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ryanmeft · 7 months

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Movie Review: A Haunting in Venice

In every skeptic there is a glimmer of faith, and the stronger the skeptic the stronger the glimmer. A skeptic is simply someone who has looked at the world and discovered that it is not how they wish it were. It is not a comfortable or happy revelation, and most of us would happily abandon it were there the slightest hint of fact to any other explanation. That is the situation Hercule Poirot finds himself in at the beginning of A Haunting in Venice. He appears to enjoy a life of tea and retirement, but he is a broken man, thinking nothing of his bodyguard laying out a desperate man seeking his aid and acting as if humanity does not exist.

It is 1947, ten years since we last saw Poirot in Death on the Nile. The time has been intentionally chosen by director and star Kenneth Branagh, working from a late, poorly received entry in Agatha Christie’s novel series, which specifies no date. He has taken a free hand with the material and chosen his year so that the exuberant, confident, arrogant Poirot of DotN can be replaced by one whose faith in God, humanity and everything else has been wiped out by going through two World Wars.

The opening device of a retired detective wasting away without a case is hardly new, but Branagh sells it well by adding something new to the unflappable detective---flappability. Summoned by his old writer friend Ariadne (Tina Fey) to a seance by a medium (Michelle Yeoh) she professes to be unable to expose, he encounters the series’ usual lineup of eccentric oddballs: Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly) the mother of a young woman who drowned the previous year, the deceased woman’s arrogant, fortune-seeking ex-fiancee (Kyle Allen), Olga (Camille Cottin), the extremely superstitious housekeeper, a doctor (Jamie Dornan) traumatized by the war and his son (Jude Hill), who is more interested in books than people, the medium’s opportunistic assistants (Emma Laird and Ali Khan) and Poirot’s own bodyguard (Riccardo Scamarcio).

Inevitably there is a murder and these people end up locked in with Poirot, this time in an old, rotting Venetian palazzo that is said to be cursed by the long-dead souls of children left there to die of plague. A train and a boat can have nothing on this place---it is an excellent accomplishment in the use of a great setting at a time when setting hardly matters in most wide release movies. Like any good, really old house, it is strewn with expensive treasures under dusty coverings that are stretched throughout hallways and rooms which are just narrow and close enough to be confining, but not so much that they don’t also look really neat. Always threatening the proceedings are Venice’s famous canals. All of this murder and suspicion takes place during a really cracking storm, and the waters reach menacing fingers toward the foundations of the building. We are, every so often, shown the window from which the dead woman fell, a spectre of a real, well, spectre. Most of this was done in Pinewood Studios, but many exteriors are clearly the sinking city, itself.

The previous movies were dependent on the (by now a bit tired) premise that the genius was always one step ahead, even when they do not appear to be. This one depends on taking that same character and shaking him badly, leaving him in genuine doubt, fear and panic. The best horror movies operate also on this principle. They place a disbelieving person in a situation where their disbelief will be tested, for it is so much more frightening encountering a scary thing you didn’t think existed than one you fully expected. Poirot faces new types of challenges this time, something that couldn’t quite be said for DotN. He hears voices. He seems to be ill. Every mystery he figures out simply crumbles into a new one. There is an attempt on his own life. And there is always that storm. He handles this by hiding frequently in the restroom so as not to let his panic be seen, but we see it, and his struggles with his own skeptical nature humanize the character in a way not previously accomplished. For all his affected, fabulous-moustache-having ways, Poirot was the least interesting thing happening in the previous two films. Here, he is the best thing. Branagh directs himself, from a third script by Michael Green, with conviction, so that when the answer comes it is cathartic. Before now, I could take or leave sequels. Now, I want to see more.

The weakest link here is Fey, who gives her role every bit as much cynic power as Branagh’s, but who is saddled with a character clearly meant to be a satirical tribute to Christie herself. She is said to have made Poirot famous by writing of his cases, and reminds us of this constantly, at one point even claiming Poirot is nothing without her stories. It’s an overbearing and obvious bit of meta-commentary, a tactic I’ve long grown tired of in fiction, and the character’s presence robs the film of that little touch it needed to be a mystery classic.

Even with that blemish, though, this is as close as Branagh’s ever come to capturing what he’s trying to do with these adaptations. I would like very much to see more. I’ve gotten what I’ve been looking for since 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express. I have faith in the series now.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Note: I don’t use star ratings. Here are my possible verdicts:

Must-See

Highly Recommended

Recommended

Average

Not Recommended

Avoid Like the Plague

#kelly reilly #tina fey #kenneth branagh #a haunting in venice #disney #jamie dornan #michelle yeoh #horror #mystery #movies

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the-book-queen · 3 months

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Hide your wallets, it's that time again! Your daily thread of romance deals is ready, FREE to $1.99!

FREE ✦ License to Bite by Carrie Pulkinen

New Orleans' hottest vampire is convinced the heroine is his late fiancee reincarnated, and turns her. But when she awakes, she's loud, sassy, and faints at the sight of blood. Oops.

