More and more I’m seeing authors who are confronted with readers saying “this is wrong,” reply, “it’s only fiction,” which they seem to think means they can make up anything they want to.

Of course, the most egregious offenders are some historical romance writers, who can’t even get titles right. “The Viscount Smith” or addressing a duke as “my lord” or an earl who decides where his title goes. Of course, the writer is creating her own vision of history, but that doesn’t mean she can ignore the facts of the period.

Jane over at Dear Author has written a column about why she avoids lawyers in fiction. That’s why I’m starting to avoid historical romances. They hurt. They are an insult to the people who actually lived. And it’s why I’d love to see a new genre of historical fantasy. I’m not stuck on the name, call it what you like, but the idea of people who live in an alternative Regency where dukes become spies and titles are gifted by the holder rather than inherited has some merit. It means historians like me know what to expect, and it means that authors who bother to do research and write as near as they can to the truth can get their druthers. Like the Highland romance which usually has very little resemblance to the real thing, the alternative could be amusing and a good read.

Conversely, there are stories that are meticulous in their research. So much so that you can almost hear the author thinking, “I’ve got to shove it down because I researched it, and if it doesn’t go into the book, that’s a waste of time.” So not true. The stuff that doesn’t go in is in the author’s head and informs her. So she knows her heroine uses a chamber pot not a flush toilet, and that’s how her heroine thinks and behaves. It helps to create a richer, fuller picture, rather than a prom queen in a vague pre-computer era story.

Contemporary-set romances have many of the same problems that historical romances do – stories set in London where the streets don’t meet where they should or where a car runs along a street that is actually pedestrianized, cars that run both ways up or down Madison Avenue, professional sports teams that only have one uniform to wear in a match, doctors who have affairs with their patients without consequences.

It’s even more important when the plot hinges on something that can’t actually happen. For instance, when a book depends on a lawsuit that isn’t valid, like those romances that say that the property can’t be inherited unless Joy marries Dirk, once the reader realizes that the will can be set aside as it’s invalid, the whole plot, and therefore the whole story, falls apart. The “oh we can marry and then get an annulment” plot in historical romance is another one. No, they couldn’t. So none of the story could have happened. It’s infuriating when a story falls apart like that.

It can be argued that a reader’s expectations come into play. Georgette Heyer set up a lot of conventions that weren’t actually real. Not facts, she was meticulous in her facts, but expectations, like everyone was in London for the Season and in the country the rest of the time. Or that ladies had dance cards in the Regency. These have since been shown not to be the case, but it can be difficult for a writer to face these rules down, especially against avid readers who expect those conventions.

Forbidden relationships of an employer/employee nature or a doctor/patient, lawyer/client, teacher/pupil can be delicious, but they can also be horrendous. If the story doesn’t deal with all the problems of that kind of relationship, then it can fall flat. The whole point of writing about such a relationship is the forbidden aspect, so ramp it up and deal with it, even if it means the employer, doctor or whatever loses his or her job in the process. Without the discussion, the story can be icky, (sorry to get so technical there, folks!) and downright abusive.

These days, with the bigger publishers taking less interest in content and more in marketability, as if a book is the same as a magazine or even a can of beans it’s more important, not less, that an author takes responsibility for the content of the book.

The argument “it’s only fiction” shows several things. It shows that the author doesn’t understand what fiction is. It doesn’t mean “you can make everything up, it doesn’t have to reflect reality.” It doesn’t mean “it’s not important because the reader doesn’t care.” We do care. Very much.

It also means that the author is losing a big chunk of her readership. Sports fans who would normally be a sitting audience for a football book will turn away in droves if the author gets her basic facts wrong. Historians who would love a well-written romance about the period they specialize in are forced away because it isn’t the period they know and love, just a vague recollection of it. Lawyers who might enjoy a story about lawyers working on rival cases who fall in love but can’t believe the way events turn out. They’re gone, and they won’t come back, because it hurts too much to read about something they love and maybe earn their living doing travestied beyond indulgent laughter.

“Just fiction” means the author can insert characters into a situation that already exists, not that everything has to be made up that doesn’t fit into what the author wants to happen. And eventually it leads to “same old, same old” romances that read like rehashes of the last book. So the author could write herself out of a career.

Doing the research in whatever field it happens to be leads to rich, believable and original situations and characters, books a reader will keep on the keeper shelf and return to time after time. I’ve recently been enjoying Victoria Dahl’s books set in a micro-brewery. Now what I know about that business is strictly from the customer side of the bar, but the details are so good that they add to the texture and the richness of the stories. I don’t have to know about micro-breweries to know that Dahl did a fair bit of research, to add a nicely detailed background that adds fun and believability to her romance.

When books are written that are clearly parodies of the setting rather than well researched recreations of it, it gives more fuel to the knockers, the people who love to denigrate the whole genre on the basis of a few books. When standards are low, that is what the reader will get.

As an author, I’ve always tried to remember the motto, “I do the research so you don’t have to,” and I’ve always tried hard to keep to that. If I say that some people keep private speedboats in private docks on the Thames, then you can be sure that I’ve done the necessary work to make sure that’s possible. I’ve made mistakes, but not for want of trying to get it right.

It’s not up to the reader to do the research for you.

Lynne Connolly‘s review of Rot by Michele Lee
Horror fiction novella released by Skullvines Press Aug 2009

Rot isn’t my usual kind of read. It isn’t a romance, or at any rate, not a genre romance. It does contain romantic elements, though and it’s an interesting and well written novella. 

Dean is caught up in what is essentially a mystery, after his cushy job at Silver Springs is compromised and he discovers the dark side of zombie farming. It’s a chase and discovery book, as Dean and his zombie sidekick, Patrick, delve into the mystery.

Dean is an engaging character, at first a little too cynical for his own good, but what he uncovers in the course of the story makes him even more disgusted with his world and what he discovers. The story is episodic, with little sense of a central whole, but it holds together well, and I’ve always been fond of the picaresque.

The book is a first person narration and we do get a good sense of Dean’s character and his motivations. The tone is hard-boiled, but Lee is no Hammett. Where Hammett’s cynical descriptions vividly describe his world and metaphors are often used to describe hidden traits of his characters, Lee’s Dean says what he sees.

I could have done with a little more description, especially at first, to centre me in the world. As the chapters went on, it became clearer, but when I was first plunged into a world where bringing people back from the dead was commonplace, I was a little lost. There is little explanation of how people were brought back and what philosophical implications that might have for society as a whole, but this would have been a very different kind of book if that were the case.

I have to admit that zombies aren’t my thing, but I picked this up willing to give it a try. The most sympathetic characters are the dead ones, but their rate of rotting seemed to be somewhat erratic at times. However, I did enjoy the story.

On the whole a different and engaging read.

Grade: C+

Summary:

Zombies Can Be Such a Burden

So you’ve raised your loved ones from the dead, but had no idea how difficult it would be to care for them.

No problem! Silver Springs is a warm, peaceful facility equipped to handle all your zombie needs. Their friendly staff will ensure they have a safe environment with daily exercise and raw meat.

Rest easy knowing they’re in good hands… as they rot.

In Michele Lee’s Rot, you won’t find an apocalypse or Romero-style flesh-eaters. This is far more disturbing.

In a world where certain people can will others back from death, Silver Springs Specialty Care Community caters to the undead for those who aren’t quite ready to let go (zombie milk available by special arrangement at the home office).

Dean, retired from the military and looking for an easier life, runs security at this zombie herding farm, but he learns that dark injustice is not unique to war. There’s a rotten core to Silver Springs. Now, Dean and a quickly-decaying corpse named Patrick are on the hunt for a woman they both love and lost to a lucrative business that specializes in greed, zombies and never having to say goodbye.

Read an excerpt here.

Shannon C.’s review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Humorous fiction released by Quirk Books 4 Apr 09

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a blogger in possession of an opinion must be in want of a platform to post it in. And after reading Dear Author’s haiku review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I felt compelled to offer my own, quite different, take on this story. As it happens, I’d only read the original, non-zombified version of Pride and Prejudice recently, so I’m by no means an Austen fangirl, although I think I could be persuaded to become one in short order. As Sybil constantly points out, though, I am a sucker for what in fandom terms is referred to as crack-fic. And on this account, P&P&Z largely works.

The premise is basically exactly what you think it is. Grahame-Smith basically takes Pride and Prejudice and cuts and pastes random battles with zombies. Whether you like that sort of thing really does depend on your tolerance for crack-fic. Me, I laughed. Very hard. A lot, especially since I’d just finished reading the original Pride and Prejudice. And I know, being one of those readers that tends to take things in her escapist literature far too seriously, that it’s entirely hypocritical of me to not mind that in many ways the presence of zombies totally butchers the characterization and historical context of the novel. Because, honestly, would there have been any way to write this story that *wouldn’t* have butchered one of these things or both?

For me, the best part of the book was its sheer absurdity. The image of Elizabeth Bennet, decked out in Regency costume, fighting scores of the undead made me giggle. Every time Darcy made a joke about balls, I laughed. When Elizabeth demonstrates her accomplishments to Lady Catherine de Bourgh by gutting some of that lady’s ninjas, I found the scene hilarious.

Not all of it works, though. What I liked about Austen’s writing was that she was much more subtle in mocking the characters who deserved it.  Grahame-Smith steamrolls right over subtlety. What he does to Wickham and Mr. Collins, while cathartic in their ways, was, well, a bit too much. I’m also not a fan of gore for its own sake, and there’s a lot of that. After a while, and after the 87th reference to a character vomiting, I kind of wanted to vomit a little myself.

I’m not really sure who I’d recommend this book to. It’s certainly not going to please fans of historical accuracy, and I kind of doubt it will please zombie lovers as well. But if your sense of humor leans to the absurd, and you’re curious about this book, which has been hyped quite a lot, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Grade: B

Summary:
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“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.” So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life!
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Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead.
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Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.
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Read an excerpt.

Liviania’s review of Plum Spooky (Between-the-Numbers Stephanie Plum) by Janet Evanovich
Contemporary mystery released by St. Martin’s 6 Jan 09

The Between-the-Numbers Stephanie Plum books have always been fun but less satisfying that those in the actual series.  For one thing, none of the previous three cleared 200 pages.  There’s only so much you can put into such a short novel, making each of them seem rather spare.  Plum Spooky, on the other hand, is over 300 pages and much more similar to one of the main novels.  That is, aside from Diesel.

The BtN books include a supernatural element not present in the rest of the canon.  In them, super bounty hunter Diesel teams up with Stephanie to get their skips.  Stephanie is on the trail of Martin Munch, short, geeky, and nonthreatening.  Diesel is after his partner Wulf, who kills people by twisting their head around.  Meanwhile, Stephanie has other skips to catch and a monkey to take care of.  I do like that unexpected characters, like Carl the Monkey, reoccur in this series.

On the romance side, Plum Spooky ranks pretty weak.  Morelli is out of the way taking care of a wayward brother.  Ranger shows up in a professional capacity only.  Stephanie is attracted to Diesel, but the two have never done anything together and probably never will since it wouldn’t gel well with the main series. Side-couple Lulu and Tank are experiencing relationship troubles as their wedding approaches.  They might end up having as much trouble making it to the altar as Stephanie.

Bounty hunter antics are in full swing.  Bad things happen to Stephanie’s cars, as is usual.  Vegetables get thrown.  Lulu and Tank fail to be inconspicuous.  Carl proves to be more intelligent than your average monkey.  Wulf really is creepy.  While less dangerous, Martin is often equally creepy since he’s pretty eager to get it on with unwilling women.  Janet Evanovich does wrap the case up but leaves things open for the next BtN novel.  There was a large gap between Visions of Sugar Plums and Plum Lovin’ but it now seems like there will be one between every one of the numbered novels.

