RIP Romancing The Blog?

I found out a few days ago what the rest of you found out today. After almost 5 years, Romancing The Blog is going on a hiatus. The volunteers that keep the blog running are actually published authors - and in what I'm sure is a bid to reclaim their time and sanity - they've made the executive decision to fold the blog, for the time being. There's talk of a reboot months down the road under new management, and we'll have to see if that happens and what a "reboot" will entail.

I joined Romancing The Blog at it's inception back in 2005. By that point I had been blogging here at the Bat Cave for two years, and I was approached by the start-up team at RtB because they liked my "voice." Also, and this cannot really be discounted, while the blogging community was starting to thrive we hadn't quite reached "explosion" status yet. The plan was to include bloggers that were published authors, aspiring-to-be-published, readers, librarians, and industry professionals. I signed on mostly because I felt I had something to contribute and, at that time, I was one of the very few romance reading librarians "out" in Romance Bloglandia. Frankly, I felt my profession could benefit from the exposure.

Certainly there were detractors to Romancing The Blog. Mostly that some readers found it "boring" and "irrelevant." I found it pretty typical of any group blog and thought of it like a magazine. There were naturally some columnists I enjoyed more than others. Topics that interested me more than others. I don't read every article in a magazine, so who says I need to read every post on a group blog? What made RtB special was that on any given day you could find different voices, style, and topics. What you, as the reader, took from that was entirely up to you. You didn't have to love it all, and nobody was saying you had to.

My own body of work clearly illustrates this. I wrote some fantastic posts for RtB over the years (if I do say so myself) and I wrote some others that were more half-assed and by the seat of my pants. Not everything I wrote was great, struck a cord, or even generated all that many comments. But that's blogging. It's in the moment, sometimes messy, and sometimes genius. It's hard to say what will work and what won't until you put it out there for public consumption.

I'm not sure what's going to happen down the road with RtB. I'd hate to think it could possibly fade away into the sunset because at it's heart, it was a great platform for many of us. I don't know if the relaunch will ultimately happen, who is currently pondering the idea, and if the blog does come back, what it will be like. I do know that I enjoyed my time there, as one of the "old guard," and I appreciated that the minds behind RtB gave me another platform in which to promote librarianship and the romance genre as a whole. Whether or not I was successful at that is up for strenuous debate - but I did my best. Which according to my mother is really all one person can do.

While I'm sad to see this hiatus come down from on high, I do understand why this decision was likely made. It's also an excellent time for reflection, even as I was tip-toeing through my archives at RtB this morning. So I leave you with some of my favorite posts over the past several years. And in the meantime, we all wait to see what happens next.

• Dish Rag Diva - Alphas Need Halfway Decent Heroines Too

• Feminist Manifesto - Why Erotica Appeals To Me

• Toothache - For Love Of A Sweet Read

• The Good Old Days - Our Pesky Rose-Colored Reading Glasses

• Mental Blocks And Light Bulb Moments - Why I Can't Deal With Paranormal/Erotic Hybrids

• Helping Those Who Help Themselves - Why I Don't Feel Sorry For Independent Booksellers

• Reader Blogs In 4 Easy Steps - Advice For Starting Your Own Reader Blog

• The Future Is Sometime Later - Why eBooks Aren't Taking Over The World Anytime Soon

• Dr. Romance, PhD - Recent Media Coverage That Romance Readers/Writers Are "Smart"

• Ground Zeroes - Great Moments In Romance Genre History

What's In ILL? A Captive Princess, A Fake Courtesan And A Creepy Dude

I don't know about you all, but a week away from Library Land and I start jonesin' for my ILL fix. So I wandered across the hall for another rousing edition of What's In ILL? These are romance novels we're either receiving from other libraries to fill our patron holds or we're sending out into the wild to other libraries. Once again, historical romance and older category romance is ruling our roost.

Promise Of The Rose by Brenda Joyce (published in 1993)

Description:

She is Mary, the beautiful daughter of the Scottish king--and an unwilling prisoner of the Norman invaders. The headstrong princess refuses to reveal her identity--even if it means sacrificing her virtue. But in the arms of a dangerous enemy she discovers a powerful passion and a powerful promise.

Brave and battle-hardened Stephen DeWarenne is prepared to defend to the death that which is his by right of conquest--including the golden-haired captive who awakens his soul's most secret yearnings. For theirs is a passion that will not be denied--a magnificent fire that burns hotter and brighter than the blazing flames of war that engulf the land.

Wendy Says: This is technically the second book in the author's DeWarenne Dynasty series which has spawned several books encompassing various time periods. Which is why, I suspect, this one was currently sitting in the ILL office. Someone is working their way through the series.

