REVIEW: Untamed Cowboy by Pam Crooks
May 16, 2008
Shannon C.'s review of Untamed Cowboy by Pam Crooks
Western romance published by Harlequin Historicals 1 Jul 07
I really like westerns. Admittedly, I've not read many books in the genre, but I count LaVyrle Spencer's The Endearment as one of the best romances I read when I first found the genre. For me, the appeal of the western romance is that it involves characters who have to be strong and tough and show what they're made of. It is, in fact, the dirt that I love when it comes to westerns. Read more
Tags: 2008, Grade B, Harlequin Historical, Historical, July 2007, Pam Crooks, Review, romance, ShannonC, Untamed Cowboy, WesternHappy Mother’s Day! Romance and my mom
May 11, 2008
It seems that every blogger has to have a story about why they read romance and how they started. Mine, it turns out, was because of my mother.
My mother raised all three of us to be readers. I remember snuggling next to her on the couch with my head on her shoulder while she read to us. She says that all of us kids had our favorite books which we read over and over. Mine was Winnie-the-Pooh and the honey Tree. It was only a matter of time until I developed a taste for reading on my own. I've come a long way from the days of Winnie-the-Pooh, but my mom still influences my taste in reading.
It was Mom who introduced me to books that became favorites. Mom read me the book version of The Wizard of Oz after I came to love the movie. Mom read my first Nancy Drew book to me. Hell, she even read me the occasional Baby-Sitter's Club book, which I never really got into but thought I ought to because they were popular. She didn't have to read aloud to me, once I got old enough to start reading on my own, but even until I was a teenager I treasured the times that she would.
I'll never forget the day Mom introduced me to my first real romance novel. I was ten years old, and it was shortly before school started. For some reason we were alone in the house and it was raining. Probably she didn't know how else to keep me occupied, so she pulled out Phyllis Whitney's Thunder Heights. I'm pretty sure the book I linked to is the one she actually had. Anyway, I was enchanted. Here was my first real grown-up book and I went on a huge Phyllis Whitney reading jag. I didn't care that her formula was pretty much the same--you could always tell who the bad guys were, who the love interest would be, etc. I loved the exotic settings and the Gothic atmosphere.
Later I left romance, but I always kept coming back to it, invariably because of Mom. Mom encouraged me to read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I read Perfect and Almost Heaven both by Judith McNaught. More recently, Mom got me interested in Marjorie Liu, who is one of my favorite authors. Even if the books aren't to my taste, (Mom loves Katie MacAlister, who I don't see the appeal of at all), I'll still try any author if it passes the Shannon's mom seal of approval.
My mom has been a hugely influential person in my life. I am pretty sure that, both good and bad, I owe a lot of who I am to her. The fact that she made me love reading is just the tip of the iceberg as far as I'm concerned, but it's something for which I'll always be grateful to her.
Tags: May 2008, Mother's Day, Ponderings, ShannonCReview: Eyes of Fire by C.J. England
May 9, 2008
Shannon C.'s review of Eyes of Fire (Mylari Chronicles, Book 1) by C.J. England
Fantasy romance eBook released by Samhain Publishing 2 May 08
I love a good fantasy romance. And I have mentioned elsewhere that I like the trope of chick from our world wanders into fairyland. So I was fully expecting to enjoy the first book in the Mylari series. Unfortunately, while the external plot was interesting enough to me that I am almost tempted to follow this series, the romance left me really cold.
Tags: 2008, CJ England, eBook, Eyes of Fire, Fantasy, Grade D, May 2008, Mylari Chronicles series, Review, romance, Samhain Publishing, ShannonCReview: The Hollowing by N.D. Hansen-Hill
May 9, 2008
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.
Tags: 2008, April 2008, Cerridwen Press, eBook, Fiction, Grade B, N.D. Hansen-Hill, Review, Sci-Fi, ShannonC, The HollowingReview: Life on the Move by Megan Reilly
May 8, 2008
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.
Tags: 2008, April 2008, Fiction, Grade A, Life On the Move, Megan Reilly, Review, Samhain, Samhain Publishing, ShannonC, young adultSome frequently asked questions about Shannon C.
May 7, 2008
So I am one of the newbie ducks around these parts, and I thought it would be nice to answer some questions I have received from alert readers so you can get to know me better. Or stalk me. It all amounts to the same thing.
Q: Who are you and why are you qualified to review romance?
A: I'm a twenty-something college student living in the midwest. I read a lot, always have, and it was either start reviewing books formally or suffer the shouts of, "For God's sake, Shannon, it's just a book!" I read a lot, I know what I like, and I'm a decent writer, so thus reviewing seemed natural.
How'd you get stuck on this crazy train?
I sold my soul to Sybil.
Really?
Yes. She keeps it in a jar and she polishes it every day until it shines.
You are so full of shit.
Well, yeah. Actually, I met Sybil on a yahoo group, where we discovered that basically we have nothing in common, reading-wise. From there it was only a matter of time before she persuaded me to join the pond.
I am hot, sexy Russian bride. Will you marry me and take me to America?
No.
I notice you read a lot of paranormals.
