Comments on: July Open Thread for Readers

By: Janine

Janine — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:03:39 +0000

See if this link works, Growly:

http://www.likesbooks.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=5157

ETA: Discussions of the book begin on the 3rd page of the topic.

By: GrowlyCub

GrowlyCub — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:26:05 +0000

I just went to AAR and found Sandy’s review. I thought the grade was too high for what she described feeling about the book.

I don’t go to AAR because I find their site incredibly counter-intuitive to navigate.

So, then I thought I’d like to see this discussion you reference, but there’s no way to get there from the review. Or if there is, I didn’t find it. Looked at the forums, but couldn’t find the thread. Now, I’m really frustrated and reminded yet again why I don’t visit AAR.

I know there are interesting conversations taking place there, but I just don’t want to deal with their site! grumble, mumble, mumble

By: Janine

Janine — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:41:29 +0000

@GrowlyCub: There was a thread on this book on the AAR boards. Posters there had both positive and negative reactions, and some felt similarly to you and I. I agree that a large portion of the book was really great. I got very excited reading the first half, because I have missed Putney's historicals. The stuff toward the end puzzled me as well, but like you, I will still buy the next one. I hope there are fewer improbabilties in it. I'm sorry to hear that sales are low, because I was so looking forward to more historicals from Putney. ETA:

I also wonder whether the reason that I haven’t seen reviews anywhere is because of the same reason you don’t want to write one: too many spoilers necessary to explain the reaction.

Forgot to reply to this. It does make it very hard to review a book. I make it a policy to only go into things that happen in the first third of a book. In this case, the first third was wonderful. I really dislike it when reviews spoil the second two-thirds for me but that is where all the problems with this one were.

By: GrowlyCub

GrowlyCub — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:52:14 +0000

@Janine:

I’ve seen very little mention of this book anywhere and the Amazon standings for it aren’t good (I use TitleZ to keep track of books I’m interested in), so I don’t think it sold as well as one might have hoped.

I’m relieved to see somebody else shared my feelings about the developments in the last third because I was starting to feel that I might be mean or having a bad month or something (well, I *am* in a slump, but still…). It was doubly disappointing because the first 250 pages or so were really great!

I’m really baffled by the direction the book took and even more baffled that her editor didn’t say ‘too much’. The way things are going in the business lately, I’ll be curious to see if there even will be a second ‘Lost Lords’ book next year.

I think this particular series would have been better off being released back-to-back. I’ll probably buy the next one in hopes of it being better, but this one was a nasty surprise and I wonder if that’s all people will remember by the time the next title *is* released.

I also wonder whether the reason that I haven’t seen reviews anywhere is because of the same reason you don’t want to write one: too many spoilers necessary to explain the reaction.

By: Janine

Janine — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:25:19 +0000

@Amy: I am a huge fan of Putney's Uncommon Vows and her Fallen Angel series, and I also have a soft spot for amnesia stories. I thought the first half of Loving a Lost Lord was wonderful -- the hero and heroine were honorable, caring people yet very interesting to read about (not an easy feat!). But I'm afraid that my reaction mirrors GrowlyCub's almost exactly. I chose not to review the book because it would have been impossible to explain most of my problems with it without going into massive spoilers, but suffice to say that I could not suspend my disbelief in the events of the last third or so of the book.

By: ms bookjunkie

ms bookjunkie — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:06:01 +0000

I’ll have to fourth Silver, Heather and Liza: FADE TO BLACK is excellent writing. Romantic suspense is usually not really my thing, (and I have dropped authors who have gone from straight romance to romantic suspense) but I have no complaints about Leslie Parrish. I knew going in that it was dark romantic suspense and what I got was quality writing. Realistic reading without woo-woo psychic stuff mixed in. But others have waxed poetic about this book upthread, so I’ll spare you my ramblings. *g*

By: joanne

joanne — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:56:15 +0000

Another half-hour I’ll never get back GC….but I looked at some of the other links and it seems to be random choices:
The Desert King’s Virgin Bride has ‘virgin’ but not ‘bride’; Accidentally Pregnant, Conveniently Wed has ‘pregnant’ but not ‘wed’; Italian Boss, Housekeeper Bride left out ‘Boss’; The Greek Tycoon’s Baby Bargain leaves out ‘baby’…… which, ironically enough, I read last night. The title is the best part anyway since the Greek Tycoon’s magic-sperm produced twins. That was the good part. The rest was just a jaw-dropping WTF 2008 release. (by the way, really great writing in it but giving an “OMG is this story from the 70’s?” reaction).

@Ann:

If your womb is clenching then you are having some kind of awful cramps and are either in labor or should see a doctor asap.

Yeah, funny how symptoms that would make us run for the emergency room in real life just get passed along from book to book in romancelandia! All the “wet & dripping” going on in most stories make me think we’re in an international pandemic of STDs!

By: Moth

Moth — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:25:11 +0000

@Growlycub
Very interesting that…

By: GrowlyCub

GrowlyCub — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:17:10 +0000

@Moth: Did you notice how Amazon left the 'Virgin' out of the link?

By: Moth

Moth — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:11:21 +0000

RE: The Playboy Sheikh's Virgin Stable Girl She really doesn't look very happy on that cover, does she? I almost want to read this just for the cheese factor...