Dearly Beloved by Mary Jo Putney (published in 1990)

Description:

Diana's body melted to his touch. But suddenly she was afraid, not of this dark man with cool eyes and warm hands, but herself....

Beautiful Diana Brandelin entered into a daring masquerade when she came to London posing as a dazzling courtesan. All she knew of men was meaningless, forced marriage to a visiting lord-and gold to take the place of love. That lord was the dark and handsome Viscount Gervase St. Aubyn, whom she vowed to make pay for the past. But try as she might to be heartless in weaving a web of desire, passion tore away her defenses and her disguise...and gave Diana and Gervase an irresistible second chance at love...

Wendy Says: One of Putney's stand-alone historicals. I haven't read this one, nor do I have it in the TBR, but it does sound intriguing. I'm sure there are oodles of you out there who have read this one. Worth hunting down? A gem? Not one of Putney's best? And inquiring minds want to know - will I be subjected to the ol' Naive Virgin Playing Courtesan Claptrap if I decide to hunt this one down?

The Baby Plan by Susan Gable, Harlequin SuperRomance #1103 (published in 2002)

Description:

What he wants...is a baby. A child of his own. Jake Manning more or less raised his younger siblings; he loves kids and knows he's a natural father. However, he's had zero success as a husband. So he comes up with a baby plan, one that requires a woman but not a wife.

What she needs...is money. Security. An education. A home. Harley Emerson might be a crack mechanic, but a false conviction makes jobs hard to come by. She has no family and few friends. Jake's proposition offers her a way to get what she needs. But before she'll agree to have his baby, Harley insists on two things: a marriage of convenience and an "old-fashioned" conception.

What they find...is love. Neither of them expected it. Neither knows what to do with it. But sometimes plans change -- for the better. Sometimes you need more than you want -- and want more than you need.

Wendy Says: Every couple of years I go through and weed my Harlequin TBR Mountain, culling out plot themes I've grown tired of and/or authors who I have discovered "don't work" for me. Being a massive HSR Ho, I had to double-check to make sure this book was not currently residing in the Bat Cave (for the record, it's not). While I appreciate the role reversal risk here, it smacks me as sort of....creepy. Go ahead, call me sexist - but a hero desperate for a baby? And while I've read about surrogate heroines before, that really isn't what is going on here. This heroine is willing to rent her uterus out, but wants a marriage of convenience and s-e-x? It just sounds....skeevy. To me anyway. But if anyone has actually read this one, and feels the back cover copy is grossly inaccurate? Hey, that's why blogs have a comment section. Like I said, I'm a major HSR Ho, so feel free to enlighten me.

So, anyone read any of these? Opinions? Keepers? Wallbangers? And any of these sound intriguing enough that you plan on tracking them down for yourself?

Be It Ever So Humble

In my infinite wisdom, I opted for an early morning flight back to California. My logic, at the time, was that if bad weather hit, that would still give me all day Saturday and Sunday in order to make up for delayed or canceled flights. A sound plan, but one that lost some shine when I had to haul myself (and my parents) out of bed around 4AM. I left the snow and cold of the Midwest, to arrive home in California to 60 degree weather. In December. Yes the air quality sucks, and you practically need strategic battle plans to drive the freeways here, but you can't beat the weather.

I had a lovely holiday, despite coming down with some sort of plague Thursday evening. I must have picked up a stomach virus somewhere. Christmas Eve = Not Fun. At all. By Christmas morning I was keeping food down though, so I was able to enjoy the holiday meal. At this point I'd say I'm around 90% better. I still feel a little "off" - but given how sick I was Christmas Eve, I think it's just going to take a couple of days for my body to right itself.

My Man picked me up at the airport, and I've had a chance to unpack and mostly unwind. I've also had a chance to open up my Christmas presents.

Longtime readers of this blog know that My Man has mighty gift-giving powers. Over the years I've gotten a Sony Reader, a book case, an English tea set, jewelry, spa days - truly, he's excellent. So this year? What did I get?

More jewelry. Which I sort of figured, because ever since I got the book case I haven't really harped on about "needing" anything. But what girl in her right mind is going to scoff at the shiny? It was tanzanite this year. I got a pendant and earrings. They're very pretty and sparkly - which is technical jeweler talk dontcha know?

What else did I get? A signed, first edition of Angel Eyes by Loren D. Estleman.

Given that this is largely a romance reading blog, most of you are probably going "Huh?" right about now. Estleman is a kick-ass Michigan writer - mostly dealing in westerns and mysteries. Angel Eyes is the second book in his Amos Walker crime-noir-style series, set in Detroit. I love this series, and this edition is hard to come by. It had a limited print run, wonky distribution, and frankly that cover is all sorts of awesome. So naturally it's a gem among those who collect the series. I figured I was never going to own it - mostly because I'm cheap frugal and didn't want to shell out the bucks for it. I mentioned it to My Man (in passing no less) months ago, and he practically chanted the title and author to himself so he wouldn't forget. Then he dug up a signed first edition thanks to the wonders of the Internet. And boy howdy, is this copy in excellent shape. Like someone encased it in Mylar after it was released in the wild back in 1981.

