Thursday, March 27, 2008

ASK AGAIN LATER by Jill A. Davis

Well, the heroine in this in novel really has her nose wedged in her belly button pretty tight. Don’t let that put you off though. Personally, I feel if the hero or heroine is all perfect or powerful starting out, there’s no point in reading the novel. I’d be bored out of my mind, regardless.
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It’s no wonder Emily has her nose stuck in her bellybutton. Her parents do, as well. As a trained nanny and mommy, I know it’s essential for a couple to have a support system in place when they have their first child. This is how they make the transition from couple to family. Without making that vital transition, the family’s emotional and psychological growth is stunted. Emily’s father never made the transition from abused son to grown man to husband to father. Instead, he relied on Sex-as-a-Drug to substitute for Real Love. Needless to say, that destroyed his marriage early on. Emily’s mother substituted making beds and shopping for connecting with Real Love. Emily’s sister is following her mother’s example and is now pregnant, and in danger of repeating the same emotional tragedy. Of all of them, only Emily is really trying to fix herself. She has a wonderful therapist.
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And so Emily is still struggling to grow up at the age of thirty and I applaud her for that. Few have the same courage and determination. Most go along ignoring how messed up they are while continuing to use or abuse whatever they’re using and abusing to numb the pain. It’s scary to change, which is why only children are brave enough to do it without reservation.
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The catalyst which flings Emily forward in her quest to complete her own soul is her mother being diagnosed with breast cancer. At this point, Emily has already sabotaged her current romantic relationship, which is fairly typical for someone who’s grown up in her kind of dysfunctional family. Emily’s mother’s mother isn’t even talking to her. Emily’s sister is too busy shopping to compensate for her sheer terror of becoming a mother. Interestingly, Emily’s father is freaking out in his own way too, even though he’s been divorced for a couple of decades. Like a lot of couples who divorce, Emily’s parents do love each other. They’re just clueless about how to connect and live together. Anyway, Emily’s the only one with the presence of mind to do something. She quits her job and runs to Mom’s side. Of course, Mom just wants her there. Mom doesn’t actually want to ‘connect’ on a deep level. That’s even scarier than cancer. Oh, and Dad ropes Emily into going to work for him as a receptionist, even though she’s a law school graduate. And she goes because, well, she’s still a little girl who needs her daddy and daddy is still trying to be a daddy and is still just as clueless about how.
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Ah, what a family. But, when you think about it, most families are at least a little screwed up. Families are made up of human beings and there are no perfect human beings.
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This is not a Romance novel, so you’re not promised a happy ending. Therefore, you’ll just have to read it in order to find out if Emily succeeds in her personal quest. Will she ‘save’ her family? We’ll she learn to give and receive love? In Real Life, ‘living happily ever after’ is a lot of hard work, but so worth it.
;)
Here’s a quote to give you a taste of this novel: “Psychologists say our ‘love maps’ are established by the time we’re seven years old. At seven, I loved trolls. I loved diaries. My father had become a stranger. My love map is really more like a set of sketchy directions scribbled on a cocktail napkin.”
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The Heat Level for this novel is Mildly Sensual. ASK AGAIN LATER ranks at Tame on the Gore O’ Meter.
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To learn more about ASK AGAIN LATER, pop over to http://www.jilldavis.com/

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Tuesday News

First things first - Thursday, March 27th, will be the First Anniversary of the Enduring Romance Blog!
I wanted to announce it now because I have a book to review that day and don't want to distract guests from it. As you can see, we're already celebrating in the Protagonists' Cafe. I'm doing the Hokey-Pokey. After years as a nanny and years as a mommy, it's my best dance.



