden--heroine becomes obsessed with local giant man, doesn't even realize he's Scottish until she's trapped him in marriage and he drops the English accent and it is a RIIIIIDE for her from there

The Taming of a Highlander by Elisa Braden--heroine ends up having to marry physically and emotionally scarred hero in order to avoid testifying against him, he's all "YE WON'T BE ABLE TO TAKE ME LASS" and she's like "oh bet"

The Highland Guard series by Monica McCarty--medieval Scottish books "what if Robert the Bruce made a Suicide Squad and they were all hot"

The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie by Jennifer Ashley--widow heroine ends up in a FWB situation with the hero, who is on the spectrum and considered "mad" by many; then shit gets complicated

When a Girl Loves an Earl by Stacy Reid--heroine gets pregnant by another man and runs to Scotland to marry this guy she's been writing platonic letters to; he agrees to claim her baby; hero is mute and they communicate through written notes at first, but the heroine learns sign language to make it easier for him, super emotional

[fated-mates]

Let's do some book deals.

We only share deals on titles we've already featured on the podcast. We're not recommending these just because they're cheap.

They're good and cheap.

Naima Simone's SIN AND INK is $1. We talked about it in Widows and The Best Kisses.

We talked about Nikki Sloane's REDEMPTION in Taboo Romance. $1.

We covered Jeannie Lin's THE SWORD DANCER in Antiheroines. It's $2 today.

Anna Zabbo's COUNTERPOINT made an appearance in Rock Star Romance, our first proper episode. It's $2.

We mentioned Jude Deveraux's ETERNITY in Competence & Careers. It's $2.

We recommended Amanda Bouchet's A PROMISE OF FIRE in our Fantasy Romance episode. It's $2.

We discussed Kit Rocha's BEYOND SHAME in our crossover episode with Wicked Wallflowers. This bundle of Beyond Shame, Beyond Control, and Beyond Pain is $3.

Joanna Lindsey's LOVE ONLY ONCE is $5.49. We include it in Romance Families.

[lwamonstergirls]

(NEW) Little Witch Academia: Monster Witches List

Yep, that's right, starting fresh with a new list~! In this, I'm going to be listing what kind of monster each witch is in this AU, and this time it will include EVERY WITCH!!! Or at least Every Witch I have a monster for at the moment. Will get back to some just in case I missed a background character, or random professor, or character exclusive to the games or manga. But for now, here is the new list~.

Student Teams

Red Team:

Atsuko "Akko" Kagari - Werecat

Lotte Jansson - Barn Owlman

Sucy Manbavaran - Kraken Cecaelia

Blue Team:

Diana Cavendish - Lamia

Hannah England - Demoness

Barbara Parker - Black Widow Drider

Green Team:

Amanda O'Neill - Peregrine Falcon Harpy

Jasminka Antonenko - Pink Slime Girl

Constanze Amalie Von Braunschbank Albrechtsberger - Cyborg

Violet Team:

Avery - Vampire

Mary - Were-Jackalope

Blair - Dryad

Yellow Team:

Wangari - Wereleopard

Kimberly - Mothman

Joanna - Selkie

Peach Team:

Sarah Bernhardt - Giant Western Dragon Girl

Chloe - Cervitaur

Elfriede - Werewolf

Pale-Green Team:

Sóla - Salamander Girl

Rajani & Rashmi - Naga

Pale-Blue Team:

Shao-Yi - Giant Eastern Dragon Girl

Catarina - Arctic Kitsune

Katie - Weresheep

Light-Green Team:

Dorotea - Alphyn Girl

Irene - Strigoi

Eleanor - Enfield Girl

Light - Aqua Team:

Bianca - Rokurokubi

Aileen - Blue Slime Girl

Hilda - Osprey Harpy

Pale-Lavender Team:

Heather - Orca Mermaid

Rosie - Jellyfish Mermaid

Daisy - Siren

Lavender Team:

Katya - Shedu Girl

Carmen - Electric Eel Mermaid

Maria - Matango

Lime Team:

Gaëlle - Regular/Common Mermaid

Aira - Werecheetah

Isabelle - Griffon Girl

Aqua Team:

Abigail - Chimera Girl

Rachel - Giant Wyrm Girl

Rita - Coatyl/Boitatá/Cockatrice Tribrid

Light-Yellow Team:

Molly McIntyre - Wraith

Elsa - Tiger Mershark

Amelia - Ichthyocentaur

Pale-Yellow Team:

