Dear Author » Best of 2008

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer Jane

Jane — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:00:32 +0000

Yes, it’s Christmas Day and we could take a holiday today but not everyone celebrates Christmas. And even amongst those that do, two thirds will spend over an hour online today so we might as well put up content, right? The year end lists are kind of fun to do because they allow some reflection on one’s reading tastes. I would love to see you readers comment on the books of the year. (It will provide good inspiration for the DA BWAHA)

I confess that I think some of my A reviews were given out in some post reading euphoria. I’m going to be more stingy with A’s in this upcoming year. But this was a year of discovery of new to me authors and re-engagement with some old favorites.

I read a bunch of category books in 2008 and found that there are some who really hit me just right. I’ve a renewed appreciation for the Harlequin categories. It isn’t easy to fit in a well crafted tale with three dimensional characters within such a constrained framework and word length. One author I really enjoyed who didn’t quite make it on the list because her A books weren’t published in 2008 is Sarah Mayberry, a Blaze author. It’s our constant search for the really fabulous that keeps us buying new books even though we could probably read a new book every day and not find the bottom of the to be read pile.

The following are the books I gave As to that were published in 2008. I listed them in order according to which book I would re-read first, if I had the chance. But no matter the order, these were greats books and ones I wouldn’t hestitate to give away as recommended reads. In other words, I would buy these books for other people which is the greatest compliment I think I can give to a book.

THE SPYMASTER’S LADY by Joanna Bourne
DARK DESIRES AFTER DUSK by Kresley Cole
YOUR SCANDALOUS WAYS by Loretta Chase
IRON KISSED by Patricia Briggs
PRICE OF DESIRE by Jo Goodman
DELICIOUS by Sherry Thomas
JUST ONE OF THE GUYS by Kristan Higgins
SHAKEN AND STIRRED by Kathleen O’Reilly
SCREAM FOR ME by Karen Rose
AFTER THE KISS by Suzanne Enoch
GRIMSPACE by Ann Aguirre

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer ã‚¸ã‚§ãƒ¼ãƒ³(JÄn)

Jan — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:00:20 +0000

ã‚¸ã‚§ãƒ¼ãƒ³(JÄn) is probably the reader most responsible for introducing me to the fantasy and science fiction books. I actually read George RR Martin because of her!! But she also has recommended some great romances to overtime. She’s uncannily good with her recommendations, tailoring them to your tastes rather than just recommending her favorites (although sometimes those coincide). She doesn’t read a ton of romance anymore, but she’s provided us insight into that wildly popular manga/anime sub genre.

Love Mode – Yuki Shimizu – completed 11 vol mxm romance series
Sand Chronicles – Hinako Ashihara – ongoing mxf contemporary manga
Duke of Shadows – Meredith Duran – mxf historical novel
Seduce Me After the Show – Est Em – completed 1 vol mxm manga
Private Arrangements – Sherry Thomas – mxf historical novel
Ouran High School Host Club – Hatori Bisco – ongoing mxf manga
Vampire Knight – Matsuri Hino – ongoing mxf vampire manga
Tangle – Ginn Hale, Jesse Sandoval, others – mxm anthology (prose)
REAL – Takehiko Inoue – ongoing sports (wheelchair basketball) manga
Me and the Devil Blues – Akira Hiramoto – ongoing blues/historical (1930s) manga
The Bell at Sealey Head – Patricia McKillip – YA/children’s fantasy novel

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer Joonigrrl

Joonigrrl — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:00:51 +0000

Our newest reviewer, Joonigrrl aka Loonigrrl aka Leslie, presents the following list to you. I’ve been an avid follower of Loonigrrl’s reviews on Amazon. They’re smart, articulate, and insightful and I thought wouldn’t she be a nice addition to Dear Author. Luckily for us, Joonigrrl agreed to be part of Dear Author and we will be seeing more of her in 2009 (metaphorically and digitally speaking).

