We have winners in our Madelynne Ellis contest!

A quick recap:

• Bev lurves A Gentleman’s Wager by Madelynne Ellis
• The long-awaited sequel, Phantasmagoria, is reviewed.
• Bev scores an interview with Madelynne Ellis
• Free books to lucky readers!

Let’s see who wins…

A copy of Phantasmagoria will go to:

• MB (Leah)

• Jess (jwl)

• Becky

• Mary M.

And a signed set of A Gentleman’s Wager and Phantasmagoria goes to:  Sharmi!

Congratulations! Please email your contact info to redwyne (at) gmail (dot) com and put “Madelynne Ellis Contest” in the subject line.

Long before I discovered epubs, I was reading Black Lace novels. Now celebrating their 15th anniversary, this U.K. publisher is known for its intelligent erotic stories for women such as the brilliant Black Lace classics Menage by Emma Holly (now a Virgin Cheek title), Continuum by Portia Da Costa, and one of my favorite books of all time, A Gentleman’s Wager by Madelynne Ellis.

With the recent re-release of A Gentleman’s Wager (read my review) and the upcoming U.S. release of its much anticipated sequel, Phantasmagoria on April 29 (reviewed here), I asked Madelynne to stop by and answer a few questions. And even though I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m a slightly obsessed fangirl, she actually agreed!

Welcome to the Pond, Madelynne!

