California's Burning Down

I'm currently carrying around Highland Rebel by Judith James and wouldn't you know it? Southern California is on fire. Some of you may recall that last November, I had just checked out a library copy of Broken Wing when My Man and I were hustled out of the Bat Cave under mandatory evacuation because of the Freeway/Triangle Complex Fire. I left all my books to burn (which thankfully, they didn't) but did rescue Broken Wing and a cozy mystery I had snagged from work. I know. I'm such a good little worker bee.

In fire news, I'm currently safely out of harm's way. In fact, you wouldn't even know parts of the area are in the process of burning down if you were just looking at my neighborhood. The only visual evidence I've had is spying a giant white mushroom cloud off to the west as I went to pick up a pizza for dinner on Saturday evening. So yeah, except for the ungodly hot weather we're having, the Bat Cave is fine.

I did send out an e-mail to the other So. Cal. Bloggers this weekend, and everyone is fine. Nikki, Rowena, Lori, Tracy and Renee are probably getting the worst of it because the smoke is so hellish and the air quality is shit. But everybody is currently safe, although worried about friends and family that are in the path of the fire. My Lil' Sis (along with Kassia Krozser of Booksquare and Quartet Press fame) live in the Pasadena area, but neither are in harm's way - just suffering because of the piss poor air quality.

This is honestly the only time of year I hate living in southern California. It's insanely hot (at one point it was 109 at the Bat Cave last week!) and some part of the area is always trying to burn down. Luckily the winds haven't been bad, but with the heat, terrain, and the never-ending drought, our firefighters have been working their asses off. Then of course you end up reading about some dumb ass idiots who ignore the mandatory evacuation orders and try to protect their homes with a garden hose.

Yeah. Seriously people. Use your brains. If you're there, you are hindering the firefighters from doing their jobs. Like your garden hose is going to beat back a raging wild fire? Why not spit in the ocean while you're at it? Geez. Besides, no amount of "stuff" is worth your life. When I evac'ed last year, yes I was worried. I'd left behind so much (including a quilt my grandmother made me - d'oh!) - but you know what? It's just stuff. We can always get more stuff. Our health, well-being, our very lives? Yeah. Not as easy to replace. Just sayin'.

Be safe everybody. Feel free to use the comments section here to check in and give updates.

There's Got To Be A Morning After

Yes, it even happens to me. A cynical librarian who literally reads book reviews for a living. Yes, even I can get suckered into reading a book because my eye catches an advertisement somewhere. I clicked on a banner ad, read what this story was about, saw the very positive reviews in the trade journals, and figured I had to read it. If only to see how the author handled what has got to be the most difficult subject matter I have ever read about in a novel. It's really true what they say. Sometimes the biggest risk taking can be found in Young Adult fiction.

After by Amy Efaw is a story about a young woman who conceals her pregnancy, gives birth in her bathroom, and dumps the baby girl in a trash can in an alley behind her apartment building. Yeah, not exactly a sunshine happy book. The baby is discovered (still alive) and while canvassing the neighborhood the cops discover Devon Davenport, a 15-year-old girl who has stayed home from school because she's hemorrhaging all over her mother's crappy couch. Naturally Devon is arrested, taken to the hospital, and dumped in a juvenile detention facility awaiting a court hearing to determine if she should be tried as an adult. It's also the unfolding of her story. How a girl more mature than her own mother, a talented athlete, a star student, found herself pregnant, alone and completely in denial. How a girl who had never done anything wrong in her entire life could throw her newborn baby away in a garbage bag.

This is not an easy subject to think about, let alone write a novel about. I'll admit, when I saw that the author was a West Point graduate, former Army officer and the mother of five children, my immediate concern was that this book was going to be a non-stop preach-fest. Gotta say, the author does a very good job handling the subject matter without stepping on a soapbox. I never felt like she was pushing any sort of agenda, or opinion. She was telling me a story. A story about a teenage girl who does the unthinkable.

I did find that I had to look at this novel through what I call my Librarian Filter. From a personal standpoint, while I was certainly engaged in the story, as an adult woman, by the halfway point I was ready to reach through the pages and shake Devon senseless. The author explores Devon's denial throughout the story, and after a while I wanted to smack the girl and scream "Wake up! Look at what you did!" I also found myself suspending my disbelief a few times. Namely when it came to Devon's court-appointed attorney, think Perry Mason with boobs, and the staff at the detention center. I couldn't help thinking that Devon, a girl who literally threw her baby in a garbage can, was getting some fairly decent treatment. The adult secondary characters were all so understanding and patient when dealing with her. Would that treatment have been "less than" if she weren't a star athlete, exemplary student and....yes, I'm going to say it....a white girl? A white girl with a trashy single mom who grew up raising herself in seedy apartments - but still.

So yeah, I dropped the ol' Librarian Filter into place.

What it boils down to for me is that the author writes a "good" story about a subject matter that isn't easy to write about. If I was the type of librarian to court controversy, this seems like an ideal candidate for a mother/daughter book club (seriously) and I loved that the author included some background on the "dumpster baby" phenomenon in her end notes. This isn't a modern problem folks. It's been happening pretty much since the dawn of time.

I did think the ending was a little abrupt, but the author does conclude the story at a natural "ending" spot. The genre fiction reader in me though really wanted to know how everything turns out in the end. Basically I wanted a giant epilogue.

At the end of the day? If I had a teenage daughter, I would want her to read this book. I would want us to read it together and discuss it. Which is probably the highest praise I can give. It's not an easy story, and the author doesn't want it to be. She spent years researching it, and undoubtedly many long hours (years) slaving over the text. And honestly, who could blame her? Giving birth to this story could not have been easy.

Final Grade = B

(ISBN 9780670011834, $17.99, Viking, Young Adult)

Ride 'Em Cowgirl

OK, no secret here - I have a thing for westerns. Also, no big secret - I have a thing for anthologies. Yes, I understand and totally "get" why a lot of readers don't like them. They generally tend to be wildly uneven affairs. But I love them because I'm a ho for short reads, and anthologies are a great way to scope out new-to-you writers without investing a whole lot of time. I wish I could say Wild, Wild Women Of The West, an anthology of smokin' hot historical westerns was a huge success. Unfortunately it was very much blah. And after I get this review done for my blog? Yeah, what I'm mostly likely to remember about this reading experience is that Delilah Devlin and Myla Jackson are sisters (didn't know that!).

