m/m romcom

I had a thought today.  (I know.  Don't fall over in shock or anything.)  I've been thinking a lot lately about romantic comedy in m/m (male/male).  Basically, there is none.  Well, that's not true.  There are books that people call romantic comedy.  But it's a pretty small percentage of the total sub-genre.  And what I've read hasn't left me with the same satisfaction that m/f (male/female) romcom does.

Why is this?  Is it not terribly popular, and therefore not published often?  Or is there something specific about romantic comedy that doesn't work when you're dealing with two men vs a man and a woman?  Is it not great because it's rare, or is it rare because it's not great?

That's the part I've been thinking about for a while.  Here's the part that just dawned on me today.  If I want to analyse the problem, I should host a book club on a blog.  It takes me a while, but I get there eventually.

So here's what I'm thinking.  Pick a couple of romcoms that are considered some of the best in both m/f and m/m and compare them.  What works in each book?  What doesn't?  Is there something about a woman being part of the equation that allows the comedy magic to happen?  M/M is largely written by and for women, so in theory it shouldn't be a gender difference in the creators/audience causing the problem.

A problem with this plan may be finding enough people willing to read both m/m and m/f stories to get a good conversation going.  There seem to be a fair number of people on both sides who don't want girls/two dudes cluttering up their romance novels.

So.  Is this something you'd be interested in?

Mini Monday, the Shameful Neglect Edition

It's been ages since I've posted much of anything, let alone a mini Monday, but I read a little story tonight that is perfect for one, so here we go.

<== This is Zach.  He's cutesie and darling, and if the model was really the character he'd probably be wearing a scarf, something with some shimmer, with that jacket.  One night Zach's designated driver abandons him at closing time when she makes up with her boyfriend.  So Zach flirts his way into a ride home from Sergeant Stephen Miranda, aka Officer Hotness.  What follows is the whirlwind (a little too whirlwind) beginning of a relationship.  Stephen is pretty closeted.  Zach is decidedly not.  That mismatch is one that doesn't work so well.

I liked Zach a lot, and although we don't get much time to get to know him, I liked Stephen, too.  But the story was so short that it makes it a little unbelievable that they'd make the decisions they do.  And it ends before they get the chance to act on those decisions, let alone face the consequences.

At 46 pages this was a cute, fluffy little read, but there could have been real depth to the story if it was expanded to about 2-3 times that length.

You Must Read This Book

Y'all.  The sun is shining, the birds are singing (okay, the geese are honking, which isn't quite as pleasant, but whatever), and I read a really, really good book today.  One of my Goodreads friends recommended it to me, and I'm so happy they did.  This story should not be missed.

Here's the blurb (it doesn't do the story justice by any means, but it's what we've got to work with):

Straight jockboy Kevin thinks he has gay, cross-dressing 
Danny under his thumb. Kevin only likes girls. 

So... why does he keep thinking about her? 

Or him. 

Whatever.


Kevin is a star football player on the verge of losing his spot on the team because of his grades.  But that all changes when he spots a pretty girl across the room at a party and realizes that it's actually Daniel, the new kid in school and the second string quarterback.  Kevin makes a deal with Dani-- she helps him pass his classes and he won't tell the whole school about Dani's little hobby.


The relationship between these two characters is absolutely magic.  Real and easy and loving and painful and everything that a true relationship is, no matter the genders or sexualities of the people involved.  It's a beautiful thing to watch unfold, and the author does an incredible job sharing it with us.


Kevin may be presented as a typical jock, but he's so much more than that.  There is real kindness there, under the rough, teenage boy exterior.  And Daniel, Danny, Dani, is a real person, struggling with issues of identity and acceptance.  More acceptance of self than acceptance by others.


It's not perfect.  There are places where difficult dynamics seem to be more in the characters' heads than on the page.  Well, many of our problems are more in our heads than in reality.  But in the relationship between Kevin and his father, Kevin seems to be pushing hard against an obstacle that just isn't there.  At the same time, the author doesn't shy away from some difficult, painful truths in Kevin and Dani's relationship.  Both have their issues, and something kind of horrible happens between them that must be overcome.  I'm not sure how I feel about that incident, but it's a lot like looking at other relationships that have hit a hard speed bump.  Could I get past it?  I don't know.  But do I believe that these two have managed to move on?  Absolutely.


That's what's so wonderful about these characters.  They're real and believable.  They grow and change individually and as a couple, and it's a wonderful journey.  The end of the book is a little after school special, but Kevin and Dani are so terrific that I'm willing to forgive that.


So where can you buy this amazing book?  You can't.  Because for some reason it's not been picked up and published by anyone.  (Silly, silly publishers.)  It is available for free, though, published online by the author.  (And that is the final proof of how good this story is-- I hate reading on a computer screen for any length of time, but I happily spent the entire afternoon reading this.)  So here it is: The Girl For Me by Failte.  If you enjoy it half as much as I did, I hope you'll pass the link on to everyone you know.  This story deserves to be read.

Review: She Went All the Way

Review by Diva


I've been rereading some old favorites and recent reads...trying to cut down on the old nook budget which, due to nausea and self-pity, was beginning to balloon out of control.  So I took another pass at Meg Cabot's She Went All the Way, her stand-alone chick lit romance novel.

