Little Miss Crabby Pants Resurrects Historical Romance

I started seriously reading the romance genre in 1999.  And by "seriously," I mean this is when the genre began making up somewhere around 95% of my reading.  1999 also marks the start of me being part of an "online reading community."  Which is to say that as I was discovering the wide world of the romance genre, I was doing so just as my "life online" was beginning and the two developments really went hand in hand.  All of this is background to explain how completely "over" I am of the current talk in some online circles that the historical romance is either 1) dying 2) already dead or 3) in serious trouble.

I've been reading romance, including historical romance, for 14 years.  I've been "online" for all of those 14 years.  And by my count?  This is the third time that historical romance is either 1) dying 2) already dead or 3) in serious trouble.

Call me a cynic, but I'm past the point of wringing my hands over this non-issue.

However, for the sake of a coherent blog post that's more than me just ranting - I will concede that while I don't think historical romance is either 1) dying 2) already dead or 3) in serious trouble - I do think we've hit a plateau in the sub genre.  We're "in between cycles."  Plenty of historicals are still getting published, it's just we're currently in a moment where there aren't 1) a bevy of debut authors and 2) we're kind of in a holding pattern for the next "break-out" book and/or author.  This sort of thing happens all the time in publishing, and not just to historical romance.  Heck, the last time readers started whining about a lack of historicals all the sudden Jennifer Haymore, Tessa Dare, Meredith Duran, Courtney Milan, Sherry Thomas, and Joanna Bourne all hit the market right around the same time. 

What I do believe, firmly, is that if readers are unhappy with the current historical romance marketplace that they need to stop their whining and do something about it.  To which you all are probably saying, "But, but, but.....Little Miss Crabby Pants!  I'm just one wee lil' lowly reader?  It's those evil publishers mucking everything up!  There's nothing I can do!"

Child, please.

So here it is, Little Miss Crabby Pants' Five Simple Steps To Overcoming Your Historical Romance Ennui.  Or, as I like to call it, How Wendy Dealt With The Lack Of New Historical Western Romance And Regency England Burn-Out For A Whole Mess Of Years.

1) If you have the means, vote with your dollars.  Publishers understand one thing: their bottom line.  They understand money and selling through print runs.  If you want to see more unusual historicals, or authors writing historicals that take "risks" - when one of those books comes out?  Buy it new.  Buy it as close to the release date as humanly possible.  But buy it new.  Could the book suck?  Yes.  Yes it could. But that leads us to....

2) Take risks. Look, not every book you read is going to be a winner.  When you stretch outside your comfort zone as a reader there are going to be gems and there are going to be duds.  If you want to find something different, that means you're going to have to read something different - and sometimes different does not equal good.  No risk, no reward.  You need to take chances on authors you've never read before.

3) Start giving out second chances.  As a historical western fan I cannot tell you how many authors working in that sub genre have gotten "second chances" (and third chances!) from me.  Unless that first book I read by them was a steaming pile of crap (so yeah, an F grade) - I'll try another book by that same author.  Sometimes it really is the author who isn't my cuppa, but you know what?  For every C historical western I read by some author, I've had a lot of instances where the next book I read by them was a B.    When you want more stories that aren't set in Regency England, the pickins' start getting slimmer.  I have never been cavalier about "giving up" on a historical western author.  Why?  Because it's not like there are a bazillion of those authors out there to try.  So yeah, they get second and sometimes third chances.  It's the nature of the beast.

4) Stop your whining whippersnappers!  This is going to sound an awful lot like "Damn kids, get off my lawn!" - but seriously, stop your whining!  Digital is finally at that spot where I've always wanted it to be - and that's in terms of backlist.  Do you know how many "older" historical romances are out there in the massive digital reading universe now?  Either through self-publishing or "retro" lines from various digital publishers?  O.M.G.  Do some digging, and find a gem from years gone by.  Who knows?  By "voting with your dollars" maybe those authors will begin writing new material set in interesting and unusual historical locales?  Yeah, you need to go digging, but finding those long-ago gems has come a long way from the "good old days" when it meant you had to drive around to various used bookstores, perform a series of voodoo chants, and rub your lucky rabbit's foot to secure a hard-to-find title from an author's backlist.  Hell, these days all you need to do is hit your favorite online ebook retailer.  And the best part?  Those authors will see money from those digital sales.

5) Don't read in a vacuum.  In other words, share your experiences.  Be your own street team.  Have you read a good historical romance recently that felt "different" and "fresh?"  Blog about it.  Tweet about it.  Heck, go to GoodReads and write a review about it.  There is nothing I love more in this whole wide online reading universe than Genuine Reader Enthusiasm.  That pure, unadulterated joy of a reader squee'ing all over themselves because they've just read a book that rocked their world.  Please, for the love of all that is holy, share that enthusiasm with other readers!  We love that shit!

Now, lest you think that Little Miss Crabby Pants thinks readers should do all the work?  I don't.  Publishers and authors?  You need to get in on the act too.