If that’s the case, I’m glad for the increased page count.  It allowed Evanovich to expand upon the main case and devote attention to each skip.  Plum Spooky felt more like it belonged with the series than the previous three BtN novels.  (Really, if you upped the romance and deleted the mentions of Unmentionables it would be a main novel.)

Most of the reason I love the Plum series is the odd people Stephanie manages to become involved with and the over-the-top situations.  Plum Spooky delivers very well on both of those counts.  Those more interested in the Morelli-Stephanie-Ranger love triangle would probably be better of skipping it.  Plum Spooky is a lightweight novel, but it made me laugh and it’s fun to visit the characters in a new adventure without having to wait a full year for the main novel.

Grade: B-

Summary:
Turn on all the lights and check under your bed. Things are about to get spooky in Trenton, New Jersey. According to legend, the Jersey Devil prowls the Pine Barrens and soars above the treetops in the dark of night. As eerie as this might seem, there are things in the Barrens that are even more frightening and dangerous. And there are monkeys. Lots of monkeys. Wulf Grimoire is a world wanderer and an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke.

He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new playground. Munch received his doctorate degree in quantum physics when he was twenty-two. He’s now twenty-four, and while his brain is large, his body hasn’t made it out of the boys’ department at Macy’s. Anyone who says good things come in small packages hasn’t met Munch. Wulf Grimoire is looking for world domination. Martin Munch would be happy if he could just get a woman naked and tied to a tree. Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has Munch on her most-wanted list for failure to appear in court.

Plum is the all-American girl stuck in an uncomfortable job, succeeding on luck and tenacity. Usually she gets her man. This time she gets a monkey. She also gets a big guy named Diesel. Diesel pops in and out of Plum’s life like birthday cake – delicious to look at and taste, not especially healthy as a steady diet, gone by the end of the week if not sooner. He’s an über bounty hunter with special skills when it comes to tracking men and pleasing women. He’s after Grimoire, and now he’s also after Munch. And if truth were told, he wouldn’t mind setting Stephanie Plum in his crosshairs. Diesel and Plum hunt down Munch and Grimoire, following them into the Barrens, surviving cranberry bogs, the Jersey Devil, a hair-raising experience, sand in their underwear, and, of course . . . monkeys.
Read an excerpt here.

Limecello’s review of Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Fiction re-released by Avon on 30 Dec 08

Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of my favorite authors. Favorite. Glitter Baby is one of the few novels that Ms. Phillips wrote that I hadn’t yet read due to availability, so I’m so glad this one was reprinted. Glitter Baby was first published in 1987 [Ed.: Check out the totally tubular shoulder-pad action on the original cover by mousing over this one], and this re-print has some revisions. I haven’t read a novel by Ms. Phillips in a while, so it was nice to come back to a novel that had the tone and style of her earlier works. I really enjoyed Glitter Baby – the characters are likable and well written, and the Hollywood aspect is a great tie to her new release What I Did For Love. (Which I need to get my hands on!)

“The Glitter Baby” is the persona created for the public facet of Fleur Savagar’s life. She is also the first character we meet in the novel, and the opening is quite effective. I really liked the introduction, but immediately after the story moved to tell of Fleur’s mother — Belinda Britton. I really didn’t like Belinda, and for more than the obvious reasons. She’s a horrible person, a parasite, and quite likely a sociopath. At least, that’s what I thought of Belinda. But perhaps being a sociopath would make it better, because Belinda was so one dimensional. Perhaps I don’t sympathize with her enough, but I never felt that Belinda truly loved Fleur. She only “loved” her daughter because Fleur was a tie to Errol Flynn — Fleur’s father.

This is getting confusing. I felt that the reader is actually given much more of Belinda’s history than Fleur’s in comparison. (In a way I felt that Fleur was slightly short changed.) Belinda is obsessed with Hollywood. She wants to be a star, but while beautiful, has no personality. Belinda also views actors as being superhuman. They can do what they want, and are better and more important than “regular people.” It’s almost creepy the way Belinda is willing to be degraded to cater to the whims of “Hollywood royalty.” Belinda is living with Errol Flynn, but ends up marrying Alexi Savagar when Belinda discovers she is pregnant after Flynn drops her.  I got the impression that Alexi loved Belinda, at first, but that Alexi is a psychopath. I had hoped he would be more emotive, but alas, no. Fleur grows up away from home, because while Flynn and Savagar were friends, they were also rivals, and Alexi isn’t willing to raise someone else’s bastard.

The reader truly meets Fleur when she is sixteen, and Fleur is quite the sympathetic character. She’s desperate for love and acceptance, and has been manipulated by everyone who should have her best interest at heart. In a way, I was much more interested with Fleur’s past than with her as a person at that point. Fleur comes into herself throughout the novel, and experiences tragedy and growth in some of the most emotionally damaging ways. While Fleur’s character tugs on your heart strings, I admit that at times I got fed up. Aside from getting herself into some predictable situations, Fleur often was too naive — she needed a reality check.

Jake Koranda is a terrific hero, and in my opinion possibly one of the most approachable ones Ms. Phillips has written. He’s flawed, but in a good way. Although an award winning author and A-list author, Jake seems the most “normal.” I also liked that he never went out of his way to hurt Fleur -and he knew he wanted to pursue her early on. Jake is complex. He’s temperamental, bitter, and has a major chip on his shoulder. Yet he’s a good guy – and really cares for people. He’s smart, and had a difficult life. Jake is scarred by his childhood, his experience with marriage, and his stint in Vietnam. He’s lived a lifetime before he even hit 30. Jake is also gruff, abrupt, and sometimes a jerk. In short, he’s human. But one of the better guys.

The people and personalities truly are what make the book – the secondary stories and characters are a joy to read. Fleur’s half-brother Michel, and Fleur’s roommate/friend Kissy Sue Christie are unique in the best way possible. It has been a long time since I enjoyed a “supporting cast” as much. I also have to say – at the time where Fleur takes her life back into her hands, she becomes a great heroine. It’s really sweet how she’s her own woman, but still that shy awkward girl with Jake. And I love how he insists on intruding in her life and being there for her.

The resolution — as in what brought Fleur and Jake together — was terrific, and I’d love read or see a cameo appearance by any of these characters. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ writing (and who doesn’t?) as well as readers of contemporary romance, or simply anyone looking for a great new read.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Welcome to the world of the Glitter Baby

Fleur Savagar is the most beautiful woman in the world . . . to everyone but herself. With her oversized hands and paddle-boat feet, her streaky blond hair and funny green eyes, she lives a life filled with secrets that began before she was born. That was when her bewitching mother left home to find James Dean and met Errol Flynn instead. Now Fleur has to grow up quickly, and life won’t make that easy.

Jake Koranda is both New York’s most brilliant playwright and Hollywood’s hottest actor. Difficult, talented, and tormented, he has no patience for international glamour girls, not even ones with beautiful bodies and smart-aleck mouths. But there’s more to the Glitter Baby than shine, and Fleur’s tougher than Jake expects. Even with the odds stacked against her, she’s fiercely determined to discover the woman she’s destined to be.

An ugly duckling who can’t believe she’s turned into a swan . . . A tough-guy movie star with a haunted past . . . In a land of broken dreams, can two unlikely lovers trust their hearts?

Read an excerpt here.

Gwen’s review of In Odd We Trust (Odd Thomas Series) by Dean Koontz and Queenie Chan, illustrated by Queenie Chan
Paranormal fiction graphic novel released by Del Rey 24 Jun 08

I have a deep and abiding love of graphic novels, manga, and anime.  It stems mostly from my almost slavish appreciation for good art.  These “new” images (what I believe stem originally from ukiyo’e) can be mind-bogglingly beautiful images.  When the drawing is done well, a good story is a bonus to me – I’m just there to soak up the images.  What I’m saying is I don’t need much plot to enjoy a good comic strip or cartoon if the art is good.  With this first Odd Thomas graphic novel, I can see aspirations, but I’m not sure if the delivery is there.  Read on to see what worked, or not…

I have never read any of Koontz’s Odd Thomas books.  The premise is interesting – he’s something of a male “Ghost Whisperer” with an edge and a spatula.  I can’t decide whether the Odd books are YA, though; based on this graphic novel, it feels like one.  The plot is a little simplistic – girl in trouble with a stalker, Odd saves her and puts the guy in jail.

However, the delivery of this thin plot is left even more anemic with the art.  In a manga/g-novel, quite a lot of emotion can be conveyed in a character’s facial expressions, but Chang’s characters seemed oddly wooden.  Their expressions seem to sway between amusement and a weird stunned expression.  That’s about it.  It’s a shame there wasn’t more variety.  And I could have wished more time had been spent on the backgrounds. It would have been nice to see the houses and environs of Pico Mundo a bit more stylistically rendered – it was all so up and down with no interest.

It also felt like large parts of the story were edited out of the g-novel for purposes of space or pacing.   Something else that left it a bit on the weak side.

So, in all, I can’t say I recommend this graphic novel to fans of the series. I think you’ll be disappointed unless you’re a diehard fan and just want to buy everything you can that’s Odd Thomas or Dean Koontz related.

Grade: D

Summary:

“Meet a young man named Odd . . . who helps the dead get even.”

From the infinite imagination of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz comes the suspenseful graphic-novel debut of a natural-born hero with a supernatural twist.

Odd Thomas is a regular nineteen-year-old with an unusual gift: the ability to see the lingering spirits of the dead. To Odd, it’s not such a big deal. And most folks in sleepy Pico Mundo, California, are much more interested in the irresistible pancakes Odd whips up at the local diner. Still, communing with the dead can be useful. Because while some spirits only want a little company . . . others want justice.

When the sad specter of a very frightened boy finds its way to him, Odd vows to root out the evil suddenly infecting the sunny streets of Pico Mundo. But even with his exceptional ability-plus the local police and his pistol-packing girlfriend, Stormy, backing him-is Odd any match for a faceless stalker who’s always a step ahead . . . and determined to kill again?

Read an excerpt (scroll down to the thumbnails).

Other books in the series (mass market release dates where available):

P.S. Yes, my avatar is a graphic of a portion of Faye Valentine‘s face – some of her hair, her right eye, and right eyebrow.  I realize it looks a little like a Rorschach.

Gwen’s review of One Silent Night (Dark-Hunter, Book 16) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Paranormal fiction long novella released by St. Martin’s 4 Nov 08

Kenyon’s site calls this a “long novella” and says OSN is a book to bridge the gap between the older books and the ones coming.  It serves to fill in some battles and back-story, I suppose.  Read on to see what worked and what didn’t work for me. 

To begin with, OSN doesn’t have much of a romance, which is why I didn’t label it such. I think that only fans of the series will find it interesting, and I don’t recommend it if you’re new to the series.

In this entry, we stay down the “not-so-Dark-Hunter” path and focus more on the alternate pantheons and baddies.  I’m okay with that – I figure Acheron ended the original storylines and we have ventured into another world.  It’s just that this other world seems overly complex and unknown.  I’m having a very difficult time keeping track of who’s who and what’s what in this new realm Kenyon is creating.  I mean, Nick is now something else entirely?  Really??  Why???

The story was okay.  We get a taste of romance between Stryker (normally Mr. Bad Guy Himself) and his first wife (all around Ms McNasty), but it’s just a taste. We’re supposedly introduced to a variety of main characters we’re going to see get their HEA’s in future books; Kenyon does a good job of making characters be there for a reason and avoids the “trot them out to perform for the company” style that can sometimes afflict an established series.  But I was underwhelmed.

