May 26 2010
Dear Ms. Robb: This is a difficult review for me to write, because something happens in Fantasy in Death that many will likely regard as insignificant, but which for me changed the series in a fundamental way. Several books ago, Jane noted that Eve did something at the end of Creation in Death that seemed(…)
May 6 2010
Dear Ms. Harris: The first time I read Dead in the Family I felt almost hypnotized by the emotional aftermath of the horror Sookie faced in the last book, Dead and Gone. Enthralled by the effects of her trauma and the painfully slow steps she was making toward recovery, I could barely summon my critical(…)
May 4 2010
see more Lolcats and funny pictures Not too long ago I had a brief exchange on Twitter with Maili in which she stated her belief that Romance is a hero-centric genre. That view seems to reflect Mary Jo Putney's assertion in her Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance(…)
Apr 21 2010
Dear Ms. Shalvis: I discovered your books when Smart Bitch Sarah commented somewhere about how much she liked Instant Attraction. When she told me that the book was set in the Sierra Nevada I was eager to read it, because I happen to love the area and had not read any contemporary Romance novels set(…)
Apr 19 2010
Dear Ms. Cole: It is no secret that I am a big fan of your Immortals After Dark series, and I have certainly made no secret of the fact that the Lykae "fated mate" books are not among my favorites. In Pleasure of A Dark Prince, I really enjoyed the way Lucia and Garreth had(…)
Mar 16 2010
In a genre full of nice, nurturing, morally upright, and unflinchingly kind heroines, I find myself drawn more and more to the somewhat unlikeable heroine. Not the "bad girl," per se, nor the hopelessly complicated and in need of rescue woman, but the female protagonist with an edge to her, the woman whose traits women(…)
Mar 2 2010
Value, value, value. That seems to have become one of those buzzwords invoked in defense of corporate publishing's status quo. But what is value, exactly? Of the "agency model," Hatchette CEO David Young has said, "It allows Hachette to make pricing decisions that are rational and reflect the value of our authors' works." Harper Collins(…)
Feb 2 2010
see more Lolcats and funny pictures Straight off the top of your head, do you think that authors have any ethical or moral responsibilities beyond the book? I'm guessing that the vast majority of you answered this question the same way I did for a long time, with a fully articulated, deeply resounding NO. As(…)
Jan 27 2010
Dear Readers: It has been five years since we've had a new Laura Kinsale book to read, and Lessons in French is quite a departure from her last book, Shadowheart. Callie, or more properly, Lady Callista Taillefaire, is a 27-year old thrice-jilted heiress who wants nothing more than to live in relative peace – and(…)
Jan 25 2010
Dear Ms. O'Reilly: I realized when I started reading Midnight Resolutions that I have grown somewhat complacent with my expectations regarding your books. I was prepared for the very independent heroine, and the lust-struck good guy hero, and the witty banter between them. What I wasn't expecting, and what I found both compelling and problematic(…)
Jan 12 2010
In my last piece, Morality and Romance, I suggested that the genre reflects a historically entrenched double standard around female sexuality, namely that what is largely tolerated or even embraced in male protagonists – rich and varied sexual experience – is disparaged in female protagonists. So-called Dukes of Slut can be heroic, but not Duchesses(…)
Jan 11 2010
Dear Ms. Archer and Ms. D’Arc: When Zoe Archer offered ARC copies of your new two-novella book, Half Past Dead on Twitter, I enthusiastically requested one, with more than a little curiosity about how zombies would work in Romance. I would have to read substantially more books to fully quench that curiosity, but your novellas(…)
Jan 7 2010
Dear Ms. Leigh: Arm Candy was one of the first Harlequin Blaze novels I ever read; in fact, it was a book I read early on in my Romance reading (what can I say: I started late). Right away, though, I knew there was something especially fun about the book, from the amusing zingers about(…)
Dec 30 2009
Dear Ms. Fleischer: When I saw that the novella you sent to Dear Author for review was published by Drollerie Press, I eagerly snagged it for review. Unfortunately, it’s been a while getting to the review, but I at least hope I can encourage a few readers to try Over Her Head, a sweet, nicely-crafted(…)
Dec 23 2009
Dear Ms. Robb: It’s been a while since I purchased one of the In Death books in hardcover (I prefer digital these days), so when I received my ordered paper copy of Kindred in Death in the mail I immediately noticed a couple of changes. Not only has the author photo been removed, but the(…)
JOINT REVIEW: Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh (and Giveaway)
Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour: District 5, Our Giveaway
Something is very wrong with us, and it’s not bad reviews
Berkley Fall Giveaway
Author DeborahAnne MacGillivray Harasses Amazon Reader
Recent Comments