"A Taste Of Honey" by Delilah Devlin - I guess if I had a favorite story this one would probably be it. Honey Cafferty makes a living selling patent medicines in the back of the wagon that also doubles as her home. She's stumbled on a gold mine though - a liquid form of Viagra, and the women in the town she's currently residing in are mighty happy. Yep, mighty happy indeed. However the sheriff, Joe Tanner, is not amused. He wants her out of town.

There's some "humor" in this story and that's where it stumbled for me. In a moment of pure slapstick, the women in town get drunk, subdue and kidnap the sheriff, and drop him off to Honey where she quickly learns the fine art of how to wake up a man properly. I'll admit, I'm not a fan of humor in any type of book (be it romance or otherwise) so this element annoyed. Also, I found it implausible that on one hand Honey had such limited sexual experience given her lifestyle and on the other, that a woman with her limited experience was such a fast learner. Seriously. Is there like a sexual shenanigans chapter to Mensa?

Final Grade = C

"Queen Of Hearts" by Layla Chase - Lissa Tayte makes her living distracting men with her boobies and winning their money in poker games. That's where she meets newly-minted riverboat captain, Roark Sheridan. They play cards, they have smokin' hot sex, done and done. That is until Lissa shows up at his riverboat the next day demanding to know where her family is. Seems dear old Dad lost the family home (said riverboat) in a poker game to Roark.

This story was going along just fine until Lissa arrives at the boat. Then she starts accusing Roark of swindling her father. ::snort:: This coming from a girl who is quite skilled at poker. Frankly cupcake should know that you don't lose what you don't throw into the pot - but there you go. Such promise and she ends up playing the ol' You Done My Family Wrong Card. What a disappointment.

Final Grade = C

"Touch Of Magic" by Myla Jackson - The Amazing Catarina makes her living performing magic shows. She needs to make enough coin at her current stop in Abilene, Kansas to take herself back to Chicago and a semi-respectable life. But she runs afoul of cowboy Trace Adams who heckles her during her first show. So she hypnotizes him on stage and plants the suggestion in his tiny little pea brain to come to her room later that night. Hot, sweaty shenanigans ensue.

Trace has a girl waiting back home for him, but he's not in love with her. Catarina is attracted to him, but annoyed by the fact that he's heckling her and could ruin her chances to make lots of money. She also wants him, so she brain-washes him not only to teach him a lesson, but to also have a gander at his naughty bits. Ahhhh, it must be true love! Not! Skim, skim, skim, skim. Final chapter, everything peachy at the end and the poor dumb twit waiting for Trace back home gets another happily-ever-after with a guy who isn't a jack ass. Frankly we never meet the girl in the story, and she was the one I liked the most. That's probably not a good sign, huh?

Final Grade = DNF

Which leaves me with meh. I read this anthology between other books I had going, and it never really stood out for me. Even though I had loads of issues with the Jackson entry, I would be willing to try all of these authors again. That said, while I wasn't exactly turned off by this anthology, I wasn't exactly turned on either. I'm sure I've got worse books in Ye Olde TBR, but I also fervently hope I have better.

Overall Grade = C-

(ISBN 9780758219817, in print, Kensington Aphrodisia, Erotic Romance, $12.95)

Note To Kensington's Art Department: When you have an erotic romance anthology of historical stories? Yeah, might be a good idea to make the cover art....oh I don't know....reflect that. Just sayin'.

Walkabout And Resurrection

My guest post for the fine folks with Unleash Your Story is up today. What am I talking about? The immense joy I get from my insane TBR Mountain Range. Yep, it's not all anxiety, cold night sweats and bitter angry tears. Stop on by, have a read, and leave a comment.

++++++++++

In other happy, happy fun news - one of my very favorite bloggers has poked her head out of the vortex she got sucked into. That's right kiddies - Tara Marie has posted on her blog! Go over, comment, tell her how much you love her, offer her bribes to keep blogging - anything! She used to be extremely prolific, and frankly one of my very favorites. And honestly? Isn't it about keeping me happy?

The Great Western Drive: Winners!

As promised, today is the day I'm announcing the winners of my various Great Western Drive giveaways!


::drumroll please::





The four lucky winners of a copy of A Reason To Live by Maureen McKade are:

Novelnelle!

Dottie!

CathyR! (who commented on this post)

Arani! (who commented on this post)

And the winner of a copy of Never Love A Lawman by Jo Goodman goes to....

MorningGlow!

Winners, please e-mail me (you can find my e-mail addy on my blogger profile page) by September 9 with your shipping address to claim your prizes. Thanks to everyone for entering and helping to make The Great Western Drive a big success!

Someday My Prince...

Portia Da Costa is one of those writers whose "voice" just seems to work for me. Even when I'm not madly enthralled with a story she's written, it still tends to work for me on that basic, fundamental level. It also doesn't hurt that she really seems to have a knack for writing female characters. On these fronts, Kiss It Better worked extremely well for me. I didn't madly love it and want to have babies with it like last year's In Too Deep - but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. That all being said, I can see this story not working for some readers, and I'm here to tell you why.

Jay Bentley is mostly recovered now from a terrible car accident that not only smashed up a beautiful Aston Martin, but also his beautiful body. It's on his long road to recovery that he comes across a newspaper article and accompanying photograph of Sandy Jackson, who runs a small cafe in Kissley, England. He's floored. Sandy Jackson, owner of The Little Teapot Cafe, is the same woman he had a very brief interlude with fifteen years ago. He came to her rescue while on holiday, they never exchanged names, but he never forgot her.

Sandy's divorced, with a non-existent love life, and small thriving cafe that is now being threatened. A developer famous for a chain of "fun pubs" has purchased the vacant property across the way. She's at a rather dull chamber of commerce shindig hoping to score some gossip on the matter when she spies Jay, a man she has seen popping up all over town. He's dark, mysterious, and so sexy it sends her pulse racing. He also seems to have the knack for turning her into a sex maniac. While Jay had every intention of playing it smooth, being around Sandy has positively revitalized him. The car accident left him with certain lingering side-effects that he was beginning to fear were permanent.