So yeah, I got a book and jewelry. Something tells me most of my blog readers are smitten with the jewelry - and I'll admit I am too. But the thoughtfulness of the book just slays me. Now to figure out where I'm going to house this lil' beauty.

You think a safety deposit box would be too over-the-top?

I'm kidding. I think. Maybe. OK, mostly.

Oh, Hi! I Have A Blog?

Wow. I have a blog? Who knew?

Yep, I'm still in Michigan, and still freezing my assets off. I'm also currently rubbing the fur off my lucky rabbit's foot that the crap weather they're predicting stays out of my way. I'm scheduled to fly back to California Saturday morning - so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully with as few problems as humanly possible. In the meantime, and since I have nothing else, I'm going to give you a hit list of random thoughts and observations from my vacation.

• Getting to Michigan meant spending time in LAX and Chicago O'Hare. Yeah, still not convinced that eBooks are slated to take over the universe any day now. You know how many eReaders I saw while traveling? Three. And one of those three belonged to ME. Saw a Kindle and a Sony Reader Pocket Edition on my flight to O'Hare. The Sony belonged to an off-duty flight attendant hitching a ride, the Kindle to another passenger. As for my Sony Reader? I found myself, once again, playing show and tell with it - this time with the PR rep sitting next to me and the military guy sitting across the aisle.
  

• Print is still king. I saw a mess of print books on my flight to O'Hare (Wow, people in L.A. can read? Kidding, kidding). A lot of what you would expect. Current bestsellers. A couple older John Grisham titles. Although I did catch one young woman reading the trade paperback edition of City Of Thieves by David Benioff. So there was some lit fic floating around as well. And lordy, the magazines and newspapers? Lots of those. A lot.
  

• My Big Sis has graduated from nursing school! We went to her graduation ceremony Sunday night. The Fairy Princess (my niece) was a perfect, well-behaved angel and considering The Flash (my nephew) is a 5-year-old boy, he did pretty well. Of course it helped that the college kept things moving along and we were out of there within a hour.

• Saw my BFF last night. Hit a local restaurant/martini bar (sooooo glad Appletinis did not exist when I was in college), saw the pretty Christmas lights downtown, and then wrapped up the evening at a local coffee shop where I got some yummy hot chocolate.

• I haven't done much reading. I've started Scoundrel's Kiss by Carrie Lofty, and barring any massive brain melting on my part, will most likely finish it on flight home to California.

• My Mom and I were feeling lazy and are not baking today. We suck.

• We bought cookies at the store. We suck.

• But we also bought holiday M&Ms. We rule!

• I still need to wrap my Christmas presents. Guess what I'm doing after I finish blogging?

• My 6-month-preggers Lil' Sis is currently unthrilled with Air France and the country in general. It's a long, sad story - that involves jumping through French government hoops (so my U.S. Green Card carryin' brother-in-law could sleep overnight in Paris) and missing luggage for two days. But she has rediscovered one of life's simple joys. Happiness Is Clean Underwear. Amen sister. Amen.

And those are the highlights. Christmas Eve looks to be pretty mellow around here, with our festivities getting underway sometime Christmas Day. Then it's up early on Saturday morning (way early) and hopefully back to California without any hitches. Now where did I set down that lucky rabbit's foot. There's still a bit of fur left on it.....

The Rain In Spain Falls Mainly

Every once in a while a mini-debate rages in Romance Bloglandia over C-graded books. Are these books pleasant, but average? Terrible? Good? What? Well for me, a C grade has always represented "mixed bag." While others will argue with me, a C grade for me can best be summed up as "I liked some parts, didn't like others, and everything came out in the wash." Using that as my measuring stick? My Unfair Lady, a new historical (no fantasy paranormal woo-woo) from Kathryne Kennedy would be Exhibit A.

Summer Wine Lee is an American heiress thanks to her driven Daddy who struck it rich with his silver mine. His need to be taken seriously by "old money" has rubbed off on Summer, who fancies herself in love with some character named Monte, who is somehow related to the Astor family. Needless to say, they take one look at the girl who was raised in Arizona, counted an Apache as one of her closest friends, carries a knife under her skirts and haughtily declare that she will not do. Besides, she's "new" money. Ick. So off Summer goes to London in the hopes of gaining an audience with the Queen and thereby making her acceptable to Monte's family. Her only hope? Hiring some blue blood to teach her to be a lady. Her blue blood of choice? The impoverished Duke of Monchester. One small problem though - Bryon, who is chummy with the Prince, has made it quite clear that he despises American heiresses.

