#was when prince william and kate got married and i would have sworn on my mom's life | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

critic-corner · 5 years

Text

13 Contemporary Rom-Com Novels That You’ll (Probably) Love

Even though this is a mainly fashion and film blog, I do like to consider this a platform where I get to share my thoughts and opinions on anything of interest properly and well, reading is a big passion of mine. Even though I do talk about it on Instagram a little but, for whatever reason I don't on this blog.

Many of my reader friends ask me for recommendations, so I took this as an opportunity to create some book-related lists even though it's a little hard to do that because lists are never-ending. Anyway, I'll try. Also, don’t worry it’s not gonna turn into a book blog, it’ll just be a small segment of my entire blog.

You can click on the book title to get your own copy!

One Day In December

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic... and then her bus drives away. Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be. What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered.

I have never understood the love at first sight trope but because this story travels for ten years where the characters get to know each other intimately, it worked out perfectly. My favorite part about the book was how you will see these characters grow and make important life decisions. By the end, I was so emotionally invested that I was sad when the book ended.

This is definitely one of my favorite contemporary novels. I have been recommending to all of my friends, even the ones that don’t read that often. If you are a rom-com fan, get this book because it’ll simply warm your heart.

You can get your copy on Amazon - paperback or kindle.

The Royal We

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and fame. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face. Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become. Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

If you know me, you’d know that I’m a royal family nerd. So, when I came to know about this book last year, I was all over it because it seemed like a perfect escape. And while I was expecting it to be all cheesy, I was surprised by how realistic it seemed. Yes, it has been heavily influenced by the Kate-William romance, but that only added to the thrill of it. If you want a nice royal romance which also seems relatable, this is definitely the way to go!

You can get your copy on Amazon.

This Love Story Will Self-Destruct

Meet Eve. She’s a dreamer, a feeler, a careening well of sensitivities who can’t quite keep her feet on the ground, or steer clear of trouble. She’s a laugher, a crier, a quirky and quick-witted bleeding-heart-worrier. Meet Ben. He’s an engineer, an expert at leveling floors who likes order, structure, and straight lines. He doesn’t opine, he doesn’t ruminate, he doesn’t simmer until he boils over. So naturally, when the two first cross paths, sparks don’t exactly fly. But then they meet again. And again. And then, finally, they find themselves with a deep yet fragile connection that will change the course of their relationship—possibly forever.

This book was been marketed as When Harry Met Sally reimagined and I couldn’t disagree more. Apart from the fact that the two characters meet time and again, there isn’t much else relating this story with the movie and that’s not a bad thing. I just don’t want you guys to shocked like I was. Rom-coms have a fluffy, carefree vibe to them and technically, it has those aspects, but there is an underlying sadness to the story because of the female character (with whom I surprisingly found myself relating with, by the way).

I am that person who prefers character-driven stories over plot-driven ones and while this book doesn’t really fall in either of those categories, I fell in love with the two main leads. It’s been months since I read this book and they still casually pop up in my head every now and then, and I constantly find myself talking about them like they are real people. If you are a fan of emotionally-driven romantic novels, you might like this one.

You can get your copy on Amazon - paperback or kindle.

Unmarriageable

In this one-of-a-kind retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in modern-day Pakistan, Alys Binat has sworn never to marry—until an encounter with one Mr. Darsee at a wedding makes her reconsider.

One thing to always keep in mind before reading a retelling is that you cannot expect it to be amazing. At most, it can be great. I’m saying this because the ghost of the original and the eventual comparison will always be lingering over the book which will definitely hinder the reading experience. So, just go into it expecting a nice time, and not hoping to find your all-time favorite (if you do, then obviously that’s great).

Coming to Unmarriageable, the original premise of Pride & Prejudice fits perfectly on a Pakistani back-drop, or just any desi family. And while I was expecting to fall in love with the romance, I ended up enjoying the social commentary that Soniah Kamal did and that was probably because of how similar Indian people are. All in all, it was not the best Pride & Prejudice re-tellings (I think I’m yet to find that), but I sure as hell had a fun time reading it.