Yep. My first love has always been fantasy, followed by science fiction and romance. When I started reading romance pretty exclusively over the past couple of years, I realized paranormals could provide me with that touch of magic I like while still giving me a good love story.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
I have tons of favorite authors, largely depending on what day you ask me. Lois McMaster Bujold, Lynne Connolly, Marjorie M. Liu, Samantha Kane, Meljean Brook, and Jean Johnson are my current pics.
I am the financial officer for the Prince of Nigeria, and we just need your account number so we can borrow your bank account to store several billion dollars worth of illegaly gotten money.
You can't have mine, but I will happily give you the names of some of my exes.
What makes a good romance?
First, I need a strong heroine. I don't need her to kick ass and take names, but she should at least be smart, and she should be a good foil for the hero. I don't read anything so that I can live the heroine's glamorous life for a while. Romance isn't the way I inact my fantasies, and I don't like it when I feel authors treat it as such. As for heroes, I think anyone can write a roguish rake, a Navy S.E.A.L. or a brooding vampire. My favorite romances are ones with characters who are different, unique, and don't always stick to type. I especially love a well-written beta hero. (He doesn't have to be a wet rag and he shouldn't let the heroine walk all over him, but I enjoy reading about the quieter, more easygoing types.
What plot devices do you like?
I love friends-to-lovers stories. I'm fond of mail-order brides and marriage of convenience plots, and I love the I-want-her-but-I-can't-have-her type plots.
Any plots you think are overdone and can't stand?
I have relaxed my stance on the concept of fated mates from outright hatred to mild irritation. But only because I've read a few books where that concept was done well. Mistaken identity books hold no appeal, because invariably I'm not convinced by the rationale that the characters use to not reveal what's going on. I haven't read a secret baby book, and probably never will, because most of the premises rely on the characters behaving in really stupid ways. I kind of feel the same way about amnesia books, too. No real appeal there.
I can help you increase the size of your penis.
Not bloody likely, but again, I will happily point you to some of my exes.
Which duckie's reading tastes closely match your own?
That's hard. Gwen and Devon and I have similar tastes, although we don't match exactly. (Gwen likes Christine Feehan, for example, whereas she leaves me cold.) But Devon and I do have similar reviewing styles, which is really nice.
So there's my FAQ. If you have questions for me, preferably questions like, "How can I give you large sums of money for no apparent reason?" feel free to ask in comments.
Tags: does Shannon ever shut up?, duckies, ShannonC, Slightly Quacky, TGTBTU Reviewer Intro, The PondReview: To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt
May 6, 2008
Shannon C.'s review of To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt
Historical romance released by Grand Central 1 May 08
Somehow, despite the fact that everyone in the blogosphere absolutely adored Elizabeth Hoyt's Prince trilogy, I had never read her until now. I'm so glad I chose to start here, because the story in To Taste Temptation is wonderful, with interesting, nuanced characters, a captivating plot, and a great love story.
Read more
ShannonC looks for Recs: Lora Leigh
May 5, 2008
Sandy M.'s latest review got me thinking about Lora Leigh. She is one of those authors that everyone seems to adore, particularly my fellow duckies . But the two short stories I tried by her, one in the Hot Spell anthology and the other in the A Wish, A Kiss, A Dream anthology didn't work for me at all. And then there are the incest books, which people either love or they hate.
But despite all that, Lora Leigh sells like hot cakes and I keep thinking maybe I should try one of her full-length novels before I give her up completely.
But she has a huge, scary backlist, and I don't know what to read. So I turn to the collective wisdom of the Pond.
Recommend me your favorite Lora Leigh book in comments and tell me why I should read it. The person whose comment actually manages to convince me to try one of her books will receive some sort of prize book donated and signed from Lora Leigh. Don't ask me what prize--I am not the contest duckie nor do I play her on TV. [ed note: tis ok I answered for you cuz I can do that go team me!] Extra points will be awarded for creativity and/or attempts to make me snork a beverage out my nose.
Review: Gatekeeper by Debra Glass
May 5, 2008
Shannon C.'s review of Gatekeeper by Debra Glass
Paranormal romance eBook published by Ellora's Cave 8 Apr 08
I try, I really do, to finish every book I start, especially if I requested it for review. But I got about a third of the way through Gatekeeper and simply couldn't.
Tags: 2008, April 2008, Debra Glass, DNF, eBook, Ellora's Cave, Gatekeeper, Paranormal, Review, romance, ShannonCReview: The Song by Jean Johnson
May 3, 2008
ShannonC's review of The Song by Jean Johnson
Fantasy romance published 5 Feb 2008 by Berkeley
Just lately I have been embracing my inner Jean Johnson fangirl. I still couldn't tell you why I love these books, aside from the fact that the author's voice is so refreshing. She is not writing the exact same story with the exact same plot and the exact same characters in book after book, and her characters, while sometimes beyond irritating, are distinct and distinguishable and fun.
Tags: 2008, Berkeley, fantasy romance, Feb 2008, Grade B, Jean Johnson, Review, ShannonC, Sons of Destiny series, The Song
