Love in a Dress Shop

As I have previously mentioned I love a good Regency era, historical romance. I read them more than any other genre and thus my current review is about one.

Book: "Vixen in Velvet" by Loretta Chase

 This is book three of the Dressmakers series. Our heroine is Leonie Noirot. Who along with her two sisters own one of London's most successful dress shops. Currently, Leonie is having to run the shop single-handily, while both of her sisters are attending to other matters. Leonie has always taken care of the business side of things, both in the shop and in life. The shop is her very world and as a good business woman she likes things tidy. That tidiness becomes disrupted, not always in an unpleasant way, when she meets Lord Lisburne.

From their first meeting Lisburne has a way of getting under Leonie's skin. Lord Lisburne too, finds himself in an upheaval. He cannot get the shop owner out of his thoughts and finds himself seeking her out. Between their game of cat and mouse, throw in a wager. Leonie will make the most unlikely of candidates the belle of the season and Lisburne will relinquish his most prized piece of art, but if Leonie should lose she  must give the Lord two weeks of her undivided attention and so the games begin. Chase gives us a fun, flirtatious story that is well paced. An easy enjoyable read.

Tunes: Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars

 Like so much of the music I have come to love , finding this album was a happy accident. I don't remember where I heard the song, but I remember that I liked it enough, to use my song recognition app to learn what it was and have since gotten the album. As a side note if you do not have a song recognition app, I highly recommend Soundhound. I have an Android phone and was able to download it for free from Google Playstore. I don't know if it is offered on Iphones. If you find yourself out and about and a song comes on that you would like to know the name of, as well as the artist performing it, simply open the app and hit listen. It will identify the song for you. It is fabulous.

Barton Hollow actually came out in 2011. This is ( to me anyway) a relaxing album. One to put on and listen to from beginning to end. It is very rare for me to find an album where I don't like at least one of the songs, but that is the case with this one. The songs are well written and the harmony of this duo's voices is simply beautiful. They have put out a few other cd's that I am looking forward to checking out. Unfortunately, this 4 time Grammy winning duo officially called it quits in August of this year. The music world mourns.

Thanks for stopping by and as always you can click on the images to be taken to Amazon where you can purchase or download them if you so choose. Next time I will be reviewing a non fiction book. Hope to see you then.

My Favorite Novel

I don’t typically purchase fiction books. I usually rely on my local library to support my vice. I own more non-fiction than fiction, but even those are in limited amount. Trust me, it is a dream to one day live in a home with a “library”. I envision floor to ceiling book shelves all around,  worn brown leather furniture, and a fireplace. Until that time comes I am very limited with space, which is why I don’t normally buy books. Once in a great while I will download one, but digital books don’t hold the same appeal to me. I want to hold the book, feel it in my hands. One book that I do own and has graced my bookshelf for longer than I can remember is Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg.




Fannie Flagg has written some great books over the years, but in my opinion non better than this one. Like most of Fannie’s stories this one takes place in the South beginning in 1952. It is the story of young Daisy Fay Harper and the trials and tribulations she experiences as she goes from childhood to young adulthood. Daisy’s father is always looking for a way to get rich quick and her long suffering mother puts up with it for a time. Hilarious supporting characters include Jimmy Snow, an alcoholic crop duster and her father’s best friend. We also meet Mrs. Dot who is trying to teach the young girls of Shell Beach, Mississippi  how to act like young ladies, all be it from the back of a bait shop. As all girls do, Daisy Fay also has a nemesis by the name of Kay Bob Benson. This book has made me laugh until I have cried. Though enormously funny, there are moments of sadness and the combination makes this my all time favorite novel.

TUNES

I freely admit I am not a fan of Beyonce nor was I ever a fan of Destiny’s Child, however I must admit I love a version of her song, ” Crazy In Love” from the Great Gatsby soundtrack. This is from the Baz Luhrmann version of the film. I have not heard the whole album yet, however it is on my list. But so far there are two songs from it I love. The first I have already mentioned, “Crazy In Love”, which isn't performed by Beyonce. It is performed by Emeli Sandé and the Bryan Ferry Orchestra. Interestingly, Beyonce does perform on the album, she sings “Back to Black” with André 3000.

The second song I love from this album is “ A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (all we got)”, performed by Fergie, Q-Tip, Goonrock. The reason I love these songs is because of the jazzy, dance-hall vibe they have. Others who perform on the soundtrack include:Florence + The Machine, Gotye, Jack White, and Lana Del Rey to name a few. Even if you aren’t a fan of one of the songs as traditionally played, take the soundtrack for a spin and experience the music performed in a different way. Maybe you will find a couple of tunes you love too.



You can click on the pictures and will be taken to Amazon where you can purchase the items if you care to. Maybe you are one of the lucky ones with your very own library. If not you can get the digital version there as well.

Thanks for dropping by.