	Every author gets asked this question or some variation of it. So, here at TGTBTU, we’ve made it easy for authors to answer by providing you with a multiple choice listing of the three most popular answers to “Where do your ideas come from?”… A. The Muse – you know, the creative force that inspires you to write… or Sharon Stone. B. The Voices in Your Head – or as we refer to them here at TGTBTU, ‘The Sybil.’ C. The Profession – it’s a job, sit your ass in the chair and type, and try not to make authors look flaky(ier) than we are, damn it.
	B. Yeah, definitely The Sybil.
	Do you listen to music when you write? What’s typically playing? Are there old favorites you fall back on when the writing is giving you fits?
	I don’t so much listen to music while I’m writing as take musical interludes. This is where I crank up the volume and stomp up and down, using the music to conjure specific moods. When it comes to the actual writing, I often find that the music is too distracting. For a while I combated this problem by listening to lots of Gackt. He’s Japanese so I didn’t have the problem of me singing along causing me to lose focus. Now, I sing along in bad Japanese.As for what I listen to… It varies wildly, for example the current section in my CD player: Gackt (Jpop), Cradle of Filth (goth/metal), Donovan (trippy 70′s folk), Juan Martin (Flamenco guitar), & Suede (Britpop).
	What is guaranteed to distract you from sitting down and working?
	Children.
	A Gentleman’s Wager was first published in the UK in May 2003 but you started writing it in 1994 and didn’t finish until 2001. Let’s go back in time. You have a degree in Biology and Chemistry. Subsequently, you begin research in Parasitology and Malaria, then a friend sees you reading a Black Lace book and urges you to “give it a go”. Why did your friend think that your logical, scientific mind could write an erotic fiction story (and do such a phenomenal job of it)? Has your creative side always found an outlet through writing? Was AGW the very first thing you submitted? Honestly, it just fascinates me that both types of thought processes could be so strong in one person.
	Erm, a) because said friend is a perv… and b) because he’s been on the receiving end of my role-playing scenarios.My creative side has many outlets. I enjoy costume making and theatrical make-up and painting (badly). Although I’ve always created elaborate imaginary worlds, prior to A Gentleman’s Wager, I’d never made any serious attempts to write them down. AGW was the first novel I submitted. I think I’d subbed one short story prior to that point which went missing somewhere in e-space. [Ed.(Bev): at right is the original cover for AGW]
	Now, here we are a few years later and AGW’s long awaited sequel, Phantasmagoria, is being released AND it’s been chosen to kick off the Virgin Black Lace 15th Anniversary Celebration! [Huge Congrats!] Was this a story that had been simmering on the back burner for awhile? What finally started the story flowing onto paper?
	I can categorically say there was no simmering involved. At the close of AGW, I genuinely had no intention of ever writing a sequel, despite numerous requests from people to do so, and loving those characters. As far as I was concerned the story was done.As for what changed that… a chance visit to Vaughan’s home.While researching a location for a short story that I never finished, we happened to drive through the village of Pennerley, from which Vaughan’s title is derived. We then went on to Stokesay Castle. To say I fell in love with the place would be an understatement. I was struck by the realization as we approached, that this was Vaughan’s home. In each room, I could see him laughing, prowling and brooding. It was still several weeks before a story emerged though. I actually went in search of a dictionary, and instead sat down and wrote the outline for Phantasmagoria. It literally came out of nowhere, and left me feeling both shocked and excited. Believe me, novels out of nowhere is not the norm for me. I’m used to the blood, sweat and tears approach to outlining.
	Writers often say their stories take them in surprising directions, or dialogue flows from some unknown place. Is it the same with you? Do your characters surprise you sometimes? Do you ever argue with your characters while you’re writing? Honestly, as long as you don’t ask “What did you say?” I think you’re still on this side of sane.
	I don’t generally argue with my characters, I may growl at them occasionally when they insist on rewriting the lovely plot twist I’ve thought up. I work from fairly skeletal outlines, and focus heavily on characterization and character interactions, so I’m rarely surprised by what my characters do or say, but conversations do run away from me sometimes, and suddenly veer off at tangents.I’d say the main problem I have with my characters is that I frequently get very clear images of events unfolding, but I don’t understand how they connect, and then I spend ages trying to figure it all out. For example, in Phantasmagoria, I had a clear image of Vaughan carrying Bella through the castle asleep in his arms, but I couldn’t for the life of me work out why it was necessary for him to carry her anywhere. Why hadn’t he just left her in her bed and had his wicked way? Eventually, everything fell into place and it made perfect sense, but not before it had given me two-month headache.
	You took one helluva risk with Phantasmagoria. The characters from A Gentleman’s Wager are so beloved, yet you did NOT give them the expected happy ending in Phantasmagoria. In fact, it’s an emotionally painful look at what happens when their relationship falls apart. Did you have any idea how dark Phantasmagoria was going to be? Or maybe the question should be- WHY did you write such an emotionally dark story? While you were writing it, were you able to walk away from all those emotions, or did you feel like you couldn’t quite shake off all that darkness when you left your desk?
	I knew from the start that Phantasmagoria was going to be the dark heart of their story and that it was going to be a rough journey. It’s not the end of the story though (although I still need to convince an editor of that.) As for why I chose to write something quite so emotionally tortuous, I suppose the reasons are two-fold. Firstly, I strive for emotional complexity and I think it’s only through tragedy that you really see what makes people tick. A story about Vaughan, Bella and Lucerne all getting along wouldn’t have made for a very gripping read, regardless of how much hot sex they were enjoying. The second reason is rather more personal. Just prior to embarking upon writing Phantasmagoria I received some devastating and life-altering news. I’m not prepared to divulge any more information about it than that. However, that period was an extremely difficult time emotionally, and I’m sure that my feelings tipped over into my writing. I certainly cried buckets over certain events. You might say that I was using my characters as a sort of therapy. Though their problems have no resemblance to my own.
	Then you decided to do something even more surprising- instead of finishing the story immediately with a follow-up book, you are doing a spin-off series before returning to the original characters and finishing their story. Do you already have all these subsequent books mapped-out/outlined or are you a “seat-of-your-pants” writer and start with a basic idea but then let things happen as your muse/characters/secret-voices direct at the time?
	I’m definitely more of a “seat-of-the-pants” writer than a plotter. What I have for these subsequent books are key points and general themes I want to explore. The first spin-off book is more or less complete. As for why I decided to do the spin-off stories first… it’s to do with the timeline of events, as key characters from AGW and Phantasmagoria crop up in these stories. The other reason I didn’t immediately launch into completing Vaughan, Bella & Lucerne’s story is because I needed a break from Vaughan. He’s a bit intense, you know. And very demanding! Also, I wanted time to let the ideas percolate.
	In both A Gentleman’s Wager and Phantasmagoria, you treat us to very visual physical descriptions of the characters… except Bella, the female lead in both books. We really know very few details about her looks. Was that a conscious decision on your part? When you are writing, do you view the story through the eyes of one of the lead characters (in this case, Bella’s), and consequently lead the reader to do the same?
	I can’t honestly say that it’s a conscious decision. Actually, I’m surprised. I thought she was described. If the details of her appearance are less exact than those of the men, I suspect that can be put down to the fact that while I love my female characters, I’m not in love with them. I’m always hopelessly infatuated with my male characters. I work on the principle that if I love them, there’s a fair chance that someone else will feel the same way.
	AGW and Phantasmagoria are historical stories (Georgian), but you also write contemporaries, including yaoi inspired and paranormal. Are any of these sub-genres easier/harder than the others for you? Is it hard to transition back and forth between them, or does the contrast actually make it easier to keep them separate in your mind?
	Each book is different. I don’t think it’s the sub-genre that governs whether something is easier/harder to write. I enjoy writing historical novels because the period fascinates me. Paranormals allow me to let my imagination run wild. Contemporaries… Unless something specific inspires me, eg Egyptian archaeology (Passion of Isis) or yaoi manga/gothic fashion (Dark Designs), I tend to avoid them. I actually find the humdrum realism of them frustrating. Also, because my contemporaries focus on niche settings, they tend to involve vast amounts of research, even more than the historical set books.
	So, what releases are coming up for you? What are you working on right now?
	No scheduled releases at the moment after Phantasmagoria. Currently I’m working on the second draft of the first AGW spin-off story, and outlining a sequel to my recent paranormal novella Broken Angel [from the anthology, Possession].
	I just have to ask you about the live role playing (LRP) events that you and your partner run. Please tell us more- Are there specific historical periods that you portray? Are they mysteries, comedies, dramas? Are your children involved or are these adults-only events? Are they outdoor only events or do you hold them at different venues year round? You also put together props, come up with plots, make period costumes, do the make-up; basically keep everything running. Is this a hobby gone mad or has it now become a business in the “find what you love to do, then find a way to get paid for it” sense?
	LRP – lets see, indoors, outdoors, generally either turn of the century horror or pseudo-medieval fantasy, lots of different venues across the UK ranging from campsites to castles. I’m actually feeling quite out of touch with it, other things have cut into the time we have to spend on these events. [Ed.(Bev): that's Madelynne in one of her period costumes]

