Anton Strout Interview and Book Giveaway!

After reading Dead To Me and hearing Ace author Anton Strout speak, my goal was to have him answer some questions that have been on my mind about the publishing industry along with the Urban Fantasy genre that has exploded recently with such excellent authors! And, I can honestly say that Anton is one of these authors.

Since you work in the publishing industry, are there any secrets or advice you can give to a new author trying to get their work published?

Anton: Be professional when trying to submit your work. Publishing is a business, and although your secret heart is poured out on your manuscript pages, you can't take things personally. If you get a form rejection, don't rage and scream against the industry. If you get a more personalized rejection, take any advice you get in it and give it careful consideration. I've heard too many stories about aspiring authors getting caught up in feeling like their precious baby has been kicked in the teeth that they forget that they SHOULD be trying to make their manuscript better! Serve the story. Even published authors are always learning new things to make their work better. You should be too!

I have heard so many rumors about how important it is to wait to buy a book on the release date. How true is it that sales are only counted after a book is released than before? If I buy a book before its release date, does that mean I am a bad person and that it won't count toward the total sales of the book?

Anton: It depends. Generally, it works best if you pick up an author's work in the first 8 weeks or so after the "street date" of a book. Why? The stores that carry these books are looking to see what the strong performers are during that time period and those sales will affect how many of your NEXT book they will take. It's also a crucial time for trying to get an author onto the bestseller list. By buying a book early, there is a chance that those early sales won't get lumped into the first week sales that are reported and crucial to a books performance. I believe some of the online retailers do factor this in and report the sales as one rolled up figure, but it's not a constant.

How did you come up with the character of Simon?

Anton: Is it strange to say that he decided to show himself to me over time? There was no initial inspiration for him that I can remember, but when I started writing the protagonist of this story I wanted to tell, the situation's kind of help to build him. Simon strives to be a badass hero that we're all used to in the genre, except he's not. He's a fairly normal guy who simply wants to get his shit together, date, and do something a bit more good and meaningful in his life. But all of this only came to me as Simon walked up to situation after situation. It was only then than he revealed how he'd handle it.

You made New York City come so alive that it seemed like another character in Dead To Me. Did you do any type of research on the city or just make it up along as you wrote since you work there and live close by?

Anton: I lived in Manhattan for about a decade and about six years in Queens, so I am very familiar with most of New York City. It IS a character all its own and I set out to portray the lively creature that it is. I researched a lot of my locations within the story and if I didn't have the time I would Wiki some of the history of those locations. It's such a fascinating city! I have little videoed bits on my camera where I would act out certain scenes at locations, which drew some stares. The Lovecraft Cafe, for example, is based on an East Village coffeehouse/movie theater I used to go to. I'm almost afraid to go back there because my fictional version of it has so taken over that I might be disappointed by the reality of it.

What does the future hold for Simon?

Anton: Well, Ace recently contracted books three and four in the series, so suffice it to say, poor Simon has some troubling times coming. DEADER STILL, book two in the series has Simon dealing with oubliettes, ghosts, cultists, and the scariest creature of them all... women!

What is your definition of Urban Fantasy? Do you see this genre exploding even more? What other authors should we look forward to?

Anton: I have a very loose definition. I think that to qualify as urban fantasy you need a modern day city and you need something fantastical... magic, vamps, you name it. That's it for me. A lot of it can wander into the paranormal romance category, which generally speaking constitutes more emphasis on the boning and less on the plot. Julie Kenner gets away with sub-urban fantasy, with her soccer mom demon slayer, so there are of course exceptions to these rules... I'm doing humorous urban fantasy, sort of in a Whedon-esque vein, and I'd love to see even more of that. I miss Buffy and Ghostbusters.I think the genre has grown about as much as it will, but I think we'll be seeing changes in what specifically is being dealt with in urban fantasy. Vampires were the initial trendsetters... shape shifters are big now... I'm gonna predict that dragonkin will be next. Not in my work, mind you, but hey, it could happen!As far as other authors, I can always recommend my colleagues over at the League of Reluctant Adults... and also this new author at Ace, Jes Battis, who is doing my kind of stuff only with a more serious edge and a paranormal CSI squad.

If you were stuck on a desert island, what 5 books would you want with you? Also, what 5 characters would you want living in your hut?

Anton: Hmm...again with the tough questions! I tried to come up with all kinds of erudite answers, but you'll have to settle for these...

Fellowship of the Ring- I like beginnings, and this is my favorite one. I reread it every few years.

The Hotel New Hampshire

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy- I don't think I'd be a writer if it weren't for the humor in this book

The Sandman- the entire graphic novel series, which I'm counting as one book.... this has a little bit of everything and helps class up my list

Neuromancer- this William Gibson classic made me realize that I had to work hard, both as a writer AND as a reader... first read through at fourteen, I didn't get it, but I wanted to. Gibson (who I recently had a sammich with!) hits the ground running, not looking back, and it's up to the reader to catch up to what's going on and quick.. I like that Runner up:

Snow Crash/The Diamond Age- Neal Stephenson makes me drool a little bit, what can I say...?

If you could have any superpowers, what would they be? Who is your favorite superhero if you have any?

Anton: These are tough questions to ask a self-proclaimed comic book geek. I've given too many hours to thinking about this in my life. Spidey has always been one of my favorite heroes and I'd probably want his powers. I don't need nigh-invulnerability or anything grand like that... I'd be happy to settle for webslinging, clinging to walls and super strength. Although I always used to play Tony Stark driven Iron Man clones back in my RPG days... I'm also a huge Batman fan, but other than his smarts and wealth, he doesn’t really have powers... which is keen in its own right. Now please to be putting on this Wonder Woman outfit....

Not only was Anton nice enough for me to "pick his brain", he is giving away a signed copy of Dead To Me! All you have to do to win is post here by Thursday. But to make it interesting, I want to know:

"If you could have any super power what would it be and why?"

Katiebabs, who would want the power to fly! :D

My Sangria Weekend in Review

This is me on Saturday night, taken with my new digital camera my wonderful parents gave me for my birthday! In my hand is a glass of sangria (one of many)! I think I look a bit drunk already, but that is waaaaay before I drank 2 pitchers with my parents. Around 10pm I was ready to say hello to my pillow.

*unfortunately, no pictures were taken of drunk Katie*

The first pictures I took with my camera were my TBR pile as you can see down below:
*Yup, a very scary sight*
**ignore the flower wallpaper circa 1970**



And finally I was given an award on Friday from one of our favorites bloggers, Lisabea!