No matter, the guy is really in a bind. Gentleman don't work (::shudder::), and he's been surviving thanks to the kindness of friends. Largely the Prince, who finds Byron's cutting remarks about society-types vastly amusing. Normally he'd turn Summer down flat, but dang he needs the cash and darn it all, the chit intrigues him. But he's got his work cut out for him.

I'll be honest. As I was reading this book I knew I shouldn't be enjoying it. At all. Summer has a maid who speaks in the vernacular (lots of "yore"s for instance), they rescue a damn monkey (and keep it as a pet), Summer rescues baby fox cubs (Cubs, right? Anyway, they become pets) and there's even a chihuahua (yes, another pet) thrown in for good measure. Oh and more than once Summer takes to wearing buckskin clothing. In England. And she keeps carrying her damn knife around with her.

Oh, and did I mention the small matter that our English Duke hero knows Kung Fu? Yeah, seriously. Kung Frickin' Fu.

The whole thing is patently absurd, but delightfully so. If you can "roll" with this eye-rolling stuff, the author has a really light and fluffy writing style that keeps you turning the pages, even though rationally you know that you should know better.

Where it all kind of slides for me is in the romance. Summer hangs on to her "I will become a lady and marry Monte" nonsense for way too long - especially after she practically throws herself at Bryon and molests him right out of his clothes. The girl's brazen (which frankly borders on wanton) behavior is easily explained by her background, but her continued instance of being with Monte was rather galling. I will say it was rather refreshing to read about this hero, who half the time comes off as a major asshole, but is really hiding a gooey marshmallow interior. And I really, really liked (despite my other issues with her) that Summer was capable of some intelligence - especially when it appears that someone is out to silence Bryon...permanently.

So what we have is yeah - a mixed bag. This is cute, light, fluffy, and not completely without charm. But there are elements here that will cause some readers to heavily roll their eyes (be careful, your face may freeze like that) and Summer's stubbornness about Monte is rather troublesome, especially since it hangs on for a long time.

If you like light? Yeah, read this. If you like this sort of fluff and humor? Yeah, read this. If the idea of a Kung Fu fighting Victorian Duke has you reaching for the nearest bottle of whiskey? Yeah, maybe skip this.

Final Grade = C+

Northern Girl

I've been a pretty terrible blogger of late, and I'm popping in just in time to say - I leaving for my annual trek back home to Michigan tomorrow morning. My plane lands around 6PM, which means by about 7PM I'll probably be whining about how cold I am.

Five years of living in So. Cal. means I'm completely incapable of dealing with real weather anymore. And really, if I'm honest - it didn't take all five of those years. I pretty much turned wuss after year one.

Hopefully that real weather will cooperate long enough for me to go out and have some fun while I'm home visiting the family. Friends to see, bars to hop, shopping to do, the usual revelry.

I'm going to try to keep up with my blogging while I'm home, especially since I'm grossly overdue with a book review. I also hope to keep up with my Google Reader. Now as for commenting, kerfuffles and on-going discussions? Yeah, forget about it. I just don't see it happening. But it's the holidays right? Surely the kerfuffles will take a vacation. Won't they?

See ya when I hit the snow.

Doc, Single Ladies, Presents and the Crazy

I'm currently neglecting my reading, which means it's time for a hodge-podge post of linky goodness. Aren't you all lucky?

+++++

First up, I was uploading some cover images to the Upcoming Historical Romances wiki the other day and have spotted a new trend. The Only Having A Pretty Girl Wearing A Pretty Dress On The Book Cover trend. I have never been a huge fan of beefcake (when a guy has bigger boobs than I do, it's just not a turn-on for me), so I'll admit to digging some of this new cover art. Here is just a small sampling from some upcoming 2010 releases:



A rundown on the publishers? In order: HQN, Harlequin Historical, Pocket, Zebra, and Brava. Oh, and Suddenly by Candace Camp is a reprint should anyone be curious.

+++++

On with the romance news, thanks to Mrs. Giggles for pointing me to a minor kerfuffle over at the I Heart Presents blog. Of late, Harlequin has been hosting a Presents writing contest, for those aspiring authors who dream of writing books with titles like Baby Of Shame and Wife: Bought And Paid For.

Anywho, first and second place in the writing contest went to Susanna Carr and Maggie Marr. Um, both writers with published books under their belt. Which begs the question of what the definition of "aspiring" is. Aspiring Presents author? Or aspiring as in I've never had a book, short story or grocery list published?

I personally find it a little hinky that two published writers won this contest (I mean, how is that an even playing field?), but it all boils down to how the contest rules are set up - which I'll admit I haven't read. Why? Um, I'm not an "aspiring writer," and I'll admit that the Presents line really doesn't do it for me.

