Sandy M’s review of Razor Girl by Marianne Mancusi
Futuristic Romance published by SHOMI 26 Aug 08

I’m really surprised at my reaction to this SHOMI. The few I’ve read so far I’ve absolutely loved. I so enjoy the offbeat, quirky futuristic aspects of these books while still giving me a wonderful hero and heroine involved in a lovely romance, despite all that goes on around them. While those offbeat aspects are present in this book, I was quite disappointed in the romance and even the hero and heroine to a certain extent. This one just didn’t live up to the same level as some of its SHOMI predecessors.

The futuristic elements are definitely present and very imaginative, a common denominator that I like in all the SHOMI books. The year is 2036 and Molly Anderson has just emerged from the fallout shelter her father built for her and her mother back in 2030 when the world went crazy and the apocolypse was imminent. A plague had run rampant through the world, killing some and mutating others into monsters, zombies who feed on humans and turn those they don’t kill. She also emerges as Razor Girl, a near replica of her father’s ideal fighting machine of old, complete with razors that flip open from under her fingernails and ocular implants, ready and fit to fight off those monsters as she makes her way to Disney World where her father and other scientists will begin to make a new world for mankind. But before she can get on the road, she finds survivors in her hometown, one of which is the grown-up Chris Griffin, now called Chase, the young boy she fell in love with six years ago, the boy she had to give up to help save world.

Chase may be grown up now, but he still has no confidence and doesn’t feel up to the task of caring for the rag-tag team of children left in his care when his older brother is killed by the Others, but he does his best and also promises Molly he will get her to Disney World and her father. He’s still as vulnerable when it comes to Molly as he was when they were teenagers and discovering one other. It’s good to be with her again, but he doesn’t feel he’s even in the same league with the new Molly. He tries to pull himself up by the bootstraps and do his best for all concerned, but he keeps screwing up and when Molly confronts him on certain issues, things don’t go well. But just when they make up and realize their love for each other is real, Chase is bitten by an attacking Other, and he’ll do anything to keep Molly safe. They’re both playing against the clock now. Molly’s internal equipment is eroding and Chase has only two weeks before the signs of his turning into a nightmare appear. When they find more unexpected survivors along the way, knowing Molly and the children will be looked after, Chase decides to take his fate into his own hands so there’s no chance at all he’ll ever hurt the woman he loves.

And this is only part of the story. Every other chapter in the book takes you back six years before when Chase and Molly first come together and discover that things just aren’t normal around the neighborhood; Molly’s father is considered a lunatic with all his ramblings of the end of the world; and the disheartening night for Chase when Molly leaves him waiting for her to join him and their friends on their trek into the mountains to hopefully stay out of the plague’s reach. It took me a few chapters to get into the back-and-forth method of telling the story; it’s a little confusing at the beginning of Chapter 2. But it is an interesting way to do it and once I got used to it, it actually goes along with the quirkiness that makes SHOMIs stand out.

The idea of the end of world in such a way plays well and we’re given a couple of surprises along the way, especially at the end, but there’s a point in Chase and Molly’s relationship that I didn’t care for. It’s that jump to conclusions mentality without waiting for an explanation that is used so often in stories, and with it happening several times between them it just felt like forced, unimaginative conflict. I did forgive Chase for his commonplace pushing Molly away instead of telling her the truth when he gets bitten because by that time I did believe in his love for her, especially after all of the extraneous problems he went through. But by this time it’s so late in the book, we really haven’t had much of a romance. The book is action packed with all those zombies, but I could very easily give a few of them up for a little more loving between the main characters.

Grade: C

Summary:

Molly Anderson is not your average twenty-one-year-old. It’s been six years since she and her family escaped into a bunker, led by her conspiracy theorist father and his foreknowledge of a plot to bring about the apocalypse. But her father’s precautions didn’t stop there. Molly is now built to survive.

Yes, Ian Anderson’s favorite book gave him ideas on how to “improve” his daughter. Molly is faster, stronger, and her ocular implants and razor-tipped nails set her apart. Apart, when—venturing alone out of the bunker and into a plague ravaged, monster-ridden wilderness—what Molly needs most is togetherness. Chase Griffin, a friend from her past, is her best bet. But while he and others have miraculously survived, the kind boy has become a tormented man. Together, these remnants of humanity must struggle toward trusting each other and journey to the one place Molly’s father believed all civilization would be reborn: a magic kingdom, where everyone knows it’s a small world after all.

Read an excerpt.

Devon’s review of Countdown by Michelle Maddox
Futuristic Romance released by Shomi 29 Jul 08

Countdown is the first novel by Michelle Maddox, who also writes light paranormal romances as Michelle Rowen. Like other books from the Shomi line, this is an action packed romance set in the future, with a tough, capable heroine and an equally tough hero. While it was a fast paced read, the action part of this book was much more compelling than the romance part of the book.

Countdown features a plot that’s not particularly new or original, but relevant in these days of endless reality TV — the reality show where the contestants are playing for their lives. The concept dates all the way back to The Running Man (and before), and it’s done well here. In the future, subscribers to the Countdown are fitted with an implant so that they can watch the show in their heads. For their viewing pleasure, unfortunate contestants (criminals of some kind) have to figure out different levels, using their bodies and minds. OR THEY DIE. Kira Jordan, petty thief, is snatched off the street to be the first female contestant. She is paired with Rogan Ellis, a convicted rapist/murderer. Forced to trust him in order to survive, Kira finds herself well matched in more ways than one.

The Countdown game was well-written. I was on the edge of my seat, really exciting stuff. I genuinely worried that Kira and Rogan would not be able to survive the level. The futuristic setting is not particularly interesting or detailed. The only thing that seemed “futuristic” to me was the technology used in the game and the fact that lots of people emigrated “Offworld”.

I didn’t like Kira or Rogan all that much. Perhaps I was prejudiced, because they both started out as criminals, but they weren’t totally unsympathetic, just uninteresting. Particularly Rogan. I figured out (basically) what his real deal was before we found out for sure. He wasn’t the most likeable person prior to his conviction, and I guess that just sealed the deal. I found him…kinda weak. The romance really didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t just the characters. The circumstances under which they meet and have to work together are definitely conducive to some kind of bond. Combined with the fact that both had been very alone, some emotional entanglement is believable. I just didn’t believe it was true love. Once things settled down a bit and they could go on with their lives, what was there?

Still, those who like their romance fast paced and full of action should give this a try. Who knows, you might like the hero and heroine more than I did.

Grade: C+

THREE
Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room, handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to figure out how to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die.

TWO
The stranger she’s been partnered with—her only ally in this nightmare—is a convicted murderer. But if he’s so violent, why does he protect her? And worse yet, what is it behind those haunted sea-green eyes that makes her want to protect him?

ONE
No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

Read an excerpt here.

Countdown by Michelle Maddox will be published by Dorchester Shomi on July 29, 2008. This is the author’s first title as Michelle Maddox, but she also writes as Michelle Rowen.

THREE
Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room, handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to figure out how to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die.