1) If you market it, they will come.  There was a time when historical romance was so booming that it sold itself.  Those days are gone.  Do you want readers to read your book, be excited about your book - well guess what?  You need to market said book.  Just throwing it out there in the ether, crossing your fingers, and dancing naked under the next full moon is not enough anymore.  Some of the time and energy you're currently dumping into "New Adult" and hopping on the Fifty Shades bandwagon?  Yeah, try throwing just a quarter of that at historical romance and see what happens.

2) The price is right.  Experiment with lower price points on backlist titles.  $1.99.  $2.99.  Free.  Also, try lowering the price on some of your print books.  Harpercollins / Avon has quietly been doing this - including pricing some of their new historicals in print as low as $5.99.  Obviously I have no knowledge of how this program has been working out for them or their authors, but heck - they're still doing it.  It can't be a total cluster, right?

3) Take a risk and write that book of your heart.  Authors, I personally think the best marketing tool you have at your disposal is building your backlist.  If you  have a historical romance idea, a book of your heart, but it features elements that may not be "marketable" from your publishers' standpoint?  Explore your options.  Maybe a digital publisher is worth a look?  Maybe trying your hand at self-publishing is worth exploring?  Just like your readers, there is little reward in not taking any risks.  Yes, I know we're talking about money, your careers, and earning a living.  But sometimes that project of your heart can pay big, big dividends.  You'll never know unless you try.

4) Do something with your backlist titles.  Did the rights on your older historicals set in Tudor England, France, Timbuktu revert back to you?  For the love of Pete - do something with them!  Explore some of the "retro" lines offered by various digital publishers.  Explore the idea of self-publishing your older backlist books.  Find your readers - and let them help you.  Are these settings really the kiss of death?  Or is that just what editors are telling you?  Find out for yourself and see what happens.  No risk, no reward.

But yeah, what does Little Miss Crabby Pants really know?  Not much - other than the fact that she'll never buy into the idea that historical romance is 1) dying 2) already dead or 3) in serious trouble.  Hearing it every few years, looking around at the volumes of historicals in print and in digital that are cluttering up the Bat Cave?  Yeah, sorry - I'm not buying the doom and gloom.  So why you all are singing funeral dirges, donning sackcloth and cutting your hair - I think I'll be over here in the corner, digging through my pile, or exploring online, looking for my next great historical romance read.  I know it's out there, and probably as close as my fingertips.  I'd rather spend my time and energy looking for it than debating whether or not the sub genre of my heart is 1) dying 2) already dead or 3) in serious trouble.

Movie Extravaganza

This past Monday was Memorial Day here in the States, and thanks to karma I somehow managed to have the entire weekend off.  With a three-day weekend for both me and My Man, we took the opportunity to get some movie watching done.  Between various premium cable channels, he gorged more than I did - but I still ended up watching three new movies.

I loved the first two Hangover movies (and yes, I realize that number two was essentially a rehash of number one - but dude, it had a monkey in it!), so was looking forward to The Hangover Part III as a bit of comedy fluff.  Hey, I'm a girl who likes my brain-candy, and dippy, dopey comedies of this nature fit that bill nicely for me.  Sadly, this one was disappointing, mostly because they strayed too much from the formula.  Yes, it does what all movie trilogies should do - and that is go back to the beginning - but instead of silly, over-the-top laughter?  Yeah, this movie strayed a little too far over into dark and angry territory for me.  It lacks the mindless joy of the first two.  Don't get me wrong - it has it's moments.  It's just those moments are few and far between.

Wendy's Grade = C

Behind The Candelabra has gotten a ton of press, and premiered on

HBO Sunday night (instead of Game Of Thrones, which I'm sure sent fanboys everywhere into a tizzy.  No boobies?!  Jason Bourne and Gordon Gekko in bed together?!?!?  A LOT?!?!?!??!).  For those of you who have been living under a rock, this is the story of Liberace and Scott Thorson, his lover and partner for several years during the late 1970s / early 1980s.  We learn in this movie that Liberace is a Sex Machine, Thorson gets hooked on drugs, and they both have creepy plastic surgery done.

This was a good movie, but not nearly as excellent as the hype would have liked me to believe.  The acting is very good.  Michael Douglas is always worth watching in just about everything he does (I find his screen presence mesmerizing) and Matt Damon does a good job of straddling that line between naivete and corn-fed doofus.  However, I felt like the script barely scratched the surface.  It seems unbelievable now, but Liberace was "in the closet" - and I think that could have been mined more for dramatic effect.  Also, most of the secondary cast was criminally under-utilized, most notably Debbie Reynolds.  But it's glitzy, it's kitschy, it does a good job of offering up a time capsule of Las Vegas circa 1978.