Paranormal Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/48GV5eH

FREE ✦ Game On by Joanne Rock

Second chance. Baseball star returns home for the summer to recover from an injury and runs into his first love, a local florist.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3u5Biq4

$0.99 ✦ The Passion of a Marquess by Linda Rae Sande

While aboard a ship heading to Rome, a spinster and a Marquess are washed overboard during a storm, and end up stranded on an island together.

Historical Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/426BvWJ

$0.99 ✦ If You Were Mine by Bella Andre

He's an auto-shop tycoon taking care of his brother's new puppy, she's a dog trainer.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/48JAnuB

$1.99 ✦ Devil of the Highlands by Lynsay Sands

To escape her cruel stepmother, she agrees to marry the most notorious laird of Scotland. Surely the rumors can't all be true anyway?

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Putting these lists together takes time. If you appreciate this content, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi. http://ko-fi.com/danielletbq

#romance novels #book deals #contemporary romance #paranormal romance #historical romance #mf romance

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guilty-pleasure-reading · 2 years

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Romance Dreamcast

Julie Garwood: Lairds' Fiancées Series

Book 1. The Bride

Laird Alec Kincaid & Jaime, daughter of Baron Jamison

Book 2. The Wedding

Laird Connor MacAlister & Brenna, daughter of Baron Haynesworth

#julie garwood #the bride #the wedding #lairds' fiancees #dreamcast #eye color can be incorrect

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tothemattresses · 4 years

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2020 Reading Challenge - E-Book Edition!

According to Amazon, I have exactly 294 e-books currently sitting in my Kindle library.

Granted, some of these books have been read and are being saved for a second (or third, or fourth) re-read, but when it comes down to it, that number is around 40 books, give or take.

Which means I still have over 250 books that need to be read.

And it’s not like I haven’t tried! There are plenty of titles that, when opened up, will go to the last place I left off - that being chapter 5, or maybe chapter 10. But sometimes life gets in the way. Or a sudden interest in another author. Or a new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. But whatever the reason may be, it’s over 250 books that haven’t been read. Challenge accepted!

For 2020, I commit to not buying any new books to add to my Kindle library (checking out books from the library is ok, because you’ve gotta support your local library!), and instead focus on the books I already have. So no addition of 99 cent books, or Kindle Unlimited books, or books that are suddenly 75% off. Only the books that I currently have.

As the reading commences, and after the book is finished, I’ll update my list to indicate what has been completed, along with the date purchased, and a short review (or a reason I just couldn’t finish it at all).

Below is the list for future reference - and to clarify my what my favorite genre is. Spoiler: it’s romance novels.

Here we go!

Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 535 Easy(ish) Steps – Kelly Williams Brown

An Affair with Mr. Kennedy (Gentlemen of Scotland Yard) – Jillian Stone

All About Love (Cynster Book 6) – Stephanie Laurens

All Afternoon with a Scandalous Marquess: A Lords of Vice Novel – Alexandra Hawkins

Almost a Scandal: A Reckless Brides Novel (The Reckless Brides Book 1) – Elizabeth Essex

Alpha – Jasinda Wilder

A Duke’s Guide to Seducing His Bride (Chase Family Series- The Jewels Book 4) – Lauren Royal

The American Heiress: A Novel – Daisy Goodwin

When an Earl Meets a Girl (Chase Family Series- The Jewels Book 1) – Lauren Royal

The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year – Andy Cohen

Angel in a Devil's Arms: The Palace of Rogues – Julie Anne Long

Angel in Scarlet: A Bound and Determined Novel – Lavinia Kent

Anything He Wants & Castaway – Sara Fawkes

The Astronaut Wives Club – Lily Koppel

At Any Price: A Billionaire Virgin Auction Romance (Gaming the System Book 1) – Brenna Aubrey

At Any Turn: A Billionaire Romance (Gaming the System Book 2) – Brenna Aubrey

At Your Pleasure – Meredith Duran

The Awakening of Ivy Leavold (Markham Hall Book 1) – Sierra Simone

Badd Motherf*cker (The Badd Brothers Book 1) – Jasinda Wilder

Bare Ass in Love (Hard, Fast, and Forever Book 1) – Sasha Burke

Because of Miss Bridgerton: A Bridgertons Prequel (Rokesbys Series Book 1) – Julia Quinn

The Bed and the Bachelor (Byrons of Braebourne Book 5) – Tracy Anne Warren

Betrayal (Infidelity Book 1) – Aleatha Romig

Beware That Girl – Teresa Toten

Beyond Scandal and Desire: A Sins for All Seasons Novel – Lorraine Heath

The Big Bad Office Wolf (Kings of the Tower Book 1) – May Sage

Bittersweet (True North Book 1) – Sarina Bowen

Blame It on Bath: The Truth About the Duke – Caroline Linden

Bound by Your Touch – Meredith Duran

The Bride (Lairds' Fiancees Book 1) – Julie Garwood

Bridget Jones's Diary: A Novel – Helen Fielding

Burn (The Breathless Trilogy Book 3) – Maya Banks

Burning Offer (Trevor's Harem Book 1) – Aubrey Parker

Captivated by You (Crossfire, Book 4) – Sylvia Day

Captive of Sin – Anna Campbell

Cash: A Power Players Stand-Alone Novel – Cassia Leo

Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson – Peter Ames Carlin

Catching Sin (Las Vegas Sin Book 2) – J. Saman

Catholicism For Dummies – John Trigilio

A Certain Age: A Novel – Beatriz Williams

Chasing Lady Amelia: Keeping Up with the Cavendishes – Maya Rodale

Checkmate: This is War (Travis & Viola, #1) (Checkmate Duet) – Kennedy Fox

Claiming the Courtesan (Avon Romantic Treasures) – Anna Campbell

Collide: Book One in the Collide Series – Gail McHugh

The Controversial Princess (The Smoke & Mirrors Duology Book 1) – Jodi Ellen Malpas