Lisa has humbled me by giving me the award for: The Sweetest Girl in Bloglandia. I don't think Lisa realizes how much she brings to blogland and deserves her own special award.

Since my Captain Kristie has left me in charge so to speak, I will try my best to give you the best reviews, author interviews and perhaps a contest or two this week *G*

So, what did everyone do this weekend?

Katiebabs (KB)

But before I go

I found another brand new baby blogger (I love saying that!)

Sydney of Syd's Place. And she's a fellow Canuck -though she lives might far away from me. Be sure to stop by and say hey and welcome another one of "us"

This next week

Now that her celebrating is done, I'm relying on Katie to take over this week. You see, I'm on vacation - the first of three different vacation weeks - all completely different.
For this first one, my sister Nancy is visiting from Massachusettes. She will be here later today - and ACK - I really need to get moving on cleaning out the bedrooms from kitchen stuff. She will be here until Wednesday, then Lisa and I are driving back with her and flying home next Saturday. I will be able to drop in from time to time - but only very briefly - so the Wing Commander will be doing solo duty.
While I loved my sisters growing up - they also drove me nuts. Being the oldest of three, I was the responsible one. Lisa, being the middle one, was the peacemaker and Nancy following up the rear was the free spirit one. I recently read an article on the different personalities of sisters based on their birth order and it fit us to a tee!
But now that we are older - and all live in different houses - we get along like gangbusters and I'm REALLY looking forward to this first week of vacation time.
So with this announcement - I leave with Ramblings on Romance, etc in Very Good Hands.
I'll be back in a week.

A Huge Happy Birthday

It's a special day

For my Wing Commander Katie!!

Drop by, have a beer and wish her a

Happy Birthday!!

Contest Pimpage For The Weekend

Today is my birthday. Yup, I am turning 21 yet again! So, my gift to you is to make you all aware of some excellent contests going on in the blog world.

The wonderful ladies at the Book Binge are doing this fabulous book giveaway called Summer Time with Dorchester Publishing. You not only get some great books and some nice handbags to go along with them! You have till June 30th to submit your entry.

The wonderful duo of Thea and Ana a.k.a. The Book Smugglers are holding a fabulous contest where you can win you win your own copy of Loretta Chase's new release, Your Scandalous Ways if you comment tomorrow where there will be an interview with Loretta!

Zeek over at The Way I See It has posted a wonderful interview with Maria V. Snyder and your chance to win one of her books in her Study Series.

Update: I forgot to mention over at Jace Scribbles that there is a great contest for all you Linnea Sinclair fans! You have a chance to win some excellent giveaways such as Linnea's July release, Shades of Dark!

**On a side note, I had a lot of birthday cheer today and the one question most asked, is what I want for my birthday? Instead of wanting a specific item, I actually must count my blessing for a truly incredible year! And the reason I am so blessed is in part because of all of you, the most wonderful group in blogland!

And a special BIG THANK YOU to Kristie (J), she has given me the best gift I could ask for. I applaud her for her dedication and love of reading and asking a shy and simple woman like myself to have a place to be heard. There are no words to say what you have done for me.

Katiebabs (KB)

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

I have been on such an Urban/ Paranormal Fantasy kick lately. The two out of the three I have reviewed here were very enjoyable, while the third one was a major dud. I may have some rotten fruit thrown at my head when you find out which one was given the label of being a DNF! *muwahahaa*

Dead To Me by Anton Strout
I had met Anton when Christine and I went to Comic Con a few months ago and when he wrote me saying that he was doing a talk at Borders last Saturday and invited me to come hear him speak, I was very interested. I had a very enjoyable experience hearing him speak about the publishing industry, (he also works for Penguin) his writing process and how he came up with the ideas for his first published book.

Dead To Me is the first book in a series about Simon Canderous, a twenty-four year old psychometrist, living in New York City and working for the secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs. What’s a psychometrist you ask? Psychometry is the ability to touch an object that someone owns and find out things about them, such as memories or a certain time in their lives when they owned the object. Poor Simon hates having this ability because anything he touches with his bare hands, will allow him to know a person’s deepest and darkest secrets. It also makes dating quite an uncomfortable thing for him.

Simon used to work as a petty thief and is now on the side of good even though his underpaying job can hardly pay the bills. Plus, he comes in contact with all types of creatures. This includes ghosts who will turn part of your hair white if you tangle with them, thus being welcomed into the “White Stripes” group. Simon calls them the Hair Club For Men. His older partner, Connor, is part of this elite group of hair men because of his latest ghostly investigation. Simon and Connor take up a case after Simon spills his coffee through a ghost named Irene. And since they can’t just have her floating around scaring people, they decide to find out who killed her. From there, Simon falls into all types of scrapes from being chased by killer bookshelves and evil cultists. He has to make sure he keeps his job and not touch anything that could possibly drain him to the point of passing out.

Since I am so use to reading about the female protagonist’s point of view, it was nice for a change to read about the male’s POV. Dead To Me is very quirky and Simon is such a funny and loveable guy. I wanted to give Simon a big hug because he is such a fish out of water, barely making ends meet while trying to stay alive as the things that go bump in the night try to do him in. This is a straight up Urban Fantasy with many pop culture references (Simon has a leather duster that reminds him of the one worn by Angel in the old TV series Angel) and I found myself chuckling a few times. There is this one scene where Conner and Simon go looking for a man on the run and as they enter an office looking for him, they announce they are D.E.A. One of the characters responds:

“But, we’re environmentally friendly! We recycle. We don’t dump any contaminants.”

There are some subtle moments with a possible romance to come and since Anton has been contracted for three more books in this series, I would love to see what else he has in store for Simon.

3 out of 5 stars.

Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole
Since the titles in Kresley Cole's Immortal After Dark Series have become so confusing, I have nicknamed this one, Cade: The One With the Likable Horns. Alas, his horns were not licked during the story but this is another worthy addition to Cole’s paranormal series that should not be missed.

Caedon Woede is a rage demon who is trying to help his brother, Rydstrom retrieve his magical crown so he can take back his kingdom he lost. Cadeon will do anything to get his brother’s crown back even if it means sacrificing his one true mate, Holly. Cade has been watching or rather peeping on her ever since they met. He can never have her because she is human after all and if he tries to mate with her, she wouldn’t be able to survive. So, Cade has a constant case of blue balls.