Erika - Peacock Jumping Drider

Bridget - Leafy Seadragon Mermaid

Bice - Giant Wyvern Girl

Pink Team:

Alice - Giant Drake Girl

Eliza - Seahorse Mermaid

Priscilla - Imp

Teal Team:

Verochka - Giant Sea Serpent Girl

Nina - Angelic Monster

Francine - Manticore Girl

Lime-Yellow Team:

Aisha - Buraq Girl

Esther - Eurasian Eagle Owl Harpy/Golden Weretiger Hybrid

Henrietta - Fairy

Orange Team:

Michelle - Wedge-Tailed Eagle Harpy/Frilled Lizardman Hybrid

Li Na - Common Lizardman

Theodora - Weretiger

Purple Team:

Teresa - Deathstalker Scorrow

Julietta - Giant Squid Cecaelia

Alma - Minotaur

Miscellaneous Students

Katherine - Honeypot Ant Girl

Lin Lin - Werepanda

Jeanne - Dullahan

Shiki - Medusa Lamia

Balsa McVinegar - Crow Harpy

Marianne - Sailfish Mermaid

Verde Shidariza - Peacock Harpy

Jiji Delevingne - Dolphin Mermaid

Professors

Professor Ursula/Chariot - Centaur

Professor Croix - ShapeShifter

Professor Finnelan - Banshee

Professor Nelson - Golden Eagle Harpy

Professor Lukic - Goblin Mershark

Professor Meme - Cyclops

Professors Abby & Britt - Giant Hydra Women

Shao-Yi's Mother - Giant Eastern Dragon Woman

Professor Matilda - Were-Jackalope

Professor Badcock - Great Horned Owlman

Headmistress Holbrooke - Papillon Fae

As for Professor Pisces, she's basically the same. I could make her a mermaid, but I feel like keeping her as a regular fish that's just sapient would be funnier. Besides, she know has an entire section of the school she can swim around in freely~! Yeah, I'll be getting to that eventually.

Finally, I've gotten this list all done and typed! Not lying, this took me literal days to finish since I couldn't think of monsters for some girls and kept switching species around! Luckily, the people I've asked say this list is good, which at least gives me some hope that I made the right choices for these characters. I'm not gonna lie, I can't wait to make spec evo bios for these girls and go into the culture and worldbuilding for monster/non-human societies~! And I'm gonna remake my old Bios now that there are more characters and I have some new abilities for them~! But for now, hold on tight, because this AU Revamp is just getting started!

[b-andherbooks]

my favorite books of 2023✨⭐

For my last five things post of the year, here are my favorite reads (mostly romance) of 2023! Did any of my choices hit your best of lists this year? Any you still need to read?

I’m absolutely loving seeing all of ~your~ favs of the year, and am ready to bust out my brand spanky new book journal for 2024!

Happy early new year pals!

Favorite new to me authors

Sight Unseen Kasha Thompson

Striking Gold Janine Amesta

Whisky Business Elliot Fletcher

Morbidly Yours Ivy Fairbanks

Favorite Historical Romance

Wolf & the Wildflower Stacy Reid

Knockout Sarah MacLean

Marry Me by Midnight Felicia Grossman

The Duke Gets Even Joanna Shupe

The Duke Gets Desperate Diana Quincy

Hotel of Secrets Diana Biller

Favorite Contemporary

Role Playing Cathy Yardley

The Playing Game Ainsley Booth

Technically Yours Denise Williams

Midnight Duet Jen Comfort

Favorite Contemporary

Chick Magnet Emma Barry

Mickey Chambers Shakes it Up Charish Reid

Can’t Let Her Go Kianna Alexander

Georgie All Along Kate Clayborn

Favorite Backlist Reads

The Highlander Takes a Bride Lynsay Sands

Crash Ruby McNally

My Fair Concubine Jeannie Lin

Sweetest Regret Meredith Duran

Firelight Kristen Callihan

Liberating Lacey Anne Calhoun

Favorite Audiobooks

Britney Spears The Woman in Me

Single Dads Club Therese Beharrie

The Art of the Scandal Regina Black

The Seven Year Slip Ashley Poston

Spare Prince Harry

[fazcinatingblog]

More spoilers: Noelene gives birth to a football

[geekcavepodcast]

Mufasa: The Lion King Teaser Trailer

Rafiki, with some commentary by Timon and Pumbaa, tells the story of Mufasa to Simba and Nala's cub Kiara. "Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka—the heir to a royal bloodline. The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny—their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe." (Walt Disney Studios)

