« Jolyse's Most Recent Posts

Explore the blog »

Love is in the Air

Valentines Day Basic Graphic MINEIn honor of Valentine’s Day, this week’s post is all about romance.  There’s the traditional candlelit dinner, bouquet of roses, chocolates, whispered sweet nothings–all leading up to a wonderfully intimate evening to celebrate your love. Simple, yet elegant. Then, there are the more extravagant declarations of love, like jewelry or an overnight stay at your favorite hotel. It’s all good.

After twenty-odd February fourteenths, my Valentine surprised me a few years ago with what I consider his most thoughtful present ever, a gift basket of my favorite romantic comedy DVDs. To top it off, we watched one that night while snuggling on the couch with our wine and strawberries.

If you’re thinking about a cozy night in with your Valentine this year, here’s one of my new favorites, Leap Year:

If you missed this romantic comedy from 2010, Leap Year stars Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. Amy’s character, Anna, reminds me of the the girl from the Taylor Swift song about a guy who makes a “rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.”

Anna is a proper, control freak on the verge of moving uptown with her safe, predictable cardiologist. Still ringless after four years, she decides to take matters into her own hands and travel to Dublin where her boyfriend is at a medical conference. She believes there to be an Irish tradition where a women can ask a man to marry her on February 29th. Of course, her journey meets with many obstacles. Matthew Goode plays Declan, who is adorable and maddenly interesting but financially unstable. Yet, Anna can’t help falling in love with him along their rocky road to Dublin. Click on Matthew’s photo to see Anna and Declan’s first kiss.

Not only is Leap Year’s story cute and fast-paced, but the scenery is incredible. You may be tempted to visit the Irish Isles after seeing this flick.

I’m not the only one with romance on my mind this week. Check out this cool movie blog post featuring romantic movie moments from a variety of genres. Which movie moment would get your vote?

Well, I have to run…time to write love notes for my Valentine.

XOXO,

Jolyse

20 comments on “Love is in the Air

  1. Thanks for including my blog in your fabulous post of Valentine recommendations! Matthew Goode is HOT! Love the DVD collection idea! Gotta run..been so busy I haven’t had time to prepare for my own Valentine night with hubs. Dinner out tonight at our fave restaurant, but tomorrow the day is devoted to each other…gotta write out my post-its! have a fun V-day!

    1. Funny how the more titles I listed, the more I wanted to include. I didn’t add all those wonderfully dramatic romances or classic movies, although some of my favorites were mentioned in links I shared. For example, I could watch The Notebook and Casablanca over and over. And who could deny Audrey Hepburn her place as rom-com queen of her day?

    1. Thanks, Alica. Now that I think about it, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset don’t necessarily qualify as romantic comedies, yet I adore the setting, the story, the craft of the pair. I especially love the song at the end of Before Sunset. Leap Year is just plain fun, and a wee sexy.

  2. When Harry Met Sally is easily one of my faves! I have seen about half of your romantic comedies list, so you gave me several ideas. Thanks, Jolyse! Happy Valentine’s Day to you.

  3. What a lovely thoughtful gift your husband gave. Thanks for the ideas and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day

    1. Thanks, Donna. We had a lovely dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant and then joined our son at home to watch a new episode of NCIS. And you? Hope it was a day filled with love, as every day should be. 🙂

    1. I think everyone’s heart enjoys a good love story every now and then. Maybe that’s why I write contemporary romance.Hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s with your loved ones. 🙂

  4. Great video! Can’t have a clip without the best kissess of all time without classics like ‘Ever After’ and ‘The Notebook’, among others. Albiet late, still very nice to see. Thanks for helping me finding my muse again 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

By posting a comment, you consent to have your personally identifiable information collected and used in accordance with our privacy policy.