Caught My Fancy Friday: Regency House Party!

The other writers in my Regency critique group have banded together for a fun project called Regency House Party. The premise is that the ton descends on a country house, and five writers each contribute episodic, intertwining short stories.

 





I've had the pleasure of reading a few of these short stories already. They brim with wit, charm, and flirtation. The party starts January 10 . . . follow the blog to join in the fun!

Caught My Fancy Friday: All things SCARLET PIMPERNEL

I grew up without internet. My reading was limited to what my library carried. I told my grandma that I didn't really need to go to the library anymore, because I'd read all their books. And I had--in the children's section--at least, everything that caught my interest.

The adult section was my salvation. Series were the best, because it was so hard to find good recommendations before goodreads and facebook!

And I found this series by Baroness Orczy:







My library's copies were bound in old cloth, smelled like decades of mold, and delighted me for hours.

And then I saw Anthony Andrew's Scarlet Pimpernel:



Costumes, perfect; acting, delightful; music, evocative; dialogue, witty. I bought a DVD and forced my children to watch it with me a couple of months ago. I was transported--I thought it held up beautifully and was as delightful as ever--but they found it to be mockery fodder. What do they know? They're the meme generation.














Okay, so as it turns out, I also love Scarlet Pimpernel memes.

 I think I've watched all the versions. I like the old one because of my soft spot for Leslie Howard:

But the Anthony Andrews one is the best.

Mondays Need a Good Book: ROOK

 

THE BLURB: History has a way of repeating itself. In the Sunken City that was once Paris, all who oppose the new revolution are being put to the blade. Except for those who disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?

Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy’s arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.

As the Red Rook grows bolder and the stakes grow higher, Sophia and René find themselves locked in a tantalizing game of cat and mouse.

 

THE SCOOP:Wow, wow, wow! This book makes me heart so thumpy with joy I can hardly talk about it. I bought a bunch of extra copies that I've been thrusting at people I love if they so much as admit to literacy.

Fact: I love the Scarlet Pimpernel. 

Fact: Rook is an homage to Sir Percy.

Fact: I love futures more imaginative than bland dystopias, particularly when I recognize snippets of the now in their past. Fact: I love a romance between sparring partners. Fact: I love twists and turns. Fact: I loved every single thing about this book, and I have never wished that I had written a book more in my life.

THE VERDICT: I really think Sharon Cameron has outdone Baroness Orczy herself. WOW.