TWO
The stranger she’s been partnered with-her only ally in this nightmare-is a convicted murderer. But if he’s so violent, why does he protect her? And worse yet, what is it behind those haunted sea-green eyes that makes her want to protect him?

ONE
No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

Hmm…Looks interesting. What does it remind me of? Anyhow, check out the excerpt after the cut.

Excerpt

“Welcome to Level Four,” the sing-song voice continued. “A reward level in which Kira is to rescue her partner by crossing a narrow and dangerous bridge high above the city streets, and then the two must continue on to the other side to complete this level successfully. There is no safety gear for this, no ropes, no tricks. All Kira has to work with is her sense of balance and self-preservation. Should they finish they will be well rewarded for their efforts. Our competitors have ten minutes to complete this level. Enjoy!”

I didn’t move. I stood in place and stared out at Rogan. I always thought that I only had a fear of the dark. Who knew about this nagging little fear of heights I’d just developed in the past two minutes?

My mouth went dry.

I shuddered, and looked around the rooftop I was currently standing on. Whomever had removed my blindfold and bindings had disappeared. I was all
alone. Nobody to push me to do this. Nobody to force me.

“Nine minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.”

I made my way to where the platform began — it was even narrower than I’d originally thought. I tried to breathe.

The platform seemed fairly stable. I tested it with my foot and it gave a little, but not much. My upper
thigh gave off a dull ache from where I’d been shot, but I suppose it was better than still bleeding.

These Countdown people wanted their contestants to be in top shape before their precious Subscribers got to watch them die.

So sporting of them.

“Kira!” Rogan shouted again. He had his head up and looked at me. “Be careful!”

I ignored him. Thinking about him right now was only going to distract me. There was no time for me to be distracted. To say the least.

Just don’t look down, I told myself.

Which left me with very few options. The platform was so narrow that when I focused on it, I couldn’t help but see the street so far below me.

My right foot shook as I placed it on the platform and I wavered for a second, holding my arms out to either side of me as I established my balance. I let out a long breath and tried to center myself.

Just like gymnastics. I needed to pretend that I was competing at the Olympics if they were still being held. I wanted that gold medal.

Focus on that gold medal, I thought. Think of nothing else.

“Eight minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.”

The voice seemed louder in my head than usual and it surprised me. I shook a little before I steadied
myself. I took another tentative step and let out a long, shuddery breath.

“You’re doing great, Kira,” Rogan said. From what I could see from twenty feet away, his expression was
strained. He pulled at his bindings and the platform shook.

“Don’t do that!” I yelled. “Just stay still.”

“Sorry!”

“Yeah,” I muttered under my breath and a line of sweat trickled down my forehead and onto my nose. “You’re going to be sorry, you son of a bitch.”

No, don’t think about anything negative, I thought. Nothing. Just focus on putting one foot in front of
the other –

“Seven minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.”

– and doing it quickly.

Christ. That voice was so distracting.

I took another step.

A silver camera buzzed past my face, so close that I felt the wind from it. I glared up into its lens and it came back for another pass.

“How is Kira feeling right now?” the voice asked. “Ready to win The Countdown and receive her ultimate
prize of a first-class ticket on the Offworld shuttle?”

“Fuck off,” I told it. “Pretty please.”

It flew away and out of my peripheral vision, but I could still see two other cameras moving around the air nearby.

Another step. Balance. Another step. Balance.

I raised my gaze to look at Rogan who was much closer now, his head still propped up and he watched me as Iapproached. His jaw was tense. The muscles in his arms tight. The closer I got, I could see a small grin appear on his lips.

“What the hell are you smiling at?” I managed.

“Just the fact that you’ve come to my rescue. Does that make you my knight in shining armor?”

I didn’t smile. “I haven’t rescued you yet.”

His grin faded. “Just watch your step. Don’t fall. Here comes another camera.”

It buzzed close enough that it almost touched me. “What the hell? Are they trying to knock me off this thing?”

“They’re not trying to give you a helping hand, that’s for damn sure.”

“Why’d you let them tie you up like this?”

He pulled at the bindings. The platform shook slightly. “Like it was my idea. They took me outside the room and knocked me out again. I woke up here. Trust me, it was a hell of a shock.”

I studied the ropes that tied him. “This is going to be tricky.”

“I don’t think the knots are too tight. It’s just awkward.”

I studied his face. He looked up at me with those blue-green eyes framed with dark lashes and that fading scar. He wore the same clothes as before: bloody, dirty, ripped. I still saw the handsome man under the ruin, the one I’d let charm me into believing in him.

His dark brows were drawn together as he frowned up at me. “Why are you looking at me that way, sweetheart?”

I blinked back tears. “Just shut up. I need to concentrate.”

I thought back to gymnastics. One lesson had been how to kneel down on the bar without losing balance. It took me forever to learn that without falling off, but I had finally gotten it. However, that was more than ten years ago and definitely not a skill I used all the time. Unfortunately.

I slowly crouched down far enough that I could fumble with the bindings around his ankles just above his worn, black boots.

His body took up the entire width of the platform and then some. He couldn’t move without shaking everything
around and I couldn’t get past him.

He eyed his wrists. “Now what?”

A camera whizzed past my ear and I swatted at it, hitting cold metal.

“Five minutes remain in this level of The Countdown.”

I met his gaze and saw there was more than a trace of fear behind it. There was concern. For me.

My heart wrenched. Why was he concerned for me? Dammit. I hated that I’d convinced myself he was a good man — and even now, after everything, I still had doubts about his guilt.

“I’m thinking.”

He blinked. “What they said earlier…about what happened with you and that lawyer scumbag — ”

“It was true. All of it.”

His jaw tensed. “If he wasn’t already dead I’d find him and rip his heart out.”

I willed myself to stay focused on the platform. “Nothing happened. I learned my lesson the hard way.”

“I’d still kill him.”

“It’s that easy for you? Killing?” My voice broke on the word.

His expression darkened. “I’ll do it for a good cause. For the right reason. To protect myself or somebody I care about.”

“Are you saying that you care about me?”

“Sure.” He averted his gaze. “And now I care that you untie me so we can get this fucking level over with.”

“Don’t forget it’s supposed to be a reward level.”

“I couldn’t give a smaller shit. I just want us to get through this in one piece. Now you’re going to have to climb over me and untie me so we can keep going. There’s not much time left.”

I put a hand on his jean-clad thigh and slowly eased myself lower. He spread his legs so his feet dangled off the side of the platform to give me space to maneuver. Now on my knees, I slid myself closer to him until I couldn’t go any further. I placed my hands on his hard-muscled abdomen, then one at a time on his chest sliding up to his shoulders. I grabbed the platform above his head on either side of his arms. Our bodies were now firmly pressed against each other. I heard his breathing hitch and felt him harden against my stomach.

“Is it wrong that I’m enjoying this a little bit?” he rasped.

