Anticipated November Releases

Charlotte de Ney is as noble as they come, a blueblood straight out of the Weird. But even though she possesses rare magical healing abilities, her life has brought her nothing but pain. After her marriage crumbles, she flees to the Edge to build a new home for herself. Until Richard Mar is brought to her for treatment, and Charlotte’s life is turned upside down once again.
Richard is a swordsman without peer, future head of his large and rambunctious Edger clan—and he’s on a clandestine quest to wipe out slavers trafficking humans in the Weird. So when his presence leads his very dangerous enemies to Charlotte, she vows to help Richard destroy them. The slavers’ operation, however, goes deeper than Richard knows, and even working together, Charlotte and Richard may not survive…

They rely on animal instincts…
Meet “Gin” and “Tonic.” She’s a dog person. He’s a cat person. But when these two friendly rivals team up to solve a mystery, you can bet their pets aren’t the only ones getting collared…
Ginny Mallard and her shar-pei, Georgie, are about to run out of kibble and cash, unless she digs up another client for her private concierge business. So she heads to her neighborhood Seattle bar, Mary’s, to sniff out an opportunity. Or a gimlet or two. The bartender, Teddy Tonica, is usually good for a round of challenging banter, and Georgie is oddly fond of his bar cat, Mistress Penny.
Before she can say “bottoms up,” Ginny lands a job tracking down some important business papers that have gone missing—along with the customer’s uncle. If Ginny hopes to track him down, she’ll need more than her research skills: she’ll need a partner with people skills—like Tonica.

This is one dangerous case that’s about to go to the dogs—unless man, woman, cat, and canine can work together as one very unconventional crime-solving team.

                                   A second shot at first love
After college, Ryan Kowalski decided to leave Whitford, Maine, rather than watch Lauren Carpenter marry another man. Now his siblings need his help to refurbish the family-owned Northern Star Lodge and he’s forced to face the past sooner rather than later when he collars a vandal—and learns the boy is Lauren’s son…
The last person Lauren needs back in her life is Ryan Kowalski. With a bitter ex-husband and a moody teenage son, she has enough man trouble already. But her son needs to learn a few lessons about right and wrong, even if Lauren has to escort him to Ryan’s door every day to work off his crime.
With all this close contact, Ryan and Lauren can’t deny the chemistry between them is as powerful as ever. But can a few searing kisses erase their past and pave the way for a second chance at true love?

Cover Reveal: High Risk by Vivian Arend

This cover was revealed earlier this month, and I love it since it tells me what this books is: An erotic romance novel featuring Adrenaline junkies. ( Yes, I am tired of 50 shades of grey covers, that could be on any kind of book.)

5 ways to get me to not buy your book:

This list is a result of frustration at both indie, small press, and bigger publishers.

Overpriced:

This isn’t about the price of hardcovers, but more about small digital first publishers ( and authors) who puts a 3 dollar price at a short story that is less than 15 000 words.

 Badly edited:

I prefer to read a sample or a cheap short story before I buy a new to me author, and I can say that if I find either the sample or the story to be badly edited, I am much less likely to buy the book.

 Amateurish cover:

For me, the point of a cover is to catch the interest of a reader. If I see a book with an amateurish cover, it tells me that the publisher (or the author if it is indie published) were reluctant to spend money on the cover.

 Lack of a blurb:

It doesn’t matter how good the blurb is on the book, if the blurb I find online is two lines long. Or replaced with an excerpt ( Yes, Avon, I am looking at you…)

 Cover quotes from anonymous people:

I accept that often the cover quotes on books comes from authors the author knows. But what makes my hackles rise is when I read endorsements by anonymous people. Why? Because it edges a bit too close sock puppet reviews for me.

Friday Bargains: Free Serials

 The Serial that I am reading right now, is Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews.  It is funny, and quirky. And I love it. I might, just might, check it several times a day.  The first chapter is here.

When I was wibbling wheter or not I would I read the first Nightlights compilation to see if I liked her voice.Which I did.  That freebie is gone from Smashwords, but the free serial is still available.  ( If you like it, the complete collection is available for 3.99 from Smashwords)

Another serial I gobbled up, is the Shadow Unit serial. Think Criminal minds, but with Supernatural elements. And… the first season is free at Smashwords right now.

Review: Shifters Destiny by Anna Leonard

The Particulars: Paranormal Romance, Harlequin, available as e-book and in print
The Source: Purchased that Books on Board
The Grade: B
The Blurb:
Nothing can stop a shape-shifter from fulfilling his legacy…except a beguiling yet forbidden young woman on a quest to save her sister.

There are some boundaries mustangs must never cross–even for true love.