You can get your copy on Amazon.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine. Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

This is one contemporary novel that has managed to step out that genre and successfully enter the literary talks. I have been hearing about this book for over a year and absolutely fell in love with it. If you are not the best in social situations and have a hard time navigating through them, you might like it very much. The story is told entirely through her point of view so it was very interesting to see this lonely person find her way to life (albeit unknowingly). What surprised me was just how funny the novel was. This can easily become one of your favorites!

Also, I have to appreciate the cover designer of this novel. There are two covers and both of them are genuinely so amazing!

You can get your copy on Amazon.

Always Never Yours

17-year-old Megan Harper is about due for her next sweeping romance. It's inevitable—each of her relationships starts with the perfect guy and ends with him falling in love... with someone else. But instead of feeling sorry for herself, Megan focuses on pursuing her next fling, directing theater, and fulfilling her dream college's acting requirement in the smallest role possible. So when she’s cast as Juliet (yes, that Juliet) in her high school’s production, it’s a complete nightmare. Megan’s not an actress, and she’s used to being upstaged—both in and out of the theater. Then she meets Owen Okita, an aspiring playwright inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare's R+J. A character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. Megan agrees to help Owen with his play in exchange for help catching the eye of a sexy stagehand/potential new boyfriend. Yet Megan finds herself growing closer to Owen, and wonders if he could be the Romeo she never expected.

I was going into the novel fully expecting it to be cheesy or even cringey and got out surprisingly loving it’s realistic portrayal of human emotions. My favorite part was the female character and her straight-forward way of thinking, even though it sometimes prevented her from becoming vulnerable. If you are a Shakespeare nerd, I guarantee that you’ll have a ball reading this one.

You can get your copy on Amazon - paperback or kindle.

The Sun Is Also A Star

Natasha: I’m a girl who believes in science and facts. Not fate. Not destiny. Or dreams that will never come true. I’m definitely not the kind of girl who meets a cute boy on a crowded New York City street and falls in love with him. Not when my family is twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Falling in love with him won’t be my story. Daniel: I’ve always been the good son, the good student, living up to my parents’ high expectations. Never the poet. Or the dreamer. But when I see her, I forget about all that. Something about Natasha makes me think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store—for both of us. The Universe: Every moment in our lives has brought us to this single moment. A million futures lie before us. Which one will come true?

Another book that I expected to dislike but surprisingly didn’t. I hate insta-love stories, but weirdly enough this one seemed convincing to me. The characters were likable and do keep in mind that the demographic the novel was trying to reach was young adult and it worked perfectly for that in my opinion. One particularly great thing about the writing-style is the fantastic use of different POVs (point-of-view). If you've ever wondered about the life of those strangers that you only meet for 10 minutes or cross on the street, then I think you’ll particularly enjoy this one.

You can get your copy on Amazon.

My Oxford Year

Set amidst the breathtaking beauty of Oxford, this sparkling debut novel tells the unforgettable story about a determined young woman eager to make her mark in the world and the handsome man who introduces her to an incredible love that will irrevocably alter her future—perfect for fans of JoJo Moyes and Nicholas Sparks.

I went into this book expecting just another rom-com, my bad. I should have paid more attention to the fact that they mentioned Nicholas Sparks on the back cover and you should too because otherwise the second half will completely take you by surprise. This book has all the elements of a giddy romance - Oxford, with it’s Harry Potter-esque interiors, English poetry and amazing fleshed out characters. It will also (probably) break your heart, so keep the tissues close by.

You can get your copy on Amazon - paperback or kindle.

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun. Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air. Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right?

This is my second Christina Lauren novel and well, I had a ball reading it just as you’re supposed to with any of their novels. This one, in particular, stands out because not only is it well written but the characters felt oddly realistic. The first chapter did feel like the book will probably filled with all kinds of tropes because the female character is so fashionably eccentric but thankfully, non of that happened. It’ll make for an amazing weekend read!

You can get your copy on Amazon - paperback or kindle.