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews
The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanna Bourne
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
The Stone Key (Book 5 of the Obernewtyn Chronicles) by Isobelle Carmody
Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare
The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran
The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
Death Angel by Linda Howard
Three Nights of Sin by Anne Mallory
At the Bride Hunt’s Ball by Olivia Parker
Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas
Evermore by Lynn Viehl
Lord of Sword and Sky C.L. Wilson

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer Janet aka Robin

Jane — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:00:00 +0000

I can’t remember the first time I asked Robin to join us here at Dear Author. I remember seeing her comment at AAR and she often commented here at Dear Author. I just know that from the first, I admired her mind and her thoughtful commentary. Robin and I have had spirited debates about romance and the romance genre. She always seems to be able to convince me to take another look at my position even if she can’t quite get me to change my mind all the time.

The Spymaster’s Lady by Joanne Bourne
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase
Dark Desires After Dusk (Cade and Holly’s story) by Kresley Cole
The Price of Desire by Jo Goodman
Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins
Like No Other Lover by Julie Ann Long
Sex Straight Up by Kathleen O’Reilly
The Edge of Impropriety by Pam Rosenthal
Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas

Honorable Mentions:

Demon Night by Meljean Brook
A Rake’s Guide to Pleasure by Victoria Dahl
Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran
From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
Broken Wing by Judith James
The Price of Passion by Susan Napier
Ember by Bettie Sharpe

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer Joan/Sarah F

SarahF — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:17:39 +0000

Dr. Frantz is our resident professor (but not our only literature scholar) whose DA moniker is Joan. She is reviewing primarily m/m fiction that is epublished although she is a reader of a wide range of romance authors with Suzanne Brockmann and Kresley Cole being a couple of her favorite print authors. Dr. Frantz brings a unique viewpoint given her background in literature. It’s people like Dr. Frantz and the crew at Teach Me Tonight who help to increase the legitimacy of the romance genre.

eBooks:

ROUGH, RAW, AND READY by Lorelei James (Samhain)
UNEVEN by Anah Crow (Torquere)
COLLISION COURSE by K.A. Mitchell (Samhain)
LOVE AHEAD by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux (Dreamspinner)
IN THIS LAND: The Purple Book by Matthew Haldeman-Time (Volume 1 of 5 that combine the ongoing weekly subscription service on author’s website, $4.99/month)

Print books:

DARK NEEDS AT NIGHT’S EDGE by Kresley Cole
DARK DESIRES AFTER DUSK by Kresley Cole
INTO THE FIRE by Suzanne Brockmann

Best of Lists Around the Web

Jane — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:43:53 +0000

Dear Author is posting their “Best of 2008″ lists for each reviewer in the spirit of the end of the year tradition that many other news organizations started. Some traditionally known Best of Lists are

New York Times:(Dangerous Laughter by Steven Millhauser, etc.)
Amazon: (The Northern Clemency by Philip Henscher)
Publishers Weekly: (Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas, among others)
NPR: Best Graphic Novels of 2008 (Skyscrapers of the Midwest??)
Library Journal: (Girl with a Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson looks fascinating)
Salon Book Awards 2008: (2666 by Roberto BolaÃ±o was mentioned in several lists including Salon’s).

If I missed one, drop a comment and let me know. I’ll add it to the list.

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer Janine

Janine — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:12:29 +0000

Janine was our third “Ja(y)ne” here at Dear Author. She provides beautifully written, well articulated reviews. She has varied tastes and puts an emphasis on well written prose. Janine is a slow, but careful reader:

DELICIOUS by Sherry Thomas*, Grade A
CRY WOLF by Patricia Briggs, Grade A
PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS by Sherry Thomas*, Grade A-/A
WICKED INTENTIONS by Lydia Joyce, Grade A-
“LOS CONVERSOS” by Jesse Sandoval, in the anthology TANGLE, Grade A-
“EMBER” by Bettie Sharpe**, Grade A-
THE EDGE OF IMPROPRIETY by Pam Rosenthal, Grade A-
THE DUKE OF SHADOWS by Meredith Duran*, Grade A-
“REMEMBER” by Astrid Amara, in the anthology TANGLE, Grade A-
YOUR SCANDALOUS WAYS by Loretta Chase, Grade B+/A-
GRIMSPACE by Ann Aguirre, Grade B+/A-
“LORD RONAN’S SHOES” by Astrid Amara, in the anthology TANGLE, Grade B+/A-
QUEEN OF DRAGONS by Shana Abe, Grade B+
“FERAL MACHINES” by Ginn Hale, in the anthology TANGLE, Grade B+
LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH by Emily Giffin, Grade B+
MINE TO POSSESS by Nailini Singh, Grade B+

*Full disclosure from Janine: Meredith Duran and Sherry Thomas are my good friends and critique partners, but since I enjoyed their 2008 books very much, I felt it would be a glaring omission not to include their them on my list of favorites.

**Added by Janine in 2009: Readers should know that I am now exchanging critiques with Bettie Sharpe as well. However, that was not the case when I read “EMBER.”

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer Jia

Jia — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:38:44 +0000

Jia is our YA, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Crossover expert. Jia came to us a year ago and provides great insight from the otherside of the genre fence. She’s the one that brought Suzanne Collins to our attention here along with lesser known fantasy authors (or at least lesser known to me) like Rob Thurman.

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins (Grade: A)
YOUR SCANDALOUS WAYS by Loretta Chase (Grade: A-)
GIRL OVERBOARD by Justina Chen Headley (Grade: A-)
WHEN TWILIGHT BURNS by Colleen Gleason (Grade: A-)
MAGIC BURNS by Ilona Andrews (Grade: B+)
MADHOUSE by Rob Thurman (Grade: B+)
VIOLET IN PRIVATE by Melissa Walker (Grade: B+)
THE HIDDEN CITY by Michelle West (Grade: B+)

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer Jayne

Jayne — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:20:16 +0000

Jayne, one of the founding members of Dear Author, is our resident explorer. She goes out and finds the most unusual settings, the most unknown authors, in all different genres, and brings them to our attention. She’s also one of my dearest reading friends. Without her, this blog probably would have died a slow and uninteresting death a long time ago.

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks, Grade A
THE END OF THE ALPHABET by C.S. Richardson, Grade A-
THE SPYMASTER’S LADY by Joanna Bourne, Grade A-
THE TENTH GIFT by Jane Johnson, Grade A-
YOUR SCANDALOUS WAYS by Loretta Chase, Grade A-
HIS SECRET PAST by Ellen Hartman, Grade A-
SHAKEN AND STIRRED by Kathleen O’Reilly, Grade A-
A LADY’S SECRET by Jo Beverly, Grade A-
MYSTIC HORSEMAN by Kathleen Eagle, Grade A-

Best of 2008 List: Reviewer Jennie F

Jennie — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:02:35 +0000

This week we’ll post the “best of 2008″ list for each reviewer. Feel free to use this as a commenting launch pad but also as a way for you to measure your taste against the reviewer’s taste.

Jennie F is one of our “new-ish” reviewers. She reviews sporadically and has ecletic taste. Her list includes a variety of fiction books, not all of which are romance:

VICTORY OF EAGLES by Naomi Novik, Grade A
THE EDGE OF IMPROPRIETY by Pam Rosenthal, Grade: A
DELICIOUS by Sherry Thomas, Grade A
FROM DEAD TO WORSE by Charlaine Harris, Grade A
PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS by Sherry Thomas, Grade A-
YOUR SCANDALOUS WAYS by Loretta Chase, Grade A-
WHERE SERPENTS SLEEP by C.S. Harris, Grade: B+
DUKE OF SHADOWS by Meredith Duran, Grade B+
LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH by Emily Giffin, Grade: B+
CRY WOLF by Patricia Briggs, Grade B+
POWER PLAY by Deirdre Martin, Grade B+