Caroline Linden‘s review of Hidden by Eve Kenin
Science fiction romance released by Shomi 1 Jul 08

Sometimes you come across a book that’s just impossible to accurately describe. Like Eve Kenin’s HIDDEN: “It’s a book set in a post-apocalyptic future, in Siberia…about a woman who was raised in a lab…and there’s a deadly plague that turns people into cannibalistic zombies…and ice pirates…and oh yeah, a rogue scientist who studies philosophy while he tries to save the world.” Screams romance, no? Think again, because this is not only a fabulous read, it’s taut, sexy adventure at its finest.

HIDDEN zooms back to the Northern Wasteland introduced in DRIVEN, the bleak frozen place Earth has become after a series of (probably nuclear) wars. It’s unforgiving and nearly lawless, with pirates and evil masterminds and rebels circling each other in a brutal struggle. Human life has both advanced and regressed, with impressive medical advances balanced against the utter social decay that has pushed large parts of humanity to the edge of survival. Just like the heroine and hero.

Tatiana has been a medical experiment most of her life, raised by computers and subjected to all sorts of procedures that leave her with some seriously enhanced physical abilities. Of course, it’s also left her with little experience of how humans behave and interact. When she finally escapes from the lab, she sets off on a quest to destroy the people who almost destroyed her, Gavin Ward and a scientist called Tolliver. Gavin Ward, she knows where to find; he’s trying to find–and dissect–her just as hard as she’s trying to avoid him. But Tolliver is a mystery, and yet the key to her desperate attempt to stop a debilitating virus, manufactured from her own genetic material, from being unleashed by Ward on his enemies. And yeah, she plans to waste Ward in the process.

Tristan is a rebel, hiding out in the Wastes with a dangerous mission of his own–nothing less than saving the human race. Unlike Tatiana, he’s deeply alive to emotion and empathy, and knows just how much Ward’s plague threatens humanity, even beyond just bringing death and suffering to its victims. When Tristan’s path crosses Tatiana’s, it’s intrigue at first sight for both of them. After spending her entire adolescence locked in a dungeon (oh my God! Can you imagine?!?),Tatiana feels the first pull of sexual attraction in her life, and watching her deal with it, trying to figure out how to be human and a woman, was quite moving. Inside Tatiana’s highly logical, genetically enhanced body beats a very human heart after all. And while Tristan notes her ethereal eyes, silky hair, and tight figure, it’s the almost superhuman way she dispatches two tough ice truckers twice her size that really snares his interest. Unusual girl, he thinks.

Honey, you have no idea.

Can I just say that’s possibly what I loved most about Tristan? His first thought was not how he wanted to get her into bed, it was, “Damn, that girl’s good in a fight.” Tristan’s no fool, and although Tatiana does appeal to his sex drive, the instant respect he has for her was fabulous. He feels responsible for the small band of rebels hiding out with him, and the fact that he doesn’t have to worry about Tatiana–in fact, that he can even lean on her from time to time–puts their relationship ahead of many couples’ (and not just romance novel ones). Also, although the story is weighted more toward action and adventure than most romances, the romance is pitch-perfect between these two warrior souls. When the only way out of a tight spot is a long climb up a laser-shielded elevator shaft, Tatiana is the one better equipped to do it. Tristan not only agrees to this, not only boosts her up so she can get started, he tells her the most important thing: come back to me. Nope, no sweet, tender “I love you,” but a command that nonetheless expresses perfectly how he feels without beating anyone over the head about it.

Because these two are perfect for each other just as they are. There’s no excess emotional outpouring on either side, just a realization that they each want the other at their back. For once the cover illustration is amazingly accurate. And the pacing is relentless, with no wasted scenes. This is a book that you open intending to read a few chapters, and then look up to realize you’ve read the whole thing almost without stopping to breathe. You can’t help cheering for Tristan and Tatiana as they fight what’s worst in humanity, to find–and save–what’s best.

HIDDEN is romance for the adventurous. If you lusted after Han Solo, this book is for you. If you wanted to be out fighting the dragon instead of locked in the ivory tower, this book is for you. It’s DRIVEN with an added philosophical touch, action and adventure with a jolt of red-hot romance.

Grade: Solid gold A

Summary:
Tatiana has honed her genetic gifts to perfection. She can withstand the subzero temperatures of the Northern Waste, read somebody’s mind with the briefest touch, and slice through bone with her bare hands. Which makes her one badass chick, all right. Nothing gets to her. Until she meets Tristan. Villain or ally, she can’t be sure. But one thing she does know: he has gifts too-including the ability to ramp up her heart rate to dangerous levels. But before they can start some chemistry of their own, they have to survive being trapped in an underground lab, hunted by a madman, and exposed to a plague that could destroy mankind.
Read an excerpt here

Shannon C.’s review of Hidden by Eve Kenin
Science fiction romance released by Shomi 1 Jul 08

Eve Kenin’s Driven introduced us to a post-apocalyptic future in a bleak northern climate where truckers were kings of the road. In Hidden, Ms Kenin returns us to that world, and we get to see another aspect of this society. In fact, though Driven was an excellent book, I liked Hidden better.

Tatiana, the sister of Wizard from Driven, has a three-step plan. She needs to find someone named Tolliver. Then she needs to find Gavin Ward, a very literally mad scientist who has designed a plague using some of Tatiana’s genetic material. Ward also tortured Tatiana and manipulated her for years. She needs them both to be dead, because the plague they’ve created would devastate the Northern Waste. What she is not counting on is to be confronted with a settler named Tristan with compelling blue eyes, or with a group of violent, mutated reavers, or falling in love.

I really liked Tatiana. She is a kick-ass heroine who still managed to be completely vulnerable in certain places. She has her issues, and I thought that they were dealt with well. She never had any TSTL moments, and I loved her discovering a sense of compassion. Plus, she’s just fascinating. Like her siblings, she was raised pretty much by a computer, and her only emotional contact has been with the people whose thoughts she can read. She doesn’t always understand proper interaction, which can make for some pretty intense scenes.

Tristan, the unsettling settler that she meets, is an equally compelling hero. I don’t recall having run into a hero with such a profound mystical streak in a while, and I liked his strong sense of duty and honor. I did figure out his big secret quite a while before Tatiana did, and there were a few moments where I thought that his actions perpetuated a conflict where that wasn’t necessary.

I was drawn into the plot, actually staying up late at night to read the second half of the book. There were moments of chilling suspense, and Kenin does a great job with creepy atmospheric details. I would have preferred that Gavin Ward, the book’s central villain, weren’t such a complete one-note psycho, and I really hope that if Ms. Kenin continues the series she won’t keep trotting out these villains in every. single. book.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book. It’s not quite a keeper for me, but I very much enjoyed reading it, and I think anyone who enjoys science fiction and romance will definitely appreciate it. I think the experience of reading this book will be enhanced if you’ve read Driven, but I don’t think it would be too difficult to pick up and read as a standalone.

