historical romance

A collection of 30 posts

Judy Cuevas/Judith Ivory

Hot organic fusion

digging into a scene from Dance by Judy Cuevas

historical romance

Buildings and books

le livre et l'édifice, but more importantly, romance novels

historical romance

200

a few of the previous 200 (!) issues of Word Suitcase, and, as always, romance novels

sci fi or fantasy

Rarities

learning new words from an old sci-fi novel, and, as usual, romance novels

Judy Cuevas/Judith Ivory

French letters and English hats

condoms, romance novels, rivers of forgetfulness, and loving monsters

historical romance

Ticklishly pleasing

Judy Cuevas, tiles, and my new theory of romance novels

food words

Pudding eater blues

yeah we're talking about Sherry Thomas again

sci fi or fantasy

Answerable

on The Left Hand of Darkness, Ravishing the Heiress, and Make Room for Love

art history

largely composed behinde

statues, butts, romance

French literature

Crush and pash

the overpowering violence of infatuations, Renoir and Maupassant, and of course, romance novels

food words

A costly dish

in which I’m perilously out of my depth re: food words (but perfectly at home re: romance novels)

historical romance

Absolute skulduggery

sneaking around and romance novels

fashion

Kamarband

a little fashion history and some romance novels

historical romance

*slaps roof of brougham*

some love for Sherry Thomas novels

US history

Corcas

etymological mysteries and romance novels

fashion

On cravats

Croatia, must-have historical romance accessories, and romance novels

contemporary romance

Fish, cheese, war

various mongers, and, of course, romance novels

expressions

I do cock a snook, but not at thee

rude gestures, death, and romance novels

animal words

Big-eared rabbit-eared

a small Australian marsupial, language names, and romance novels

sapphic romance

and sucks in his turn

VAMPIRE, n. These fanged undead creatures show up in romance novels a lot, often as protagonists, so it’s sort of surprising that I haven’t looked up the word until now. People love to argue about vampire lore—what powers they have, what weaknesses—and I’m not sure

contemporary romance

Ground down

CONTRITION, n. Did you know that this word used to mean “[t]he action of rubbing things together, or against each other; grinding, pounding or bruising (so as to comminute or pulverize)” (OED)? I did not. I was only familiar with the figurative meaning: “being bruised in heart; sorrow or

contemporary romance

Downfalls and inheritances

DEMISE, n. This word showed up in one of the romance novels below (A Caribbean Heiress in Paris) in the sentence “If the duke only knew that his sons had been plotting his demise for weeks […]” In context, the duke’s sons are not plotting his death, but his downfall;

Shakespeare

Comely truth

come (yes, like that) and, of course, romance novels

historical romance

Undercrofts

UNDERCROFT, n. Two of the romance novels that I wrote about below prominently feature an undercroft, that is to say, the cavernous space under a castle, filled with stone columns. So naturally I had to look it up. Undercrofts tend to be a feature of Norman architecture, so we’re

contemporary romance

Myschyvys

MISCHIEVOUS, adj. Now that I’ve put this word in the title of a novel that will be published on Tuesday, I have to come clean: I can’t ever type it right on the first try and I was pronouncing it wrong (sorry, as good descriptivists, we say “in