Romance reviews, writing meta and the occasional rant from a couple of techie readers/writers.
Impromptu Romance Review: The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter
I have a soft spot for Hades/Persephone stories. While The Goddess Test is not a conventional Hades/Persephone story, (and I can’t explain that more without spoilers), it is absolutely wonderful. Seriously, I read it start to end in one reading.
The Goddess Test is the story of Kate, an 18-year-old who has spent most of her young life caring for her mother, who has cancer. Her mom’s dying wish is to go home to the town where she was born, Eden, Michigan. There she meets a mean girl, who decides to pull a prank. When the prank goes wrong, Henry helps Kate out, but at a price. When the time comes, Kate is skeptical, but in time she accepts his challenge, though it may cost her life.
I am not a huge YA reader, but even if you don’t like YA, this is a great book. Carter doesn’t spend it dwelling on high school mundane crap, nor does she waste her high school scenes. While you’re reading them, you don’t realize how much she’s setting up, and the payoff at the end of the book is totally worth it.
The Goddess Test gets an A+, and I definitely ordering a copy to keep when it releases on April 26th.
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 back April 1 for our one-day sale on print books and ebooks.”
Yes, I perk up any time that I hear about eBook discounts. They are special snowflakes nowadays. I can’t tell from the ad whether the April Fool’s sale extends to Carina Press titles or not, but I’ll poke Angela James on Twitter to see if she’s heard one way or another.
ETA: Angela James says that Carina Press runs its own sales independent of HQN. Considering how reasonable CP’s prices are, I can’t complain.
—Heather
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 contract, steal all your money, and keep your erights forever> Then they do. I like the books St. Martin’s bought. And I believe in them. But if I lose money on them, I lose money on them. That’s the risk I’m taking. And I do know this is a risk. But it’s…
Holy crap look at that chunk of eBook market! :D
This…is kinda awesome. :D
—H
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
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!
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 “this is the world we live, and you can just see out of the corner of your eye” kind of feel that a good PNR has, so I was very happy to find this book.
The book has an intriging premise: what if an Alpha male didn’t heal from his injuries? Jason, the hero, is an Alpha who had to step down from his duties because of a spinal injury. He uses a wheelchair, and Gio comes into his life via a flirtation with a woman online. Gio, the heroine, is her older sister, and when she finds out about the shenanigans, confronts him about flirting with her sister.
Gio brings out his inner wolf, and he shifts for the first time since his accident, bites and claims her. There is a lot of sexy sexing, for this is a Loose-Id title. *G*
The new Alpha wants to get rid of Jason, because apparently much of the pack would still rather have him as Alpha, and they embrace Gio as a sign that he may return to his old position. Pack politics ensue, and Gio proves herself a worthy Alpha, and helps Jason reconcile his Alpha nature with his new body.
I really enjoyed this story, and my only complaint about it is that there were a few loose threads at the end - Gio’s sister is one, and a nasty pack female is another. Ms. Brown has the bones of a great longer version if she were ever so inclined - I’d love to read more about Gio’s past and how it made her the Alpha that she is today. I will peruse more of Leila Brown’s backlist, because I’d like to see what she does with a longer format. I give Solstice Heat a solid B, for a hot, sweet short.
*I will put this with the caveat of this is a high-sensuality title, and remark that it does not shy away from violence. Ms. Brown’s werewolves are not sweet and cuddly.
—Heather
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 for comparison’s sake, including:
Steam & Sorcery, by Cindy Spencer Pape, Solstice Heat, by Laina Brown, The Sevenfold Spell, by Tia Nevitt, and I’m eyeballing Keri Stevens’ Stone Kissed, which if I add in, is still cheaper than the single $20 eBook. Yes, some of these are shorties, but they still bring me as much enjoyment after a long day of editing. I can pick up the next Renee Wildes’ Guardians of Light title to scratch my fantasy itch.
Impromptu Review: Steam & Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape
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 loved, some left me meh. The thing that makes me meh on steampunk is when stories rely on it instead of building characters that you care about. I do not need or want to read text that fawns over the mechanics and how wonderful and marvelous they are. Your characters are living with them. C’mon, do you fawn over your smartphone? Pape does not fall into this trap. The characters treat them as part of their world, and it was a much more natural experience as a reader.
Steam & Sorcery never forgets that ultimately, it’s about the characters. Merrick, who opens the novel, is investigating for the Order. He is attacked by a large group of vampyres (scary ones, yay!) and a group of street children come to his rescue. Initially he reminded me of Mr. Darcy – he strives to remain aloof, but the plight of the children draws him in and they end up his wards. And then he is indeed of a governess.
Carolyn has a genteel background, but she has fallen on hard times, and she has had difficulties with other employers getting a little to handsy and trying to take liberties with her. For this reason, she’s inclined to refuse Merrick’s offer of employment, but again, the children win her over. Over the course of the book, you get to see Merrick soften, Carolyn open up despite her past, and they become a family. I don’t want to get too spoilery on the plot beyond that, because the book is such a pleasure to read.
In keeping with our new ratings system, I give Steam & Sorcery an 8 – I’d fight 8 rabid wolverines to keep the book. In fact, since the galley goes back, I’ve got it preordered as a keeper on my Nook. I look forward to picking up the novella Photographs & Phantoms in April.
—Heather
