Dear Author: Romance Novel Reviews, Industry News, and Commentary » If You Like

If You Like…Debut Books

Jane — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:10:55 +0000

Blogcritics.org had a nice article on why you should be reading debut authors. One thing I remember about debut books is that these are novels that authors usually labored over, for years. This sometimes explains the sophomore slump whereby the second book just isn’t as good as the first. The first two debut titles that spring to mind aren’t even romance. The first is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (her first and only published novel) and the second is Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.

In romance, you also have a unique situation. Writers like Nalini Singh who publish in category are considered a “debut” author for the purposes of their first mass market. Her “debut” book would then be Slave to Sensation. I think this would probably be true for ebook authors moving into the print publishing market for the first time. Probably my favorite romance debut (that is until the comments jog my memory) is Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie.

For the purposes of this post, I ask that you give a shout out to your favorite debut novels and if they’ve been previously published, either in category or ebook, identify that. For fun, I’ll give away the two address books from the Harlequin vintage stationary collection to two random commenters.

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If You Like…Multicultural Books

Jane — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:00:49 +0000

In light of the very gracious post by Handyhunter about cultural appropriation, it seems that we should compile a list of books that feature multicultural characters. Please note whether the book is a young adult (YA) or romance as well as whether the multicultural characters are main or secondary. Please also be respectful of other people’s recommendations. This is not to say that you can’t disagree with them, but let’s keep the comments as civil as possible.

Here are a couple to start the thread:

Eileen Wilks, Tempting Danger featuring Lily Yu, of Chinese descent. Main protagonist. Urban fantasy romance.
Meljean Brook, Demon Moon featuring Savi Murray, of Indian descent. Main protagonist. Urban fantasy romance.
Jade Lee, The Concubine, historical set in China featuring two Chinese protagonists. Historical.
Anne McAllister, Antonides’ Forbidden Wife, featuring Ally, half Japanese. Main protagonist. Straight contemporary.

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If You Like Romances Featuring Mistress

Jane — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:17:45 +0000

I recently reviewed His Lordship’s Mistress by Joan Wolf. It features a young woman who, instead of marrying, decides she will try to sell herself for a short time to earn enough money to pay off the mortgage on her family home. This book prompted commenters to reminisce about their favorite books using the fallen woman, mistress, or courtesan theme. As Moth said, “I know I like it when the heroine isn’t totally squeaky clean.”

So bring on the mistress, courtesan or fallen woman recommendations. Please note if the book features a woman who pretends to be a fallen woman and is not (Bel, from The Duke, I am looking at you).

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If You Like Werewolves

Jane — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:45:11 +0000

It has come to my attention via a reader in email that I’ve never done an “If You Like Werewolves” post (and frankly, I need to start up the series on a regular basis. The fact is that there aren’t a ton of werewolf stories in paranormal romance. Werewolves are prolific in the Urban Fantasy subgenre but in PNR, the wolf is more rare.

Nalini Singh’s Pys/Changeling series has focused more on the cat shifter than the wolf shifter although the Snow Dancers will likely play a bigger role in future books. Caressed by Ice features a she-wolf/Psy pairing but it didn’t delve into the shifter culture as much as it was focused on the emotional trauma suffered by Brenna and the thawing of Judd, the Psy Arrow.

I fell in love with the wolf shifter myth with Kelley Armstrong’s Bitten and Stolen which are told from the point of view of Elena who became a werewolf when Clay bit her. Armstrong’s latest work, Frostbitten, is a return to the world of Clay and Elena.

Kinsey Holley’s Kiss and Kin is a sexy werewolf shifter story but it’s a short story and I don’t think we were given enough time to explore either the myth of the shifters or the emotional bond of the characters. I look forward to more from Holley though.

Sarah McCarty’s upcoming paranormal series has werewolves and vampires that shift into wolves but Caleb, the first in the series, really doesn’t explore the wolf shifter dynamic and myth.

Susan Krinard’s main focus is the wolf, or Loup Garou, but even she has branched out into other shifter territory such as shifting unicorns (Lord of Legends).

If you were to compile a best of series for werewolf lovers, what romance books would you include?

