If you didn’t win, you can buy the book at Borders.com and get $1.00 by entering (HAR1222D at checkout.

Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl
2. REVIEW: Winner of the Ebook Weekly Contest for September 17
3. Winner of the Ebook Weekly Contest for October 1

The winners are:

• Lizzie (greeneyed fem)
• Sheryl Nantus
• che
• cyclops8
• Karen
• J L
• Anji
• ldb
• Dana
• Rylie

Your email addresses have been sent to Angela James at Samhain and she’ll be sending you a HTML zip file with the book.

Related posts:

1. CONVERSATIONAL REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Yorkshire by Lynne Connolly
2. REVIEW: Yorkshire by Lynne Martin (aka Lynne Connolly)
3. REVIEW: Devonshire by Lynne Martin (aka Lynne Connolly)

We’ll let Jayne start out with her plot summary:

What we get is a period (Georgian) detailed look at two people falling in love against some pretty tall odds. Richard Kerre is a handsome lord who could have his pick of women. Rose is frankly amazed that he seems to love her. And Richard is floored to have finally discovered his soulmate when he least expected her, and when he’s in no position to make her an honest offer. He’s contracted to marry a society beauty and in those days, a signed marriage contract was legally binding and if broken, could lead to expensive legal payouts and being shunned in society.

Rose’s family also has doubts about Richard’s true intentions. He’s known as a seducer and worldly man. Why would he choose a plain, twenty-five year old, on the shelf, provincial nobody? To add to that, there is an old scandal involving Richard’s twin brother and a possible one if the identity of a killer is not determined. Though it was originally listed as an out of niche romance/mystery, the mystery actually takes second place to the romance though there are already two more books in the series and perhaps they contain more of that element.

Connolly has done her research and I felt I was in the 18th century. The characters don’t act like transplanted 21st century people. Richard has a habit of glacial aristocratic hauteur that can depress the most forward social mushrooms. There is no sign of hobnobbing with the servants and everyone knows his place in society. It’s a fascinating world to look in on but one that has its moments of unease for a 21st century reader.

I think societal rules were a bit more relaxed than what we’re used to in historical regencies. Plus Richard was an aristocrat and Rose was gentry so they could bend them just a bit if they wished and took precautions to mollify the sticklers. I do love how Richard and his family use their consequence to kind of get their own way at times. And though all are polite to servants and underlings, they never, ever indulge in democratic flights-of-fancy of any degree of equality nor do the servants expect it.

From Jan:

I wasn’t sure what to expect of these, because to be honest from Connolly’s online posts I always felt she cared more about historical detail than what to me was important in romance, a great story with emotional resonance. But boy was I wrong. Once I started reading them I literally couldn’t put them down.

Richard and Rose were more real to me than most characters I read in romance, and I felt along with them. They were very romantic. And while they acted of their time, they didn’t behave like they had to constantly be proper and within the confines of societies rules (what I’d expected). To the contrary, they both see what they want, they examine the consequences, then accept them and go for it. I liked that. I liked the honesty between the two, and how Connolly never resorted to misunderstandings or TSTL heroine actions to further the plot. All of this served to create a romance I could really believe it, which made it all the more effective.

I enjoyed the settings, because she drew them carefully, the first book more so than the second. She made the time feel more real than it often feels in romances. She doesn’t always supply a lot of detail and lush prose, but she supplies all the necessary detail, and it makes you feel like you’re in the manor having dinner with the characters. It’s really a wonderful piece of worldbuilding. And accurate. I thought I’d caught her three times and she was correct each one.

RE: the first person story telling

Jayne: Richard is a great hero and I never felt like I was in the dark about his thoughts after that first little bit in Yorkshire when Rose is still trying to figure out what’s going on. Remember, he loved her first and it took her a bit to get over her awe at his appearance (I love the way he uses that to control what people think about him).

RE: Richard

Jan: I felt that way about all the characters really, that I understood their motivations and emotions despite the fact that we never see inside their heads. It seemed skillfully done to me.