Crave: A Billionaire Bachelors Club Novel (Billionaire Bachelors Club Series Book 1) – Monica Murphy

Dating You / Hating You – Christina Lauren

Deal with the Devil (Forge Trilogy Book 1) – Meghan March

Desperate Duchesses – Eloisa James

Desperate to Touch (Hard to Love Book 2) – W. Winters

Destiny – Sally Beauman

Devil's Daughter: The Ravenels meet The Wallflowers – Lisa Kleypas

Dirty Sexy Inked (A Dirty Sexy Novel Book 2) – Carly Phillips

Dirty Sexy Saint (A Dirty Sexy Novel Book 1) – Carly Phillips

Double Down: Game Change 2012 – Mark Halperin

The Duchess Diaries: The Bridal Pleasures Series – Jillian Hunter

The Duchess Hunt (House of Trent Book 1) – Jennifer Haymore

The Duke and I (Bridgertons Book 1) – Julia Quinn

The Duke Is Mine (Fairy Tales Book 3) – Eloisa James

Duke of Scandal (Moonlight Square, Book 1) – Galen Foley

The Duke of Shadows – Meredith Duran

Duke of Sin (Maiden Lane Book 10) – Elizabeth Hoyt

The Duke's Holiday (The Regency Romp Trilogy Book 1) – Maggie Fenton

Dusk with a Dangerous Duke: A Lords of Vice Novel – Alexandra Hawkins

Edenbrooke: A Proper Romance – Julianne Donaldson

Elite (Elite Doms of Washington Book 1) – Elizabeth SaFleur

Entwined with You (Crossfire, Book 3) – Sylvia Day

Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar – Kelly Oxford

The Fall of Legend (Legend Trilogy Book 1) – Meghan March

The Fight for Forever (Legend Trilogy Book 3) – Meghan March

A Fine Imitation: A Novel – Amber Brock

The Fix Up – Kendall Ryan

Flowers from the Storm – Laura Kinsale

For Everly – Raine Thomas

For the Earl's Pleasure – Anne Mallory

For the Record – K.A. Linde

Gabriel's Inferno (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy Book 1) – Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel's Rapture (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy Book 2) – Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel's Redemption (Gabriel's Inferno Trilogy Book 3) – Sylvain Reynard

Going Down Easy (Billionaire Bad Boys Book 1) – Carly Phillips

A Good Debutante's Guide to Ruin: The Debutante Files (The Debutante Files Series Book 1) – Sophie Jordan

Good Girl: A Rockstar Romance (Wicked Book 1) – Piper Lawson

The Good Luck Charm – Helena Hunting

Grayson's Vow – Mia Sheridan

Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian (Fifty Shades of Grey Series Book 4) – E.L. James

Hard As Stone: Heart of Stone Series #8 – K.M. Scott

Hard to Love – W. Winters

The Hardest Fall – Ella Maise

Hating The Boss – Natalie Wrye

The Heir (Windham Book 1) – Grace Burrowes

Heiress in Love: A Ministry of Marriage Novel (The Ministry of Marriage Book 1) – Christina Brooke

Heiress Without A Cause (Muses of Mayfair Book 1) – Sara Ramsey

Hello Stranger: The Ravenels, Book 4 – Lisa Kleypas

Her Forbidden Love Match (A Willow Cove Novel, #1) – Theresa Paolo

Her Husband's Harlot (Mayhem in Mayfair Book 1) – Grace Callaway

Hidden Gabriel: Formerly Winter Peril (Hidden Alphas Book 1) – Victoria Pinder

Highland Surrender – Tracy Brogan

Highlander Betrayed (Guardians of the Targe Book 1) – Lauren Wittig

His Favorite Mistress: A Novel (The Mistress Trilogy Book 3) – Tracy Anne Warren

His Virgin: A First Time Romance (His and Hers Book 1) – Vivian Wood

Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling – Bret Hart

Hollywood Dirt – Alessandra Torre

Hollywood on Tap (Sweet Salvation Brewery) – Avery Flynn

The Hotel – Lola Darling

House of Scarlett (Legend Trilogy Book 2) – Meghan March

How a Lady Weds a Rogue: A Falcon Club Novel – Katharine Ashe

How to Marry a Duke Vicky Dreiling

How to Ravish a Rake – Vicky Dreiling

How to Seduce a Scoundrel – Vicky Dreiling

If He's Wicked (Wherlocke Book 1) – Hannah Howell

The Imperfectionists: A Novel – Tom Rachman

In the Arms of a Marquess (Rogues of the Sea Book 3) – Katherine Ashe

In the Unlikely Event – L.J. Shen

In Total Surrender – Anne Mallory

An Irresistible Temptation (The Cavallo Brothers Book 2) – Elsa Winckler

It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars Book 1) – Susan Elizabeth Philips