One night Holly is attacked and about to be raped so she can conceive the spawn of evil, but Cade comes to her rescue in time. Holly finds out she is part Valkyrie and the vessel to carry the spawn that can either become a product of good or evil and help change the world. This has only come out now because Holly has been repressed. She holds back all types of sexual urges and likes everything to be in perfect harmony. Cade and Holly go on the road and she thinks Cade is trying to protect her and find someone who can change her back into human, while Cade needs to deliver her to the one person who can help him get Rydstrom’s crown and thus the key to the kingdom.

If you like road romances, Dark Desires is the perfect read for you. I had so much fun over the bantering and bickering back and forth between Cade and Holly. Talk about total opposites! Cade is a porn loving slob while Holly has OCD and the thought of sex gets her very scared because she feels if she loses it in the heat of the moment, she will hurt the man she is with because of her Valkyrie strength. I know some had issues with Holly and her being so repressed and stiff but what I enjoyed the most is how Holly was able to break free of her self imposed bonds and become more empowered within herself. Cade helped her realize who she is and held her hand so to speak. Plus, they way Cade helps her release her pent up feelings is oh, so good.

These two were a riot to read even though I wanted to bop Cade over the head at one point because of a certain situation he places Holly in, but again, Cade has to sacrifice a part of himself for his brother. In my eyes that made him a worthy hero.

3 ½ stars out of 5

Damien by Jacquelyn Frank
Sorry, this was the one book that was a major DNF for me. I have tried repeatedly to enjoy the world of the Nightwalkers and every time, I scratch my head and go “huh?” Perhaps I am missing something but every one of Frank’s books are so long winded and go on and on without any major action. I also think part of my problem is the long paragraphs that don’t really make sense and the sex is pretty ho hum.

Damien is the prince of all vampires and his story involves Syreena, sister and princess to the queen of the Lycanthropes. There is a magical sort of library that has all the secrets and history of the Nightwalkers which includes all creatures such as Vampires, Lycanthropes and Demons. Syreena is there to guard this library and Damian goes to read some books. Out pops an evil demon skank who attacks Syreena and Damien rescues her. All this rescuing makes them both horny for each other and they figure out they are each other’s mates even though it is not possible for a Vampire and Lycanthrope to be together. But for some reason it worked for Syreena’s sister and her consort who is an important Demon. Damien and Syreena think a lot while trying to deny each other. Plus there are some rogue vampires around intent on causing mayhem along with the demon skank who won’t go away and realize she has no chance in wining.

It is really hard to explain in so many words that Damien doesn’t really have much going on. Yes, there are some fight scenes and a love story, but this was so slow moving and blah, that I really didn’t care if Damien and Syreena would go off and have a few Vampthropes… or would that be Lycanpires?

1 ½ stars out of 5

Katiebabs (KB)

New to me blogger

I'm thrilled when ever I find a new reader blogger. Sometimes I forget to post about new ones - and while I always book mark them, sometimes I'm slow to add them to the side bar. But sometimes the brain is in good working order and I remember.

Say hello to Kaja of Books and Games- the newest blogger I've found! And guess what? She's also a Crusader!

Everod?! (Scandalous By Night)

Barbara Pierce has a new book coming out on July 29th called Scandalous By Night.

As I read the synopsis, I thought this look like a pretty good read. And the cover is pretty hot also.

"Even among that band of rakes known as les sauvages nobles, Lord Everod’s reputation is truly wicked. Countless willing partners have enjoyed his sensual prowess, but now one lovely innocent has his undivided attention. The alluring Miss Maura Keighly once lost Everod his family’s regard, and almost cost him his life. And no vengeance could be sweeter than the delicious seduction he has planned…Maura is on the verge of marrying another. Yet no sooner has she set foot among the ton than Everod makes himself known, tempting and taunting her by word and deed, filling her days and nights with illicit longing. His wanton invitation is plain, yet Maura’s passionate response blindsides them both. For the first time, Everod feels something more potent than lust. Simple surrender will never be enough; Everod must possess Maura completely. But the past cannot be so easily forgotten—and some desires are even more dangerous than revenge…"

But, then I saw the hero's name is... Everod!!

Insert your jokes here.

Katiebabs (KB)

TBR Challenge for June

Rock Star by Roslyn Holcomb

Published in 2006

I’ve had this one in the TBR pile for a while now and kept meaning to read it. Yet again, I’m glad Keishon’s challenge has spurred me to read a book that might have lingered a bit longer in the TBR pile.

I bought this one when I heard good buzz on it and to also to be honest, because Of Karen Scott’s series of articles and posts about racism and AA authors. She helped raise my level of consciousness to the fact that while I didn’t avoid books written by AA authors, neither did I seek them out. Mostly it’s because we don’t hear that much about them.

Blurb from the authors web site:

How does a hedonistic, hellbound L.A. sophisticate like bad boy rock star Bryan Spencer woo young, gifted and black sweet home Alabama belle Callie Lawson? What type of magical voodoo draws him to her magnolia-scented bosom? Seduced by the unhurried pace and a lifestyle that is the antithesis of his own, he finds that he cannot break away from the seductive spell of a woman who soothes the deepest recesses of his tortured soul. Bryan, guitar god extraordinaire, is compelled to retreat to the small town when he is devastated by the loss of his best friend and band mate. The peaceful tranquility, not to mention unaccustomed celibacy, is slowly driving him mad until he meets Callie Lawson, budding tycoon, aficionado of black entrepreneurship and owner of the local bookstore. He quickly discovers that Callie is one of the few people he’s met who doesn’t have her own agenda for befriending him. Far from the cloying adulation he is accustomed to, Callie is totally focused on her own career goals and is reluctant to have anything to do with a ‘long-haired rocker from California.’ Bryan overcomes her misgivings with an old-fashioned courtship that belies his L.A. rocker origins. He introduces this Sunday School girl to some truly high-powered sex and decadence. The question is which one wins: Southern Sunday School or L.A. sin? Just when they’re certain everlasting love is firmly in their grasp, they are rent asunder by treachery and betrayal of the most staggering kind. They must defy egregious stereotypes and false perceptions to embrace their own sweet Alabama love.

I really enjoyed this book. Reading it, she did an excellent job in describing the intense longing between Callie and Bryan. I could relate to Callie in wondering what this hot, famous rock star who could have had any woman, saw in a small town girl like her. But as I got into the book, I could see it. She has a sweetness and an honesty about her and doesn’t hesitate to break his rock star at times, inflated bubble. She doesn’t kow-tow to him the way so many people do. And she sees him for who he really is inside – not the outer ‘famous’ layer.

