Mary Burchell (1904 - December 22, 1986)

Ida Cook was born on 1904 at 37 Croft Avenue, Sunderland, England. With her old sister Mary Louise Cook (1901), she attending the Duchess' School in Alnwick. Later the sisters took civil service jobs in London, and developed a passionate interest in opera.

A constant presence at Covent Garden, the pair became close to some of the greatest singers of the era; Amelia Galli-Curci, Rosa Ponselle, Tito Gobbi and Maria Callas. They also came to know the Austrian conductor Clemens Krauss, and it was through he that Cooks learned of the persecution of European Jews. In 1934, Krauss's wife asked the sisters to help a friend to leave Germany. Having accomplished this, the sisters continued the good work, pretending to be eccentric opera fanatics willing to go anywhere to hear a favourite artist. Krauss assisted them, even arranging to perform in cities they needed to visit. The sisters made repeated trips to Germany, bringing back jewellery and valuables belonging to Jewish families. This enabled Jews to satisfy British requirements as regards financial security - Jews were not allowed to leave Germany with their money. Using many techniques of evasion, including re-labelling furs with London labels, the sisters enabled 29 persons to escape from almost certain death.

( Read more... )

First Book - Wife to Christopher (1936): Wife to Christopher

Last Book - On Wings of Song (1985): On Wings Of Song (Harlequin Romance)

Source: Passion's Fortune: The Story of Mills & Boon

( Vintage Covers )

Stefano Campitelli: Male Nude Painting

Stefano Campitelli is an Italian artist, living and working in Rome.

He has been painting and drawing for more than 15 years. Etching is another of his great passions.





Generally, figure painting is mainly focused on the female figure, but for Stefano Campitelli also male nude painting has an important place.

He draws also other subjects as flowers and landscapes.

http://www.stefano-campitelli-portrait-and-nude-painting.com/index.html

( more pics )

More Artists at my website: http://www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Art

Bewitched by Bella’s Brother by Amy Lane

A classical family story, this is a mix of gay for you and “peter pan” syndrome. Sebastian is a 27 years old gayer than gay graduate student. He is the one with the “peter pan” syndrome, he doesn’t want to grow. Plus he is so gay. Both these are reaction to issues he has with his own parents, who didn’t disowned him when he came out since basically, they were not so caring anyway. When he came out to his mother she asked him that his behavior didn’t t become too embarrassing, and he started to behave like he is always in a gay parade; when his parents started to make comments on him always being in college, doctorate after doctorate, he not only didn’t choose an academic job, but he decided to specialize in a matter that has no future in the academic world. It’s not hard to read in Sebastian’s actions a clear refusal of his original family. A refusal that is even more clear in his attachment to Bella’s family.

Bella is Sebastian’s best friend; for her own reason, she is as incapacitated as Sebastian to grow up. Pairing with Sebastian is only a way to delay her own development, but Bella is younger than Sebastian, and she is still in a moment in life when she is still allowed to be uncertain of her future. So is not for Sebastian.

When Bella’s brother, Asa, comes back home after a bad divorce, he offers to Bella and Sebastain to come living with him; I think he is doing a nice thing towards Bella, but he is also trying to build a family around Jordan, his son. Jordan’s mother abandoned him and her family and Jordan is not reacting well to the news. Bella will play the role of the substitute mother, and that will help also her with her own psychological issue and Sebastian, well, Sebastian is tagging along. I don’t think Asa was thinking to a role for Sebastian in this makeshift family but when Asa and Sebastian meet, it’s clear what Sebastian’s role will be, he will help Asa in regaining trust in love.

Asa is bisexual, and he is quite open about it. He was married, but in a way, he was pair opportunity; he doesn’t judge his possible partner basing his opinion on the genre, but more on the common interests. And he has lot in common with Sebastian. Sincerely between the two, it’s Sebastian who has more issue, Asa only needs a little time to adjust to the new situation, but he is soon ready to fall in love again.

The story is nice, maybe Asa is a little too perfect to be true, a construction worker who has more the body of a model than a blue collar, with a wonderful house and an even more wonderful family, he is the perfect dream date. Not sure such fine man really exist, but in the end this is a romance, not real life.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1953

Amazon Kindle: Bewitched by Bella's Brother

Reading List:



http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading_list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Anne Cain

Bewitched by Bella’s Brother by Amy Lane

A classical family story, this is a mix of gay for you and “peter pan” syndrome. Sebastian is a 27 years old gayer than gay graduate student. He is the one with the “peter pan” syndrome, he doesn’t want to grow. Plus he is so gay. Both these are reaction to issues he has with his own parents, who didn’t disowned him when he came out since basically, they were not so caring anyway. When he came out to his mother she asked him that his behavior didn’t t become too embarrassing, and he started to behave like he is always in a gay parade; when his parents started to make comments on him always being in college, doctorate after doctorate, he not only didn’t choose an academic job, but he decided to specialize in a matter that has no future in the academic world. It’s not hard to read in Sebastian’s actions a clear refusal of his original family. A refusal that is even more clear in his attachment to Bella’s family.

Bella is Sebastian’s best friend; for her own reason, she is as incapacitated as Sebastian to grow up. Pairing with Sebastian is only a way to delay her own development, but Bella is younger than Sebastian, and she is still in a moment in life when she is still allowed to be uncertain of her future. So is not for Sebastian.