Mufasa: The Lion King stars the voice talents of Aaron Pierre (Mufasa), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Taka), Tiffany Boone (Sarabi), Kagiso Lediga (Young Rafiki), Preston Nyman (Zazu), Mads Mikkelsen (Kiros), Thandiwe Newton (Eshe), Lennie James (Obasi), Anika Noni Rose (Afia), Keith David (Masego), John Kani (Rafiki), Seth Rogan (Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (Timon), Donald Glover (Simba), Blue Ivy Carter (Kiara), Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (Nala), Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Folake Olowofoyeku, Joanna Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Sheila Atim, Abdul Salis, and Dominique Jennings. Barry Jenkins is directing. The film's songs will be written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and produced by Mark Mancina and Miranda, with additional music and performances by Lebo M.

Mufasa: The Lion King releases to theaters on December 20, 2024.

[chicinsilk]

US Vogue March 1, 1957

Joanna McCormick in a surah, black and brown damask printed silk covered day dress. By Ben Barrack. Linen helmet, Sally Victor, jewelry and satchel bag, too.

Joanna McCormick dans une robe de jour couverte en soie imprimée damassée surah, noire et marron. Par Ben Barrack. Casque en lin, Sally Victor, bijoux et sac cartable, également.

Photo Karen Radkai vogue archive

[dvar-trek]

Romance Roundup: Part 2

the full list:

loved | liked | okay | didn't like

 ●Captive Prince Trilogy by C.S. Pacat     ○Captive Prince     ○Prince's Gambit     ○Kings Rising     ○The Summer Palace  ●Whyborne and Griffin Series by Jordan L. Hawk (there are like 11 of these in total, but this is as far as i got. this is not the only reason i stopped, but this series does contain a sex scene wherein sliding back the foreskin is described as "peeling". and i just. i simply don't think you should peel a dick. i don't think it's good for them.)     ○Widdershins     ○Eidolon     ○Threshold  ●Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner  ●Sailor's Delight by Rose Lerner  ●Something Human by A.J. Demas  ●Doomsday Books by KJ Charles     ○The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen     ○A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

 ●Old Bridge Inn Series by Annick Trent     ○Beck and Call     ○The Oak and the Ash  ●10 Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall  ●Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall (okay, listen, the first chapter hits you with a high concentration of cringe, and is therefore difficult to read. but the cringe concentration lessens considerably as you go along, and this ended up being one of my faves.)  ●Husband Material by Alexis Hall (again with the cringe, but it's not a strong enough book otherwise to make up for it, imo. the first book stands up great without having to bother with the sequel)  ●The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn  ●Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn     ○The Duke and I     ○The Viscount Who Loved Me (there are six more of these, but i simply couldn't go on)

 ●The Mystery of Nevermore by C.S. Poe  ●Turner Series by Cat Sebastian     ○The Soldier's Scoundrel     ○The Lawrence Browne Affair     ○The Ruin of a Rake     ○A Little Light Mischief  ●The Last Binding by Freya Marske (these are kissing books, but i didn't like the actual romances so much as the. like. plot.)     ○A Marvellous Light     ○A Restless Truth     ○A Power Unbound  ●Lucky Lovers of London by Jess Everlee     ○The Gentleman's Book of Vices     ○A Rulebook for Restless Rogues  ●A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland  ●His Heart's Obsession by Alex Beecroft  ●Seducing the Sedgwicks by Cat Sebastian     ○It Takes Two to Tumble     ○A Gentleman Never Keeps Score     ○Two Rogues Make a Right  ●Hard Sell by Hudson Lin  ●Green Men World by KJ Charles     ○The Secret Casebook of Simon Feximal (can be read as a stand-alone. is also not really a romance, per-se, although they sure do fuck. more like if shelock holmes had been a ghost-hunter, and watson had told us about all the sex they were having)     ○Spectred Isle (n.b. this was meant to be the first book in a series that is on hold indefinitely, though i enjoyed it plenty on its own)

 ●Winterbourne series by Joanna Chambers (there's one more novella in this series but none of my libraries has it)     ○Introducing Mr. Winterbourne     ○Mr. Winterbourne's Christmas     ○The First Snow of Winter  ●The Vicar and the Rake by Annabelle Greene  ●The Gentleman and the Spy by Neil S. Plakcy  ●The Lord and the Frenchman by Neil S. Plakcy  ●Unfit to Print by KJ Charles  ●Brook Street by Ava March  ●Enlightenment Trilogy by Joanna Chambers     ○Provoked     ○Beguiled     ○Enlightened     ○The Bequest (epilogue novella)  ●Unnatural by Joanna Chambers  ●Restored by Joanna Chambers  ●Society of Gentlemen by KJ Charles (another one where the whole series is worthwhile for the story, even if i didn't love all of the romances. the characters are endearing and there's an excellent little series epilogue availble on the author's website)     ○The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh (prequel novella)     ○A Fashionable Indulgence     ○A Seditious Affair     ○A Gentleman's Position