For his part, Bryan is also a well written character. For him, it’s not about his rock star status, it’s about the music. Music was his solace when he was a young and neglected child. He’s totally and completely smitten with Callie, and as I’ve said before, I love that in a hero.

The conflict between them is two-fold. First of all, Callie is a small town girl at heart and really doesn’t want to be a part of Bryan’s wild, hedonistic LA crowd. She has made quite a success for herself doing what I’ve always dreamed of doing myself – opening and successfully running a books store. The second conflict that comes into play is their different races. For Bryan, it’s a total non-issue. He sees only Callie for the warm wonderful ‘real’ person she is, not the colour of her skin. On the other hand for Callie, it was a different story. Before I started the book, I read at the back ‘about the author’ and how she herself is in an interracial marriage and has experienced many of the same issues Callie does in starting and maintaining a relationship with some one of a different race. It really helped when reading later in the book, all the issues Callie encountered from both races. Oddly enough, she seemed to almost get it worse from other black women.

At this point, I’d like to say I find it rather sad that there still is a barrier in real life between two people who love each other but come from different races from other people. To me, love is love and if two people feel that deep connection to each other – and if they make each other happy and better people, that’s all that counts.

Callie certainly makes Bryan a better person.

The love scenes were a tad purple in places, as if the author was a bit uncomfortable writing them, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of this book at all.

I checked to see if the author had any other books I could read and was disappointed that she doesn’t. I think Tonya, Callie’s best friend and business partner would make a great heroine for her own book. She’s also a writer of suspense books in her spare time and there is a hilarious scene where she is doing research and has tied Callie up to see how easy it would be to escape when Bryan walks in on them.

Roslyn Holcomb does have a short story, on her web site though, somewhat like an epilogue and I read and enjoyed it. She also gets a bit into the relationship of Twist, a fellow band mate and Naysa, their sassy fashion designer.

Overall, this was a tender, raw, poignant story of two people fated to be together despite all the odds and all that might separate them. I hope she is planning on more books, because I will be reading them.

Grade: 4 out of 5

Once again my TBR challenge book proved to be a real winner!

In case you haven't seen it - A Plug

A bunch of us had a riot lately doing the DIK thing - which books and which heroes we would take to an island with us.
Well - it went over so well and we had so much fun, a few wanted to keep it up, so they started a blog. In a flurry of emails - the extent of which was truly scary, I came home one day to over 100, I think it was Sarai and Tracy that came up with the idea and got the ball rolling.
More bloggers got involved in the original group.
If I got it right from the HUGE amount of emails, first we had a group of questions and we answered whichever ones we wanted to.
After that we each have a day to say why we picked what book and who was our favourite hero - and why.
There is also quite a list of authors who are contributing too!
(let me know if I got anything wrong!)
Anyway - it's up and running now. Sarai and Tracy had their day and it's my day up today for the grilling. *blush*
So be sure to Check It Out! You get to see a bit of the 'naughty' me.

The Perfect Picture...

to show what my TBR Pile really looks like at this moment:

And what it may look like by the end of the summer:

Katiebabs (KB)

Kristie and Katie Discuss Eve Kenin's Hidden

Kristie and I were such big fans of Eve Kenin's first release, Driven, that we couldn't wait for the sequel, Hidden, to come out. And, we were also very lucky to receive advanced reading copies. Without further ado, we welcome you to read out reviews and another wonderful chat discussion!

Katie(babs) Thoughts:
Eve Kenin, who is also known for writing gothic historical romance under the name Eve Silver, made quite a splash last year with her post-apocalyptic hit, Driven. It was a fast paced, on the edge of your seat thriller with a hero and heroine we all rooted for. I can’t help but compare Driven to the cult classic Mad Max movies, and I must give Dorchester Publishing a hand for coming up with the Shomi line that allows for very “out of the box” books like Kenin’s.

When I heard Eve was writing a sequel about Wizard’s sister Tatiana, who was talked about but in Driven but did not make an appearance, I made sure to put Hidden down on the list of must read books this year. The question I had was if Hidden would be just as great as her first?

It is 2093 in the Northern Waste, a setting known all to well to those that have read Driven. (I know I keep bring up Driven, but honestly in order to understand and get the feel for Eve’s storytelling, you really should read Driven first. BREAK OUT THE CHECKBOOKS! *G*)

There is a lone woman who goes by the name of Tatiana. She survives by retrieving stolen items for people. She is really quite good at what she does, but Tatiana is not normal. She is a very special woman who has an amazing genetic makeup where she can regenerate and survive from the harsh weather or even death. Tatiana also can read people’s thoughts. Actually, this is a pretty handy thing to have when you know someone is out to kill you. Tatiana has suffered horribly because she was imprisoned by a crazed scientist along with her sister and brother who were to be used as secret weapons in order to take over the world. She was able to escape after years of torture and is barely making a life for herself. Tatiana wants revenge against Gavin Ward, the scientist who used her as a human guinea pig. Also, she is searching for Ward’s right hand man who goes by the name of Tolliver. She will find Tolliver and make him tell her where Ward is. Then she will kill them both, making sure they suffer the same way they made her suffer.

Tatiana is not the type of woman who can remain hidden and because of that she catches the eye of Tristan, who is also a scientist roaming the frigid tundra. He is a man on a mission to stop a deadly virus from taking over the world. One thing leads to another and he comes in contact with Tatiana and unfortunately she catches this virus. Because Tristan has no clue that Tatiana is immune because of her genetics, he wants to help save her, partly over his guilt for bringing this virus into the world. Since Tatiana needs to lie low for awhile, she goes with Tristan and he introduces her to a world she is so unfamiliar with.

During this time they become close and she begins to have feelings for Tristan, and also the people he protects in their small commune. There is a point in Hidden where Tatiana has an epiphany of sorts because Tristan sees her as a person and not just a woman:

“She froze, her hands on the rock, her heart flipping over. She wanted that. Wanted him to see her as an equal. A partner. Not as a woman. And at the same time, she wanted him to see her as only that, a woman.”

For the first time in her life, Tatiana is not a means for those evil corrupt individuals to get what they want. She is special, a person who is able to be loved by another. But even as Tatiana and Tristan become “special friends”, Ward is on their heels. Tristan also has a major secret that will ruin everything he has accomplished with Tatiana and is so horrible in his mind because he feels he is responsible for the deaths of so many.