;)



March 1997 {{{Ahhhh! I mean March 2007! It's only taken me a week to figure out that type-oh!}}}, I threw the first three Cyber-Launch Parties for Linnea Sinclair, Gwyneth Bolton, and Susan Grant on the first Star Captains' Daughter blog; for GAMES OF COMMAND, SWEET SENSATION, and MY FAVORITE EARTHLING, respectively. Afterwards, my number of guests increased so that I didn't have much room for anything but book and author stuff. So, I seperated out that stuff and created the Enduring Romance blog especially for it. I named it Enduring Romance because, at the time, the main complaint I was hearing from readers was in the Romance genre. They were buying books expecting to get the usual Heat Level, only to get them home and discover they were on par with Erotica. Mighty upset, many had stopped buying books new. Since the sale of new books is how an author earns money, this is a very bad thing. Always buy your favorite authors' books new! It keeps them in the business of putting out the kinds of books you love. I learned Heat Level wasn't the only issue. Any time a reader spends his or her hard-earned money on a book expecting one thing but getting another, he or she is going to be mighty upset. Michelle Moran, author of NEFERTITI, was the first to send me an Advanced Reviewer's Copy and the rest is history.



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Ciara Gold released her new novel, ONCE JILTED. Pop over to http://www.ciaragold.com/ to learn more. I'll be reviewing her award-winning novel, A NOBLE SACRIFICE, in May.



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Patricia Wood has sold the film option for her debut novel, LOTTERY, and it's been nominated for the prestigious Orange Award.






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Sara J. has agreed to be my Pinch Hitter here at Enduring Romance. That is, she's going to be a guest reviewer. Whenever I feel in a crunch, I'm going to be banging on her cyber-door for help. She'll be reviewing GRIMSPACE by Ann Aguirre on April 27th. Sara J. reviews Science Fiction and Fantasy on her own blog, Jumpdrives & Cantrips. Click on her name in the reviewers' list to learn more.



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The last bit of news is I am booked solid for 2008. I won't be requesting or accepting any more ARCs or books until after September, most likely. If you pop over to my personal blog http://starcaptainsdaughter.blogspot.com/ and scroll down to the Amazon.com favorites widget on the right, you can see all the ARCs I have now. There's another truckload on the way. The only exception to my no requesting/accepting ARCs is my mentor-type Blog Buddies. I already have SHADES OF DARK by Linnea Sinclair which releases in July and I'll be reviewing it April 24th. Gwyneth Bolton and Michelle Moran are both releaseing new novels this year too.



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If you're an author who has sent or will be sending me a book, you may notice your book reviewed by a different reviewer. This doesn't mean I don't like it. These reviewers are simply helping me get your book reviewed in a timely manner.



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That's it for this Tuesday! I'll be reviewing ASK AGAIN LATER by Jill A. Davis this coming Thursday, March 27th. See you then.







;)

Want to win a copy of YOU HAD ME AT HALO by Amanda Ashby? Pop over to http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog and enter the contest. This book is on its way for me to review right now.





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P.S. I'm not going to update the Enduring Romance website. It eats up too much time and guests can find all that information by searching this blog anyway. I will leave the website up though.

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P.S.S. I'm finding MySpace to be an effective way for authors to spread news. MySpace sends me your blog entries and bullitins automatically, then I post the news here. Many other MySpacers can also receive your news through this means. If you're an author not taking advantage of this promotional tool yet, I suggest you get started

;)

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Grape Thief by Kristine L. Franklin


Before I dive in I want to thank Kimber for the privilege of participating in all the book review fun over here!


The first book I have for you is Grape Thief by Kristine Franklin. I picked this book up because it's set in Roslyn, Washington. (If you've seen Northern Exposure, you've seen Roslyn). I was actually there this summer and remember thinking that it must have a fascinating history and wouldn't it be great fodder for a book. Turns out I was right!It's told from the point of view of Slava Petrovich, called Cuss because he can cuss in fourteen languages.


It's the end of his seventh grade year and unlike the other boys he loves school and desperately wants to continue. But times are hard his family needs his wages, so it looks like he's destined for the coal mines.Franklin does a remarkable job at recreating the era of the 1920's in this dusty mining town. We see it through the eyes of the immigrant labor, feel the heat and the sweat of the work, the desperation to make it from year to year, and the sting of prohibition. But through it all we also feel the joy of being a young man, nearly bursting with strength and energy - the freedom to hang with your buddies at all hours of the night, the excitement of planning a grape heist and the sober responsibility of family.