Background:  I never read The Princess Diaries but I suspect, judging by the Queen of Babble trilogy and her 3 "Boy" novels, that her famed YA series had traces of her smart, sassy, yummy writing. I'm a Major Fan of Ms. Cabot's books.

Set Up:  Oscar winning screenwriter Lou Calabrese hops on a helicopter to a remote film location in rural Alaska, annoyed that she has to share a ride with film star Jack Townsend who famously changed a catchphrase line she wrote for him six years ago...and she's never forgiven his lameass egotistical "I think I need a bigger gun" quip that became a bumper sticker and pop cultural phenom. When their pilot tries to blow Jack's head off, Lou saves him and the copter crashes in the wilderness in a snowstorm. Their adversarial relationship continues as they attempt to survive the elements and evade paid assassins bent on making Mr. Townsend a distant memory.

What Worked:

It's Funny.  I like her sense of humor. Her fine deadpan use of the phrase "F--- bunnies" to refer to womanizer Jack's ex girlfriends is priceless.

Supporting characters: Jack's society matron rich mom comes off dimensional, sympathetic and endearing. As does Lou's gruff ex-cop dad. Neither descend into caricature which is pretty impressive alongside some of the contrivances present.

The MC.  She's tough, smart, and doesn't take any crap off Mr. Fabulous. Except when lust makes her all stupid.

What Didn't:

The Romance. Sorry, guys, but anytime a character utters the line "Has anyone ever told you that you are really cute when you're mad" my gag reflex engages. Plus, she's mad at him, he's nearly gotten her killed, pulled some stupid stunt jumping a gorge on a snowmobile with her in tow and she's all Oh the Kiss He Kissed Me SWOOOOON CITY! I have never felt this way ever not ever before where are the trilling birds from Disney's Cinderella I feel a musical number coming on...

Two Words:  No condom. That's right, folks. Our h/h hook up without protection. I lost all respect for everyone involved, including myself for reading the book. How difficult would it have been to mention that the heroine, who carries peanut brittle in her purse in case she gets hungry might have a condom in there too? I realize it's a snowstorm and all, but seriously...I would have felt sooo much less used and dirty as a reader if Cabot had tossed in a convenient prophylactic.

The Verdict: Fine if you don't think too much or mind that they're risking disease. 

Mini Monday, The Tuesday Edition

Apparently yesterday was Monday.  Whoops!  I had no idea.  So here are our Monday mini-reviews, only on Tuesday.  It's good to try new things, right?  Once again, thank you Julie for keeping us educated and entertained!

The Secret to Everything by Barbara Samuel O'Neal

I loved this book, the happily ever after was delightful.  There was a fun mystical twist plus a few very cosmic sort of aspects.  Any book that includes Magick, in one form or another, is a good one.  She also did an excellent job with her child characters, captured their voices perfectly.  As with her last one, a wee bit too much mention of food for my liking, but then that's my own hang up, many people look for this, I'm just not one of them.  I really enjoy how she incorporates dogs into her stories, at least this one and the one before.  I have her third book on request right now at my library, hope it comes in soon, I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

And now mini-review two.

I just finished a delightful book.  It was supposed to be for the forum book club but not everyone could get it (recommended by Anna/Irish Betty's mom, who is a research librarian).  It's called Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt, and it's by Beth Hoffman.  Quite "G" rated, almost bordering on super sweet, but with enough of a bite that it just isn't quite that bad.  Very well done, great child's voice, and fabulous scenes from the South in the 60's.  Fun characters and gentle life lessons.  Not upsetting, even our Diva could read it in her currently emotional state and not be harmed in the slightest.

Thanks, Julie!  Two more books to add to the TBR shelf.  Yeah, thanks a lot.....  :)

I Love Rock 'n Roll!

I'm going through a phase right now.  A rockstar phase.  I can't get enough of reading about bad boys living the high life.  Fortunately, it seems to be a reasonably popular theme in m/m romance, although it doesn't seem to be as common in mainstream romance.

I haven't read the book to the left yet.  It's book three in a series (the first two aren't about rockstars, they're about other people who need bodyguards), so I'll need to read those first.  (Must read/watch all series in order!)  (OCD?  I have no idea what you're talking about.)  But I'm definitely looking forward to reading about the sexy rockstar and his big, strong bodyguard.  Rawr!

Another author I've been really enjoying is Jet Mykles, who writes about the oh so delicious boys of Heaven Sent.  I've read the first three books of this series (which I'll probably be discussing in more depth in another post), and there are three more books in the series, just waiting for me to eat them up, plus the first book in an off-shoot series.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the covers of these books are at least some of the attraction!  How can anyone look at that cover to the right and not want to read it?  The story itself was a little disappointing, but I could sit and look at the cover all day.

Lest you think this has been a strictly boys' club obsession, I have found one or two m/f rockstar romances.  Coming Undone by Susan Andersen was pretty entertaining.  PJ is a country star with problems.  (OK, so she's country, not rock, but I let it skate by because a lot of the trappings are the same.)  Her momma is trashing her in the tabloids, she's developed a crazed stalker, and the bodyguard her record label hires just happens to be an old flame.  They all go on tour, and hijinx ensue.  A good time is had by all, including the reader.

Then I've got one that I haven't read yet,  Backstage Pass by Olivia Cunning.  This is another m/f rock romance that I picked up when they 

had it for free on Kindle for about 5 minutes.  They're marketing it as an erotic romance, so fingers crossed that it will be good!

