Duck Flash: HUGE Karen Marie Moning News!
April 28, 2008
From Karen Marie Moning's Newsletter:
Tags: 2008, Duck Flash, Faefever, Fever Series, Karen Marie MoningThe Fever series has been optioned by Twentieth Century Fox/New Regency Productions for film development as a possible franchaise!
**Upcoming Release Roundup**
April 1, 2008
Sandy M. and Teddypig (aka the West Coast side of The Pond) have compiled a list of upcoming books that we here in The Pond cannot wait to read!! Some of the biggest names in the industry are taking risks and releasing work far outside of their usual comfort zones. WOOT! Bring 'em on!
Read more
*WINNER* Kiss of the Highlander Audio Book Contest
March 19, 2008
So which lucky duck will be enjoying Phil Gigante's aural pleasures? Read more
Review: Kiss of the Highlander (Audio Book) by Karen Marie Moning, plus a *CONTEST*
March 17, 2008
BevQB's review of Kiss of the Highlander (The Highlander Series, Book 4) by Karen Marie Moning, narrated by Phil Gigante
Paranormal historical timetravel fantasy romance Audio Book released by Brilliance Audio on 20 Jan 08
Kiss of the Highlander in audio format is the perfect mating of story and storyteller and I can’t imagine merely reading this story from a printed page ever again. Phil Gigante brings every minute of this pure escapist fantasy story to life. Audio books, in fact most Romance books, don’t get any better than this!
Tags: 2008, Audio Book, Bev(QB), Brilliance Audio, Contest, Fantasy, Grade A, Historical, January 2008, Karen Marie Moning, Kiss of the Highlander, Paranormal, Phil Gigante, Review, romance, Time Travel*New Audio Book Release* Kiss of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
January 21, 2008
Kiss of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning, narrated by Phil Gigante
Historical Fantasy Audio Book released 20 Jan 08 by Brilliance Audio
This is the fourth audio book release in KMM's Highlanders series and centers on Drustan MacKelter and Gwen Cassidy. Containing both paranormal and fantasy (fae) elements, "Kiss" is set, through time travel, in historic and modern day Scotland. This is a stand alone story, so it is not necessary to be familiar with the previous books in the series to enjoy this one, but, trust me, you're going to want them all! Read more
Tags: 2008, Audio Book, Bev(QB), Fantasy, Historical, Karen Marie MoningDuodecimal: Bev’s All-Time Favorite Book Series
December 12, 2007
We here in Romancelandia are complete series addicts. Once an author writes a well received book, her fans immediately start clamoring for more stories set in the same world. I think it would be correct to state that no two Romancelandians will ever have the exact same entries on their own Favorite Series list.
Eclectic and fodder for debate, these are the series that leap to mind when I'm asked what my favorite reads are. The order I've listed them in is approximate as my preferences change based on my mood and what feels right at the time.
Bev(QB)'s All Time Favorite Book Series
1. Merry Gentry series by Laurell K. Hamilton. (Ballantine Books) This complex fantasy/urban fantasy showcases Hamilton's unparalleled world building expertise. (see Review: A Lick of Frost)
2. Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. (Delacorte Press) I consider this fantasy/urban fantasy to be a master's class in the use of first person POV. Brilliant.
3. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. (Berkley) Hamilton is one of the godmothers of what is now referred to as urban fantasy. Unlike most long-running series, I've known people to jump in this one - at any point with no problems. I started at book 9, Obsidian Butterfly, then went back and read them all - several times.
4. The Cynsters, particularly the Bar Cynsters (books 1-6) by Stephanie Laurens. (Avon) The crème de la crème of Regency era historical romances. In fact, I consider book 1, Devil's Bride, to be closer to perfection than any other romance I've ever read. Its only glaring flaw is that unfortunate back cover pic (roll over the original cover in the link to see it). What were they thinking?!
5. Skye O'Malley saga by Bertrice Small. (Ballantine Books) The life and loves of an extraordinary woman and her family during the reign of Elizabeth Tudor. To read a Bertrice Small book is to instantly and completely be absorbed into the rich tapestry of the tastes, sounds, sights and lives she weaves together.
6. Breeds series by Lora Leigh(Ellora's Cave and Berkley). When someone says they are new to ebooks, I recommend they start with this series. No one writes sexual tension and characters consumed by unquenchable need better than Lora Leigh. The intense erotic scenes are woven into the story of a not-quite-human species as they overcome the horrors of their past, and begin a journey to understand themselves as a species and as individuals, while also striving to find love and acceptance.