It's a great read and I whole-heartedly recommend it. There really isn't any romance in this one, apart from some minor characters. It's a clean read apart from the multi-lingual cussing.You can find out more about the author at her website, KristineFranklin.com

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Tuesday News

If you haven't already, please scroll down to yesterday's post, 'Enduring Romance Renovations,' and read that first. Thanks.
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The cover art for Jill Sorenson's debut novel is in and I read she has a new contract with Dell. Way to go, Jill! DANGEROUS TO TOUCH will be out in June, I think, and the ARC is on the way. That is the one which is on the way, isn't it?



Here's some news-to-me, Michelle Moran is the featured historian on a show called 10 GREAT REASONS on Fuse, which is something I totally know nothing about. I watched Michelle's part, though, and she was awesome, of course.

Remember, if you have news you'd like to share, please email. I don't have time to search for it!
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Authors, here's a couple of things I noticed this week-
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Thing One- You need to have addresses to all of your sites (website,blog, MySpace, etc...) at the top of the front page of each site, clear and obvious. Patricia Wood, I had to Google you to find your website! Readers are tired and busy. If they're interested in your books, they need to find you now. Don't make them scroll down or search your other pages. Make it easy for them!
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Thing Two- The longer your page for whatever site takes to load and/or the more rowdy your music, the less likely an interested reader will be to hang out and learn about your book. MySpace is especially guilty. Remember, Readers are tired and busy! Make it easy and pleasant for them to seek you out.
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That's it for this Tuesday!
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Afternoon-Edit-to-Add: We have another new reviewer - K. Actually, she has the same first name as I do, so she offered to go by K. Isn't she sweet? Robins/Robins and Kimbers, oh my!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Enduring Romance Renovation

There are two things all successful homemakers learn, whether they are male or female or work inside or outside the home.
The first thing is the Art of Delegation. As a family grows, a homemaker learns to delegate tasks as she realizes she cannot possibly do it all and still have time to sleep at least six hours at night. The other thing she learns is how to prioritize and then Do, Delegate, or Delete items from the Priority List.

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The time has come to utilyze these homemaking truths on Enduring Romance. I am on-line as an aspiring author. Reviewing novels is only a means to that end and I've always tried to keep it positive and upbeat. Through Enduring Romance, I've found some wonderful mentors, I've made contacts in the publishing business, and I've learned a whole heck of a lot about the needs and desires of authors and readers. I don't think of myself as a Book-Pimp, because pimps bring people together for one time with only money and no love lost between them. I am a Matchmaker, bringing lovers of books together for a lifetime. And I enjoy it very much. I certainly don't want to stop. The first law of evolution is 'Adapt or Die.'

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Besides the time-crunch, there's another downside to my being an aspiring author and a book reviewer. It's possible an agent or editor I query could read this blog, take offense, and reject my query letter on that basis. It's a tough call, because an agent might also read and think, "Hey, she's pretty good at promoting books!" I have the potentiality of being 'damned if I do and damned if I don't.' I looked to the immortal Captain Picard when he was placed on trial by the Q Continuum for the sins of humanity in the series premier of Star Trek The Next Generation. He said, "If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for who we really are."

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And so instead of deleting Enduring Romance, I'm adapting it.

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(1) My first adaptation has been to recruit co-moderators. I already have one on board, Robin. She's also known as Mystery Robin and you can learn more about her by popping over to http://mysteryrobin.blogspot.com/ As her username suggests, she loves mysteries. She also tells me she's into Young Adult lit these days. This coming Thursday she'll debut on Enduring Romance with GRAPE THIEF by Kristine L. Franklin. I will be sharing ARCs with her, requesting ARCs on her behalf, and she may be requesting ARCs of her own. You're free to offer them to her, as well. I'm sending ARTICHOKE'S HEART by Suzanne Supplee to her today, in fact.
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Robin will review books the *Third Thursday* of each month, while Lady Bronco will continue to review books on the *First Sunday* of each month.

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Meanwhile, I'll continue to review the novels of my mentor-type Blog Buddies and novels of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Historical flavor.