*****

Edited to Add: Suggestions of werewolf romances from the comments:

Dakota Cassidy – Accidental Werewolf (via May)
Lora Leigh – Breed series (via Gina)
Kresley Cole – A Hunger Like No Other and Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night. Her next book is about the Lykae as well. (via Cheryl McInnis)
Terry Spear – starting with Destiny of the Wolf (I want to read these) (thanks Silver James)
Rebeca York – Moon series, starting with Killling Moon
Larissa Ione – Desire Unchained has a werewolf heroine (via marga)
Mireya offers up a series of shifter books: Judy Mays, Rhyannon Byrd (though this author also has a series with Harlequin), Tielle St. Clare, Charlene Teglia, Christine Warren (her Others series, ties to her formerly known as the Fix series, which started at EC. A few of hers involve werewolves), Sherri L. King, Shiloh Walker, Nathalie Gray, etc. Shelly Laurenston writes fun shifter stories for Kensington’s Brava. Most of hers involve werewolves.
Amanda: Cynthia Eden’s Hotter After Midnight.
Kimmy: Sharie Kohler’s ‘Moon Chasers’ series; Karen Whiddon’s ‘The Pack’ series is pretty decent as well.
Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Vane, Fang and Fury are up there too. (via Lesley)
Lauren Dane’s Cascadia Pack and Shelly Laurentson’s series contains some werewolves (via Reacher Fan)
Lane recommended LM Prieto’s books featuring m/m werewolf romance and Estara recommends the JL Langley werewolf books.
Madelaine Montague, polyamorous stories suggested by Reacher Fan.
Rebecca Flanders (OOP), Wolf in Waiting recommended by Meljean Brook.

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If You Like Ancient World romances

Jane — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:44:08 +0000

I know I haven’t posted this one yet (unlike the repetitive medieval If You Like). Jayne reviewed Blue Gold by Lindsey Townsend a month ago and many commenters bemoaned the lack of Ancient World settings. Blue Gold is set in 1560 BC. As Jayne said, the choice of the setting was clever because the canvas is more open:

Choosing this particular age, 1560 BC, in Egyptian history is quite clever. With the upheavals and the scarcity of historical records, you’ve got a more wide open canvas upon which to paint the story you want to tell. “Blue Gold” gets me doing what I love for historical books to do and that’s research the people, places and things used to tell the story. I learned all kinds of things about Hyksos rulers of Lower Egypt, the god Set, the f’ed up family of Sekenenre, the land of Punt and kedeshahs.

I would love to read more Ancient World settings. Have you got any recommendations. (Thanks to MoragtheScot for the idea of this post and for reminding me about it).

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If You Like Medieval Romances

Jane — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:00:13 +0000

In continuance of the If You Like series of reader recommendations, I bring you the Medieval. I love medievals but I wonder if that is because some of the first romances I had ever read were medievals. In my list of favorite medieval authors are Julie Garwood, Madeline Hunter, and Claudia Dain. The Holding by Claudia Dain is the first romance I got Ned to read (and he enjoyed it). More recently, I enjoyed Kris Kennedy’s The Conqueror.

What are your favorite authors and titles in the medieval time period.

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If You Like Medievals

Jane — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:10:03 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, we posted a call for your favorite vampire romance recommendations. The post generated 106 comments and even more recommendations. This post is directed toward medievals. Kris Kennedy recently released her first book, The Conqueror, set in England, 1152. The first romance Ned, my DH, read was Claudia Dain’s, The Holding. Madeline Hunter started out writing name writing lush, gorgeous medievals in the 2000 and 2001 with her “BY” series: By Arrangement, By Possession, By Design.

Some of my favorite medievals are by Julie Garwood (no comments from the peanut gallery, Jayne). Who can have read Honor’s Splendour and not sighed aloud when Madelyne warms Duncan’s feet? (If you read it and didn’t sigh, you have a cold, cold heart. Also, refuse to link to Garwood’s website as I find it almost unuseable and certainly unfriendly to readers).

What are your favorites?

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If You Like Vampire Romances

Jane — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:00:18 +0000

A girlfriend of mine just recently read the whole Twilight series on her iPhone. She doesn’t want to read more Meyer but she does want to read more Vampire Romances. I recommended the first book in the JR Ward series, Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 1), which she bought via the Kindle App on her iPhone. I plan to recommend Kresley Cole’s Warlord Wants Forever (in Playing Hard to Get) and No Rest for the Wicked.

I thought it would be great to build a recommended list here for various tropes. Give us your best recommendations and I’ll update this post.

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If You Like Jordan Castillo Price . . . Hosted by Val Kovalin

Guest Reviewer — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:00:32 +0000

We hosted a series of posts by guests last year called “If You Like”. The purpose of the post and the comments is to explore what we like about a particular author and what other authors have books like the author. If you would like to host an “If You Like” post, please email me at Jane at dearauthor.com

Val Kovalin who writes about fantasy fiction at ValKovalin.com and m/m fiction at Obsidian Bookshelf is hosting this If You Like entry on Jordan Castillo Price. Val Kavolin did a great piece on Julia Spencer Fleming, a favorite of author of mine.

***

It’s with great interest that I’ve read the comments of many DearAuthor readers, already fans of traditional m/f romance, who are venturing into m/m fiction. I happen to be doing the same thing, but coming from the opposite direction (m/m to m/f) so maybe I can help.