Wendy's Grade = B

I tend to not have a lot of patience for when movie franchises (especially successful ones) get rebooted.  Been there, done that - can't we move on to, oh I don't know, some new ideas?  But I will say that the recent reboot of the Star Trek franchise is one of the better done ones - mostly notably because the casting is so spot-on.  Star Trek Into Darkness is the second entry in the helmed J.J. Abrams version of the series, and I really, really loved it.  And I'm not a Trekkie, at all.  I know enough about the series to know the characters, a smattering of back-story, and that's about it.  Into Darkness gives viewers a good story, a great villain, and a really good script.  The dialogue is good, the action is great, and there were more genuine laughs here than in The Hangover Part III.  It really is a movie that can be enjoyed by just about everyone.  There's action, there's adventure, there's comedy, there's drama, hell, there's even a wee bit of romance.  My big thumbs up on the weekend.

Wendy's Grade = A

My Man and I used to be avid movie-goers, sometimes hitting the theater several times a month.  Those days have largely gone - mostly because Hollywood seems to be turning about a bunch of crap the last several years.  But while in the theater this weekend, we did see some previews that looked promising.  Man Of Steel looks great (and I am so not a Superman fan), the extended trailer for The Lone Ranger has seriously kicked my western-mojo into overdrive, and hello?  Despicable Me 2.

So, have you seen any good movies lately?  Anything coming out this summer that you're particularly excited about?

It Takes Two To Tango

Disclaimer: Jennifer Lohmann was RWA's Librarian Of The Year in 2010.  I was RWA's Librarian Of The Year in 2011.  We don't exchange text messages or Christmas cards, but we are, what I would consider, professional colleagues.  We are also presenting together at Librarians Day at RWA 2013 this summer in Atlanta.

The follow-up to her strong debut novel, Reservations For Two, Jennifer Lohmann takes a big step forward with, The First Move.  This second book in a series features one of my very favorite tropes, the complicated, emotionally prickly, wounded heroine.  It's also a trope that is notoriously hard to pull off, mostly because romance readers are a fickle lot.  Oh sure, we love our warped, screwed-up heroes, but the minute a heroine starts exhibiting anything of the sort she's a vile bitch who doesn't deserve him.  To which I say - pfft!  What Lohmann does with this story is very smart.  Yes, her heroine is closed off, emotionally stunted, and kind of a bitch at times - but oh her back-story!  It's really heartbreaking.

Miles Breslinn cannot believe his eyes.  Here he is, at his ex-wife's wedding and who should he run into?  None other than Renia Milek, the girl who populated every one of his teenage fantasies in high school.  She was the pretty, wild-child party girl.  He was a dork, which meant she didn't know he existed.  A sad fact confirmed to him when he chats her up and he realizes that she has no clue who he is.  Oh well, he can't let his tiny bruised ego stand in his way.  He's no longer a dork, and he's determined to get a date with his former dream girl.  Now to figure out a way for her to say yes.

After her father and brother died in a car accident, the Milek family fell apart.  Renia's way of coping as a teenager was to rebel - anything to get her grieving mother's attention.  This led to a lot of partying, a lot of drinking, and sex.  Sex that resulted in her getting pregnant, getting shipped off to live with an aunt, and eventually giving that baby girl up for adoption.  It was not an open adoption, mostly by Renia's choice, and now that her baby is set to turn 18, Renia is bracing for the other shoe to drop.  She's so wrapped up with the idea that her baby might call her, how and if she even wants that to happen - that she really can't deal with a distraction like Miles.  But damn, he's persistent.

I thought Lohmann's debut was a very solid read, but this book?  There are moments of brilliance and heartbreak that just damn near ripped my heart out.  You bleed for Rey.  She was 16 when she gave birth, and intellectually she knows that giving her baby up for adoption was the best thing she could have done for the child.  Rey was self-destructive and 16.  What kind of life could she have given her baby, especially when the Baby Daddy calls her slut and denies paternity, and her own mother basically kicks her out of the house to go live with an aunt?  Also relinquishing her parental rights, making that decision, sobers Rey up to the point where she's an emotional brick wall.  OK, great - she's no longer drinking herself stupid and having indiscriminate sex - but she's also not forming any good relationships either, keeping her own family at arm's length.  Rey struggling with her past, and the years she has spent living in denial, are devastating to read about.   She may know that giving up her daughter was the right thing to do, but that doesn't make that decision any easier for her to live with.  That decision has a ripple effect in Rey's life and in her relationship with her own mother.  The moment in the book where she and her mother finally sit down to talk?  I mean, really talk?  Keep the tissues handy.

As much as I loved Rey's journey, what didn't work quite as well for me was the romance.  Miles seems like a nice guy, but I never quite figured out how our couple got to love.  For a long time I sort of felt like Miles was in love with the idea of dating his high school dream girl.  He owns up to this and pays lip-service to it towards the end, but I just didn't quite see it.  When?  How?  Rey and Miles weren't close in high school - at all.  He fantasized, she didn't know he existed.  There is no past relationship for them to build on.  Also she spends a decent chunk of the story pushing him away, even as she's leaning on him.  Rey is, if nothing else, kinda screwed up - so it makes sense she would run hot and cold.  I think I needed Miles' personality to be stronger to really ramp up the romance end of this story.