Grade: B+

Summary:
Tatiana has honed her genetic gifts to perfection. She can withstand the subzero temperatures of the Northern Waste, read somebody’s mind with the briefest touch, and slice through bone with her bare hands. Which makes her one badass chick, all right. Nothing gets to her. Until she meets Tristan. Villain or ally, she can’t be sure. But one thing she does know: he has gifts too-including the ability to ramp up her heart rate to dangerous levels. But before they can start some chemistry of their own, they have to survive being trapped in an underground lab, hunted by a madman, and exposed to a plague that could destroy mankind.
Read an excerpt here

Shannon C.’s review of Driven by Eve Kenin
Futuristic romance published by Shomi 28 Aug 07

I’d heard quite a lot about this book when the Shomi line from Dorchester started, and since Ms. Kenin’s sequel is already high up on the list of books that Sybil thinks I need to read, I thought it would be good to unearth this book from my TBR and give it a go.

The world of the story is a post-apocalyptic one, with the government being manipulated heavily by Duncan Bane, the head of Jansen Trucking Company. The Jansens practically own the highway, and nobody travels without the Jansens’ leave. Raina Bowen, an independent trucker, has already had her dealings with the Jansen company, and now wants only a temporary trucking pass so she can compete in the race to Gladow Station, where she hopes to win a huge prize that will keep her sister Beth safe and out of the clutches of Bane. What she doesn’t count on, though, is the complication of Wizard, whom she was supposed to meet in order to get her passes. After Wizard is attacked by Jansen truckers, Raina rescues him, and the two embark on an adventure that will pit them against Bane, and force them to acknowledge their attraction to each other.

I liked Raina a lot. Unlike a lot of kick ass heroines who have chips on their shoulders, I found Raina’s reasons for her attitude to make perfect sense. She’s never really known emotional support, and she doesn’t like depending on others. I understood that, and I loved watching the cracks slowly build in the armor that she has built up for herself.

Wizard is a great match for her. He, too, has secrets, although I figured out what they were long before Raina did. Still, despite his past, he comes off as a very tender, sexy man, and I loved watching him discover love. Naturally, when these two damaged people come together, their union is explosively passionate.

The secondary characters were introduced well, and though I hope some of them get their own stories, I never felt that the sequel-baiting was obvious. My only real quibble with characterization was that I found Duncan Bane to be over the top in his villainousness. The only thing he could have done to make himself appear even more cheesy would have been for him to kick a puppy.

The plot is exciting and moves along at a brisk enough pace that I was able to enjoy it. The climactic scenes were just as exciting as one could hope for, and the story resolves itself in such a way that it’s obvious there will be a sequel, though the main story of Raina and Wizard is over for now.

This book has everything I enjoy in my paranormal romance–a well-realized and unusual setting, two great and compelling characters, and lots of action. It didn’t quite have that spark that indicates an A book and it took me just a shade too long to get into it, but when I finally got invested, I very much enjoyed the story and definitely think it deserves the praise it has received.

Grade: B

Read other reviews of this book from Alicia and Gwen

Summary:
ROAD WARRIOR
Raina Bowen knows she can handle herself just fine against anything the harsh Northern Waste throws at her. Until it throws her an enigmatic stranger called Wizard. First, she has to haul him out of a brawl he can’t hope to win. And next, her libido is shooting into overdrive at the feel of his hard body pressed against hers on the back of her snowscooter. But there’s something not quite right about this guy. Before she can strip bare Wizard’s secrets, they’re lured into a race for their lives, battling rival truckers, ice pirates…and a merciless maniac with a very personal vendetta.
Read an excerpt

Gwen’s review of Netherwood by Michele Lang
Sci-Fi Romance released by Shomi on 26 Feb 08

This is going to be a short review. I didn’t like the book and Alicia did an admirable job summarizing the plot in her earlier review (which you can read here).

This author’s site is dismal, by the way. Tells you nothing about the book other than the title and a link to buy it. No blurb. No helpful author notes on the world-building, nada. [finger shaking time] Bad author, shame shame.

I like to think I’m smart and I still had trouble following the plot and all the mechanics behind the world that Lang has built for us here. For example, I never fully grasped the concept of “the grid.” I mean – I know what it’s supposed to be, but I never did quite believe in it.

And that one statement sums up how I felt about the book: it failed to suspend my disbelief to the point I just enjoyed the story. Much of the problem for me is the first person POV the story is told in. It’s just far too limited a POV for a world as complex as the one Lang has built here. For example, we’re never told exactly what a sheriff’s powers are – I mean, the character already knows this, right, so why would they need to repeat it (maybe because the reader doesn’t live in this world perhaps?) – so I was left scratching my head at the heroine’s hostility to her uncle when more sabotage is found. There are several other places in the book that are like that – totally confusing and never really resolved.

So, I can’t really recommend this book except to die-hard Sci-Fi romance fans, or fans of Lang’s writing.

Grade: C

Read Alicia’s review here. She liked it a LOT more than I did.

From the back cover:

THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN…

And her name is Talia Fortune. Her mission: capture the cyber outlaw, Kovner, a man who knows she is more than just a sheriff-Talia is also a woman, with a woman’s desires. Scion of the Fortune family and primary shareholder of the mega-conglomerate FortuneCorp, she is the Hand of Fate…or at least of the Home Office. With the power to punish, she’s been sent to Fresh Havens-a corporate off-world colony run by her uncle.

But the colony is full of hidden danger. Sabotage, deception, destruction…it will take every ounce of Talia’s strength and courage, fighting skills honed in the Amphitheatre and knowledge learned at the Academy, just to survive. Her ability to love and trust will be sorely tested, especially in the clutches of her quarry, the Outlaw of Fresh Havens, her cyber-lover and now her enemy. He and the answers lie in the Gray Forest, in a reality beyond the bubbledome, the Grid, and everything she’s ever known. Her future lies in… NETHERWOOD

Read an excerpt.

Show me more Shomi, you say? [Hee, I iz funneh]

Razor Girl By Marianne Mancusi

Molly Anderson is not your average twenty-one-year-old. It’s been six years since she and her family escaped into a bunker, led by her conspiracy theorist father and his foreknowledge of a plot to bring about the apocalypse. But her father’s precautions didn’t stop there. Molly is now built to survive.

Yes, Ian Anderson’s favorite book gave him ideas on how to “improve” his daughter. Molly is faster, stronger, and her ocular implants and razor-tipped nails set her apart. Apart, when—venturing alone out of the bunker and into a plague ravaged, monster-ridden wilderness—what Molly needs most is togetherness. Chase Griffin, a friend from her past, is her best bet. But while he and others have miraculously survived, the kind boy has become a tormented man. Together, these remnants of humanity must struggle toward trusting each other and journey to the one place Molly’s father believed all civilization would be reborn: the Magic Kingdom, where everyone knows it’s a small world after all.

The Excerpt:

The zombie turned suddenly, bloodshot eyes zeroing in on where Chase stood in the shadows. Forcing himself to keep his breaths slow and regular, he lifted his rifle, trying not to make any sudden moves that would set her off. His hands shook, making it difficult to line up the female creature’s head. The money shot. The shot he’d need to take her down for good and protect his family with the least risk to himself. How had she gotten so close without him realizing?

