Enter Today!I'll be picking a winner this evening-- the exact deadline to be determined at my whim.
Don't wait too long!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Last Chance - Knight of Desire Giveaway
Enter Today!I'll be picking a winner this evening-- the exact deadline to be determined at my whim.
Don't wait too long!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Lazy Post - Kensington Authors
Looking for some new authors? Over at Magical Musings, blogger Edie features not one, not six, but FOURTEEN recently-debuted authors from Kensington.
I've read two of these authors, (Carrie Lofty and Delilah Marvelle and liked them both. Given that track record, I might have to look at a couple more... or three... or twelve...
I've read two of these authors, (Carrie Lofty and Delilah Marvelle and liked them both. Given that track record, I might have to look at a couple more... or three... or twelve...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
"Dogs and Cats Living Together! Mass Hysteria!"
Or, my review of Nalini Singh's Branded by Fire
This is one of my all-time favorite 1980s movie scenes:
The line that I've used to title this post is a bit I sometimes use to make a point when I feel like people have gone off the deep end into hyperbole or skies-are-falling worst case scenarios. Entertainingly enough, it's a propos on a couple of levels for Singh's latest installment in her Psy/Changeling series, Branded by Fire-- although I'm sure that if there were any real-life members of the SnowDancer pack of wolf changelings lurking about, I could expect some unpleasant retribution for referring to them as dogs. Heh.
The Romance
Though "mass hysteria" is a bit of an overstatement, the notion of leopards and wolves mating is in fact the source of much of the characters' internal conflict. Mercy and Riley both have to figure out how to fit this unexpected mate into their highly structured lives. The two of them are both highly--and equally-- ranked, extremely loyal and deeply attached to their respective packs. Riley at least, has always assumed that his mate would be a domestic female who'd fit into his pack. Mercy is not sure what kind of male-- if any-- she'd find for a mate, but rest assured that a wolf? wasn't in the plan.
Here's something that I wrote in one of my very first posts:
I'm returning to that thought because I think Singh has taken a very common modern relationship affliction-- fear of commitment-- and built a fairy tale around it that lets us look at that fear and think about it on a level that's not quite as threatening as a straight contemp might be.
Does that make sense or am I veering too far into psychobabble? What I think is that Singh has given Mercy a different context for her fear of commitment: a hardwired, paranormal, "unreal" character trait of being a pack dominant. This is something that, within Singh's universe, Mercy can't help, can't change, and is in fact a big part of who she is and why she occupies the position she does. The difference between Mercy and a typical contemp romance heroine (or... reader?) is that she is never conflicted about this piece of herself. She never apologizes and never feels guilty that she is a dominant rather than a submissive or a maternal type. God, I love that!
She does worry about how to fit a mate into her life, both before and after she finds a specific one to worry about. While she cannot imagine a submissive male as attractive, she's equally unable to imagine herself submitting to someone more dominant. She worries about losing status in her pack, losing part of who she is. She's anguished at the notion of having to leave the pack -- or of asking Riley to leave his.
Maybe it's a bit of personal baggage, but I can relate to that. The way these characters resolve this conflict between their individuality and their couplehood is an exquisite treatise on compromise: on yielding without submitting; on examining and rethinking boundaries. A modern partnership of equals is hard, in the way that a win/win negotiation is harder than a win/lose. Love isn't always enough; it takes a willingness to examine what you think you know about yourself and what you are and are not willing to flex on; whether a yielding for the sake of the relationship is a fair trade or one you'll regret later. And whether your partner's willingness to yield is a measure of his love for you or something that diminishes who he is.
Mercy and Riley struggle with these things in a profound and real way. As characters in a romance must, they find their way through the labyrinth to their own Happily Ever After, and it's one that I enjoyed thoroughly as a reader. However, as someone for whom the term "alpha bitch" wouldn't necessarily be completely wrong, I'd also love to see this couple a few years down the road-- and see how the solutions have worked for them and what adjustments they've made.
