Romance reviews, writing meta and the occasional rant from a couple of techie readers/writers.
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 Reviewed, soon!
Stone Kissed, Keri Stevens (t’was good, would like to do a tag team w/Katie on it)
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale, Christine Bell (let me tell you, this story was short, sweet and so good that I turned around and bought Naughty Godmother by her alter ego Chloe Cole. OMG.
Also, in a semi-related note, I am so totally pumped for the steampunk-a-palooza at Carina Press. Both the steampunk titles I’ve read from Carina were awesome and I am looking forward to trying some more. Y’all take the nook shop browser away from my hands until I get the backlist done though, all right?
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
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 ebooks would be awesome, why can’t we get more of them from the big 6?
3. Indie presses like Carina Press, Samhain and Loose-Id are good places to get good, well-edited stories for a reasonable price. (this is kind of a DA commenter thing, but honestly that’s where I’m buying a lot of my eBooks too, so I concur).
4. The $.0.99 eBook that I bought earlier today was indeed worth about $0.99. I would rather pay more for well-made book, kthx.
5. Upshot: Personally, I don’t think I’d pay more than $9.99 for a book that’s only available in hardback/eBook form. There are exceptions to this rule - I bought Ariel Levy’s Female Chauvinist Pigs for $11.99, but it’s a more academic book, and I suppose I tolerate the higher price point because I expect that I’ll spend more time with the title than I do with fun reading.
—Heather
Which I would subtitle “Why Geeks are Still Often Quite Stupid about the ‘Real World’ “
I was indirectly linked through John Scalzi over at Whatever to a LiveJournal entry on e-publishing and ebook pricing by a Cat Valente. And I have to say, the entire argument resonated with me as being…
This…is kinda awesome. :D
—H
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 that you can’t use the discount code on any of the big 6. Of course. *roll eyes*
-Heather
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 on the battlefield, toasts her enemies, takes her to his home and helps her heal. He’s fascinated by the little human who should have run from him in fear. When she asks for his help to defeat her brother, he decides to train her. In the book, it’s an unknown that a dragon may take a human form, so Fearghus tells her that he has a knight who will teach her to control her temper, which is her downfall on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Annwyl is torn by her love for the dragon and her desire for the knight. There’s also humor in the form of Fearghus’ siblings, one of whom gets a bad case of indigestion from eating too many bad guys. The end of the book is a little choppy compared to the rest of the story, which is the only thing that detracted from it getting an A+. Also, if you’re used to your fantasy titles building slowly, you’ll find that Dragon Actually unfurls at a breakneck pace. This ain’t Lord of the Rings, guys.
Note: I read the nookBook version of this title, and it has two stories in one. I am not certain if the paperback version is the same. The second story is the backstory of Fearghus’ parents and their courtship, which was tumultuous. It’s a bit naughtier than Fearghus and Annwyl’s story – there’s some light bondage, so reader be aware. All in all, I give Dragon Actually an A…because I don’t want Fearghus to eat me.
-Heather
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
