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

Dear Ms. Shinn,

I was tired, crabby, and busily packing for a trip when the ARC of Reader and Raelynx arrived on my doorstep. Minutes later, I gleefully sent off an email to my fellow Dear Author reviewers, quoting the little note that said “Sharon Shinn said you would be interested in seeing a galley of her upcoming book for possible review! Enjoy!” Was I interested? You better believe I was. And did I enjoy the book? Absolutely, although I have a few caveats.

Reader and Raelynx is the fourth novel in your Twelve Houses series. Although published as fantasy, the books all contain romantic storylines that take center stage. The series is set in Gillengaria, a kingdom where mystics (those people who have magical abilities) are frequently persecuted by those who fear them, and the books follow the fortunes of a group of friends, five mystics and two elite soldiers belonging to the king’s personal guard, as they seek to help Gillengaria’s sympathetic King Baryn.

As Reader and Raelynx opens, the group is dispersed, with shapeshifters Kirra and Donnal prowling though the kingdom and newlyweds Justin and …

Dear Ms. Inclan,

I just happened to pick up “When You Believe” at the bookstore and vaguely remembered that it got decent grades at a few other review sites and was in a “what the hell” mood. I’ll be honest and say that up to page 70, I had serious doubts that I’d finish it. I pulled up those other reviews for clues as to whether or not the rest of the book would click for me. I even went to Amazon.com and it was all those reviews urging readers to “keep at it” and “not give up because you will be rewarded in the end” that kept me going. So I thought, “50 more pages and I hope it picks up or it’s return time.” Luckily for me, it was around the page 70 mark that things started to fall into place.

Miranda Stead’s journey into the world of the Croyants begins on the night she accidentally stumbles into a high level meeting that is focused on stopping a rogue member from taking over the world. These people are beyond weird and appear to be able to read minds among other neat little “magical” …