Da Costa's early work is what I would very much classify as erotica. It hasn't been until more recently that she's firmly started planting herself in erotic romance territory. I found Kiss It Better an interesting mix of her two identities. There is a whopping load of shagging in this book. Seriously. Every. Single. Chapter. But in true Da Costa fashion, I never felt like she was trying to "out-do" herself or any other writer. This woman still somehow manages to write the hottest "vanilla" sex around without making it over-the-top kinky, weird or bizarre.

With all the sex that is literally plastered throughout this story, you're probably wondering about the plot. All good erotic stories have to have some sort of plot to hang the sex on to - and this one revolves around that old romance trope.....The Big Secret. Jay knows right off that Sandy is his mystery girl from fifteen years ago, but thanks to the car accident, surgeries and scarring, it takes Sandy longer to realize that he is "Prince Charming." Also, Jay's real life job is going to impact Sandy, and when she finds that out he knows it will not go over well.

If I didn't find Da Costa's writing so engaging, I could poke holes in this story all day long. Sandy probably should be asking questions about who Jay really is, but having led a fairly conventional life, and knowing he's only in town on business, she's determined to have a fun, sexy, no-strings fling. She's never had one, and damn, she wants one with Jay. (Seriously, I couldn't blame the girl. I'm surprised her panties didn't burst into flames at one point.)

Now Jay, he does tend to throw off Creepy Stalker Vibes. I mean, the story opens with him, ummmmm, having an inspirational moment with Sandy's photograph. Also, tracking down a mystery girl from fifteen years ago, even if discovering the newspaper article was pure coincidence, is sorta kinda creepy. But Da Costa does something very smart here - she gives the reader Jay's point of view quite a bit. Her last several stories have been firmly planted in first person from the heroine's perspective. With Kiss It Better, she gives us both hero and heroine point of view and it really helps to de-creepify Jay. It also doesn't hurt that he's very sexy, dark, mysterious, and wounded. All characteristics that generally make romance readers go weak in the knees. Hubba, hubba.

This story takes place over an extremely short time period, and relies quite heavily on the instant "connection" that Jay and Sandy experience. Sandy wants a fun, sexy, no-strings fling, and that's exactly what she gets for the majority of this novel. However there is a happy ending, and while Da Costa doesn't dress it up in traditional romance frippery, the reader is left with the very real impression that Sandy and Jay are together and that they are going to make it work. Hell, they have to. Their insatiable sexual appetites for each other pretty much have ruined them for any other romantic relationship.

Final Grade = B

(ISBN 9780352345219, $12.95, August 4, 2009, Erotic Romance, In Print)

The Great Western Drive: Link Wrap-Up

I don't know about you all, but the traffic on my blog (when I bother to even look at it) tends to be a bit of a dead zone on the weekend. Y'all must have lives or something. Anyway, I thought a Sunday was a perfect time to do a final wrap-up of The Great Western Drive and I thought some of you would appreciate having a shit-load of links all in one spot. Well, I know I would appreciate it.

I hope you all enjoyed our little moment of week-long insanity, and as always much love to two of my favorite western hos, Sybil (who keeps me in Harlequins) and Kristie (who gives me a gentle nagging when I need it). You're two of my favorite people. I also want to send a very special thank-you out to Sandy, one of Sybil's minions, who not only designed our awesome icon, but also helped out with some last minute stuff. Sandy, my girl, you rock the house! Now, on to the linkage:

Introductions and Why We Love Westerns:
Kristie's Great Western Drive
Sybil's Intros: Part I and Part II
Wendy explains why it's all Kristie's fault

Let The Recommendations Commence!:
Some Of Kristie's Faves
Wendy's Mad Love For Harlequin Historical
Wendy Has Mad Love For Maggie Osborne
Kristie Talks Favorite Western Authors
Wendy Recommends Books by Berkley, Leisure and Avon
Kristie Keeps Talking Favorite Western Authors
Sybil Pimps Some Of Her Favorites
Kristie Reviews Mountain Wild by Stacey Kayne
Sybil Pimps Harlequin Historical Westerns

Features:
Cheryl St. John Talks Inspiration Westerns At TBTBTU
Kristie Gets Interviewed At Petticoats And Pistols! Squeeeeeee!
Kristie Provides Some Linkage
Sybil, Kristie and Wendy Talk Westerns Over At TGTBTU
Sandy Talks Contemporary Westerns At TGTBTU
Wendy Highlights Some Upcoming Releases
Wendy Resorts To Begging (And It Ain't Pretty)
Kristie Resorts To Begging (And It Ain't Pretty)

Contests:
A Chance To Win One Of Four Copies Of A Reason To Live by Maureen McKade
Chances to Win Never Love A Lawman by Jo Goodman - Here and Here
Chance to Win Tucker's Claim by Sarah McCarty
Petticoats And Pistols Giveaway (this one is US only)
Kristie Issues A Challenge - With Prizes!

Around The Web:
Jo Goodman Q&A at Library Journal
Victoria Janssen: My Favorite Westerns
Emily Becher: Ode To All Things Western
Taja Reviews Cherish by Catherine Anderson
Jane @ Dear Author Reviews Never Love A Lawman by Jo Goodman (giveaway is now over)
Phyl Reviews Mountain Wild by Stacey Kayne
Leslie Reviews A Reason To Live by Maureen McKade
Lea Pimps The Great Western Drive (and my Maureen McKade contest)
Tumperkin Tips Her Hat To The Great Western Drive
Nath Brings The Pimpage
AmyC Gives Us A Shout-Out And A Contest!
Barbara Gives Us Cowboy Eye-Candy And Talks Books
Lusty Reader Gets Rowdy
While Carolyn Is Away Miss Doreen Warns Us Of Cowboy Menages
Sarah Gives Us A Shout-Out At Monkey Bear Reviews
Leslie Ponders Some Authors She'd Like To See Write A Western
Unusual Historicals Welcomes Guest Author Christy Hubbard (giveaway!)

These were the links that I happened to stumble across thanks to Google Alerts and my own Google Reader. If you posted about The Great Western Drive on your blog and you don't see yourself on this list? Please leave a comment on this thread and I'll be sure to add you!

Thanks for following along with us this past week. We're going to return to our regularly scheduled Bat Cave programming later on Monday.