I've got a bunch of other m/m rockstar romances in my future, too.  American Love Songs by Ashlyn Kane looks excellent, as does The Replacement Guitarist by Lori Toland.  With the Band by L.A. Witt is on my list.  And as I was poking around on Goodreads, double checking author names and such for this post, I came across A Change of Tune by JM Cartwright, which is now on the list, too.  (Goodreads is really a mixed blessing.  I've discovered some great stuff there, but I'm constantly discovering another book that I want.  I'll never read it all!)

So, do you like to read about rockstars?  Have you read any of the books I mentioned here?  Did you like them?  And most importantly, are there any other rockstar romances I absolutely must read?  I just can't get enough of bad boys with attitude and guitars!

The Times They Are a-Changin'

Things have been a little quiet around here lately.  Some stuff came up in my life, and I just haven't had the energy to keep up with the reviewing.  I'm ready to get back to it, but I'm going to do things a little differently.

First of all, I'm only going to be writing up books that I really loved.  I may not have been blogging, but I've been reading like crazy, and I've found some great stuff.  I want to talk about those things.  I don't have the patience right now to discuss, or read for that matter, something that I don't love and doesn't make me happy.  So expect lots of "I loved this, now let me tell you why" posts in the coming weeks.

Going along with that, I expect my reviews will be shorter and less critical.  Not that I felt my reviews were overly critical before, but I'm not interested in nitpicking right now.  It takes extra brain power to think carefully about how to express what I didn't like about a book, and I'm not working that hard.

The third change is that I'll be reviewing more m/m romance.  I'd read a few m/m titles before, but in the last couple of months I've read some really fantastic books in this sub-genre, and the more I find the more I want to read.  I'll probably spend some time talking about the terms and tropes specific to m/m romance, too, partly because it's something that not everyone is familiar with, and partly to show off how much I've learned!  ;p

So that's what's going to be happening around here.  Of course, all these changes only apply to my own reviews.  I'm still happy to post reviews by other Betties on whatever you've been reading lately.  There's nothing I enjoy more than talking books with other people who love them as much as I do!

Rock the Vote!

Dabwaha is getting down to the nitty gritty.  Voting is going on for the second half of the Elite 8.  If you haven't already, I'm going to ask everyBetty to go vote for Fair Game by Josh Lanyon.  It was a good book, better IMO than it's competitor, and Lanyon is an excellent author in general.  Plus, I'd really like to see a m/m title make a good showing again this year.  (Last year a m/m title, Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville, made it to the final two.)

So if you would, head on over to http://dabwaha.com/ and cast a vote.  Lanyon's behind right now, but he can catch up with our help!

Review: I Do Not Come to You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Review by London Betty

It's hard to find English language fiction about sub-Saharan Africa, by authors who were born and still live there, so this book is a good find for this reason alone. The book takes place in Nwaubani's home town and the areas where she's lived. 

I Do Not Come to You by Chance (I love the title) is about Kingsley, a young man from educated but poor parents, who can't find a job even with his university degree. As the family falls deeper into poverty, he finally ends up working "419" scams--those famous Nigerian emails we've all received--and naturally the book's tension hinges on both his moral dilemma of being a scammer, and the inherent danger of the activity. 

While the author isn't very good at descriptive writing--I didn't get that "Ooh I want to see Nigeria!" feeling--she's great at everyday detail. I learned a lot about daily life (public transportation, placing a long distance call, education, dating, village vs city life, names, money, etc.)  I think if you were Nigerian you wouldn't be bored/feel like she was writing for foreigners, but as a foreigner I was able to learn a ton about life in Nigeria. Super super interesting. And of course I learned about 419s. Nwaubani's done her research, and I never found the topic tiresome. The variety of scams being run is simultaneously fascinating, sad, creative, and funny. And I had to love the gangsters with their names like Cash Daddy and Protocol Officer and World Bank.

In the beginning I put this book aside for several weeks, because the start is slow. She's carefully trying to establish Kingsley's character, and why and how he would end up in 419s, but I think she could have shortened the front end of the book, and elaborated a bit in some other areas. For example, we don't witness his actual transition into scamming at all--it's a fait accompli when we hit Part II of the book. And towards the end, when we reach the inevitable point of having to choose between his new criminal lifestyle, or returning to the poor and honest path chosen for him by his parents, the choice would have felt more difficult if (a) the author had better maintained his connection with his mother, and (b) if the romance in the latter part of the book had been introduced earlier, and handled differently. The book's first romance is really heartbreaking, and this later romance could have had that potential.

On the plus side, Nwaubani's writing is really entertaining. The last book I read was also by a first time author, and he too was attempting to write a humor book about his nation (Canada); and though he was obsessed with proper English (he admits to this obsession) I found his similes and descriptions unoriginal and long-winded. Nwaubani, on the other hand, uses words in odd ways, and her writing is a bit sloppy; yet her similes and metaphors were creative, and her descriptions were funny. I don't have any quotes 'cause I can't underline on my ereader, but here's a good one someone posted:

"Then came my father’s diagnosis. For a poorly paid civil servant to get caught up in an affliction like diabetes was the very height of ambitious misfortune."

Also, I loved Kings. His character arc was realistic, he was a good kid, and I was rooting for him. I was curious to see how Nwaubani would choose to end the book, and I'm giving the book four stars solely on the basis of the last chapter (epilogue). It was perfect. It is so so SO rare to find that perfect of a last chapter. It was tight, it was funny, it answered all my questions, and it was satisfying.