Jordan’s strong points include the following:

Comedy. This is so rare and so worthwhile! I deeply appreciate the author who can make me laugh.
Creative genre-blending. A typical piece by Jordan can contain romance, erotica, comedy, horror, mystery, and paranormal elements.
Male characters who are GUYS through and through. Some women authors don’t write believable men, but Jordan does.
Precise and vivid details that make each piece come alive with sensory detail.

Publishing in ebook and print, Jordan is currently working on two m/m series. The first is the PsyCop series, and the second is the Channeling Morpheus / Sweet Oblivion series. Fans of Josh Lanyon should take note: Jordan will be the co-writer with him on the Partners in Crime series forthcoming from MLR Press.

The PsyCop series. In this universe, psychic cops of various specialties partner with non-psychic cops in the elite PsyCop units. Vic is a cop with a mysterious past who can contact the dead – so naturally he works Homicide. He’s also a nervous wreck who copes by ingesting pharmaceuticals of all types. His boyfriend Jacob is a non-psychic cop. Supporting characters include Lisa, a precognitive cop; Carolyn, a truth-seer who is Jacob’s partner; and occult-shop employee Crash, an empath who delights in complicating the relationship between Vic and Jacob. The PsyCop series maintains an unusual balance between realism, angst, and comedy as it delves into the psychological and emotional problems of Vic.

Here are the PsyCop titles:

PsyCop 1 – Among the Living
PsyCop 2 – Criss Cross
PsyCop 3 – Body & Soul
PsyCop 4 – Secrets

You can buy the installments individually as ebooks or combined into print volumes: PsyCop 1 & 2 are combined in PsyCop Partners. PsyCop 3 & 4 are combined in PsyCop Property.

The Channeling Morpheus series. Channeling Morpheus is a five-novella cycle published by Changeling Press. It will soon be followed by a second cycle centered on the same characters and titled Sweet Oblivion. It’s darker in tone than the PsyCop series and centers on the obsessive emotional and sexual relationship between a vampire-slaver named Michael and a vampire named Wild Bill. I’m normally not a fan of vampires or erotica so it says a LOT that I find this particular series fresh and involving. Also, the characters travel vast distances and Jordan conveys a uniquely American sense of place as they drift from coffee shop to truck stop to fleabag motel.

Here are the Channeling Morpheus titles:

Channeling Morpheus 1 – Payback
Channeling Morpheus 2 – Vertigo
Channeling Morpheus 3 – Manikin
Channeling Morpheus 4 – Tainted

Jordan offers some stand-alone stories for free or for less than one dollar on her Lulu.com site: http://stores.lulu.com/jcprice

Setting (era): Contemporary

These books are set in the here-and-now with the internet playing a significant role in the Channeling Morpheus series.

Setting (geographic): Midwestern USA

The PsyCop series is set in Chicago and the Midwest. The Channeling Morpheus series is set throughout the Midwest.

Heroine type: None so far

This is m/m fiction so we’ve got two male leads and some supporting female characters. Lisa Gutierrez from the PsyCop series is especially vivid as the inexperienced young cop struggling to control her precognitive talents.

Hero type: Smart, funny, and a bit anxious

It’s hard to reduce the heroes to only a few words. Vic from the PsyCop series is the most anxious. He’s insecure, high-strung, and funny. His boyfriend Jacob, sexy and self-confident, offers him a protective sense of stability. In Channeling Morpheus, Michael the young vampire-slayer has a vulnerable exterior that masks a mysterious resolve and cold willingness to kill. Wild Bill is probably my favorite narrator: his rebellious nature and harsh, unsentimental vernacular hide a deeply romantic heart. The contrast between what he says and what he feels is striking.

Plot (action-oriented / character-driven): Both

Each installment has an external conflict that must be solved: a mystery for the PsyCop characters or a quest for the Channeling Morpheus characters. The overall story arc develops their character evolution. In the PsyCop series, Vic learns to use his psychic talent and to develop enough trust to flourish in his relationship with Jacob. In Channeling Morpheus, Michael and Bill negotiate the pitfalls of attraction between vampire and slayer.

Plot (slow/fast): Fast

Not a word gets wasted. These stories really move.

Writing style (simple v. ornate): Simple

The writing style is pared-down and swift, but it still contains some beautiful prose such as this description from Wild Bill’s viewpoint (from page 22 of Channeling Morpheus 4 – Tainted):

“… I half-dreamt that I was lying in the sun under a tree with fallen peaches all around me, overripe, fermented, practically rotten, their fuzz burst and split in places, swarmed with buzzing hornets and crawling with ants.”

Dialogue (lots v. little): A balanced, medium amount

Some of the funniest moments come from her dialogue.

Humor (Yes/No-serious/some): Yes

This is serious fiction that contains a lot of humor. One of my favorite scenes comes from PsyCop 3 Body & Soul when Vic visits Jacob’s family in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. On page 20, Jacob’s dad informs their guest from Chicago of their position on football:

“We don’t watch the Bears in this house unless they’re getting their asses handed to them by the Packers.”

