Heather Lynn Rigaud - Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star

I am no stranger to romance novels; I've read different books that fall under the ambiguous genre such as paranormal ones, the Lords of the Underworld series for example, and the more mundane, the first in the Sinners on Tour and numerous chick-lit books, and I'm not particularly prudish when it comes to matters of romance so this modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice intrigued me where I knew the relationships that I had enjoyed from Austen's classic escalated to a greater degree than the original, something that could be interesting if handled well.

Fitzwilliam Darcy: Rock Star is the modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice written by Heather Lynn Rigaud.  Most people know the story, having read the book or seen the film and/or TV series; Pride and Prejudice follows the exploits of Elizabeth Bennett and her four sisters as they meet Fitzwilliam Darcy and his friend, Charles Bingley; immediately, Elizabeth and Darcy clash because they find one another to have too much pride and events conspire to keep them apart even though they slowly fall in love with one another.  It's a classic love story which makes many people swoon and has been retold in many ways, Fitzwilliam Darcy: Rock Star is just one more to add to the collection, providing someone else's perspective on the story.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Romance fans; not for the Austen purists

Favourite Characters: Darcy

Favourite Part: Darcy's lips curled.  "I think I like calling you Elizabeth.  It's something no one else does."
Elizabeth nodded.  "Except my mother, when she's mad."
Darcy lost the battle against his self-control and leaned over and kissed her smiling lips.  "Perhaps you could call me Fitzwilliam, since no one else does," he said conversationally, the tone of his voice was greatly relaxed.
She replied in the same easy tone, "Not even your sister, when she's mad?"
Darcy shook his head.  "No, she hits me when she's mad."
"That's because you're a moron," Georgiana grumbled from ahead of them.
Elizabeth laughed, her buoyant joy warming Darcy as he watched her, completely bewitched. - Page 312

Good Points: Characters adapted well into the story; shows other points of view; music being a connection between Elizabeth and Darcy

Bad Points: Sex scenes become excessive; missed the Bennetts

Film Addict's March Film Choice

For this month and next I have decided to choose relatively new additions to my vast film collection that I have bought on a whim recently or because I like the actor and I missed it when the film was released in the cinema if they are recent.  For the Film Addict's March Film Choice, I have chosen Begin Again.

Begin Again is the 2013 musical comedy-drama directed by John Carney, starring Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean series, Pride & Prejudice) and Mark Ruffalo (Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Kids are Alright) in the lead roles.  Supporting stars include Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, Ender's Game), Adam Levine (leader singer of Maroon 5, American Horror Story), James Corden (Into the Woods, One Chance), Yasiin Bey (The Italian Job, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), CeeLo Green (musician), and Catherine Keener (Captain Phillips, Into the Wild).

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Ruffalo and Knightley fans

Favourite Characters: Steve - fantastic secondary character shone amongst the cast

Favourite Part: Greta: [...] No, I love your songs.  I'm...I'm...I'm being fucking horrendous right now which is exactly why I need to, um, I need to go home.
Steve: It's exactly why you need to come with.  [Slams Greta's laptop closed] Come on, I insist.
Greta: I really...
Steve: [Interrupts] Pick that up and come with me.  You're coming.  I'm not leaving you here.
Greta: Okay.
Steve: Come back, I'll find your fucking head in the oven.  Come on.

Good Points: How Dan and Greta were introduced; the music; the way New York was captured; funny; the closeness of the leads

Bad Points: Musical montages were a bit much after a while

Oliver Cunning - Backstage Pass

Whenever I read a non-fiction book, I have the urge to alternate between it and a fiction book for some reason, maybe I need to have some form of escapism, go into a fictional world all of the time.  So while reading A Moveable Feast, I started to read Backstage Pass to provide a contrast between reality and fiction.

Backstage Pass is the first in Olivia Cunning's Sinners on Tour series which focusses on the metal band Sinners; like Michelle A. Valentine's Black Falcon series, each book in the series focusses on a separate band member.  Many of Olivia Cunning's books focus on musicians and their love lives due to her love of music that she's had since she was a kid, seeing Styx for the first time, and that is combined with her love of romance fiction; it's a wonderful concept and many have done it but each have their own twists on the concept and I can't wait to read Cunning's variations.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Adult audience

Favourite Characters: Brian - very sweet and loveable

Favourite Part: "Just love me, Myrna," he whispered against her lips.  "Please."
She turned her head to break his kiss.  "What did you say?"
He stared over her head, swallowing several times.  "Make love to me,  Myrna.  Please." - Page 268

Good Points: The characters and their personalities; the story; the relationships explored were interesting; great combination of different elements; better than Black Falcon series

Bad Points: Not a lot of story in comparison to the amount of time the couple spend together

Film Addict's February Film Choice

Please not this is about the British cut of The Boat That Rocked, not the American.

I was gutted at the beginning of this month when I found out that Philip Seymour Hoffman had died of a drug overdose because I loved his work and I loved him as Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire so I decided to review a film that he was in this month as the Film Addict's February Choice.

The Boat That Rocked (also known as Pirate Radio in North America) is the 2009 British comedy film from Richard Curtis (About Time, Love Actually) starring Bill Nighy (a Curtis favourite who is also in About Time and Love Actually), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Capote), Nick Frost (Cornetto Trilogy with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, Paul) and Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, The Amazing Spider-Man) to name a handful of the actors.  Excluding Hoffman, all the other actors who portrayed the main characters were either British or Irish, making Hoffman stand out; while I was studying Media at school and university, one thing we discussed about British films was that they would tend to have an American actor amongst the top billing actors because they would make the film marketable to the American audience as well as the British.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Richard Curtis lovers; 1960s music lovers

Favourite Characters: Simon - he was so adorable; the Count - got to love him

Favourite Part: Dr. Dave: Climb for America, sir.
[...]
If you fall, you will die.
[...]
Step away from the edge you silly bastards, this is madness.

Good Points: The tension between the Count and Gavin culminating in playing Chicken; great ensemble; the chemistry between each of the characters; the music; the inclusion of the station's listeners

Bad Points: Elenore - she was just a horrible character

Michelle A. Valentine - Rock the Heart

So now for a new series and author altogether and a different story entirely for me which made it interesting for me because it was so unusual in context to other books.

Rock the Heart is the first book in Michelle A. Valentine's romance series, Black Falcon, which revolves around the band of the same name and their developing romantic relationships.  Each book, four full length books in total, focuses on one member in particular so that more time can be spent on each man and everything isn't told so rapidly.  This series appears to be self-published as which is impressive from my point of view as it is mostly well written.

Rating: 8

Recommended To: Adult audience

Favourite Characters: Riff - intriguing

Favourite Part: A tear rolls down my cheek, and I turn my head away from him.  "Please stop hurting me"  The words only come out as a whisper, but I know he hears them. - Page 268

Good Points: The way it was written; the concept; Noel; the ending

Bad Points: Typing errors; past could have been reflected on more