The Month That Was January 2009

This weekend is the Super Bowl. Which means when I'm not in the kitchen preparing assorted junk food goodies, I'll be camped out on the sofa. So y'all are getting my pathetic monthly reading recap a couple of days early.

This was a depressing month. Mostly because I started out the month like gangbusters and then hit a wall. I ended up only finishing 6 books. I need to figure out what the hell is wrong with me. Or at least make more of a concerted effort to carve out at least a little reading time every day. At this rate, 2009 will be just as dismal as 2008 reading total-wise. And seriously y'all, my TBR Anxiety has reached epic proportions.

Sigh

Well, without further ado (or bitching and moaning).....

Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell, Suspense, My Grade = C+ - An improvement over the last several books in this series, but still nowhere near as good as the earlier installments. This book felt too long, especially in the beginning, but I was happy to see the author focus more energy on the actual investigation, as opposed to all the inner angst of her characters. Full Super Librarian Review.

Reining In The Rancher by Karen Templeton (Silhouette Special Edition), Contemporary Series Romance, My Grade = B - Another solid book from Templeton, who excels at writing "real" people facing "real" conflict on their road to their happily-ever-after. TGTBTU Review.

A Man She Couldn't Forget by Kathryn Shay (Harlequin SuperRomance), Contemporary Series Romaance, My Grade = C - I'm a big fan of Shay's HSR books, and this one was a disappointment. The amnesia plot is well done, but outside of the heroine, her sister, and her therapist, I disliked every other character in this book. Including the hero. TGTBTU Review.

Pictures Of Us by Amy Garvey (Harlequin SuperRomance), Contemporary Series Romance, My Grade = B- - A departure from Garvey's work with Brava, an emotional story of long-married high school sweethearts who are confronted by their pasts. There was one secondary character I felt was too good to be true, but otherwise, a nice read. TGTBTU Review.

The Rake's Intimate Encounter by Ann Lethbridge (Harlequin Historical Undone), Regency Historical eBook-only Short Story, My Grade = B - A quick, sexy short story ideal for fans of older Nicole Jordan. What does that mean? It's hot enough to singe your eyebrows, the prose is more lavender than purple, and it's ideal for readers who want "hot" but don't like to read "crude" language like the F-bomb or C-bomb. I really enjoyed this story, and am looking forward to the author's full-length HH due out in April. TGTBTU Review.

The Viscount Claims His Bride by Bronwyn Scott (Harlequin Historical), Regency Historical, My Grade = C - It was nice to read a Regency that didn't take place in London (Cornwall is center stage here), but I was annoyed by the hero who just wouldn't come out and tell the heroine why he "had" to break her heart a decade before. I also felt the villain was too easily thwarted at the end. All that said, this was my second read by Scott and the second one that featured some pretty darn good dialogue. TGTBTU Review.

And that's it. February is a short month. Here's hoping I can kick my butt into gear.

Wendy Hits Pleasure Overload

If you've been reading this blog for any stretch of time you know two things. 1) Wendy loves westerns and 2) Wendy loves Harlequins. Oh, how I lurve me some Harlequins. And what is better than Harlequins you might ask? Well, how about free Harlequins? Yes, free books! Seriously, could my life get any better?

OK, one of those ubiquitous Greek tycoons could finally show up at my front door. But for now, free books will do.

In honor of their 60th anniversary, Harlequin is offering up 16 free (yes, free!) ebooks. There's a wide selection and a variety of formats to choose from. Seriously y'all - head on over there now and download every single one. Heck, I'm going to! At the bargain price of free, I'm using this as an opportunity to try new authors and sub genres.

Here are the list of titles available for download:

• Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child (Silhouette Desire)
• Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly (Harlequin Blaze)
• Price of Passion by Susan Napier (Harlequin Presents)
• Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson (Kimani)
• Hide In Plain Sight by Marta Perry (Love Inspired Suspense)
• Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels (Harlequin Intrigue)
• Kiss Me Deadly by Michelle Hauf (Silhouette Nocturne)
• Stranded With a Spy by Merline Lovelace (Silhouette Romantic Suspense)
• Once A Cowboy by Linda Warren (Harlequin American)
• Dancing In The Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne (Silhouette Special Edition)
• Snowbound by Janice Kay Johnson (Harlequin SuperRomance) Super Librarian Review
  
• The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding (Harlequin Romance)
• A Very Special Delivery by Linda Goodnight (Love Inspired)
• Speed Dating by Nancy Warren (NASCAR)
• His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls (Harlequin Historical)
• Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart (Love Inspired Historical)

One more time - you can download your free books here.