Emotional Angst (high/medium/low): Medium

Definitely there is emotional angst in both series. Vic copes with drug addiction, covert government conspiracies, and the harrowing experience of being harassed non-stop by the dead. Bill and Michael struggle with their intense emotional and sexual connection when they know that they should be mortal enemies.

Conflict (externally driven/internally driven/both): Both

See my comments about Plot (action-oriented / character-driven).

Heat level (kisses/warm/hot/scorching): Scorching

Fans of erotica, rejoice. There is no demure fade-out in either series. The sex is explicit, realistic, well-written, and emotionally engaging. In particular, the sex scenes in Channeling Morpheus 2 – Vertigo are among the very best I’ve ever read.
If you like Jordan Castillo Price, you probably like a balance of paranormal with detailed, realistic settings. You’ll appreciate humor and explicit sex scenes. If this sounds like you, then definitely check out J. M. Snyder’s The Bonds of Love series set in Richmond, Virginia. This paranormal romance centers on a bus driver named Vic Braunson who develops an ever-changing array of superpowers through the mysterious influence of his lover, a fitness instructor named Matt DiLorenzo.
The Bonds of Love has humor, explicit sex, and a very appealing relationship between the two heroes. It also features precise, vivid sensory detail that grounds you in everyday Richmond, Virginia – sensory detail that I, as an aficionado of true escapism, look for but seldom find.

Readers, it’s your turn. What fiction would you recommend?

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If You Like Lois McMaster Bujold hosted by Elizabeth

Jane — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:00:23 +0000

We are starting a new series called “If You Like” which will be hosted by various readers, authors and bloggers of Dear Author. The purpose of the post and the comments is to explore what we like about a particular iconic author and what other authors have books like the iconic author. Elizabeth penned this awesome entry regarding Lois McMaster Bujold.

If you would like to host an “If You Like” post, please email me at Jane at dearauthor.com

***

If you like Lois McMaster Bujold …

Lois McMaster Bujold is one of the most acclaimed authors in speculative fiction still writing today. Her first book Warrior’s Apprentice was published in 1986 and she’s published 20 more books since then. Her latest book,The Sharing Knife, Volume Four: Horizon comes out the beginning of next year. (I can’t wait!) She’s been nominated and won scads of awards- multiple Hugos, Nebulas and one World Fantasy Award for best novel. With her large and diverse backlist Prolific is her middle name.

Warning: There are spoilers in this post

Lois McMaster Bujold currently has three ongoing series:

Vorkosigan Saga is an extensive SF epic primarily following the exploits of the diminutive but indomitable Lord Miles Vorkosigan. These are probably her best known works to date. The first books involve Miles’ parents Aral and Cordelia (Shards of Honorand Barrayar both found in Cordelia’s Honor ). The most recent book, Diplomatic Immunity, has Miles unraveling a plot aboard a space station while awaiting the birth of his twins. There are about a dozen books and short stories in between. Bujold is currently working on a new book involving Miles.
Chalion books are set in a fictional universe loosely based on Spain in the 15th century at its unification. Chalion books are heavy on theology, and the gods play an important part in the threads of all the books: the Father, the Mother, the Daughter, the Son and the Bastard. The series features stand-alone books with a different protagonist for each. In each book one of the 5 gods is offstage pulling the strings. Bujold has said she would like to write one book for each of the five gods in the theology, so far she has only written three: The Curse of Chalion for the Daughter, Paladin of Souls for the Bastard and The Hallowed Hunt for the Son.
The Sharing Knife books are fantasy novels set in a world loosely based on the country south of the Great Lakes in North America with technology roughly equivalent to the 1800s, minus explosives and gunpowder. The tensions between Lakewalkers and Farmers is reminiscent of the early culture clashes between settlers and Native Americans. In these books the romance takes front and center more than in any other Bujold. Dag is a Lakewalker, member of a nomadic, magician-warrior clan. Fawn is a farmer girl who ran away from home and right into Dag. There is a wide age gap standing between the two, but more than that, a deep-seated bigotry from both their kin that Lakewalkers and farmers do not marry. The whole world is telling Dag and Fawn they can’t be together, but the two of them forge their own way by holding strong to each other.

The Spirit Ring was a stand alone fantasy novel set in Italy that dealt with metallurgy and necromancy. It reads almost like a YA book. The hero and heroine are only 17 and 15 respectively, and they have somewhat immature perspectives. There’s a more cooperative resolution than in most of her books, in that the hero and heroine’s work to save the day is supplemented by contributions from the book’s minor characters. A warning: there is more violence than one would expect in a young adult book, and lots of corpses onstage for the action, as well as one incident of infanticide early in the book.

