Friday Videos Like Romantic But That’s Not It
For those of you who missed it, this is the latest issue of Bloomberg Business about the Continental/United merger:
Failblog was alllll over it.
But wait, there's a VIDEO. Where the folks behind the cover talk about how elegant and romantic it is. YES.
“It's artful! More romantic! We have a much more romantic story to tell.”
Link? It's where the links fall in love, you know. Poor Marvin Gaye. I'm all for bawdy jokes and cheeky humor, but come on. Unless these two cracked up off camera after keeping a straight face through that explanation, that's just ridiculous.
I'm flying on Continental to Durham NC this weekend – I can't wait to wait for the plans to be cleaned before I can board.
Categories: Friday Videos, General Bitching
GS. vs. STA: Infertility
This email comes from Rebekka:
I don't know if you can help me, but I would really appreciate some recommendations of romances to read that address infertility. As you know, most books that even mention it barely do, and it's usually more a case of, “Oh! My dead husband was sterile!” or it's some other problem easily fixed by the Mighty Wang.
The only romance I have read that actually deals with the emotional aspects of infertility – and which isn't magically fixed – is the Julia Quinn “Bridgerton” book When He Was Wicked (Francesca's story). My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for a year now and are about to start our first round of IVF. Even though I am only 27, our doctors say that we have less than a 5% chance of having a baby without it. Reading about other couples supporting and loving each other through such an emotional and difficult issue would really help me feel more hopeful that things can turn out all right, and that you can get through all this hard stuff together.
I remember being where Rebekka is, and it can be terribly isolating. I know that AAR has a list of romances like this (I love those lists, holy smokes), but it was last updated in 2009, and I wanted to see what romances published since then you'd recommend that featured infertility. What do you suggest?
Categories: General Bitching, Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid
Sizzling Book Club Pick: Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
Time to announce the February Book Club Pick! If you tuned into the chat Tuesday night, you heard this already, but it's worth repeating with MORE WORDS!
The February book club pick is: Indigo by Beverly Jenkins. This book is so well-reviewed everywhere you look, and there's a very good reason for that. It's amazing. It's also a classic and one of the best historical romances.
Here's the summary: As a child Hester Wyatt escaped slavery, but now the dark skinned beauty is a dedicated member of Michigan's Underground railroad, offering other runaways a chance at the freedom she has learned to love.
When one of her fellow conductors brings her an injured man to hide, Hester doesn't hesitate even after she is told about the price on his head. The man in question is the great conductor known as the “Black Daniel” a vital member of the North's Underground railroad network, but Hester finds him so rude and arrogant, she begins to question her vow to hide him.
When the injured and beaten Galen Vachon, aka, the Black Daniel awakens in Hester's cellar, he is unprepared for the feisty young conductor providing his care. As a member of one of the wealthiest free Black families in New Orleans, Galen has turned his back on the lavish living he is accustomed to in order to provide freedom to those enslaved in the south.
However, as he heals he cannot turn his back on Hester Wyatt. Her innocence fills him like a breath of fresh air and he is determined to make her his, but traitors have to be found, slave catchers have to be routed and Hester's refusal to trust her own heart have to be overcome before she and Galen can find the freedom only love can bring.
As usual, if you use SBTBARE at checkout, you will get a 50% eBook Bucks Rebate at AllRomance.com, the official sponsor of the Sizzling Book Club. The 50% rebate at AllRomance will be valid from February 1-15, 2011. You can also buy a paperback copy at Amazon, or wherever you like to go book shopping.
Get this – used copies of the original paperback are online for over 0 in some cases. I am not kidding that this is a much-beloved book. I also found paper copies in many public libraries in the US through WorldCat.org.
The Book Club Chat will be February 29th at 9pm ET/8pm CT, and Beverly Jenkins will be joining us at 10pm ET to answer questions. If you've never chatted with her, she's hilarious, and this will be a lively and fun book club chat.
Want a button?
With all the five-star reviews everywhere, I'm hoping you're curious if it lives up to the reviews. I think it does, and I cannot wait to talk about it with you.
Categories: General Bitching, Smart Bitches Sizzling Book Club
Review: Shepherd’s Moon
Shepherd’s Moon is an urban fantasy/thriller by Stacy Mantle. This is her first book release and hopefully there will be more to come!
The main character of the book is Alex. She is the first female shepherd in 2000 years. She has the ability to communicate with animals and she is a rescuer for preternatural creatures. She lives and works with her pack of shifters.