7. The Highlanders series by Karen Marie Moning. (Jove and Dell) Although they were always a highly enjoyable auto-buy for me, it is the audio books (with Phil Gigante's swoon-worthy narration) that earn this series a permanent place on my list. (see Aural Pleasures 103)
8. The World of Hetar by Bertrice Small. (HQN Books) In this epic fantasy, Ms Small has created a world that is in some ways recognizable, yet vastly different from our own. Without the constraint of historical fact, she allowed her muse free rein to create this lusty, sweeping saga.
9. Jarheads by Sean Michael. (Torquere and Fictionwise) Sean Michael has a unique voice. He doesn't give us much physical description of his characters, but somehow paints an emotional picture. We get to know them through their words and actions and I get completely caught up in the lives of these lovable and loving men. Rigger, whom I adore, is the heart and soul of the series and someone I'd like to count as a good friend in real life. One caveat though - there were times when even I said, "Enough with the sex, already! Get on with the story!"
10. The Donovan series by Elizabeth Lowell. (Avon) Still tapping my foot waiting for the rest of this contemporary romantic suspense series - including a look back at the elder Donovan's love story. You know, I do believe I'm overdue for a re-read!
11. Brothers in Arms by Samantha Kane(Ellora's Cave). The newest addition to my list. The erotic scenes in these Regency period bisexual manage stories are written in exquisite, excruciatingly drawn out detail. And Kane manages to make each scene feel completely unique to each triad.
12. What series will someday claim this last spot on my list? Is it a series I've already started? Maybe Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series or Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series. A Gentleman's Wager by Madelynne Ellis is already on my single title favorites list, but with its upcoming sequels and spin-off, will it land on my series list, too? Or maybe my next favorite series is waiting out there for me to discover it. Maybe it's not even been written yet and is being nurtured by a muse waiting to bestow it on some worthy author.
Read more from Bev at Cubie's Confections.
Aural Pleasures 103- “What”
December 6, 2007
Aural Pleasures 103 - "What" Audio Books are Recommended
In Aural Pleasures 101, we looked at the "Why" and "Where" to buy audio books. In Aural Pleasures 102, we shared advice on "How" to select audio books. So now, for the "What" to buy. Here are a few of my recommendations (audio sample links provided when available, click the cover pics to go to each book's Amazon page):
Within the Romance genre, most narrators will be female, so I highly recommend that Aural Pleasure novices who are also historical romance fans start with The Indiscretion by Judith Ivory (click to sample Audible.com audio), narrated by Barbara Rosenblat (pictured at right). This Victorian era "lady and the cowboy" story would be a light, enjoyable read on its own, but Rosenblat elevates it by breathing life into Liddy and Sam. She narrates the book in a nondescript American accent, then gives Liddy an upper class British accent that is somehow filled with humor, vulnerability, and playfulness. And the fact that a woman is doing Sam's voice was lost to me in seconds because his mumbly Texas drawl IS Sam. I think I smiled through most of this audio book. What a JOY this was to listen to! But to illustrate the points I made in Aural Pleasures 102, Rosenblat is also the narrator for Katie MacAlister's Light My Fire (Aisling Grey series). Even though I ADORED her in The Indiscretion, I listened to the sample and I just don't think her voice "fits" the MacAlister series as well (could I request that all you rabid Rosenblat fans PLEASE throw only soft objects at me?)
For multiple eargasms, pick up The Highlander series by Karen Marie Moning, narrated by Phil Gigante. So far, the first three have been released - Beyond the Highland Mist (click for sample), To Tame a Highland Warrior (click for sample), and The Highlander's Touch (Nov 20, 2007)- with the rest apparently to be released in sequence at two month intervals. Phil Gigante does such a good job with the female voices that I was quickly no longer aware that the narrator was a man. And what he does for the male voices... *shiver*... his different Scottish brogues gave me aural eargasm after eargasm! What an amazing talent Gigante is! My only caveat is that I seem to hit the back track button A LOT when listening to Gigante's narration. Oh, it's not HIS fault. Well, not really. It's just that sometimes I get so swept away by HOW his swoonworthy character voices sound, that I forget to pay attention to WHAT they're saying! (FYI: Phil Gigante is also the narrator for the first book in Nora Roberts' new Sign of Seven Trilogy, Blood Brothers)
The last three books in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series (Sookie Stackhouse) are narrated by Johanna Parker: Book 5, Dead as a Doornail (click for sample), Book 6, Definitely Dead (click for sample), and Book 7, All Together Dead (click for sample). This is a series that I initially didn't care for because it moved too slow for me in print form. But now I can't wait for each new release because Johanna Parker brings Sookie Stackhouse to Southern Fried life! I find myself stopping and just floating along with her smooth, small town Louisiana drawl filled with Sookie's vulnerability and strength. Then she changes not only the pitch and tone, but also the cadence of her narration to bring all the characters in Sookie's world to life. I notice that Book 1, Dead Until Dark (click for sample), has recently been released in audio, so I hope that bodes well for the release of all the earlier books in audio format, too.