10 Quick Quacks about Madelynne Ellis

1. Milk, dark, or white chocolate?

Milk. Dark chocolate gives me a headache and white chocolate is just yuck.

2. If you could spend one month anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Somewhere where there wasn’t anyone else. Possibly Fort Clonque. It’s a tiny island off the coast of Alderney, Channel Islands, which houses a fort and nothing else. [pictured at right]

3. Burn, tan, or SPF=cardboard?

Eh? I don’t do sun.

4. Gym, sports, or “I love my ass”?

I swim when the UK weather doesn’t mean I come out with icicles in my hair.

5. What author haven’t you read that you keep meaning to?

Glancing at the TBR pile. Sherrilyn Kenyon. I appear to have a large pile of her books that I’ve not looked at, and Sebastian Faulks.

6. Heels or flats?

Flats, mostly.

7. Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, George Clooney, Gerard Butler, or Sean Connery?

Johnny Depp but only by default. Really none of the above.

8. Coffee or Tea?

Black Coffee

9. Favorite dessert?

I’m not a dessert person. [Bev: HAH! See? She's NOT perfect!]

10. Peanut butter, jelly, or Vegemite

In what context? [Bev: When you read Phantasmagoria, you'll understand why she couldn't give a decisive answer. hee]

Thank you so much for coming out to play with us, Madelynne!

Madelynne’s novels and novellas:



Madelynne’s short stories can be found in these anthologies:



Virgin Black Lace books can be ordered from Amazon, or through Borders, and Barnes & Noble. Many new Black Lace releases can also be found on the shelves of the latter two stores.

Quick bio notes and what Madelynne will be up to:  Madelynne, who lives in the U.K. with “Mr. Madelynne” and their two children, is a frequent contributor to the Virgin Black Lace group author blog, Lust Bites. Last July, Madelynne partnered up with Portia Da Costa to host a Not Going to Nationals Cyber-Workshop on writing erotic scenes over at the Romance Divas forum (their members-only thread can be found here). This year Madelynne, travelling with authors Portia Da Costa/Wendy Wooton and Saskia Walker, is going to make her FIRST visit to this side of the pond to attend RWA Nationals in San Francisco! So if you’re also going, make sure to hunt her down. And for duckies sake— will you please take them under your wing and make sure they get to see more of the U.S. than the inside of the hotel?!

