French edition of The Last Hellion

This just arrived.  I particularly love the series title the French editions have given my first four historical romances—The Lion's Daughter, Captives of the Night, Lord of Scoundrels, and The Last Hellion.

In France, the series is Les Débauchés.

Now why didn't I think of that?

Silk is for Seduction a RUSA top pick

I'm delighted to announce that "the expert readers’ advisory librarians on the Reference and User Services Association’s (RUSA) Reading List Council have made Silk is for Seduction their 2012 top pick in Romance.  You can read the complete list here.

Time to vote in All About Romance Reader Poll

The Bookworm and her Favorite Book

I'm slow with this, as with most things.  Luckily for me, the voting goes on for another week.

It's that time again.  All About Romance is conducting its 16th Annual Reader Poll.  This is your chance to voice your opinions of new books published in 2011.  But you don't have forever.  The poll ends Sunday 29 January.  

Here's your ballot.   Now please, opine!









Illustration:  Will Houghton, The Bookworm and her Favorite Book, 1914, courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540.  Please click on caption for details.

The Sandalwood Princess a Desert Isle Keeper at AAR

Reviewer Jean Wan has given my last traditional Regency, The Sandalwood Princess, another look, and honored it with a DIK review at All About Romance.

Though currently out of print, and out of stock in my private stash of OOP books, The Sandalwood Princess is in lineto be digitized this year. 

Original Avon edition

Signet double

Color your own ball dress for January 1808

I posted La Belle Assemblée's color plate for January 1808 at Two Nerdy History Girls.  This interesting ball dress, alas, appears only in black & white.  I've come across this before:  hand-colored plates for colorful fashions, and black & white for white dresses.  It's not a rule, by any means—one often sees hand-colored fashion plates of white dresses—but, especially in the earlier part of the century, maybe it made more sense to reserve hand-coloring for colorful clothes.  Still, you can make yours a different color, if you like, or maybe just add touches of color here and there.

No. 3.—A BALL DRESS IN THE PARISIAN STYLE.
A Neapolitan robe and petticoat, of white, or coloured satin, made quite plain. Armorial vest of white satin, beaded in gold stripes. A cestus d-la-Cleopatra, composed of wrought gold and amethysts. Hanging sleeve, gathered in front of the arm, with brooches of the same. The hair confined from the roots, the ends flowing in irregular curls, leaving the forehead and temples exposed. An Indian casque of tissue, with amethyst ornaments. A long veil of gossamer gause, rounded at the end, and embroidered in a delicate border of silver, or silk, flowing from the centre of the crown, over the right shoulder, and forming a drapery in front of the figure by the attitude of the left hand. Pear ear-rings of amethyst or pearl. Necklace of pearl, with amethyst star in the centre. White satin slippers, edged with silver beading, and white kid gloves above the elbow.
—La Belle Assemblée, Volume 3, 1807