The World
I have to admit, after the set up at the end of the last book, I rather expected a bigger bang to happen in this one. Instead, there are more teasers, another narrowly-averted disaster or two, and a looming sense of Something Really Big about to happen. Which is pretty much how the end of the last book felt, too, just with different players this time. If I had to find some fault with the book, I'd say that the series arc at the end felt a little rushed; a handful of loose ends hastily explained away a bit too easily, and not enough actually happening-- and it's becoming a pattern.
On the other hand, I'm verrrrrrrry intrigued by these falcon shifters. Adam sounds SRSLY yummy.
On the topic of the series' future, we also get several more layers on the Hawke-and-Sierra cake. Lots of readers are waiting breathlessly for this one, but I'll have to admit that this is the first book where it registered on me at all, probably because of Sierra's age. She's just turned 18, which is kind of the bare minimum for a contemp heroine to not completely squick me out. I really like how they are setting up Sierra's Psy powers to potentially take her in a radically different direction from previous characters in the series -- between this specific character setup and the rising ambition of the Human Alliance, Singh is layering all kinds of shades of gray into her world which is always more interesting than black-and-white, good-vs-evil. Although I will say that the tease we get about Sascha's research is one of the things that felt prematurely cut off at the end of the book-- I wanted more!
Hawke (does anyone else think it's weird to have a wolf named after a bird?) gets some good airtime here too. We get a little more insight into his character - I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that there are hints that he was mated at one time, but has somehow lost that bond. At least he didn't go off to die alone in a cave. (As far as we know, anyway.)
The Hott
Yeah. *fans self* Let's just say you should probably read this book in a well-ventilated area to prevent spontaneous combustion. I don't know about you, but that opening scene melted me into a little puddle. Hottest book yet, but classic Nalini -- if you haven't liked her previous Alphas, you'll probably really dislike these two... although if your objection in the past has been around a power mis-match, I think that's not a problem here-- the near-exact match of power and status is one of the most interesting features of this book.
Final Thought
Lastly, I'm going to leave you with this quote on the subject of individuality and partnership-- partly because I love the quote (my husband and I used part of it in our wedding) and partly because it amuses me no end to reference Bill Murray and Khalil Gibran in the same post:
Other Reviews Around the Web:
VampFanGirl
Heather's Books
Book Thingo
The Book Smugglers (Ana)
KatieBabs
Dear Author (Janine)
Lurv A La Mode (Kmont)
Errant Dreams Reviews
This is one of my all-time favorite 1980s movie scenes:
The line that I've used to title this post is a bit I sometimes use to make a point when I feel like people have gone off the deep end into hyperbole or skies-are-falling worst case scenarios. Entertainingly enough, it's a propos on a couple of levels for Singh's latest installment in her Psy/Changeling series, Branded by Fire-- although I'm sure that if there were any real-life members of the SnowDancer pack of wolf changelings lurking about, I could expect some unpleasant retribution for referring to them as dogs. Heh.
The Romance
Though "mass hysteria" is a bit of an overstatement, the notion of leopards and wolves mating is in fact the source of much of the characters' internal conflict. Mercy and Riley both have to figure out how to fit this unexpected mate into their highly structured lives. The two of them are both highly--and equally-- ranked, extremely loyal and deeply attached to their respective packs. Riley at least, has always assumed that his mate would be a domestic female who'd fit into his pack. Mercy is not sure what kind of male-- if any-- she'd find for a mate, but rest assured that a wolf? wasn't in the plan.
Here's something that I wrote in one of my very first posts:
Some analyses of the appeal of fairy tales for children, especially the most gruesome, theorize that, by experiencing their own worst fears (lost in the woods, death of parents, etc) in a safe way-- ie, fictionally, through the characters' experience-- kids get a chance to process their fears on a subconscious level and be reassured that there is always Hope for a happily-ever-after.
I'm returning to that thought because I think Singh has taken a very common modern relationship affliction-- fear of commitment-- and built a fairy tale around it that lets us look at that fear and think about it on a level that's not quite as threatening as a straight contemp might be.
