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

Dear Ms. Briggs:

My discovery of your novels began with the Hurog series at the recommendation of fellow reviewer and long time friend, Jan. I am ever so grateful to her because your books are subtle treasures. The Mercy Thompson series provides the perfect blend of world building and complex character arcs so that both the reader who wants their action with a twist and the reader who wants to be moved emotionally will be satisfied.

Mercy Thompson is a walker. Walkers are low on the paranormal/otherworld power chain. Mercy is not stronger, smarter, or magical when she shifts. The only benefit is that she is immune to magic. This immunity is a benefit and a curse because her immunity is a tool that those in power would like to control for their own selfish purposes.

Book three in the series, Iron Kissed, is packed with emotion, mystery, romance, and fantasy providing a full bodied read for the urban fantasy fan. Mercy is at a crossroads in her relationships with the two men in her life, Samuel and Adam Hauptman. Both are alpha werewolves although …

Dear Ms. Wilson,

Lord of the Fading Lands first came to my attention when my blogging partner, Jane, sent all her co-bloggers an excited email after reading an ARC of the book back in the summertime. Soon afterward, Jane blogged about the book and since then, others have fallen in love with it, both here and elsewhere.

Since I often enjoy romantic fantasy and love a good epic romance, I have been wanting to read Lord of the Fading Lands for a while, and now that I have I can say that while the book was enjoyable enough that I wasn’t sorry I read it, I also won’t be reading it a second time.

Lord of the Fading Lands is the story of Rain Tairen Soul, an ancient and tormented fey who once nearly destroyed the world when he lost his mate. Now Rain’s people, the fey, are in grave danger, and Rain senses that to save them, he must find a red haired mortal woman whose image he sees in a prophetic orb called the Eye of Truth.

For the first time in a thousand years, Rain leaves the feys’ Fading Lands and journeys …

Warning this may be spoilerish.

Dear Ms. Warren:
This is my first book of yours and while I didn’t love this book, I do like your voice so it won’t be my last. In fact, the book was really a B read for me until Page 108 when the heroine does something inexplicable. At one point, I thought you were going to right the ship for me, but it all was lost at the page 256 mark.

I like the world you have filled with shapeshifters, demons, and other magical creatures but I just didn’t like how the story played out. I was never sold that the hero deserved any kind of emotional justice (except maybe the bad kind). I thought that the primary characters acted in contravention with their belief system for no reason.

Samantha Carstairs is the personal assistant of the Alpha of the Silverback Clan. As most assistants, she knows everything that goes on in the Pack and more. Obviously, the Alpha trusts her implicitly. She’s also best friends with Dr. Annie Cryer, a scientist studying the lupine genome. Sam’s position in the …

Dear Ms. Laurenston:

Your Pack Challenge series introduced me to three wonderfully strong, sassy, and entertaining heroines (the Samhain reissues, that is), making me actively anticipate your first Kensington release, The Mane Event. Although I had only recently discovered your work myself, I was excited at the possibility of a wider audience being able to enjoy your confidently engaging voice. All of which made my experience of reading The Mane Event bittersweet. Had I not committed to reviewing it, I would not have made it past the first few chapters of this two-novella book. But because I had already promised Jane I would purchase and review the book, I had to read it all. And I am glad I did, because the second novella was much, much stronger than the first.

In “Christmas Pride” we meet Mace Llewellyn, former Navy SEAL, anticipated breeding male of the Llewellyn pride, and all-around hunky male. As a healthy and wealthy specimen of shifter perfection, Mace is unexpectedly resistant to what most shifter males in his position would embrace: honoring his leonine nature and helping to repopulate …

Dear Ms. Cole:

I am so glad that I read Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night a second time before I wrote this review. My first time through I was so frustrated by the interminable obstacles to Bowen and Mariketa’s relationship that I could barely focus on anything else. But when I went back to the book to refresh my memory for this review, I ended up re-reading it, and felt much more engaged in the story and the characters.

