June 2011
3 posts
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LA Banks gravely ill →
LA Banks, author of awesome paranormal romance, is gravely ill with late stage adrenal cancer. A fund has been set up to help with her medical expenses. Please help and donate.
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Abby Wood: Free Book Week at Carina Press! →
abbywoodauthor:
It’s FREE BOOK WEEK at Carina Press!!! Starting on June 20th, every weekday, all week, Carina is offering a spectacular title for free download. And when they say free, they mean ACTUALLY free. Not “sorta free”, or “free with a $50 purchase” free, but actually, totally, no strings attached FREE!…
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May 2011
8 posts
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Today in "What the Fuck Is This Shit?" →
romanceclub:
A life coach tells the internet that romance novels are as addictive as pornography (with backup from Focus on the Family), and warns that women can become “dangerously unbalanced by these books entrancing but distorted marriages.”
She earns the righteous fury of Sarah over at SBTB.
Unleash your anger, Tumblr. Open season.
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Recurring Theme on IRR
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RomFail Live →
Jane of Dear Author is tweeting #RomFail on this book.
[Siren LoveXtreme: Erotic Cowboy Paranormal Menage Romance, M/F/M/M/M/M/M/M, Longhorn shape-shifters, light bondage] After a traumatic and mysterious fall off a cliff, which results in amnesia, virginal twenty-one-year-old Scarlett Rose is saved by seven sexy cowboy brothers. Frightened and disoriented, her confusion peaks when she...
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Woooo hoooo! New galley! →
Woooo hooooo! Just got the galley for Charlotte Featherstone’s upcoming release, Seduction & Scandal. I have high hopes for this book, y’all. Ms. Featherstone wrote the delicious, decadent, sensual Lust, for HQ’s Spice line, which I adored, and I’m waiting to discuss w/Shelly and Katie. If you like historicals and you’re tired of just plain old boinking in books…and you want to savor a...
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Impromptu Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset by... →
Katie: And here we are… once again… into the breach. This time it was Heather who picked the book. Obviously this resulted in a rather sharp decline in the amount of extraneous wang in the story.
Heather: Sorry about that.
Katie: No, really it’s a good change. I was getting tired of wondering where multiple cocks the size of baseball bats would fit into the heroine’s anatomy, aside from her...
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April 2011
12 posts
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Impromptu Review: Sabine...and the Beast, by Moira... →
Sabine…and the Beast has a hot, hunky Scottish werewolf as the hero. Go buy the book.
What? You need to know more than that? All right, all right. The book begins with our hot Scot werewolf, Ciar, looking for his mate. He has finally come home from a war with the Lion shifters, having finally formed a peaceful alliance. Ciar expects Sabine to be waiting for him, but she is not there. Unbeknownst...
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Impromptu Review: Stone Kissed, by Keri Stevens →
Stone Kissed is a nice departure from the usual paranormal fare of vamps, were, and other shapeshifters that are all over Romancelandia right now. Oh, I still love all those other groups, but I picked up the book because I was intrigued – witches really aren’t used enough in paranormals as of late, and I don’t understand why.
Even better, her take on the heroine doesn’t make her omnipotent,...
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Hey there, Tunnel Snake!: Zombie Moon - A fine... →
elizabethdeloria:
Inspired by a Something Awful thread about terrible romance novels, a few weeks ago I set out to my local KMart to browse the Mills & Boon section in the hope of finding a new treasure to post.
This was the day I found Zombie Moon.
Zombie Moon, the work of Lori Devati, is… a book with an…
I…I think I must acquire this title, just for the loltasticness. And...
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Impromptu Review: Raine, the Lords of Satyr by... →
Katie: Once more unto the breach oh dear fellow reviewers.. Oh once more! This time, this was a pick of mine. I was walking through Barnes and Nobel one day, perusing the Romance novel section and drifting into the Erotica. I was getting tired of my usual fare of shape shifting men and stories about time traveling Scottish druids. I wanted to switch things up. My eyes spied Rayne…...
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Sony Pocket eReader on sale at Best Buy! →
Sony - Reader Pocket Edition Digital Book - Silver Model: PRS350SC | SKU: 1238478
Original Price: $139.99 You Save: $20.00 Our Price:$119.99
If you’re in the market for a cheap e-ink reader and you don’t mind the lack of wi-fi, the Sony Reader Pocket Edition is on sale this week at Best Buy! The plus to the Sony Reader is that it supports ePub files, which as of now, hasn’t...
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To Be Read/Reviewed
The To-Be Read Pile is EPIC, y’all.
Forever Vampire, Michele Hauf
Sabine…and the Beast, Moira Rogers (totally psyched about this one. Hot Scot werewolf? Where can I get one of my own??)
Blood of the Maple, Dana Marie Bell (dryads and vampires, oh my!)