Does that make sense or am I veering too far into psychobabble? What I think is that Singh has given Mercy a different context for her fear of commitment: a hardwired, paranormal, "unreal" character trait of being a pack dominant. This is something that, within Singh's universe, Mercy can't help, can't change, and is in fact a big part of who she is and why she occupies the position she does. The difference between Mercy and a typical contemp romance heroine (or... reader?) is that she is never conflicted about this piece of herself. She never apologizes and never feels guilty that she is a dominant rather than a submissive or a maternal type. God, I love that!She does worry about how to fit a mate into her life, both before and after she finds a specific one to worry about. While she cannot imagine a submissive male as attractive, she's equally unable to imagine herself submitting to someone more dominant. She worries about losing status in her pack, losing part of who she is. She's anguished at the notion of having to leave the pack -- or of asking Riley to leave his.
Maybe it's a bit of personal baggage, but I can relate to that. The way these characters resolve this conflict between their individuality and their couplehood is an exquisite treatise on compromise: on yielding without submitting; on examining and rethinking boundaries. A modern partnership of equals is hard, in the way that a win/win negotiation is harder than a win/lose. Love isn't always enough; it takes a willingness to examine what you think you know about yourself and what you are and are not willing to flex on; whether a yielding for the sake of the relationship is a fair trade or one you'll regret later. And whether your partner's willingness to yield is a measure of his love for you or something that diminishes who he is.
Mercy and Riley struggle with these things in a profound and real way. As characters in a romance must, they find their way through the labyrinth to their own Happily Ever After, and it's one that I enjoyed thoroughly as a reader. However, as someone for whom the term "alpha bitch" wouldn't necessarily be completely wrong, I'd also love to see this couple a few years down the road-- and see how the solutions have worked for them and what adjustments they've made.
The World
I have to admit, after the set up at the end of the last book, I rather expected a bigger bang to happen in this one. Instead, there are more teasers, another narrowly-averted disaster or two, and a looming sense of Something Really Big about to happen. Which is pretty much how the end of the last book felt, too, just with different players this time. If I had to find some fault with the book, I'd say that the series arc at the end felt a little rushed; a handful of loose ends hastily explained away a bit too easily, and not enough actually happening-- and it's becoming a pattern.
On the other hand, I'm verrrrrrrry intrigued by these falcon shifters. Adam sounds SRSLY yummy.
On the topic of the series' future, we also get several more layers on the Hawke-and-Sierra cake. Lots of readers are waiting breathlessly for this one, but I'll have to admit that this is the first book where it registered on me at all, probably because of Sierra's age. She's just turned 18, which is kind of the bare minimum for a contemp heroine to not completely squick me out. I really like how they are setting up Sierra's Psy powers to potentially take her in a radically different direction from previous characters in the series -- between this specific character setup and the rising ambition of the Human Alliance, Singh is layering all kinds of shades of gray into her world which is always more interesting than black-and-white, good-vs-evil. Although I will say that the tease we get about Sascha's research is one of the things that felt prematurely cut off at the end of the book-- I wanted more!
Hawke (does anyone else think it's weird to have a wolf named after a bird?) gets some good airtime here too. We get a little more insight into his character - I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that there are hints that he was mated at one time, but has somehow lost that bond. At least he didn't go off to die alone in a cave. (As far as we know, anyway.)
The Hott
Yeah. *fans self* Let's just say you should probably read this book in a well-ventilated area to prevent spontaneous combustion. I don't know about you, but that opening scene melted me into a little puddle. Hottest book yet, but classic Nalini -- if you haven't liked her previous Alphas, you'll probably really dislike these two... although if your objection in the past has been around a power mis-match, I think that's not a problem here-- the near-exact match of power and status is one of the most interesting features of this book.
Final Thought
Lastly, I'm going to leave you with this quote on the subject of individuality and partnership-- partly because I love the quote (my husband and I used part of it in our wedding) and partly because it amuses me no end to reference Bill Murray and Khalil Gibran in the same post:
Kahlil Gibran on Marriage
From Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet
Then Almitra spoke again and said, And what of Marriage, Master?
And he answered saying:
You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.
Ay, you shall be together even in the silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love:
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together yet not too near together:
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.
Other Reviews Around the Web:
VampFanGirl
Heather's Books
Book Thingo
The Book Smugglers (Ana)
KatieBabs
Dear Author (Janine)
Lurv A La Mode (Kmont)
Errant Dreams Reviews
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Knight of Desire, by Margaret Mallory - Review
Review and Giveaway!The Facts
Title: Knight of Desire
Author: Margaret Mallory
Pub Date: July 1, 2009
Don't get me wrong. I like Regencies; I like them a lot.