It Happened One Midnight: Pennyroyal Green Series – Julie Anne Long

It Started with a Scandal: Pennyroyal Green Series – Julie Anne Long

It's Not You: 27 (Wrong) Reasons You're Single – Sara Eckel

Just Roll With It (A Perfect Dish Book 4) – Tawdra Kandle

Kaleidoscope Hearts (A brother's best friend romance) – Claire Contreras

The Kingmaker (All the King's Men Duet Book 1) – Kennedy Ryan

Lady of Desire (Knight Miscellany Book 4) – Gaelen Foley

The Last Arrow (The Medieval Trilogy Book 3) – Marsha Canham

The Last Summer – Judith Kinghorn

Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results – John Baldoni

The Legend of Lyon Redmond: Pennyroyal Green Series – Julie Anne Long

Legend (The REAL series Book 6) – Katy Evans

Let's Do It: A Journey's End Novel – Ann Christopher

Life with My Sister Madonna – Christopher Ciccone

Lily and the Duke (Sex and the Season Book 1) – Helen Hardt

Lord of Scoundrels – Loretta Chase

Losing It – Cora Carmack

Lost Without You (The Debt Book 1) – Molly O’Keefe

A Loving Scoundrel: A Malory Novel (Malory-Anderson Family Book 7) – Johanna Lindsey

Luck Is No Lady (Fallen Ladies Book 1) – Amy Sandas

Lucky (Elite Doms of Washington Book 4) – Elizabeth SaFleur

A Mackenzie Clan Gathering (Mackenzies Series) – Jennifer Ashley

Mad About the Earl: A Ministry of Marriage Novel (The Ministry of Marriage Book 2) – Christina Brooker

Maid for the Billionaire (Book 1) (Legacy Collection) – Ruth Cardello

A Man Above Reproach – Evelyn Pryce

Manwhore (The Manwhore Series Book 1) – Katy Evans

Marriage For One – Ella Maise

Masques of Gold (Casablanca Classics Book 0) – Robert Gellis

Melt For Him (Fighting Fire Book 2) – Lauren Blakely

Midnight Angel (Stokehursts Book 1) – Lisa Kleypas

Midnight Pleasures With a Scoundrel (Scoundrels of St. James Book 4) – Lorraine Heath

Mine (The REAL series Book 2) – Katy Evans

Mine Till Midnight (Hathaways Book 1) – Lisa Kleypas

Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel (Beau Monde Book 1) – Samantha Grace

More Than Charming (Book 3 Dashing Nobles Series) – JoMarie DeGioia

The Most to Lose (The Redeemed series Book 1) – Laura Landon

Mr. Corporate (The Mister Series Book 3) – JA Huss

Mr Imperfect: Lost Boys #1 – Karina Bliss

Mr. Mysterious (The Mister Series Book 4) – JA Huss

Mr. Romantic (The Mister Series Book 2) – JA Huss

My Lady, My Lord: A Twist Series Novel – Katherine Ashe

My Notorious Gentleman (Inferno Club Book 6) – Gaelen Foley

My Reckless Surrender – Anna Campbell

My Ruthless Prince (Inferno Club Book 4) – Gaelen Foley

My Scandalous Viscount (Inferno Club Book 5) – Gaelen Foley

The Nearness of You – Iris Morland

Never a Mistress, No Longer a Maid (Kellington Book 1) – Maureen Driscoll

Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished: The Third Rule of Scoundrels (Rules of Scoundrels Book 3) – Sarah MacLean

No Mistress of Mine: An American Heiress in London – Laura Lee Guhrke

A Notorious Countess Confesses: Pennyroyal Green Series – Julie Anne Long

Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane Book 2) – Elizabeth Hoyt

Once a Soldier (Rogues Redeemed Book 1) – Mary Jo Putney

Once More, My Darling Rogue (Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James Book 2) – Lorraine Heath

One Last Time – Corinne Michaels

One Night in London: The Truth About the Duke – Caroline Linden

One Taste (The "One" Series Book 1) – K.A. Berg

One with You (Crossfire Series Book 5) – Sylvia Day

Only With Your Love (Vallerands Book 2) – Lisa Kleypas

The Paris Wife: A Novel – Paula McLain

Party Animals: A Hollywood Tale of Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll Starring the Fabulous Allan Carr – Robert Hofler

Perfect (Elite Doms of Washington Book 3) – Elizabeth SaFleur

The Phantom of the Opera – Gaston Leroux

The Pleasure of Your Kiss – Teresa Medeiros

Prince of Dreams (Stokehursts Book 2) – Lisa Kleypas

Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII – Deborah Cadbury

The Princess and the Peer (The Princess Brides series Book 1) – Tracy Anne Warren

