Reading- Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects

I love Thrall. I wish he were still clan chief. ~sigh~ I'm enjoying the book very much, and I especially love all the revelations Thrall experiences when journeying through the timeways. It's making me want to play WoW so, so, SO much, though! And I told myself I would take a break. Very. Difficult.

Alegretto and Melanthe Again

I'm procrastinating a simple task and keeping my mind off of something unpleasant; either of these endeavors might lead me to read, and today offers no exception. So. I read a few more pages of my beloved For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale, and this scene with Alegretto is perfection. I share it here:

[Ruck, the hero, enters the room to see Melanthe in nothing but a kirtle, cut open at the sides to expose bare flesh from ankles to waist, ooh la la]

As she chose a necklace and belt of copper gilt and black enamel, the youth at his side moved, sliding a grin at Ruck, lolling across the bed to pluck the jewelry from her hands.


She bent her head as he clasped the necklace at her nape and smoothed his fingers down her throat. He was sixteen, mayhap less, scarce half her age or Ruck's, with black hair and skin as soft as hers. He stroked her as a lover would, bending to fasten the belt about her waist, kissing her shoulder as he did it.

I just love this entire scene. Laura Kinsale is my hero.

More on Melanthe

Have I mentioned how much I love Melanthe's heartlessness? Here are some quotes I adore, showcasing her detachment when men try to court her (it's revealed very early in the story that she'll be assassinated if she accepts marriage or attention from any man, for reasons that are complicated to explain here):

She began to encourage him, though he needed no encouragement from her to lead himself to his own humiliation. She was angry at him, but smiled. She regretted him, but she smiled still, ruthless, laughing at his wit, complimenting his banquet.

I love her. She's flawed and complex. And she's paranoid that everyone talks about her. Here's a quote from the beginning of the story, when she's sitting at a banquet with the gyrfalcon she brings with her everywhere, sure that everyone is gossiping about her behind her back:

There-- that woman in the blue houpelande, leaning back to speak to the next table-- she was no doubt complaining to her neighbor that such a gyrfalcon as Princess Melanthe carried was too great for a woman to fly. Nothing in the duke's mews could match it; not even the Black Prince himself owned such a bird. The insolence, that she would display it so at the duke's own feast! Immodesty! Wicked vanity and arrogance!

Melanthe gave the woman a long dispassionate stare and had the pleasure of watching her victim turn white with dismay at the attention.

It's that last line that really cinches it for me. Melanthe is so sure of her own imagined scenario of what the woman in the blue houpeland is saying, that she cuts her with a cold glance, but moreover, she enjoys watching the woman squirm! I love Melanthe. She's everything awesome and real and wonderful to me.

One of my favorite lines of hers is simply this:

Since she felt the urge to smile, she followed the primary rule of her existence and did not do it.

Melanthe. Alegretto. I love these character.

Imagine a girl, trusting and unprepared for the vices thrust upon her in a cruel world. Who would she become? How would she survive? The Princess Melanthe is one of the coldest romance novel heroines I've ever read, and an eternal favorite. She's not sweet, though the story hints that once she was. I love that by the end of the story she still isn't sweet, though bits of softness come through here and there when she feels safe. Ultimately, she's learned that showing vulnerability leads to an opening for people to hurt her, and has become calculating in the extreme. 

Ruck is the hero, but Melanthe and her closest friend, Alegretto, are what make For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale one of my all-time favorite books.

Alegretto is androgynous. Feline. Elegant. Clever. A ruthless killer. He's cunning, charming and utterly devoted to himself and oddly, to Melanthe. They are similar creatures, so perhaps this shouldn't be odd, but for someone so completely selfish, I suppose I always wondered what made him crave Melanthe's acceptance and attention. Loneliness, maybe. The recognition of another damaged soul.

I still haven't read Alegretto's novel-- mainly out of fear. He is so completely perfect to me, I almost don't want to see him in his own story. I'm afraid his essence won't be the same.

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn: Sleep-Deprived Ramblings

I've been up since 2am and I can't sleep, but at least I'm almost finished with Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn. It's a fun read, and just the kind of story I love from JQ-- light and sweet-- though it's a little on the lighter side than normal. Not tons of depth, but a cute historical, which is what I was in the mood for. If you've read JQ before you might recognize the Smythe-Smith girls, who I've always wanted her to write stories about. Marcus and Honoria are adorable together, and even though it won't make my favorite list or anything, I'd recommend it if you're already a JQ fan. If you're new to Julia Quinn's writing I suggest starting with the Bridgerton series.

I think Just Like Heaven starts a four book series? I'm not sure. It's almost 5:30 in the morning and I'm notorious for getting the facts mixed up even on a full-night's sleep!