The woman let out a muffled moan, hairless, bony arms outstretched like something from an old George Romero movie. But this was no film set. The world in 2036 had become a true horror flick, and Chase was one of its stars. He was the one who’d done the drugs, had sex with the girl and uttered the words, “I’ll be right back.” In other words, he was the one who was about to wind up dead.

It was more than a bit tempting to run. To get as far away as possible from this pus dripping creature formerly known as a human. But she was too close to the campsite where Molly and the children were sleeping. And while Chase had failed before things were different now. For the first time since the plague erupted, there was hope. And no dumb, oozing, post-apocalyptic monster was going to take that away. Not on his watch.

He blew out a breath and steadied his gun, eyes narrowing to slits. Steady as she goes, he told himself. This was a matter of protecting his family: both what was left of it and what he’d rebuilt. It was a matter of doing good, and not the simple rehash of senseless violence that once had been so popular on the silver screen. Shoot-’em-up slasher films… It was so different in reality—tougher to summon the courage to fire, to engage, to set in play the sequence of events that he knew had to follow.

In an instant it happened. The creature lurched forward and Chase fell back a step, squeezing the trigger of his rifle. Its recoil bruised his shoulder. Blood gouted from the woman’s chest—he’d missed. Only a flesh wound. And she was still coming. And two other shadows had appeared behind her. Three…no, four? How much ammunition was left in his gun?

He fired again at the Other, twice more, and her head exploded in a mass of red and grey pulp. At the same time he reached around his neck and pulled free a whistle. Sometimes this worked, as the creatures were sensitive to high-pitched noises. He blew as hard as he could. Sure enough, the shadows that had risen behind the first Other stopped moving. There came a cacophony of inhuman screeches and then the shadows dissipated. The creatures had turned and fled, hands over their ears.

Chase watched them go, breathing heavily. The whistle fell from his bloodless lips. “Yeah, I thought so,” he said, shaking out his arms and trying to regain some composure. “I thought so! Run, cowards!” He nodded to himself and stepped out from the shadows.

Only to find himself thrown backwards.

He crashed hard onto the asphalt of the street, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs. His vision blurred and, for a moment, nothing made any sense. Then he looked up and saw what had struck him. An Other towered above, clearly not scared away by his whistle. It was growling and spitting.

It was a huge male, and it lunged forward, hands finding Chase’s neck, encircling and squeezing tight, cutting off his breath. Desperate, Chase kicked out, slammed his foot into the creature’s groin. The monster bellowed but didn’t let go. Chase struggled harder, panic slamming through him as he used one arm to brace himself, fighting to keep away from the monster’s mouth. He reached for his boot with his free hand, feeling for the knife he always kept there. It took what seemed forever to wrap his fingers around the hilt. The creature’s grip tightened, and Chase saw blackness swimming toward him. Pain seared through his shoulder. Then, in his final moment of consciousness, he managed to yank the knife free and drive it into the creature’s heart.

The zombie recoiled then fell on top of him, crushing Chase with his weight. But the fingers loosened and Chase was able to breathe. He sucked in a huge breath and pushed the creature off. It rolled back onto the pavement, staring up at the sky and whimpering. The heart was always a weak spot.

Chase surged to his feet, stared down at the monster. It looked a lot more human lying there now, vulnerable and bleeding. This was something he always hated. He wondered who it had been before the change. A doctor? A lawyer? Maybe a humanitarian who built houses for poor people.

It didn’t matter. It was none of those things now, he reminded himself. Just a monster. A monster that needed to be put out of its misery.

He grabbed his rifle and pressed the barrel to the zombie’s head. Closing his eyes, he pulled the trigger. The shot shook his arm and echoed in his ears. He let the sound fade away before looking. The body was twitching, the head disintegrated.

He forced himself to look away but as he did a piercing pain found his right shoulder. Startled, he glanced down, his mouth falling open as he saw where his leather jacket had come open, where the shirt below was ripped and bloody. Teeth marks. He’d been bitten. He’d been bitten.

“Chase! Chase, are you okay?”

He looked up. Molly. She was running toward him, her face white.

“Chase?”

“I’m okay,” he said, turning at an angle so she couldn’t see his wound. “I got him.”

She stopped a few feet away, looking down at the remains of the two dead zombies. “God, what happened?” she asked.

“One got the jump on me. No big deal. It’s all fine,” he lied. The pain gripped his shoulder like a vise and it was all he could do not to fall to his knees. But if he fell, she’d know. He couldn’t let her know.

She took a step forward but he held out a hand. “I’m all slimy,” he said. “Zombie gook. You know. I’m going to go find a fountain or something to wash off.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?” she asked, peering at him, confusion and worry warring on her face.

He felt sick to his stomach but nodded. The last thing he wanted was to lie to her. But what choice did he have? He had to think of her and the kids. She was too weak to get where she needed to go on her own now. Wonderful Molly. Tough Molly. His beloved. She needed his help to find her father. To complete her pilgrimage. To save the world. And who knew how her priorities would change once she learned the truth?

Well, he had two weeks. Two weeks before the virus could work its way fully through his system, mutating his cells, destroying his brain and turning him into one of them: a diseased, merciless monster with an appetite for human flesh. An Other. He had two weeks to get Molly where she had to go. Then he’d use his rifle one last time—to put a bullet in his own head.

© Marianne Mancusi. All rights reserved.

There’s video of Day 1 and 2 behind the cut.

‘Cuz you know you need to know.

Rebels of Romance’s video of Day 1.

Hidden by Eve Kenin, new from Shomi out in **July 2008**

Tatiana has honed her genetic gifts to perfection. She can withstand the subzero temperatures of the Northern Waste, read somebody’s mind with the briefest touch, and slice through bone with her bare hands. Which makes her one badass chick, all right. Nothing gets to her.

Until she meets Tristan. Villain or ally, she can’t be sure. But one thing she does know: he has gifts too- including the ability to ramp up her heart rate to dangerous levels. But before they can start some chemistry of their own, they have to survive being trapped in an underground lab, hunted by a madman, and exposed to a plague that could destroy mankind.

Prologue

Sub-basement, Janson Transport Head Office, Port Uranium, January, 2088

Blood had its own scent. Metallic, sharp. Faintly sweet.

Tatiana raised her hand to her cheek, beyond pain, almost beyond thought. There would be more. With Duncan Bane, there was always more.

To make you stronger. To make you invincible. Bane’s justification. And the simple truth. But Tatiana wasn’t like Wizard or Yuriko. She didn’t recover as quickly as her siblings. She bruised easier. Her bones broke where Wizard’s and Yuriko’s bent to absorb the force.

And Bane had been particularly brutal this session.

“Because you are soon to go on your first mission,” he explained in that soft, soft cultured voice, pacing a straight line before the three of them. He paused, touched Tatiana on the shoulder. She shuddered, but knew better than to pull away. “This will ensure that you are ready, that you survive. You”-he spun toward Wizard-”will be the commander, and a commander must be able to make rapid decisions.”

Another step, and Bane stood in front of Yuriko. Running his finger along her cheek, he smiled as she jerked away. “So decide now, Wizard. Who will be subjected to ten more minutes?”