Princess Charming: A Legendary Lovers Novel – Nicole Jordan

Pulse: Book Two in the Collide Series – Gail McHugh

A Rake's Midnight Kiss (Sons of Sin Book 2) – Anna Campbell

Reason to Wed (The Distinguished Rogues Book 7) – Heather Boyd

The Rebel Queen (The Rebel Queen Duet Book 2) – Jeana E. Mann

Refining Felicity (The School for Manners Series Book 1) – M.C. Beaton

Reflected in You (Crossfire, Book 2) – Sylvia Day

The Revenge of Lord Eberlin (The Secrets of Hadley Green) – Julia London

Ripped (The REAL series Book 5) – Katy Evans

Rock Me (Bodyguard Bad Boys Book 1) – Carly Phillips

Rogue (The REAL series Book 4) – Katy Evans

The Royal Arrangement (The Rebel Queen Duet Book 1) – Jeana E. Mann

Royally Bad (Bad Boy Royals Book 1) – Nora Flite

The Rule Book (Rule Breakers 1) – Jennifer Blackwood

The Scandal in Kissing an Heir: At the Kingsborough Ball – Sophie Barnes

Scandal Wears Satin (The Dressmakers Series Book 2) – Loretta Chase

A Scoundrel by Moonlight (Sons of Sin Book 4) – Anna Campbell

Seduced By A Scoundrel – Olivia Drake

The Seduction of Lady X – Julia London

The Seduction of Lord Stone (Dashing Widows) – Anna Campbell

Shattered With You (Stark Security Book 1) – J. Kenner

The Shoemaker's Wife: A Novel – Adriana Trigiani

Shutdown Player: Game On in Seattle (Seattle Sockeyes Book 7) – Jami Davenport

Signed (The Agency Series) – Marni Mann

A Single Glance (Irresistible Attraction Book 1) W. Winters

A Single Kiss (Irresistible Attraction Book 2) – W. Winters

A Single Touch (Irresistible Attraction Book 3) – W. Winters

The Six Wives of Henry VIII – Alison Weir

The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy (A Sleeping Beauty Novel) – A.N. Roquelaure

The Soldier (Windham Book 2) – Grace Burrowes

The Stolen Mackenzie Bride (Mackenzies Series Book 8) – Jennifer Ashley

The Studying Hours: How to Date a Douchebag – Sara Ney

Suddenly You – Lisa Kleypas

Summer Heat: A Storm Inside Novel (The Wild Pitch Series Book 1) – Alexis Anne

A Summer Seduction (Legend of St. Dwynwen Book 2) – Candace Camp

Tangled Beauty (Tangled, Book 1) – K.L. Middleton

Tank (Blue-Collar Billionaires Book 1) – M. Malone

Tempt the Devil – Anna Campbell

Tempted to Kiss (Hard to Love Book 3) – W. Winters

That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor – Anne Sebba

Thief of Shadows (Maiden Lane Book 4) – Elizabeth Hoyt

This Man (A This Man Novel Book 1) – Jodi Ellen Malpas

This Side of Paradise – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Three Nights of Sin – Anne Mallory

Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood – William J. Mann

To Beguile a Beast (Legend of the Four Soldiers series Book 3) – Elizabeth Hoyt

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

To Seduce a Sinner (Legend of the Four Soldiers series Book 2) – Elizabeth Hoyt

To Taste Temptation (Legend of the Four Soldiers series Book 1) – Elizabeth Hoyt

Too Distracting (The Lewis Cousins Book 3) – Bethany Lopez

Too Wicked to Kiss (Scoundrels & Secrets Book 1) – Erica Ridley

The Trouble With Being a Duke: At the Kingsborough Ball – Sophie Barnes

The Trouble with Dukes (Windham Brides Book 1) – Grace Burrowes

Troubles (Beekman Hills) – K.C. Enders

Truth or Beard: Enemies to Lovers Small Town Romantic Comedy (Winston Brothers Book 1) – Penny Reid

Twilight with the Infamous Earl: A Lords of Vice Novel – Alexandra Hawkins

Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps – Chris Jericho

Untouchable (Elite Doms of Washington Book 2) – Elizabeth SaFleur

Untouched – Anna Campbell

Victoria Victorious: The Story of Queen Victoria (Queens of England Book 3) – Jean Plaidy

The Viscount's Wicked Ways – Anne Mallory

Wallbanger (The Cocktail Series Book 1) – Alice Clayton

The Way to a Duke's Heart: The Truth About the Duke – Caroline Linden

We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals – Gillian Gill

Well Hung (Big Rock Book 3) – Lauren Blakely

What a Duke Dares (Sons of Sin Book 3) – Anna Campbell

What Color Is Your Parachute? 2019: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers – Richard N. Bolles

When a Duke Loves a Woman: A Sins for All Seasons Novel – Lorraine Heath

When the Duke Found Love (The Wylder Sisters Book 3) – Isabella Bradford

Where Good Girls Go to Die: A Second Chance Romance (The Good Girls Series Book 1) – Holly Renee

Wicked Becomes You – Meredith Duran

Wicked in Your Arms: Forgotten Princesses – Sophie Jordan

Wicked Intentions (Maiden Lane Book 1) – Elizabeth Hoyt

Written on Your Skin – Meredith Duran

#2020 reading challenge #books and literature #booksarelife #goodreads #romance novels #fiction #book review #reading list #reading

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thelarriefics · 6 years

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HISTORICAL FIC REC, Part II: Below you’ll find fics that take place in historical times. (Part I)

📖 won’t you wear my watermark by @bottomlinsons (90k)

The new Earl of Harrisson is a young man, an impulsive romantic, forced to shoulder too much responsibility far too soon. He is also Louis’ soulmate, but there’s nothing to be done about that. At least, as far as Louis is concerned.

