Gwen’s review of Master of the Highlands by Veronica Wolff
Timetravel romance released by Berkley Sensation 5 Feb 08

I like a good historical.  I like a good paranormal.  Mix them together and I’m a pretty happy little camper.  Timetravels generally give me the best of both worlds.  When timetravel is done well (such as K.M.Moning’s Beyond the Highland Mist, still my fave), it’s pure escapist entertainment that a reader can lose themselves in.  When it’s done poorly, it’s painful to read and stretches suspension of disbelief – a critical element with timetravels – beyond its tensile strength.  This book falls somewhere between the two extremes.

[Side note:  The author's site is very pretty - takes a bit to load and uses Flash, but very pretty pictures.  Warning - the site plays music, but at least you can toggle it off.]

I’m not saying this book was bad.  Technically, the writing is among some of the best I’ve read.  The story arcs are complete, setting details appropriately handled (you never wonder where a hand is, or if a candle is lit, etc.), and grammar, syntax, etc., are all beautifully done.  The colloquial Scottish speech is well handled and period details aren’t overdone.  In fact, the author bases several elements on real-life, with appropriate creative license, of course.  I like this adherence to history sometimes because it appeals to my inner-geek to look things up and learn more. If I had to grade this book simply on the technical merits, it gets an A. 

Where I have a problem with MotH is wholly on style elements – a terribly subjective thing, so keep that in mind as you read this review.  You may like the things that turned me off. Plus, since this is her first, MotH may simply be the victim of ”new author yips.”

To begin with, I felt the author spends too much time in the heroine’s head instead of using action and dialog to move the plot along.  Lots of space is spent on how the heroine felt, what she thought about life in general, what she thought about every little thing in fact.  So much time, that it seemed to bog the story down in several places. 

In addition, I did not like how much of the book the hero and heroine were separated from each other, or at least appeared to be separated from each other.  You’d read the beginning of a chapter and see that suddenly two months had gone by – no clue what happened, if they saw each other, nothing.  I read a romance to read about the relationship, about two people overcoming obstacles to make a life together.  I want to read the conversations, interactions, the sensuality.  I want to know how a couple manage to make things click in spite of it all.  I didn’t get that with this book except in miserly amounts.  This couple spent weeks in the same house, presumably not speaking to each other (at least we’re not told about it).  Weeks that are completely unaddressed except to mention that they had gone by.  Not what I read a romance for.

Because of these things, I never developed a relationship of my own with Wolff’s world – equally as important as a reader developing a relationship with the characters.  I didn’t give a rat’s patooty that an important character dies by the time it happens.  By the end of the book, I didn’t care a jot that the H/H had their HEA.

I can’t recommend this book unless you’re a dyed-in-the-wool timetravel fan.  I really hope her next book, Sword of the Highlands (Berkley, 27 May 08), is more to my taste.

Grade: C- (would be a Grade D if not for the technical proficiency)

From the back cover:

These are reviews of five short, erotic titles from various publishers, in various flavors. They are a bit too short to review on their own without the review being almost as long as the story, so I have put together five “Lightning Reviews.” 

Read on if you’re wearing rubber soled shoes…

The Good Lawyer by Rachel Carrington
Contemporary erotic romance released 2006 by Whispers Publishing 

This is a super-short story. The fantasy is sexy and the emotion is anchored by a plot twist that I loved. Recommended for a quick erotica fix.

Grade: B+

From the back cover:

     When Deidre Manning’s days get long, she allows herself to escape into wild fantasies. Locked inside the sanctuary of her office, she enjoys more than just the satisfaction of the moment, especially once a visitor makes it a party for two.

     Read an excerpt.

Mr. Fix It by Donelle Carroll (author doesn’t appear to have her own site and this looks like her only title)
Contemporary erotic romance released Oct 06 by Wild Rose Press

Also, a super-short story. Calling up the cute repair guy for a fling is a common fantasy, I’m sure. The problem is the characterization. Obviously just a sexual encounter between strangers, the author forced a level of emotion at the end that didn’t fit. But where some more sexual tension would have benefited the story, instead we get some faltering on the leading lady’s part that does nothing for the story.

Grade: D

From the back cover:

     Looking like he just fell from Hunk Heaven, Ryan stepped into the elevator. Jill shamelessly sized him up. Building Maintenance. Handy with tools. But could he fix her broken heart?

     No excerpt available.

Sweet Shoppe: Her Wicked Warrior by Melissa Schroeder
Time travel erotic romance released Mar 06 by LooseId (Title is out of print)

This one is sexy and fun. It has some unreal marathon sex but this is an erotic title, so that’s allowed. The characters are enjoyable and I wanted them to be together. Don’t expect deep relationships or plot development. It is adult fairy tale stuff but it’s good. I got some real giggles here and there as well as some “squirm in your seat” moments.