I can only recommend this book to fans of the series.   Not awful, but, well, meh.  Now the little smackerel we get on her site promises MUCH better things to come in her Feb release, Dream Warrior, not to mention the cover is yummy and (gasp) doesn’t have Nathan Kamp on it.

Grade: C-

Summary:

While the world carries on unawares, Stryker, who leads an army of demons and vampires, is plotting an all out onslaught against his enemies-which, unfortunately for us, includes the entire human race. To avenge his sister, Stryker prepares to annihilate the Dark-Hunters. But things go awry when his oldest enemy returns. Enter his ex-wife. Zephyra. Just when he thought nothing could stop him, he’s now embroiled in a centuries old war with a shrew who gives new meaning to pain.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in the series (in suggested reading order, most recent print release linked where possible):

and Book 18, Bad Moon Rising, coming Aug 2009

Sandy M’s review of Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephenie Meyer
Young Adult Contemporary Paranormal Fiction Hardcover released by Little, Brown 5 Oct 05, PPB 6 Sep 06, MMPPB 1 Nov 2008

I finally got my first look at the Twilight Saga sensation that (almost) everyone’s gone crazy over.  With the movie only days away from release, I had to get this at least this first book read before checking out the film.  I always like a book better than the movie, too much is left out for the screen version, and that would definitely be so in this case. So much happens in this book they’d have to leave a lot of it out, so I want my own interpretation before seeing the spin put on it by the producers and director.

I have to say that the characters in this book are quite interesting, and I like the different take Ms. Meyer gives us on the vampire.  Of course, the best part of the story are Edward and Bella.  The beginning of their relationship when they first meet and Bella is unaware of his background is well done.  I so liked the scene in their science class when it seems to Bella that Edward can’t stand being near her for some unknown reason.  There’s not many things that can throw Bella, but that seems to put a dent in her self-confidence, even if it isn’t for long.  There are very few scenes like this in the beginning, though, and I found myself wanting to skip ahead, things are just so slow moving.

Once past that I found the Cullen family fascinating.  I liked the dynamic of the family, how they came together and how they’ve chosen to live separate from their kind.  Even though most of the family is glad Edward has found someone to love, Rosalie is made that much more interesting because of her attitude toward Bella.  Alice and her visions, which change as life changes, is another intriguing part of the story.

Things begin to pick up once family introductions are made.  Another favorite part for me is the baseball game the family played.  I had to chuckle for the reason they played during a thunderstorm.  And this is where the book really takes off and keeps moving until the end.  I like that the family sticks together in protecting Bella, especially when it’s another vampire who is causing the problems.  This part of the story is really terrific.

I’m always up for a good vampire story, and while Twilight is one of those, I’m not sure I see where all the hype came from.  At first I thought it’s the fact that it’s a young adult and since I’m a good number of years past reading those and it’s been some time since I have read YA, and since a good book is a good book, and since there are certain parts I really like and others that didn’t do much for me, this one has to go in the good column for me, not a keeper at all.

There are other vampire books I like much better and other books in general I’d rather see adapted for a movie.  At least it will be interesting to see what scenes were pulled to be used in the movie, which weren’t, and how well the actors portray the characters.  My biggest concern is how Edward will be portrayed.  He’s given such a wonderful description in the book, I’m not sure there’s an actor on the planet who can do him justice.

Grade: B

Summary:

Deeply sensuous and extraordinarily suspenseful, TWILIGHT captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.Isabella Swan+s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella+s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger.

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Connie’s Quick Quack review of A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick
Contemporary women’s fiction released by Kensington 30 Oct 08

When Evelyn Dixon’s marriage ends abruptly she is at a loss until she takes a trip to a totally new town and finds the perfect (to her) spot to open her dream quilt shop. 

All the locals think she won’t have enough business to last six months but Evelyn is determined to try. Like all best laid plans many things go wrong and the business is indeed threatened. And it happens at a time that Evelyn’s health is not good.  New friends decide to help her keep the shop going.

Liza is troubled after the death of her mother and she is thrust on her aunt and both have a hard time with that. Aunt Abigail is wealthy but her feelings are kept under strict control. Liza blames Abigail for not trying to help her mother and is determined to make the situation as unpleasant as possible.

This is a small town with some really nice people. I don’t quilt but the story is compelling enough that it doesn’t matter.  All women need to be aware of the fight against breast cancer and how to help beat it. Everyone should find a character they like and enjoy the story.

Grade: B

Summary:

Marie’s fourth book, A SINGLE THREAD, will be her first contemporary novel. The November trade paperback tells the story of a displaced Texas homemaker who moves to Connecticut and pursues her dream of opening a quilt shop. But, on the day the shop opens, the owner discovers she has breast cancer. She survives, with the loving help of her friends.

Read an excerpt.

LauraD review of Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage by Sally Smith O’Rourke (no author site found)
Fiction released by Kensington 1 Oct 08

I do love Christmas stories, the sweeter and more sentimental the better. Sally Smith O’Rourke wrote Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage with her late husband Michael, and it certainly fits the bill — but it’s also something a bit different.

Our narrator is a dog, a retriever named Meteor to be exact. The tale begins with Meteor being adopted by Robert, the lighthouse keeper on a small island in the Outer Banks. Robert has lost a leg in an unnamed war, and has emotional wounds as well. An aspiring writer, he shuns socializing and Meteor is his only company. One stormy day, Robert (and Meteor) rescue a beautiful young woman from the sea and both their lives are changed.

Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage has an old-fashioned feel to it, helped along by the author’s decision not to clutter the story with brand names or pop culture references. Having Meteor as the storyteller works beautifully, his “voice” is simple but loving. I was skeptical at first, but it actually reminded me of one of my favorite books when I was little, Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders.

With the exception of Robert, the human characters are lightly written; they serve only to play out Meteor’s story of love, family, and loyalty. It’s a slim little novel, easily read at one sitting, although it touches on quite a few of the big incidents in the little family’s life. Bracketed by holidays, there are plenty of festive occasions within the pages, along with drama and tenderness.

I’m looking forward to pulling this one out again in another month or so, when the holiday hustle and crash gets a little too frenetic for me. I’ll sit down and spend a bit of time with Meteor and his family, and remember why I love the holidays.

Grade: A+

Summary:

With its rough gray shingles and weathered slate roof, Sea Pines cottage seems, at first glance, past its prime. But inside this remote fisherman’s house, a driftwood fire crackles in the fireplace, brightly colored rugs cover the floor, and cozy cushions dot the worn, welcoming furniture. A young man named Robert has retreated after the war, planning to spend his days writing, tending to the local lighthouse, and nursing his injuries—physical and mental. For company, he adopts a young Golden Retriever puppy named Meteor, who happily settles into life at Sea Pines, delighting in his master’s loving care. Robert and Meteor spend months in quiet companionship, until the day Robert rescues a young woman from a storm at sea.

Strong-willed and intelligent, Laura sees past Robert’s injuries to the proud, passionate man beneath, and—with some matchmaking help from Meteor—they begin a new life together at the cottage. When their son, Nicholas, is born on Christmas Eve, Meteor immediately becomes the little boy’s most loyal friend. But even Meteor’s tireless devotion can’t protect his cherished family from all of life’s unexpected challenges—hurdles that will teach each of them lessons of courage, faith, friendship, and the enduring love that can sustain us through life’s coldest seasons…

Read an excerpt.

LauraD’s review of Peach Blossom Pavilion by Mingmei Yip
Fiction published by Kensington 1 Jun 08

Peach Blossom Pavilion is graced with a lovely cover, complete with the intriguing promise that “Behind its doors, a world of sensuality and intrigue awaits…..” Seemingly, the author intends to provide a Chinese companion of sorts to Memoirs of a Geisha — the story of an impoverished Chinese girl forced into prostitution, who after learning the “fine arts of womanhood” becomes a valuable courtesan. Oops.

Precious Orchid is thirteen when she is sold to a house of prostitution; her father has been executed for a crime he did not commit, and her mother leaves her to become a Buddhist nun. At the Peach Blossom Pavilion, the young girl is slowly but surely educated in both the fine arts and in her new life as sex worker. The young prostitutes are highly competitive, striving to become the most popular and sought after, but Precious Orchid rises to become a ming ji, one of the most accomplished and revered courtesans. After years at the Pavilion, Precious Orchid runs away with a female lover; over the rest of the novel she encounters bandits, a Taoist monk, the all-female Golden Phoenix opera troupe, a Buddhist temple where she reunites with her mother, and finally to America with one of her former clients.

Perhaps meant to be operatic in scope, the story is pure soap opera instead. Precious Orchid is our narrator, and seems to view herself as a constant victim striving to rise above her tragic circumstances. However, when the novel begins she is naive and foolish; later she becomes self-serving and more than once abandons a person who truly cares for her-and is caring for her-with no backward glance. I came to view her as something of a Chinese Blanche duBois, always depending on the kindness of others. The author intended her as a strong character, but at no time during the novel did she take control of her own life; or even take responsibility for it.

Another issue I had was the “poetic” language the novel is written in. I cannot claim any knowledge of Chinese culture or language; perhaps the book reads as if it were a literal translation, but what is surely intended as poetic reads as purple as Barney the Dinosaur. For instance, when the madame is questioning Precious Orchid about a sexual encounter she believes PO may have had:

“When you slept with him, did he touch your golden gate? Did he insert his jade stalk into your cinnabar crevice?”

I wanted to have a personal drinking game; every time the words “jade stalk” appeared, I got to do another shot. I would have died of alcohol poisoning within chapters had I followed through.

Lest the cover or blurb give anyone the idea that there is eroticism to be found within, think again. Physical abuse, rape, suicide; these aren’t my idea of sensuality.

Mingmei Yip has written 5 books in Chinese; Peach Blossom Pavilion is both her first English work and her first fictional novel. No doubt intended to be a sweeping epic, I found it to be overwritten, and simply too much story of a heroine that I never managed to like. I admit though that there is a bit of campy pleasure to be found in Precious Orchid’s tale, and that’s why it’s getting a D instead of an F.

Grade: D

Summary:

In a sunny California apartment, a young woman and her finance arrive to record her great-grandmother’s reminiscences. The story that unfolds of Precious Orchid’s life in China, where she rises from a childhood of shame to become one of the most successful courtesans in the land, is unlike any they’ve heard before….

When Precious Orchid’s father is falsely accused of a crime and found guilty, he is executed, leaving his family a legacy of dishonor. Her mother is banished to a Buddhist nunnery and she is abandoned to the “care” of a relative in Shanghai.

At first, life at Peach Blossom Pavilion feels like a dream. Surrounded by exotic flowers, murmuring fountains, colorful fishponds, and jade-green bamboo groves, Precious Orchid sees herself thriving. She is schooled in music, literature, paining, calligraphy, and to her innocent surprise, the art of pleasuring men. For the beautiful Pavilion hides its darker purpose as an elite house of prostitution. And even as she commands the devotion of China’s most powerful man, Precious Orchid never gives up her determination to escape the Pavilion, be reunited with her long-lost mother, avenge her father’s death, and find true love. As the richest, most beautiful and celebrated Ming Ji or “prestigious courtesan” in all of China, she just might have her way even if it comes with a devastating price…”

Read an excerpt.

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Murder on the Eiffel Tower (A Victor Legris Mystery) by Claude Izner
Historical mystery hardcover released by St. Martin’s Minotaur 2 Sep 08

While the United States is a publishing powerhouse, there are plenty of books published overseas that might never find an American distributor. Case in point, Claude Izner’s debut historical mystery set in late 19th century Paris was first published in 2003 and is just now seeing the light of day in the U.S in 2008. Given that historical romances haven’t exactly been breaking the mold with fresh, original locales, I find historical mysteries to be a refreshing change of pace when I get burnt out from reading about English dukes or American cowboys. However, while Murder on the Eiffel Tower cleansed my palate when it came to the locale, I can’t say the book was entirely successful for me.