A Borrowed Scot, Karen Ranney (in progress!)
The Girl in the Steel Corset, Kady Cross
Silver Bound, Ella Drake
Finished, to Be...
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Impromptu Review: Falke's Peak by Anna Leigh... →
Katie: Fawkes Peak.. Or should we say twin peaks…is a novel written by Anna Leigh Keaton and Madison Layle. This is a short novella that looked like it was the right length to be part of an anthology but is offered as a separate item to purchase. It’s about, as the novel is suggesting, Snow, Pumas, two men and one woman. What the cover doesn’t mention is that the Cougar is one of...
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Upcoming Reviews
Just so y’all know what’s coming up:
Katie:
Falke’s Peak by Anna Leigh Keaton & Madison Layle
Laird of Darkness by Nicole North
Heather:
Stone Kissed by Keri Stevens
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Laird of Darkness might end up being a joint review - it looks pretty yummy and Katie and I both dig hot Scots as you may have divined from the sheer amount of Ewan...
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io9: The latest paranormal book cover trend:... →
I…might have to log in to my io9.com account just to say that.
randomsonya:
Silly io9. The proper term is “man-titty.”
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March 2011
27 posts
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Rewards for good behavior: Silver Bound by Ella... →
Well Tumblrs, I have decided to reward myself for being prednisone-free, and so I downloaded Silver Bound, by Ella Drake. Gimme a hunky space cowboy whilst I peddle my lungs back to normal, thankyouverymuch. *G* I also totally grabbed Cry Sanctuary, because I wanted some more Moira Rogers crack.
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April Fool's Sale at Harlequin! →
As a heads up for book bargain hunters, I got a this in my inbox this morning:
“Great savings are no joke at eHarlequin. Come back on April 1 for a Freebie Friday deal you won’t want to miss: buy any 2 print books or more and you’ll get any 3rd book FREE! And if you’d prefer to shop for ebooks, we’ve got an offer for you, too: get an extra 5% off any ebooks! Come...
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Eoin's Stuff: Amanda Hocking is so clued in! →
Good for her. I didn’t care for her book, but she sounds very level-headed in terms of how she’s handling her career. Self-pubbed is a LOT of work, and I can’t blame her - I know a crapton about eBook layout, cover design and typeset, and I still wouldn’t do it…only because I know how much work it is. LOL.
—Heather
What happens if they screw you over in a...
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Currently Reading: Wilder's Mate →
I picked this up for the sheer cracktacular descrip of steampunky, gaslighty goodness, a cowboy shifter, and a non-shrinking violet heroine. I am about halfway through and so far I am not at all disappointed. :D
I am also reading What a Dragon Should Know by G.A. Aiken…but I have exhausted my bookbuying budget till payday next week, so I am trying to stall, because I know damn well...
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Operation Auction is Live! →
Heads up, this auction has some awesome prizes and benefits a longtime member and friend of the romance community at large. (Disclaimer: I don’t know Fatin, I’ve just read her blog occasionally).
zoearcher:
Many, many romance authors and romance industry professionals are banding together to help someone in our community that has suffered a terrible loss.
From the Operation Auction...
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E-Books Poised To Overtake Mass Market Paperbacks →
Holy crap look at that chunk of eBook market! :D
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Impromptu Review: Switched, by Amanda Hocking →
In light of all the hype, I had to have a look at Ms. Hocking’s work. It is indeed a $0.99 book, which is to say, I did not finish it. I got about 50 pages in and I was boooored. There was too much hinting and hawing and high school, and nothing paranormal or interesting. This is why Twilight bores the crap out of me too, btw. I expect paranormal stuff to happen in a paranormal book.
...
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Counting to Infinity: A Fantastic Post About... →
I loved this post and the links - $0.99 as a price point for a book is ridiculous. Dear Author is also having a discussion on eBook pricing. The comments are eye-opening in regards to buying budgets, perceived value, and production costs.
Thoughts:
1. Production costs mean crap to a reader, especially in regards to ebooks. No one wants to pay hardback costs for an eBook.
2. Series bundles for...
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Best and Worst Sci-Fi and Fantasy Covers →
This…is kinda awesome. :D
—H
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Five Reasons to Say No to DRM →
The digital marketplace. Some people get it, some people don’t. Mark Coker does. :D
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Kobo Books has a 30% off sale! →
Get your discount in 3 easy steps: 1. Choose your eBook & click on “Buy Now” 2. Sign in or create an account 3. Type in discount code — mar18us30 — & click submit
Unlimited Use Coupon! Sale ends March 20th.
(note: it appears to be anything in the store - I am browsing now and if I run into any snags, I’ll update this post.)
ETA: agency pricing strikes again. Expect...