Neither here nor there, I read Pink Ice by Susanna Carr back in my TRR days, and liked it quite a bit. Just sayin'.

+++++

Making the rounds yesterday in the Twitterverse and at various blogs was another author kerfuffle involving Amazon and "bad" reviews. This time it's author Candace Sams, who has published with Cerridwen Press and Dorchester. I'll admit I haven't read any of this train wreck mostly because I just don't care. Oh look, another author losing her shit stuff over a bad review? Seriously. Lather, rinse and repeat. But from what I can gather the train wreck is pretty epic at this point - which just makes it sad (in my humble opinion). If you want to stop and gawk, Dear Author has the necessary linkage.

+++++

Word came down yesterday that Roy "Doc" Halladay may be leaving the Land Of Excellent Beer And Donuts (uh, Canada) for the Land Of Excellent Cheesesteaks (uh, Philadelphia). My Man is a beleaguered Blue Jays fan and the trading of Doc (which he considered "inevitable") pretty much puts the nail in the coffin. I honestly think he's done with baseball. Unless of course the Blue Jays somehow managed to get "something" in return to Roy. That's still up in the air. But honestly, when you trade away the best pitcher your franchise as ever had? Ever. Ever, ever, ever. It's hard to find a silver lining.

And neither here nor there, I frackin' love this picture of Roy.

Roy's Mama: Roy, your grandma is coming for dinner. Go upstairs and put on your nice powder blue uniform.

Doc: But Mooooooooooooooom......

Mama: Don't but me mister. Your grandmother bought you that nice powder blue uniform and you're going to wear it. Now git!

Doc: This is so unfair! You're the meanest Mom ever! ::stomping up stairs, slamming bedroom door::

Tee Hee

What I Did On My Day Off

I had yesterday off work, and since My Man's car was in the shop, he borrowed the Batmobile to get to work. Which left me home alone, with no transportation all day. Normally an excellent time to scour the Bat Cave, do some laundry and watch Law & Order reruns. Except other than doing some cleaning, that's not what I did at all.

No I spent, literally, all day wrestling with our desktop computer and pulled off 2 Trojan horses and about 8 viruses. And the damn thing still isn't working correctly. Sigh. So it's looking like I have more wrestling ahead of me today. Crap. So annoying. I'm about ready to chuck the damn thing about the window.

If you're an pimply asshole who lives in your Mom's basement, eats your weight in microwave burritos and cooks up new computer viruses because you can't get laid? Yeah, I hope they shrivel up and fall off.

And yes. I mean that.

Of course all the wrestling with the computer did afford me the opportunity to finish up U Is For Undertow by Sue Grafton on audio book. I actually haven't "read" Grafton since high school, and she's one of those authors (like Janet Evanovich) that I pretty much listen to on audio exclusively these days. I really liked this one, a lot. There were moments in the story where I felt the author went off the beaten path, that probably would have annoyed me had I been reading ("Yeah, yeah - it's all a rich tableau. Get on with it!") but it worked for me on audio - and once again Grafton shifts points of view in this book between Kinsey and the various players that are tied in to the mystery (a 20+ year old cold case involving a kidnapping of a little girl, who was never found). A solid B+.

And now, back to wrestling with this damn computer. Oh well, at least I'm not totally screwed. We still have the Bat Cave laptop that's operational. Sigh.

That's It. I'm Out.

Yes, I still read Patricia Cornwell. I know, I know. But before you start throwing stones, I'd be willing to bet most of you have a similar deep dark secret. An author you can't give up, even though you know you should. A series you can't quit, even though each new installment leaves you questioning your sanity. I've been reading mystery/suspense way longer than I've been reading romance, so the nostalgia factor is harder for me to kick in that genre. And that's why I still read Cornwell. That, and my job has made it hard for me to kick the habit completely. "I'll just put myself on the wait list for it at work, and when I get it, I'll read it. No big deal."

After slogging through The Scarpetta Factor, the 17th installment, I think I am finally able to call it quits. I'm done. I'm out.

In lieu of an actual review, I'm going to steal Kati's terminology and call this a review-ish. Partly because I'm lazy and partly because I'm not sure what the hell I just read. When a book clocks in at almost 500 pages that's typically not a good sign.

The older I get, the less tolerance I have for bullshit. Just get to the bloody point already. Reading The Scarpetta Factor left me wondering if the author gets edited anymore. Had I been the editor on this book the margins would have been littered with red-inked chicken scratch saying things like, "Who is this? And why should the reader give a crap?," "Where the hell is this going?," "Are you going to get to the point sometime this century?," "Could we drop this nonsense and flesh out the 'suspense' - like yesterday?"