I loved Richard’s use of awe too. He’d planned and used his status so well to keep everyone at bay. It made the times when his mask slipped so much more meaningful. And I also loved the fact that he used his advantages ruthlessly, just as a man of the times would, without PC interferences.

Jane: Richard is a spectacular hero. I loved his uppityness and how Rose couldn’t change him if she tried, but it was clear over the course of the books that love was changing him – making him more open, perhaps even more trusting.

RE: Gervase, Richard’s twin:

Jane: Gervase. Fabulous and heartbreaking. Connolly did a great job of turning conventional thinking on its head with these twins. Gervase was observed by outsiders as the match for Rose and not the popinjay. Connolly reinforced the idea through small touches such as the horse, the clothing, even the mannerisms, that Gervase was the masculine, hearty one while Richard was the snuff pinching, makeup wearing, bewigged dandy.

Jayne: “Waiting for Gervase!” He just has to get his own love interest or I’m going to explode with frustration. He’s really a great character.

RE: Societal conventions

Jan: I think the rules were looser then too. But what I liked so much was that they took the rules into consideration, then made the very difficult decisions they did, knowing what the consequences would be to themselves and their families. It made their passion seem much more real and overwhelming.

Jayne: And I like that Lynne makes sure the readers know exactly what those consequences would be. Not only for R/R but for their families as well.

RE: The sex scenes

Jayne: Lynne really has been able to slowly but realistically show their growing love and comfort with it and each other. The love scenes were hot. None of this “no sex please, we’re British!”

Jan: Oh, no kidding they’re hot! That was another thing I noticed. Normally in romances the first sex scene is all that the writer really concentrates on, and after that it’s kind of “then they had sex again in another position”. Here, as their intimacy grows in other ways, it grows in the sex scenes as well, and they are more and more fulfilled as the series progresses. Which is how it really is in good relationships.

This book can be purchased at Samhain.

Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Yorkshire by Lynne Martin (aka Lynne Connolly)
2. REVIEW: Harley Street by Lynne Martin (aka Lynne Connolly)
3. REVIEW: Devonshire by Lynne Martin (aka Lynne Connolly)

Now for the new News. A couple of months ago, I received the review copy for Loretta Chase’s Your Scandalous Ways. Chase has been a long time favorite and I’ve always said that Jessica Trent from Lord of Scoundrels is one of my most favorite heroines ever. That said, because I have such high expectations of Chase, I’m always a little afraid to start a new book in case I might be disappointed.

Let me just say that if Chase never writes another book after Your Scandalous Ways, her contribution to the romance genre would be exemplary. Your Scandalous Ways is a perfect book, in my opinion. I’m giving her an A. What’s more, three other people here at Dear Author have read it: Jayne, Jia and Robin. They would all give this book some variation of an A. (You’ll get to read Jayne’s thoughts near the release date).

We’ve had such good success in our past giveaways that I begged HarperCollins for a few early copies and they rustled up 5. Tomorrow you can read my expanded thoughts on the book and comment for a copy. The contest will be a question about the excerpt so you might want to read it tonight and be prepared. Also, I am gushing tomorrow so maybe don’t eat breakfast before you read the post.

Related posts:

1. Dear Author Recommends for October
2. Dear Author Recommends for November
3. Winners of the Caroline Linden ARC Giveaway

Thank you for inviting me to write this review of Ann Aguirre’s Grimspace. After reading your review last month I was eager to read this and even more delighted to win one of the 20 ARCs you gave away. I am happy to report that I enjoyed the book as much as you did.

As you know, this book is written in the first person, from heroine Sirantha Jax’s POV. Generally speaking, I prefer a book written from multiple POVs. Maybe it is just what I am used to. But I have to say that this book works very well coming from Jax’s POV. Despite that "limitation" there is a very real sense that all of the characters grow and change as a result of what they go through together. And this ultimately is what makes Grimspace succeed for me. Ms. Aguirre is able to give us a strong sense of the other characters, especially March, even though we are not inside their heads. In your review you pointed out that Jax is not “loveable … [or] particularly honorable.” But, she is honest. During periods of introspection, she analyzes her actions and admits that some of those actions have had negative consequences. Jax grows and learns from her mistakes and eventually she comes to a point where she is able to refer to herself as the "new Jax." She likes herself better, and I as a reader liked her better, too.