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Impromptu Review: Dragon Actually by G.A. Aiken →
Read it, loved it, and promptly downloaded the next Dragon Kin book. Annwyl is a badass heroine (I know, I know, you’re rolling your eyes if you read a lot of paranormal, but hear me out). Her nickname is Annwyl the Bloody, and she earns it on the battlefield against her brother, who is a tyrant who wants her dead, and the kingdom under his complete rule.
Our hero, Fearghus, finds her dying...
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Current TBR Pile:
In no particular order:
Stone Kissed, Keri Stevens
Kindred, Octavia Butler
Bad Blood, LA Banks
Seraphim, Michele Hauf
A Happily Ever After of Her Own, Nadia Lee
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The facts were these...: Why does it seem like... →
I’ve had this thought too - at least people are more interested in reading, and that can only be a good thing. I enjoy blogs and video games as much as the next gal, but there’s really nothing like a book for sustained intellectual, interactive good time. Then again, when my asthma flares, the fact that I can download books right on my Nook is invaluable, because I don’t have to...
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DRM is the Devil
So I have an Adobe Digital Editions acct, which is necessary for use of NetGalley. I also own a Nook. The accounts are under 2 different email addresses, so now they won’t play together nicely. I tried changing the email addy on ADE, but that didn’t fix it. Now granted, I don’t actually take a lot of galleys, and the bulk of the reviews here that you see here are books that Katie...
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Free eBook roundup!
Linkage for some free eBooks at eBookNewser, and Harlequin:
http://www.mediabistro.com/ebooknewser/category/free-ebooks and http://www.patentyourkiss.com/explore-harlequin.aspx The HQN giveaway has some heavy hitters, including Gena Showalter, Anne Stewart, Heather Graham, Lori Foster, and Julie Kagawa.
Happy Reading!
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Were-clit?
I just read the term “were-clitoris” on a Dear Author review/comment. IT CANNOT BE UNSEEN Y’ALL.
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Impromptu Review: Solstice Heat, by Leila Brown →
I found Solstice Heat as an advert on the new aRe Cafe, and I was intrigued, especially since this follows on the heels of the Romance Club discussion on how very white white white the paranormal world is in Romancelandia. I love PNR, but the limited POCs kind of detracts from the thing that I like about PNR, which is that it’s our world, with a bit of magic. No POCs kind of zaps out the...
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Agency Pricing Contributes to Piracy?? →
Agency pricing is contributing to piracy? I am shocked! Shocked!
Not that shocked, actually. I am very tempted to take some of my paper copies, scan them, and convert them to epub for my nook. I’m also not the only one thinking about it, judging by some of the convos floating around on Twitter.
Also? I still have not bought the $20 Mercedes Lackey eBook. I have bought other eBooks, just...
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Impromptu Review: Steam & Sorcery by Cindy Spencer...
I am not gonna lie, I squealed when I got the galley from Carina Press. I discovered Cindy Spencer Pape’s Motor City Series, and found her writing delightful. Her worldbuilding is immersive, her characters’ chemistry sizzles and her love scenes are hot.
Now, I read lots of paranormal, historical, urban fantasy and spec fic. I have only dabbled in steampunk, and it’s been mixed – some of it I...
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Impromptu Review: Raine, the Lords of Satyr by...
Tonight we discuss Raine, The Lords of Satyr by Elizabeth Amber. Raine is an erotic (romance?!?), and it involves a Satyr, a girl (?) and a lot of grape juice. This review came about in discussing what’s a “Do NOT WANT” in a romance.
Katie: Just to let everyone know, these reviewers prefer their romance novels like they like their coffee. Something that can be found in a coffee house that has...
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An open letter regarding eBook pricing →
Dear Harlequin and other big agency publishers:
Can we talk for a minute? Just you and me. Look, I wanna buy your books, but sometimes you make it hard to do. Like when you add DRM, or you don’t clean your code before you format and sell them.
Or when you price them at a ridiculous amount, as you have here. Guys, I love Mercedes Lackey. But I am NOT NOT NOT paying $20 for an eBook, nor...
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Light Reading
Katie and I were gonna throw down some bad romance meta tonight (see, I even picked a WTF cover to LOLcap), but my asthma’s flaring something wicked. Days like today I am ever so grateful that I can download to my Nook. I grabbed a couple short stories - Tia Nevitt’s The Sevenfold Spell and Moira Rogers’ Building Sanctuary: Safe Harbor. If anyone had told me as a kid that someday...
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Kushiel's Dart
I was looking back through Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey, and I was re-impressed by the depth and breadth of the characterization. Also struck by how refreshing it is to read an adult novel that deals with child characters that isn’t a YA. It was like, oh yeah, that’s how you do it.
I will say that my tastes in book are probably more pretentious than some - I was an English...
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Agency pricing FTL →
Agency pricing? Really guys? Why? It’s just gonna encourage piracy and buying indie titles.
*goes to browse Samhain and Carina Press*