The Great Western Drive: Keeping Up The Good Fight

Today is the final day of The Great Western Drive, and I hope you all had as much fun reading about our insanity (me, Kristie and Sybil) as we did putting it all together for you.

In honor of getting all of our happy cattle to market, I thought I would use this post to reflect on why we (OK, so it really is all Kristie's fault) felt the need to put together this week-long celebration of westerns. In the sake of full disclosure, I'll be brutally honest.

We're desperate women.

People, I can only go to so many Publisher Spotlights at the annual RWA conference and hear so many times, "We don't want your stinky westerns filled with their stinky western cooties" from the editors before I find myself fantasizing about stabbing someone with the complementary pen that always comes with the conference tote bag.

I'm not kidding. Really. I'm not.

(I've probably just effectively scared all editors off from the Librarian Event at conference. Sorry about that RWA!)

This year, while standing in a line at conference someone casually asked me what my favorite sub genre was. When I replied, "I love westerns." She shook her head and said, "Oh you poor dear." Not because she thought I had horrible taste. No, because it's damn, damnity, damn hard to be a western lover in today's romance market place.

So yeah, we're not above whining. And hell, we aren't even above begging. The whole purpose of this "drive?" To hopefully convince some of you who think you "don't like westerns" to give one a look. Pick one up and read it. Maybe you'll like it, and maybe you won't. But please for the love of my sanity, at least try one.

Now I'll admit it, westerns are a bit like erotic romance. There are potential mine-fields all around you. There are terrible westerns out there. Truly awful. That's why we literally beat you over the head with recommendations this week. Kristie, Sybil and I have excellent taste (no really, we do!), and we wanted to give you lots of choices on what we like and hopefully you'll find something that you like too.

If you start picking up westerns, and discover you like them? Do what I do. Buy them new. Always, always, always buy them new. Start selling your blood if you have to, just buy any western romances that sound interesting to you new, and preferably right around the release date. I've been doing this for years, and so far it hasn't made a damn bit of difference, but maybe if more people did what I'm doing? Maybe it would send a message to publishers that yes, people still like and want westerns. Please publish some already! I don't purchase every single western romance published, but the ones I do want? Yeah, I'm forking over my cold hard cash. That's how great my love is for this sub genre.

Now, in honor of me ending my whine (ha!), we have a contest!

One lucky commenter (on this post) will receive their very own copy of Jo Goodman's September release, Never Love A Lawman. Thanks to the fine folks at Kensington Publishing for offering up copies for us to give away! Squeeee!

What do you have to do to be eligible to win? Tell me something that you "got" out of The Great Western Drive? Maybe you liked one of the recommendations? Maybe you discovered a new-to-you blogger? Maybe you like to read grown women beg? (in which case, you my friend are a sick little monkey). A winner will be drawn at random Wednesday, August 26.

And while this technically is the last day of The Great Western Drive (gah, am I tired!), I think it would be helpful for me to dump some links in a "wrap-up"-style post for tomorrow. Between me, Kristie and Sybil there's been a ton of "stuff" to read through. Putting it all in one post will probably be helpful. Yes? Look for that tomorrow.

The Great Western Drive: Upcoming Releases!

Hopefully after three solid days of book recommendations, y'all aren't too exhausted to learn about even more books! Today I thought I would highlight some of the upcoming historical westerns, slated for release this year, that I'm really looking forward to. Because, you know, we can always add more books to our shopping lists. Right? Here it goes:

Never Love A Lawman by Jo Goodman (ISBN 9781420101751, $6.99, Zebra, September 1, 2009) - Jo Goodman has been writing for a long time, and she happens to be one of Kristie's favorite authors. Other than that, why is this book notable? Because Goodman's last several (several) books have been English set. She's temporarily leaving England for....a western! Somebody hold me back!

Description:

Rachel Bailey may seem like just a beautiful newcomer to most of Reidsville, Colorado, but Sheriff Wyatt Cooper knows she's much more. Through a twist of fate, Rachel is the inheritor of a very valuable commodity: control of the railway that's keeps the isolated mining town connected to the world. That is, she will be, if she agrees to the surprising stipulation in her benefactor's will - that she marry Wyatt.

Rachel has no choice: refusing the marriage could put all of Reidsville in the hands of an outsider - and not just any outsider, but the cruel tyrant she has come here to escape. Yet living with Wyatt will be her greatest challenge. For he has a tempting way about him that makes Rachel forget theirs is a marriage in name only - until her frightening past shows up to remind them exactly how much they have at stake...

Texas Wedding For Their Baby's Sake by Kathryn Albright (ISBN, 9780373295616, $5.99, Harlequin Historical, September 1, 2009) - In a bid to drive me insane, Harlequin has taken to slapping inane Harlequin Presents-style titles on their historicals. For the love of all that is holy - please stop! Anywho, this is a sequel to The Rebel And The Lady and features the wayward brother from that book as the hero. Can't wait!

Description:

Brandon Dumont is not the man he was. Embittered by war, he's now a rugged survivor, a broken hero. Certain he's not fit for society, he finds his lonely self-imposed exile shattered by the arrival of the woman he once bedded and left behind.

Since her fiancé went to war, social butterfly Caroline Benét has had to grow up fast. She's held up a stagecoach at gunpoint and left the safety of Charleston for wild Texas territory—all to find a man she no longer knows…for the sake of their unborn child….

A Cowboy Christmas by Janette Kenny (ISBN 9781420106589, $5.99, Zebra, October 6, 2009) - I keep asking Santa for a cowboy for Christmas and every year the fat man keeps denying me. Bastard!

Description:

Reid Barclay doesn’t have time for Christmas, not with trouble brewing at the Crown Seven Ranch. He’s got prize thoroughbreds to protect, and an long-ago wrong that he wants to make right. But the beautiful cook who’s taken over the ranch kitchen is a welcome distraction, even if Ellie Jo Cade burns everything from gingerbread to roast beef. Her sweet face and womanly figure are pure temptation…

Cornhusk angels…bright berry garlands…spun-sugar snow—everything about Christmas holds fond memories for Ellie Jo. She’s doing her best to make peace with an ornery wood-burning stove and make the old ranch house truly festive. All she wants is to believe in Reid…and the only-at-Christmas magic that makes hearts glow…

The Lone Texas by Jodi Thomas (ISBN 9780425230626, $7.99, Berkley, October 6, 2009) - I am so grossly behind on Jodi Thomas' westerns, it's not even funny. This is another entry in her Whispering Mountain series.