CONTEST:  Madelynne will be sending some Lucky Duckie a SIGNED copy of A Gentleman’s Wager AND Phantasmagoria! Winner will be chosen from comments on this post or on my review of Phantasmagoria over here. Keep in mind that these are erotic historical romances containing m/m, m/f/m, m/m/f, and m/f scenes. Each book also contains a brief f/f scene. So, if that doesn’t float your boat, or you are under 18, feel free to leave a comment or question for Madelynne, but please indicate you don’t want to be entered in the drawing.

BevQB‘s review of Phantasmagoria by Madelynne Ellis
Historical erotic romance released by Virgin Black Lace 29 Apr 08

Chosen to kick off the 15th Anniversary celebration of Virgin Black Lace, this surprising sequel to A Gentleman’s Wager (reviewed here) is an emotionally wrenching, dark journey through the death of a relationship. Phantasmagoria isn’t a book that one could say they “liked” or “loved” because those words just would never apply to this haunting story. It’s raw, cruel, complex, often crude, and Madelynne Ellis doesn’t spare us by allowing us to flinch away from all the manifestations of the characters’ pain.

Warning: mild spoilers ahead

Set in Georgian period London three years after Vaughan, Lucerne and Bella left North Yorkshire, we find the threesome stagnating under the constant rounds of socializing and debauchery in the city. Hoping to reinvigorate the relationship, Vaughan secretly makes plans to manipulate them all away from town and devises a gothic All Hallow’s Eve celebration, a Phantasmagoria, at his family seat in Pennerly, near the Welsh borders (imagine creating a Haunted House when your house happens to be a castle). He then clandestinely flees London fully expecting the mystery of his disappearance to lure Lucerne and Bella to follow him.

Not only do Vaughan’s house party plans go awry, but they are not the only phantasmagoria [noun: an illusion of perceiving something that does not really exist] in the book. Like the parable of the blind men and the elephant, each of the main characters perceives their relationship in a completely different, but incomplete and/or erroneous way. These and other phantasms haunt the characters throughout the book.

• As we already know from A Gentleman’s Wager, Vaughan’s usual method of dealing with his emotional pain is to lash out in cruelty towards others, particularly Bella. I wanted to shake him and tell him to stop debasing her, himself, and what they had together. He is haunted by the phantasms of what his life with Lucerne would have been like had Bella not appeared. In a country where homosexuality was an automatic death sentence, would they still have been together? What if he had never fled London? What if Lucerne had followed him? What if he had never let himself care at all?
• The phantasm of “What if” haunts Bella also. What if Vaughan had not been in the picture? Would she and Lucerne have been married, possibly with a child or two? What if they had never left North Yorkshire for a life in London? What if Vaughan had never left? What if she didn’t now know what she found out before she fled London, and Lucerne, to find Vaughan?

Throughout most of this book, I wanted Bella to walk away from BOTH of the men. I felt she deserved better and was angry on her behalf. In fact, when she receives another offer, I found myself hoping she would take it and never look back. Then I finally realized that, though it’s not the type of relationship I would want for myself, Bella didn’t love Lucerne and Vaughan IN SPITE of the way they treated her, she loved them BECAUSE of their treatment. No matter how vile Vaughan was to her, she CRAVED more of it.

• And Lucerne? I spent most the book angry with him. How could he do that? Why was he ruining everything? But then he told us his view of the relationship and immediately garnered my sympathy. Oh, I still didn’t approve of what he did, but the “why” of his actions broke my heart for him.

I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to stop reading this book, to put it away and never look at it again. No, not because it was a DNF book, but because I didn’t want it to happen, I didn’t want to go on that painful emotional journey with them. As curious as I’ve been about their lives after AGW, once I started reading Phantasmagoria, I wanted to go back and keep them forever frozen in that magical moment at the end of AGW.

But instead the author forced me to admit that people are not static, their environment changes, their circumstances change, THEY change, and sometimes that means that what they had with each other changes detrimentally. Madelynne Ellis made me feel their heart wrenching pain right along with them, no matter how difficult it was to watch.