Tatiana choked back a plea. Please. I can’t. I can’t-

She shook her head, struggled to focus. The room felt too big, too bright, and this all felt so familiar, like she had been here many times before. She knew what Wizard would say even before the words left his lips.

“Me. I will take the ten minutes.”

She let out a dry sob. Wizard. Her brother, so logical even in this. He would take the blows because he was the most physically resilient. And because he would stand before her and take them in her stead.

Yuriko was like him. Clean and linear in thought and action.

But Tatiana…

Bane laughed as he stared at Wizard, the sound hollow, echoing off the bare walls, echoing in her darkest dreams.

Yes, just a dream. It must be.

“You are the commander,” he said. “The fastest. The strongest. You have the best chance of finishing your mission. I may send you out tonight, before you have time to heal, though. Choose the weakest, Wizard. A good commander knows when to calculate the odds, when to sacrifice for the good of the mission.”

“Wizard…save her. Please. She has a chance,” Yuriko’s normally cool tone was laced with despair, with pain, and Tatiana’s heart shattered as it did each time the nightmares sank her to this place, to the deep dark of her soul, the coldest part of her memories. Because in begging Wizard to save Tatiana, Yuriko had doomed herself.

Bane would set loose his brutality on her.

Trembling, Tatiana swayed on her feet, her swollen lips working as she tried to form the words…What words? Did she mean to offer herself to Bane’s fists, or to sacrifice her sister?

Again came the eerie, frightening sensation of familiarity and the terrifying knowledge that she had lived these moments again and again, that the outcome was always the same.

The walls around her shimmered and danced, and she heard voices, saw lights. They were wrong. They had no place here.

She had no place here. None of it was real.

Heart racing, palms damp, Tatiana began to run, her feet pounding against the cold stone floor, hard, fast, only she didn’t move at all. Her limbs pumped as hard and as fast as they could, and still she stayed in one place, trapped in the past.

She only needed to pull free, come awake, and they would be gone, the pain, the memories, the horror. But neither the bonds of sleep nor the terrors that dwelled in her memories eased to set her free. They held her in tight tendrils that dragged her back and pulled her into a place she had no wish to be.

Wizard…save her. Please. She has a chance.

Yuriko’s voice, low, urgent.

Bound in the barbed web of events that had played out long ago, Tatiana thrashed and flailed. A dream. A dream. It was only a dream.

“Calculate the odds,” Bane ordered.

Tatiana’s breath came in short, huffing pants. She couldn’t push any sound past the lump in her throat. Coward. She was a coward. Weak.

Hazy, unfocused, she shifted her gaze to Wizard. Silently she pleaded for…what? What did she want him to do? What could he do?

The outcome was always the same. She had been powerless to change it then, powerless to change it now.

“Choose.” Bane whispered the word against Wizard’s ear.

For the first time in her recollection, her brother hesitated.

Choose. Choose. Choose.

And then Bane’s face melted like wax in a flame, shifting, changing, until it was a different man who chained her, a different man who stood looking down at her wanting to master her, to use her, to twist what she was for his own gain.

She had thought Bane the face of purest evil. But she’d been wrong. So wrong.

Gavin Ward. Dr. Gavin Ward.

He was here for her. Her time was up.

Sweating, screaming, Tatiana bolted upright, the dream so real that she smelled the stink of her own fear, felt the sting of the blows in her cheek, her jaw, as though they had landed minutes rather than years past. Felt the pain of knowing that her weakness had cost her sister her life.

Yuriko. Oh, God. Yuriko.

Dragging her knees up, Tatiana wrapped her arms around them, and lowered her forehead. She closed her eyes, shuddering in the cold and the darkness, fighting the memories, the anguish, the fear.

A nightmare, she told herself. Only a nightmare.

But it wasn’t.

Because as she raised her head, she saw him, there, in the shadows, just beyond the bars that caged her. Gavin Ward was there. Watching.

And the light glinted off the scalpel in his hand.

© Eve Eve Silver 2008. All rights reserved

** doesn’t it just make you WANT it now… don’t worry July isn’t THAT far away… and if you haven’t picked up Driven yet WHAT are you waiting for? Do keep in mind you do NOT HAVE to read Driven by Eve Kenin before reading Hidden. They take place in the same world are NOT sequels.

But if you are now dying to read this and haven’t read Driven yet, check out our reviews here and here. You can thank us later .

This just in…

Dorchester’s popular SHOMI line is gearing up for a four-month explosion stating in late summer 2008, which kicks off with Hidden by Eve Kenin.

You may recall it being whined about mentioned on TGTBTU already.

• Countdown by Michelle Maddox in August 2008 (29 Jul)
• Razor Girl by Marianne Mancusi in September 2008 (26 Aug)
• Irreversible by Liz Maverick in October
• Phenomenal Girl 5 by A. J. Menden in November

So get ready to SHOMI!

Considered yourself flashed.

Alicia’s review of Driven by Eve Kenin
Sci-Fi/Speculative Romance released by Shomi on 28 Aug 07

Have you ever let a book get pushed off and pushed off? Not for any good reason, you just don’t get to it? When you finally read it did you ever really regret not reading it sooner? Sybil keeps asking me, “Have you read Driven, yet? You’re gonna’ love it!” Do I have to tell her she was right, again, or can we just keep this between us?

I finally picked up Driven because I wanted to get Sybil off my back it read before Hidden. I am now kicking myself for waiting because this is an awesome book. Plot, characters, dialogue, setting… all wonderful. Not to mention, finally I got a Shomi that’s not in first person!

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Driven is a fast paced book. Things start happening at the very beginning and they don’t ever stop for long. The way
Kenin describes the scenes kept me enthralled. The massive machines these people were using to move across the arctic waste were real to me. They are almost characters in the story. The futuristic advances were just unusual enough to fascinate me but never enough to get in the way.

Raina is a tough woman. She’s a loner because she’s sick of losing people she cares about. She also has to keep a low profile because she’s hiding from a very powerful person. She just wants to enter this race, win the prize money and scoot outta’ town. Things aren’t going to go exactly the way she has planned.

Wizard, the hero, is unusual. You get the feeling he’s a little odd when you meet him. He only gets more so as you get to know him. That’s okay, though, because he’s great in the story and perfect for Raina. Quirky heroes are a passion of mine, especially when they have a strong moral code, are tough on bad guys and have a soft spot for kids. So what if he needs to learn a little about the definition of “romance”? (This last part refers to a scene that made me laugh until tears were streaming down my face.)

I usually try to list some of the good qualities of a book and some of the bad. I just can’t think of anything to put in the minus column, here. Maybe that it didn’t jump into my hands and demand to be read sooner?

Grade: A+

Read Gwen’s review here.

ROAD WARRIOR. Raina Bowen knows she can handle herself just fine against anything the harsh Northern Waste throws at her. Until it throws her an enigmatic stranger called Wizard. First, she has to haul him out of a brawl he can’t hope to win. And next, her libido is shooting into overdrive at the feel of his hard body pressed against hers on the back of her snowscooter. But there’s something not quite right about this guy. Before she can strip bare Wizard’s secrets, they’re lured into a race for their lives, battling rival truckers, ice pirates…and a merciless maniac with a very personal vendetta.

