19
Jul202010
‘Books We Love’ with Kate from Babbling About Books & More!
by Carolyn • Posted in Books We Love
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Books We Love is a regular fortnightly feature here at Book Chick City. It’s where we discuss our favourite books; the books we absolutely adore, would recommend over and over again, and will keep forever on our bookshelves. I hope you enjoy and find some new-to-you authors and books to read. You can view the full schedule HERE.
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My guest today is Kate (aka Katiebabs) from Babbling About Books & More, who has a love for romance books. As well as reading and reviewing them, Kate is also writing them. Under the name KT Grant, she had her first GLBT ebook published earlier this year entitled Lovestruck. Kate is also very chatty, so if you would like to say hi make sure you stop by her blog or on twitter.
I haven’t heard of either of these books and they both sound amazing, especially A Long Fatal Love Chase *have added to wishlist*. I love finding new books to read! So, without further ado, I give you Kate and the books she loves…
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When Carolyn aka Book Chick City asked me to post about my most favorite books, I found myself in a difficult place. There are so many incredible books out there to recommend. Where does one start?
Instead of posting about very well known beloved books, I’m here to talk about two book gems that I will never forget and ones you may have not heard of.
Louisa May Alcott’s, A Long Fatal Love Chase was written two years before Little Women, but only to be rejected at the time because it was “too sensational” by one of the magazines she wrote it for. The manuscript was found and finally published in 1996 and is one of my all time favorite historical romances. If you are a fan of the Bronte Sisters’ gothic romances such as Wuthering Heights and Jane Eye, then A Long Fatal Love Chase is perfect for you! The villain of the piece, the seductive amoral Phillip Tempest, who is twice the age of the sweet and innocent heroine, Rosamond Vivian puts both Heathcliff and Rochester to shame.
Phillip at first seems to be the perfect hero. He comes along, romances Rosamond and takes her away as his wife and gives her the world. He loves her desperately and because of that he becomes obsessed with her. Phillip is the worst kind of liar. Rosamond finds out that he is secretly married and may have killed is own son. She runs from him and for two years he stalks her, doing whatever he can to make her come back to him. Rosamond finds love with another man, a priest, who loves her also, but they know because of his calling in life, they can only be just friends. The shocking ending to this tragic gothic like romance that Louisa May Alcott was all too skilled at writing is a must read for any historical romance fan. Phillip is so evil, but written in such a way where you almost want Rosamond to forgive him.
I’m not a big fan of werewolves in books. But the way Donna Boyd wrote The Passion in 1999, about the hidden world of the loup-garou, ala werewolves is rich, romantic and swoonworthy. This present day novel told from the eyes of Alexander Devoncroix, has him flashing back to 1897 when a human woman, Tessa, falls in love for him. They can never be together as lovers or husband and wife because of their different species, but still, Alexander welcomes Tessa into his world… with disastrous results. Alexander’s brother, Denis hates him with a passion and because of that Tessa suffers. Denis is a very unique type of villain who is redeemed at the end of this tale because he embraces Tessa in ways Alexander never could. The ending send shocks throughout my body and is so tragic.
A Long Fatal Love Chase and The Passion are two incredibly written books that you leave you wanting more. And when two books such as these have you re-reading them too many times to count, you know you have found a wonderful treasure indeed.
What are your special book gems that you found, but many other readers may not know about?
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Thanks Kate!
Check out Kate’s blog, Babbling About Books & More or stop by and say hello on Twitter: @katiebabs, Goodreads or Facebook.
19 Comments
+JMJ+
Such interesting choices! Not only was this the first time I've seen someone choose A Long Fatal Love Chase for her favourite book, but it was also the first time I saw it reviewed so positively! It also makes a tantalising pair with The Passion. I tried to read Alcott's book many years ago and found it unreadable, but I think I could give it another try now.
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The Passion sounds fantastic!!=)
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Oooh, I haven't read either of these but they sound fabulous.
Another great feature!
xx,
E.J.
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Louisa May Alcott can basically do no wrong (in my book)! A Long Fatal Love Chase was one that didn't get the recognition of Little Women but was just as brilliant!