The highlight of the 1889 World Exposition in Paris is Gustave Eiffel’s magnificent tower. It’s causing a sensation around the world, not just with Parisians – some who think it’s marvelous and others who think it’s an eye sore. However the excitement turns to shock when a woman collapses and dies while visiting the tower with her niece and nephews. It’s suggested she died as the result of a bee sting, but then a cryptic letter begins arriving at the newspapers and more dead bodies turn up.

Enter, stage left, bookseller Victor Legris who spends no time over the course of this story actually working at his book shop. He’s either mooning over a beautiful red-headed painter he just met or snooping around for clues. As more dead bodies pile up, Victor finds the bee sting theory completely preposterous. The question is, will he uncover the truth, and get the girl, before the villain targets him next?

Even though it clocks in under 300 pages, this story takes a while to find some footing. One of the biggest issues is the head hopping and the introduction of several characters, all at once. Predominantly in the early chapters, it’s hard to tell if this uneven head hopping is the result of the original text (in French) or the result of the work by the translator. As overseas readers will attest, not all translations are created equal. Normally I enjoy head-hopping, when it’s skillfully employed, but here, compounded by the fact that the author introduces multiple characters in one sitting, it causes some confusion. I’m not a dense person, but it took some time for me to sort it all out.

I also found the character of Victor quite bothersome. For one thing he spends most of the early chapters mooning over a painter he meets and not doing much in the way of sleuthing. Luckily, the author eventually kicks it up a notch and the sleuthing commences with Victor suspecting just about everybody and their dead grandmother. However, I didn’t really care for the guy. Yes, I know men in the 19th century had mistresses. Some of them married. Heck, guys in the 21st century have mistresses. Doesn’t mean I want to read about it. And frankly, I didn’t appreciate the fact that he practically dumps his mistress (even though she’s married) before the sheets are cold when a newer, prettier face catches his eye. I found it unsavory, for lack of a better word.

The setting here is particularly well done, although if readers want some hand holding they’re going to be disappointed. The sister writing duo of Izner doesn’t spell things out for readers not familiar with French history, culture or landmarks. What I know about France can basically be summed up to Napoleon and de Gaulle, but I felt completely comfortable in Izner’s world once I got my feet wet.

Murder on the Eiffel Tower reminds me of the days when mystery novels were a bit more genteel. Even though there is some nondescript sex, this is a book I’d be very comfortable recommending to someone who wants a “cleaner” read without all the unsavory sex and violence mucking up the works. I thought the monologue at the end on the part of the villain was a bit over the top, but the author does explain all the twists and turns to satisfaction. While this first book in the Victor Legris series largely left me unmoved, and I’m not really compelled to continue on with it, it may work for those readers who love 19th century Paris, throwback puzzle mysteries, or just want to escape Regency England for a little while.

Grade: C-

Summary:

The brand-new, shiny Eiffel Tower is the pride and glory of the 1889 World Exposition. But one sunny afternoon, as visitors are crowding the viewing platforms, a woman collapses and dies on this great Paris landmark. Can a bee sting really be the cause of death? Or is there a more sinister explanation? Enter young bookseller Victor Legris. Present on the tower at the time of the incident, and appalled by the media coverage of the occurrence, he is determined to find out what actually happened. In this dazzling evocation of late nineteenth-century Paris, we follow Victor as his investigation takes him all over the city and he suspects an ever-changing list of possible perpetrators. Could mysterious Kenji Mori, his surrogate father and business partner at the bookstore Legris operates, be involved in the crime? Why are beautiful Russian illustrator Tasha and her colleagues at the newly launched sensationalist newspaper Passepartout always up-to-date in their reporting? And what will Legris do when the deaths begin to multiply and he is caught in a race against time?

Wendy the Super Librarian‘s review of Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain
Suspense/thriller fiction hardcover released by St. Martins Minotaur 2 Sep 08

As much as I love a good romance novel, I started out my reading life as a mystery reader. While both are genre fiction, I expect different things from each of them. In romance, I want the author to make me care about the characters. I want to become emotionally invested in their lives and struggles, which makes the happily-ever-after all that much sweeter. In mystery/suspense novels, I also want the author to make me care about the characters, but I also want what I call The White-Knuckle Factor. The kind of book that is so suspenseful, so full of thrills, that I literally cannot pry the book out of my hands. Chelsea Cain has made this her stock in trade, and this second book in her Gretchen Lowell series is a runaway freight train.

Sweetheart picks up where the first book in the series, Heartsick, left off. Archie Sheridan, a man once nearly tortured to death by diabolical female serial killer, Gretchen Lowell, is back on the job as a Portland, Oregon police detective and has moved back home with his family. This is a big step for Archie, living with his ex-wife and two children, because his time with Gretchen left him physically scarred, emotionally damaged, and with a pain killer addiction that would likely kill an elephant. Despite all this, Archie is still under Gretchen’s spell, haunted by her beauty and compelled by her sensuality.

There are three converging storylines in Sweetheart. Reporter, Susan Ward, who shadowed Archie throughout Heartsick, is still working on her blockbuster expose’ about a senator’s illicit affair with an underage girl. Decomposing bodies are showing up in a secluded wooded area, and Gretchen is still pulling strings, manipulating the story’s players, while locked up in prison. It all converges and boils over by the halfway point of the story, when Cain writes some fantastically tense scenes, and the characters find themselves in a race against time.

As much as I have come to love this series, it certainly isn’t for everybody. In fact, I see a lot of readers having major issues with this particular story. Cain writes deeply flawed characters. I cannot tell you how many times, over the course of reading this story, that I found myself thinking about Archie, “He did not just say/do/think that?!” These are highly damaged people, who make disastrous choices, and hurt people they love and care about. Also, it appears I’m going to have to resign myself to the fact that Susan is prone to Too-Stupid-To-Live Syndrome. She makes a boneheaded move in Heartsick, and has another episode in Sweetheart. She makes her choices, and a certain part of me understands them, while another part of me wants to shake her silly.

Should everybody read this book? No. It’s very dark, suspenseful, and the characters have more baggage than an international airport. However, what makes this book so compelling is Gretchen Lowell and her effect on the other characters in the story. She’s a woman, and also a killer, which means she is a master manipulator. Certainly she’s one sick, twisted individual, but watching her pull everybody’s strings, and calculate which buttons to push, makes for a truly remarkable character study. While Cain continues to tease readers about her past, Archie’s continued downward spiral, and the suspense thread about the lecherous senator, makes this a surefire bet for suspense fans.

If you haven’t read Chelsea Cain yet, you’re missing the most exciting new voice in suspense.

Grade: A

Summary:

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can’t be one of Gretchen’s—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman’s identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can’t focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn’t seen her in two months; he’d moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he’s relieved. He knows he’s the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

No excerpt found.

Other Books In The Series:

Shannon C.’s review of Callahan’s Legacy by Spider Robinson
Science fiction novel released by Tor 15 Sep 97

One of the reasons that I started reviewing correlates directly with something Spider Robinson said in the first of his Callahan’s books: “Shared joy is increased, shared pain is lessened.” I know there’s nothing that makes me feel better than knowing that someone loved a book as much as I did. And even if nobody else read a book I hated, I at least feel better after I’ve written my thoughts on the book.

This is why, when I finished the seventh book in the Callahan’s Series, I chose to talk about it here, even though it’s not a romance, and it’s in the middle of a series, so I don’t expect a huge overlap in readership. (Not that the non-romance thing has ever stopped me before.) The book left me feeling so angry that I figured I might as well talk about it here.

The Callahan’s books are basically about this out of the way bar in New York which seems to attract a diverse clientele, from talking dogs to cyborg aliens to benign vampires to, well, science fiction fanboys who are anviliscious self-inserts for the author. The first few books of the series are wonderful, especially the first one. Then it became obvious that Mr. Robinson was basically writing to his fans, and the books stopped being fun.

In this latest installment, well, it’s a typical evening down at the bar. Some interesting characters walk in, including a guy named Buck Rogers who has some serious money to burn (literally), a man who cannot feel pain, and a woman who is ugly enough to stop a clock. Then, of course, the bar denizens are required to save the world. Again. If you are sensing a somewhat weary, been-there-done-that tone from the writing of this paragraph, it’s because it’s intentional. All Callahan’s books start out this way. It’s usually charming, except when it’s not. And in this case it’s not more often than it is.

The major problem that I had with this installment in the Callihan universe aside from the fact that the formula’s getting a bit stale is that Spider Robinson’s politics and mine do not mesh. Normally, I can ignore that. I just hate being preached to, and this book was sooo freaking preachy. Not only that, but there was a whole section where the characters talk about how it’s really OK that a thirteen-year-old boy experimented sexually with his stepfather if the kid initiated it. Uh, no. No, it’s not. I could write an entire blog post about why I find this idea so incredibly repellent, but this is really not an appropriate forum.

I did enjoy Spider Robinson’s humor, and I liked seeing old characters, but, ugh, I simply couldn’t get past the OMGWTFBBQ factor of that whole child sexuality thing. As I said, the first three Callahan’s books are wonderful, and you can even read up to the fifth book and still get a good experience, but I won’t be finding out what else happens to the Callahan’s gang.

Grade: D+

Summary:
It’s more than twenty years since Spider Robinson revealed the existence of Callahan’s bar, and the original bar is gone. Mike Callahan is gone, too, but not forgotten. His spirit lives on in the new bar, called Mary’s Place, named for his daughter.

On this particular morning, Jake Stonebender, proprietor of Mary’s Place, wakes up and crawls out of bed, not realizing how big a mistake he’s made. It’s going to be one of those days. It’s not that his lovely wife, Zoey Berkowitz, is nine and a half months pregnant. Maybe it’s the early morning knock on the door and the incredibly ugly person who greets Jake and startles him so badly that he spills Zoey’s urine sample – all over the misshapen mistake of nature standing in front of him. That’s when he realizes that this is going to be a day of reckoning.

After this inauspicious start, the day takes a turn for the worse when a huge storm rips the roof off the bar – and moments later drops another, better roof on it. Then the guy with the suitcase full of hundred-dollar bills arrives and starts making them into paper airplanes that he cheerfully launches toward the fireplace.

That’s when Mary Callahan and her husband, Mickey Finn, show up, unconscious, appearing literally out of nowhere. And they have bad news. They’ve come to warn the barfolk that a three-eyed, three-toed, three-everythinged purple monster – the nastiest, most vile servant of the Beast – is going to descend on them within mere hours. The fate of life on Earth will depend on the collective karma of the bar when they confront this all-powerful monster.

Through laughter and tears, with puns powerful enough to melt Formica, the most famous bar in all of spacetime is going to rock this night… but will the Earth survive?

No excerpt was available.

Gwen’s review of Bloodfever (Fever Series, Book 2) by Karen Marie Moning
Contemporary paranormal fiction mass market paperback released by Dell 26 Aug 08
(Delacorte released hardcover 16 Oct 07)

Moning has started a different kind of series with the Fever books. They’re part urban fantasy, a (very) little bit young adult (so far), some paranormal romance, and lots of adventure. They’re the saga of a young woman’s journey thru some rather horrific events. A journey she takes with a gorgeous man who is a complete mystery to her, who saves her life time and again, and whom she cannot trust as far as she can throw. At least, that’s what she thinks at the beginning of this second book…

I love Moning’s writing. Her Dark Highlander series are some of my favorite paranormal romances, with Beyond the Highland Mist my absolute favorite of all. We’re very fortunate that the Fever books are told in the same world as the Highlander novels. We even get to meet, briefly, one of the MacKeltar‘s in Bloodfever (I just got a shiver – eek!) and there’s foreshadowing of more to come from him. I canNOT wait to see how that turns out.