I really loved the concept of having a shepherd that looks out for the Weres. It is something that I have never seen in other books. I also like the variety of different shifters. There are a couple other creatures thrown into the mix, so how can you go wrong?
I am a big fan of shifters and I really enjoyed the storyline of this book. Mantle has penned a great book that captures your attention right from the start. The book was really well written and she has left it open for a series. I really look forward to learning more about the characters to which I have already begun to get attached. If you like urban fantasy and thrillers, this is a book that is definitely worth a try!
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Fate hasn’t exactly been kind to twenty-year-old Alexandra. Unless you count the fact that she can communicate with animals, the only piece of luck she’s ever had was being rescued by a werewolf and landing in a forever home with an eccentric couple and their unusual pack of animals. It’s taken twelve years to earn the official title of Shepherd but she’s now mostly trained, fairly effective, and the first female in over two centuries to hold the position as protector of animals. All animals…The Territorial Council isn’t thrilled with her new title of Shepherd, but they don’t have any more control over the appointment than they have over her. All they can really do is wait for her to screw something up – which Alex is determined not to do. Everything changes when a chance encounter with a genetically modified Shifter leaves Alex shaken and initiates a quest to locate its maker. In a desperate bid to save her pack, Alex must infiltrate the Parallax Corporation – an international organization with their hands in everything from biomedical engineering to publishing. They have now expanded their efforts to include terrorism and are attempting to breed the perfect weapon. Despite years of training and enough money from her live-in pack of misfits to finance a small country, Alex finds herself woefully unprepared to tackle the new threat. To make matters worse, Alex must work with a mysterious man who’s been trying to kill her since the day they met. Together with her pack, Alex must learn how to stop the biological cloning and find those responsible for the plan before it really does become a global threat.
Filed under Romance | Tags: Moon, Review, Shepherd’s | Comment (0)SBTB/DA Bestsellers: 17-24 January 2012
Books on sale! Books that are good! Books that are classics! Books that are good classics on sale! They sell a lot. How's that for analysis first thing in the morning?
And that exhausts my allotment of exclamation points for the day. Please continue your Sunday in staid and even fashion.
- And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
- Beauty and the Duke by Melody Thomas | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
- Devil's Bride with Bonus Material by Stephanie Laurens | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
- Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | ARE
- Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
- Angelfall by Susan Ee | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
- To Love a Thief by Julie Ann Long | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
- Alluring Tales–Awaken the Fantasy by Vivi Anna, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin and Cathryn Fox | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
- Forbidden by Elizabeth Lowell | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
- Mad About the Duke by Elizabeth Boyle | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo |
Categories: General Bitching, SBTB/DA Bestsellers
All the Flowers in Shanghai
If you’re a fan of sweeping historical novels set in China, such as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Shanghai Girls, or Dreams of Joy by Lisa See, you won’t want to miss All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson.
In 1930s Shanghai, Feng is forced to take her sister’s place as the bride to the heir of a wealthy family. This bargain comes with its share of triumphs and heartbreaks, and Feng must learn to navigate her way through history and tradition.
Even though the author is a man, he perfectly captures the voice of a young woman, much like Arthur Golden does in Memoirs of Geisha. So if you’re in the mood for a passionate and poignant read, don’t miss this beautifully written debut novel.
Check out the book trailer too:
Filed under Romance | Tags: Flowers, Shanghai | Comment (0)Review: Endless Night
Kenn Baker’s Endless Night is not the average vampire book. This is a darkly intense story of lust, greed, violence, and primal urges that refuse be ignored…..and I loved it! Filled with bloody scenes of sex and death, it is a more realistic look into what a world with vampires would be like. You won’t find any love-sick, angst-filled vampires trying to find a way to love a human in this book. In fact, there are very few humans in this book: except for the ones that end up as lunch. When reading most vampire stories, I tend to root for the good guy. But in Endless Night, the good guy is a bad guy. Even though there was a ton of violence in the book, there is humor, too. I found myself laughing when humans were being torn apart, sometimes envisioning the characters dancing and laughing while slaughtering them (Think “A Clockwork Orange” but with vampires!).
Baker’s writing was extremely descriptive, which made the book that much more intense to read. Each and every character adds an extra level to the story with their unique personalities. I’m happy to know that the author is going to add to the series. I’d love to see more from all of the characters and find out where their lives are going to go.