 ●Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall  ●Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian  ●The Missing Page by Cat Sebastian  ●Sins of the Cities by KJ Charles     ○An Unseen Attraction     ○An Unnatural Vice     ○An Unsuitable Heir  ●Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston  ●Bright Falls series by Ashley Herring Blake (I'm still on a waitlist for the third book, which just came out)     ○Delilah Green Doesn't Care     ○Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail  ●Fake it 'til You Make Out by Isla Olsen  ●The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite  ●The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite  ●The Lilywhite Boys by KJ Charles     ○The Rat-Catcher's Daugher (prequel novella)     ○Any Old Diamonds     ○Guilded Cage     ○Masters in this Hall (sequel novella)  ●England World by KJ Charles     ○Proper English     ○Think of England  ●Will Darling Adventures by KJ Charles     ○Slippery Creatures     ○The Sugared Game     ○Subtle Blood

 ●The Lady's Secret by Joanna Chambers  ●A Charm of Magpies series by KJ Charles     ○The Magpie Lord     ○A Case of Possession     ○Flight of Magpies  ●Other KJ Charles book linked to the Magpies world     ○A Queer Trade     ○Rag and Bone     ○Jackdaw  ●Wanted, A Gentleman by KJ Charles  ●The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles  ●A Thief in the Night by KJ Charles (novella linked to Gentle Art)  ●Band Sinister by KJ Charles  ●Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian  ●A Duke in Disguise by Cat Sebastian

romance roundup part 1

[beardedmrbean]

The 16-year-old girl caught on camera pummeling an Asian mother from Nevada as she was riding a Manhattan train with her family last week has been charged with assault.

Arrest and charges: The teenager reportedly turned herself in to the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Tuesday morning in the same area where the attack occurred. She was arrested and charged with two counts of assault for repeatedly punching Sue Young, the 51-year-old mother, and Joanna Lin, a 34-year-old bystander who filmed the viral incident.

The viral attack: Young and her husband, Ken, and their 11-year-old twin daughters were onboard a southbound F train near West 4th St. station at around 8 p.m. on Aug. 3 when three teenage girls, including the arrested 16-year-old, began laughing and pointing at the family.

When Young decided to laugh with them as a way to stop their apparent taunts, the trio became enraged. According to Young, the girls began cursing and at one point said, “Go back to where you came from, b*tch!” The girls stood over the family as Lin began recording the altercation.

When the 16-year-old saw Lin recording, she allegedly punched Lin multiple times. Lin said the girl hit her in the first and second attacks and then dragged her by the hair to the floor and hit her “a few times” in the head in the third attack. Young was also attacked as she tried to get to Lin, causing bruising to her arm and head.

“As soon as I made contact and pushed her shoulders away, they all came after me. I backed up, but the girl in the white t-shirt came slugging at me… She grabbed my hair, I grabbed her hair, and I basically just grabbed onto her hair to shield my face because she was swinging,” Young told the New York Post.

It was then other passengers intervened to protect the family. The three teenagers managed to flee the scene at the next stop

Investigation: The NYPD previously offered a $3,500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the 16-year-old girl. According to police, the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime as the alleged perpetrator made an “anti-ethnic remark” during the assault.

Young and Lin’s statement: However, Young and Lin said that they do not think that the incident was a hate crime. While Young said that stereotypes of Asians being less confrontational had likely led the young Black women to view them as easy targets, she does not believe that the attack was initially motivated by racial animus, according to NBC News. Young and her husband said they do not want to harbor or spark resentment toward the girls and the Black community.

“These are very young girls. Somebody or something or some circumstance has made a big impression on them — whether it’s historical pressure, societal pressure, social pressure,” Young told NBC News.

Lin, who is relieved by the 16-year-old’s decision to turn herself in, also hopes that the teen will issue an apology and receive “therapy, counseling and mentorship.”

[no-where-new-hero]

Fire and Hemlock Readalong: Day 23 (Part 4, Ch. 4)

...in which Polly makes a spell.