I will definitely read her next book.

Mini Monday, the Carina Press Edition

After buying/borrowing quite a few books this month, I decided to spend the last weekend of February trying to make a dent in my TBR stockpile.  Thanks to my friends at Kobo and their generous use of coupons, I have a slightly frightening backlog of Carina Press titles, so I dove into those.  Here's what I read this weekend.

The Spurned Viscountess by Shelley Munro- This was pretty much a straight up Gothic romance.  (Not that I'm an expert on the Gothics, but Jenny Crusie describes them as "girl gets a house" and that's what this was.)  Rosalind goes off into the wilds to marry the amnesiac, and possibly insane, son of an Earl.  It's her last chance at having a home and family of her own, because she's got The Sight, and everyone at home knows it.

I got annoyed by the number of attacks and accidents she had to go through before Lucien acknowledged something was really going on.  And then his attempt to protect her was half-assed at best.  But mostly this was an enjoyable read.

Blinded By Our Eyes by Clare London- Gay gallery owner Charles comes home early from a trip to discover his prize sculptor dead and his ex-lover covered in blood and hysterical.

This was a dark read, with a fog of anger and violence throughout.  There was a happy ending of sorts, but the solution to the mystery was pretty disturbing.  And the relationship between the sculptor and the ex-lover was unnecessarily mysterious in the first few chapters, which was just annoying.

Not a bad read, but not to my taste.

Undeniably Yours by Shannon Stacey- This is the follow up to Ms Stacey's very popular Exclusively Yours.  Kevin Kowalski is the only one of his siblings still single, now that his brother Joe has tied the knot, and he's not thrilled about it.  He's sick of bar bunnies and ready to settle down.  Beth Hansen is a rolling stone, who's allergic to ties of any kind.  Too bad their one night stand leads to a baby.

This was a fun read.  The Kowalskis are a fun family, and it was great to revisit them. And Kevin is a great hero.  I was less enamored of Beth, though.  Her reason for not wanting to settle down was understandable, but it got old after a while.  By the end of the story it was long past time for her to get a grip and grow up.  But the ending was sweet, and I bought that they'd be happy together.

Fair Game by Josh Lanyon- Elliot Mills is a former FBI agent who had to leave field work behind when he was badly injured in the line of duty.  A year and a half later he's started a new life for himself as a history professor when he's asked to look into the disappearance of student.  The investigation brings him back into contact with the FBI and his ex-lover, Special Agent Tucker Lance.

The mystery was good and the romance between Elliot and Tucker is emotional and believable.  My only problem with the book wasn't with this story itself so much as the story within the context of the author's other work.  Everything else that I've read by Lanyon has been in 1st person.  This story was in third, although limited to Elliot's point of view.  I kept getting bounced out of the story when I was expecting 1st person and got 3rd person instead.  Not really a critique so much as an observation.

So that's what I read this weekend.  How about you?

Review: Mr. Maybe by Jane Green

Review by DivaBetty

I noticed in Barnes and Noble that Green's 90's chick lit books have new classy covers. I prefer the old one for Mr. Maybe...shredded male torso, clothesline of jokey boxers...because it is what it is.  A relic of the glory days of early chick lit, when Bridget Jones chronicled her calories and Good In Bed was shocking. This is one of the classics...juicy, frivolous, and rather well written to boot.
 
Libby is a twentysomething Londoner who loves her job in PR, burdens her charge card with funky designer finds, and feels like she's ready for a fling. Her bff, Jules (she of the Perfect Marriage to convenient accessory Jamie) insists that Libby can't handle a fling...she'll end up heartbroken. But Libby meets Nick, fun, hot, and unapologetically on the dole, he's an immature dreamboat built for delicious sex with no strings attached. 

The bathtub sex scene is STILL one of the best I've ever read. In case you're interested in that sort of thing. ;)
 
They have a terrific time together in and out of the bedroom but Libby can't handle his slovenly and unambitious lifestyle and horrid friends. They break up. She's crushed. A rich guy, Ed, comes into the picture and is everything she says she wants. 

Ed makes me gag.
 
There's a very realistic take on "storybook" romance here and the likelihood that you should be careful what you wish for. 
 
By the time Nick shows up again, I was singing Hallelujah to the heavens because at no point does it seem like Ed is anything but Mr. Hell No. Libby has some growing up to do, though, and it's rendered well. She learns to be true to herself and it feels authentic, not like a sitcom Learning a Lesson moment. 
 
I wish all chicklit was this good, this hilarious, this tasty.

Free Today Only- The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt

It's the last Wednesday in February, and that means we've come to the last of the Carina Press freebies.  This week it's The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt.  To get your copy, go here, and don't forget to use the code SEVENFOLDFREE at checkout.

Here's the blurb:


Have you ever wondered what happens to the other people in the fairy tale?


Things look grim for Talia and her mother. By royal proclamation, the constables and those annoying "good" fairies have taken away their livelihood by confiscating their spinning wheel. Something to do with a curse on the princess, they said.


Not every young lady has a fairy godmother rushing to her rescue.