But there's just something about a medieval, isn't there? And I've missed them; it seemed like they disappeared from the shelves for awhile. I hope this is the beginning of a trend, along with Madeleine Hunter and ? who else? seems like I've seen a couple surfacing here and there lately.
Anyway, I talked a bit about medieval romance in general a while ago, and I have to say, Knight of Desire does a great job of delivering everything you could want from a classic Knight In Shining Armor story. A larger-than-life hero, terrifying on the battlefield, with an irresistably tender spot only for the heroine. Yum.
Catherine is no slouch either. She endures and survives a disastrous and abusive first marriage, made for political reasons, but "passive" is not a word she knows. In romance books, the hero's sense of honor often leads him into difficult choices between duty and love, but Mallory gives us a twist by sending the heroine down that path instead. Catherine's unswerving patriotism leads her into treacherous political waters, with rather unfair but somehow inevitable consequences for her personal life.
In the end, this is a story about trust, on many levels. The two protagonists are both likeable people of honor, integrity, and loyalty, but nonetheless, those very traits cause frustrating obstacles along the way as they learn to apply those virtues to each other. I want to say too that it would have been easy for Mallory to have gone down the Big Misunderstanding road with this story, but instead she has constructed a fast-paced plot that throws natural-feeling curves into the character-driven twists and turns of the relationship development.
Which happily enough, is exactly what I want in a romance novel.
The Giveaway
Want to see for yourself? Comment on this post for a chance to win one of 5 copies. No PO Boxes! Add a link back to this post, share on Facebook, etc. for additional entries (you have to let me know what you've done though). Stop back here on Tuesday, July 14 to see if you won.
**New Rule for Alpha Heroes Giveaways** I'm not going to chase down the winners! Stop back here to find out if you've won and email me your address. If I don't have it within 3-4 days, I will choose an alternate winner.
Readers from outside of North America: let me know in your comment where you are - the sponsors of the contest do not ship outside of the US and Canada, but I will enter all the international names in the last drawing and cover shipping myself if one is chosen. So you only have one chance instead of five, but you DO have a chance!
Big thanks to Hachette books for sponsoring the giveaway!
The Blog Tour
There are a number of folks around the blogosphere discussing this one, so if you don't believe me, try a second opinion. Or third. Or seventeenth.
PARTICIPATING BLOGS:
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/ - June 29 giveaway.
http://www.thisbookforfree.com/ - June 29 giveaway
http://mustreadfaster.blogspot.com/ - June 29 review and giveaway.
http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/ - June 29 to July 10 review and giveaway
http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/ - June 30 review and giveaway.
http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/ - July 1 review and giveaway.
http://www.morbid-romantic.net/ - July 4 review, giveaway, and Q&A.
http://www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/ - July 4 review and giveaway
http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/ - July 5 review; July 19 giveaway.
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/ - July 5
http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/ - July 6 review and giveaway.
http://seductivemusings.blogspot.com/ - July 7 review and giveaway.
http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/ - July 8 review and giveaway.
http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/ - July 9 review and giveaway.
http://reviewfromhere.com/ - July 10 review.
http://www.startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/ - July 10 review and giveaway
http://reesspace.blogspot.com/ - review and giveaway.
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset - review.
http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/
Update: I've removed a few of the links where I couldn't find a Margaret Mallory post. If you have reviewed this book and would like a link, just leave your info in comments!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
And Now, A Word From Our Sponsors
OK, they're not really sponsors. They don't pay me. And I don't run ads on this site. However, I don't mind occasionally turning this space over to pure promotion. Here are a couple of authors worth checking out.
Disappointing News for Delilah Marvelle Fans
It looks like Marvelle's School of Gallantry series is facing a premature ending. Her current publisher has dropped the series, and Marvelle is working hard to prove that her volumes are there in hopes of finding a new publisher. Please check out her comments and the accompanying contest. Here are my thoughts on her first book.