In the Fever series, Moning departs from her typical writing style and gives us a first person telling from the heroine’s POV. Normally, I intensely dislike first person writing. It’s just so difficult for an author to do well. However, KMM makes it work with this series. The first person writing gives the action a sense of freshness and tension you probably wouldn’t feel if it weren’t told this way. Part of that is how incredibly funny and approachable I find the heroine, Mac. She approaches her predicaments with humor, courage, and a modern girl’s sensibilities.

The male lead – I hesitate to call him “hero” – is Jericho Barrons. We learn quite a bit more about this mysterious man in this book, but we still don’t know his motivations or history. There IS one very hot scene where he and Mac almost manage to get in each others’ pants. VERY steamy and classic Moning, but still no cigar, so to speak. I love Barrons as a hero. He’s an anti-hero hero. My favorite kind.

The story of what Mac is here to do with Jericho takes some forward steps in Bloodfever, but the story’s master plan still evolves slowly. We’re still left learning what is going on in this adventure. I could wish the plot moved a bit faster – same desire I had with the first book. According to Moning’s site, there are to be five Fever books. I hope the plot is like a snowball, gaining momentum as we reach the apex and start to go “downhill” in book three, Faefever. Regardless, it’s still very entertaining and there are a couple of interesting plot twists in Blood.

I can recommend this eminently readable book to anyone following this series, fans of Moning, and fans of contemporary paranormal fiction. I think it could stand alone – it has been quite some time since I read the first and I’ve forgotten (apparently) quite a bit of it, but I was still able to follow along.

Brava, KMM. I’m looking forward to book 3, Faefever, coming in September.  Bloodfever releases in mass market paperback 26 Aug 08.

Grade: A-

Summary:

Mackayla Lane’s ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland’s shores and was plunged into a dark, deadly realm unlike any she ever imagined. In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year old book of the blackest magic imaginable that holds the key to power over both the worlds of Fae and Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae, who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman; and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.

For centuries, the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Book 4, Dreamfever, tbd

Book 5, Shadowfever, tbd

Shannon C.’s review of Dust by Elizabeth Bear
Science fiction novel released by Spectra 26 Dec 07

Sybil asked the duckies if any of us had read Elizabeth Bear a few weeks ago, and I decided that I should dig out the one Bear book I had TBR. Apparently, Ms. Bear has won all kinds of awards, and I know she is hyped all over the place. But that doesn’t always mean much.

Unfortunately, Dust didn’t work for me and didn’t live up to the hype. I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but it’s the kind of book that I plowed through just so that I could say I finished.

It’s a bit hard to describe the plot. Our characters are floating around in a generation ship, which is a huge ship sent out to explore and colonize other planets. only the ship has been badly damaged, and it’s been orbiting some stars that are about to go supernova. The story focuses on Rien, who starts out as a servant and comes to embrace her destiny, Perceval, her half-sister and an engineer, and Jacob Dust, part of the ship’s original AI. There are lots of other characters around their periphery, but those are the main three.

What I did like was the vivid description of the setting. I will probably never get to travel through space on a massive, crumbling spaceship, but I definitely got a sense of what that would be like through the writing. The prose is also quite vivid, although too often it drifts into the purple territory.

The characters, unfortunately, don’t stand up well. I got a distinct sense of who they were, but I didn’t ever connect with any of them. Also, there’s this weird incestuous thing that several of them have going on, which was all the more squicky, at least to me, because nobody particularly thought it was a big deal. There was also a lot of intrigue going on, which can sometimes work well, but in this case confused rather than, well, intrigued. And because of that disconnect, and the author’s tendency toward a bit of pretentious literary styling, I just didn’t get the suspense.

I’m not willing to write off Ms. Bear completely. I’m going to try one of her other books first, but this one is probably safe to give a miss.

Grade: C-

Summary:
On a broken ship orbiting a doomed sun, dwellers have grown complacent with their aging metal world. But when a serving girl frees a captive noblewoman, the old order is about to change…

Ariane, Princess of the House of Rule, was known to be fiercely cold-blooded. But severing an angel’s wings on the battlefield-even after she surrendered-proved her completely without honor. Captive, the angel Perceval waits for Ariane not only to finish her off-but to devour her very memories and mind. Surely her gruesome death will cause war between the houses-exactly as Ariane desires. But Ariane’s plan may yet be opposed, for Perceval recognizes the young servant charged with her care at once.

Rien is the lost child: her sister. Soon, they will escape, hoping to stop the impending war and save both their houses. But it is a perilous journey through the crumbling hulk of a dying ship, and they do not pass unnoticed. Because at the hub of their turning world waits Jacob Dust, all that remains of God, following the vapor wisp of the angel. And he knows they will meet very soon.

Read an excerpt here

Liviania’s review of The Ankh of Isis (Library of Athena, Book 2) by Christine Norris
YA fantasy adventure eBook released by Samhain 8 Jul 08

There are many books it would be fun to enter and explore, to be able to interact with favorite characters and experience events first hand. Of course, it would be fun in an abstract sense. No worries of how to get back out of the book or getting injured in the story. Megan Montgomery’s library of enchanted books is a duty. She protects their contents from those who would use the artifacts they contain.

I read The Ankh of Isis without reading the first book, The Crown of Zeus, first. From the story I can deduce that the first book’s adventure didn’t pit Megan and her friends against an adversary, but was instead time for them to learn about the books’ worlds and their rules. Archaeologist Sir Gregory was a wizard, who wrote books in which to hide magical artifacts. To leave a book, one must find the artifact hidden within it using a series of clues. While Megan is the Librarian, her school friends Claire and Rachel know about the library because they were with her when she discovered it and its secrets. The Ankh of Isis delivers this information smoothly, allowing the second to stand well on its own.

The story is a straightforward adventure. The girls suspect Mr. Hemmlich, a client of Mr. Montgomery, of searching for something and rightly so. The chase to the finish works well because Hemmlich is obviously obsessed and not listening to reason and the girls and his son will be stuck in the story if he reaches the ankh without them. Christine Norris uses Egyptian mythology well and the riddles seem to be of an appropriate difficulty. (That is, they’re tough, but recognizable to an Egyptologist and his son so that the story doesn’t bog down.)

The Ankh of Isis will appeal most to young adults and children reading above their age level (as most children that read for pleasure do). The romance between fourteen-year-old Diedrich Hemmlich and Megan is sweet and chaste. They’re just two good kids enjoying a summer crush. In fact, the sweet romance is an odd contrast to the villain Norris created. Mr. Hemmlich’s obsession with power leads him to harm children and be quite willing to kill them, despite the fact one of them is his son. While that familial connection gives Diedrich a reason to be on the scene, it causes some issues older readers will be more bothered by than younger.

I know that several years ago I would have no problem with the conclusion. Now I feel that Diedrich, at the book’s end, is burdened with a bundle of daddy issues and not much of a support network, if any. Norris touches briefly on the subject, but it’s a dark thing which doesn’t mesh well with the book’s light approach. Events at the end suggest a conspiracy that might be a threat to the Librarian, which would likely darken the tone of the series. As the series is though, the Hemmlichs seem like a case of too dark, too early.

Still, The Ankh of Isis is a fun adventure with light romance that young adults will enjoy. I know I’m likely to read book three when it arrives.

Grade: B-

Summary
Megan Montgomery is looking forward to a nice, quiet Easter holiday. No school, no homework, time with her friends. Then her father informs her Mr. Hemmlich, a potential client and archaeologist, is coming to stay with them for the entire week. Her dreams of goofing off go up in smoke—until Hemmlich arrives with his handsome teenage son in tow. Things are definitely looking up.

Megan’s excitement quickly turns to suspicion when Hemmlich starts asking questions about the manor and its builder, Sir Gregory. Is it just admiration for Sir Gregory’s work? Or could Hemmlich know about the Library of Athena, the secret room full of magic books hidden deep beneath the manor? It shouldn’t be possible.

But then again, if she can get sucked inside a book…
Read an excerpt here

LauraD’s review of Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
Chick Lit hardcover release by Dial Press 26 Feb 08
Trade Paperback release 28 Oct 08

What if one day you woke up and all those little daydreams had suddenly come true? You’d lost 20 pounds, your hair was fabulous, you had a better job, and instead of fantasizing about Mr. Perfect, you were married to him. Only, what if you didn’t remember who you were? That’s the premise in Sophie Kinsella’s new novel Remember Me?.

Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, with no memories of the last three years. Apparently, she’s made some BIG changes in her life; she’s transformed herself physically, gotten promoted at work, changed all her friends, and become everything she always wanted to be. Oh, and there’s also a gorgeous and successful husband now. If only she could remember any of it!

The Lexi Smart that narrates Remember Me? is introduced in a short prologue, and she’s a bit of a mess. That doesn’t really change when confronted with the new and improved Lexi’s life; her husband has to write her a handbook on how to deal with it. So she begins the task of navigating her life anew, and finding out that other than the designer handbags and her new figure, she really doesn’t like it at all – and Lexi hasn’t even found out she has a lover yet.

Lexi spends a good part of the book being aimless and a tad bit whiny. At first she’s excited by waking up to a shiny new life, but as she comes to realize it’s not what she really wants, she starts to pout. I knew I was supposed to like her, but at that point I was having a hard time. However, when she goes back to work she finds a project to really believe in, and she morphed into a character with backbone. The second half of Remember Me?, when Lexi is starting to take control of her life again, was more fun for me than the first half. Yep, she got likable.

Jon, Lexi’s erstwhile lover, was a much harder character to get a handle on. Why was he affair-worthy? I know this isn’t a romance, but I needed a little more show and a little less tell. I never felt any kind of connection between the two, and I never got the impression that Lexi did, either. Secondary characters were well written, but none of them had depth.

Sophie Kinsella is always talented at taking odd little moments and getting humor out of them- a toilet that won’t flush during a party, for instance. Maybe a phrase that has a special meaning for a married couple. There are a few such moments in Remember Me? that are snort-worthy, but never at a character’s expense. I appreciate the way she pokes a lot of fun at the newly moneyed young Brits, but never makes fun of them. Her ability to balance humor and humanity is certainly a primary reason she’s the reigning queen of British chick lit.

Remember Me? is out in hardback now [Ed.: and is standalone, separate from her Shopaholic books], and I’d say that unless you are a diehard Sophie Kinsella fan, you won’t miss out by waiting for the trade paperback release.

Grade B-

Summary:

When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident-in a Mercedes no less-Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.

Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband-who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.

Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

Read an excerpt. 

Gwen’s review of Hotter Than Hell (Hell On Earth, Book 3) by Jackie Kessler
Paranormal fiction/urban fantasy released by Kensington 29 Jul 08

This book is compellingly grim and I really didn’t want to like it. I’m very conflicted about the world it embodies. Technically, the writing is very proficient. Thematically, the book hits on all my “I don’t know about this” buttons. This is the second of this series I’ve read, the first being a short story in Eternal Lover (reviewed here). Let me get the technical bits of the review out of the way first, then I’ll tell you how I felt about the book and why it’s still a Grade A book to me in spite of all my internal conflict.