Read an excerpt.

Alicia’s review of Netherwood by Michele Lang
SciFi/Speculative Romance released by Shomi on 26 Feb 08

On her site Michele Lang describes Netherwood as “a futuristic Robin Hood story.”  It is, but it’s way more than that.  Netherwood is Robin Hood with The Matrix and I Robot thrown in and a sort of Aeon Flux feel.

Talia Fortune is an intergalactic sheriff who has come to the colony planet, Fresh Havens, to catch a terrorist. A terrorist who has destroyed the planet’s connection to the grid, a future internet with intergalactic capability, and left it vulnerable.  Talia isn’t the good citizen she pretends to be, though. She has played, for years, in a cyber-underworld called the Netherwood. In the real world she is heir-apparent to one of the huge corporations who serve as governments in this future. In Netherwood she is Amazonia, warrior giant, and The Avenger is her lover.

Lieutenant Robert Kovner is a rebel, a freedom fighter in a war few know is coming. He is The Avenger in the Netherwood and has drawn his Amazonia here to have her with him in the safe place he is helping to create. He didn’t expect her to also be the sheriff who has come to stop him.

There are a lot of secondary characters in this book but the one that stands out most is the Gray Forest, itself. This place is a forest of sentient trees with a high ore content that creates magnetic storms. It whispers prophecies and destroys or protects those who enter according to its own choice.

The primary characters, Talia and Kovner, are unique. Talia is completely assured of herself in the beginning but quickly finds she has a lot to learn. She is fumbling to find truth. Kovner is an unusual hero. He can fight and is ex-military, but he is primarily a philosopher/prophet type. His perspective throughout the book is amazing.

Netherwood is one of those books that had me going back to re-read sections just for the beauty of the writing itself. The story and imagery are fascinating but the way they are presented should be mentioned as well. There are wonderful sections of dialogue. This is me, saying this, who hates first person books. The first person perspective fell away quickly for me as I got into the story.

This book’s adventure plot and romance co-exist about equally with the plot residing in the foreground for large chunks of time – the plot facilitates the romance. What happens around Talia causes her growth and I never felt disassociated from the characters.

I had bought Michelle Lang’s book, Mrs. Pendragon, from Triskelion way back and never read it. Yes, my ebook TBR is getting almost as big as my print one. Now that I know this author I have to go find it. Meanwhile, you need to go buy Netherwood.

Grade: A

From the back cover:

     THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN…
     And her name is Talia Fortune. Her mission: capture the cyber outlaw, Kovner, a man who knows she is more than just a sheriff-Talia is also a woman, with a woman’s desires. Scion of the Fortune family and primary shareholder of the mega-conglomerate FortuneCorp, she is the Hand of Fate…or at least of the Home Office. With the power to punish, she’s been sent to Fresh Havens-a corporate off-world colony run by her uncle.

     But the colony is full of hidden danger. Sabotage, deception, destruction…it will take every ounce of Talia’s strength and courage, fighting skills honed in the Amphitheatre and knowledge learned at the Academy, just to survive. Her ability to love and trust will be sorely tested, especially in the clutches of her quarry, the Outlaw of Fresh Havens, her cyber-lover and now her enemy. He and the answers lie in the Gray Forest, in a reality beyond the bubbledome, the Grid, and everything she’s ever known. Her future lies in… NETHERWOOD

     Read an excerpt.

Alicia’s review of Wired by Liz Maverick
Urban Fantasy/SciFi romance released 3 Jul 07 by Dorchester Shomi

This is the first book in Dorchester’s new line, Shomi. Since I’m always looking for serious SciFi Romance, I have kept tabs on their website from the day I heard about it.

I read the first chapter of Wired before it was released and couldn’t stand the wait to be able to finish the book. I hate that the reviews I’ve seen (even Publishers Weekly!) give a spoiler! I don’t care that the scene is in the first chapter. It is just so much better to let it unfold properly! When I read it, during the time that Roxy doesn’t know who the men are, I didn’t either. That’s the way it should be! That first scene is just so wonderful! Many things happen in that short time that make you go “what?!” and are explained later in the book. Why mess it up?

At first I thought this book would be like Terminator but it isn’t. This book is like a cross between the movies Frequency and Paycheck. A lot more about the puzzle of changing the past than about the action scenes. I absolutely loved this aspect of it.

I usually have trouble with books written in the first person. This book kept me so captivated I totally forgot it was first person. If I had any problem, it was wanting so badly to know what was going to happen next that my eyes would jump ahead and I’d have to drag myself back to where I was. The first person POV was essential to this book because Roxy doesn’t know who to trust. Seeing either of the other main characters’ thoughts would have ruined this, entirely.

Character growth is important to me and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a character grow more in one book than Roxy does in Wired. She sees herself as helpless, paralyzed by fear, at the beginning of the book. The lady at the end of the book would seem to be another person entirely, except we saw her become that person.

Ms Maverick’s imagination is superb. I liked the smartie. It seems like the direction technology could go. I loved the motoway. The idea of motorcycle/roller coasters replacing most city traffic is very cool.

Now for the cons. Please remember that as bad as this part may sound, I did enjoy the book. It’s almost like I’d have half the book rated A++ and the other half rated C-. The negatives are pretty bad.

• First, Roxy behaves in some pretty unbelievable ways, at times. She just seems to let it go way too easily that someone has tried to kill her. She doesn’t just trust them, she jumps right into romantic feelings for them. Even if she’s confused about who’s the bad guy, it would be much more natural for her to be immune to any advances, not drawn. She also does something, at one point, to make herself and one of the guys unable to respond to any threat in a capable manner.
• The romance is, actually, really weak. There was nothing that showed me either H/H actually loved each other. I liked the hero but I didn’t see any explanation for some of the things he did. We’re supposed to accept he had some kind of good reason, or that it wasn’t what it seemed, but it wasn’t nearly enough for me.
• There were, also, a lot of scenes where things just happen. They almost seem like they were, maybe, stripped to cut word count or something. There’s little description or explanation, just this is what happened. And often they were things that I felt wouldn’t work. So, I’m wondering if Ms. Maverick had a good explanation that she took out or if she couldn’t make the scene work, so just skimmed over it. These scenes felt like a different style of story than the rest of the book. More James Bond than Paycheck.
• The end of the book is in this second style, and I found it a little unsatisfying.

Overall there were so many positives about this book that even though it had a few flaws that will put some people completely off, I would recommend it. If you can just accept stuff and enjoy the ride, it’s still fun.

Grade: B-

From the back cover:

     Seconds aren’t like pennies. They can’t be saved in a jar and spent later. Fate seeps through cracks and shifts like fog. Pluck a second out of time or slip an extra one in, the consequences will change your life forever. Is the man you love really the man you think you know, or is there a version of your life in which he’s your enemy? If you didn’t know who or what you were before, would you take a chance on becoming that person again?