The Earl, it seems, will take some convincing.

(A slow burn Regency AU featuring secrets, seduction and, our favourite, soulmarks.)

📖 Chasing Empty Spaces by @domestic-harry (79k)

The year is 1934 and Harry Styles was to inherent the largest tobacco firm in the south. His parents have picked out the “perfect” girl for him to marry and he has the privilege of receiving the highest education possible. The problem was, Harry hadn’t realized he didn’t actually want any part of that future until he met a mechanic named, Louis Tomlinson.

📖 Lend Me Your Hand by @becomeawendybird (60k)

A regency soulmate AU where Lord Louis Tomlinson has been waiting for the day he finds his soulmate and Harry Styles isn’t waiting to find his.

📖 keep this love in a photograph by @suspendrs (48k)

It’s 1919, and Harry’s been falling in love with his best friend for his entire life.

📖 All That You Are by @iamasphodelknox (40k)

Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson meet on a civilian boat, taking them home after their rescue from Dunkirk. Harry is won over by Louis’s smile and his plea to write letters but would never guess the long stretch of war would give him something he never imagined could be his.

📖 Along The Heather by @noellehenry (35k)

Jane Eyre AU/Victorian AU

Orphaned Harry Styles grows up with his cruel aunt and cousins, before he is sent away to a boys' boarding school, which teaches poor and orphaned boys. Even though his aunt tries to undermine Harry's experience at the school, he does well in school, and stays on at the school as a teacher after he graduates.

When he becomes restless after significant changes at the school, he applies for a job as a tutor at Thorgill Hall, teaching the younger brother of Mr. Louis Tomlinson. Harry develops romantic feelings for his pupil's brother...

Thorgill Hall,however, holds a secret; it’s becoming slightly more eerie every day and when his life is threatened, Harry makes a drastic decision…

📖 Our Sweetest Memorial by @softfonds (34k)

Ever since Harry was forced to break off an engagement five years ago, he resolved to never marry for the remainder of his life. Now his family must move out of his beloved Kellynch Hall to recover some of their debts that their father had accumulated. The last thing Harry expected was for the new tenants to be related to his former fiancee. And for that fiancee to come back to Somersetshire a much more wealthy man that still holds resentment for their past. A Persuasion AU.

📖 Lead Butterfly by @londonfoginacup (33k)

When the ship Harry lives on is boarded and overtaken by the crew of The Lady Charlotte, he thinks it’s going to be the end of the line. What he’s not expecting is to be brought onto the ship and provided safe passage. At least, as long as no one finds they’ve mistaken a common pirate for a noble.

📖 Forget-me-not by @whileatwiltshire (26k)

Where Harry had something he did not wish to have. Louis was just trying to figure him out.

📖 the dead things we carry by @mediawhorefics (25k)

There are some things people never fully come home from. Until, one day, if they’re lucky, home comes to them.

📖 Even Supposing- by @casuallyhl (14k)

Money is tight this year, Harry knows. As he strolls through the tailor’s shop, he knows this. But, Louis was right. This is their first Christmas as a married couple, and it’s the two year anniversary of when they met. He wants to surprise his husband with two wonderful gifts for his birthday and Christmas. He wants it to be unforgettable.

Or, a Dickensian London AU where Harry and Louis overcome illness, small budgets, and their own stubbornness to give each other an unforgettable first Christmas together.

📖 lead me out on the moonlit floor by @scrunchyharry (12k)

Victorian!AU where Louis is a wealthy lord throwing a masquerade ball for his birthday and Harry is a toymaker who's only confident when he's wearing a mask.

📖 A Stór Mo Chroí by @icanhazzalou (9k)

Louis is a young laird from Clan Sutherland and Harry the chieftain of Clan Gunn, and an alliance between their clans isn't enough to convince the two of them to get along.

📖 A Dangerous Night (To Fall In Love) by @suddenclarityharry (7k)

Harry has visions and sees the destruction of Pompeii before it happens. Now, how does he tell his best friend what's to come?

📖 A Word We've Only Heard by @lululawrence (6k)

It's 1951, Harry is the owner of a music shop, and Louis is a traveling salesman making his way back home.

📖 just keep on coming back to you by @thepriestthinksitsthedevil (6k)

The only thing that Louis could think of when he got shot was that he’d never get to tell Harry he loved him again. He was going to die, in the rain and the mud, amidst gunfire and explosions, and he was never going to get to hold Harry in his arms or kiss him or make love to him ever again.

📖 Baby, We Could Be Enough by @justalittlelouislove (5k)

Louis nudges his head toward the door. “Out there, people can barely be people, they’re so trampled down by laws and rules, expectations,” He says the last word like he’d rather spit it out, disgusted. “In here, there’s no right and wrong. No talk about how anyone should act, drink, say. There’s no laws.” Leaning forward, he stares deep into Harry’s eyes until the younger man’s cheeks bloom with a pink tint. “No sin,” He whispers.

