Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary

September and October were bare for recommended reads from the crew here at Dear Author so hopefully you saved up your money for this month because we’ve got 7 8! recommendations.

Demon Bound by Meljean Brook. This will not be my favorite Brook book, but her writing is consistently strong with excellent visuals and a compelling conflict. She’s the best author people are not reading, in my opinion. Jake is a younger (comparatively speaking for the eternal), optimistic Guardian whose teleporting gift is always going awry. He lives for the moment and generally takes joy in most things. Alice, dubbed the Black Widow, greets each day with resignation for she has made the worst possible bargains. Either kill the leader of the Guardians or lose herself to eternal torture in hell. She’s both repelled and attracted to Jake and his youthful and vibrant sexuality. Brook excels at creating unique characters who serve as foils as their exploration of their relationship moves with the plot. Recommended by Jane. Review to come.

Flat Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy. I love McCarthy’s contemporaries …

Dear Ms. Mallory:

There is alot to like about this historical romance. It has a non virgin heroine who, a real rogue of a hero, a philosophical question at its core, and nuanced writing. There were some plot holes, though, that bothered me throughout the story that kept this from being an unqualified recommended read. In truth though, for those that like a historical with a bit more meat and emotional depth, this will provide good entertainment.

Sebastien is a bastard, one that has been dependent on his vile father for many years until he was able to break free. He’s longed for acceptance into society, the one place denied to him because of his birth. He’s turned that longing into vengeance and when an opportunity arises for him to become part of that society, he doesn’t hesitate to grab at it.  There were wonderful characterization details in the story with Sebastien always leaving small evidences of his anger at the aristocracy and his ostracization.
He picked at the edge of the leather chair, the action twofold. It gave his aimless fingers purpose, and he prided himself on leaving unnoticed destruction in his wake whenever …

Dear Ms. Mallory:

I’ve pledged to myself to try and be more diverse in my reading because I do have the luxury of choosing among a number of books without financial risk. This is my first book from you and while I had several issues, I like the voice and would try you again.

Marietta Winters sought out Gabriel Noble upon recommendation from a family friend. Marietta’s younger brother, Kenny, has been arrested and accused of being the Middlesex Murderer. Marietta is desperate to free her innocent brother and Noble is her last chance.

Noble investigates matters for the princely sum of 10,000 pounds or three favors. Marietta rightly assumes that those favors must be costly. Marietta is so poor that she and her older brother have been reduced to eating bread and water and thus three favors is her only source of payment. Noble makes it seem like the three favors will be sexual in nature and Marietta bristles at this, but will do whatever she can to help her brother.

I think that the intent of this book was to echo the gothics of the 1970s where the reader isn’t …