But you know what?  This book made me emotional, in a good way.  I'm not a crying sort of reader.  It rarely happens.  But there are moments in this story where I was reading with a lump in my throat, and I really think that's on the strength of the heroine.  Romance, as a genre, tends to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy focusing on hunky, beefcake heroes who are emotionally screwed up because their Mama, Daddy, Brother, Pet Goldfish didn't love them enough.  Yeah, heroes are great - but romance works because at the end of the day it's the heroine's journey.  It's a genre that relies on studs for the sex appeal, but it gets its running legs from the heroines.  Renia drives this story.  Renia pretty much makes or breaks this story.  And in my opinion?  She makes it.  She's stellar.  Don't miss it.

Final Grade = B+

RWA Librarians Day 2013

Dear Lord above, it's almost June.  Which means the Romance Writers of America (RWA) conference is right around the corner.  Once again, I will be in attending in all my awesome-sauce librarian finery (ha!) and presenting a workshop as part of Librarians Day on Wednesday, July 17.  This year's conference is in Atlanta, Georgia and if you're a librarian in the area I cannot strongly recommend this day enough.  The workshops are always entertaining (I learn something new every year!), everyone from RWA staff to authors are super-duper nice and treat you like a rock star.  Oh, and the librarians get their own goodie room.  Yes, we have our own goodie room.  It's also shockingly and absurdly cheap for librarians to attend (only $25, which besides the freebies includes lunch!).  Seriously, how can you not afford to attend this?  Here's a rundown of the schedule, complete with commentary that only I could possibly provide. 

Registration is capped at the first 100 attendees, so get thee on over to the RWA web site to sign up!

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Let's Talk: Young Adult, New Adult, "Adult" Romance
Presenters: Roxanne St. Claire, Christie Craig (a.k.a. C.C. Hunter), and Molly McAdams

Join three authors as they discuss young adult romance, new adult romance, and “adult” romance. What is the difference between them? What makes YA romance unique? What makes new adult romance different from other contemporary romances written for adults? What is the crossover appeal for adults reading YA romance? Why is new adult romance suddenly so popular?

Librarians, we want to talk to you, too! We’ll give out prizes to those who can answer our questions on shelving and reading recommendations for each of these areas.

Wendy Says: WooHoo!  A chance to win prizes!  Which means I probably shouldn't stand up and deliver my dissertation on how I think the term "New Adult" was coined as part of a massive publishing conspiracy to drive librarians batshit insane.  

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Romance Programming: Book Groups and Beyond
Presenters: Wendy Crutcher and Jennifer Lohmann

RWA Librarians of the Year Jennifer Lohmann and Wendy Crutcher will talk about library programming for fans of the the romance genre, from the small (book clubs) to the large (romance author panels during literary festivals). They will address everything from good authors/titles for discussion to partnering with your local RWA chapter.

Wendy Says: What is sure to be the best panel of the morning!  Me!  Jennifer Lohmann!  Librarians Of The Year 2010 and 2011!  I love Harlequin SuperRomance!  Jennifer writes for Harlequin SuperRomance!  What's not to love here folks?

10:00 – 10:30 a.m. Refreshment Break Sponsored by Sabrina Jeffries

Wendy Says: If she serves the terrible lemonade from Almack's I am so starting a food fight.

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. From Sweet to Steamy: Exploring Diversity in Romance Fiction
Presenters: Sylvia Day, Eileen Dreyer, Rachel Gibson, and Shirley Jump. Moderated by: Jeannie Moon

Some readers like their romances very sweet, while others like them very steamy. Some readers like small town contemporaries, and others love traditional regencies. Attend this session to explore the different sides of romance. Bring your ideas, because we will all work together to make some reading lists you can use in your library!

Wendy Says: I just want to say that I suggested a panel of this ilk.  No really, I did!  Which means RWA thought it was a good idea or else they were really desperate for ideas.  Really great line-up of authors for this panel.  Looking forward to this one.

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Have Faith
Presenters: John Charles, Shelley Shepard Gray, Tina James, Kristin Ramsdell, and Regina Scott

Inspirational romances are one of the hottest (well not "hot" but you know what we mean) of all subgenres with readers yet there still seems to be some common misperceptions about this subgenre. Join a panel of librarians, authors, and an editor as they discuss inspirational romances and why readers love them.

Wendy Says: Not unlike the romance genre, I really feel like the inspirational marketplace has come a long way in, say, just the last ten years.  There's more diversity now, savvier marketing, and frankly?  Better writing.  There's some really great writers working within inspirational these days. Hoping to score some recommendations from this panel.

12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Librarians Day Luncheon Featuring New York Times Bestselling Author Jill Shalvis

Wendy:  WooHoo!  Lunch!  And Jill Shalvis!

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Librarian/Bookseller Networking Event
Come to this fun, informal meet-and-greet with romance authors!

Wendy: This would be the infamous Librarian Goodie Room.  It's also a chance to chit-chat with authors, and even a few publishing types (In years past, I've run into some editors).  

5:30 – 7:30 p.m. "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing
Don’t forget to come to RWA’s “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., where hundreds of romance authors will be signing copies of their novels. Proceeds from book sales go to ProLiteracy Worldwide.

