Jayne and I have a great fondness for e published books. Since the inception of this blog, we have been reading and reviewing books that are published by houses which specialize in releasing books in the e format. We thought that it would be nice to do a little 2007 retrospective on the ebooks that we liked the best.
- Blossom Time by Joan Smith (Regency with one of my favorite themes: friends to lovers)
- The Book, the Film, The T-Shirt by Matt Beaumont (Contemporary comedy but not a romance)
- Challenge the Wind by Debra Tash (Revolutionary War romance)
- Cousinly Connexion by Sheila Simonson (Regency romance)
- Edge of Sweetness by Anya Bast (Contemporary erotic romance with light BDSM)
- Forbidden by Lila Dubois (Fantasy erotic romance with good world building)
- Game Over by Sahara Kelly (Fantasy featuring a role playing game)
- Samburu Hills by Jennifer Mueller (Arranged marriage story set in Edwardian period)
- Tempted by Two by Anya Bast (Urban fantasy erotic romance)
There were plenty of other ebooks that we read (mostly Jayne) that were rated B or better. You can read all the reviews in the archives.
We would love to hear your top e published books for 2007 and what you are anticipating in 2008. I noticed that my own ebook reading was down in 2007 and I would like to broaden my horizons. Make some suggestions for us.
Oh, I love that Matt Beaumont book. Have you read “e”, by the way? That one has me laughing so hard that I actually hurt!
I had to track down an ebook version of “E” (Fictionwise didn’t sell it!) but haven’t read it yet. It’s loaded on my reader now. Have you read “The E Before Christmas?” It’s just as good as “Book, Film, T-Shirt.”
As I started reading e-books only last month, I’ve got a lot of reading to catch up with. :) So far, my two best finds have been:
1) Norbert Davis’s Doan & Carstairs series (hardboiled, but humorous detective series from the 1940s), starting with The Mouse in the Mountain — I’ve written a review of it here. The digital versions are available for free download from manybooks.net, while the print version can be brought either directly from Rue Morgue Press or through amazon.com.
2) Linda Howard’s Mackenzie Collection — this has been my introduction to Linda Howard, and I love all three books (Mackenzie’s Mountain, Mackenzie’s Pleasure, A Game of Chance) I’ve read so far. Favourite character: Nick (“Can I wide your moborcycle?”)! :)
At the moment I’m digging into Baron Orczy’s Lady Molly of Scotland Yard. (LOVE those free digital texts!)
“E” is my first Beaumont, and I went on to “E Before Christmas” and “T-Shirt”. He also has a book out called “Staying Alive”, by the way. But because he’s an UK author, I don’t know if his books are easily available in the US.
I haven’t read anything new in ebook form since I just started a couple of weeks ago. I did buy The Spymaster’s Lady, Charles de Lint’s Widdershins, and Demon’s Kiss by Silver. I really should have read more reviews on Demon’s Kiss before buying it. I started to read it then I began to think it was one of those Soulmate/bondmate books that I really can’t stand so I’ll probably not finish it unless it gets better quick.
(By the way, I remember enjoying the Lady Molly stories although I’m not sure how the writing wears– rereading the Scarlet Pimpernel made me cringe a bit.)
Oh my goodness. Thanks for including Samburu hills in your list I’m am honored especially since its my baby. I loved in kenya for two years and started writing it while there. unfortunately Chippewa closed its doors so I’m looking for a new home for it.
These weren’t published last or this year, but I really like Kay Layton Sisk’s rock band series, which are ebooks. The first one, Lyla’s Song, is about a rock star who’s gotten in trouble and is hiding out in a small town. He meets a woman who has troubles of her own in the past. It’s a really nice relationship story, and one of the small batch of books that I regularly reread.
My ebook reading was down last year, too. What stood out for me was Friends Unlikely by Susan Alvis Smith, which was very good despite the fact that it is a bit preachy. It’s a YA novel with topics that might not appeal to many readers. Immortal Protector by Ursual Bauer was good, too. I need to see if she wrote a sequel.
Ya know, I will bookmark this post and have a closer look at it the day after tomorrow when I am back in Glasgow. I love your recommendations, they even made me try out a fantasy novel (namely CL Wilson’s Lord of the Fading Lands) and love it :-)
Bonnie Dee’s The Warrior’s Gift was the standout ebook for me that was released in 2007. Most of the ebooks I bought this year were published earlier, for whatever reason.
This is totally off-topic but I just got into Helen Brooks based on Jane’s recommendation. Jane, if you like her, you might also like Susan Napier. (Mistress for the Weekend is in ebook format, and was my favorite of hers.)
Wow! I’m incredibly honored to see “Game Over” on your list!! Thank you SO much for the recognition. It’s absolutely great to know that a little humor in an erotic fantasy romance is appreciated. There have been so many wonderful books released this year – I’m very grateful to you all for including mine amongst them. And very happy to think I’ve given readers a laugh or two. That’s a gift that has no measure. Here’s wishing everyone smiles and laughter in this new year – and lots more wonderful reads!!!
Oh, wow, thanks for including Tempted by Two and Edge of Sweetness on your list. :) What a wonderful way to start out the year.
I hope everyone at Dear Author had an enjoyable holiday season and may the new year be full of the shining and the bright for you all!
Dear Statch (because I don’t know how else to reach you):
Thanks for the endorsement of LYLA’S SONG and the rock band series. It’ll make me smile all day!
Woohoo! I made a list with Anya Bast!
My favorite ebook of the year was Angel’s Evolution by TA Chase.
This a great list, Ja(y)nes, thanks for putting to together. I’m honored to have made it.
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Anya Bast is a goddess and I’m so glad to see her on your list! I’ll have to go and check out some of the others. I’m always looking to add to my TBR pile.
Minx Malone