Someone HAS to start telling me when I'm reading fanfic. Especially Twilight fanfic.
A friend recommended this to me (waves), I checked out the sample Someone HAS to start telling me when I'm reading fanfic. Especially Twilight fanfic.
A friend recommended this to me (waves), I checked out the sample from Amazon, it looked like fun, so I read it. And then found out it was P2P fanfic. I've said it before with other books, and I'll say it again - I feel like Eric Cartman:
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So, without talking about the fanfiction angle, let me just say this about the book:
It was funny. Laugh out loud funny in parts, trying-too-hard to be funny in others. It had great bicker/banter. She called him "Wallbanger", he called her "Cockblocker". It had great tension. For the first 1/2 of the book. Then it just dragged on too long, IMHO. It had some great sex in it. 'Nuff said about that. It seemed like a pretty true portrayal of late 20-somethings. Or, at least how I remember late 20-somethings being. On an episode of Friends.
Overall I'd have to say I liked it. It was a fun read, even if it dragged on a little long, with a of other things that that brought my rating down. A Guest Reviewer at Dear Author reviewed this book the other day. She says things way better than I can, so here's the link to it (and if you read the comments there's an interesting discussion starting about fanfiction):
This was quite good -- a series I can reach for when I can't find anything that's screaming "read me!"
Killing Floor is a fast-paced, hard-boiled read.This was quite good -- a series I can reach for when I can't find anything that's screaming "read me!"
Killing Floor is a fast-paced, hard-boiled read. Lee Child's style took of bit of getting used to - the prose is tense and sparse. Once you get going, though, the story moves quickly, with a whole lot of action described in a way that seems at once flat and incredibly descriptive.
Mr. Child has a talent for effortless description, and the book spooled out before me like a movie. (My Jack Reacher looked NOTHING like that pipsqueak Tom Cruise, I'll have you know.)
There were a few coincidences that gave my "suspension of disbelief" muscles a bit of a workout, but they weren't enough to ruin my enjoyment of this tale of criminals, counterfeiting and small-town secrets.
Thanks, Catherine, for another great recommendation!...more
A sticky wicket in a romance novel, to be sure. There are readers who won't touch this subject with a barge pole, while to others it doesn't Adultery.
A sticky wicket in a romance novel, to be sure. There are readers who won't touch this subject with a barge pole, while to others it doesn't matter in the slightest. Somewhere in the middle are those who will read it, but insist that it be treated with some sensitivity. The author then treads a fine line - how sympathetic to portray the H/h? How UNsympathetic to cast the (wronged) spouse? Any HEA is never truly that - no one escapes unscathed when this happens.
Heaven Forbids is an love story of epic proportion, the type that makes you hear swelling soundtracks and picture that beach scene in "From Here to Eternity". It is full of desperation and longing, heartbreak and healing. As a matter of fact, it is fairly old-skool in terms of the writing and the scope of the story.
Kathryn and Hugh virtually fall in love at first sight, when neither of them knows the other's identity. Of course, the compelling stranger Kathryn cannot forget is none other than her niece's betrothed. Kathryn is sent as a companion for Sarah as she travels to live with her new husband. She knows from the outset that she cannot have Hugh. He is equally as aware of Kathryn; and even more cognizant of his duty to his wife and his clan.
The expression "they fought their feelings" is trite, but that is exactly what they do. They try desperately to keep their relationship as that between the Laird and his wife's companion, but they cannot. They are drawn to each other as moth to flame. It is dark, it is painful, and it is desperate.
There is no villain in this triangle, no shrewish wife or scheming mistress. Sarah is basically a non-entity (much as happens in real life, I'm afraid). She simply doesn't factor into the equation, other than for the fact that she holds the position of Hugh's Lady. The H/h are not bad people. They do not commence their affair in a trivial way, nor do they seek excuse for their actions. They are anguished by their choice but in the end the pain they suffer by not being together is greater than the pain they would cause by acting on their feelings.
For those looking for a traditional villain in their romance there is one here (other than the folks in the love triangle). Set in Scotland around the time of the Jacobite rebellion, there is also war, madness and tragedy, just to round things out. Nothing gratuitous, everything has its place in the narrative and it all falls together just as it should.
As I said at the outset, when you write a story where the lovers are also adulterous, the HEA can't be full of sunshine and flowers. It needs to be realistic and not insult the reader. The best ones are bittersweet, as happiness gained at another's expense should never be treated lightly.
A super-angsty, old-skoolish read with a noble Hero and a strong heroine. If you can handle the adultery, Heaven Forbids is more than worth the time to read. Ms. Ranney has done a superb job.
My secret thing (or not so secret, depending who you talk to) is that I've always loved bad boys. On tv, in movies, in books, in my head...my only stiMy secret thing (or not so secret, depending who you talk to) is that I've always loved bad boys. On tv, in movies, in books, in my head...my only stipulation has always been that they're never as bad as they LOOK like they are.
Lately the best place to find men like this is in contemporary romance/erotica. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a tattooed, pierced, goateed hunk of hotness with a gravelly voice and an ability to screw you absolutely senseless.
So without further ado, let's meet Seth, or "Ghost", as his friends call him. He's a tattoo artist, musician in a death metal band, covered in ink and carrying a whole bunch of baggage. The requisite gravelly voice and supernatural sexxing ability is there (in SPADES, I might add) and with a restored '69 GTO and very interesting piercing I would like to have Ghost all to myself.
Macy, his love interest, is almost the perfect foil for him. Yin to his yang, so to speak. I don't think they would ever be able to go to a concert together, but hey, my husband doesn't like Depeche Mode and I still married him.
The writing is good, the sex is steamy and the H/h are realistic - not much more a girl can ask for when looking for an entertaining way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
I usually read historical romances where an HEA is the standard. It takes a bit of getting used to when switching to something closer to erotica - the endings are more of a "Happy For Now". This is the first book I've read by this author and based on this one I'm going to go snag her backlist. This title is the third of a series, it seems. Another bonus - a series entry that reads like a stand alone!
Thanks to my friend Catherine for a truly great recommendation -- we really should read these kinds of books more often! ;D ...more
So my friend Buggy (*waves*) was reading a really cool-sounding book called Spin a while ago. I added it to my mountainous TBR, and when this book, bySo my friend Buggy (*waves*) was reading a really cool-sounding book called Spin a while ago. I added it to my mountainous TBR, and when this book, by the same author, came across my radar I snagged it.
I am so glad I did - this was sooooo good. I loved it, think everyone should read it, and here's a little bit about it:
Anne has a great life, except for the love part of it. She just wants what everyone else seems to have. After breaking up with a cheating boyfriend and her best friend gets engaged, she decides enough is enough. She contacts what she thinks is a dating service - a big enough step, you'd think. Except that the dating service is really a marriage arranging outfit, and you can't really take any step larger than into matrimony.
I can't even tell you what happens next without giving huge spoilers away, and as much as I hate to use the word "twist", there's a biggie.
It's funny, it's poignant and there's a little bit of all of us in Anne. Her story is unique, and once we get to know her, we cheer for her all the way through.