Description:

Three days after arriving in Galveston, newly widowed Sage McMurray finds herself taken hostage in a robbery. She fears she may never see Whispering Mountain again when the outlaws decide to auction their pretty captive off to the highest bidder, until a tall stranger offers twice the highest bid.

Destiny's Captive by Kate Lyon (ISBN 9780843962833, $6.99, Leisure, October 27, 2009) - OK, I loved Hope's Captive and this new book has been years in the making. Thank the good Lord she got a better cover for this book. However they did decide to slap a cover quote on the front from a idiot reviewer comparing her to the "greats" like Cassie Edwards! Argh!!!! Nooooooooooo!!!!!!

::headdesk::

Sigh, oh well. Still can't wait to read it.

Description:

AN UNEXPECTED ANGEL
Angelina Sanchez didn’t hold much stock in men. The ones who weren’t slimy fortune hunters weren’t interested in a young lady who would rather spend time with her horses than flirt. But when she saw a handsome stranger in town, there was an instant connection, a spark of familiarity like nothing she’d ever felt. And no matter how fiercely her father warned her away from Jeremiah Baldwin, nothing could have kept her from his side.

A BROKEN WARRIOR
When her father had him beaten and left for dead, Angel’s soft hands and sweet voice coaxed Jeremiah to stay, to fight. In her arms, it seemed he’d finally found a place to belong. But how could he protect her when it was her father who’d led the raid that had slaughtered his family? His spirit guides had told him he would feel true joy only if he made peace with his greatest sorrow. But unless he could find a way to win Angelina’s heart without forsaking his family, he would remain…

Alaskan Renegade by Kate Bridges (ISBN 9780373295685, $5.99, Harlequin Historical, November 1, 2009) - Bridges tends to a consistent read for me, and I love that she's firmly rooted in Alaska for her westerns. This one sounds pretty good.

Description:

When the Skagway town nurse, Victoria Windhaven, sets off on a dangerous medical journey through the Alaskan wilderness, she is forced to ride with a man from her past--hired bodyguard Brant MacQuaid.

And last but not least? One of my very favorite writers, Cheryl St. John has a new Harlequin Historical title slated for release in December! Unfortunately, I don't know a darn thing about it yet, but in the meantime, here are the bare bones:

Her Colorado Man by Cheryl St. John (ISBN 9780373295715, $5.99, Harlequin Historical, December 1, 2009)

And those are some of the western releases slated for the rest of 2009 I'm looking forward to.

What's on tap for tomorrow? It's The Last Day! Whew!

The Great Western Drive: The Best Of The Rest

So, is your To Be Bought List groaning yet? Can you handle more recommendations (and a contest)? Well I sure hope so, because I've got a few more to toss on to the pile! This is what I'm lovingly referring to as my "hodge-podge" post. My first two lists of recommendations had themes (Harlequin Historicals and Maggie Osborne). This one? Let's call it The Best Of The Rest shall we? For your consideration, some excellent westerns published by Berkley, Leisure and ::gasp:: Avon. Yes, Avon, home of all things England, used to publish westerns. Pretty damn good ones too. Here it goes:

A Reason To Live by Maureen McKade (out of print, easy to find used, available as ebook) - Lord how I love this book. And talk about emotional! Heroine is a widow who is suffering from post-traumatic stress because she was a nurse during the Civil War. Fearing that she's going crazy, she makes it her mission to deliver the last words of the young men she watched die to their families. While traveling she meets up with the hero who is desperate for any news about his son, who ran off to join the war effort despite his objections. Heart-wrenching, emotionally draining, and I savored every single word. Full Super Librarian Review Here.


Hope's Captive by Kate Lyon (in print!) - Yes, I know this is quite possibly the Worst Cover In The History Of The Universe. It's dreadful. But honestly, this really is an awesome story. Heroine is a former Kiowa captive, who was rescued by the Cheyenne and is now shunned by white society. When she hears the Cheyenne are being forced on to a squalid reservation she's desperate to get supplies to them. But she's still a woman (no matter if she is a "whore") and she needs a man to travel with her. Enter the hero (who is a white Army guy and not Native American - seriously ignore the awful cover!), who wants to hook up with the Cheyenne because he thinks they kidnapped his son. Wonderful history, great characters, great story. Full Super Librarian Review Here.


Mustang Annie by Rachelle Morgan (out of print, easy to find used) - Ah yes, a mythical Avon western. Four years ago the heroine lost everything she loved. It was then she started living the nomadic life of a horse trainer. The hero tracks her down and hires her to capture a wild (and randy!) mustang who is literally stealing his prized Arabian mares. He hires the legendary Mustang Annie expecting a crone and gets a beautiful, vulnerable woman instead. I read this story when I first moved across country to California, and swallowed it whole in one sitting. Sadly, I never did a full review for it, but you can find a half-assed one here.

You should all know the song and dance by now. Local library, ask librarian about ILL, blah blah blah.

And sadly, that is it for the recommendations! Do you feel bereft? Relieved? Well hang tight. Because tomorrow's post will be all about upcoming historical westerns that yours truly is looking forward to getting her grubby little mitts on.

Contest Alert!

Because she is the coolest, smartest, most awesome duck in the pond, Sybil landed four copies of A Reason To Live by Maureen McKade on a recent shopping excursion. Better still? She's giving me all four copies to give away on my blog! I will draw four winners from random commenters on any of my recommendation posts. (The one you just read, Tuesdays or Wednesdays). Winners will be announced Wednesday, August 26 (contest is open to non-US readers as well).

The Great Western Drive: Maggie Osborne Lurve

Longtime readers of this blog know that I never miss an opportunity to whine about Maggie Osborne retiring. She published her last book in 2004, and happily rode off into the sunset to enjoy her golden years with her family. Pfft. Like her family needs her more than I do! Bah!

Ahem, anywho...