HtH is told in first person from the hero’s viewpoint. His name is Daunuan – presumably pronounced “Don-wahn” with all intendant double-entendres. Daun is a very believable character with some incredible depth, for an Incubus (a demon male who seduces and takes his victims to hell once they’ve compromised their souls). The internal and external dialogue are all male – Kessler has done a magnificent job keeping the “female” out of his head. I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been.

The overall story arc is Daun’s struggle with himself and his obsession with a former succubus, Jezebel (a.k.a. Jessie Harris). He doesn’t know it, or admit to it (because, hello, demon here), but he’s madly in love with Jezebel. Through his adventures in this book, he finds some shreds of “humanity” in himself and comes to realize just what “love” is and it only makes him stronger, contrary to what he always thought as a demon. The evolution of this epiphany is actually painful to read and really grabs you by the throat, so to speak.

The book’s plot twists and character machinations are sincerely Machiavellian. Kessler does an incredible job making our anti-hero a little nutso trying to figure out who the hell (heh) is trying to kill him and why. I was left guessing the whole time and loved it.

Daun is complete anti-hero goodness, in my opinion. He’s a very unsympathetic character that I sympathized with. He was darkly fascinating to me. The task set out for him to complete and be promoted, or don’t complete and be killed, was something I didn’t WANT him to succeed in and yet found myself cheering him on. And here is where we come into my ambivalence about this book.

First some background to help you understand my dithering. I grew up in a church-going house – you know the drill: church three times a week, Sunday school, Vacation Bible School in the summer, church softball, church youth groups, etc. It’s been a couple a lot of years since I parked my rear-end in a pew, but that kind of early training doesn’t go away.

Even with this history, I have read a lot of paranormal with all the accompanying vampires, demons, and other dark creatures. I am able to enjoy these books because they’re patently fantasy. As I read HtH, I increasingly wasn’t able to make that distinction – its fantasy is too “real” and I don’t know whether that is a good thing.

What the book IS NOT is a book for the faint of heart. What this book is is something that hit my “I don’t know about this” button many times and made me suck it down fast, in the dark, before anyone could see me reading it. Once I was done, I felt a little “tainted” and dirty. But damn (heh) if it wasn’t very, very good.

There is no HEA in this book – it’s very “urban fantasy” that way. I mean, perhaps a demon’s version of HEA but not one we would call HEA. I can recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Kessler, the series, or simply paranormal fiction. It stands alone from the other Hell On Earth series books. If you want a read that makes you think, drags you over the coals (heh), and leaves you satisfied if not terribly happy, then this is the book for you.

Grade: A-

Summary:

From the author’s site:
The incubus Daunuan loves his job: seduce a lot of mortals, bring their souls to Hell, party at the best interdimensional pub this side of the Astral Plane. But when the King of Lust makes him an offer he can’t refuse, Daun has to give up all the tricks of his trade to properly befriend-and bed-Virginia Reed, a woman who’s meant for Heaven.

If he can get her to love him for the incubus he really is, and if he can avoid the rogue demons that are hell-bent on destroying him for reasons unknown, Daun will become the First Principal of Lust, second in line to the King. But Daun learns that love is more than a four-letter word, and that maybe, just maybe, demons really do have feelings after all…

From Amazon.com:
In HELL’S BELLES and THE ROAD TO HELL, Jackie Kessler brought readers into an unforgettable Underworld populated by alluring demons and sexy devils. Now Daunuan, the most irresistible incubus of all, is facing one Hell of a challenge…

So whose soul do you have to damn to get a promotion around here?

Daunuan was never the ambitious type. There’s so much to love about his job just the way it is–mind-blowing sexual prowess, the power to seduce any human, excellent dental plan. But now Pan, the King of Lust, has offered to make Daun his right-hand incubus–a position other demons would give their left horn for. All he has to do is entice a soul destined for heaven into a damnable act of lust. Should take, oh, seven minutes, tops.

Then he meets his target, Virginia Reed. She’s cute. Funny. Smart. Unfathomably resistant to his charms. He can’t understand it. But Daun has centuries of seduction to his credit. He’s the best there is. Sooner or later he’ll transform this polar icecap of a female into a pool of molten desire, and every instinct tells him she’ll be worth the effort.

Meanwhile, he has to deal with a plague of rogue demons Hell-bent on taking him down, sent by an unknown enemy with a serious grudge. And one other problem: the dawning realization that he’s falling in love–that unholiest of four-letter words–with the woman he’s about to doom for all eternity…

Read an excerpt (scroll down).

Other books in the series:

LauraD’s review of Project Jennifer by Jill Amy Rosenblatt
Chick Lit released by Kensington 29 Jul 08

Chick Lit has its origins in Great Britain, and we Americans have never quite captured whatever it is that makes Chick Lit, well…..Chick Lit. Those Brits just seem to have a sense of irony that us Yanks can’t quite get to. We seem to want our Chick Lit heroines to actually learn Life Lessons, when the point is really just a fun book where in the end the girl gets a reasonably happy ending. Up to bat here in America’s latest is debut author Jill Amy Rosenblatt, and danged if she doesn’t get it.

Joan Benjamin starts out losing her fiancé, job, and apartment. The fiancé and job are both due to Jennifer, a woman so completely her opposite that Joan is jolted into action-she wants the things that Jennifer has, then the answer is to become a woman like Jennifer. She enlists the help of her friend Carrie and tries to change herself into “Jennifer”.

Jill Amy Rosenblatt gives readers a great view of what happens when a perfectly normal, intelligent women suddenly starts investing too much energy into Cosmo magazine’s advice columns, and using self-help books to self-style. Suddenly, she’s so determined to lose her virginity that she ends up in an affair with a married man – who’s also her boss. Not good. Of course, her best friend Carrie is also in a relationship, and her guy may or may not be cheating.

Project Jennifer combines funny and bittersweet in equal doses. Joan has a lot of growing up to do, and it’s not necessarily pretty. However, it’s always real; and it’s usually good for a laugh. Joan is also a lucky girl, as she gets to meet a few interesting men along the way. Rosenblatt has also written some other great characters, including Joan’s college adviser. Project Jennifer was a hoot to read, and kudos to Ms. Rosenblatt for a great first novel.

Grade: B

What’s In A Name?

Joan Benjamin, a plain and uptight secretary on Long Island, New York, is suffering an identity crisis brought on by a very bad week. Her ex-fiancé just married someone else; she’s lost her cushy overpaid job; and she’s been kicked out of her apartment. All because of women named Jennifer! So when Joan learns that her parents almost named her Jennifer, she decides to transform herself into the Jennifer she might have been…

It’s Either Everything…

Armed with all the pop psychology she can get her hands on—and with the help of a dear friend who can recite Cosmo-style stats by heart—Joan sets out to cultivate her inner Jennifer: a sexy, successful belle-of-the-ball who’s completely in charge of her professional and private lives.

Or Nothing At All.

But “Project Jennifer” is not a rousing success right out of the gate—apparently, even Jennifers can have bad dates and wardrobe malfunctions—but soon Joan begins to feel transformed by her new self. In fact, her Jennifer persona might end up teaching her a few unexpected lessons about life: like how to say “yes” to things you want and “no”” to things you don’t, and that just being yourself is enough. Even if that self is named Joan…

Sybil’s review of Rogue by Danielle Steel
Fiction hardcover release from Delacourt Press 24 Jun 08

Rogue is not a romance novel but one has to give kudos to whoever it was that made that poll because no way would it or this book have gotten as much attention from the romance blogland without pulling our strings and watching us get puffy. The joke is Danielle Steel is a ‘guilty pleasure’ read or a ‘beach read’ or whatever stupid sayings they dust off every June. I have loved me some trashy fiction and more smutty reads than I can remember, sadly this isn’t even that. I would say it was something close to Reality TV only it isn’t that deep.

Blake Williams is a charming, handsome, playboy who retired at 35. Now at 46, he test drives young women and travels. He has three children (well, three he fathered, too many others to count that he dates) by his ex-wife Maxine. She got tired of being his mommy too and divorced him, but she didn’t take him for all she deserved could have, so they are teh BFF’s.

Maxine has always been the adult. She is a psychiatrist and “…one of the foremost experts in trauma in both children and adolescents”. This ‘expert’ is able to watch her ex (who people still call her ‘husband’) blow in and out of their kids’ lives, knows they can’t count on him for crap (but hopes he will come through and not break their heart this time), and lets him take her 13 year old daughter, 12 and 6 year old sons – alone or with bimbo-of-the-week – out of the country. And is so smart she ‘falls in love’ with a man, who is such an adult he spends all his time trying to get her to send her children away to boarding school. So he can have her all to himself. WHAAAAT??

That is pretty much the sum of the book. No matter how often the reader is told how smart, loving, educated or wonderful these characters are we never see it. Maxine agrees to marry a man who has to try not to hate her kids. And the most interesting characters in the book are the bimbos.

The grade should be lower but I read it without force being needed. OH! And I like the cover…. so sad cuz I use to like Danielle Steel once upon a time.

Grade: D –

Being married to Blake had been an amazing adventure for Maxine. Brilliant, charismatic, and wholly unpredictable, Blake Williams made millions and grabbed headlines as a dot-com entrepreneur. His only shortcoming was as a husband—first his work and then his never-ending quest for fun kept him constantly on the move, far away from Maxine and his family. For five years Blake and Maxine have worked out an odd but amicable divorce, with friendly though infrequent visits, a yacht he lends her every summer, and three children they both adore. Blake enjoys his globe-trotting lifestyle—dating a succession of beautiful, famous, and very young women—while Maxine raises their kids in Manhattan and pursues her passion, working as a psychiatrist, a world-renowned expert on childhood trauma and adolescent suicide. Then everything changes….

For Maxine it starts when she falls in love with Dr. Charles West, a man who is everything Blake is not—mature, grounded, and present. For Blake it begins when a devastating earthquake strikes near one of his palatial foreign homes and he sees hundreds of orphaned children in need of shelter. Now Blake wants Maxine in his life again—as a partner in a humanitarian project that could change countless lives. For Maxine the choice is clear. But Blake’s sudden transformation—from carefree playboy to compassionate, responsible grown-up—raises questions she’s never managed to answer . . . and some she’s afraid to ask. After all, Maxine is on the cusp of a new life, about to marry Charles, and almost certain that Blake Williams, aka the Rogue, is a man capable of doing anything—except change….

An unforgettable story of two people pursuing happiness from opposite directions, Rogue is a journey of choices and the amazing opportunities that come together—just when life seems to have been successfully rearranged at last.

Shannon C.’s review of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
Young adult fiction released by Candlewick Press 1 Jun 05

You know those stereotypes about bloggers being nerds who have nothing better to do than sit there and make fun of people on the Internets instead of, y’know, getting out there and having a life? That’s me, except I don’t live in my parents’ basement and I am perfectly capable of carrying on a normal conversation outside the Internets. But I have always been and still am a fat girl. My weight has been an issue for me all my life, and I know I’m not the only one who has ever suffered from weight-related anxiety. So I was curious to pick up this book when I learned it was about a fat teenager living in trendy Manhattan. And I found that I loved Carolyn Mackler’s storytelling. The book is honest–sometimes brutally so–but it really resonated with me.

Virginia Shreves is considered the odd duck in her family. Her parents are both successful workaholics, (her mom is even a popular teen psychologist), her brother Byron is the big man on Columbia University’s campus, and her sister Anais is currently in the Peace Corps. Virginia alone feels like the ugly duckling, the defective model. She’s always been heavy, she doesn’t share any interests with either of her bright, overachieving siblings, and her best friend, Shannon (which is a great name for a best friend, IMHO) has moved all the way across the country. When disaster strikes, the relationship Virginia has with the members of her family is strained, and Virginia has to figure out who she is and who she wants to be.