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(2) Cyber-Launch Book Parties will continue to be for my mentor-type Blog Buddies only and they will be for *one day only* from now on. Lisa Shearin, Susan Grant, Gwyneth Bolton, and Linnea Sinclair are all releasing new novels in April, May, and July respectively. Michelle Moran's new novel will be out in autumn sometime and I don't think Patricia Wood has a new one out this year. So, we'll party, but it will be scaled back by a half.
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3) Tuesdays will be News Day. Instead of posting newsworth items about authors and their books and such whenever I learn about it, I will save those items and post them on Tuesdays.
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4) This one's a toughie, because I love doing it. I'm not going to seek out Advanced Reader's Copies anymore. It eats up time. Instead, I'll rely on you to recommend or offer. Also, if you know of any newsworthy item, please let me know. Examples include fabulous new cover art, author winning the Rita, a new book deal, bookstores agreeing not to segregate African American authors anymore.
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I'll post a 'Book Suggestions Please' column when the need arises. The last one was a huge help. Thank you!

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That's it for now. I'll update you as new adaptations are made. Thank you for your patience and encouragement.
;)
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Afternoon Edit-to-Add: Robyn from the Picnic at Stonehenge blog http://stonehengepicnic.blogspot.com has joined our review team. Welcome aboard! She'll be reviewing the 3rd Thursdays of each month, starting April 20th. She reads across all genres and I've already sent her GLORY GIRLS by Linda Bleser.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Beware the Ides of March

This is the classic painting of the assassination of Julius Caesar. It has absolutely nothing to do with this post, except that today is March 15th.
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Actually, this is a 'heads-up' post. Changes are coming to Enduring Romance. More on that later.
;)

Friday, March 14, 2008

NO ONE BUT YOU cover art

Omigoodness, isn't the cover art for Michelle Monkou's new novel beautiful? She is sooo lucky. I tell ya, Harliquin is totally rocking with the cover art these days. And I'm not just saying that because I whine about cover art here regularly, yanno. http://www.michellemonkou.com

Thursday, March 13, 2008

GABRIEL'S GHOST by Linnea Sinclair

There are two covers for GABRIEL’S GHOST, the old one-









-and the new one. I prefer the old one.




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You know, sometimes I think maybe Linnea Sinclair watched too many monster movies when she was a kid. GABRIEL’S GHOST is several years old, but it won the prestigious Rita Award. It was one of her first big novels published and the only one I had never read. So, it was interesting for me to see how she’d progressed from the Jukors in GABRIEL’S GHOST to the alien zombies in DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES. All things considered, I think maybe Linnea Sinclair watched just the right amount of monster movies when she was a kid.

Chaz is a court-martialed captain serving time on a penal colony on an alien planet for a crime she didn’t commit. It’s the kind of prison which needs no bars because the environment and inhabitants are not exactly friendly to humans. Confronted by a monster guard in the woods, she kills him in self-defense. Soon after, she’s rescued from further penal misery by a ghost from her past, Gabriel “Sully” Sullivan.
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Sully was a pirate rogue she used to play cat-and-mouse with in the shipping lanes of space and now they’re bantering back and forth face to face. The Empire is breeding Jukors and using Taka females to do it. The Jukor offspring rip their way out of their mothers during birth, killing them. Okay, I know every mother thinks her offspring is ripping its way out when she gives birth and it’s going to kill them, but in this case they really do. And, of course, the Taka females aren’t exactly allowed the choice of breeding these little monsters. In exchange for Chaz’s help, Sully gives her a ride off the penal colony planet.
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First, they join up with Ren who is a blind Stolorth. Because he’s blind, he can’t do the telepathy thing. However, he’s still pretty good as an empath. His species is notorious for raping and destroying human minds. Humans absolutely hate them, including Chaz. His species is the Enemy. His loyalty to Sully starts softening Chaz’s attitude, however. So, off they go into the wild black yonder. Along the way, they have to commandeer a space ship which, unfortunately, is flown by someone Chaz knows and a sweet, innocent lieutenant. Naturally freaked out, she doesn’t want to have to kill them, but they have to have that ship. Ren comes up with a shocking alternative which Chaz has to concede is not as bad as death, but it cripples her growing respect of her new comrades.
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All this time, Sully has been cautiously wooing Chaz and their banter and insecurities make it real and riveting. They’re both from families which have basically rejected them for not staying in the family business. And, oh yes, Chaz has yet another ‘ghost’ from her past which makes trusting Sully difficult – an ex-husband. This ex wanted children but didn’t want to help raise them, so Chaz refused to procreate and he divorced her. Chaz and Sully both have this issue of people they love only loving them *if* they do what they want, regardless of their own feelings. Will these two mature beyond that into the beauty of unconditional love?
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The plot builds as this group gathers more allies who have a hard time trusting each other because of past battles and species prejudices and so on. Will their common goal keep them together? They may all be killed before they find out.
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This novel is Sensual in the Heat Level and well done.
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GABRIEL’S GHOST is the first in a trilogy. The second novel, SHADES OF DARK, is coming out this summer, but I already have it on file in electronic form. I’ll be reviewing it for you next month. Be sure to stop back in.
;)
Linneasinclair.com

