Dear Author Recommends for August
Can you believe that it is August already? I can’t. This year has just swept by. We’ve changed up the recommends rules a little bit to accommodate digital book and category book releases. We reviewers are having a hard time keeping up with the new release dates and so we are keeping our print recommendations to the month of their release, but being much more free about the category books (particularly the digital backlists) and digital first books. Hope that works for you readers. If you have any suggestions on how to make this better, let us know in the comments.
- Burning Up
by Angela Knight, Nalini Singh, Virginia Kantra, Meljean Brook. Recommended by Shuzluva, Jaclyn and Janine.
- Still Life With Murder (Nell Sweeney Mysteries [formerly Gilded Age Mysteries])
by P.B. Ryan. Recommended by Jennie and Janine. - Fair Game
by Josh Lanyon. Recommended by Sunita.
- Ruthless (The House of Rohan)
by Anne Stuart. Recommended by Angela.
- The Heat Is On (Harlequin Blaze)
by Jill Shalvis. Recommended by Jaclyn.
- Hot Finish (Fast Track)
by Erin McCarthy. Recommended by Jane.
- Waking the Witch
by Kelley Armstrong. Recommended by Jia.
- Last Night’s Scandal
by Loretta Chase. Recommended by Janine, Jayne, Jane
- Life, Over Easy
by K.A. Mitchell. Recommended by Sunita, Sarah F.
- Libertine’s Kiss
by Judith James. Recommended by Jayne.
- Baby Bombshell
by Lisa Ruff. Recommended by Jayne.
- An Heir for the Millionaire: The Greek and the Single Mom\The Millionaire’s Contract Bride
by Julia James and Carole Mortimer (for HP lovers). Recommended by Jane.
- Unspeakable
by Laura Griffin. Recommended by Jayne.
- All I Ever Wanted
by Kristan Higgins. Recommended by Jane.
- Once and for All
by Jeannie Watts. Recommended by Jane.
- A Little Bit Wild
by Victoria Dahl. Recommended by Jane.
- Awakened by a Kiss (Fiery Tales, Book 1)
by Lila DiPasqua. Recommended by Jane.
I just finishing reading Tessa Dare’s Three Nights with a Scoundrel, which is the last in her Stud Club trilogy. I really enjoyed it; Dare is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.
I’ve never read any of Stuarts’ stuff, but I think I might have to try her out with this new release.
Wow, that’s quite a list. I bought two titles from your recommended list and can’t wait to read them.
I’m really looking forward to reading RUTHLESS, LIBERTINE’S KISS, LAST NIGHT’S SCANDAL and HOT FINISH. I’ve seen mixed reviews for the Dahl, so I may pass on that one . . .
I’m reading Ruthless and Last Night’s Scandal. I also have Still Live With Murder but I haven’t even starred reading it.
Is Tessa Dare’s latest better than her previous one? Normally I love her work but I found Twice Tempted By A Rogue to be too unrealistic for my enjoyment.
I am so on the fence about Libertine’s Kiss. On the one hand, it has amazing reviews, but on the other… I’ve heard the hero is really damaged. I have to be in the mood for cruel heroes and there has to be a good grovel at the end of it all. We’ll see. ;)
@Lucy: I had the same thoughts about Twice Tempted, and didn’t really like it, but I am enjoying the newest book so far. I’m not that far in, though.
I just finished Libertine’s Kiss last night. Loved loved loved it! I wasn’t a big fan of the other books by James, but this one has turned me. You don’t see many books from that era, and I think everything was done with just the right amount of taste. I totally understood wh the hero was the way he was, and loved his interactions with the heroine. Great story.
I purchased the Burning Up anthology for the Nalini Singh story but I’m loving Meljean Brook’s contribution.
You asked about how to make the list better. My only suggestion would be to think about including a thumbnail of the cover in the list. I’m sure the authors would appreciate it, and it makes it easier to spot covers when scanning a bookstore :)
But I wouldn’t bother if you’re compiling this list by hand. If you’ve got some kind of back-end database or spreadsheet that you build the list from with some degree of automation, then yes.
(And yes, I’m a programmer, which is why I’m trying to give the pros and cons from both the user experience and from the back-end side of things, though I can only speculate on how you guys manage things behind the scenes) :)
I’m not overly concerned with release dates, myself. [Except when I preorder, and the book doesn’t arrive ’til five days later. :( ]
I look forward to the recommends post every month. My suggestion would be to have the links open in a new window, if you can. I usually forget to right click and lose my DA window.
Thanks so much for recommending AWAKENED BY A KISS, Jane! I’m thrilled. :)
@Ciara: Totally agree with you! Also agree with Jane’s review about not digging Angela Knight’s contribution at all. I probably won’t read the other author either (the finfolk story). I’m a huge Nalini Singh fan and am getting to really like Brooks through these anthologies.
Jaclyn recommended the Burning Up anthology as well, and Jennie the P.B. Ryan book Still Life with Murder. I’m going to add a correction.
A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl was terrific. I highly recommend it too. I’ve read K.A. Mitchell. She writes a good book. I have to get All I Ever Wanted. I love Kristan Higgins.
@Wendy Marcus Love Higgins too. I’ve only ever read one KA Mitchell story but I thought Dahl’s book was provocative (and funny and sexy).