I’ll be honest. If I’d been reading a physical book, I would have chucked it very hard against the wall when I first started, after I read this passage.

The Fat Girl Code of Conduct

by Virginia Shreves

1.Any sexual activity is a secret. No public displays of affection. No air-kisses blown across the cafeteria. No carefully folded notes passed in the hall. No riding the moped in public.

2. Don’t discuss your weight with him. Let’s face it. You both know it’s there, so don’t start bemoaning your body and pressure him into lying, i.e., “What are you talking about? You don’t look fat at all.”

3. Go further than skinny girls. Find ways to alert him to this, such as slutty comments peppered into the conversation. If you can’t sell him on your body, you’d better overcompensate with sexual perks.

4. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever push the relationship thing. Everybody knows that guys hate discussing relationships, so make it easy on him. Same goes for dates to movies and school dances. Bottom line: Let him get the milk without having to buy the cow.

If it hadn’t been 3 in the morning when I read this, and if I hadn’t been staying over at my parents’ house (where, sadly, there is no Internet I can access from which to blog) I’m pretty sure I would have shouted, “Excuse me? What the hell kind of message is that to be sending to our teenagers?” But then I thought about why I reacted the way I did, and realized that it’s because for a lot of overweight girls, that is the way they actually think. I know people in real life who have said a variation on points 3 and 4 who are in their twenties. And after a while I started to appreciate that Ms. Mackler is, like Virginia, not sugar-coating things.

The book continues to be brutally honest, and it’s clear there are no easy solutions to the questions it presents. Virginia herself is also very honest with the readers about what she’s thinking and feeling. I wanted to smack her a few times, but in the end, she resonated perfectly and I cheered for her when she finally took those steps toward independence and self-actualization.

Over the summer, I have been taking a children’s literature course, and during that time I’ve come to realize how incredibly easy it is to mess up writing fiction for a younger audience. I don’t know how much this book resonates with actual teenagers, but it worked very well for me and I definitely recommend it to women of all ages.

Grade: A

Summary:

Virginia thinks the world of everyone but herself…………

Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-average body and a plus-size inferiority complex. She lives on the Web, snarfs junk food, and obeys the “Fat Girl Code of Conduct.” Her best friend and stuttering soul mate, Shannon, has moved to Walla Walla, Washington. Froggy Welsh the Fourth has succeeded in getting his hand up Virginia’s shirt, but she lives in fear that he’ll look underneath.

Then there are the other Shreves. Mom is an exercise fiend and a successful adolescent psychologist. Dad, when not jet-setting, or golfing in Connecticut, ogles skinny women on TV. Older siblings Anais and Byron are slim, brilliant, and impossible to live up to.

Delete Virginia, and the Shreves are a picture-perfect family. . . until a phone call changes everything.

You can read an excerpt here.

Finn’s review of Rites of Spring (Break) by Diana Peterfreund
Contemporary Fiction released by Delta 24 Jun 08

Secret societies on college campus’s have always fascinated me. So when I picked up Rites of Spring (Break) I couldn’t wait for all the secrets it would reveal about those ultra exclusive clubs. I was mildly disappointed.

Rites of Spring (Break) is the third of The Ivy League Novels by Peterfreund. Unfortunately I did not get to read the first two and I was a little lost throughout the story. I am one of those people that like to read books in order. Besides being a little lost it was an intriguing story.

Amy “Bugaboo” Haskel is having a bad winter at Eli University. A rival secret society has launched a personal attack on her, not the whole of the Rose and Grave society but just her. She has had drinks spilled on her, crickets but in her couch, a virus set to her computer, all sorts of pesky things. Come to find out it’s all because her ex-boyfriend’s new girl (a member of the rival society) is pissed off because he can’t seem to stop thinking about Amy. Talk about using all weapons at your disposal to attack some one that annoys you!

Well Amy gets away during Spring Break to Cavador Key, the private island of the Rose and Grave society. Unfortunately the harassment doesn’t stop when she and her friends reach the island. What follows is a growing love between her and another society member, which the society, tongue in cheek, calls incest and random attacks on D177 (this years ruling body of Rose and Grave).

Grade: B

From “witty and endearing” to “impossible to put down,” the critics have given elite marks to Diana Peterfreund’s Secret Society Girl and Under the Rose. Now, in a wildly captivating new novel, Amy “Bugaboo” Haskel and her fellow Rose & Grave knights are trading cold, gray, hyperintellectual New Haven for an annual rite of spring (well, early March) in Florida.

For Amy, a week of R&R on her secret society’s private island should be all fun in the sun—and an escape from an on-campus feud with a rival society that’s turned disturbingly personal. But along with her SPF 30 and a bikini, Amy is bringing a suitcase full of issues to remote Cavador Key. Graduation from Eli University looms, not to mention buckets of unfinished business with a former flame and—most pressing of all—the sudden, startling transformation of a mysterious Rose & Grave patriarch from sheerly evil to utterly…appealing?

Just when Amy thinks Spring Break can’t get any less relaxing, a wacky “accident” puts everyone on edge. And that’s only the beginning, as Amy starts to suspect that someone has infiltrated the island. With some major Rose & Grave secrets to be exposed, and the potential fallout enough to take down one of America’s most loathsome figureheads, what she can’t know is that the party crasher is deadly serious about making sure “Bugaboo” doesn’t get back to Eli alive….

Shannon C.’s review of Whiskey Sour: a Jacqueline Daniels Mystery by JA Konrath
Mystery fiction released by Hyperion 2 Jun 04

I’m not a big mystery reader, but I’ve been consciously trying to pick up books I normally wouldn’t. JA Konrath’s first Jack Daniels mystery isn’t one I’d have grabbed on my own, but a review I read somewhere made me intrigued enough to pick up this book. I’m glad I did.

You see, Jack Daniels is a woman, the Jack of course standing for Jacqueline. She’s been on the Chicago P.D. for 20 years, and she’s pretty much married to her job. But even she is shaken up by the gruesomeness of the killings made by a man who calls himself the Gingerbread Man killer. And this killer gradually becomes obsessed with Jack as well.

I love kick-ass heroines. Jack definitely kicks ass, and what’s more, I really like her narrative voice. I knew going into the book that JA Konrath was a man, so I was expecting Jack not to feel feminine enough, but she really worked for me. She’s funny, cynical, and self-depricating. I even didn’t mind the fact that there was no hint of a romantic subplot, although Jack does go out on a blind date. I’m hoping that there’ll be romance for Jack in future books, but I was glad she wasn’t distracted by love and could therefore do her job. There are definitely some romantic prospects, though, and one man in particular in Jack’s life that I want to hear more from. I also loved her relationship with her partner, Herb, and could definitely tell that they liked each other a lot. And the scenes where Jack talks to her mother? Awesome and hysterical.

In fact, the whole book is funny in a witty, snarky sort of way. I know I read some other review which complained particularly about the FBI agents who are totally just there for the comic relief, but those scenes had me in stitches. I even loved the parts where Jack and Herb crack jokes which aren’t very good.

Not to say that this is a lighthearted book, because it’s not. Konrath doesn’t pull any punches, and there was a lot of gore. I mean, seriously, the killer was incredibly creepy, though that being said the masterful part of the violence is that Konrath doesn’t describe everything in loving detail. He just paints a macabre picture and lets the reader fill in the rest. The killer actually seemed pretty smart, too, and the author waits until just the right moment to spring the identity of the villain on us. I was kept guessing right along with Jack, and at least in the romantic suspense I’ve read, I tend to figure out who the villains are relatively quickly, so it was nice to actually get that “Aha! So that’s the connection!” moment along with Jack.

My only real issues with the book are that I hate the technique the author uses. We get Jack’s first-person POV and then, occasionally, we’ll get third person chapters with the killer. This does heighten the suspense and Konrath juggles the POV better than most, but it’s a pet pieve of mine and I didn’t like it. However, since the book is getting a really high grade anyway, obviously I wasn’t crying about it too much. I also hated the ending. Justice is served, the killer is apprehended, but in such a way that I really felt awful for Jack. Saying more would constitute spoilers, but if I were Jack, I would have done more than punch someone in the face. I wanted better for her, which I guess goes to show that I did connect with the character.

Despite those issues, I really enjoyed this book and recommend it, especially if you enjoy snappy dialogue, gripping suspense and kick-ass heroines.

Grade: B+

Summary:

Lt. Jacqueline “JACK” Daniels is having a VERY bad week…

Jack’s live-in boyfriend has left her for his personal trainer, chronic insomnia has maxed out her credit cards with late-night home shopping purchases, and a frightening killer who calls himself “The Gingerbread Man” is dumping mutilated bodies in her district.

Between avoiding the FBI and their moronic profiling computer, joining a dating service, mixing it up with street thugs, and parrying the advances of an uncouth PI, Jack and her binge-eating partner Herb must catch the maniac before he kills again…and Jack is next on his murder list.

Whiskey Sour introduces a fun, fully drawn heroine in the grand tradition of Kinsey Millhone, Stephanie Plum, and Kay Scarpetta. It’s both laugh out loud funny and lock the doors scary.

You can download a PDF excerpt of this book from here.

Shannon C.’s review of The Hollowing by N.D. Hansen-Hill
Sci-Fi novel eBook published by Cerridwen Press 17 Apr 08

I had a hell of a time getting into The Hollowing not because it was a bad book, but because for some reason, probably owing to the fact that Cerridwen Press is an imprint of Ellora’s Cave I was expecting a romance. Naturally, I have no problems at all with non-romance books–I’ll try and read most things once, but it took me about a quarter of the book to shift my expectations from paranormal romance to something more along the lines of horror-tinged science fiction.

For horror-tinged science fiction, The Hollowing is a pretty good read. The plot is intricate–too intricate to describe with any real flair here, although I’ll give it the old college try–and the characters were likeable. I’m intrigued enough by what I’ve read that I’ll probably pick up another book by Ms. Hansen-Hill. But the book loses points because it didn’t engage me as quickly as I wish it had.

As I said, the plot is complex. It centers around Shawn Walsh. Shawn has always had strange abilities which he’s tried to suppress. But soon it becomes clear that Shawn needs to use his abilities to prevent a tragedy from striking. He is aided along the way–albeit reluctantly–by his friends, his cousin Dos, Rhys, a science fiction writer, and Jack, a doctor.

I really liked the characters. I quickly got a sense of who Shawn, Rhys, Dos and Jack were, and they were all complex individuals. Shawn in particular is very well-drawn, managing to be an honorable man despite some pretty horrendous circumstances. And the relationship between these four men felt authentic and genuine. What’s more, their speech and actions felt very authentically male, which is a nice change from some of the characters I’ve read about.

The time-travel element–which it’s not a spoiler to admit is the major paranormal element–works pretty well. There were moments when I got lost though, moments when I wasn’t sure what was actually happening when and where and to whom. I thought that Ms. Hansen-Hill’s time travel theory was more well thought out than some I’ve seen. The villains are a bit cartoonishly psycho, but they are, again, slightly better fleshed out than some villain types I’ve read.

Except for the fact that the story took some time to really engage me, I do recommend this book for any science fiction lovers out there who are willing to experience a different and more unusual type of paranormal story. It didn’t wow me with its brilliance, but it was a nice change from some of the other offerings I’ve read from this publisher lately.

Grade: B-

     Summary:

     Shawn Walsh’s problems don’t arise from his own troubled past but from someone else’s. Fires, floods, battles, bone-rattling quakes — he’s frequently an unwilling and horrified participant in events long gone. For when The Hollowing claims him, his present dissolves.