I started reading Lois McMaster’s books after reading reviews on this blog and at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. I’d heard her name before, but my interest in Lois McMaster Bujold wasn’t really piqued until SBTB gave The Sharing Knife: Beguilement a rave review. I didn’t buy the book then but it stuck with me, and this year when I got my first ever library card, I saw a copy of Beguilement on the shelves and checked it out on a whim. Boy, am I glad I did! In a few short months I have devoured her backlist and discovered a new auto-buy author.

Setting (era): Diverse
Her time periods range widely. The Vorkosigan Saga is set in a hi-tech universe approximately 1000 years in the future with wormhole technology, babies grown in replicators outside their mothers, along with typical SF standbys likes stunners and holographics. The Spirit Ring is set in a fictional Italy in the 1500s. Chalion is set in a pseudo-medieval fantasy world. The fantasy world of The Sharing Knife feels more like the American frontier (complete with riverboats and straw hats).

Setting (geographic): Also Diverse
One of Bujold’s greatest strengths is her world-building. Her worlds go “all the way to edge of the page” as she puts it. She firmly fixes her settings in your mind without info-dumps or “As you know, Bob…” dialogue. And variety is her specialty. If you can think of it, chances are she’s set a book there: cities, boonies, back roads, lakes- in the Vorkosigan books alone you get rolling foothills, mountain caves, underground cities, arctic military bases, space stations, bio-domes…On and on. She’s also got this way with words, simple but so elegant. Here’s an excerpt from her latest book The Sharing Knife, Volume Three: Passage:

The valley of the Grace spread out below them in the gold-blue autumn light. The river seemed to have put on her party dress, her banks and bending hillsides a swirl of color: scarlet and purple-red, glowing yellow, bright brown. The water reflected the azure of the sky, save where it broke into a sparkling shoal, necklace to the dress. Brooches of boats slid upon the water- a distant keel, a broad, blunt ferry- with a girdle of flatboats pulled up along the farther shore.”

But it’s not just about the landscape.
I used to believe an author only had one real, fully-formed, intricate world inside them. (Like Anne McCaffrey- her Dragonrider books are incredible, intricate and so well-developed. Unfortunately, in her other books the world-building is depressingly lackluster). Bujold has disabused me of this notion. Every world she creates is fully-formed and functional, perfectly inhabitable by the reader. The theology, the culture, the politics, and the history of the place-whichever place- are instilled so deeply on every page it’s like an immersion course, you could almost do anthropological studies on a Lois McMaster Bujold world. Her real brilliance is that she can do this without overwhelming the reader, and never once have I felt one of her world-building details was out of place or inorganic to the world. It’s a little hard to explain, but to me it sort of feels like if I was plunked in the middle of one of her books I could look all around me- up, down, sideways- and everything would be there, would be real. Forks on the table, paintings on the wall, manure in the streets, socio-political conflicts dating back centuries, etc, etc… One of my particular favorites is the religion in Chalion. It’s so logical, so seamless and legitimately real right down to the way they salute they’re gods, you’re half tempted to start your own church of the Five-Fold Pathway by the end. There are really plausible rituals and all the characters have varying levels of religious zeal. They aren’t zombies or moral mouthpieces. The church doesn’t feel like cobbled together bits of earth religions, either. It is very uniquely its own, belonging to no other place but Chalion.

Heroine type: Smart. Strong. Brave. Centered. They all save themselves, save the heroes, and save the day. They are just as capable as the heroes are. They can be naïve or jaded but never TSTL doormats. These girls don’t flounder or screw-up just so the hero can save them. They multi-task: saving themselves while ruling the world, thank you very much.

In the Vorkosigan Saga: (just a few)

Kareen: Blonde. The bouncy daughter of the emperor’s own ex-personal bodyguard (that would be her mother), she’s ambitious and personable. The middle child in a brood of all blonde “commandos”, she could sell water to a drowning man but she’s still torn, figuring her place and who she wants to be.
Ekaterin: Brunette. An elegant widow in her early thirties, just coming out a soul-sucking, heart-blighting marriage. Damaged, unsure of herself at first, she’s sharp-witted, fierce, with a spine of steel and impeccable taste in all things.
Cordelia: Red-head. A force of nature. At the start of the series (Shards of Honor) she’s in her mid-thirties, a science officer in despair of ever having a family or finding love. She’s tough, impulsive, and open-minded, with a bone-dry sense of humor. She not only pulls herself out of dire situations, she saves the hero too, and her ship’s crew and his ship’s crew and her planet and his planet

and… In Chalion: The romances tend to be relegated to the background, present without dominating the plot. All the women of Chalion, though, are clever and powerful, treading the dangerous waters of political intrigue with sure strokes and brave faces. Ista is the protagonist in Paladin of Souls; she’s middle-aged royalty, a faded beauty emerging from nearly two decades spent accursed and half-mad, stifled and confined for her own good by those who love her. In Paladin of Souls she reclaims her liberty and her life. She has a wonderful sense of self-direction and aggressively defends her autonomy, not only from those who love her and want to shelter her but even from the gods themselves.

