Fantasy Romance

REVIEW: Masques by Patricia Briggs

REVIEW: Masques by Patricia Briggs

Dear Ms. Briggs, I got drawn into your Alpha and Omega series after reading the first story, a short story by the same name, in the anthology On the Prowl. I actually read the story at the urging of Janine; on my own I would likely not have picked up a werewolf romance. But Janine(…)

REVIEW: Cold Magic by Kate Elliott

REVIEW: Cold Magic by Kate Elliott

Dear Ms. Elliott, I first heard of your book while linkhopping across various reader blogs. I can’t tell you exactly where I learned of Cold Magic but the description stuck with me: an Afro-Celtic post-Roman icepunk Regency novel with airships, Phoenician spies, and the intelligent descendants of troodons. I later discovered this description was taken(…)

REVIEW: Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara

REVIEW: Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara

Dear Ms. Sagara, I’m a longtime fan of both your Michelle West epic fantasy novels published by DAW as well as the Elantra series put out by Luna. Your books never fail to remind me of why I love this genre. I also can’t believe we’re already up to six books about Kaylin Neya, a(…)

REVIEW: Zoom Trilogy by Tim Wynne-Jones

REVIEW: Zoom Trilogy by Tim Wynne-Jones

Dear Mr. Wynn-Jones, Years ago, before I was on the internet or associated the word amazon with anything other than ancient female warriors, I used to get a book catalogue called “A Common Reader.” It was an eclectic mix of fiction and nonfiction with enticing descriptions which several times coaxed me into buying many books.(…)

REVIEW: Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik

REVIEW: Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik

NOTE: Though I’ve attempted to avoid spoilers, at this point there isn’t any way. If you’ve not read all the books preceding this one, read the review at your own risk. Dear Ms. Novik, Well, it has taken the better part of two years to get my hands on the next Temeraire book but it’s(…)

REVIEW: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

REVIEW: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Dear Ms. Jemisin, Traditional fantasy is one of my favorite genres. In fact, it’s the type of fantasy I love best. And yet, I have such a contentious relationship with it because so much of it features elements I’m tired of: the vaguely medieval European setting, the quest structure in which the protagonist collects convenient(…)

REVIEW: A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

REVIEW: A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

Dear Ms. Turner, Somehow, I've become a huge fan of your YA series. My love for the books has taken me by surprise because the first book, The Thief, was slow to engage me and aimed at a younger audience than the later books. It wasn't until the second half of that book that I(…)

Review: Laced with Desire Anthology

Review: Laced with Desire Anthology

Dear Authors: This anthology is composed of three erotic contemporary stories and one erotic paranormal, similar to the previous anthology, Unlaced. Once again, the stories are loosely joined by the use of a corset in each of them, but the device is tangential to what’s happening in the individual stories, not unlike many of the(…)

REVIEW: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

REVIEW: Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

Dear Ms. Marchetta, 2006′s Jellicoe Road, which I reviewed here, was one of my absolute favorite books read last year. When I heard you were about to publish another book, this time, a YA fantasy titled Finnikin of the Rock, I requested an ARC of the book and was thrilled when one showed up in(…)

Is There an Irredeemable Trait?

In Linda Howard's book All the Queen’s Men, Louis Ronsard plays the villian.   He’s a wealth arms dealer who is portrayed as completely amoral.   He is targeted as the middleman who sells stolen arms to terrorists. Ronsard was a shadowy Frenchman who gave his allegiance to no one group; he was the conduit, however, for(…)

REVIEW: Steamed by Katie MacAlister

REVIEW: Steamed by Katie MacAlister

Dear Ms. MacAlister, I was excited to read Steamed, mostly because I haven’t found a lot of romance authors making a foray into the subgenre of steampunk and I’m always curious to see how worlds develop. It’s also nice to take a break from vampires, weres and futuristic worlds that have a general tendency to(…)

REVIEW: Over Her Head by Nora Fleischer

REVIEW: Over Her Head by Nora Fleischer

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(…)

REVIEW: Flame Seeker by Kay Danella

REVIEW: Flame Seeker by Kay Danella

Dear Ms. Danella: What is under (or inside) the cover is a really well drawn high fantasy romance telling the story of clan Redgrove’s First daughter, Alithia, and her quest to get a tablet of mystery.   The clan’s sacred flame has been extinguished.   Without the flame, the clan cannot prepare its sanctified oils and incense.(…)

REVIEW & Giveaway: Queen of Song and Souls by CL Wilson

REVIEW & Giveaway: Queen of Song and Souls by CL Wilson

Notes: It is impossible for me to write this review without giving spoilers for the series so if you just want to enter the contest, skip to the comments and tell me your favorite soul mate story. We are giving away five copies of this book (and by we, I mean Dorchester and Dear Author).(…)

REVIEW: Quatrain by Sharon Shinn

REVIEW: Quatrain by Sharon Shinn

Dear Ms. Shinn,