As with the Harris' series, I never quite heard the voice of Queen Betsy right in my head. The heroine of MaryJanice Davidson's Undead series came across as a shallow bit of fluff to me. But thanks to narrator Nancy Wu I realized that Betsy's irreverent snark is not to be missed (and wait till you hear Tina). All six books are available through Audible.com (click to sample).
I mentioned in Aural Pleasures 102 that "since an audio book forces the listener to slow down and read at the narrator's pace, you will almost always discover things you never noticed before or see scenes in a different light when listening to a favorite book in audio format." I have found that, even after multiple readings of Laurell K. Hamilton's Merry Gentry series and Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, I ALWAYS have new insights after listening to the audio books.
Brilliance Audio produces Hamilton's Merry Gentry series, and the narrator, Laural Merlington, does a heroic job of creating distinctive voices for all the characters. I particularly love the hint of Irish brogue she injects into Doyle's voice. I've read the books multiple times, but I NEVER fail to catch something new every time I listen to the audio books. (click to sample Brilliance Audio)
Brilliance also produces Moning's Fever series audio, narrated by Joyce Bean who, to my ears, has a voice a bit too mature for our heroine. And DOH! Why was I so discombobulated with her Southern accent? Mac IS Southern, yet I never heard it in my head when I read the book. When Darkfever was first released in print, I read it, turned it over, and immediately read it a second time. Then I splurged and downloaded this one from AudioBookStandDL (see Aural Pleasures 101). In this case, the story was so engrossing that it overcame my initial awkward reactions to the narrator. And it is amazing how much more I STILL got out of the audio even though I had just read the print book twice! (click to sample Brilliance Audio)
Virgin Books Limited produces the Black Lace (yes THAT Black Lace-- erotica for women) audio books (click to sample Audible.com audio). One of my all-time favorite books is A Gentlemen's Wager by Madelynne Ellis (to be re-released in print with this luscious new cover early next year followed by the long awaited sequel, Phantasmagoria), but the audio book didn't quite live up to my expectations. To my Midwest American ear, the narrator, Betsy Garden, sounded too contemporary (the book is set in Georgian England) and did not create the distinctive character voices I've come to expect. So I couldn't settle into the audio until I just accepted her narration as a Joan Collins or a Victoria Beckham reading the book out loud. [hee] Nevertheless, I STILL managed to view a couple of scenes in a new light. It wasn't truly disappointing, I just think it was a missed opportunity to bring even more dimension to a story that contains one of the most deliciously complex characters (Vaughan) I've ever read (click to sample AGW).
And the Dud Duck Award goes to...
The Raintree Trilogy (Inferno, Haunted, Sanctuary), Silhouette Nocturnes published by Harlequin Enterprises LTD. The trilogy is an enjoyable, multi-author (Linda Howard, Linda Winstead Jones, Beverly Barton), three-book story that was ruined by a bad narrator/story "fit." Narrator Stefan Rudnicki pairs up with a different female co-narrator in each book (Hillary Huber, Theo McKell, Gabrielle de Cuir). I thought it was just a matter of acclimating myself to his style and, when Audible.com had a sale, I bought the last two books before I was finished with the first one. BIG mistake. First of all, Stefan Rudnicki should never, EVER, attempt a female voice again-- he just sounds like he's mocking women. And second, by the time I hit book three, I was gnashing my teeth and tempted to just go buy the print books so I would never have to listen to his.slow.style.of.speaking.ever.again. GAK! Buy these books in print or ebook only! (click to sample Audible.com audio... if you dare)
I've also downloaded some non-romance audio from Audible, too-- including several episodes of Evening at the Improv and several episodes of Biography on A&E. These hold-up surprisingly well in audio format!
So help the current and future audio addicts out-- have you listened to any audio books that elevated the original print story (they don't necessarily have to be Romance)? Listened to any duds we should stay away from? If there's enough interest maybe Syb will take pity on us poor desperate addicts and let us periodically have audio book rec sessions, which should make the selection process easier for all of us. C'mon and share-- you KNOW you want to!
Don't Miss:
Aural Pleasures 101 - "Why" and "Where" to buy Audio Books - Tell us why you listen to audio books.
Aural Pleasures 102 - "How" to Select an Audio Book - Come share your tips for selection.
Read more from Bev at Cubie's Confections.
Tags: 2007, Audible, Audio Book, Aural Pleasures, Bev(QB), Brilliance Audio, Charlaine Harris, Judith Ivory, Karen Marie Moning, Laurell K. Hamilton, Madelynne Ellis, MaryJanice Davidson, Phil Gigante, Raintree Trilogy