In The Sharing Knife: Fawn is innocent, painfully young, but steadily learning more about the Wide Green World as the series progresses. In the first book she begins naïve, but with her voracious curiosity she grows towards full womanhood. She’s got the patented Bujold bravery and a lively sense of humor. The most appealing thing I find, though, is her unquenchable joy for life.

Hero type: Clever. Honorable. Driven. Leaders of men. Her heroes are so attractive, every last one of them, but it’s not because of how they look: it’s because of who they are. One interesting thing is, with the exception of Thur in The Spirit Ring, each and every one of her heroes has some kind of physical oddity. Aral has a large L-shaped scar on his face. Miles is very short with a mild hunch, has scars all over his body from various corrective surgeries and a giant one on his chest from a sniper shot. Cazaril is skinny and sickly for most of his book, his back is covered in whip welts, he has a sizeable tumor and he’s missing part of a finger. Dag is rugged, with the generally beat-up body of an old warrior, his left hand was bitten off by a wolf. These gentlemen probably aren’t winning any beauty pageants, and yet they are all so comfortable with who they are, what they are, it makes them so, so appealing. It’s obvious why the ladies want them- even if the heroes can’t understand it themselves.

In the Vorkosigan Saga: (just a few)

Miles: Ah, Miles…where to begin? He’s intriguing, engrossing with charm and wit to spare. He’s unstoppable. He can unravel the most tangled piece of political intrigue. He can bring a seven foot tall werewoman to her knees with desire. He’s a genius. He’s a brilliant tactician. He’s…under five feet tall. I’ve seen him described as one of the most fascinating, well-developed characters in fiction. I can’t really argue with that, this guy’s like an onion- oy with the layers! He’s particularly charming when he’s wooing his future wife Ekaterin in A Civil Campaign: “‘What, when they issued you their honor they didn’t give you the model with the reset button? Mine’s right here.’ He pointed to the general vicinity of his navel.”
Aral: A dedicated leader and father. He’s dealt with disasters (personal, political and otherwise) that would have crippled lesser men (and nearly cripple him but for Cordelia’s love-ahh!). “I would get up…but for some reason my legs go first and my tongue last. I’d rather fall at your feet in some more controlled fashion.”

In Chalion:

Cazaril: Humble. Loyal. A man of truly great integrity. He’s brilliant, especially when it comes to political maneuvering in a court full of scheming nobles. Cazaril is hands down one of my most favorite characters EVER! He fell to the very depths of despair and doom and emerged soft-spoken and self-deprecating. Once a great captain of men, after his enslavement he’s become unceasingly grateful for even the smallest kindness. He undervalues himself but fights tooth and nail, blood and bone to help those he cares about and owes fealty to. A wonderful, wonderful character. Here’s a quote of Caz’s from The Curse of Chalion:

“On the galleys we were not lords or men. We were men or animals, and which proved which had no relation I ever saw to birth or blood. The greatest soul I ever met there had been a tanner, and I would kiss his feet right now with joy to learn he yet lived. We slaves, we lords, we fools, we men and women, we mortals, we toys of the gods—all the same thing, Palli. They are all the same to me now.”

Ingrey: The hero from The Hallowed Hunt, he’s a loyal liegeman and a secret shaman with the spirit of a wolf trapped in his gut. Handsome, agile, athletic. He’s set to guard a noblewoman who killed the prince in self-defense, and Ingrey finds himself drawn to the girl, Ijara, longing to protect her even as he knows she’s probably doomed. I enjoy how his priorities shift from self-preservation to protecting Ijara, and the ensuing romance is very sweet.

In The Sharing Knife: Dag is awesome. He begins world-weary and welcoming his death (consequence of a shattering loss in his early adult life) and then meets Fawn. She saves him, rekindling the old hunger for life and love. He defies his family and his whole society to stay by her. He acquires a philanthropic bent once he’s met Fawn, a desire to heal the world, unite the two peoples and he sets about doing it, even if it can feel like casting stones in the ocean. I particularly love how well Bujold depicts Dag’s reactions to various complications that arise. They are always multi-layered and real. And I love the way he loves Fawn.

From Beguilement:

“For the courage of her heart, which I saw face down the greatest horrors I know without breaking. For the high and hungry intelligence of her mind, which never stops asking questions, nor thinking about the answers. For the spark of her spirit, which could teach bonfires how to burn.…All this is set beside me, and you ask me instead if I want dirt? I do not understand farmers.”