📖 We Gotta Get Away From Here by @afangirlfantasy (4k)

a Royal AU where Prince Harold needs saving and Louis is his Knight in shining armor...sort of.

#historical fics #masterpost #hlsource #larry stylinson #larry fics

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if-you-fan-a-fire · 6 years

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“Given 3 Years for Possession of Marihuana,” The Globe and Mail. February 3, 1938. Page 04. --- Sister Sobs as Michigan Man Is Sentenced in Windsor --- $200 Fine Is Added --- Windsor, Feb. 2 (CP). - William De Bozy, 31, Plymouth, Mich., arrested Jan. 15, when the largest quantity of marihuana ever seized in Canada was found in his car, was sentenced to three years in Kingston Penitentiary today when he pleaded guilty to posssession of drugs. He must also pay a fine of $200 or serve an additional six months. Sentence was delayed momentarily when De Bozy’s sister, who sobbed throughout the trial, cried ‘Oh, no.’ in a loud voice at mention of a three-year term. Shaking with sobs, she was escorted from the court-room. Arrested by Mounties. De Bozy was arrested by Royal Canadian Mounted Police as he drove along a Windsor street with his fiancee after crossing from Detroit. Minute search of his automobile revealed eight tobacco tins filled with ground marihuana - enough for approximately 800 cigarets - and twenty-five ‘reefers’ or cigarets made of the weed. The ground weed was concealed in the trunk of the car and the Crown produced a steel hook as an exhibit, claiming it had been used to draw up the drug from its place of hiding. The hook was in the back of the car at the time of the seizure. Testimony revealed that Cora Arnold, Detroit, De Bozy’s fiancee, had been convicted in Detroit of selling the illegal weed. No charges were laid here against the girl. Admits Guilt. After his arrest last month, accused pleaded not guilty in city Police Court and after a preliminary hearing Jan. 24 was committed for trial before a higher court. He changed his plea to guilty today. Defense Counsel Gerald McHugh put in evidence tending to show that De Bozy picked the weed off a vacant lot near his home and kept the drug for his own use. De Bozy testified he acquired the habit of smoking ‘reefers’ while serving with the United States Army in Panama, and said the supply he had in his car was for his own use. Both Judge Wilson and Special Prosecutor Keith Laird described the story as incredulous, and Laird asked for a heavy sentence as a deterrent to the traffic into Canada. ‘Are you aware that marihuana causes murderous intent in some people,’ Laird asked the accused. ‘No,’ De Bozy replied. ‘It never affects me that way.’

[AL: This weed seizure was one of the first ever in Canada - not just the largest - and De Bozy’s defense that the ‘reefers’ he carried were for personal use is a reasonable one. Catherine Carstairs notes in Jailed for Possession (p. 31) that cannabis use was extremely rare in early 20th century Canada, figuring in almost no crime statistics until the Great Depression. That cannabis was even illegal is something of a mystery according to Carstairs - even in the 1950s it was relatively unknown even among habitual consumers of other controlled substances. Its status as an illegal drug appears to have originated in the 1911-1912 The Hague Opium Conference, attended by William Lyon Mackenzie King, where study and control of ‘Indian weed’ was discussed. The American government argued at later international meetings for a global ban on recreational use, which was put in use in 1925, though the United States did not pass federal laws against cannabis use until 1937. The Canadian government appears to have acted on the American lead. The little discourse I’ve found in newspapers about cannabis use frames it primarily as a foreign drug that had to be stopped from entering Canada - note the argument for ‘deterrence’ made by the Crown in this case. The ‘foreignness’ of cannabis is obvious in this story, too: De Bozy is an American, and first took up smoking ‘reefers’ when stationed in Panama. De Bozy was 30, single, from McKeesport, of Hungarian parentage, with no previous convictions. He was convict #4922 at Kingston Penitentiary and worked in the kitchen. He was deported May 1940 back to the United States.]

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liveonlinematches · 6 years

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Via Conor Laird Created on: December 12, 2017 five:08 pm Ultimate Up to date: December 12, 2017 five:08 pm

Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof has as of late printed that he’s going to be auctioning off a singular enjoy for his facet’s Premier League matchup with Arsenal subsequent April.

Bettering

Swedish world Lindelof, who arrived at Previous Trafford from Portuguese outfit Benfica throughout the summer time, has persisted a big upturn in shape over fresh weeks, following a hard begin to existence within the English top-flight.

Supporters of the Purple Devils have singled the stopper out for enormous reward on a couple of events over the previous couple of weeks, along with his no-nonsense nature having ended in expanding ideas that he’s going to quickly turn out to be a company fan-favourite among the Previous Trafford trustworthy.

Good gesture

And his rising recognition with United’s supporters could have been performed no hurt by means of a statement made at the Instagram web page of the 23-year-old’s fiancee previous as of late.

The announcement in query includes an public sale for the danger to win a travel to Previous Trafford subsequent April for Manchester United’s Premier League conflict with Arsenal, with the winner set to look at the fit from Lindelof’s personal stadium sales space.