The big reason I'm such a Maggie Osborne zealot is that she wrote amazing characters. She also was an author who didn't insulted her readers' intelligence, she didn't pander, and she didn't take the easy way out in her stories. Even when I read an Osborne title I'm not madly in love with? (Yes, I've slapped a couple Osborne stories with Cs!), she still delivers rich, thought-provoking characters. Here are some of my favorites:


I Do, I Do, I Do (out of print, easy to find used) - I always recommend this book to Osborne newbies, or those who claim they don't like her other books because she wrote "tomboy" heroines. This book is charming, lighter in tone, and features 3 romances for the price of one. Three very different women (an heiress, a hard-working inn keeper, and a coal miner's daughter who wants a better life) find themselves wooed, wed, and swindled by the very same con men. They join forces, ultimately following him all the way to Alaska. Soon friendship, and romance, blossom for all three. But what about the con man? Full Super Librarian Review Here.


The Promise Of Jenny Jones (out of print, easy to find used) - Jenny Jones is a mule driver, buffalo skinner, and a condemned woman. She's sitting in a jail cell waiting on a firing squad when in walks a pretty senora who begs her to save her daughter. The wealthy woman is dying from consumption and knows her blood-thirsty family will surely kill the girl once she's gone. She asks Jenny because everyone knows, Jenny Jones always keeps her promises. Jenny no sooner spirits the girl (who incidentally hates her guts) away when she discovers the child's long-lost uncle hot on her tail. Full Super Librarian Review Here.



Prairie Moon (in print, available as ebook) - A gut-puncher of a story. Hero tracks down the widow of a man he killed in the Civil War, only to discover she's living in a ramshackle cabin, working in a saloon, and that she had to give up custody of her baby girl. Feeling he owes her an enormous debt, he decides he'll help her get her daughter back. This does have a happily-ever-after, but Osborne never sugar-coated her stories and this one deals with some very tough issues. When you read it, keep a box of Kleenex handy. And if you're a reader who needs absolutely everything to end shiny, happy rainbows? Yeah, maybe skip this one. Just sayin'. Full Super Librarian Review Here.


The Seduction of Samantha Kincade (out of print, hard to find) - A chick in pants story. Yes, I know most readers hate these, but Osborne avoids all the pitfalls that come with such stories. Mainly? The heroine really is living as a man. She's a bounty hunter looking for the asshole who raped and murdered her mother. She cuts her hair (no long flowing locks stuffed under a hat!) and wears men's clothing....always. The hero is also looking for the same asshole, who happens to be his half-brother. Not for a touching family reunion. Oh no. He wants to kill him. When he first lays eyes on the heroine? He thinks it's odd. Why is this chick walking into a saloon dressed as a man? I mean, isn't it obvious that she's a chick? Apparently not. He's the only saloon patron who seems to notice she doesn't have a penis. Stuff happens and they soon find themselves joining forces. A great read, but pretty hard to find. Full Super Librarian Review Here.

In the sake of full disclosure - I didn't put some well-loved Osborne books on this list because chances are I haven't read them. Yes, I still have several by her in Ye Olde TBR. And again? If you can't find copies of these, there's always your local library. And if they don't have it? ILL baby!

The Great Western Drive: The HH Round-Up

It's a poorly kept secret that I love me some Harlequin, and my absolute favorite line from them is Harlequin Historical. One of the big reasons for this love and devotion is that they consistently publish westerns and have some very, very fine authors writing them. So today I thought I would highlight some of my favorite Harlequin Historical western titles. Here it goes:


Prairie Wife by Cheryl St. John (out of print, easy to find used) - Cheryl St. John is a marvelously consistent writer. I still have some of her backlist unread in the TBR (mostly the "early years") but so far I haven't encountered a single "dud" from her. I'm picking this one because it happens to be my favorite. It's a marriage in trouble story, which I'm normally not a huge fan of, but this one ripped my heart out. After their toddler son dies in an accident, the heroine closes herself off emotionally and the hero falls into a whiskey bottle. St. John writes with heartbreaking subtlety and you believe this happily-ever-after. Full Super Librarian Review Here.


Outlaw Bride by Jenna Kernan (out of print, easy to find used, available as ebook) - Kernan writes fantastic "frontier-style" westerns, where often times the setting provides some of the conflict. Heroine is desperate to rescue her family, who are trapped in the mountains thanks to a winter storm. The hero is the only guy capable and crazy enough to help her. Unfortunately he's currently in jail for stealing the mayor's horse and is set to hang. Oh well. She'll just have to break him out of jail won't she? Full Super Librarian Review Here.




The Rebel And The Lady by Kathryn Albright (in print, available as ebook) - I'll be blunt. I'm featuring this book because I want my army of minions to grow. I loved this book. I think Sybil liked it. Kristie? Yeah, not so much. This story takes place at The Alamo. Yeah, makes you wonder if the author can pull off the happily ever after doesn't it? This is a bit of an odd duck for me. It's a very hero-centric story, and I am normally All About The Heroine. Hero is only in Texas looking for his wayward brother, when he suddenly finds himself at The Alamo just as Santa Anna's troops are rolling in. It's there that he meets the heroine, a blue-blood who is bound by loyalty and honor. Full Super Librarian Review Here.

The Horseman by Jillian Hart (out of print, easy to find used, available as ebook) - Again, I know I'm usually All About The Heroine, but I seriously want to lick this hero from head to toe. Yummers! Heroine is married to an asshole who likes to beat her in his spare time. When she miscarries their daughter, he throws her out on her ass because 1) she was pregnant with a useless girl and 2) the miscarriage has left her barren. She literally crawls home to her unfeeling bitch of a mother and a stepfather whose only concern is that his stepdaugther has ruined the family reputation. No, I'm not making any of this up. The hero is a horse trainer working for the Asshole Step-Daddy. He's shy, and feels he's not worthy of the heroine, but circumstances soon throw them together. Full Super Librarian Review Here.

I know most of these are out of print, but look how many of them are available as ebooks! And if you don't have a good used bookstore in your area, and you don't do ebooks? There's always your local library. If they don't have any of these titles, be sure to ask the librarian about ILL.

What's on tap for tomorrow? Yep, more recommendations.

The Great Western Drive: All Kristie's Fault!

It all started with an e-mail. Many of you "know" Kristie from her blog, Ramblings On Romance. For those of you who don't - let me clue you in. Kristie tends to get carried away sometimes. She comes up with an idea that she's passionate about, and then she suckers ropes in unsuspecting readers. Her victims this time? Me and Sybil.