Free, free, free!

The Anti-Book Club Discussion

Since she had boxes and mail to pick up at the Bat Cave, I saw the Lil' Sis yesterday. She brought with her the copy of In Too Deep by Portia Da Costa I loaned her to read, complete with the threatening Post-It Note I put on the cover telling her I would skin her alive if anything "bad" happened to my shiny, beautiful, pristine, OCD-looking autographed copy. I'm happy to report she returned it unharmed.

Warning: Minor spoiler in this conversation involving one of the hawt scenes in the book. It doesn't give away any major plot point, but if you want to know nothing - consider this your warning. You can read the full non-spoiler Super Librarian review here.

Lil' Sis: You were right. I read it in like 2 hours.

Me: So...what did you think?

Lil' Sis: I was sort of surprised it was published by Black Lace. I mean, it wasn't slutty at all!

Me: LOL - Yeah, that's why I said on my blog it would be a good book for newbies to erotica.

Lil' Sis: Yeah, I mean I figured since it was Black Lace, the librarian would have been banging everybody to try and figure out who Nemesis was. The IT guy, the other librarian, some of the library patrons, the Professor.....

Me: ::trying not to laugh hysterically while driving down busy So. Cal. freeway:: And that scene where she "takes herself in hand" (edited for blog content - I was more crude in real life) she would have thrown open the curtains and let the neighbors watch!

Lil' Sis: And then opened the window to yell to the whole neighborhood they should come on over!

::More giggling ensues::

Me: So did you like it?

Lil' Sis: Yeah, I liked it quite a bit. OMG, that scene where the Professor is "taking himself in hand" (edited for blog content - my sister was more crude in real life) and Gwendolyn spies on him? OMG - hottest scene ever! I kept waiting for him to turn around and catch her watching him! OMG - hot, hot, hot!

Me: I know! That was my favorite scene too!

Lil' Sis: I agree with your blog review. Definitely not erotica. This one is definitely an erotic romance. Gotta be sure to add that romance in there.

Me: Well, I'm glad you liked it.

Lil' Sis: I did. Thanks for loaning it to me!

Sadly, All Too True

Sorry y'all, you're getting blog filler. Stuff to do, sister to visit with, blah blah blah. But seriously, pretty funny (and accurate!) cartoon, yes?

Harlequin Ho

I love Harlequin. Lord knows I do. And now they've found a new way to feed my addiction. Harlequin's Digital Team has launched a desktop application! You download this happy bit of software to your computer's desktop, and it pops up with various Harlequin news. I just downloaded it to my office computer, and it's pretty cool. You can learn more about it, and download the software, here.

Pretty Awesome Susan Wiggs News

Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, and social networking sites, authors have a variety of ways to communicate with readers these days. But damn, nothing quite beats the good ol' fashioned e-mail newsletter. Which is why I've never gotten around to unsubscribing from the gazillion that I'm a member of. Good thing too, because the latest newsletter from Susan Wiggs is chock full of exciting reprint news!

Four of Wiggs long, long, long out of print historicals are getting reprinted in 2009. The slight downside to this joyous news, is that three of the four reprints will have different titles. Sigh. I hate when publishers do that. Oh well. It's still not annoying enough to damper this exciting news, since - like I said - all of these titles have been out of print for ages. Here's the breakdown of plot descriptions, publication dates, along with new titles. Enjoy!

Lord Of The Night, June 2009, No New Title.

Description:

When a crime was committed in tumultuous sixteenth-century Venice, Sandro Cavalli, Lord of the Night, could be counted upon to bring the malefactors to justice. Strong and rough-hewn as noble oak, his inborn code of morality was strong as his mighty shoulders. Nothing and no one could sway him from his duty.

No one until Laura Bandello. She was a woman of lustrous beauty and disarming charm. Yet why did Laura know so much about the problems plaguing Venice? Could someone so fair, so innocent, be involved in a shocking plot?