This entire book had a completely unfocused feel. There's one dead body, and one missing person. There's a whack-job former mental patient, a sleazy Hollywood actor, a crack-pot forensic specialist, the mafia, the current economic meltdown, and a CNN talking head who is a bit like Nancy Grace on crack. On top of all that is the mountain of character baggage that by now is so out of control I'm left wondering why these people aren't on serious psychotropic drugs yet. It might have worked, and been interesting, if the author had cut out about 150 pages, and got to the point - tying it all together in some way that made sense. There's also a ton of series-itis going on here - most of it I don't remember. I was left with the impression that I was supposed to already know some of the baddies, and frankly, I didn't. Which is probably an indication of how unmemorable the last several books in this series have been.

It's a mess. Truly. The only reason I kept reading was because I got my Detective Pete Marino fix. Now that the author is done bending him over and screwing with him, he's back to being a politically-incorrect, semi-hostile, but good cop. There's a moment in the story where he's telling Scarpetta how annoyed he is with his state-of-the-art Blackberry and I actually laughed. Out loud.

In the end though, none of this worked. Kay is a pale shadow of her former self. I'm left wondering how Lucy isn't in a maximum security prison yet, and I wanted to bitch-slap Benton Wesley repeatedly. Too much series baggage left unexplained. Too much unfocused rambling, and the suspense was so loosey-goosey that by the final chapters I didn't care how it all turned out or even what the hell was going on - I just wanted it to be over.

Final Grade = D-

Now let's see if I can remember all this when the next book in the series comes out. Stay strong Wendy. Stay strong.

The Business Of Baseball

After their spectacular (and pathetic) meltdown at the end of the regular season, my Detroit Tigers decided to become the Florida Marlins this off-season. Which means it's fire sale time in Detroit. Everybody must go. Trade talks have literally involved just about every player on the team, including my fantasy boyfriend, Curtis Granderson.

I originally dismissed these rumors as just that - rumors. Frankly I didn't buy it. The Tigers have invested quite a bit in Curtis, and in return, he's invested quite a bit in them. Hell, even Major League Baseball has been slobbering all over this kid. Educated, articulate, the son of two teachers, extremely active in the community, does a mountain of charity work. He's young, he's single, and at a time when MLB is concerned about the dwindling number of African American ball players - he's a black kid from Chicago playing baseball in the Motor City. Seriously, he's like a PR guy's wet dream. So yeah, I wasn't buying the rumors - that is until they kept getting louder, more insistent, and weren't going away.

Well, it's looking like it's a done deal. Curtis Granderson. Light of my life. Apple of my eye. Our cutie-patootie center fielder who I adore despite the fact that I hit left-handed pitching better than he does is going to be....

I don't know if I can say it. It's just too much.....

Excuse me for a moment.....

A Yankee.

Yes. Wendy's fantasy boyfriend is being traded to the Yankees in a three-team deal involving Detroit, the Skanks and the Arizona Diamondbacks. In exchange for my fantasy boyfriend, the Kittens are getting a couple of pitchers and an outfielder prospect.

To give you some idea on how I feel about this - not only did My Man call me at work this afternoon, but so did my father.

Yeah.

I'm sure there's a bright side here, but frankly I don't have the heart to look for it right now. In the immortal words of Scarlet O'Hara, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

Sigh.

Your Love's Coming Down Like

As a librarian, I "knew" about Rainwater by Sandra Brown months ago. I've never been a Sandra Brown reader (one of those authors I've just never gotten around to), and this book stuck in my mind mostly because it's a historical set during the Depression. Didn't mean I had any plans to read it though. That is until I read Rosie's musings on the book. That was enough to peak my interest, and knowing that I'm massively behind on my reading, I put myself on the wait list for an audio book copy at work.

The year is 1934 and Ella Barron runs a boarding house in Gilead, Texas. Her husband is not in the picture, and she has a 10-year-old son, Solly, who is autistic. Given the economic climate, she's making a passable living for herself and Solly, although her days are filled with hard work and her personal life is non-existent. That is until the local doctor shows up on her doorstep with David Rainwater. Mr. Rainwater needs a place to live and Ella has an empty room. After some haggling, Ella decides to rent him the room, only to find that his arrival on her doorstep is the first of many changes in her life and in town.

Unrelenting heat and drought have caused the local farmers and ranchers to make heartbreaking decisions in order to ensure the survival of their families. There is a local shantytown filled with desperate men and families who have nowhere else to go, that has caused much sneering among the more well-off townsfolk. Plus, being 1934 Texas, local race relations are....well, what they are. Into this mix is the villain, Conrad Ellis, a vile, hateful bully who arrives on the scene to stir up a mess of trouble.