So, the question I asked at the beginning? You better bet your booty that Hidden is just as good as Driven. I am all for a heroine who kicks some major ass and doesn’t even care about their names. Tatiana is truly an unique and amazing character who you will feel such compassion for because of what she has gone through because of the uber-villain Ward. Tristan also adds to the story because he has some quirks like Tatiana does and when you find out who he is, his identity leads to some morale questions, perhaps on the reader’s part.

Everything in Hidden is about the will to live and the survival of the fittest. Death, murder and destruction are scattered throughout this complex world Eve Kenin has invented. If you don’t have her on your author’s to be read list, you are missing out on an author who is re-inventing a genre and writing such excellent books that I can not compare with any other being published today.

**If only Wizard had more of an appearance… perhaps Eve should give us a nice short story about Raina and Wizard and how those two wacky kids are doing… *HINT HINT*

4 out of 5 stars

Kristie(J)'s Thoughts:
I loved Driven, the first book by Eve Kenin aka Eve Silver. In fact I was wowed by it. It was the first book I’d read in the Shomi line and the first book in what could be considered Urban Romance. I’d been holding off reading it for a while figuring I wouldn’t like it, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

So when I got an ARC of the next book in the series, Hidden, I was ecstatic though part of me wondered whether I would be as impressed with it as I was with Driven.

I was.

I took this book to work to read and I was late back from breaks. I was late back from lunch. I silently groaned when someone came and sat next to me as I was reading, since I figure it’s bad form to be reading while someone is talking to you and I reluctantly tucked it back in my purse until I had another chance to pick up where I had left off.

Hidden is the story of Tatiana. For those who had the good fortune to read Driven, Tatiana was the youngest of the three siblings and seemingly the most helpless. Well not anymore!! She has turned into one kick ass heroine who can take care of herself just fine thank you. She has become like this the hard way. Tortured endlessly as when she was younger, she has quite a few super powers of her own now. I tell you, I like these kinds of heroines. Tatiana has been alone for most of her adult life and she is very afraid of love. She’s not even sure what it is.

Tristan, the hero of the book is very mysterious in his own right and we only get to know him in bits and pieces. He is one very intriguing hero and when we finally do learn his lonely past, we get a chance to see how good he and Tatiana are together. He eventually breaks through the walls Tatiana has raised to protect herself and they are very tender together.

Here is an example of the depth of their love:
For a long while she stared at him, feeling the emotion pulsing from him in waves. And suddenly she understood.
He did love her. Truly loved her. Enough to kill for her. Enough to die for her. Enough to walk away from this if she asked him.

And if you thought the villain in Driven was evil – he’s lightweight compared to the villain Gavin Ward. He is one chilling bad guy – one of the most chilling I’ve read.

If there was one thing I might have liked to have seen, that would be more of Wizard and Raina from Driven. They only appear very briefly in this book. I don’t know if she has a book planned for Yuriko. I hope so. And I hope I get to read it early, because reading it I will be doing!

I have a number of Eve Silver books in the TBR pile. I really need to get to them. Because Even Kenin writes Very Good Books.

Driven was one of my favourite books of 2007. Hidden is one of my favourite books of 2008.
Grade 4.5 out of 5

The Discussion:
KristieJ: After reading your review and you reading mine, it seems as if we are in agreement on this book
KatieBabs: Great minds think alike!
KristieJ: And our minds seem to be in cinque/sinque - how do you spell that word anyway?
KatieBabs: sync
KristieJ: sync - that's how! heh heh
KatieBabs: psych!
KristieJ: see? So - what did you think of Tatiana’s transformation from book 1 and 2?
KatieBabs: Tatiana was such a lonely soul. She felt she was not worth anything. Tristan made her a person and than a woman
KristieJ: She was a lonely soul wasn't she? After her brother and sister left, there was no one for her. I think the author really got that across - how lonely they both were
KatieBabs: She also thought she was weak but she was so strong, even more so than Raina in Driven, IMO
KristieJ: Oh I agree. Raina had a rotten childhood, but she didn't endure nearly the horrible things that Tatiana did
KatieBabs: What that psycho Ward did to her? OMG
KristieJ: I KNOW!!! Wasn't he one scary evil dude? I thought the villain in Driven was bad, but this guy was ever so much worse!!
KatieBabs: I agree on that point. The villain in Driven was all about greed, whereas ward was a sick mo fo who wanted to rule the world.
KristieJ: I like that how strong she writes her heroines - and she does write them strong, Raina was one tough cookie and so was Tatiana, although she seemed more vulnerable, the author also writes great heroes for her heroines. What did you think of Tristan and how would you compare him to Wizard?
KatieBabs: Wizard was so unique in his thinking and actions, where as Tristan was more at ease with himself, maybe because he had a different upbringing than Wizard? I also liked how Tristan brought up things about his past we are so familiar with. And Tristan's love for his family, and Tatiana's love for her siblings were the same
KristieJ: yep I agree - the road hockey *g*. Wizard was more like Tatiana in his uniqueness - duh - being as they were raised together. And I loved how underneath all his toughness and protectiveness of Tatiana, he was just a geeky scientist at heart
KatieBabs: Ah yes, sexy geeky scientists
KristieJ: You gotta love those alpha, geeky scientist types don't you? *chuckle*
KatieBabs: Tristan was definitely one of them. Plus he can protect himself and others so well. What was your opinion about the sensuality in the novel?
KristieJ: Hmmm - well, I read it a while ago and I know you didn't read it that long ago, but from what I remember - keep in mind the brain cells aren't quite as active as they were when I was in my 20's, I thought it very good. I wouldn't have minded it being a bit steamier - more brilliant, geeky scientist sex. But what there was, I liked. What about you?
KatieBabs: I think the sexual tension was very believable and when Tristan and Tatiana were finally together, it was a very peaceful and loving moment. They for once were calm
KristieJ: He was so tender with her wasn't he? I really liked that, especially because the setting and people are so harsh and deadly. And if I remember, she wasn't quite sure about the enjoyment aspect of sex before she met Tristan. She had tried it - but didn't really 'get' it
KatieBabs: I like that also. She wasn't a naive virgin who didn't know was a penis was
KristieJ: or what it's used for
KatieBabs: or his little friends on the side. LOL
KristieJ: So - in reading your review, it looks like we were both disappointed in one aspect of the book. This is what kept it from getting a five from me. I think your last sentence says it all
KatieBabs: In my review?
KristieJ: I think we were both disappointed we didn't get to see more of Wizard and company
KatieBabs: oh this one: **If only Wizard had made more of an appearance… perhaps Eve should give us a nice short story about Raina and Wizard and how those two wacky kids are doing
KristieJ: yep - that sentence *g*
KatieBabs: I think most fans of Driven and Hidden wouldn't mind perhaps a short story in an anthology per say about Wizard and Raina...
KristieJ: I wonder if she has something planned for Yuriko?
KatieBabs: Hopefully Eve will. Yuriko is still very much an enigma.
KristieJ: Have you ever seen the Mad Max movies and did these remind you of those movies? They both did me - not so much in the character of Max, but of the desolation of the world
KatieBabs: Oh yes, I have see all the Mad Max movies, which Eve's series is so comparable to. A great comparison!
KristieJ: And the way the find all the scrap they can and use it for all kinds of things. And that band that helped Tatiana and Tristan near the end - they were really Mad Max type characters. Because I've seen the movies, I could picture them so easily in my mind when I was reading about them
KatieBabs: Where is Tina Turner when you need her? We need a theme song for Hidden
KristieJ: LOL - I could almost hear her singing in the background
KatieBabs: yes! I love that song
**We are watching You Tube**
KatieBabs: Mel looks so hot
KristieJ: Mel was hot in his day!! You should see him in The Bounty. Have you seen The Bounty? He is TO DIE FOR
KatieBabs: oh yes drool
KristieJ: So - let's finish - you gave this one a 4 out of 5 and I gave it a 4.5 out of 5. Looks like it get's a thumbs up from both of us
KatieBabs: thumbs up definitely
KristieJ: She has another winner in Hidden I'd say
KatieBabs: She is 2 for 2!
KristieJ: Yes she is! I'm very impressed with these two and hope other readers are too!
KatieBabs: If you love Sci-Fi or futuristic novels, you will not be disappointed in the least
KristieJ: LOL - I seem to be in Sci Fi mode lately
KristieJ: then you'd best check out the Susan Grant book too then *g*
KatieBabs: me too. What does that say about us? Head in the stars!
KristieJ: We are star struck?
KristieJ: there are no guys in this time so we have to look to the future for mens?
KatieBabs: well except Hardy from Blue Eyed Devil
KristieJ: Roarke's from the future though
KatieBabs: I know! *pout*