The only thing Sandro knew for certain was that he wanted this woman more than anything he had ever wanted in his life - even if it meant sacrificing everything he held dear.

Circle In The Water, August 2009, New Title = At The King's Command

Description:

Never one to forget a slight, King Henry VIII sough revenge against Stephen de Lacey, the handsome and defiant Baron of Wimberleigh. When a gypsy horse thief interrupted the king's daily hunt, Henry saw a way to bring the insolent nobleman to heel - he gave Stephen a choice of marrying the brazen wench or watching her hang.

Stephen wanted nothing to do with his unwelcome gypsy bride, even when he realized Juliana was a princess from a far-off land, fleeing the fires of a deadly uprising. But with each day, she moved closer to his heart - and to the secret that could destroy him.

A mysterious force from Juliana's past threatened the life they had built. It was then they knew that together they could overcome all odds.

Vows Made In Wine, September 2009, New Title = The Maiden's Hand

Description:

Oliver de Lacey had no time for love. he pursued pleasure with relentless fervor. Then one day, he met a woman who changed his wild ways.

Mistress Lark had no need for passion. All her devotion went into a secret cause she embraced with her whole heart. Until she met Oliver de Lacey.

Dancing On Air, October 2009, New Title = At The Queen's Summons

Description:

Pippa invented a past for herself, because anything was better than facing the truth. But when her antics led her into serious trouble, she had to throw herself at the mercy of a powerful Irish chieftain.

Aidan's world was crumbling beneath him. He went to London to seek mercy from the queen. Instead, he found an entrancing, mysterious woman who would alter his dreams and change his life forever.

These aren't listed on Amazon yet, but if you check out Wiggs' bibliography (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page!), it looks like Harlequin/Mira is planning on reprinting a lot more of Wiggs' long out of print historicals! Yippeee! Great news for historical fans everywhere, because her historical backlist is filled with a fine variety of settings and locales.

And for the record: Yeah, those four copies pictured above belong to yours truly. I amassed all of Susan Wiggs' historicals ages ago. Have I read them all? Golly, of course not! After all, I'm the Queen Of Having Great Books In My TBR That I Haven't Gotten Around To Reading Yet. Just ask KristieJ, who nags me incessantly every time I see her live and in person. Love ya girlie!

Because The Pretty And Shiny Amuses Me

For those of who read this blog the "old fashioned way" or if you've wandered over here from your feed reader, you might have noticed a new widget on my sidebar. It shows some of the cover art I've uploaded to my Upcoming Historical Romances wiki that I talk about on occasion, but that doesn't do all the great in the "hits" department. Traffic usually spikes after I mention it's existence on the blog, and then y'all seem to forget about it. So what's on this wiki you ask?

I do my best to scour my Top Secret Librarian Resources to compile upcoming titles in historical romance. Once the cover art appears on Amazon, I also upload it to the wiki because - I'll admit it - I'm a huge ho for cover art. I cannot get enough talk, discussion, snark etc. about cover art. Love it too pieces. Plus I like looking at the pretty and the shiny, even when some poor author gets slapped with a truly horrendous man-titty clinch cover.

Right now on the site? Starting with the January 2009 releases, mouse over any of the covers to see the official laydown date for the book. Also, you'll find nuggets of information like the fact that Carla Kelly's next Harlequin Historical release, The Surgeon's Lady is set for a June 2009 release date. Beth Williamson, who has published several westerns with Samhain, makes her debut over at Kensington Brava in March with The Education of Madeline. And for Georgette Heyer fans? Look for even more reprints thanks to Harlequin and Sourcebooks!

Also, check out the cover goodness!


























Yeah, I totally dig Headless People covers. So sue me. But look at the colors! Aren't they purdy? And who doesn't love the anticipation of future book releases? It's like being a kid again and waiting for Christmas morning to hurry up and get here already.

So wander on over and take a look. And y'all come back now, ya hear?

Disclaimer: My wiki is not exhaustive. I don't include ebooks (for my own sanity), and I try my best to highlight reprints and all new print releases. But inevitably I miss a few titles here and there. This wiki mostly exists for my own amusement, and in the hopes that someone else will find it useful. There's no one helping me do this, and I'm not perfect. But I'll continue to do the best I can.