Next Up: Shelli Stevens
I'm not actually familiar with Stevens, but Ciara is, and so I'm passing this along on her recc. This looks like a hot one, so if you're prone to dizziness, heart palpitations, or are under 4'6" tall, please move along.
Disappointing News for Delilah Marvelle Fans
It looks like Marvelle's School of Gallantry series is facing a premature ending. Her current publisher has dropped the series, and Marvelle is working hard to prove that her volumes are there in hopes of finding a new publisher. Please check out her comments and the accompanying contest. Here are my thoughts on her first book.
Next Up: Shelli Stevens
I'm not actually familiar with Stevens, but Ciara is, and so I'm passing this along on her recc. This looks like a hot one, so if you're prone to dizziness, heart palpitations, or are under 4'6" tall, please move along.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Cover Appeal
It's not often that a romance cover does much for me. Usually I'm happy if it doesn't make me cringe or feel that I might be violating some kind of HR policy if I leave it on my desk at work. Here's an exception though:
I recently signed up for Dorchester's romance newsletter, and this cover really caught my eye. I went cruising Dorchester's site and the author's, trying to find a larger pic. That model... in a world of cut-off heads, oiled naked pecs, and stony profiles glaring into the distance, there's something almost heart-stopping about this fully-dressed fellow, leveling a look right at me, with an expression that seems be inviting me into adventure, with a lurking glimmer of humor... whew, is it warm in here? I'm not familiar with Louise Allen, but I can assure you, I soon will be. There's a very promising exerpt available which only made me want him more... um, I mean, want the book more.
Yeah. That's what I meant.
I recently signed up for Dorchester's romance newsletter, and this cover really caught my eye. I went cruising Dorchester's site and the author's, trying to find a larger pic. That model... in a world of cut-off heads, oiled naked pecs, and stony profiles glaring into the distance, there's something almost heart-stopping about this fully-dressed fellow, leveling a look right at me, with an expression that seems be inviting me into adventure, with a lurking glimmer of humor... whew, is it warm in here? I'm not familiar with Louise Allen, but I can assure you, I soon will be. There's a very promising exerpt available which only made me want him more... um, I mean, want the book more.
Yeah. That's what I meant.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Hot Summer Historicals
THREE of my favorite authors released new books yesterday! Scheduling a trip to Borders' ASAP...
In no particular order:
What Happens in London
, by Julia Quinn
Don't you love the title? Truthfully, the Vegas slogan is wearing a bit thin for me, but somehow Quinn's twist makes me smile. I do enjoy the occasional camera-asides, where books or movies or tv shows acknowledge that that's exactly what they are, and sort of bring the audience right into the joke. If that makes any sense at all. Anyway, it says classic Quinn sly humor to me.
Don't Tempt Me
, by Loretta Chase.
I don't know what I can say about Chase that I haven't already: Auto-buy. Can't wait!
Loving A Lost Lord
, by Mary Jo Putney
It's weird. I love MJP, and I love paranormal romance, but I really, really did not love her paranormal historicals. In fact I sort of hated the one I read and ignored the others. So I'm EXTREMELY HAPPY to see that she's returning to straight historicals with this series. Yay!
Head On Over
to Romance Vagabonds for really good interviews with Quinn and Putney. Then head to your local bookseller and indulge
In no particular order:
What Happens in London, by Julia QuinnDon't you love the title? Truthfully, the Vegas slogan is wearing a bit thin for me, but somehow Quinn's twist makes me smile. I do enjoy the occasional camera-asides, where books or movies or tv shows acknowledge that that's exactly what they are, and sort of bring the audience right into the joke. If that makes any sense at all. Anyway, it says classic Quinn sly humor to me.
Don't Tempt Me, by Loretta Chase.I don't know what I can say about Chase that I haven't already: Auto-buy. Can't wait!
Loving A Lost Lord, by Mary Jo PutneyIt's weird. I love MJP, and I love paranormal romance, but I really, really did not love her paranormal historicals. In fact I sort of hated the one I read and ignored the others. So I'm EXTREMELY HAPPY to see that she's returning to straight historicals with this series. Yay!
Head On Over
to Romance Vagabonds for really good interviews with Quinn and Putney. Then head to your local bookseller and indulge
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