Libby wasn’t looking for anything but escape when she took her little sister and fled the malevolent cult they once called family. When a horse appears to carry them from danger, she sees only a ride–and not the horn set in its forehead.

Josh knows he wants Libby from the moment their eyes meet. Trouble is, his heritage demands that he claim a virgin bride–or else suffer dark consequences. But he can’t turn away from a female in need, either. With “The Community” closing in, the unicorn-shifter will have to summon all of his strength to resist Libby’s allure and protect the sisters from harm.

He may be no knight in shining armor, but he’s got the hooves to back up his claim.

The Review:
Laura Anne Gilman is an autobuy author for me, so when I discover she had a new Paranormal Romance out under the name of Anna Leonard, I snapped it up.
And I am glad I did. I fell in love with this story.
The shapeshifting unicorns felt unique, and was a welcome relief from the standard shapeshifters like Werewolves. What I liked was how believable their traits felt. Ms Leonard had included traits from horses, and used them that made total sense, and at the same time added an extra layer of tension.
. That both Maggie and Elizabeth had gifts were obvious, but I liked how different they were. Maggie’s was obvious, but Elizabeth’s gift was more neboulus.
The plot sucked me in, and it kept me hooked. The sexual tension between Josh and Elizabeth, the rut, the fear that the villain will catch them… All of it works together to create a tense, fast paced story set against the quaint New England country side. That the plot built up towards an confrontation with the bad guy was clear. But how it happened took me by surprise.
It was touching to see how Elizabeth cared for Maggie, and how Maggie loved her in return. Josh was a reluctant hero at first, since he had to return home. Yet, I adored him for the fact that he was there for them when they needed him the most.  

Heads up: Christmas at Friday Harbour by Lisa Kleypas

Christmas at Friday Harbour by Lisa Kleypas has been at my wishlist since I read Rainshadow Road, along with book 3. All I have been waiting for is a good reason to buy it.  Well. I got a good reason to buy it now. I discovered by accident that  on Oct 30 St Martin is re-issuing  it as Christmas with Holly. And, they take the opportunity to raise the price to 9.99, from 6.99 ( According to Kobo.) 

I checked Amazon and Bookdepository, and it looks like the change is only for e-books.  Or maybe they simply opt not to stock the new edition. *shrugs*

Pearson confirms: Random House and Penguin are in the discussion to merge

The news that Penguin and Random House are in talk about merging their organizations just broke on twitter.  My opinion:  Take it with a pinch of salt. A big one. Yes, they are talking, but there are nothing decided yet. Not to mention that a deal at this size must get accepted by both the FTC and the German equivalent.  And EU takes a strict view on big companies merging.  

That said, I think that this is just the start.  The publishing industry is in upheaval. Print is declining ( esp. massmarket) and e-books are booming. And the publishers structure isn’t adapted to e-books. The other publishers realise that something must be done.  Simon and Schuster just reorganized their imprints,  and I am sure Macmillan and HarperCollins are planning changes as well. 

Review: The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich

The Particulars: Women’s Fiction, Storywonk, available as e-bookThe Source: Purchased at SmashwordsThe Grade: C+ The Blurb: 


Accept the book with the amber spine. 
Return the frog. Take the cab.
What the hell kind of advice is that?”
When Tucson Today segment producer Carly McKay visits the quirky artist’s community of Bilby, Arizona, to do a story on a psychic quiltmaker, she receives an odd reading… and her life falls apart in eerie harmony with what the quilt foretold. Her best friend professes his undying love; her show gets canceled; and the mother who disappeared seventeen years ago appears on their doorstep, getting instant forgiveness from the entire family… except Carly.
Carly rushes off to Bilby to return the cursed quilt, and then surprises herself; she stays. She rents a cabin, gets a job, and meets an artist who shows her new ways to look at life, and love. Can she run away and start a new life, or should she go back and stitch her old one back together?
And why is it so hard to get a straight answer from a psychic, anyway?

The Review:

This is another book that has languished unread. I purchased it, since I love Lani Diane Rich Crazy for you.  This book had a lot of potential, but in the end it fell short.

The story about Carly, and how her life falls apart was interesting and full of unexpected twists. It was well plotted, and made sense. I enjoyed following her journey. From the time she recieved the quilt, and all the havoc it wrecked on her life. (Though as Brandy pointed out it would probably have happened anyway.)

The characters she met in Bilby were quirky, and felt like they fit the small town setting.  Carly’s family annoyed me with the way they forgave her mother when she returned after 17 years. In fact, Carly’s reaction was the only one that made sense to me.

Despite the things I loved with the books, I had two major problems with the book.  First, the formatting errors jarred me out of the book several times.  The second problem was the fact that I felt the book had trouble deciding if it should be Chick lit or contemporary romance.  Which might be why I had some trouble connecting with the characters.