Wendy: Every romance fan, I think, should experience this event at least once in their lives.  A list of authors participating can be found on the RWA web site.  I've got two words for you all: Jude Deveraux.  OK, make that four words: Jude-Mutha-Effing-Deveraux! The small corner of my brain where I keep Emo Teenager Wendy bound and gagged just let out a muffled squee! 

The Month That Was April 2013

Me: Well look who is Queen For A Day!  April was someone's happy birthday month, wasn't it?

Lemon Drop: What do you mean, Queen For A Day? 

Me: Just that you had a birthday this past month, and I'm sure you got all kinds of nice presents and cards and even had a birthday dinner with Memaw and Papaw....

Lemon Drop:  What do you mean, Queen For A Day?

Me: Ohhhhhkay then.  Um, how about we belatedly celebrate your birthday with the knowledge that Aunt Wendy kept chugging through the Reading Slump From Hell?  Only five books, but I'm like the Little Engine That Could!

Title links will take you to full reviews

The Magic Of His Touch by Barbara Monajem - Historical romance short story ebook, Harlequin Historical Undone, 2013, Grade = B-

• Plain Jane heroine desperate to avoid aunt's matchmaking decides to perform May Day ritual to unmask her one true love.  She ends up catching the eye of the hero, who is Pretend-Engaged to her cousin.  A farcical bit of fluff with some charm.

Bewitched By His Kiss by Barbara Monajem - Historical romance short story ebook, Harlequin Historical Undone, 2013, Grade = D

• Heroine who thinks superstitious folklore is a bunch of nonsense falls for Magical Thinking hero.  Liked both these characters in first story, but in their own romance they annoyed me.  Also, the whole "magical thinking" thing on the hero's part smacks of "soul mates" which I abhor!

Seducing the Duchess by Ashley March - Historical romance, Signet, 2010, Grade = B+

• After three years in a loveless, sham marriage the heroine is determined to get a divorce.  The fly in the ointment?  The hero has just realized he's in love with his wife.  A book not without flaws, but I loved the combative, sparring dialogue and the fact that the heroine gave as good as she got.

Hurricane Lily by Rebecca Rogers Maher - Contemporary romance novella, Self-Published, 2013, Grade = B

• Working class hero falls for neurotic poor little rich girl.  Loved the baggage, loved that the characters were class-conscious, and liked that not all their issues were solved thanks to the power of amazing sex.  A good, solid story.

A Time For Change by Aimee & David Thurlo - Contemporary romantic suspense, Tor, 2013, Grade = C-

• A slog of a read.  Hero returns home after his father is murdered and reunites with the girl who broke his heart in high school.  Interesting heroine, but a hero who suffers from PMS.  I also found the tone of this story all over the frickin' place.  One minute it's a dark, gritty suspense, the next it's a cutesy-wootsy small town romance.  Good Southwest flavor and interesting suspense, but not much else.

Lemon Drop: I am Queen Of Everything All The Time!!!!!!  Just ask Mommy.

Me: Look, kiddo - it's good that you have a healthy self-esteem and all, but nobody likes a self-absorbed prima donna.

Lemon Drop: Says the woman who routinely bills herself as "Queen Librarian Of The Universe."

Me: I have no idea what you're talking about....

Mutter, mutter, dammit.

Outwitted by a three-year-old.

Lemon Drop:  Again.

Me: Sigh

TBR Challenge 2013: True Love At The End Of A Gun Barrel

The Book: The Drifter by Susan Wiggs

The Particulars:  American-set historical romance, 1998, Mira, currently out of print, but reprint scheduled for September 24, 2013.  Available digitally.

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  At one point I glommed all of Susan Wiggs' historical romances.  Given that her backlist was fairly healthy at that time (the early aughts), I've still got several of her books lying around in the TBR.

The Review:  Past reactions to the Wiggs' historicals that I have read have ranged from Meh, It Was OK to OMG I Want To Have This Books' Babies!  While I'm not ready to take the Gone Fishin' sign off my ovaries, The Drifter is one of the really good ones.  As evidence by the fact that I stayed up until 1:00AM (when I had to work the next day) to plow through the second half of this story.

Now that her father is dead, Dr. Leah Mundy is the only doctor on tiny Whidbey Island off the coast of Washington state.  She's a good doctor, intelligent, no-nonsense, firmly believing in the creed of first-do-no-harm.  And while some of the townsfolk like to remind her that she has boobs and shouldn't being meddling around in medicine (hardly women's work!), she doesn't have a shortage of patients.  She also takes in borders at the large home that also doubles as her medical practice.  It's a quiet life, a lonely life - for Leah has no idea how to relate to others, having spent a lifetime trying to please a father who could not be pleased.  Then into her world comes Jackson Underhill, a man on the run from the law and now standing in her bedroom holding a gun on her.