This is not a romance novel (as we currently define the genre), and while having never read Brown, I still know enough to realize this book is a departure for her. How willing the reader is to roll with this will determine how well they like the book. Frankly, by the end of the first chapter the author has set the tone, and anyone who is left with the hope that they're going to get a Care Bear Rainbow Ending? Yeah, good luck with that.

I'm a reader who hates to feel manipulated, and I've read books of this ilk in the past where stuff comes flying in out of nowhere, like the author was told by someone they had to make the ending depressing at the last minute. I didn't get that feeling with Rainwater. For one thing, Brown pretty much lays her cards out on the table with the first few chapters. As the reader I knew how it was going to end (to a certain extent), it was just a question of the journey the author was going to take to get there.

I suspect many readers will have issues with this "depressing" tone - and while the setting, time period and aspects of the story are heartbreaking, I never felt like Brown was burying me in sadness. This is probably because the character of Ella worked so well for me. Her thoughts, her actions, her undying devotion to a son she so desperately loves but cannot reach, and her feelings for Mr. Rainwater. Frankly the tension between the two main characters is some of the best I've encountered in my recent reading, putting more than a few romance novels I've read this past year to shame.

As I mentioned, I listened to this on audio, and it's hard to say if I would have had the same reaction to this story had I read it. It is a slower story, that simmers through the first half and hits full boil towards the finish line. But I found it to be just about perfect, aided by the excellent narration of actor Victor Slezak. I was riveted to this audio book from the first CD and had to resist taking it out of my car this weekend to finish it up in the privacy of my home office.

I suspect that Rainwater is the kind of book that will divide readers. Rosie hasn't graded it yet because she needed time to think on it, and Keishon, while giving it a B, didn't write the most enthusiastic review for it. But for me? It totally and completely worked. Everything about it. From the audio production, to the narrator, to the story, the bittersweet heartache, just everything. Wow.

Final Grade = A

Heathens Read Too

Dear Secular Publishing Imprints,

I have absolutely nothing against inspirational fiction. At all. But how come inspirational publishers are more than willing to publish interesting (and yes, different) sounding historical romances and you are determined to keep recycling the same time periods and settings ad nauseam. Seriously, I want to know. Are you operating under the assumption that heathen readers don't like "different?" Cuz if you are - you're wrong. And you suck. I'm going to sit in the corner now and pout.

Sincerely,
Wendy the Super Librarian

Maid To Match by Deeanne Gist, Historical Inspirational Romance, $14.99, ISBN 9780764204081, Bethany House, June 1, 2010

Description:

From the day she arrives at the Biltmore, Tillie Reese is dazzled--by the riches of the Vanderbilts and by Mack Danvers, a mountain man turned footman. When Tillie is enlisted to help tame Mack's rugged behavior by tutoring him in the ways of refined society, the resulting sparks threaten Tillie's efforts to be chosen as Edith Vanderbilt's lady's maid. But the stakes rise even higher when Mack and Tillie become entangled in a cover-up at the town orphanage. They could both lose their jobs...and their hearts.

Yes, you read that correctly. This is a historical romance about a maid who falls in love with a footman. Be still my heart. I don't read a lot of inspirational fiction, but damn (forgive me Father), I'm reading this one. Plus, Rosie read a book by Gist recently and liked it. That's good enough for me.

(Seriously, I can't tell you how excited I was reading this description. I've always longed to see a romantic couple like this one - especially in an English historical. OK, so this one takes place in America - but still. A maid and a footman! Squee!)

The Month That Was November 2009

Here it is. The recap of what I read during the month of November. I managed to get 11 books (OK, some of these are short stories) read, which I feel pretty good about since my reading was definitely feast or famine. I was either ripping through books one after another, or stalling out for days on end. So 11 is fairly respectable for me. Here's how it all breaks down:

Title links will take you to full reviews.

Highland Dragon by Kimberly Killion, Medieval historical romance, 2009, Grade = C-

• A sexy medieval featuring a feisty tree-climbing heroine and the hero who wants to wed her to unite their feuding clans. She annoyed the crap out of me, he worked fairly well, and I liked a good portion of the conflict. Definitely a mixed bag for me, but if it sounds like your bag, I say go for it baby.
  

Under the Boss's Mistletoe by Jessica Hart, Harlequin Romance, 2009, Grade = B+

• A delightful, sweet, contemporary story about a wedding planner heroine who finds herself working for the hero, an uptight CEO who was a "bad boy" when they were kids growing up together. Adult characters who talk to each other, and the tenderness of the romance were big attractions for me. Really enjoyed it.
  

Sizzling Seduction by Gwyneth Bolton, Kimani Romance, 2009, Part Of Series, Grade = C

• Another mixed-bag read. I found the conflict surrounding the single mom school teacher heroine quite compelling, but was less enamored with the hero's baggage - which included a crazy ex-wife, a shrewish aunt, and family drama. It reads like a book four in a series as well, but a really good heroine.
  