*swoon*

Writing style (simple v. ornate): Tends towards the simple.
It can get a little complicated in Vorkosigan if she’s space-jargoning but generally she’s not one to use a four syllables if she can get her point across with one. Really solid, well-written stuff that serves her stories. Some books have multiple points of view (A Civil Campaign has 5) and some have just the one (All the Chalion books thus far follow only one POV character). She also has a knack for summing up really complex, deep emotional truths with laser precision. An example from Vorkosigan: “Reputation is what other people know about you, honor is what you know about yourself.” And here’s another for good measure from The Curse of Chalion:

“Events may be horrible or inescapable. Men have always a choice—if not whether, then how, they may endure.”

Dialogue (lots/little/balanced): Balanced.
There are occasionally sections very heavy in dialogue. Exposition. Interrogations. She doesn’t really do much rapid-fire back and forth dialogue like, say, Crusie or someone. Usually it tends to be a page of mostly conversation, then a page of mostly description, back and forth.

Humor (Yes/No-serious/some): Some.
A dry sense of humor permeates all her books. Occasionally events devolve into downright farce. A Civil Campaign probably has more in common with a Georgette Heyer romp than a classic space opera. At the least, all of her characters banter and joke with each other and to themselves. Usually they are self-deprecating and wry but always so, so funny. All of her books have humorous incidents but they’re not laugh-riots. This bit’s from A Civil Campaign:

‘What the hell is going on down here?’ Roic bellowed, scrabbling for his stunner on the wrong side of his holster with his hands slippery from their coating of bug butter. ‘You woke me up! ‘S the third time somebody’s woke me up this morning! I’d just got to sleep. ‘Swore I’d kill the next sonuvabitch who woke me up–!’ Kareen and Martya clung together for a moment of pure aesthetic appreciation of the height, the breadth of shoulder, the bass reverberation, the generous serving of athletic young male Roic presented; Martya sighed. The Escobarans, naturally, had no idea who this giant naked screaming barbarian was who’d appeared between them and the only exit route they knew… Kareen cried urgently, ‘Roic, they’re trying to kidnap Enrique!’ ‘Yeah? Good….Make sure they pack all his devil bugs along with him…’ The panicked Gustioz tried to lunge past Roic toward the door, but caromed off him instead. They both slipped in the bug butter and went down in an arcing flurry of official documentation.

Plot: (action-oriented / character-driven): 50/50.
But actually more like 100/100. Her books are so full, so rich and deep that you are captivated, dragged along on the adventures. Her characters are so real you want to buy them a drink. Her plots intricate and complex. She always creates organic, believable characters and then throws them into impossibly difficult, complicated, delicate situations. I’ve tried a couple times to sum them up here to give you an idea, but there’s just SO much drive in any given novel I don’t really know where to start.

Pace: (fast/medium/slow) Depends.
Most of the Vorkosigans are pretty fast-paced, but then there are some like A Civil Campaign and Komarr that start slower but rev into overdrive at the end. The Sharing Knife series is more slow and steady, episodic at times. Chalion is a mix edging more towards medium/slow. Her plots always manage, though, for all the sub-plots and complications, to remain tightly controlled. No sprawling, unfocused epics here, thank you very much.

Conflict (externally driven/internally driven/both): Both.
Bujold is always one to provide strong motivating factors, both internal and external. Here’s a couple tasters: in Diplomatic Immunity Miles is trying to get back home in time to be there for the birth of his twins. He’s side-tracked by a diplomatic nightmare. He has to worry about his own safety, that of his wife’s, the potential war brewing, a biological weapon that could kill thousands of people and a few other complications that would be too spoilery to mention. Cazaril from The Curse of Chalion has SO many conflicts. There’s a literal one growing in his belly slowly killing him, a demon and a dead soul trapped because of a curse Caz performed to save someone he loved. He’s torn politically between struggling factions. He’s torn theologically as the gods pull him every which way. He constantly questions his own decisions and motivations, wondering, hoping he’s doing the right thing and not leading his entire nation into disaster. He’s been shattered into a million small pieces and is slowly sorting through to see what still fits in his new life, his new self. Basically, in a Bujold book it doesn’t matter whether it’s external or internal- the characters are just driven. Inexorably, perhaps disastrously, driven onward to their fate.

Emotional Angst (high/medium/low): High.
Bujold writes her stories based on “What’s the worst thing I can do to this character?” They have to deal with lost loves, lost children, dishonor, death, disease, social injustice, attempted rape and so much more of the dark, twisty stuff that makes up life. Her books can get really dark but they still don’t take themselves too seriously. And as dark as the depths are to which her characters plunge they still manage to pull themselves back up.

Violence: PG-13 bordering on R.
Her violence is never gratuitous although it is often stark and shocking. I can be a little sensitive about bloodshed and I admit there have been a few scenes of hers that made me squirm, but nothing so disgusting or horrible it made me give up on the book. The Vorkosigan books are probably the most violent. In her books at large there have been mass graves, decapitations, miscarriages, graphic attempted rapes, and other acts of violence to be expected in heightened situations.