Be on the look out for Hidden to be published in July!

**I do believe this calls for some "We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner**

Jocelynn Drake Coming Soon!

Nightwalker, the first book in the Dark Days Series by Jocelynn Drake will be released on July 29th.

DESCRIPTION:"For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker--an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed...and may be all that prevents her doom.

The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt...or be hunted.

But in a dimension just beyond the world's boundaries, a banished race stirs dangerously, hungry for power, for domination, for vengeance. Already a protective seal has been breached: already blood flows like a river through the world's great cities.

And only the collaboration of two sworn enemies can save humankind...and its feral brethren."

This new series looks to be an excellent new addition to the Fantasy Genre! I welcome Jocelynn and wish her the best!

And yet another book I will be adding to my monster TBR pile! *G*

Katiebabs (KB)

Revisiting an old post - The Futuristic - My Genre du Jour

Having just enjoyed Susan Grant's latest book, Moonstruck and looking forward to Linnea Sinclair's latest book coming out soon, and also with so many new bloggers in blogland, I went back into the vault for this post. This is one I did way back when in 2005. Hopefully I can get it to post now in 2008. It's funny how a few years can change things. I don't know if it's me being optimistic, but Futuristics seem to be making a bit of a comeback lately with a new name for the genre SciFi Romance. I still love them just as much today as I did back in 2005. And one other thing has changed since I first posted this - I know how to add pictures now!

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I read a good one recently and I can feel a futuristic reading marathon coming on. I know this genre isn’t for everyone but it’s one of my favourites. I’ve read them for years but I seemed to have gotten away from them for a while. After thoroughly enjoying the book I read, the fire is back again. Before I start blogging about the futuristic books I’ve read recently and/or are planning to read, I thought I’d explain why I like them so much and what I find appealing about them.
To do a well written futuristic, I find the author has to have a limitless imagination. There’s a specialty channel here in Canada with the catchy phrase – Space – the Imagination Station. I think that applies to futuristic books too. With a historical the boundaries are already set. There’s the ton with all the rules and regulations, the seasons, the country homes and parties; the dukes, the earls, the marquis etc. etc. etc.. What the author does is follow the parameters already set up. She/he adds their interpretation, storyline and characters within the outline already done in history. The same goes for medievals and westerns. Since it’s already happened, there is no need to create something different or unique. With romantic suspense and contemporaries, the same holds true. But with futuristics, the sky is the limit (so to speak).
The author can have a setting on earth in the not too distant future with still recognizable events or places such as the In Death books or Susan Grant’s The Star King, The Star Prince and The Star Princess. Or they can take place in a world completely unrecognizable such as Robin Owen’s world.
If we are far into the future the ruling empire can be evil such as the Coalition in Justine Davis Lord of the Storm and Skypirate or looking out for the greater good such as futuristic world in Angela Knight’s Jane’s Warlord (I wish we had seen more of it than we did. Hopefully for the futuristic lovers she will revisit it someday)

**** And she does have another one coming out in this series!! I just noticed this the other day and I was one happy camper! In fact I ordered it and since it's out in July, 2008 I don't have to long a wait.****

The author can create regular type heroes and heroines or the unusual such as Kathleen Morgan’s Heart’s Lair or Christine Spangler’s Shadow Fires (*note: this is one I haven’t read – just the reviews). The hero’s can be a ruler, an escaped convict, a bounty hunter or a pirate or any other creation of the author’s imagination. There’s also a wide variation for the heroine too; princess, convict, healer or empath (although if the heroine is either of the last two, the author may face the wrath of Mrs. Giggles – she’s tough on them healers (grin).
Another issue that doesn’t necessarily have to be dealt with in futuristics is unwanted pregnancies or STD’s. Since they take place in the future is seems almost a given that this is no longer a problem. Science and advanced medical treatment will have taken care of this. While I applaud authors who deal with this issue in contemporaries, wouldn’t it be nice to know that in the future it’s something we won’t have to worry about? And honestly, in RL instead of RW, there would be a whole lot of heroes in historicals running around with syphilis and a whole lot of heroines who were inconveniently pregnant
It seemed for a while like futuristics were on their way out. I’ve read that Justine Davis had a third book in mind for her journey into the futuristic but was told not to bother, that it wouldn’t sell. I’m sure there were other authors who were told the same thing. And at the time they probably wouldn’t have. But one of the things I most admire about Love Spell which I believe is a division of Leisure Publishing is they never gave up. They published them in 1995 and they are still publishing them today. I hope they and other publishers continue and that readers who are loving paranormals discover that futuristics can be just as good and different a read. Berkley is also publishing some good ones these days.
So if you’ve never tried one before, try that final frontier, explore strange new worlds, seek out new adventures, go where you the reader has ne're gone before.
There are some crappy ones out there I know – same as crappy historicals, medievals and every other genre, but there is also some very very good ones.