Jackson has to kidnap Leah because his "wife", Carrie is very ill.  However it's his bad luck that Leah is not the sort of female to go along quietly, or willingly.  She agrees to look after Carrie, but she's not about to sail off in Jackson's leaky, decrepit boat - so she does what any resourceful female would do - she sabotages it.  Now, while Carrie is lying ill in one of Leah's guestrooms, Jackson finds himself stuck on the island in the home of a pretty lady doctor who has a way of getting under his skin.

When she's firing on all cylinders Wiggs has a way with creating interesting, sympathetic characters with intriguing personal baggage.  As readers, and knowing this is a romance novel, it's not much of a stretch to deduce that Carrie and Jackson aren't really married.  But they are bound together thanks to being raised in the same squalid Chicago orphanage.  Carrie has the kind of ethereal, delicate beauty that captivates men, and Jackson, having no experience with love or such beauty, becomes her protector from a very early age.  It's all he knows.  Protect Carrie, she needs protecting.  Her life eventually takes a more sordid turn when she's "adopted" by a pimp - but Jackson does eventually find her, rescue her, which means hightailing it out of Texas thanks to a dead body in Carrie's place of employment.  I'm convinced Jackson does not love Carrie so much as she's a symbol of all he's never had in his life.  He might think he loves her, but really what our boy has is a White Knight Complex.

Leah is a classic workaholic with vulnerability issues.  Her father, besides being a distant, uncaring asshole - was also not a good doctor.  Essentially he was a quack, and as a child Leah found herself hopscotching from one town to the next until finally they permanently landed on the island.  She's smart and a good doctor, but she doesn't have the easiest time of soft-peddling around people.  She's brusque, efficient, and never quite mastered the technique of "catching more flies with honey."  I also loved the historical tidbits Wiggs included about Leah's profession, and that she had our heroine do research (most notably, on addiction) when she was stymied by a diagnosis she wasn't all that knowledgeable about.

This is a good, solid read, but not without issues.  Carrie is the biggest fly in the ointment, insomuch as how her existence effects Jackson.  I was fine with Carrie herself as a character, but Jackson, after years of protecting her and feeling obligated to her (for whatever reason) - seems to dump those notions fairly quickly and easily towards the climactic finish.  I also felt like some of the secondary characters could have been disregarded entirely (most of Leah's borders) and the story would have been better served if the author had instead focused more attention on the lawman chasing after Jackson and the young medical student back east that Leah corresponds with.

But quibbles aside, I still really enjoyed this story and it's well worth a look (I think) for folks who like their historical romances with some American flavor.  It was a quick, delicious read I inhaled in two sittings.  Time well spent.

Final Grade = B

Reminder: TBR Challenge For May

For those of you participating in the 2013 TBR Challenge, this is a reminder that your "commentary" is due on Wednesday, May 15.

The theme this month is More Than One.  Picking up a book by an author who has more than one book in your TBR pile.  However remember, the themes are totally and completely optional.  Maybe you feel like reading a debut book by an author who hasn't published a second book yet?  Or maybe you're not insane like the rest of us and don't collect whole backlists.  Hey, that's totally cool!  The themes aren't important - it's the act of reading something, anything!, that has been lying neglected in your TBR pile.

And hey, look at that - it's only May!  And it's certainly never too late to sign up for the challenge.  Details and more information can be found here.  You'll also find a list of the current participants, should you wish to follow along.

Digital Review: Down By Contact

There's nothing more satisfying than getting hooked on a series - unless of course it's inhaling a book in one sitting.  I did just that with Down By Contact, the third book in Jami Daveport's series featuring the fictional American football team, the Seattle Lumberjacks.

Zach Murphy has spent all twelve years of his NFL career playing linebacker on a crappy team.  Now a free agent, he knows his remaining time in the league is limited, and all he wants is a Super Bowl ring.  So he signs in the off-season with the Seattle Lumberjacks, who have just won two Super Bowls in a row.  Unfortunately for him, the transition to his new team has not been a smooth one.  He keeps butting heads with the pretty-boy quarterback and embarrassing the front office at various high-brow charity functions.  Zach's about half-a-step removed from the trailer park, and gets flustered by all the "rules" of social etiquette.  When he ends up knocking over a tray of cocktails on the owner's uppity daughter, and inadvertently gropes the governor's wife, the team puts its collective foot down.  Zach is going to charm school.  To bad his private tutor is none other than the girl he can't seem to forget from high school.

Kelsey Carrington-Richmond has fallen far from the pedestal she used to be on.  A former beauty queen, and Mean Girl, she married the high school quarterback with political ambitions, only to discover he was an emotionally abusive asshole.  Now divorced, down to her last pennies, and essentially homeless, she heads to Seattle to find Zach.  She was horrid to him in high school, and she wants to apologize.  However she also is hoping that once he forgives and forgets, he'll help her get her "charm school for real men" idea off the ground.  The problem being she was thinking of just using his contacts.  She had no idea he would be her first student, and no idea whatsoever that he would be such a bear to work with.