Vision In White

Childhood friends Mackensie, Parker, Laurel and Emmaline have formed a very successful wedding planning business together but, despite helping thousands of happy couples to organise the biggest day of their lives, all four women are unlucky in love. Photographer Mackensie Elliot has suffered a tough childhood and has a bad relationship with her mother, which makes her wary of commitment. But when she meets Carter Maguire, she can't stop herself falling for him, although his ex-girlfriend is prepared to play dirty to keep him. Mackensie soon realizes she has to put her past demons to rest in order to find lasting love...

This is first of the four in the Bride Quartet series and while I would literally suggest all four of them, just give this one a try first. There are a lot of things I like about this book, the main being the sisterhood that is majorly present in the entire series. Secondly, even though the female character has a dysfunctional family that leads her to being kinda sorta commitment-phobic, I like the relationship showcased is so healthy. Normally, in romantic books, there’s a lot of miscommunication to drive the plot ahead but this book works a nice example of how to showcase a healthy couple even if one of them (or both of them) are fighting internal battles. It’s a perfect cozy read!

You can get your copy on Amazon - paperback or kindle.

Practice Makes Perfect

Payton Kendall and J.D. Jameson are lawyers who know the meaning of objection. A feminist to the bone, Payton has fought hard to succeed in a profession dominated by men. Born wealthy, privileged, and cocky, J.D. has fought hard to ignore her. Face-to-face, they're perfectly civil. They have to be. For eight years they have kept a safe distance and tolerated each other as coworkers for one reason: to make partner at the firm. But all bets are off when they're asked to join forces on a major case. Though apprehensive at first, they begin to appreciate each other's dedication to the law— and the sparks between them quickly turn into attraction. But the increasingly hot connection does not last long when they discover that only one of them will be named partner. Now it's an all-out war. And the battle between the sexes is bound to make these lawyers hot under the collar...

This is one of the best workplace romances that I have come across and would highly recommend to everyone interested in that genre. It is a little cliche but it’s not trope-heavy which is definitely a plus. It has the right amount of heat and character development that a good fluffy contemporary demands. It’s just nice, fun ride!

You can get your copy on Amazon.

By The Book

An English professor struggling for tenure discovers that her ex-fiancé has just become the president of her college—and her new boss—in this whip-smart modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Persuasion.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I’m a sucker for Jane Austen re-tellings and unlike Unmarriageable, I really liked this one a lot. As I mentioned above, you can’t have your expectations with re-tellings high, but even if you expect some genuinely nice exploration of relationships (like Austen used to do, among other things), but in a modern setting then I think you will really like it. The fact that it’s completely from the female character’s point of view, makes the writing a lot more intimate. Give it a read, you may like it.

You can get your copy on Amazon.

The Upside of Unrequited

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful. Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back. There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

Even though personally, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the book because I just didn’t find it engaging enough, I do know that a lot of you out there might love. Not only does it have wonderful LGBTQ+ representation, but there aren’t a lot of book written about introverted young girls who love romance but have zero first-hand experience with it. I liked that it was fairly realistic and the characters were fleshed out. I’d say give it a try, you never know, may find yourself in Molly.

You can get your copy on Amazon.

81 notes · View notes

gyrlversion · 5 years

Text

RICHARD KAY reveals the story of how Kates granny helped foil Hitler

She ended her days in a cosy four-bedroom detached house on the edge of a picture perfect Hampshire village.

It was a special place of happy memories where her grandchildren loved to play on a pirate ship in the big garden.

Valerie Middleton had the added comfort of knowing the daughter of one of her sons was being courted by the future king.

For Valerie Middleton was no ordinary granny. Bletchley-era photos show a vivacious young woman who, like Kate, smiled with her eyes as well as her mouth and had the same chestnut hair framing her face

In those days, the fact that her granddaughter, Kate, was almost certain to be betrothed to Prince William was a family secret.

The world would know soon enough, but the 82-year-old mother of Kate’s father, Michael, was to take another Middleton secret to her grave.

