Ruby Leigh Be Still My Heart

I don't watch singing competition shows, anymore. But my wife wanted to check out the Voice and I'm so happy she did. And I'm happy I happened to be in the room when she did. I stumbled upon Ruby Leigh and this amazing performance of Long Long Time, a song I didn't even know I needed in my life. She is amazing, her voice is amazing and this performance is amazing. I'm going to be listening to this singer for a long, long time. You should too.

I'm 50 Y'all

While I don't appreciate aging, I am thrilled that I've had yet another birthday. I have a friend who frequently tells me not to get old. I always correct her and say oh, I am absolutely planning to get old. Because really, what is the alternative?. I just don't plan to act old or hopefully feel old. When I bellyached to my uncle that 50 was the beginning of the end, he corrected me. Instead, he said, it was possibly the end of the beginning. I'll take it. So I'm at the end of the beginning. That means I'm about to start the messy middle, that is, if my life were a romance novel. The part where the couple is getting to know each other, play cat and mouse and most importantly, fall in love (and have sex). You know, the good stuff. I'm looking forward to the good stuff. Viva the decade of 50.

Butches Are The Best

I am watching The Ultimatum:Queer Love purely because I wanted to see cute girls, well actually a cute girl. I was explaining to my wife that I didn't want to watch the show because I don't do dating shows.Too much drama, artificiality and cringe moments, no thanks. And then out popped a butch, straight out of central casting and I said sign me up. It's so rare for me to see butch women in television even in 2023 that I get excited when one crosses my path. I just adore butch women. I love the dichotomy of masculine and feminine all in one person, I love the short haircuts (usually), I love the swagger and I love the rebelliousness of showing up in the world how you want. Butch women rev my engine and I appreciate the show for allowing me the fun of drooling over some. If you like masc women, check out the show, just don't hate me for the drama.

The (Gay) Boys of Summer

Confession, I don't read gay romances. Shocker, I know. Not boy boy romance and (gulp) not girl girl either. I can't tell you why, other than I grew up reading hetero books and it stuck. But I have been loving gay romances this summer, in the form of film/video. Last month I talked about how much I loved (and still love) Tyler Childers's In Your Love video featuring two hot coal miners. Well, they are joined this month by the cuties from Heartstopper and Red White and Royal Blue. And, ironically before becoming a series and movie, they were books. Heartstopper's Charlie and Nick fumble through coming out and dealing with being in a gay relationship as high school students, while Red White and Blue's Alex and Prince Henry fumble through coming out and dealing with being in a gay relationshp as high profile young men. All of their journies are delicious and I have to say, I'm here for all this gay-boy love. I might just have to crack a gay romance this summer and continue this love fest.

In Your Love aka I Love Tyler Childers

For those who've read this blog about the things I love, you know that I love country music. It just speaks to my soul. But like many, I rarely listen to country radio because they aren't playing my kind of country. Unfortunately, that means that I rarely find new artists and I'll walk away from the genre for years at a time. I know, bad fan, very bad fan. I found Tyler Childers during the pandemic but then lost him. For some reason I didn't delve into his discography. I know, bad idea, really bad idea. And then he releases the incredibly romantic In Your Love last week and I'm hooked again. God that man is so good, both as a musician but also a person. There is nothing more attractive than a straight man of faith who is also an ally. Tyler is all of those things and more and I'm so impressed. With his politics and God yes, his music. I love country music, I love the song In Your Love, I love the queer video for In Your Love and most importantly, I love Tyler Childers and what he's doing for country music! If you haven't experienced his art, go down the rabbit hole of YouTube. You will not be disappointed.

Got To Love Cruising

Y'all, I love cruising! I just got off the Carnival Legend yesterday and I'm ready to go back. I love being able to eat 24 hours a day, I love sitting on my balcony watching the waves go up and down, I love all the time for relaxation. And Pina Coladas, God, I love the Pina Coladas! Cruising is an opportunity to just enjoy life. I enjoyed life so much, I even read three romance novels on my trip. If you've never been on a cruise, I suggest trying it, at least once. You may never want to get back on land, like me.

Loving Black Girl Magic

I'm too old for the Disney cartoons. As a matter of fact the only Disney movie I can remember seeing in the theater was Pete's Dragon (yes, I'm that old). So although I knew The Little Mermaid was popular and knew the song Under the Sea (who could escape it?), I had no desire to watch it. But then Disney cast Halle Bailey as Ariel and I was intrigued. Almost immediately there was backlash when people found out the beloved Little Mermaid was going to be black. My intrigue turned to resolution. I might not be the intended audience, I might not have had a desire to see the movie, but me and my boo were going to see it opening weekend to support. Come hell or high water. But yall, I loved it. I didn't know that The Little Mermaid was essentially a historical romance. Can you say my cup of tea. And Halle was so beautiful, sang so well and embodied the character perfectly. I was so proud of her as she thrust herself on that rock and sang her heart out, with all of her longing to know about the human world. I couldn't help but feel her black girl magic, it was powerful. Do yourself a favor and go check out Ariel and Prince Eric, everyone deserves to experience a little magic. Especially the black girl kind.

Endless Love

I watched Endless Love for the first time a few weeks ago and became absolutely obssessed with the party scene.During it Brooke Shields leaves the loving arms of her father to go to the even more loving arms of her boyfriend. The scene is the definition of romance. Brooke is essentially in a wedding dress and her boyfriend in a tuxedo. Their embrace is not sexual at all (the hot sex scene comes next in the movie). In fact, the love expressed in that embrace is so purely romantic that it is almost erotic. That scene just gives me the feels. Don't believe me about how good it is? Go watch it for yourself and let me know if it gives you butterflies too.

Big Girls Rock

n in I must confess that like most women born in the last 100 years, I am conscious of my weight and size and am almost never happy with it. So I love it when beautiful women aren't afraid to show off their bodies, even when they don't typically fit today's beauty norms. I'm not brave enough to get in a bikini, but here's a photo I adore of a woman who isn't. She rocks.

Spring Has Sprung

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, so we're supposed to have six more weeks of winter. But I'm happy to report that spring has sprung. To celebrate, I'm serving you another reason to get sprung :)

Always On My Mind

He didn't write the song or make it famous, but for some reason I've become obsessed with Willie Nelson's version of Always on My Mind. Michael Buble's rendition is more swooney and Elvis's is more entertaining, but there is something so simplistic about Willie's version that makes it incredibly romantic. Which is odd, since at its core, it's an apology song. I love how certain lines are delivered in almost spoken word poetry and in others, his voice quivers through them. Willie isn't trying to impress anyone, he's just trying to honestly tell the woman he loves that despite how things might look, she's precious to him. It kills me every time I hear it. So what's your favorite version of Always on My Mind? I'll gladly listen to your picks but I doubt they'll supplant Willie's in my heart.

Romance In The New Year

If last month was all about the beefcake, for January I'm wishing you a Happy New Year and a lot of love.