Bowen MacRieve has spent the past 180 years suffering for the death of his mate, Mariah. The circumstances of her death have left him guilt-ridden and angry, and he has entered the Talisman’s Hie in order to win Thrane’s Key, which would allow him to return to the past to recover her. While the Lykae are naturally suspicious of witches, Bowen abhors them because his father had been made victim to the cruel execution of a witch’s spell. So he is particularly unsettled when he reacts with such strong lust to the young witch Mariketa the Awaited, who, at a mere 23, has not yet turned immortal or mastered …

Dear Ms. Shinn,

This book was so good that after finishing it I kept saying to myself, "This book was so good! This book was so good!" I sat down at my computer to write this letter and like an inarticulate idiot, all I could think to say was "This book was so good!”

Yes, Dark Moon Defender was a very, very good book, and easily the most romantic thing I've read that came out in 2006. Thus far it's also my favorite of your Twelve Houses books, which began with …

Dear Ms. Dodd:

I reviewed the first in the series, Scent of Darkness, and enjoyed the updated play on the boss/secretary theme. Touch of Darkness uses another standard romance trope turned on its side (as opposed to turned on its head). Touch is an adventure romance between former lovers who must trust each other to reach the end safely. The twist is that it is Tasya, the heroine, who leaves the hero.

I think that which book will be a reader’s favorite will depend largely upon their emotional response to the main characters. I liked Anna and Jasha in Scent over Rurik and Tasya in Touch but Touch is just as well written. It’s the work of a professional writer who knows exactly what makes an appealing story. Tightly plotted, fast paced, with well developed characters, the book hits all the right tones.

Rurik Wilder is a member of the cursed Varinski clan. His ancestor sold his soul to the devil in exchange for power, …

Dear Ms. Burkhart,

As I told you when you offered us an e-copy of “Survive My Fire,” dragon shapeshifters usually do little to light my fire. Shapeshifters period have pretty much lost my interest at this point, and yet your book grabbed me from the start. Perhaps it’s because up til now Chanda has rarely shifted to human form yet once she does, she generally stays there or maybe it’s because her dragon form is the result of a curse and not a lifelong thing. I might not have always known exactly what was going on but the ride was interesting.

In a land of poisoned sands and unending drought, Chanda has been trapped as a dragon for centuries. When yet another warrior comes to her lair, she wants to eat him. The last one was certainly tasty.

As the last dragon warrior of his tribe, Jalan must kill the White Dragon to save his people. He survives her teeth and claws. He even survives her Fire. Yet he loses the battle to protect his heart from the proud, fierce woman revealed by the silvered full moon.

While Jalan must choose between his …

Dear Ms. Laurenston:

For those readers who are looking for stronger and sassier women in Romance, your Magnus Pack series may be a perfect match. When I got Here Kitty, Kitty, the third and final installment in the paranormal adventures of best friends Sara Morrighan, Miki Kendrick, and Angelina Santiago, I hadn't even heard of you, so I decided to read the series from the beginning, allowing me to appreciate and enjoy Here Kitty, Kitty that much more.

And enjoy it, I did. Although this review is technically for the third Pack book, I did not treat it as completely independent in my reading, and cannot in my review, either. Also, I should clarify that the first two books in the series, Pack Challenge and Go Fetch!, were published first by the now defunct Triskellion and then by Samhain. If you initially read or purchased the Trisk versions, I recommend re-investing in the Samhain editions, which I found to be significantly stronger.

At the center of these books are three incredibly strong women, assertive and present in the way I often want the women of …

Dear Ms. Dodd:

When I first heard that you were doing a paranormal series, I was a bit skeptical. Not every author has made the transition from contemporary or historical to paranormal well. I also will admit that I haven’t read you in years (2003 to be exact) because I was quite perturbed at your handling of the adoption issue in the Lost Texas Hearts series. I began the book with not a little cynicism.

Ann Smith is in love with her boss, Jasca Wilder. One day she’s given the opportunity to drop off some important paperwork at Jascha’s vacation home. Before going up, she gives herself a pep talk and a makeover and is determined to make a play for Jascha. She’s done with being shy and non assertive. Ann’s plans are quickly derailed when she sees Jascha morphing from a wolf to a man. Like any SMART woman would do, Ann flees. She forgets that this is a man she loves and just freaks out. She throws her stiletto at him, drawing blood, runs out of the house, hops into her car and …