It was her role at Bletchley Park, home of Britain’s wartime code-breakers. No matter how many times as a young girl the Duchess of Cambridge asked her paternal grandmother: ‘Granny, what did you do in the war?’ Mrs Middleton never breathed a word.

No matter how many times as a young girl the Duchess of Cambridge asked her paternal grandmother: ‘Granny, what did you do in the war?’ Mrs Middleton never breathed a word

This week, on a visit to a new exhibition celebrating Bletchley’s part in the D-Day landings 75 years ago, the Duchess spoke of her sadness that her grandmother could never talk about her wartime role at the secret base.

‘She was so sworn to secrecy that she never felt able to tell us,’ Kate told visiting schoolchildren during her tour of the estate near Milton Keynes.

‘When she was alive, sadly she could never talk about it.’

What a story she must have had. We do know she was recruited with her twin sister Mary — Kate’s great-aunt — and they monitored diplomatic traffic from secret listening stations.

In this role, they witnessed one of the most extraordinary moments in Bletchley’s history.

For the twins were on duty when a message was intercepted that Japan had surrendered.

This meant they were among the first handful of people — with George VI and Prime Minister Winston Churchill — to learn that World War II was over.

But, of course, they could not share the news with anyone.

Despite Valerie’s reluctance to talk about their role, the sisters’ vital work has been publicly recognised: Valerie and Mary, employed as Foreign Office civilians, have their names engraved on the Codebreakers’ Wall at Bletchley — the Edwardian mansion in Buckinghamshire is now a tourist attraction — which records the thousands who worked in signals intelligence between 1939 and 1945.

They worked in Hut 16, which originally housed boffins decrypting the Nazi Enigma machine. As Kate proudly told those pupils this week: ‘My granny and her sister worked here . . . it’s very cool.’

Bletchley’s war effort was celebrated in the Oscar-nominated 2015 film The Imitation Game about the brilliant but troubled mathematician Alan Turing.

In the war more than 10,000 people worked at Bletchley Park and at its linked locations, and 80 per cent were women. Churchill referred to the staff as: ‘The geese that laid the golden eggs and never cackled.’

Such a description would certainly have applied to Valerie and Mary Glassborow, who were only 20 when they arrived in early 1944.

Just how the sisters, the daughters of a provincial bank manager, came to be part of the elite intelligence gatherers is still something of a family mystery.

Mary died from breast cancer aged 51 in 1975 while Valerie died in 2006 — and neither sister let on what happened during the war.

One relative told me: ‘It wasn’t just Kate, they never said a word to anyone. They had an older brother who they adored and they wouldn’t even tell him.

What a story she must have had. We do know she was recruited with her twin sister Mary — Kate’s great-aunt — and they monitored diplomatic traffic from secret listening stations. Wrens are pictured working on Bletchley Park, above [File photo]

‘All we ever heard was that they did secret work in England and were based in a country house. In those days, no one knew about the existence of Bletchley Park.’

What makes their story more remarkable is that after the war they married brothers.

Six months after Valerie’s wedding to former RAF ace Peter Middleton, Mary married his older brother, Anthony.

Since her engagement to Prince William, much has been made of the line of strong, indomitable women Kate is descended from.

There is her mother Carole, who started her Party Pieces business on the kitchen table; her other grandmother Dorothy who set the family on the road to prosperity and a great-grandmother who was determined to end the clan’s coal-mining tradition.

But all those are on the maternal side. Surely the Glassborow women from her father’s side must also now be included?

For Valerie was no ordinary granny. Bletchley-era photos show a vivacious young woman who, like Kate, smiled with her eyes as well as her mouth and had the same chestnut hair framing her face.

The Duchess of Cambridge, pictured centre, with Bletchley veterans Elizabeth Diacon, Georgina Rose, Audrey Mather and Rena Stewart. Bletchley’s activities are said to have shortened the war by two years

The story begins in 1919 when the twins’ father, Frederick Glassborow, was demobbed after almost six years in the Royal Navy.

Frederick returned to his pre-war job as a bank manager. Working at the London and Westminster bank — today part of the RBS empire — he met Constance Robison and they wed in Marylebone in 1920.