The joy in this series is that Davenport has created a whole team, a whole culture, and populated it with interesting people.  Zach was first introduced in the previous story, a foil to butt heads with the team's hotshot quarterback, Tyler.  He's abrasive, uncouth, and a bit of a jerk.  In this book, we get more of the story behind why Zach is Zach.  His childhood, his career, the slights and traumas of his past that haunt him and he carries with him to this day.  Zach has a chip on his shoulder, but it's a chip readers will understand.  Living the life Zach has lived, it's a credit to his character that he's a professional athlete and not in prison - so you could understand how a guy like that wouldn't necessarily put a lot of importance on "social graces."

I loved that the author really made Kelsey a Mean Girl (although now reformed).  It's not sugar-coated. I also loved that how Kelsey treats Zach in high school, and the final episode between them that haunts them both, is credibly serious.  It's not some silly little thing where she invites him on a date, and instead ditches him for someone else.  No, it's truly awful.  It's easy to understand why Zach would still be so upset about the incident and why Kelsey feels like such a shit-heel even this many years after the fact.

As much as I loved these characters, I did have a couple of bugaboos.  I inhaled this book in one sitting (seriously, could not put it down!), so some repetition did jump out at me, along with incidents of telling over showing.  Also, Zach's younger brother plays in the NHL (hockey) and that's one I had a hard time with considering their upbringing.  Getting a kid into hockey is expensive and time consuming (the equipment, the ice time, the constant shuttling to rinks etc.) - and Zach's parents?  Yeah, that one strains.  Also, there's a sports error - which hello, this is me.  I can't let it go.  There's an episode later in the book where Kelsey takes Zach's autographed Ken Griffey Jr. baseball bat to confront a villain.  She muses it's OK since she's "never been a Yankee fan."  Um, The Kid never played for the Yankees.  Ever.  The Mariners, the Reds and a cup of coffee with the White Sox.  Maybe Kelsey should have mused, "Oh well, he never should have left Seattle...."

But the football stuff is all really good, and I love that the author gives us professional athletes, in locker rooms, that talk like guys.  They drop the F bomb.  They just do.  I also adored the fact that Zach was a 34-year-old linebacker.  Linebacker is not a "glamour" position like quarterback or wide receiver.  Zach is also cognizant of the fact that he's 34-years-old and that if the Lumberjacks cut him loose?  Who the hell wants a 34-year-old linebacker?  (Just ask Brian Urlacher).

In the end I really enjoyed this story.  As much as I liked the previous two books, this one might be my new favorite in the series, if only for the interesting people that the author chooses to throw together for a romance.  If you enjoy sports romances and aren't reading this series?  You really need to start.

Final Grade = B

Unusual Historical Spotlight: Old School, WWI, Escaped Convict, Billiards And Outlaws

Remember when I used to do these?  Yeah, me too.  And then work started sucking out my brains.  Well you know what?  I miss doing these posts - and of late there seems to be more than few people bitching expressing opinions online that the historical romance is going the way of the dodo.  I personally don't think so - but to each his own.  Below are a few historicals I scrounged up, coming out in the next few months, that have, what I consider, unusual or unique attributes.  Happy browsing!

Band Of Gold by Zita Christian - Digital Only - Samhain - May 21, 2013

Originally published in 1993, this book is resurfacing as part of Samhain's totally kick-ass "Retro Romance" imprint.

Description:

Dreams of love, lost and found… 

When Aurelia Brighton leaves medical school for the Klondike, it isn’t to find fortune. It’s to find her little sister, who’s far too pampered and innocent to join the mob of desperate people looking for gold. Violet must have been abducted, enslaved by a peddler of the flesh. What other explanation could there be?  Stymied at the border by Canada’s strict entry requirements, she’s grateful when a kind, handsome gentleman steps forward to help.

Clay Guardian also has his sights set on the Klondike—and on tracking down Violet, the deceiving vixen who robbed his bank and ruined his reputation. He never expected to encounter his quarry’s sister at the Yukon border, but partnering with the beautiful, willful Aurelia will bring him that much closer to his goal: to see Violet hanged. 

It’s only when Aurelia agrees to share food and provisions for the long, dangerous journey, after the ship sails away, that she learns the truth. Yet the perils they encounter force them to trust each other with their lives—and an unexpected love.

What I think is "unusual" about it?:  A heroine in medical school, the Klondike, and a bank-robbin' sister.  This one has Old School Adventure written all over it!

Enticing the Spymaster by Julie Rowe - Digital Only - Carina - June 3, 2013

Book two in the "War Girls" series.

Description:

German-occupied Brussels, Belgium, April 1915 

Judith Goddard is hiding in plain sight. A dual citizen with family ties to Belgian royalty and the British military, she works as a Red Cross nurse in a German hospital, learning what she can, ever fearful her true allegiance will be discovered. 

British Expeditionary Force Captain Michael Lawrence is on a mission to rescue the daughter of his mentor. He doesn't expect to find a strong beautiful woman in place of the naïve girl whose love he rejected years earlier. 

Jude is shocked when Michael turns up in her hospital, wounded and in German uniform. Though he broke her heart, she agrees to flee Belgium with him—she has information about an imminent attack that she must deliver to the British War Office, before it's too late. 