Without the promise of an income from spinning, Talia's prospects for marriage disappear, and she and her mother face destitution. Past caring about breaking an arbitrary and cruel law, rebellious Talia determines to build a new spinning wheel, the only one in the nation—which plays right into the evil fairy's diabolical plan. Talia discovers that finding a happy ending requires sacrifice. But is it a sacrifice she's willing to make?


This novella generated quite a bit of buzz last fall when it was released, and deservedly so.  It's an unusual take on the Sleeping Beauty tale.  For one thing, Talia isn't the princess.  And she doesn't wait around for someone else to give her what she wants, she goes out and gets it herself.  She also takes a very un-fairytale like attitude toward sex.  There is a romantic interest for Talia, but it's really not about the guy.  This is her story all the way.


Also, did you see that gorgeous cover?


This one is definitely worth a read, and bonus!  It's free!  Happy Wednesday, everyBetty.

Review: Lessons in Love: A Cambridge Fellows Mystery by Charlie Cochrane

 Review by Chronic Betty

St. Bride’s College, Cambridge, England, 1905.

Jonty Stewart is handsome and outgoing, with blood as blue as his eyes. When he takes up a teaching post at the college where he studied, his dynamic style acts as an agent for change within the archaic institution. He also has a catalytic effect on Orlando Coppersmith.

Orlando is a brilliant, introverted mathematician with very little experience of life outside the university walls. He strikes up an alliance with Jonty and soon finds himself heart-deep in feelings he’s never experienced. Before long their friendship blossoms into more than either man had hoped.

Then a student is murdered within St. Bride’s. Then another…and another. All the victims have one thing in common: a penchant for men. Asked by the police to serve as their eyes and ears within the college, Jonty and Orlando risk exposing a love affair that could make them the killer’s next target.

This book has been previously published and has been revised and expanded from its original release.

---

Product Warnings

Contains sensual m/m lovemaking and men in punts.

I love Samhain's product warnings, don't you?  I think I've read more of their books based on the warning than the blurb.

Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith meet when Jonty sits in Orlando's chair.  They soon become inseparable, first as friends, and then slowly as something more.  During this time a murderer starts targeting homosexual students at St. Bride's.  Suddenly their relationship is dangerous on three fronts:  Jonty knows he's homosexual, but Orlando has been basically asexual until this point in his life.  Is this what he wants?  People are dying on campus for being homosexual, do they want to risk catching the murderer's attention?  And, homosexual acts were illegal in England in 1905.  Do they want to risk hard labor if they're caught?

I'd heard good things about this book, and I was eager to give it a try.  But I had a very hard time connecting, mostly because of the POV.  It was written in 3rd person omniscient, which I generally don't like.  And in a book where a large part of the focus is the romance, that distance doesn't serve the story well.

I did get more involved as the mystery plot drove to its conclusion.  But I also think that the last third or so of the book was more interesting because we were spending more time with Orlando's thoughts than Jonty's.  This was really Orlando's book.  He grows the most, changing from a complete loner to a man with a dear friend and lover.  He also has to shift his thinking away from his very prudish upbringing to accept any sexual feelings at all, let alone feelings for another man.  And yet it seems like we spend a lot more time in the early part of the book in Jonty's head, as he dances around trying to slowly seduce Orlando, while at the same time trying to preserve his "precious innocence."  (Jonty's interest in Orlando's complete innocence and unworldliness was a bit squicky to me.)


In the end we finally get to see Orlando understand what he really wants and be the hero by rescuing Jonty.  And I think that's as much of the reason why I liked the end of the book as all the action in catching the killer. We're finally getting to experience the important stuff through the right pair of eyes.


I struggled with this one, but don't take my opinion for gospel.  There are eight books in this series now, so apparently many others liked it.  I caught a spoiler by accident for book 8, and now I'm trying to decide if I want to push through all the books in between, hoping they get better, or if I should break a cherished reading law and just jump to the good bit.  That spoiler sounded wowza.


I give it a C-.  Not horrible, but not quite in the middle of the pack, either.  I was able to borrow this one, now that lending is available for the Kindle.  Unfortunately, I have yet to find a m/m romance available for download through the library.

Free Today Only- The Spurned Viscountess by Shelley Munro

Another Wednesday, another free ebook from Carina Press!  This time it's The Spurned Viscountess by Shelley Munro.  To get your free copy, go here, and don't forget to use the code SPURNEDFREE at checkout.

I can't tell you much about this one.  It's in my TBR file, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.  If anyone has read it and would like to give us the scoop, please do!  In the meantime, here's the blurb:


Cursed with the sight and rumors of witchcraft, Rosalind's only chance at an ordinary life is marriage to Lucien, Viscount Hastings. She doesn't expect love, only security and children of her own. Determined to go through with the wedding, she allows nothing she encounters at the gloomy Castle St. Clare to dissuade her.


Recently returned from the Continent, Lucien has no time for the English mouse his family has arranged for him to marry—not when he's plotting to avenge the murder of his beloved Francesca. He has no intention of bedding Rosalind, not even to sire an heir.


Though spurned by her bridegroom, Rosalind turns to him for protection when she is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents and haunted by terrifying visions. Forced to keep Rosalind close—and tempted into passionate kisses—Lucien soon finds himself in grave danger of falling in love with his own wife...


Sounds pretty good.  Maybe I need to bump this one up the queue!

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Review by Diva

I have to do a dual Diva review on this one. It is impossible to compute otherwise.
 