See, Kristie recently had a poll up on her blog asking readers to vote on their favorite romance sub genre. Westerns came in dead last. Well this thought horrified Kristie, so she e-mailed two of her western homegirls (uh, that would be me and Sybs) and said, "We need to devote a week to historical westerns!"

To which Sybil and I nodded our heads and said, "Yes, let's do it!" Only to wonder later what the hell we'd gotten ourselves into. What was born out of our flurry of e-mails? The Great Western Drive! A week-long celebration of historical western romances!

Some of you are probably wondering why westerns, so I thought I'd share a little bit of the reason why they are my favorite romance sub genre.

I had a brief, torrid flirtation with the romance genre when I was a teen, but ultimately abandoned it to return to my comfort zone of mystery/suspense. I didn't pick up on the genre again until around 1999, which was when I got well and truly hooked. This happened to be right around the time that "light and fluffy" started taking root in Regency historical romances. Now, I have nothing against light, fluffy and humorous. I like them every now and then. However, I don't want a steady diet of them. Ultimately they proved so popular, and were selling so well, that the market was soon overrun. Wendy quickly got burnt out. I was desperate for angst. I was desperate for "real" conflict.

Which is where westerns come in. I'll be blunt. I get "real" conflict in westerns. Real, meaty, life and death conflict. Generally speaking the western heroine has real problems to overcome. She doesn't care that the lemonade at Almack's sucks or that the Duke Of Slut is pursuing her. Oh no. The western heroine has to worry about keeping herself fed, clothed, safe in a lawless frontier, all while navigating the societal constraints placed on women at the time. Oh certainly, the western heroine had more "freedom" than her Regency counterparts, but she still was at the mercy of what society dictated as "proper."

Now I realize I'm not being fair here. Certainly Regency heroines can have "real" problems. And certainly there are "light and fluffy" westerns. I'm painting both genres with very broad strokes. But as long-time readers of this blog already know, I tend to be a very heroine-centric romance reader. Yeah, yeah - hunky heroes are great. Love me the hunks. But generally speaking, it's the heroine that makes me fall in love with a story. She's "The One." And the type of heroines I tend to like best? Are found in western romances.

So that's why the western. Great heroines, great, meaty conflict, and ultimately emotional stories that punch you in the gut. What can you expect out of The Great Western Drive? A week long, content-heavy, western love fest from three long-time bloggers who love to pimp good books. Sit back, relax, and let the fun begin!

YeeHaw!

(And be sure to bookmark both Ramblings On Romance and The Good The Bad The Unread. All three blogs are posting our own unique content, and each blog will be having our own contest drawings for a chance to win a highly anticipated historical western romance release during the event. Tee Hee "event." I love that!)

1950s Pulpy Goodness

I'm literally neck deep in a massive blog project that will debut next week, but I know I need to post "something" to tide over my loyal Bat Cave readers. The problem is that my brain is the consistency of cottage cheese at the moment.

(But...ooooh...what fun we shall have next week!)

Ahem, in the meantime, I thought I would share some fantastic 1950s pulp cover art goodness courtesy of the fine folks at Hard Case Crime. I'm telling you, those guys over there sure do have the knack for inspired reprints and this one sounds positively over-the-top delicious.

Back Cover Copy:

SOME MEN AND SOME MERCHANDISE
ARE JUST TOO HOT TO HANDLE

All Tony Catell knew when he broke into the university science lab was that they had a gold ingot on the premises for some sort of experiment. So he stole it. What he didn’t know was that the experiment involved nuclear power—and that the gold was dangerously radioactive.

Now the cops and the FBI are on Tony’s trail, Tony’s underworld contacts don’t want anything to do with him, and the loot he’s lugging around is leaving a swath of radiation sickness and death in his path.

And since he’s just come from his third stint in prison, if they catch him, he’s not going back to jail—he’s going to the electric chair...

In the immortal words of the letter the editor sent with this book, yes - the plot is "grotesquely implausible." But hell, that's half the fun of pulp crime novels. Nobody is expecting (or hell, even wants) staid realism.

This little gem was first published in 1955, and honestly doesn't the whole "OMG that thar gold be radiated!" sound totally over-the-top 1950s? I mean, honestly. All this book needs now is an appearance by J. Edgar Hoover wiretapping somebody's phone line. Or maybe some apple-cheeked school children ducking under their desks, because dontcha know that will surely protect them when the Soviets decide to drop the bomb.

Having a pulp crime addiction on top of my romance novel addiction is probably not a good thing. But it certainly is amusing. And how can you not love a cover like the one they slapped on this book? Anorexic, creepy looking chick? Check. Slime-ball looking guy sulking in the shadows wearing a hat and carrying a gun? Check. Fantastic, marvelous tag-line? Check.

Love it! Keep 'em coming boys!

It Ain't Over Til It's Over

I've got a variety of random "stuff" to blog about, so let's start off today's potpourri post with charity shall we?

The write-a-thon, read-a-thon to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation known as Unleash Your Story is in the works for the second year running. The event kicks off on August 31 and will run until September 28. If you are interested in participating, or making a donation, be sure to check out their web site for more information.

Oh, and yours truly is once again guest blogging over there during the event. Some of you may recall (OK, probably not) that I did a guest post last year and they asked me to return in 2009. And I said yes. Not sure when my post will be going live, but I'll be sure to post a link over here when it does.

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Today is the Super Librarian's Father's birthday. It's a big milestone birthday too, not that all birthdays aren't special. Dad got his present in the mail this weekend and yes, I bought him Yogi Berra: Eternal Yankee by Allen Barra on audiobook CD.

Yes, a biography about a ::shudder:: Yankee.

Growing up my father was a big time Yankee fan. It's a dark period in our family history, and frankly we don't like to talk about it much. Thank the good Lord he finally outgrew the affliction. He was young, impressionable and going through a rebellious period.

So why did I buy this for my father? Well, first off as much as I dislike the Yankees, I love Yogi. Hell, everybody loves Yogi. Also, this particular biography has gotten excellent reviews, so from a book-y standpoint, it was a good purchase.

Also, it made my Dad happy. That's really enough.

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Now on to a subject that probably only AztecLady will care about. I got to the office yesterday morning after a round of weeding at one of our libraries to discover this in my in-box.