As according to Reddit consumer Xanthic:

‘The public sale features a keep for 7 individuals of their field at Previous Trafford, unfastened foods and drinks and visiting the participant’s living room after the sport accompanied by means of Maja (Lindelof’s fiancee) herself.’

I år är jag och Victor med i @musikhjalpen. In och buda här https://t.co/g9IP1QHLWB http://pic.twitter.com/zLUrYnzTiZ

— Maja Nilsson (@majanilsson) December 12, 2017

The public sale is ready to boost finances for Swedish charity match Musikhjälpen, this yr operating in opposition to kid trafficking. A hyperlink to the public sale may also be discovered right here.

The present best bid is ready at over 10 thousand Euro, with five days closing.

Juventus celebrity prefers Chelsea to Manchester United

Jurgen Klopp & Arsene Wenger sign up for forces after Guy United’s brawl with Guy Town

GAMBLING CAN BE ADDICTIVE, PLEASE PLAY RESPONSIBLY

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http://ift.tt/2yhZJ0k football

#liveonlinematches #Cricket #Football

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hollywoodbeachgolfresort · 7 years

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What’s it like managing Dustin Johnson — ‘the John Wayne’ of golf?

(CNN)Researching US college golf results a decade ago, veteran sports agent Rocky Hambric’s eye was caught by the name of Dustin Johnson.

Although Johnson played at a small school in South Carolina — Coastal Carolina University in Conway — his results were so good that Hambric decided to send one of his associates, David Winkle, to watch him play.

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“I immediately got a phone call back saying ‘This guy is just unbelievable, he is a physical specimen like we’ve never seen in golf, he hits it further than I have ever seen,'” Hambric told CNN in a rare interview.

After seeing Johnson play for himself, Hambric — the founder and chief executive of Hambric Sports — decided to recruit the athletic American and, in his final year at college in 2007, the future world No.1 signed with Hambric’s company.

Golf’s past & present: Fitzpatrick, Jutanugarn

The 33-year-old Johnson has won at least one tournament a year in the past decade, collecting a total 15 career victories.

He has become one of the sport’s richest players — he earned $27.6 million last year to rank 48th in Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes – with a string of lucrative endorsement contracts, including German sportswear company Adidas and Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot.

After a couple of near-misses, he finally broke his major duck when he won the US Open last year and is now the world’s top-ranked golfer and joint-favorite to win the Open, which began Thursday at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.

‘Accidental sports agent’

Although Hambric has been a golf agent for 40 years, his entry into the world of sports was “almost accidental.”

A tax accountant based in Dallas, Texas, Hambric had become friends with pro golfer Larry Nelson, who had asked him for some business advice in the late 1970s.

“After doing a couple of years of that, Larry came to me one day and said ‘I think you should be doing this as your primary occupation,'” Hambric recalled.

When Nelson won the second of three majors at the 1983 US Open, Hambric decided to take the plunge. He sold his financial advisory business to his partner to become a full-time golf agent.

“It grew fairly quickly,” said Hambric who, at one stage, represented the four winners of the major championships held between the 1986 and 1987 PGA Championships.

How to find the next big thing?

Dustin Johnson wins 2016 U.S. Open

Fast-forward to 2017, Hambric Sports represents 33 golfers, including this year’s US Open winner, Brooks Koepka, and Scotland’s Martin Laird. It has offices in Dallas and Dublin and recently opened a third, in Los Angeles.

Although the game has changed since Hambric became a sports agent, there is one constant when it comes to finding golf’s next big thing.

“One thing that has never been changed in the 40 years that I’ve been doing it is that you look for character,” said Hambric, whose business strategy is based on signing players that are about to turn pro.

“You look for someone who has the character to persevere, because the game will always present challenges,” he added. “The game of golf is substantially mental, not just physical, and the game itself kind of wears guys down. So we look for that character first, and then to the attributes to the game.”

READ: American trio share open lead

READ: Dustin Johnson: “I was fed up with just being good.”

Johnson’s challenges

WATCH: Living Golf — golf’s past and present

Johnson has had his fair share of off-course issues, taking six months off in 2014 to address what he called “personal challenges.”

“The public will never know the extent of which he has worked on himself in every possible way, to make himself a better man, a better father, a better golfer,” Hambric said. “I have never had a client who worked that hard on a personal transformation.”

‘The Great One’

Hambric credits Johnson’s resurrection partly to the wisdom of age and also to the support of his family — his fiancee, Paulina Gretzky, their two young children, and his father-in-law, Canadian ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky.

Just being around an athlete of the caliber of Wayne Gretzky, the all-time leading scorer in the National Hockey League, a man nicknamed “The Great One,” is an inspiration.

Visit CNN.com/golf for more news and videos

“It’s more the osmosis of being around someone,” Hambric said.

“I know Wayne makes a comment from time-to-time, but I don’t think it’s ever to the extent of saying ‘oh let’s sit down and talk about this.’ I think it’s one of those things that is, in a way, like a father and a son, where the dad says something that sticks in the son’s mind for the rest of his life. But there is no doubting the influence, let’s put it that way.”

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/21/golf/the-open-golf-agent-dustin-johnson/index.html

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