For anyone interested here are a just a few of my favourite favourites.

Banner’s Bonus by Carole Ann Lee (1995): I loved this book. One of my all time favourite furturistics, it was the only one I’ve ever been able to find by this author. This will be the first in line for a reread. There were some secondary characters who would have been great with their own books but alas – whatever happened to the author and/or sequels is a mystery





Lord of the Storm and Skypirate by Justine Davis: I wish more had been written. She did a wonderful job with these. And yes, I know. *sigh* They are Very Bad Covers.









Knighthawk by Kristen Kyle: After reading a few other books by this author and loving them and seeing she had a futuristic I knew this was one I had to have. It took me a while to track one down and I finally ordered it from Amazon but it was well worth the effort.








Heart’s Lair by Kathleen Morgan: This one was thinking on it now, was ahead of it’s time. The hero is part man, part lion. I found it a very interesting book.
There was a prequel to this one, but I didn't like it nearly as much.







Kinsman's Oath: Sadly, very sadly, she quit writing Futuristics after this one. I hope some day she goes back to them

I’m really looking forward to finding some new ones.

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And luckily, over the years I have found new books and new authors. I've discovered Linnea Sinclair. Susan Grant still continues to impress. Patricia Waddell wrote a nice book that I quite enjoyed. And of course I'm still as deeply in love with the In Death books as I was in 2005.

Nope - it's never far from my mind

An absolutely Perfectly Beautiful Combination

Enya and North and South

This says it all



And because sometimes when I get started, I can't be stopped



WoW!! I've struck gold tonight. Here's another great one! Just to show it's more then just John and Margaret



Help!!!! I need someone to stop me


So! Any Crusaders have a favourite?
Anyone who hasn't seen this yet tempted?

Hmmm, I think I may just have to watch this again. It's been a while now.

Recent Reads

If you haven’t seen me around quite as much lately, it’s because I’ve been on a great reading binge lately. And boy am I happy that I have been. I haven’t read this many books so quickly in a long time! Giving up TV has proved to be very beneficial to the reader in me.

Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

Why this one: I’ve read all her other books and some I love, some not so much, some I didn’t like at all – but except for one – Daisy’s Back in Town. That one was a hot button for me – heroine has secret baby but decides not to tell the daddy. See Jane Score is one of my all time favourite books so I’m always going to at least give her a try.

Steam Level: Nice and warm, the kettle could have boiled a little bit more though

Author Web site blurb: Adele Harris has never had a problem finding a man it’s finding a good man that’s damn near impossible

Adele Harris has dated them all-geeks, nerds, liars, losers. Egomaniacs, nymphomaniacs, and just plain maniacs. She's been set up and stood up, and now she's had it up to here with the jerks of the world. It’s enough to make a girl give up dating forever. If only she could find a guy that made her heart flutter like her first love, Zach, the college quarterback who swept her off her feet senior year... before dumping her to marry someone else. Okay, so he wasn't perfect. But when Adele heads back to Cedar Creek, Texas, for a family emergency, she discovers that her hometown heartthrob is still as sexy as ever and now he’s single.

It could be the end of Adele's streak. After all, forgiving Zach for breaking her heart years ago and learning to trust him again will take everything she's got, but Adele can handle anything... anything but another bad date.

My Thoughts: I’ve said before that while I love a good hero, it’s the heroine that can make or break a book for me. Cough – The Defiant Hero by Suzanne Brockman – Cough. This one is the opposite of that one that came out while I was coughing. I really did not like Zach, but the book wasn’t broken because I did like Adele. First off, Zach. He came across to me as real jerk. I did not like him – at all. First off, he broke Adele’s heart years earlier when he just dropped her to go on and marry his previous girlfriend when she became pregnant. He acted like it was such a noble thing for him to do – then proceeded to cheat on her. Real swell guy he was. Mind you his first wife, Devon, wasn’t all that great. She got pregnant on purpose.

Then, later in the book, when he finally says he feels bad about hurting Adele those many years ago, he does the “but” thing and says he would do the same thing again. What a prince. I also didn’t like him because he just struck me as being real stuck on himself – god’s gift to women – that kind of attitude. Adele was the only woman who didn’t drop dead at his feet and he really didn’t like that. He also pretty much ignored his daughter for years so he could do his own thing and screw other woman. Excuse me – he married her mother because he was the father – and then made a real rotten one for years.

On the other hand, Adele really worked for me. She gave up her own life – reluctantly – to come back and help her sister and niece out when they needed her. She wasn’t the best aunt – she felt. She wasn’t all motherish and I liked that about her. She was anxious and looking forward to getting back to her own like, which I felt was pretty realistic. She floundered and she had moments of resenting the sacrifice she made. I found that to be believable too.

Another thing that kind of had me scratching my head was the inclusion of the first wife. For the life of me, I couldn’t really figure out why that was in there at all. On top of that – having said one thing, I couldn’t help but notice the rather large almost double spaced font in this book. While it made it easier to read, it almost seemed like it was done just to make a certain page count. I could be wrong though.

Overall, it’s kind of hard to grade this one. The ‘hero’ was a jerk, but the heroine was great. And it was very readable. I finished it in a day and a half and even though I didn’t like Zach, it was no hardship to read. I’d give it a better grade but really, even though it’s the heroine that makes or breaks the book, still it helps a lot if you can like the hero, and I didn’t in this one. Hopefully I will like her next hero, because I will read her next book.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Thumbs Up

Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian

Why this one: I read her first book, Kiss of Midnight and really enjoyed it. I went out and bought all the other ones so far in the series. Plus it’s not too bad a cover to take to work.

Steam Level: Although there weren’t a lot of love scenes, the ones that were in the book were smokin’

Blurb from Author Web Site: He comes to her more dead than alive, a towering black-clad stranger riddled with bullets and rapidly losing blood. As she struggles to save him, veterinarian Tess Culver is unaware that the man calling hims

elf Dante is no man at all, but one of the Breed, vampire warriors engaged in a desperate battle. In a single erotically charged moment Tess is plunged into his world--a shifting, shadowed place where bands of Rogue vampires stalk the night, cutting a swath of terror.