The STORY(Diva, 32)
 
Lonely teen Grace has no interests except her obsession with the wolves living in nearby Boundary Wood. They mauled her when she was eleven (and playing on a tire swing? at eleven? how bout piercing stuff and reading seventeen magazine? realism alert!) and she was rescued by "her" wolf, a yellow eyed beast who seemed to understand her very soul. The wolf watches her. She watches it. There's a connection.

Some jerk from her high school gets killed by the wolves and comes back as a shapeshifting werewolf.  Ecstatic, Grace tells her photog buddy Olivia "hey, i saw this wolf who looks like Jack I bet he's a werewolf now!" and Olivia is all "you are just stoked to jump yellow eyed dog and hope he's a dude." (Okay they don't talk like that at all. It only SEEMS like they do).

Sam is "her" wolf, he shows up in naked 18yo guy form bleeding on her back deck and she tends to him, hides him in her room for weeks, unbeknownst to the Stupidest Parents in the Entire Canon of Literature as We Know It. But, hell, they remained in their woodsy house AFTER she got mauled by wolves as a kid and assured her "wolves are peaceful creatures" then locked her in the damn hot car that summer for hours and she had to be rescued and revived cuz they FORGOT her. (PS an eleven yo couldn't get out of the damn car???)

Grace and Sam fall in love. They have to keep him warm so he doesn't morph back into wolf form. He didn't change in warm weather this year so it's his Last Year As a Real Live Boy. So he wants to see the people and the landscapes and ball the girl because he will never have another chance evah.

But there is the problem of his pack (as well as the fact that every time he gets cold in friggin Minnesota he changes back to a wolf so he has to sit in the warm car a lot). Raised by Beck, a sometime lawyer sometime wolf/highly fallible father figure, Sam has to deal with Shelby, a jealous, murderous she wolf. She tries to kill Grace. Sam finds out Beck has intentionally had kids bitten to perpetuate the pack with new members. He is sad and angry. He takes Grace on a date to SMELL CANDY. Because that is romantic. Then they shag. This does not satisfy my curiosity about whether or not sex will make him transform into a wolf (sex kept vampire Ian Thornheart from craving blood on Port Charles years ago. he was hawt.)

Then Isabel, rich bitch sis of newbie werewolf Jack, tells Grace she knows everything and demands help. Together they figure out that Grace's Dumbass Parents saved her from werewolfism by locking her in the hot car so the temp burned the werewolf out of her or some shit like that. They steal meningitis infected blood to infect and "save" Jack, Sam, and Olivia (who got bitten by pissed off Jack).  Spoilers:  Jack dies. Olivia opts out and frolics wolfily into the woods. Sam's form is unstable and he can't stay a human long enough to get injected fully. He disappears.

At the end (SPOILER) he shows up out of nowhere and they hug. We do not know if he has been human for like weeks since he was injected or how he survived the meningitis that killed Jack or if this is permanent or anything. The End.

PS. This girl has the self-esteem of Bella Swan (read: I must have my para hottie or I AM NOTHING) but Sam is a very cool character. His narration made it possible to finish the book. I fell asleep twice. Old Diva
 
THE STORY (Inner 15 yo Diva)
Grace feels a deep connection to the wolf who saved her life. Little does she know that he is secretly an attractive teen during the summer months. Despite the obstacles in their path, they come together one winter and hope the warmth of their love can protect Sam from leaving her forever to lead life as a wolf permanently.
 
Because she is part wolf herself, the result of the attack from which Sam saved her, Grace can understand him better than anyone. She is drawn to him and all the meaningless responsibilities with which she has filled her lonely life fall away until all that is left is Sam, fragile loving and hopeful. His wounded heart (his parents cut his wrists to kill him when he changed into a wolf as a kid) trusts her alone and they lead a full but narrow life together shutting out the cold and reality. 

A car accident sends a rush of cold air through the broken windshield and steals the last of his humanity, leaving Grace to go on alone. Fortunately her newfound friend Isabel, whose brother has been bitten, helps her discover the key to Grace's own resistance to becoming a wolf. They need to cause a high fever in the victims to save them from becoming wolves forever. Together, they execute a desperate plan that claims one life but saves another.
 
Sweepingly romantic, descriptive and atmospheric, dreamy. XOXO Teen DIVA

Mini Monday, Featuring Lunar Betty!

Hooray for Julie, Lunar Betty, who has graciously agreed to let me post a couple of her mini-reviews.  She asked that I remind everyone that these are just her emotional reactions and not "real" reviews.  We all know what that means, right?  Say it with me!  "Julie, YOU ARE A GREAT REVIEWER!!!1111!!!!111!!"


And now, on to the reviews!  

I finished a book yesterday that I did not love.  (This won’t be a review, I already told you that I can’t do those, I’m too emotional, can’t analyze with enough distance.  I am only capable of saying “yes I liked it, or “no I hated it.”  Not much gray area for me.)  I can tell when I am not adoring a story by the number of times I set it down.  If I carry the book around with me constantly, and finish it in a day or less, then I adore it.  If it takes me more than three days to get through, it is not a winner.  The latest from Laura Lippman was totally not a gem, to me.  I’d Know You Anywhere did not grab me, on any level.  The people in the book were flawed, that’s never the problem for me, I am flawed, we are all flawed.  These characters simply irritated me.  They had no spines, and the ones that almost did, were shallow, they were self-serving.  And not in an amusing way.  I simply did not give a rat’s ass about any of them.