Heat level: (kisses/warm/hot/scorching): Kisses/Warm.
As far as the actual love scenes I would say probably kisses to warm. Very little sex takes place on stage. More often there’s a little lead up and then a fade to black. Or veiled allusions to what they’re doing without actually going into Insert Tab A into Slot B purple prose. There are no engorged members thrusting into love grottos here. The sex scenes are really there to build character and plot more than to titillate or excite and as such, are fairly tame. Here’s an example from The Sharing Knife: Beguilement:

Hand. Soon supplemented with tongue, in very tender places indeed. His touch was like silk, there, there, there? ah! She jerked in surprise but eased back. So, this was making love….Minutes flew. Something was swirling through her, like some astonishingly sweet emergency. His touch grew firmer, swifter, surer. Her eyes closed, her breath came faster, and her spine began to arch. Then her breath caught, and she went rigid, silent, openmouthed, as the sensation burst from her, climbing up to white out her brain, to rush like a tide to her fingers and toes, to ebb.

I would point out that there are sometimes rather frank discussions in Bujold’s books about bisexuality, hermaphrodites, sexual violence and sexual experimentation, just as an FYI for people who might be sensitive about that stuff. Bujold pulls no punches. About anything, really.

If you like Lois McMaster Bujold, you’ll like…

I’m going to break this down too:

In General:
You might try some Georgette Heyer. She has the same enveloping, precise and detail-oriented world-building. Her characters are varied and rich. Her plots can become intricate as a fold of lace. She has romance, adventure, and intrigue. The witty quips fly faster than you can keep up sometimes. These Old Shades has the dark, delicious Duke of Avon. The Talisman Ring is a hilarious romp. The Grand Sophy features an indomitable, headstrong heroine. Personally, I’ve never read a Heyer I didn’t enjoy and the same goes for Bujold’s books too.

In Particular, if You Like:

The Vorkosigan Saga try: Finders Keepers by Linnea Sinclair. The world-building isn’t up to Bujold, but if you’re hankering for some military SF with a romance this book reads like a poor man’s Vorkosigan in many places. The hero is pretty much a beefier, “hunk” version of Aral Vorkosigan. He’s even nick-named the Butcher too. I haven’t read any others by Sinclair but she’s a RITA award winning novelist with several other SF titles under her belt: maybe someone else can give more title suggestions. I unfortunately don’t read much SF and the stuff I have read is probably too dated for most modern SF readers. I hope other folks have more suggestions.
Chalion try: I would recommend Andre Norton’s Witch World series (most of which have some kind of romance). Some of my favorites would be the first two Witch World books respectively titled The Witch World and Web of the Witch World. Also, Year of the Unicorn (which actually has no unicorns in it- promise!). All three of these have well-developed, satisfying romantic subplots, killer world-building and adept character development. I haven’t read this myself yet but from what I’ve read Sharon Shinn’s Twelve Houses series has similar themes and high stakes like Chalion. A world in peril, the state religion kind of up in the air…Tell me if I’m wrong in the comments, though.
The Sharing Knife try: I highly recommend The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. Fans of The Sharing Knife books might like the conflict as two sets of peoples (Dragonriders and Holders) try to figure out how to live and support each other amidst a crisis that threatens their whole world. It features the same layered, intricate world-building as a Bujold novel and it has a lot of the same themes. Actually, the more I thought about it the more similarities I saw between the Dragonrider/ Holder and the Lakewalker/Farmer conflicts. Many, if not all, of the Dragonrider books have some sort of romantic subplot and the Dragonrider men are HAWT. I would highly recommend the first two books Dragonflight and Dragonquest. The series is pretty large so if you want to dive in I really recommend reading them in the order they were published and not by the books’ internal chronology. Oh, and don’t bother with the newest ones by her son at all. The Gryphon Saga by Andre Norton, comprised of three books: The Crystal Gryphon, Gryphon in Glory, and Gryphon’s Eyrie. They’re an off-shoot of the Witch World series and they follow Lord Kerovan, a lord’s heir and soldier, and his lady-love, Joisan, as they navigate their war-torn world. The first book has them separated by conflict and chaos. Kerovan has an out of the ordinary appearance (amber colored eyes and cloven feet) and magical abilities to match. Their marriage starts off as an arranged one of convenience but then they move towards friendship and, eventually, love, trust and true companionship. Kerovan reminds me a bit of Dag. He worries constantly if there is something profoundly evil about him because of his immense supernatural power. By the end of the first book Kerovan and Joisan set off into the wide unknown world together to wander and find answers to save themselves and their world.
The Spirit Ring try: Robin McKinley’s Beauty and Spindle’s End. These books are similar because of the cooperative defeat of the baddies and the self-sufficient, strong heroines. Also they share the more young adult tone. McKinley’s have more pronounced romances (being based on fairytales) than The Spirit Ring and Bujold in general.

Ok, your turn: What do you recommend?

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