Touch Me by Jacquie D'Alessandro, Harlequin Blaze (historical), 2009, Part Of Series, Grade = B

• I love these Blaze historicals because they're sexy and fun, but they should probably be avoided by readers who get annoyed with wallpaper history. English spy hero travels to country town to seek out former mistress of a murdered peer. Being dumped after ten years, heroine is just now recovering from being spurned when she falls for the hero - who is naturally lying to her about who he really is. If you're not totally sick of spies in Regency England, this one was a quick, solid read.
  

Cowboy Christmas by Carol Finch, Elizabeth Lane, Pam Crooks, Harlequin Historical, Western anthology, 2009, Part Of Series (sort of), Grade = C

• A totally "meh" anthology. The Finch story achieves humor and "light" by glossing over some of the conflict. The Lane story is very emotionally charged, but hinged on a plot device I can't stand (just read the damn letter(s) chica!), and the Crooks story is part of a series and felt too much like a "placeholder" to me. Worth a look if you're hooked on Crooks series - but otherwise? Meh.
  

The Christmas Stranger by Beth Cornelison, Silhouette Romantic Suspense, 2009, Book One In Series, Grade = B-

• An impulse buy that paid off. Heroine has been widowed for a year (hubby was murdered) and is volunteering at local shelter when she meets down on his luck hero. She hires him to finish renovations on her old farm house and one thing leads to another. Little does the heroine know that the hero is hiding a whopping Big Secret from her. That Big Secret hinges quite a bit on coincidence, and part of the conflict is conveniently wrapped up in the end - but all in all, a solid romantic suspense read with a touch of Christmas flavor.
  

From Waif To Gentleman's Wife by Julia Justiss, Harlequin Historical, Regency, 2009, Part Of Series, Grade = B

• I really enjoyed this story, mostly because it was a Regency historical that felt different. Gently born heroine is fired from governess job for something that wasn't her fault. She goes to country estate to find her brother, only to find him missing in action, and the hero in his place. He's hiding a Big Secret and she's running out of options. What to do, what to do?
  

Remember How I Love You by Jerry & Elaine Orbach, Non-Fiction, 2009, Grade = B+

• A slim (under 200 pages) biography of actor Jerry Orbach and an ode to his marriage to wife Elaine showcasing some of the silly, funny and heartfelt poems he wrote to her over the years. Also sheds light on the final days of the cancer that ultimately ended his life, and succeeds in portraying him as a genuinely nice guy who adored his wife and life.
  

Taming Her Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham, Harlequin Historical, Medieval, 2009, Part Of Series, Grade = C+

• I really like Willingham's medievals, because she uses Ireland as a setting (huzzah!). This one was just OK for me, mostly because the conflict isn't a favorite of mine. We have a chick in pants heroine who likes to play warrior, and a hero who wants to wed one sister but lusts after the other. It actually works fairly well (if you go for these types of plots), although after a while I got a little annoyed with the characters for their constant "He/She isn't good enough for me" claptrap. It's OK, but I've enjoyed other books by this author more.
  

The Birthday Present by Alison Richardson, Spice Briefs, Historical erotica eBook short story, Part Of Series, Grade = C+

• Book three in a series featuring a snooty, snobby Countess and the low-born Scot she's been dragging around by his nose Mr. Happy. This story wraps up the trilogy nicely, with no loose ends and I, once again, really liked the author's writing style. However it's one of those series that ends favorably for a character who, I feel, gets way more than she deserves. It ends "well" for her, and I'm not sure how "happy" I am about that.
  

The Tale Of The Dancing Girl by Grace D'Otare, Spice Briefs, Historical erotic-romance eBook short story, Part Of Series, Grade = B+

• This was a nice surprise! Husband gets his kicks by having his wife tell him naughty stories. Her latest tale is about the widowed heroine who disguises herself as one of the Khan's dancing girls for a performance and is horrified to discover Army hero in audience. Disguise or not, he knows it's the woman he's been trying to catch the eye of. He seeks her out and one thing leads to another. An erotic, and yes romantic, story. Well done.
  

I'm split just about down the middle between B and C reads, but I still feel like I had a really good month. There are a few B+ reads on this list (huzzah!) and I discovered a few promising authors I want to read more of (D'Otare, Justiss, and Hart especially). I'm also glad I read the Orbach book, as it was a nice pallet cleanser and quite touching. All in all, a solid month.

I'm Not Here, I'm There

I'm over at Romancing The Blog today blathering on about promo. Yes, I read a mess of it and no, I don't hate all of it. I actually like some promo. To find out what, why not head on over and have a read. Maybe leave a comment if you're so inclined....