Haunted by visions of a dark future, Dante lives and fights like there is no tomorrow. Tess is a complication he does not need--but now, with his brethren under attack, he must shield Tess from a growing threat that includes Dante himself. For with one reckless, irresistible kiss, she has become an inextricable part of his underworld realm . . . and his touch awakens her to hidden gifts, desires, and hungers she never knew she possessed. Bonded by blood, Dante and Tess must work together to thwart deadly enemies, even as they discover a passion that transcends the boundaries of life itself . . . .

My Thoughts: I don’t know how I avoided it – becoming addicted to JR Wards BDB series. I’ve read the first two so far and while I really enjoyed them, especially Rhage’s story, somehow I haven’t become what Katie calls a BDB crack addict. Now the Midnight Breed series are almost a different story. I may be one of a very few, but I actually am enjoying this series more. I find the world building better, the heroines much stronger, the villains not nearly as obnoxious and thank the stars – no silly Scribe Virgin.

Dante is the kind of hero who wants no entanglements. His prophetic mother predicted a bad ending for him and he’s almost just putting in time until his number is up. He is badly injured in a fight with some Rogues – the bad guys

in this series, vampires who have succumbed to blood lust and gone over to the dark side. He stumbles into the veterinary clinic of the heroine, Tess, and in a weakened state, drinks her blood, only to discover much to his horror that she is a blood mate – a rare kind of human female that can mate with and give birth to one of the Breed heroes. He is more than dismayed because this creates a bond between them that can only be broken by death and he wants nothing to do with having a mate.

I really liked this book; I thought both Dante and Tess were great characters. Tess was a fairly strong character, much more so than the heroines in the BDB books I think. As I said there weren’t that many sex scenes, but th

e sexual tension between the two was very good. I mentioned in my previous post on Kiss of Midnight, that I kind of like the idea that these vampires are actually from another planet that ended up on earth a long time ago.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Bigger Thumbs Up

Moonstruck by Susan Grant

Why this one: I’ve loved Susan Grant’s books for years and she’s an autobuy author for me.

Steam Level: Had to blow on my fingers, they were pretty crispy

Blurb from author’s website:

PEACE IS FOR LITTLE GIRLS.

And Coalition starship admiral Brit Bandar is one tough woman. A mere intergalactic treaty could never get her to trust the Drakken Horde. There was too much bad blood between the Coalition and the Horde and, for intensely personal reasons, Brit wasn’t sure that she was through spilling it! But now a peaceful accord has made Finn Rorkken, a notorious Drakken rogue, second-in command on her starship – and through some grand cosmic irony – front and center in her thoughts…and her heart.

WARLEADER. PIRATE.

Either title sat easily on Finn’s battle-hardened shoulders. Though second-in-command to “Stone-Heart” Bandar? That would take some getting used to. Peace required as much sacrifice as war, so he’d comply even if his reaction to the gorgeous admiral fell decidedly outside protocol. But would he end up kissing or killing her if the galaxy’s tentative truce turned into all out war?

My Thoughts: It’s books like this one that make me glad I read Sci Fi Romance!!! If Katie and I had had our favourite books of 2008 after I read this one – this is one I’d be saying is on my list for sure and I’d be URGING Kate to read. In fact – Kate – READ THIS BOOK!! READ IT I SAY. I know you love Linnea Sinclair so you and everyone else who love Ms. Sinclair's books should enjoy this one!

Wowzers this book is good! Brit Bandar is one of the strongest heroines I’ve read! Think Captain Janeaway from Star Trek Voyager and you get kind of a feel for Brit. She is an admiral and the captain of a ship. She is tough when she has to be, but is still loved by her crew. She suffered a great tragedy earlier in her life and rose from the ashes to become a tremendous success. She is admired by her friends and feared by her enemies. She is unapologetic in her sexuality, though she is discreet. She is tough, but fair and doesn’t make hasty decisions she will regret later. She has zoomed right up to the top and become one of my favourite heroines.

To give a bit of the storyline, she has been the captain of her own space ship and been a very successful commander in the ongoing war between the coalition and the Horde, their enemies for years. But peace has been declared and she is given command of a much bigger ship. But much to her dismay, her second in command is Finn Rorrken, a former War Leader of the Horde. Brit hates the Horde and with good reason and is not a happy camper that she must accept Finn and his crew. But, she reluctantly agrees to take them on and as I said, she is fair in her dealings with them.

Finn Rorrken is a great hero. Although he has suffered greatly himself, he is more than willing to let bygones be bygones and has actually long held great admiration for Brit, though he’s never met her. He is grateful to be given such a great opportunity and fully sees that the truce is a good thing. The Coalition has always had a higher standard of living than the Horde. Once he meets and slowly gets to know the woman behind the mask, he is totally and completely smitten with
her. I love when that happens with the hero. Despite being despised by many of the crew because of the bitterness left behind due to the war between the two races, he slowly earns their respect with his leadership qualities. Even though he is second to Brit, he is not bothered by it at all. In fact his previous admiration for grows into a deep love although Brit is most reluctant. Theirs is a great love story.

And I have to mention too, how multi-dimensional the secondary characters are, in particular her assistant Hadley Keyren, a young woman who a total fangirl of Brit and Bolivvar, one of Finn’s crew. Theirs is a tender secondary story I enjoyed very much.

I’ve loved many of Ms. Grant’s books and Moonstruck is one of the best! This is the first in a new series and if the rest are as good as the first, we are in for a real treat! And if you don't want to take just my word for it *g*, Jayne at DA really enjoyed this one too.

Grade: 5 out of 5

Biggest Thumbs Up

So - that's three good books I really enjoyed. I'm on a roll I tell you - and I like it!

All three get my seal of approval

An Article To Read And Ponder About

The Boston Globe has written an eye-popping article about, authors feeling the pressure to publish a book once a year.

I found it to be very interesting, seeing as in the past we would be lucky to see a book from our favorite authors in maybe a 2 or 3 year period, rather in some cases, less than a year.

Is this the case of being in a "Hamster Wheel" as top author Dennis Lehane states?

As a reader, do we expect too much from our authors? Should authors push themselves to keep writing a book a year? Is it expected?

And as an author, published or otherwise, we would love to hear your thoughts.

Katiebabs (KB)