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Book Recommendations Please!

I'm looking over my stack of ARCs and I'm seeing a few types of books not well-represented. I'd really appreciate it if you all could recommend some of the following types of books-

-Sweet (no nookie) or Mildly Sensual (nookie is assumed to be happening, but not described) Romances, any sub-genre is fine
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-novels by Asian or Hispanic authors or with Asian or Hispanic characters in the leading or strong secondary roles, any genre except Erotica or Horror
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-novels by African American authors or with African American characters in the leading or strong secondary roles, any genre or sub-genre except Contemporary Romance (any other Romance sub-genre is fine), Erotica, or Horror.
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Please recommend in the comment section or email me. Thank you!
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3/12 Edited-To-Add: Here's two more types of stories I'd love to have recommendations for-
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- Romance with enduring love stories in them. Boy-Meets-Girl Romance is fine, but gets really boring after a steady diet of them because I've been married a long time and I know there's a lot more to it than that.
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- Kick-Butt Heroines Who Are Also MOMMMIES! Don't tell me there is no such bird because I live in Alaska and our governor is pregnant with her fifth child and I've read almost all of Susan Grant's novels too. I'm only missing THE STAR PRINCESS. So there.
;)

Sunday, March 9, 2008

I've Hit the Mother-Load!

Today, my husband came home from the post office with four ARCs for me.
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THE RED QUEEN'S DAUGHTER just sounded so cool. I knew it was released a few months ago and in hardback by Hyperion and I thought, "I'm not worthy!" They won't send a precious, last ARC to a puny little blogger like me. But, I figured, what the heck and I emailed the author, Jacqueline Kolosov. She said she'd send one right to me and it's here!
Historical Fantasies seem to be getting more and more popular, especially with my younger gal-pals and I'm thrilled because I love 'em too. http://www.jacquelinekolosov.com You know what I can't figure out? Why is this shelved in Young Adult, but not NEFERTITI by Michelle Moran? I really don't think it was necessary and might limit the potential readership. It looks like an ageless book to me. My younger friends who love Fantasy and Science Fiction tell me they don't pay attention to the YA label anyway and some of them (the guys especially) avoid it. I think this would be a good novel to shelve in both YA and regular adult Fantasy.
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You all know I don't read much Contemporary Romance. I prefer stories which take me far and away. But, Karen Templeton has a way of creating very REAL characters I can relate to and, besides, I'm a baby fanatic. The fastest way to sell me a book is to put a baby on the cover. http://www.karentempleton.com
Agent Colleen Lindsay does a weekly column http://theswivet.blogspot.com featuring new books and a link there led me to these two adventures by Tobias S. Buckell. I think this is a good promotional thing. I've found several novels through that weekly column. Tor was kind enough to send these along. RAGAMUFFIN arrived as a hardback - not a paperback ARC - and I felt so honored. Of course, I was grateful for CRYSTAL RAIN too.These are Speculative Fiction and the world-building looks awesome. http://tobiasbuckell.com
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These novels will be reviewed in May/June.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Susan Grant, Lisa Shearin, Gwyneth Bolton, Linnea Sinclair News!