And....

The Wilde Women by Paula Wall

           I liked this book very much, it had a very special "feel" that I really enjoyed. If this book was a photograph it would be one of those sepia-toned hand tinted antiques in a massively heavy frame.  It has the warmest brown hue to it.  I really enjoyed reading all of the separate-but-linked stories, the attitudes, and the emotions of each character.  They felt like real people you'd run across if you were transported back in time to this heavily burdened, but hard loving, fictional community.

          You can hear Wall's distinctive voice on every page, you could practically taste the dust of The Great Depression with every uniquely descriptive line.  Wall is a grand story teller and a true wordsmith. 

          The only thing that would have added more, I felt, would have been if she'd included family trees or some type of graphic to chart all the characters and their lineage.  Every once in a while I'd lose track of who was related to who(m?).  Overall I so loved reading how they interacted and crossed paths, in the current setting and in the past. 

          One or two folks were left a bit shallow in their backstory/history, and weren't quite as fleshed out as I would have liked.  But, I do understand the need for "minor" characters in every tale, and not every reader wants a tome that weighs more than a pudgy toddler  (could just be me this case).

          The twists and "just desserts" that rounded out the ending were very well done, tying up loose ends and giving the closing chapters a satisfying HEA (or just EA, but well deserved).

          There was, not exactly similarities, but a similar emotional sense, in this book as compared to her first one, The Rock Garden.  I think most readers would be happy with it if they enjoyed the other one.  For the familiarity of Wall's "voice" more than anything else.

So, those are our Monday mini-reviews!  Thanks, Julie!

Also, congratulations, merrymac12, you are the winner of the Adrien English Mysteries 1&2!  Shoot me an email at booksandbacon at yahoo dot com, and I'll get going on that.

Have a Happy Monday, and a Happy Valentine's Day everyBetty!

Just a little thing

So.  I'm reading a book, and the author just name checked one of their characters from an unrelated series.  I'm going to make up an example so that I don't have to call out the author, because who did it isn't really the point.

For example, if you were reading one of Susan Elizabeth Phillips' football books, and the hero makes a point of saying that he's watching one of the golf heroes on TV.  It doesn't add anything to the story.  Straight up name check.  Does that bother you, or is it a funny little inside joke for the fans?

My first reaction was to laugh.  But after that it was a little bit icky.  Not so icky/funny as the author who did a cover blurb for one of her own pen names a few years ago, but still just the tiniest bit icky.  I think I had the reaction because this author references real people sometimes, and I've been known to google looking for more information about them.  If other people do this (I can't be the only weirdo out there who does this kind of thing), then they're definitely going to come across other books by this author.  It kind of feels like marketing.  Can't they just trust that readers will enjoy the book and check out the list of other titles in the front and/or back of the book or on the author's website?

What do you think?  Am I being silly?  Do these little references amuse or annoy you?  Do you even notice?  Please, discuss amongst yourselves.

Review: Salaam, Paris by Kavita Daswani

Review by London Mabel


I picked up Salaam, Paris by Kavita Daswani as a sale book, so I didn't have big expectations. It's about Tanaya, a young Muslim Indian woman who's always dreamed of living in Paris. When her family wants her to marry a Muslim man living in Paris she agrees to go meet him, but instead turns her back on the arrangement and lives an independent life, eventually becoming a fashion model. The usual conflicts arise--feeling torn between her traditional upbringing and her bikini-clad magazine spreads, as well as re-meeting the man she was supposed to marry and finding herself falling in love with him.

This book was so good, and so bad. I didn't mind the fantasy setting, Tanaya's quick rise to fame etc., because other elements were realistic, such as the shocked reaction of her family, and her own torn feelings. I liked that she maintained her moral standards throughout, and the book avoided a lot of "overnight success story" clichés. I also liked that Tanaya missed her family, that she missed India, and she wasn't wholly enamored of this new lifestyle--she didn't turn overnight from a shy, obedient granddaughter to a Paris Hilton, or a western-style feminist.

BUT. I still kept waiting for her to change. The movie that makes Tanaya want to go to Paris is Sabrina, but surprisingly the author doesn't give her the same sort of transformation as Sabrina went through.  While I didn't expect Paris to fulfill Tanaya's fantasies, I thought it, or her new life, would fulfill her in some other, unexpected way. How can someone go from living the life of a child, on an allowance, with a very narrow future ahead of her--and she was never particularly rebellious--to being extremely wealthy, with enough money to do whatever she'd like with her life, and not experience Something? Surely she would have changed in terms of confidence? Feeling something new flower in her? Wouldn't she find out something important about herself? Instead, she felt like the exact same person throughout. She didn't like other people telling her what to do, but never rebelled against them (with one lame exception at the very end); and it never really felt like she was enjoying herself. Daswani never described Tanaya's experiences in Paris in a way that made me want to go to Paris. And in fact, half the book takes place in New York, which was disappointing and seemed unnecessary to the plot.

So while I loved the book for the first three quarters, my opinion crashed in the last quarter, when I realized there weren't going to be any interesting epiphanies. This is also when the almost-a-fiancé re-enters the picture. She falls instantly for him, though it's hard to understand why; and he suddenly becomes the center of her universe. She realizes she should have just married him in the first place, which is frankly the same thing I'd wondered at the beginning of the book--why wouldn't a conservative girl, who wants to live in Paris, not agree to an arranged marriage to a man who lives in Paris? (In other words, the author didn't convince me that this person, this character, had reason enough to rebel against this marriage.)