Yep, it's Dark Country, Bronwyn Parry's second romantic suspense novel that is sadly, once again, only being published in Australia next month. Some of you may recall that I read the author's first book, As Darkness Falls, last year and really enjoyed it.

The good news on that front? As Darkness Falls will be released in the UK on October 1. So for curious non-Australian, non-UK readers? You can order yourself a copy via Amazon.uk or better yet? Get a copy via Book Depository where they offer free shipping. Wahoo!

I'm still crossing my fingers that some US publisher will come to their senses and pick up the rights to these books. Romantic suspense is a hard genre to pull off, and I think Parry really showed she had the chops in her first book (incidentally, an RWA Golden Heart winner).

Now I really need to get reading. My immediate TBR pile is maddening and I must read this book soon. Must, must, must!

Top Five: Romance Paperbacks

When I took my current job buying adult fiction I was coming from one of our smaller libraries, with practically zero budget. Two things that really bothered me while I was "out there" working with the public? We never got new Large Print and I was the sole supplier for my branch's romance paperback section. So when I took this job? Yeah, I was determined to order both using our central budget funds.

It's been a long, slow, slog but our patrons are now starting to discover that, "Hey, the library seems to be buying romance novels in paperback!" After years of not doing so, I'm sure we chased many of these readers off, thereby effectively hurting our circulation. But now....I'm in charge. And while I'm not ordering nearly the amount of titles and copies that I should be (despite some complaints my boss received about me early on), the waiting lists are starting to get healthy on paperbacks. Here are the Top 5 Romance Novels, Paperback Originals currently for my library system.


What Happens In London by Julia Quinn, wait list = 21 - Quinn is probably our most popular author of historical romance when it comes to paperback format. Given that she's a usual fixture on the various bestseller lists, this doesn't exactly come as much of a shock.








Mastered By Love by Stephanie Laurens, wait list = 20 - Circulates well regardless of series and what format she's publishing in. Her hard covers do just as well as the paperbacks. Again, she's a usual suspect on the bestseller lists, so this is no surprise.








Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan, wait list = 15 - All of her series do well, and I fully expect her next hard cover, Dark Slayer, to be off the charts for us. This is the 7th book in the Drake Sisters series.









92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber, wait list = 14 - Harlequin has really been giving Macomber the full court press the last couple of years, and it's really starting to show. She was popular to begin with, but now I think she's starting to enter that realm of "household name." This is the 9th book in the popular Cedar Cover series and doesn't come out for a couple more weeks. I suspect my waiting list will climb some more once people start seeing the book in stores.





Bending The Rules by Susan Andersen, wait list = 11 - I'll be honest, this is the only book that kind of surprises me, even though Andersen has been a bestseller. My theory? I know several of our librarians who are fans, and I suspect they're hand-selling to patrons. Which I think is grand.

Cool Stuff From Cool People

I love it when you guys e-mail me cool stuff. I makes blogging a lot easier. This round of linkage love starts off with the Facebook campaign to get Ben & Jerry's to develop a library-themed ice cream flavor. The reasoning being:

(1) Libraries are awesome;
(2) Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is tasty

Therefore....

(3) A library-themed Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream would be tasty awesome.

So what will it be Ben and Jerry? Chocolate Chip Bookie Dough? Gooey Decimal System? Or Chexy Librarian?

Thanks to TRR compatriot and my midwestern homegirl Gwen Osborne for the link.

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The librarian awesomeness continues thanks to AnimeJune who was recently looking up (what else?) anime titles when she came across Toshokan Sensou. Roughly translated? Library Wars.

In a daring decision, it was decided to create a new government agency dedicated solely to information management. Some thirty years later, in 2019, the government still monitors and controls information, suppressing anything they find undesirable, but standing against their abuses of power are the libraries, with their special agents called ‘the book soldiers.

Warrior librarians? Beyond awesome. And holy shit! There's a TV show!

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As some of you might have noticed, I did a lot of editorializing this past week. One of these soapbox episodes (guess which one?) generated a very nice e-mail from Rebecca, who happens to have her own web site called Dirty Sexy Books. And holy crap, there looks like there's tons of stuff over there. The title alone demands that you go and check it out. Just sayin'.

What's In ILL? Historical Lovin'

ILL is an acronym for the most awesome-est of library services, InterLibrary Loan. Every library in the country should offer it (and if they don't - you can tell them that I said they suck). It essentially gives library patrons access to materials all over the country, and in some cases the world. Want to read that long out of print gem and your library doesn't own it? No problem! Your ever helpful librarian can check OCLC for you, and see if the book is loan-able from another institution. It's resource sharing at it's finest!

The catch? Well, with dwindling budgets and rising postage costs some libraries now charge for ILL. Usually it's a reasonable fee. My library system is one of the few in existence that still offers the service for free - but we do charge the patron if the lending institution wants to charge us. But then? We always check to see if the patron is willing before saying "Yes, send it!"

This is long-winded introduction to a new feature here at the Bat Cave. My office is actually across the hall from our ILL department and I love wandering in there to see what romances we're receiving and sending out. I'm nosy as Hell, and find this sort of thing interesting, so every once in a while I'll post three titles that I discover when I wander across the hall to raid their candy dish. Without further ado, here are the romances that caught my eye today:


Renegade Love by Katherine Sutcliffe, out of print. Oooh, a western! A wagon train theme no less. Girl meets boy while traveling west and wonders if the object of her lust is a notorious outlaw. I've only read Sutcliffe's romantic suspense and missed out on the height of her historical heyday. Yo my western homegirls, is this one worth checking out? And neither here nor there, the old school cover art is truly 1980s-tastic. Not to mention the tag line....Oy!





Dark Ruby by Lisa Jackson, out of print. Before she started churning out suspense novels, Jackson wrote several historicals. This one is a medieval, book one in a trilogy, and has a truly soapy-sounding plot complete with a secret baby.








Emma and the Outlaw by Linda Lael Miller, still in print. Book two in Miller's Orphan Train series. Prim, proper and engaged heroine falls for a wounded man who turns up on her doorstep. Then the real trouble shows up when it turns out the wounded hunky-hunk is a wanted man. Geez. Ain't that always the way? Haven't read this one, and have no desire to. Engaged To Some Other Hapless Guy heroines tend to set my teeth on edge.





Note to publishers: Notice how two of these titles are westerns? Ahem, just sayin'.