Saying that Phantasmagoria ends with an HEA would be misleading, but Ellis does gives us a bittersweet-tinged hope for the future; a possibility of something new rising out of the ashes of the relationship. She also introduces us to a whole new cast of engaging secondary characters, some of whom will be getting their own stories before Ellis returns to the original threesome to finish their story.

Phantasmagoria could certainly be read as a standalone, but the reader’s emotional involvement will be impacted far more if A Gentleman’s Wager is read first. And really, if you read my glowing homage to AGW, you know that it’s one of my most beloved books and reading it would scarcely be a hardship.

Grade: A

Summary:

     1800 – Three years after she escaped to London with her bisexual lovers, Bella Rushdale wakes one morning to find their delicate menage a trois about to shatter. Vaughan, Marquis of Pennerley has left abruptly and without explanation. Determined to reclaim him and preserve their relationship, Bella pursues him to his family seat on the Welsh Border, where she finds herself embroiled in his preparations for a diabolical gothic celebration on All Hallows Eve – a phantasmagoria. Among the shadows and phantoms, Bella and her lovers will discover shocking truths about each other.

     Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series:

Read Bev’s review.

Read the short story Indiscretions which takes place between A Gentleman’s Wager and Phantasmagoria.

In addition to her own blog, Madelynne is also a regular on the Black Lace authors’ group blog, Lust Bites. Just be warned that the discussions by that bunch of bawdy Brits aren’t always work safe.

CONTEST!  Madelynne will be sending some Lucky Duckie a SIGNED copy of A Gentleman’s Wager AND Phantasmagoria! Winner will be chosen from comments on this post or on Bev’s interview with Madelynne over here.

Keep in mind that these are erotic historical romances containing m/m, m/f/m, m/m/f, and m/f scenes. Each book also contains a brief f/f scene. So, if that doesn’t trip your trigger, or you are under 18, feel free to leave a comment or question, but please indicate you don’t want to be entered in the drawing.

Read more from Bev at Cubie’s Confections.

I unashamedly stole this from Madelynne Ellis’ blog!

The Regency Romance Quiz: What kind of Romance Heroine are you?

My dear girl, you are clearly On the Shelf. You are unmarried and in your mid-twenties. You are intelligent and sensible, but quiet, and consider yourself plain. You have had several Seasons, but never received an offer, or perhaps you refused the offers you received. The reason for this is that you have always loved the man you danced with shortly after you came out at 18. He, of course, never returned your affections, or even knew about them, and is probably courting your sister. Nevertheless, he always seems to like you, and treats you much as he treats his sisters. Your love for him is immediately evident to everyone else, especially his sister, aunt or mother, who think you are the best possible wife for him. This attitude may prove either helpful or difficult, depending on how much the author likes you. When an accident befalls, your calm practicality and ability to stitch up wounds impresses him, and all of a sudden he finds himself noticing the way your smile transforms your face, lighting your eyes and making you quietly beautiful. His interest and appreciation will quickly turn to love, but he will have to spend the rest of the novel trying to convince you that his affection is genuine and not a result of pity.
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Oh, Good Grief… I’m one of THOSE heroines! But, I don’t know, maybe I’ll be lucky and my author will make that bastard GROVEL to prove his love for me. hee

So, which Heroine are you? Take the quiz!

BevQB’s review of A Gentleman’s Wager by Madelynne Ellis
Erotic historical romance re-released by Virgin Black Lace on 1 Apr 08

First published in the UK in May 2003, A Gentleman’s Wager is being re-released with a luscious new cover and a perfect new tag line: Pride and Decadence. Set in North Yorkshire, near Richmond, England, this exquisite, lusty, Georgian period romp is, at its core, a love triangle between Viscount Marlinscar (Lucerne), and Annabella Rushdale (Bella), who finds herself at odds with a rival for his attention… Vaughan, Marquis of Pennerly.

These three multifaceted characters, along with intertwined stories involving the small cast of engaging secondary characters, are the reason AGW is so memorable. I guarantee that you’ve never met them before, and you won’t forget them once you have.

In fact, this was the most difficult review I’ve ever written because this isn’t just a review; it’s also homage to a much beloved story. I re-read it at least once a year and never fail to be in awe of Madelynne Ellis’ ability to create such unexpected, complex characters. My greatest challenge was that I needed to convey more than a string of superlatives AND avoid a multi page, in-depth character analysis (focused mainly on Vaughan because… well… he insists on it).