The last quarter of the book is a flat out mess--rushed, disingenuous, and finally clichéd. A book that could have been light yet subtly moving, instead turned out to be a 1980s Harlequin. Color me: Le Disappointed.

Free Today Only- Silver Bound by Ella Drake

It's Wednesday, and it's February.  That means Carina Press is giving away another ebook!  And this time it's one I don't already have.  Oh, happy day!  Go here, and don't forget to use the code SILVERFREE at checkout.


As I said, I haven't read this one yet, so I can't give you the scoop.  But here's the blurb:



Sheriff Guy Trident doesn't have much to do with off-worlders; he has his hands full keeping his own planet safe. But he'll do anything, go anywhere to save Jewel Quinn. She broke his heart years ago when she left to marry a Terraloft aristocrat. Now she's run away from her husband, only to fall into the clutches of slavers.


Posing as a wealthy playboy, Guy arrives at Zuthuru Station to learn he's too late: Jewel's memories have been erased. She's been tipped in silver, a process that leaves nothing behind except her body, sexually bound to pleasuring her master. Unwilling to give up hope, Guy buys her.


Jewel fights to reclaim herself, recalling a different connection to the handsome sheriff, remembering the frightened eyes of a young boy and the events that made her run. Together she and Guy search for her cure, plan her son's rescue from her ruthless ex, and test if they have any kind of future...before the past catches up to them.


So, Happy Wednesday, everyBetty!  Enjoy the free book!  And if anyone's read this one, let us know what you thought.

Review: The Adrien English Mysteries by Josh Lanyon

Review by Chronic Betty

Relationships can be murder. Bookseller and mystery author Adrien English is looking for love in all the wrong places -- and, according to hot and handsome LAPD detective Jake Riordan, it's liable to get him killed.

Fatal Shadows
A serial killer is stalking gay men, and a tawny-eyed LAPD detective wants bookseller Adrien English in handcuffs -- for all the wrong reasons!

A Dangerous Thing
When his romance goes south, Adrien heads north to the California Motherlode country. Can murder -- and Adrien's favorite LAPD detective -- be far behind?


I love mystery series with a romance that evolves over multiple books, particularly if the romance is complicated.  Think Julia Spender-Fleming and Deanna Raybourn.  Well, this weekend I found a new author to add to that list- Josh Lanyon.


Adrien English is a gay bookstore owner with a bum ticker and a serious problem.  His best friend has been murdered, and he's Suspect #1.  Jake Riordan is the hostile, deeply closeted detective who's been assigned to the case.  As the bodies start piling up, all Adrien wants is to figure out who the real killer is and clear his name.  What Jake wants... is a greater mystery.

These books were phenomenal.  I read all five books in the series over the course of three days, and the whole thing has been rolling around in a big ball of goodness in my head ever since.  After being that immersed in the series, it's hard to know what to say without spoiling something.

What I can tell you is that the mysteries were exciting and well plotted.  The relationship between Adrien and Jake was intense, and it drags you right along with them.  Books three and four smashed my heart into a million pieces.  Book five slowly put it back together again.  The sex is explicit, and hot, but never over done. These are mysteries with strong romantic elements, not erotica.  And you may pick up the next book in the series because you're dying to see what's going to happen between Adrien and Jake, but that's never the main focus of the story.

I give the whole series an A.  Excellent, excellent work.  And in case you were all wondering if I've flipped my wig after this mess of a review (wig flipping always being a possibility with me), I've found a few people who agree with me.  The fifth book in the series, The Dark Tide, made the American Library Association's 2010 Over the Rainbow List.  The third book, The Hell You Say, was the winner of the 2006 USA Book News award for best GLBT fiction.  And that's just for this series.  There are plenty of other awards for his other work, too.

I borrowed The Adrien English Mysteries 1&2 through the Kindle lending program.  Once I finished devouring those, I popped over to Fictionwise and bought the rest of the series.  In three days my borrowing period will be up, and I'll have to hop online and buy myself a copy of those first two books, because there's no way I can go without them.  One of you will not have that problem, however.

I loved these books so much that I'm going to do something I've never done before.  I'm going to put my money where my keyboard is.  I'm having a contest!  To enter, just comment on this post.  Have you read any of Lanyon's stuff?  Do you want to?  Do you have questions about the series?  Any old comment will do. On Friday night I'll close the comments and randomly draw a winner.  That winner will get an ebook copy of The Adrien English Mysteries 1&2.  That's the first two books in the series.  It's available from several different vendors, so I can be flexible to meet your device's needs.  There don't appear to be any geographic restrictions for this title on Fictionwise, so it's open to everyone.  If you absolutely can't do an ebook, well, the two book collection isn't available in paper.  But I'll do my best to get the first book, Fatal Shadows, into your hands.

So go forth and comment!  And if you're impatient (like me) and can't wait for the drawing, Fictionwise has a 40% off coupon running now through the 14th.  (vday2011)  Great books and a great deal!

And I suppose I ought to say, just in case the FCC is one of the handful of people reading this, that no one paid me in anyway to do this.  The prize is coming out of my own pocket.  I loved this series that much, and I wanted to share it.