As I read this book I was really struck by Ms. Aguirre’s earthy use of language to help us understand Jax’s personality. It is not "nice" language (although it isn’t excessively crude or rude either). The language reinforces the idea that Jax has gone through life with a cocky, devil-may-care attitude, and despite her new-found sense of responsibility, that attitude is still very much a part of who she is. It made her very real to me. There is also some wonderful description that put interesting pictures in my head. Your review referred to the description of grimspace as an "orchid unfurling." My favorite description was this one:

They say you never forget your first glimpse of Gehenna. Over the tall buildings the sky swirls with orange and red, true titian, a feature of the unique atmosphere. Of course that same air would kill human beings; hence they built the entire city inside a dome. Eternal sunset, that’s why the place is so wild. You know the feeling you get just before full dark? Sundown makes you feel like the world burgeons with possibility, and that’s Gehenna for you. (ch. 37)

It really got me wondering what it would be like to see such a sight.

Going in, I was a little worried I’d be able to buy into the romance. While I do enjoy SF/F, I needed the romance angle to work if I was going to be happy with this book. We know right from the start that Jax’s pilot and partner, Kai, died in the crash that is being blamed on Jax. Jax tells us how much she loved Kai. I needed to see Jax grieve for Kai and then set her grief aside believably before she became emotionally attached to March. Fortunately, this part of the book worked very well since it took place over a several month period. Ultimately I found the romance to be very convincing and satisfying. March is a man with unusual psychic abilities. He can read Jax’s thoughts and when they’re together he reacts to most of them with a word or a look. So while we don’t have his POV in the book, we still get a good sense of it through how he reacts to Jax. I really liked how this was done by Ms. Aguirre. Finally, March is not a perfect man. He, too, makes a costly choice. But that saves him from being a stereotypical hero and thus he is a far more interesting character.

I’ve already read the excerpt from Wanderlust (found here) and I’m eagerly awaiting its release in September so I can read more about Jax and March. I see Dina will be back and I hope we see more of Velith (a secondary character who appears late in the book) too. Meanwhile I do recommend this book, especially to those who enjoy adventure and space opera, or to anyone who wants to try something a little different.

Thanks again, Jane!

Phyl

***

Phyl won this book as part of our DearAuthor giveaway. We have another giveaway for Sherry Thomas’ book, Private Arrangements. Other reader opinions for Grimspace:

• Teri, Writer Unboxed
• Bettie Sharpe, Sharp Words
• Tumperkin, Isn’t It Romance?
• Shara, Calico Reaction
• Bernita, An Innocent A-Blog
• Leslie, The Good, The Bad, and Unread
• Azteclady, Karen Knows Best
• Shannon C, Flight Into Fantasy
• Wendy, Kicks & Giggles
• Michele Lee, Michele Lee’s
• Caitie, eHarlequin
• Anime-Babbble, Anime-Babble
• Keilexandra, Eschewed Obfuscation

Related posts:

1. REVIEW: Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
2. GUEST REVIEW: The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James
3. GUEST REVIEW: Bad for Each Other by Kate Hathaway

I first learned about you when Sybil sent me a link to your excerpt (this is a link to your blog because your website? It is gone!). It was enticing but your book wasn’t due out for months and months so I tried to put it out of my mind. But then my friend, Janine, mentioned that she was your critique partner and that she loved your book and maybe she could wheedle a copy out of you to read.

As you know, I stayed up late to read it. As is my normal course when I love a book, I begin emailing everyone I can to share the love which, in the case of early books, is like the author. I remember that I read this into the early morning hours and even forgot to set up a post for the blog for the morning.