Susan Grant is adding her brilliance to MYSTERIA LANE, an anthology, this June, I think. http://susangrant.com/
I've never read anything by the other authors, MaryJanice Davidson, Gena Showalter, and P.C. Cast. I keep meaning to, but ARCs take priority and I have them stacked to the ceiling, metaphorically speaking. Of course, Susan's a Blog Buddy, so she can get her stuff reviewed anytime she wants on Enduring Romance. Lady Bronco reviewed one of MaryJanice Davidson's novels last year. Additionally, Susan garnered a P.E.A.R.L nomination for Best Futuristic for HOW TO LOSE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN 10 DAYS, which was reviewed here last year as well.
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Lisa Shearin had a stellar week. She signed the contracts to sell foreign rights to MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND to Russia! And she found out it's sold so well it's going back for another printing. The best news, however, is that she's agreed to let us throw a Cyber-Launch Book Party on April 24th for her next book, ARMED & MAGICAL, which hits the shelves April 29th. Sharpen your stilletos, ladies. Her goblins are hot! http://lisashearin.com/
I'm not sure how long the covers for Gwyneth Bolton's new books have been out, but I just saw them on MySpace so I had to tell you all.


























Omigoodness, they are so gorgeous!http://www.gwynethbolton.com/
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Last, but certainly not least, Linnea Sinclair won the P.E.A.R.L. for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy for GAMES OF COMMAND. She also garnered an honorable mention for DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES. I'm reviewing GABRIEL'S GHOST, Linnea's Rita-winner, this coming Thursday. It's the first book in a series. The second book, SHADES OF DARK, comes out this summer. I'll be reviewing that next month. http://linneasinclair.com/



Not sure what the other Blog Buddies are doing. This all is just what I'm aware of.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

PRINCES OF THE GOLDEN CAGE by Nathalie Mallet

The difference between ‘Like’ and ‘Love’ for me when reading a novel is usually the speed at which I read it. If I ‘like’ a novel, I read the first half at regular speed and then speed-read the last half. If I ‘love’ a novel, I’m gripped by it from the first page to the last. PRINCES OF THE GOLDEN CAGE by Nathalie Mallet had me by the jugular to the very end.
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Within the first few pages, I was thinking, “Geez, this is just like high school!” The hero is a young man, but I have brothers and I knew their pain.
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PRINCES OF THE GOLDEN CAGE is set in a fantastical pre-Islam Arabian-type country. The Sultan has a revolving door on his harem, metaphorically speaking, and about three hundred children, as a result. Since women can’t succeed the Throne, the princesses are left with their mothers to be used as political pawns when the time is right. The princes are all a threat to the Sultan because succession doesn’t automatically go to the eldest son and because there are so many of them. To prevent the civil war created by this in past generations, all the princes are ‘caged’ in one palace. If they kill each other, well, that’s fine. One less sultan-assassin to deal with. And, yet, at least one of them’s got to survive to take the Sultan’s place when he croaks.
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The hero, Prince Amir, has survived to young adulthood by not drawing attention to himself. Since all his other brothers are greedy and power-hungry, this has not been difficult. The most powerful princes strut around with a court of butt-kissers and he can see them coming. Oh, yes, and they have a harem of cheerleaders…I mean, uh, girls all competing for the most powerful football players…um, I mean, princes’ attention too. This is a drag for poor Amir because, like any young man, he’d like a girlfriend too. Just one would be enough for him. Also unlike the various cliques of princes, Amir doesn’t believe in magic. He’s a geek…uh, I mean, he loves books and scientific experiments and all that.
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So, it’s kind of like high school, only in a much cooler universe and with flashier clothes.
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While the Princes are busy trying to off each other for the Top Job, the Sultan is busy being having grapes popped into his fat mouth while the Grand Vizier is actually running the country.
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Then, Princes start getting killed in a really weird way and by no one they can really tell. There’s screaming, a cold wall, and a shriveled up body. The Princes and servants are all freaking out because they’re just sure it’s a magical curse. Meanwhile, Amir thinks it’s some new-fangled kind of poison. As the body count goes up, he’s forced to investigate more and more, and to consider non-scientific possibilities.
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Amir picks up a 'friend' along the way. Prince Erik (his mama was a Nordic beauty) is like a booger on his finger that just can't shake off. Amir is suspicious of everyone while Eric is more easygoing. Eric has noticed Amir’s compassion towards two of their insane brothers who are kept locked in their rooms. Amir brings them food and cares for them when they have fits. In short, Eric sees the good in Amir whether he likes it or not. But, Eric has a powerful, manipulative mother and former nanny (woo-hoo, nanny!) and an overly strong attachment to his boy servant, Rami.
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Things really kick into high gear with the arrival of Princess Eva, Eric’s cousin. She’s been sent there to marry the next sultan. Since the next sultan hasn’t been selected, she’s one hot commodity to the princes. Meanwhile, the body count keeps going up. And, of course, Amir falls deeply in love with Eva who is nothing like the weak-willed, feather-brained harem girls.
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The plot twists and turns, mounting the tension with every page. I had no idea what was going to happen or who the real Bad Guy was and I was sure Eric’s boy servant was his secret little brother while Amir became convinced he was Eric’s gay lover. There’s riddles and spells and botched experiments, sword duels (love those), and Forbidden Love. It was just an awesome read anyone will love, whether you’re a young man like Amir or a long-married mama like me.
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Thanks a bunch, Ms. Mallet! So, um, when's my ARC of THE KING'S
DAUGHTER getting here? You are sending me one, right? Right? Please? Perrrrrtty please?
:o)
The rest of yas, pop over to http://www.nathaliemallet.com/ to learn more.