If you’re looking for a sweet romance or a happily-ever-after story with rainbows and flowers, this is not the book for you. While there is humor and a little romance, it’s a dark humor that not everyone will like. If you enjoy a little horror with your vampires, then I say this is a must-read. It really was a fantastic read that fans of gothic vampire romances will like. Endless Night is a delightfully dark walk on the wild side that was impossible to put down.
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From the author
James is a vampire who wants to hunt, he relishes the kill. He wants to hunt openly, leaving the dead where they fall, but his pack leader Brad insists upon discretion. James is discontent with this domesticated vampire life, and does everything he can to change his life, fix his relationship, end the tyranny of Brad and avoid that pesky sun.
Endless Night is a fang-filled feeding frenzy of fornication and of course….blood.
Filed under Romance | Tags: Endless, Night, Review | Comment (0)Links, Fun & Games
To follow the proceedings of Digital Book World 2012, the hashtag #dbw12 is a mix of reaction and reporting. Alas, my reporting ended after lunch, as I had to take a break from the conference and go home. I am not sure if I'll be back tomorrow, but the hashtag is full of folks reporting from the different panels.
One highlight today; a full hour in the morning of the opening day devoted to lessons learned from romance ebook publishing, featuring Julie Cummings from AllRomance, Raelene Gorlinsky from Ellora's Cave, Liate Stehlik and Angela James from Carina Press.
The panelists discussed DRM, pricing, and the ways in which digital publishing has created a more adept and flexible publishing model that's better positioned to treat readers as customers and to take charge of their own customer service relationships. Two years ago, romance was part of an afternoon session – this year it was among the first sessions on the main stage. Most excellent.
From Ruth: here's a review from a reader at Amazon that takes into account many, many grammatical errors in a Carole Mortimer book published by Mills & Boon:
The story is 180 pages long. At 250 words per page, that is a total of 45,000 words which can be roughly broken down to 6,400 sentences. Out of these 6.400 sentences there are 178 sentences that end with ellipses (…); 121 sentences that end with ellipses followed by a question mark (…?); 93 sentences that end with a dash (-); 26 that end in an ellipsis followed by an exclamation mark (…!); 11 that end with a dash followed by a question mark (-?); 9 that end with an exclamation mark followed by a dash (!-) and 2 that end with dash followed by an exclamation mark (-!).
Whoa.
Sporcle quizzes are a quiet obsession of Hubby's, but I think this is the first one I've done better on than he has! Sporcle has a new quiz all about Harlequin romance heroes.
I got all of them with 4:11 seconds left. What's your score and time?
Thanks to Matt and Catherine both for the link!
Paul Bogaards' Tumblr post about the hierarchy of book publishing received a lot of Twitter traffic – and thank you to the many folks who pointed out that Smart Bitches is #53. As Secret Agent Dan said, “You're above the Pulitzer!” Which made me laugh – that's hilariously cool. Thanks, Mr. Bogaards.
Categories: General Bitching, The Link-O-Lator
Review: Embrace the Highland Warrior
Embrace the Highland Warrior is the second book in Anita Clenney’s series about a clandestine group of Highland warriors tasked with destroying demons and protecting the humans they are trying to destroy.
This book is pure enjoyment. The kilted Connor clan from Awaken the Highland Warrior is back in this second novel, along with the Demons and Vampires who both want a piece of Shay. The writing in this was great! The plot twists and turns, along with the romance between Shay and Cody, and the all the hot guys in kilts, make this an incredible read. I seriously hope Anita keeps on writing about the Connor clan. I had to read this all in one sitting; I just could not put it down! The action in this is non-stop, along with the sizzling sex between Shay and Cody. I loved that Anita brought so much life to all of her characters in this book, and I can see many more books to come about all of these warriors. From the first page to the last sentence, Anita kept me hooked on Shay’s story, and it was nice to see the return of some old friends from the first book.
5 stars
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When the powerful demon that left Shay for dead discovers her empty grave, he comes seeking retribution, believing she possesses an ancient book he has sought for centuries. Knowing she can’t fight the demon alone, Shay returns to her clan and the Scottish Warrior who betrayed her…the only man she’s ever loved, where she discovers that betrayal isn’t always what it seems. Sometimes it’s far worse.
Filed under Romance | Tags: Embrace, Highland, Review, Warrior | Comment (0)Like Downton Abbey?
Then you’ll love Laura Lee Guhrke’s AND THEN HE KISSED HER, now only $.99 on nook or kindle! Read the 2008 RITA finalist that Romantic Times called “great fun and delectable reading.”
Filed under Romance | Tags: Abbey, Downton, like | Comment (0)