Gigi is a very rich young girl who wants to marry well. Through a series of incidents, Camden Saybrook becomes Marquis of Tremaine. Camden has promised himself to a distant cousin, Theodora Von Schweppenburg. Gigi sets her sights on Camden because he is not only the heir to a dukedom but he is someone she is fiercely attracted to. Gigi is drawn to Camden’s decency and intelligence. Camden to Gigi’s vibrancy and lust for life.

These two are very young and act their age, meaning often impetuously and without thinking. Gigi schemes to get Camden to marry her. Camden finds out about her deceit and is devastated. This leads to years of separation.

Camden returns ten years later to respond to Gigi’s demand for a divorce. He agrees to the divorce on the condition she try for one year to give him an heir. It is fairly common trope in romance but the uniqueness is that Camden’s desire for reconciliation is transparent to the reader as is Gigi’s own feelings even though neither would admit it. Why else would Camden demand conjugal rights. Why else is Gigi’s home decorated in exactly the way Camden had dreamed as a young man it would be down to the very last Monet painting. Oh, the literary irony.

The backstory, or the years of separation, is told in flashback so that we do not have extended periods of time while the characters are apart on the pages. The reworking of the reunited lovers theme in this book was masterfully done. The flashbacks added depth and poignancy to Camden and Gigi’s past. It showed that neither had really given up their love for the other even if that love became deeply suppressed in their subconscious. The backstory showed real growth of the characters, their flaws, their strengths, and truly embodies the romance genre concept that true love conquers all.

The use of language in the book is wonderful as it helps to set the stage both in dialogue and description. Take, for example, this parry between Camden and Gigi when Camden returns to England to exercise his conjugal rights.

“You have a choice,” he said amicably.”We can resolve it privately.Or we can have sworn testimonies from these gentlemen.You know every word they utter would be in all the papers.”

She blanched.Freddie was her very own human miracle, steadfast and loyal, loving her enough to willingly take part in all the hassle and ugliness of a divorce.But would he still love her when all her former lovers had testified to their affairs on public record?

“Why are you doing this?”Her voice rose.She took a deep breath to calm herself.Any emotion she displayed before Tremaine was a show of weakness.”I had my solicitors send you a dozen letters.You never responded.We could have had this marriage annulled with some dignity, without having to go through this circus.”

“And here I thought my lack of response adequately conveyed what I thought of your idea.”

“I offered you one hundred thousand pounds!”

“I’m worth twenty times that.But even if I hadn’t a sou, that’s not quite enough for me to stand before Her Majesty’s magistrate and swear that I’d never touched you.We both know perfectly well that I shagged you to a fare-thee-well.”

I loved the frankness, the rawness of language that was used combined with the elegance or almost poetic phrasing. “I…wasted a river of sperm masturbating to these fantasies.” Then there is the description of Camden’s early response to Gigi and his struggle with his honor:

He’d turned down every last one of those offers, with tact and dignity when possible, and ingenuity otherwise.A man of honor did not profess love for one woman while welcoming a host of others into his bed.

It wasn’t easy, but it was doable.Being busy helped.Having no moral or philosophical opposition to solitary releases helped.Immersing himself in his chosen field helped–thermodynamic equations and advanced calculus tended to keep one’s mind off breasts and buttocks.

But nothing helped now.He was busy all day long, seeing to the beast of an estate that was Twelve Pillars, yet thoughts of Miss Rowland clamored every other minute.Whatever he did in the privacy of his bedchamber only created more fantasies of her to agitate him the next day.Thoughts of her breasts and buttocks–not to mention her morosely hungry eyes and her heavy, cool spill of hair– rendered him slow and bungling before simple quadratic equations, and utterly impotent in the face of integrals of logarithms.

And yet if it were only a case of simple, rampant lust.That would be perfectly understandable in the case of a young man of robust appetites who stubbornly refused to surrender his virginity.But he wanted more than just to touch her.He wanted to know her.

The book stumbled for me toward the last third when I felt the conflict between Gigi and Camden was artificially extended. But because I was so invested by this time in Gigi and Camden’s journey, I could not stop reading even though I questioned the why of the situation. I suppose you could make the argument that this conflict was borne, in part, out of the fears which were fostered by the long separation.