Posing as a married couple, Jude and Michael journey to the border, in constant danger of discovery—and of giving in to their mutual passion…

What I think is "unusual" about it?:  You mean besides the whole World War I thing?  Isn't that enough?

Sweet Revenge by Zoe Archer - Print & Digital - St. Martin's - June 4, 2013

First book in new series.

Description:

When Jack Dalton escapes from Dunmoor Prison, he has only one thing in mind–finding the nobleman who murdered his sister and making him pay. But when he reaches the inn where the Lord Rockley is rumored to be staying, three well-dressed strangers are there to meet him instead. And the pretty blonde is aiming a pistol right at his head …  

Joining Nemesis, Unlimited has made Eva Warrick much more than the well-mannered lady she appears to be–one who can shoot, fight, and outsmart any man in the quest to right the injustices so often suffered by the innocent. She’s not afraid of the burly escaped convict, but she is startled by their shared attraction. She and her partners need Jack’s help to get to Rockley, but Eva finds she wants Jack for scandalous reasons all her own…

What I think is "unusual" about it?:  Escape convict as hero.  A crime-bustin' heroine.  Plus Archer tends to infuse a lot of action/adventure elements into her historicals - so this one should be great fun!

A Lady Risks All by Bronwyn Scott - Print & Digital - Harlequin Historical - June 18, 2013

Description:  

Seducing the Captain 

It would be unwise to mistake me for an innocent debutante—for years I have graced the smoky gloom of many a billiards club and honed my skills at my father's side. 

But now he has a new protégé—Captain Greer Barrington—and while my father would see me attract the attentions of an eligible lord I, Mercedes Lockhart, have other ambitions.… Even if that means seducing the captain to earn back my father's favor! I know I must avoid falling for Greer's charming smile…but his sensual kisses could be worth the risk.…

What I think is "unusual" about it?:  A pool-playing heroine.

Paradise Valley by Rosanne Bittner - Print & Digital - Sourcebooks - July 2, 2013

Description: 

Maggie Tucker's life is forever changed when outlaws murder her husband, leaving her alone and lost in the wilds of the Wyoming Territory. She vows to find the men who killed him and who tried to destroy her spirit. 

Sage Lightfoot, owner of a ranch called Paradise Valley, is hunting for three men who murdered his best ranch hand. When he finds Maggie collapsed beside an open grave, they embark on a life-changing journey along the famed Outlaw Trail. But a secret Maggie carries and a woman from Sage's past could destroy their fragile love...

What I think is "unusual" about it?:  Well, first things first, this is Bittner's first new book in about 10 years - so that's pretty awesome.  It's a western.  You've got a heroine bent on revenge, a hero whose name sounds vaguely Native American, and the whole Outlaw Trail thing going on.  I'm really excited about this book and hope it lives up to my expectations.

What, if any, historical romances are you looking forward to over the next couple of months?

Law & Order: The Super Librarian Edition

It's been an unsettled week around the Bat Cave, which has led to me not being online very much.  Part of this is because work has been kicking my butt in the form of The End Times - which is what I call the end of our fiscal year.  What does this mean?  It means Wendy starts spending money like a drunken sailor in Bangkok.  The name of the game in my business is to overspend.  Because at the end of the day, all those books I pre-ordered will roll in, the discounts will apply, and those negative balances will turn positive.  The goal is to have numbers as close to zero as humanly possible.

So yeah, I've been making myself crazy so it would make perfect sense that now would be the time I get called for Jury Duty.  I actually don't mind Jury Duty all that much because it means a lot of sitting around with uninterrupted reading time.  Last time I was called it was for one of the "lesser" courthouses where they hear the not-quite-as-serious cases (that courthouse is in a "college town" so there you go).  This time though?  Superior Court.  You know, where the real villains hang out.  And yours truly sat in the courtroom gallery for three days while they selected a jury for a rape trial.  As you can probably imagine, they burned through quite a few potential jurors, although my number (#120) was never randomly called.  So basically I sat there for three days, listening to the judge, listening to the lawyers, listening to prospective jurors, and being very, very glad I've chosen to stay on the right side of Johnny Law.

+++++

In other criminally bent news, my mother sent me a small gift this week (pretty stationary) and in true Ma Kettle Super Librarian fashion, she sent me photographs of signs in the Alcatraz prison library.  Even when my mother isn't sending me newspaper clippings?  She's sending me things pretty dang close.  Anyway, I found this interesting:

"....most prisoners sought mental escape through books.  Literate convicts read 75-100 books a year."

Hey, what do you know online romance reading buds?  WE'RE JUST LIKE THE PRISONERS AT ALCATRAZ!  

"Books with sexual, violent or criminal references were not allowed." 

Um, OK.  Maybe not.

Which begs the question, would Wendy even read if books didn't have sex, violence or criminal references in them?  Because, dude - I NEVER, EVER WANT TO GO TO PRISON!  Yeah, uninterrupted reading time would be grand, but not if I had to read boring books.