When Bella’s brother, Asa, comes back home after a bad divorce, he offers to Bella and Sebastain to come living with him; I think he is doing a nice thing towards Bella, but he is also trying to build a family around Jordan, his son. Jordan’s mother abandoned him and her family and Jordan is not reacting well to the news. Bella will play the role of the substitute mother, and that will help also her with her own psychological issue and Sebastian, well, Sebastian is tagging along. I don’t think Asa was thinking to a role for Sebastian in this makeshift family but when Asa and Sebastian meet, it’s clear what Sebastian’s role will be, he will help Asa in regaining trust in love.

Asa is bisexual, and he is quite open about it. He was married, but in a way, he was pair opportunity; he doesn’t judge his possible partner basing his opinion on the genre, but more on the common interests. And he has lot in common with Sebastian. Sincerely between the two, it’s Sebastian who has more issue, Asa only needs a little time to adjust to the new situation, but he is soon ready to fall in love again.

The story is nice, maybe Asa is a little too perfect to be true, a construction worker who has more the body of a model than a blue collar, with a wonderful house and an even more wonderful family, he is the perfect dream date. Not sure such fine man really exist, but in the end this is a romance, not real life.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1953

Amazon Kindle: Bewitched by Bella's Brother

Reading List:



http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading_list&view=elisa.rolle


Cover Art by Anne Cain

Taurus: All That You Do by Jamie Craig

All That You Do is a very nice “virgin” romance, above all since the virgin is not so shy and clueless as he seems at first.

Gage is new in town, he comes from Salt Lake City and away from a Mormon mission; being gay was not exactly easy there, and in any case his passion for rock and country music was a push more to go away. 22 years old and still virgin when he arrives in Los Angeles he is more lonely than ever, and he thinks that casual sex can help him in chasing away loneliness. He goes in a gay leather club, but everything, and everyone is too much for him, until he doesn’t see Christopher.

Not a leather club guy, Christopher is there to help a friend, and he is exactly what Gage is searching: a slightly older, 31 years old, and with a safe aurea around him, he is exactly the type Gage feels safe to cruise. Only that Christopher is a good guy all around, and when he finds out that Gage has no experience at all, instead of taking advantage of him, he decides to play the role of a good friend. Christopher’s attitude is also a consequence of a bad experience he himself had when he was too young to decide, and I think his idea was to give Gage a chance to have a look around, while being always near and ready to help him, and when it was time, to be the one to escort him in his next adventure.

This is the point where I sincerely didn’t like so much Gage; he is a nice and friendly guy, honest and naïve, and all in all I like him, but he also proved to be very young. When Christopher refused to have sex with him that first night, he didn’t exactly rejected him; he gave Gage all the contacts he needed as a new guy in town, he was there for him as soon as he called him, he was supporting and caring. And Gage? First chance he had to be with another guy he took that without thinking twice. All right, Gage is young and probably horny, but I think he should have given more credits to Christopher and wait a bit for him. The wait was worth the prize.

In any case, Christopher again proves to be a good guy, and he doesn’t weight on Gage his mistake; true, he is hurt, but he is also able to understand that Gage is sincere in his actions, and that basically he is only too young and inexperienced. Christopher’s attitude is probably the only reason why this romance has an happily ever after.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Zodiac_Taurus.html

Amazon: (Boys Of The Zodiac) Taurus: All That You Do

Amazon Kindle: (Boys Of The Zodiac) Taurus: All That You Do

Reading List:



http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading_list&view=elisa.rolle

Taurus: All That You Do by Jamie Craig

All That You Do is a very nice “virgin” romance, above all since the virgin is not so shy and clueless as he seems at first.

Gage is new in town, he comes from Salt Lake City and away from a Mormon mission; being gay was not exactly easy there, and in any case his passion for rock and country music was a push more to go away. 22 years old and still virgin when he arrives in Los Angeles he is more lonely than ever, and he thinks that casual sex can help him in chasing away loneliness. He goes in a gay leather club, but everything, and everyone is too much for him, until he doesn’t see Christopher.

Not a leather club guy, Christopher is there to help a friend, and he is exactly what Gage is searching: a slightly older, 31 years old, and with a safe aurea around him, he is exactly the type Gage feels safe to cruise. Only that Christopher is a good guy all around, and when he finds out that Gage has no experience at all, instead of taking advantage of him, he decides to play the role of a good friend. Christopher’s attitude is also a consequence of a bad experience he himself had when he was too young to decide, and I think his idea was to give Gage a chance to have a look around, while being always near and ready to help him, and when it was time, to be the one to escort him in his next adventure.

This is the point where I sincerely didn’t like so much Gage; he is a nice and friendly guy, honest and naïve, and all in all I like him, but he also proved to be very young. When Christopher refused to have sex with him that first night, he didn’t exactly rejected him; he gave Gage all the contacts he needed as a new guy in town, he was there for him as soon as he called him, he was supporting and caring. And Gage? First chance he had to be with another guy he took that without thinking twice. All right, Gage is young and probably horny, but I think he should have given more credits to Christopher and wait a bit for him. The wait was worth the prize.

In any case, Christopher again proves to be a good guy, and he doesn’t weight on Gage his mistake; true, he is hurt, but he is also able to understand that Gage is sincere in his actions, and that basically he is only too young and inexperienced. Christopher’s attitude is probably the only reason why this romance has an happily ever after.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Zodiac_Taurus.html

Amazon: (Boys Of The Zodiac) Taurus: All That You Do

Amazon Kindle: (Boys Of The Zodiac) Taurus: All That You Do

Reading List:



http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading_list&view=elisa.rolle