• Bella starts off the story as self-centered and slutty. While she refers to other women as trollops and whores, she dismisses her own promiscuity as merely pursuing her own needs, desires and amusements. However, through the course of the story, she begins to assess her own actions and experiences the unfamiliar emotions of guilt, insecurity, and self doubt. Although Lucerne is the object of her affections, she is confused by her reaction to Vaughan, at once vehemently hating him and obsessively fascinated by him. She is wounded by the sting of his venom and cruelty, yet still finds herself drawn to him.

• We get to know the anchor of the love triangle, Lucerne, more through his interactions with the other characters than through introspection. When he decides to take a break from the decadence of London to spend the winter at one of his long neglected country estates, Lauwine Hall, he invites a few friends, including Vaughan, to join him. He knows Vaughan wants more than friendship from him and chooses not to acknowledge it… or the wine-hazed encounter with Vaughan three years earlier. Once Lucerne shows a serious interest in his neighbor, Bella, Vaughan starts to pressure him for a closer relationship, and Lucerne realizes he wants both Vaughan AND Bella and would rather not give either of them up. But, cast in the role of peacemaker, he realizes that he cannot live with the animosity between the two rivals and dreads the time when their constant bickering might force him to choose between them.

• The third member of the triangle, Vaughan, is one of the most deliciously complex characters I’ve ever read. When he is “on stage” (and often when he’s not) he demands- and receives- the attention of everyone in the room… man, woman, or reader. He smirks, he sulks, he lies, he seduces, he pouts. He wields feigned indifference like a sword, and bites out words laced with deadly venom. His Machiavellian manipulations and cruelty towards others, particularly Bella, should have labeled him as the villain of the story. But the glimpses we receive of his hurt, tenderness, and longing for Lucerne soon make us realize that, while he often DOES amuse himself at the expense of others, he just as often lashes out in retaliation for his own pain or to cover his own vulnerability. Accustomed to living the debauched life courtesy of aristocratic entitlement, Vaughan actually seems a bit bewildered that he is capable of emotions strong enough to keep him patiently waiting for Lucerne to return those feelings.

Fortunately, this release of AGW should be much easier to find here in the US than the original release (used copies were going for high prices on Amazon). In addition to Amazon, a limited number of new Black Lace releases have been appearing in Borders and B&N stores, so if you don’t find it, you should be able to order it through one of those sources. It is also available as an audio book through Audible, but be aware that the narrator does not narrate the story with the distinct characterizations that many audio book fans here in the USA are used to. In fact, I’d have to give the audio narration a Grade C+.

I’m so excited that I can finally start sharing this book again. It’s been so frustrating that A Gentleman’s Wager has been out of print for so long. Every single person (that I personally know of) who has read AGW, has placed it on THEIR all time favorite historical romance short list, too. In fact, Teddypig, if you haven’t read AGW already, I’m prepared to receive your declaration of undying gratitude and devotion while you prostrate yourself at my feet.

Yeah, it’s that good.

Grade: A+

Summary:

     When Bella Rushdale finds herself fiercely attracted to landowner Lucerne Marlinscar, she doesn’t expect that the rival for his affections will be another man. The handsome and decadent, Marquis Pennerley, however, has desired Lucerne for years and when all three are brought together at the remote Lauwine Hall, on the Yorkshire Moors, Pennerley intends to claim Lucerne. At the risk of scandal, the contest leads to a passionate struggle between the highly sexed Bella and the debauched aristocrat. Ultimately it will be Lucerne who will choose the outcome, but his descision is bound to cause outrage and upset somebody’s plans.

     Read an excerpt, extras including facts and maps, and a deleted early scene here.

In addition to her own blog, Madelynne is also a regular on the Black Lace authors’ group blog, Lust Bites. Just be warned that the discussions by that bunch of bawdy Brits aren’t always work safe.

Other books in this series:

Phantasmagoria, the long awaited sequel to AGW will be released on 29 Apr 08 (U.S.).

Madelynne has also written a short story, Indiscretions, that takes place during the time period between the two books. It’s available on her website but be aware that, while it serves as a revealing glimpse of the characters and their life after AGW, it also reveals AGW’s ending.




Read more from Bev at her personal blog Cubie’s Confections.

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.