     L. Roxanne Zaborovsky is about to discover fate is comprised of an infinite number of wires, filaments that can be manipulated, and that she’s not the one at the controls. From the roguishly charming Mason Merrick—a shadow from her increasingly tenebrous past—to the dangerously seductive Leonardo Kaysar, she’s barely holding on. This isn’t a game, and the pennies are rolling all over the floor. Roxy just has to figure out which are the ones worth picking up.

     Read an excerpt.

Driven by Eve Kenin is the most recent title from the new Shomi line published by Dorchester. And it is the first book in the line to not use 1st person, so if that has been holding you back from trying Shomi out. Go and read the first chapter, it will leave you wanting more.

Something Dorchester is getting better and better at is bringing nifty special features to the readers. Some are amusing, some are informative, some are silly but most of them give you a better idea of if you would like the book.

A lil inside info on Driven from Eve Kenin

If I had to sum up SHOMI in three words, I’d say: Innovative. Riveting. Romance.

If I had to sum up DRIVEN, I’d use the line my editor coined: post-apocalyptic, trans-Siberian trucker tale. Surprising, and a little out there? Yeah, just a little.

The truth is, this story kinda took me by surprise. When I started DRIVEN, I was writing dark historical Gothics (under the name Eve Silver) and a futuristic, kick-butt tale laced with sci-fi is about as far to the other end of the spectrum as a person can get.

Read the rest here and if you haven’t already, go check out Gwen’s review.

You can find all the Shomi posts from the the Shomi author guest days (and some info on upcoming Shomi books) here.

Gwen’s review of Driven by Eve Kenin
Futuristic romance published 28 Aug 07 by Shomi/Lovespell

Holy icicles, Batman! This futuristic/sci-fi/urban-like romance was a total treat to read! The heroine is a kickass, vulnerable but competent woman named Raina. The hero is an emotionally buttoned-down, kickass but controlled hunk named Wizard. And in this book, they kick ass and take names together, all while falling in love and, naturally, saving a large portion of the world.

When the book opens we find ourselves in the not too distant future of an Earth that has gone thru a few cataclysmic changes in weather and government. Raina Bowen is alone in this post-apocalyptic world, an independent trucker in a world driven by Big Government and even Bigger Business. She has a spine of steel and a moral code she won’t break for anyone, including herself.

Fate and some Machiavellian planning throws her together with Wizard. He’s almost as alone in the world as Raina and is driven by his own internal demons. He’s a hyper-trained assassin who has compartmentalized himself so much, he almost seems a cyborg. We find out he’s just a good looking, slightly odd guy with a non-traditional upbringing. Wizard wants to use Raina to help him catch a really bad guy – a bad guy who also happens to be Raina’s enemy and worst nightmare.

The story unfolds and unfolds and unfolds. You’re never left thinking, “C’mon, get on with it already.” In fact, you almost want it to slow down a bit to let us see more Raina & Wizard action. But, somehow, Kenin finds a balance between emotional development, character development, and plot development, all while telling a rockin’ good tale.

If you’re an urban romance fan, an action romance fan, or a sci-fi romance fan, you’ll LOVE this book. Even if you’re not sure if those are the genres for you, I still recommend this book. It’s some hellagood storytelling. Two weeks ago, if you had told me I’d like a book about “truckers” this much, I’d have laughed and said no way. If I had kept that mindset, I’d have missed one of the better books I’ve read this year.

Grade: A

Here’s the book blurb:

ROAD WARRIOR
Raina Bowen knows she can handle herself just fine against anything the harsh Northern Waste throws at her. Until it throws her an enigmatic stranger called Wizard. First, she has to haul him out of a brawl he can’t hope to win. And next, her libido is shooting into overdrive at the feel of his hard body pressed against hers on the back of her snowscooter. But there’s something not quite right about this guy. Before she can strip bare Wizard’s secrets, they’re lured into a race for their lives, battling rival truckers, ice pirates…and a merciless maniac with a very personal vendetta.

Read an excerpt (it’s the kick-butt first chapter – it will leave you breathless).

Next up for this author:
1 Oct 07

Kay Austin‘s website wasn’t too much help… what is this? Anyone know?

I can find that is it apart of the Shomi Line and her first book, Time Rogues, was published by Dorchester in 2005. If this interview is still correct Time Transit will be the sequel.

Old interview with The Romance Reader

The sequels Time Transit and Time Fugue will continue the time-travel series. Target releases are 2006 and 2007 respectively.

Sooo anyone have the 411?

Tell me what to expect from Shomi in three words…

Ground-breaking. Riveting. Romance.

I see SHOMI books as romance at the cutting edge, romance with unique and previously unexplored elements. I know, I know, that’s more than three words, but how to contain my excitement about this line within the boundaries of limited space, LOL!?

What attracted you to the line… 

I wrote DRIVEN before I ever heard about SHOMI. This was the story that allowed me to explore character development and growth in a frozen wasteland, an environment so barren and sterile that it was an enormous contrast to human emotion. I knew when I wrote it that the book might have trouble finding a home because it was so different than my other work, but I was driven to write it nonetheless. (By the way, that’s how I came up with the title. Not only did it suit the story, but it suited the process that was involved in the writing of it.)

When I gave this manuscript to my amazing agent, she was determined to find the right placement for it. She was the one who found the editor this story needed to have, the editor whose enthusiasm for this book matched my own. And it was my brilliant editor who recognized that DRIVEN was meant to be a SHOMI book. When she told me about the line, the vision for it, the idea of edgy romance where anything is possible, my heart started to pound. This was it. This was DRIVEN‘s home.

Is your story a Romance? Where are you on the ever popular HEA debate?

Yes, my story is a romance, and a kick-butt, action-adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, futuristic, alternate-reality tale. But it is a romance. I started reading romance novels when I was a teen, and those books, complete with the HEA, have helped me through the black moments of my life. I love reading romance. I love writing romance. And I love the HEA. Right now, I have no desire to write endings any other way.

What is a Kick Ass Heroine?

A kick-butt heroine is one who can handle absolutely anything. Not that it’s easy for her… but she’ll find a way to handle it. Her physical strength and ability to take care of herself is only part of the package, though. She has incredible mental acuity and strength of character; these traits allow her to face the most insurmountable obstacles. And she has failings, human weaknesses and hidden frailties that make her all the more appealing. Raina Bowen, the heroine of DRIVEN, has her share of failings, and that’s why I like her so much, respect her, enjoyed every moment of getting to know her.
What’s up next for you? And why will I want it NOW!

In addition to Eve Kenin’s DRIVEN, due on shelves September 2007, I have two other books coming out in the summer/fall, written as my alter ego, Eve Silver.

First up is DARK PRINCE, a brooding, historical gothic tale set on Cornwall’s coast, coming August 2007. Then in October 2007, my first dark, sexy paranormal, DEMON’S KISS will hit shelves. Check out excerpts of all my books at http://www.evekenin.com or http://www.evesilver.net

I’m hard at work on my next Eve Kenin book for Shomi, as well as another Eve Silver gothic, and book two of my demon series.