There was an interesting dichotomy that was used with a sort of mirroring effect (probably a literary term for this, but I don’t know what it is). In their youth, Gigi played the hubris role and Camden the honor. In the 10 year reconciliation, Camden seemed to be the one to act with hubris and Gigi, with honor, because was it really honorable for Camden to act as he did, to continually punish Gigi for making him fall in love with her? And wasn’t honorable for Gigi to push for a divorce and reclaim a life with one she thought she loved. And it seemed hubris on Camden’s part to push for an heir, to exercise his long dead conjugal rights. I thought that role reversal; the power struggle was uniquely played out.

I appreciated particularly that you made great use of the late 1900s 1800s, a time of incredible change in both the fledling America and within Great Britian. At times I had to keep reminding myself of the period of the book because I have been so steeped in regencies that some of the phrases sounded modern. (There was a reference to the Statute of Liberty and in googling, I realized that the Statute of Liberty was indeed given by France in 1885).

When I think about the story, I think most about the ending which was glorious. It was big, dramatic, and romantic. And I think it serves as emblematic for the entire story. There is a sense of grandness in the language, the setting, and the way that the story is told. In some sense, it is a true retro (meaning a revisiting of the past) romance because it brings to bring to mind the big grandiose romances of the past. Gigi and Camden are very passionate people and their gestures are big, particularly in their devises to get what they want out of life.

I am excited about the state of historicals because if this is the type of story that we readers can expect on a regular basis, the historical may once again be the queen of romances. (If you can’t tell, historicals are my favorite romance sub genre).

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in mass market on March 25, 2008. I assume that there will be an ebook version.

***

In the first of what will be a big giveaway month here at Dear Author, I am early blogging about this book because the publisher is graciously giving us 20! early copies of this book to be shared with the Dear Author readership. The catch is that you must post about the book at some public place, whether it is a message board, forum or blog and you must send me the link. We’ll choose one review to repost at Dear Author on the day of the release of the book. This contest will run until Friday, 12 am CST, and any commenter who leaves a comment to this review will be considered in a random drawing.

Edited to add:   When I say “post about the book”, I mean just a post that I read this book and I liked it, I didn’t like it, it’s coming out March 25, 2008. No need for a formal review or anything like that.

Related posts:

1. 250 copies of Sherry Thomas Pr…
2. Sherry Thomas said that Sybil …
3. REVIEW: Cowboy Fling by Sherry James

I read Pack Challenge twice before writing this review. First time I read it, I find it fresh and enjoyable. You have a very modern vibe about your books. Your characters interact in keeping with your world construct. The characters are earthy, with spicy language and corresponding spicy attitudes.

The second time I read it, I wished that you had toned down your characters, particularly the three female leads, and made them have more individuality. Your characters and scenes suffered from a sameness making at least two of the female leads interchangeable at times.

Sara Morrighan is suffering. She has an old wound in her leg caused by a wolf attack that killed her father. She is becoming increasingly aggressive, believes she's hearing voices, and is communing with the local wolves. When a motorcycle gang comes to town, she is instantly attracted to one of the leaders. Zach Sheridan and his Pack have traveled to Sara’s small Texas town with the intent to turn her and protect her from the Whithell Pride. The Whithell Pride is a group of shapeshifting lions who are seeking Sara out to exact revenge. Sara is actually a shapeshifter whose true nature was hidden by her grandmother. Sara’s wolf is dying to get out and Zach has been assigned babysitting duties. Zach, himself, is embroiled in a struggle for Pack leadership.

The attraction between Sara and Zach is electric as are their couplings. But, for me, the true gem in the book was the relationship between Sara and her two friends: Angelina and Miki. Those were the problems in the book two. The two friends had strong voices whose tone never varied. Their voices became one long strident signal that began to remind me of the tone from the Emergency Broadcast Signal.

I like your voice. It's unique and very fresh and I'll read you again. If you could just tone it down a bit, I don’t think you would lose any of your edginess. Not every exchange between the three women had to end in a slap fight or start with the term, bitch. I think these women deserve better verbal skills than that. Less is more in some cases and would have resulted in richer characters with less redundancy. B-.