     Unfortunately, his problems have everything to do with family and his rather questionable heritage — with a birthright he’d rather know nothing about. Lost and tossed about by destiny, trapped and extorted by those long deceased, he’s tired of playing a victim.

     And he refuses to give up hope. There is still a chance he’ll be able to resolve his issues without dying, given the right place… And enough time.

     Read an excerpt.

You can read an excerpt here

Shannon C.’s review of Life on the Move by Megan Reilly
Contemporary young adult fiction released by Samhain 29 Apr 07

I love it when a book packs the kind of emotional wallop that leaves me sitting in my chair well after I’m done, stunned into speechlessness. When that book is only about 150 pages long, I consider that amazing. A quick word of warning–this is a young adult novel, and it’s not an easy story to read, so people expecting a traditional HEA will be disappointed, but if that doesn’t matter so much to you, this is definitely worth a try.

Casey Smith has moved all her life. It’s just something she and her dad have done so often it’s routine. She’s expecting this time not to be any different, but it appears that now she may be putting down roots. She’s even reluctantly made friends with Ethan, a cute guy in several of her classes. But then one day there’s a knock on her door and everything she thought she knew about her life changed.

It’s important in first-person books that the reader like the protagonist. I really liked Casey. She felt like an authentic teenager, struggling with wanting to grow up and yet not wanting things to change at all. I thought that the relationship she had with her dad was incredibly realistic, even though they didn’t always get along. I could tell that she loved him, despite his foibles. And I liked that she was tough and yet secretly vulnerable.

Ms. Reilly does a great job with the other characters. We see them through Casey’s eyes, but that doesn’t diminish them. Casey’s dad in particular fascinated me, because he’s the type of character that should have deeply repulsed me but didn’t. I could see why he loved Casey, and it’s still obvious he has a lot of maturing left to do.

The love story here is really sweet, too. I thought that it might overpower the coming of age bits, but it really just added to them. I especially liked that Casey and Ethan got to be friends before deciding they wanted to be more, and Casey doesn’t spend the book acting like a boy-crazy twit.

I can’t really talk about the plot without giving spoilers away, but I will say that it all worked for me. The ending is uncertain, with one chapter of Casey’s life coming to a close. It’s kind of bittersweet, because, at least for me, I knew that Casey was really in a better place than she was in the beginning, but I felt for her uncertainties and her sadness about what the future would bring. Some readers might not like that nothing is wrapped up in a tidy bow, but that actually felt more realistic to me and I don’t know how the book could have ended any differently.

This is one of those books I don’t imagine will have caught many people’s eye, but I definitely recommend it.

Grade: A

     Summary: 

     Home is where the heart is. Until the truth comes knocking.

     Casey Smith and her dad move around a lot, so packing boxes, driving all night, and moving into a new apartment in a new town is nothing, well, new to her. While it’s weird that her dad is so restless, she’s never really minded before—after all, there’s nothing she can do about it.

     But this time is different. This time they’ve moved to a place where she almost fits in. She’s even made some friends, including Ethan, a gorgeous guy who could turn out to be more than just a friend—if only she could be sure she’ll have time to really get to know him.

     Just when her life is starting to have all kinds of possibilities, a knock comes on the door.

     And everything Casey has ever known is turned upside down.

     Read an excerpt.

You can read an excerpt here

This is great.

I read The Opposite of Love back in January and can still clearly see the scenes Julie talks about here in her podcast.

The author makes some great points – and yes I know, Lawson, you are tired of hearing me talk about this book - but I was amused by how well I got the book *g*. Go forth and listen.  Any else get a chance to read this yet?

Julie Buxbaum also stopped by during our Valenduckie week – which you can check out here.

Devon’s review of What Looks Like Crazy by Charlotte Hughes
Contemporary fiction released by Jove 26 Feb 08

What Looks Like Crazy is not my usual cup of tea. It’s contemporary fiction, heavy on the humor. There are romantic elements to be sure, but the book reminds me more of Chick-Lit than anything else. There’s a heroine with a messed up love life, a weird family and friends and an equally kooky professional life. She gets into all manner of ridiculous situations, and indulges in makeovers and retail therapy when she’s feeling down.

However, What Looks Like Crazy is much better written than much of the chick lit I’ve read, with vivid characterization and few shallow clichés. I requested it because I was looking for something different, and this fit the bill.

This is the first in a series featuring Atlanta therapist Kate Holly (meaning no HEA yet), and although the author was new to me, Charlotte Hughes has written a number of romance novels as well has co-authored a series with Janet Evanovich. It was a light read, which I quickly devoured, and is sure to appeal to contemporary romance fans.

Much of the humor comes from Kate’s interactions with her patients. It could’ve been cringe-inducing or patronizing (“Hey, let’s laugh at the crazies!”), but wasn’t. Though Kate’s patients exasperated her, I never got the feeling that she looked down on them – a sense of empathy was there. The balance between outrageousness and vulnerability also made Kate’s best friend/receptionist (a loud-mouthed rich widow), and her mother (a very unusual woman), sympathetic, when they could’ve been cariacatures. I’ve read so much hamfisted humor that I really appreciate an author who has a light comedic touch.

Then there’s the men in Kate’s life: fire-fighter almost-ex-husband Jay, and psychiatrist ex-boyfriend Thad. She’s got chemistry with both, but therein lies a big problem I had with the book. Kate and Jay are a matter of weeks away from divorcing, and her motivations for ending her marriage bugged me. On the one hand, I could understand her reasons and fears. But on the other hand, the way she handled it made her seem immature and self-absorbed. And Kate really seemed to feel that she was somehow the wronged party, that Jay had done her wrong. I didn’t agree, and therefore wasn’t feeling particularly sympathetic. Girlfriend needed a bitchslap and some therapy. I suppose that’s why this is a series. Kate the therapist will hopefully learn to deal with her own issues in a healthy manner.

Although my issues with Kate prevent me from giving the book a higher grade, I would definitely recommend What Looks Like Crazy to contemporary fans, especially those who like The Funny. I got sucked right into Kate’s crazy world, and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next with all of her relationships (professional, familial, and romantic). A promising start to the series.

Grade: B

From the back cover:

     Kate is trained to deal with everyone’s problems—except her own…

     Psychologist Kate Holly’s own life has become the stuff of intensive therapy. She’s divorcing Jay, her gorgeous firefighter husband, who is perfect except for his tendency to put his life on the line. Her eccentric secretary lures in clients with promises of free manicures. Her junk-art-collecting mother and aunt have erected a vaguely sexual sculpture in her front yard. And, her psychiatrist ex-boyfriend refers patients to her in return for information on the color of her panties.

     Struggling to keep her sanity gets harder every day, especially when Kate starts getting bombarded with mysterious threats that could be from just about any lunatic in Atlanta. She’s treated them all. And the only person who can help Kate is the one man who always makes her lose her mind—and her heart…

     Read an excerpt here.

Rose’s review of The Witch’s Trinity by Erika Mailman
Historical fiction (hardcover) released by Crown on 25 Sept 07

The Witch’s Trinity is a well told story that grabs your attention and keeps it throughout the book. It shows how desperation can bring out the absolute worst in us and make some do things that in good times would be unthinkable.

The characters are well written and realistic. It’s such an interesting tale with such great insight into a world that seems so distant to us, but in other parts of the world might not be so far fetched. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a bit of history, spun with a fascinating tale of despair, faith and mysticism.

(By the way, not Romance… at all!!)

Grade: A

Book summary:

     The year is 1507, and a friar has arrived in Tierkinddorf, a remote German village nestled deeply in the woods. The village has been suffering a famine, and the villagers are desperately hungry. The friar’s arrival is a miracle, and when he claims he can restore the town to prosperity, the men and women gathered to hear him rejoice. The friar has a book called the Malleus Maleficarum—“The Witch’s Hammer”—a guide to gaining confessions of witchcraft. The friar promises he will identify the guilty woman who has brought God’s anger upon the town; she will be burned, and bounty will be restored. Tierkinddorf is filled with hope. Neighbors wonder aloud who has cursed them and how quickly can she be found? They begin sharing secrets with the friar.


     Güde Müller, an elderly woman, has stark and frightening visions—recently she has seen things that defy explanation. None in the village know this, and Güde herself worries that perhaps her mind has begun to wander—certainly she has outlived all but one of her peers in Tierkinddorf. Yet of one thing she is absolutely certain: She has become an object of scorn and a burden to her son’s wife. In these desperate times her daughter-in-law would prefer one less hungry mouth at the family table. As the friar turns his eye on each member of the tiny community, Güde dreads what her daughter-in-law might say to win his favor.


     Then one terrible night Güde follows an unearthly voice and the scent of charred meat into the snow-filled woods. Come morning, she no longer knows if the horror she witnessed was real or imagined. She only knows that if the friar hears of it, she may be damned in this life as well as the next.


     Read an excerpt.

Sybil’s review of The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum
Fiction published Jan 08 from The Dial Press Hardcover

Contemporary, mainstream fiction, first person pov, hardcover novel that arrived with a nifty press release telling me of all the nifty reasons, highly contested auction debut novel, The Opposite of Love needs to be read. People it is “…heartbreakingly poignant, funny, and undeniably moving…”

My first thought was “Has Gwen done anything to annoy me lately…” What? You read the summary

When successful twenty-nine-year-old Manhattan attorney Emily Haxby ends her happy relationship just as her boyfriend is on the verge of proposing, she can’t explain to even her closest friends why she did it. Somewhere beneath her sense of fun, her bravado, and her independent exterior, Emily knows that her breakup with Andrew has less to do with him and more to do with…her. “You’re your own worst enemy,” her best friend Jess tells her. “It’s like you get pleasure out of breaking your own heart.”


As the holiday season looms and Emily contemplates whether she made a huge mistake, the rest of her world begins to unravel: she is assigned to a multimillion-dollar lawsuit where she must defend the very values she detests by a boss who can’t keep his hands to himself; her Grandpa Jack, a charming, feisty octogenarian and the person she cares most about in the world, is losing it, while her emotionally distant father has left her to cope with this alone; and underneath it all, fading memories of her deceased mother continue to remind her that love doesn’t last forever.


How this brave, original young heroine finally decides to take control of her life and face the fears that have long haunted her is the great achievement of Julie Buxbaum’s marvelous first novel. Written with the authority, grace, and wisdom of an author far beyond her years, The Opposite of Love heralds the debut of a remarkable talent in contemporary fiction.


read the excerpt

Once I crossed off Gwen, due to a recent-bangs-injury, I opened the book to skim it a little and see who might be interested in it. This was around 9pm and I closed the book around 2am. I then over think it way too much, boring my co worker and later Lawson for about a day. Ok fine, maybe two days.

So what does that mean? The prologue is great and completely at odds with the above. It appeals to the romance reader in me. And I hate to admit it the press release is right, The Opposite of Love is very readable and the author has a great voice. There are so many pieces of the novel you can ‘see’ that you will probably remember having lived.

The thing that didn’t work for me was I couldn’t buy it. Emily is 29 and has been an associate in this law firm for five years. I understand she is at a breaking point, everything had piled on and she was letting her life live her but I wanted to shake her. It dawned on me the reaction was a personal one because if she had been younger “I” could have understood her reactions better.

But hey life doesn’t always make sense and we rarely get to plan our nervous breakdowns. I didn’t like where the book ends. It seemed to need something more, then I reread the prologue and closed the book smiling. So if you like contemporary fiction, don’t mind reflection, breaks, ton of sad and rereading the prologue… check it out.

As for the romance the book would have been so much better if we had seen more Andrew but that could be my dislike of first person showing. Over all interesting characters, believable conflict just too piled on in a short period of time for my taste.

Grade: C