Coming up next week, GABRIEL'S GHOST by Linnea Sinclair.

Monday, March 3, 2008

New Book Trailers for Christine Feehan

COS Productions http://www.cosproductions.com/ sent me the SHADOW GAME book trailer and a new release. http://enduringromancebooktrailers.blogspot.com/ Lady Bronco is the Paranormal Romantic. http://ladybronco71.blogspot.com/ I'm Sci-Fi.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Sunday's Oldies but Goodies...

Good Morning!

This month's Oldie but Goodie is...


Shadow Game


by Christine Feehan
First released September 2003


Dr. Lily Whitney has been asked by her father to consult on a top-secret experiment he has been running in his underground labs at Donovans Laboratories. Lily is astonished when she discovers Captain Ryland Miller in a cage – alone, hurting, and angry.


Captain Miller and his team had volunteered for a top-secret experiment run by Dr. Peter Whitney – a genius in the field of genetic research. Dr. Whitney hoped to create a group of super-soldiers – men whose own natural psychic ability is enhanced through genetic manipulation – and creating men that could blend in with their surroundings, manipulate sound and energy, even manipulate other human beings into seeing and believing anything they wanted. The GhostWalkers, as Ryland and his team are called, are to be the next evolution in American warfare.


But someone has decided to get their hands on this experiment for their own reasons and has tried to discredit Dr. Whitney by sabotaging the men, causing some of them to die during testing. When Dr. Whitney himself is killed, Lily and Ryland know whoever is behind the sabotage has to be right under their noses at Donovans, so Ryland and the surviving members of his team, along with Lily’s help, engineer a daring escape from Donovans.


But there is one thing the GhostWalkers don’t know. This isn’t the first time Peter Whitney has attempted his genetic experimentation, and Lily is much more than she appears.


Paranormal romance is fast becoming one of my favorite genres, and books like this one definitely help that cause! I have been a big Feehan fan for a long while now, and when I grabbed this book, I couldn’t put it down. Feehan has always had a gift for sucking you in to her stories – her descriptive writing and her ability to convey conversations without the least bit of awkwardness is absolutely amazing. The heat level in the novel is definitely sensual, but in no way detracts from the story.

This novel is the first in a series of GhostWalker novels, the latest of which – Predatory Game – was just released February 26th. Predatory Game is the 6th novel in the world of the GhostWalkers.

You can find out about this novel and the entire backlist for Christine Feehan on her website –
http://www.christinefeehan.com/

Happy reading!