Best regards,

Jane

P.S. And I don't know why, but Sara's constant reference to herself as a whore for wanting to and having sex with Zach bothered me. She wasn't sexing him up for money which is what I know a whore as. I think the appropriate self flagellatory term should have been slut (woman of loose morals).

Related posts:

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2. REVIEW: Hope’s Captive by Kate Lyon
3. REVIEW: In the Groove by Pamela Britton

Jayne and I decided to both read your book and then get together and chat about it. The end of the chat is spoiler heavy so we’ve encased the end part in spoiler quotes. For those who read the news feed, please beware that this is a spoiler filled post. On to the discussion:

–> spoiler
[14:26] Jayne: me too. I really expected that somehow Liu and Kiyoshi would end up together. I mean, Liu didn’t cut Kiyoshi’s head off so I was thinking that he would somehow ditch Kuro or kill him and go back to find Kiyoshi –> end spoiler

–> spoiler
[14:27] Jayne: ah, so no guaranteed HEA then
[14:28] Jane: no, I didn’t mind the lack of HEA but I did mind that there was no resolution to the story.
[14:28] Jane: I mean, ultimately, shouldn’t there have been some mention as to what the other two vampires where doing?
[14:28] Jane: Why the viewpoint from just Kiyoshi?
[14:29] Jayne: what happens to Liu and Kuro? they just wander off to slaughter more of Japan and we never learn what happens to them?
[14:29] Jayne: oops, you already said that
[14:29] Jane: LOL
[14:29] Jane: yes, that was exactly my problem.
[14:29] Jayne: I guess since there are still people in Japan 200 years later, Liu and Kuro haven’t killed everyone
[14:30] Jane: What was the point of that?
[14:30] Jane: It’s like the whole bad mothers issue. Brought up but not dealt with.–> end spoiler

–> spoiler
[14:33] Jayne: and why pick Kiyoshi’s viewpoint? and not the other two if you’re only going to do one
[14:33] Jane: Exactly.
[14:33] Jayne: Kiyoshi is such a pansy
[14:34] Jane: It should have been from Liu’s perspective, imo, giving us a vague hint that Kiyoshi may have survived and that is how he lives with no regrets.
[14:34] Jayne: was Kiyoshi inherently “good” and half Chinese Liu “bad”?
[14:34] Jayne: is that how Kiyoshi resisted Kuro?
[14:35] Jayne: power corrupts. Liu wants power so he’s corrupted totally by Kuro?
[14:36] Jane: Maybe they were being philosophical, but if you are writing to an American audience, shouldn’t you make the story more accessible.
[14:37] Jayne: or at least give it a damn ending
[14:37] Jayne: we stupid Americans don’t like to have to think
[14:37] Jane: Yes, instead of making us google things to figure out whether this is some literature form popular in Japan akin to the haiku or iambic pentameter.
[14:37] Jayne: we want it all in 10 foot high letters
[14:38] Jane: Maybe they could have included subtitles.
[14:38] Jayne:
Story without end
It sucks if one is confused
So don’t you do it
[14:39] Jayne: ok my haiku needs a little work but the thought is there
[14:39] Jane: LOL
[14:39] Jane: maybe you should try a limerick
[14:39] Jane:
There once was a boy named K
Who had thing for Liu in the hay.
They drank some blood, killed some folk
and then Liu ran away.
[14:40] Jayne: fab dahling–> end spoiler

–> spoiler
[14:45] Jayne: maybe if I read a story in which one of the lovers doesn’t try and kill the other then leave him….
[14:45] Jayne: more romance than erotica
[14:46] Jane: I would have liked to see Liu get a backbone and kill Kuro or Kiyoshi get a backbone and kill them both.
[14:46] Jane: Because what was all this nonsense about Liu loving Kiyoshi more than anything. Guess not.
[14:46] Jayne: better ending and not a sucky abrupt cut off
–> end spoiler

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