The couple loved travelling and when a job came up to manage the bank’s branch in Valencia, Spain, he took it. There, in 1922, the couple’s son, Maurice, was born.

Two years later, Frederick was working at a branch in Nantes, France, and the couple became parents to twins Valerie and Mary.

Soon, Frederick was transferred to Marseilles. The girls attended local schools and learned French. ‘They spoke like natives,’ recalls a distant cousin. This skill later made them attractive to the code-breakers at Bletchley.

Following convention, the twins went to boarding school in England — their brother Maurice was already at a Hertfordshire prep school. In the holidays, the children travelled back to France.

This idyllic life was shattered as war clouds gathered over Europe. At 17, Maurice joined the Navy. And Frederick remained at the bank until after the German invasion of France in May 1940.

What happened next is the subject of family debate. Kate’s biographer, Claudia Joseph, has written how he escaped on a ship as late as 1942 with the banks’ records stuffed into sacks.

‘As his ship was waiting to leave port, it was heavily bombed by German aircraft,’ Joseph wrote.

But family members recall being told that Frederick had gathered as many possessions as possible, loaded them into the family car and drove across France before boarding a boat to England.

‘It is the reason so few photos of Valerie as a child survive, so much had to be abandoned,’ says a Middleton source. Either way, in 1943, he took up a new post for his bank — in Leeds.

The twins had completed their education and wanted to help the war effort by learning office skills. They enrolled at Mrs Hester’s Secretarial College. With planning for the D-Day invasion in full swing, their linguistic skills made them ideal recruits for Bletchley.

‘They were not maths geniuses so we don’t think they would have been breaking codes, but clearly it was important stuff,’ says the family figure.

Bletchley’s activities are said to have shortened the war by two years. On her first visit there in 2014, Kate met Lady (Marion) Body, wife of former Tory MP Sir Richard Body.

She worked with Kate’s grandmother and great-aunt and told how Valerie, Mary and herself shared a ‘special moment’ on August 15, 1945.

Their superior officer came in and said: ‘Well done girls, a signal has been intercepted from Tokyo to Geneva and it’s the signal that the Japanese are surrendering.’

Lady Body said: ‘We sat there in complete silence before we were told to get on with our work.’

In those days, the fact that her granddaughter, Kate, was almost certain to be betrothed to Prince William was a family secret. The world would know soon enough, but the 82-year-old mother of Kate’s father, Michael, was to take another Middleton secret to her grave. She is pictured meeting young Lawson Bischoff at Bletchley Park

Asked if they heard the news before the King, Lady Body replied: ‘I should think about the same time. It was a great moment.’

She added that the Duchess bore a resemblance to her grandmother. ‘There is a likeness, in her hair colour, and possibly her eyes.’

She knew the twins well. ‘They were fun. We all got on. It was the only thing you could do, cooped up in here. We were all young girls together and we weren’t in uniform. I think we all had our 21st birthday on a night-shift.’

The sisters left Bletchley in October 1945 and joined their parents in Leeds. There they met the Middleton brothers, sons of a solicitor.

Peter and Valerie married in December 1946. Kate’s father, Mike, was born in 1949. Later, Peter became a pilot with BEA, and was selected to act as first officer to Prince Philip on a tour of South America in 1962.

He was later sent a letter of thanks and a pair of gold cufflinks from Buckingham Palace. At his 90th birthday, he met Prince William, who was about to become engaged to Kate.

Valerie concentrated on raising four sons and welcoming their grandchildren to their Hampshire home.

When Peter died four years after his wife, Valerie’s Bletchley secrets went, too. But nothing could take away from her achievements.

As a thrilled Kate said to Bletchley veterans this week: ‘Your families must be very proud.’

The post RICHARD KAY reveals the story of how Kates granny helped foil Hitler appeared first on Gyrlversion.

from WordPress http://www.gyrlversion.net/richard-kay-reveals-the-story-of-how-kates-granny-helped-foil-hitler/

#Uncategorized

0 notes