The epigraphs, from here in, really start becoming spot-on as the plot elides more explicitly with the final events of the ballad. In this chapter, we return to 15-year-old Polly and the events following the Middleton Fair. Here, Polly's gift for "knowing things" comes around to bite her in the face: she knows "by instinct" exactly what elements are right to complete her spell. In effect, she recreates the Fire and Hemlock picture in such a way that will create a kind of Nowhere space in which she can demand the truth from Tom.

When her spell works, she finds Tom with Laurel. To me, on my first few readings, I always wondered if here is where DWJ most overtly suggests sex, considering the two of them were on a sofa, Laurel is asleep, and Polly notices how "heartrendingly beautiful" she is. Tom protests he doesn't often "get together" with Laurel, but there is the clear suggestion that he can still be compelled by her, perhaps physically as well as in the other areas of his life. Now, we get the confirmation that Laurel does "own him, or something like that," and that Polly has forgotten the instincts of her own heroism. She could have put the pieces together based on the books he sent her, and Mr. Leroy's warnings and threats, and every other dangerous that's happened to them, but she has refused to listen to the evidence of her own imagination and sees things on the level that she had been feeling insecure about: emotional betrayal or abandonment.

DWJ, in her "Heroic Ideal" essay, cites this as Polly behaving like Ivy: intrusive, untrusting, jealous. But I see it as also an ill-formed attempt of Polly's to regain some of the footing in her relationship with Tom that she clearly knows she has lost but doesn't understand why. A bit like the way she pretended to be mature and knowing about Carla's living situation two parts earlier, Polly is making assumptions that merely leave her out of her depth. And, of course, she's caught in her spying, and Laurel immediately exacts revenge.

She achieves this through stifling politeness and shame, a parallel to the situation in Bristol with Joanna and Reg. Polly cannot break free from the social farce into truth because of the way that she's caught between childhood and adulthood. She immediately discards her belief that it was all wrapped up in "something supernatural' because she's eating and drinking in Hunsdon House--so Laurel and Mr. Leroy have her under their power at last--but also because it's "stupid and babyish." Polly, in her determination to be mature and put herself on Tom's level, has regressed further from where she ever started. And so she succumbs to the pressure of embarrassment and agrees to forget Tom--of her own accord, which she later bemoans. Because she realizes at 19, with the knowledge of her returned memories, that she really did it to herself: by succumbing, by forgetting the bravery of Hero, and letting herself get in the way.

It's interesting to think about what's going on in Tom's head throughout this whole chapter. We know later that the reason for him trying to distance himself from Polly during the Australia tour was to protect her, but now he clearly knows the game is up. He comes to say goodbye to her, and Seb--who is clearly her dragon guardian from this point forward--lets him, in another moment of sympathy. Tom ends up kissing her--awkwardly but still meaningfully--a kind of parting gift or benediction or perhaps just the proof of his affection that she was (very poorly) asking for. Typically, of course, DWJ doesn't linger on this moment (that'll come later) but it's an important indication nevertheless.

The rest of the chapter lies in Polly reconstructing the terms of Tom's curse through the help of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and the ballad of Tam Lin, DWJ's most explicit meta-narrative moment. It's almost *too* explicit for me, though it does give Polly confirmation that her time is nearly out: Halloween is tomorrow.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

The Villain

HARK! 'TIS A VILLAIN! GUARD YOUR VIRGINITY WITH YOUR LIFE!!! "A villain" means many things, it's true. But a historical romance is often referred to as a villain in text, whether or not he has actually committed any actual crimes. He may be the King of the London Underworld (what underworld? shut up), he may be a guy who's crossed the line from rake to "oh this is very much something that would get you 5 to 10" (let's not name names), he may be a guy who did something so terrible to you when y'all were young and it broke you it BROKE YOU and now he's back and looking FINE. The key to the villain is that he must be dragged by the balls emotionally (sometimes literally) until he is at his heroine's feet, a broken man, who would do literally anything to have her. Like, he may NOT be redeemed. He may stay bad. Or he may settle down and become a loving father of four. But no matter what, a villain will always happily gut someone like a fish if they even look at you wrong. And that's, frankly, super hot. Note: villains will often commit their main crimes in prior books. Evil cackling while he forces you into marriage optional. Villain recs: "Devil in Winter" by Lisa Kleypas, "Duke of Sin" by Elizabeth Hoyt, "The Dragon and the Pearl" by Jeannie Lin, "Shadowheart" by Laura Kinsale (check your triggers before reading--he ain't a villain for nothing), "The Prince of Broadway" by Joanna Shupe, "Daring and the Duke" by Sarah MacLean.