Great Second Pick Katie–Had never heard of Donna Boyd will have to check her out
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Thanks for having me
Enbrethiliel: A Long Fatal Love Chase is a bit fanatical and reminds me of Wuthering Heights with the undying love, obsession and emotional intensity of the characters. One of my all time favorite romances.
Chas: The Passion will make your swoon
E.J.: Do try them. They are beautifully written stories with such angst, emotion and romance.
Felicia: There is a sequel to The Passion called The Promise that takes place in present day about the actions from The Passion. I really thought Boyd would make these books a series, but she only wrote two, which makes me believe her publisher didn't want any more
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Katie Darlin' I adore Long Fatal Love Chase and so I'm off to pick up The Passion.
I remember reading LFLC before it came out – I worked in a bookstore and my boss handed it to me because it was Alcott. I'd never read a romance before and hadn't thought of this as one b/c of all the rule breaking.
Made my book club read it last year and they were all jaw dropped at the end!
THANKS for the recs!
-bria
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I haven't heard of either of these books, but they both sound interesting, Katie (I've been calling you Katie all this time, but should I be calling you Kate?)
Thanks for hosting another interesting favorite books post, Carolyn!
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Bria: Oh yes that ending! Wow.
Rebecca: I go by many names and many personalities it seems! LOL.
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Holy crap, Katie. I had never heard of A LONG FATAL LOVE CHASE before and now I think I must read it immediately. It sounds incredible. Thanks so much for the rec!
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Little Women is one of my most re-read favorite books but I haven't read anything else by the author besides Little Men and Jo's Boys. My special book gem is Scruffy by Jack Stoneley.
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great picks, ps just thought i would let you know, i emailed you back!
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Angie: A Long Fatal Love Chase is so swoonworthy and full of suspense, tension and obsession. Can't get enough!
Ladytink: I was so surprised to see that Alcott wrote some heavy and dark stories with very sensual undertones. Her short stories are full of dark, gothic suspense about women who get back at the men that did them wrong.
Blueicegal: Thanks!
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I am getting these books, they sound amazing. How have I not ever heard about these before? :/ What a great post.
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Cool choices. The Passion sounds so awesome, I want to read it now!!
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I had not heard of A Long Fatal Love Chase! That sounds fantastic…thanks for the recommendations Kate.
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Thanks again everyone. I'm all for pimping different books
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+JMJ+
Katiebabs: If Alcott preferred to be writing in the style of the Bronte sisters (I remember one of the characters of Jo's Boys openly saying that "little Charlotte Bronte" was dearer to her than George Eliot), then she must have been more than a little frustrated by what she eventually became known for! I still chuckle over that other bit in Jo's Boys, more openly autobiographical, in which Jo Bhaer is at her wit's end because of all the adoring fans who come visiting Plumfield. But it's really a little sad, isn't it? Everyone loved her for books like Little Women and nobody really knew that she could write stories like A Long Fatal Love Chase.
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Enbrethiliel: Have you heard of the PBS autobiography on Alcott that aired a few months ago? It was discussed how she loved writing more adult and darker novels versus the childrens book she became famous for.
There maybe hundreds of short stories and books written by Alcott that are still a mystery because she wrote under another pen name and no one knew it was her.
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+JMJ+
No, I hadn't known about that! It certainly fits, doesn't it?
I am as tantalised as you are by the idea that there are more Alcott stories and novels we might never know she wrote! I remember a scene from another children's book of hers (not a March family novel) in which the heroine is thinking of accepting a proposal from a man she doesn't really love but who admires her and swears to do right by her. Alcott explicitly compares this heroine to her counterparts in the French Romances of the day, noting that the one difference is that her own heroine won't do the obvious tragic thing and marry the fellow. (Ha!)
I find her moralising strain a little too "New England Puritan" in her children's books, but it would be fascinating to see how it works out in her "lurid thrillers" (Jo's term!), wouldn't it?
Anyway, I know this thread is really old (by blog standards, almost ancient!). I appreciate the conversation, Katiebabs, but I won't keep dragging you back here when you must have more current things to do. =)
PS–We have met before, but I don't know if you'll remember. I was "Schola" on the AAR boards.
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