Grade: B

From the back cover:

     Librarian Paige Turner isn’t having the best of weeks. Work has been hell, her sometimes fiancé seems only to pay attention to her when he needs research help, and on top of that, she has been losing sleep thanks to some pretty erotic dreams. So, at the end of the day, one week before St. Patrick’s Day, she stops by The Sweet Shoppe for some Irish Truffles. Before falling asleep, she wishes her dream lover were real. When she wakes up in the morning, she finds out he is.

     Seamus can’t remember exactly how he ended up in Paige’s bed. One minute he is in a battle, the next he’s in bed with the woman who has been stealing into his dreams. Instinct has him seducing her before he even knows her name, but soon he is confronted with a strange new world, and the possibility that Paige just doesn’t understand he is her soulmate.

     Paige decides to keep her warrior, but soon everything goes awry. Thanks to Seamus, her life is disrupted, her career almost ruined, her fiancé has called off their wedding, and she finds herself falling in love with Seamus. But will Paige be able to accept the changes he has wrought, or will her fear of change bring disaster for both of them?

     Read an excerpt.

The Seduction of Sean Nolan by Treva Harte
Time travel erotic romance released (unknown date) by LooseId

This story has some seriously yucky parts. She notices he’s filthy and bloody and probably has lice… and he’s dying from an infected leg wound. So of course she can keep herself from going down on him? Eeewww! The plot resolution completely out of left field and unexplained. I really can’t recommend this one.

Grade: F

From the back cover:

     Wounded and near death, Sean prayed for the thing he wanted most. “Dear God, don’t let me die a virgin.”

     When Nell appeared, she didn’t look like any angel he’d ever imagined. And she sure as heck didn’t kiss like one. But she might just be the answer to his prayers.

     Read an excerpt.

Come, Sweet Creature by Tilly Greene
Contemporary erotic romance released 2005 by Whiskey Creek Press

I saved the best for last. This story is light BDSM. It may disappoint the hard-core power exchange lifestylers. However, it is a good story for those who like sex games. There’s no humiliation, but there is titillation. I liked the characters, but, really, get this one because it’s hot… then put down a towel on your chair before you read it.

Grade B+

From the back cover:

     Jena Flyno works for Tilton Spidermach, CEO of TS Properties. As PR Director she’s got her hands full cleaning up after his debauched peccadilloes. She’s heard about his playroom and she’s not about to become his latest prey.

     Spider has been watching his lovely, but oh, so prim and proper PR lady for months. Jena is elusive and unattainable, and he has just figured out a way to ensnare her. All he needs is one little sign of weakness and she’ll be caught up in his web.

     Read an excerpt.

Alicia Thomas’s review of Sundial by Carrie Lofty
Time travel short story ebook published Dec 07  by Wild Rose Press

Sundial is a short story, only 67 pages and is the first thing I’ve read from Wild Rose Press.

The biggest factor in Sundial is the style. The whole feel of this story is disjointed but in an artsy kind of way. It’s like Picasso does time-travel romance. I enjoy some of the weird IFC movies, etc., so once I figured out what I was reading I enjoyed it. I did have immediate negative reaction, though, and had to come up from there.

First off, we aren’t told just how young Mark is so his attitude seems really off. Also, the masturbation scene is really stupid. He gets caught because he sets himself to get caught, in my opinion. Who does that sitting outside a door the other person may walk through soon? And this brain damaged person has the nerve to act surprised! This is in the very beginning, though, and things got better quickly.

The author calls Mark shy but I’d say wary is a better word. He’s a consummate actor, with a natural talent and having honed his skills out of necessity. he is direct and strong, so he’s not shy. He’s been living in an unstable environment since he was 16, which is a vulnerable age, and he never knows when he may just disappear into his old life. He comes across as cold, at first, but bitterness toward circumstances isn’t an unusual response for a teenager. Due to what’s happened with his life, in some ways he’s less mature for his age and in other ways he’s much more.

I haven’t said much about Amber but really, Mark is the star of the show. She’s a good enough heroine and in the end she pulls off a good climax but there’s not a lot to say about her. The vast majority of the struggle, pain and growth are Mark’s.

Now I have to grade this. This one is hard. It will be sad if it misses the audience who will enjoy it because it definitely isn’t for everyone. It will be a gem for those looking for something unusual. I’ll give a general grade with a strong recommend if you think you may go for the style. I’ll be looking for more from this author.

Grade C+

Blurb:   Amber Schulman stepped into a lush English garden in 2007, only to arrive in breathtaking Sorrento, Italy in 1958. The only person who understands her confusion is fellow time traveler Mark Lacey, a New Yorker who comes from the land of cassette tapes and Reaganomics. His dark, world-weary eyes beckon her with secrets and sensuality. But why does he seem so familiar?

Trapped in the past since he was a teen, Mark wants nothing to do with another whining newcomer. But the blue-eyed Aussie might be able to answer the one question that haunts him: Do I ever get back to 1987?

From soccer to samba to sex, Amber tempts him with a zeal for life and love, pulling him free of his lonely isolation.

But getting home could prove easier than they imagined. How will their love endure if Amber returns to her time and Mark to his?”

Read an excerpt.