June 19th, 2013
This month’s theme for the multi-site TBR Challenge had me scratching my head a little. We’re supposed to read a RITA winner or runner-up. Now I have to admit that, at least in recent years, my reading tastes and the RITAs have diverged somewhat. I also noticed as I scrolled down the list of RITA winners that the books I did have from that list were almost all books I’d already read.
Then I got to the real oldies – books I would have been too young to read the first time around. My mother and grandmother both enjoyed Candlelight romances and I’ve ended up with a big box of their former keepers (some people get silver and china, some get antiques, I get old category romances and gothics – no wonder I write on a romance site). Sure enough, I managed to dig out a 1981 novel, winner of the 1982 Golden Medallion for Best Category Historical Romance, entitled Rendezvous at Gramercy by Constance Ravenlock. That’s right. This book goes back so far that they hadn’t even started calling the award the RITA yet. I wasn’t sure what I’d encounter when I read this one but it turned out to be a bit of a gem. I’d probably give it a B. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All About Romance, Constance Ravenlock, TBR Challenge, TBR Challenge 2013
Posted in All About Romance, Lynn AAR, Romance reading | 4 Comments »
June 18th, 2013
My first thought when I heard about this was “Eek! Only ten?” These picks are in no particular order, and some make no sense when I look at them. But these were the books I often think of when I try to pick favorites — often because they influenced me so much. Sadly, some of the romances I loved the most have titles like “That old Silhouette where the hero helped the heroine recover from an abusive childhood. Or something. I think it was blue.”
If I left your book off the list, don’t feel bad. It might be one of dozens of runner-ups. Or maybe it was one of those books I’ve been trying to remember for years. Was your book blue?
1) Defy Not the Heart by Johanna Lindsey
This book broke rules and yet still managed to be classic Lindsey, without being classic Lindsey that involved Viking slave collars and the like. Even the sex was mediocre at first, until the hero found out how to make it better for the heroine. That was a great touch. But I’ll always remember this book for the gay lady’s maid Theo. An unexpected find in a Medieval. Sure, the hero and heroine fought a lot. This is a Lindsey, right? Was it PC? Come on! This is a Lindsey! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All About Romance, Catherine Coulter, J.R. Ward, Joanna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Julie Gerwood, Lois McMaster Bujold, Mary Jo Putney, Nora Roberts, Theresa Weir, top ten romance novels, Valerie Vayle
Posted in All About Romance, Anne AAR, Romance reading | 7 Comments »
June 17th, 2013
Narrators/Bloggers Breakfast – from left to right – Xe Sands, Simon Vance, Amy Rubinate, Gayle Weiswasser, Anne Flosnik, Lea Hensley, Patrick Lawlor, Lauren Fortgang; Standing – Karen White and Robert Fass
In late May, I attended the Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC) in New York City, a first time event for me. Not only was I there to meet face-to-face those narrators and publishers I’ve come to know over the years by working together online but to participate in a panel discussion on
Listening Community Reviews.
Not knowing what to expect from a one-day conference, I was thoroughly impressed, first with the community of narrators – professionals who work more often than not, alone in a sound booth and hail from all over the country. I discovered it is a close knit group, not large in number, that is highly supportive of one another. And warmly appreciative of bloggers and sites that feature their work and personally promote audiobooks. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All About Romance, APAC, Audio Publishers Association Conference, speaking of audiobooks, the Audies
Posted in audio books, Lea Hensley | 14 Comments »
June 14th, 2013
Unless you’ve been on an extended vacation to the Planet Krypton, you’re probably aware that a new Superman movie is opening today. Man of Steel stars the dashing Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent and everyone’s favorite girl-next-door Amy Adams as Lois Lane. You can safely bet a large bucket of double buttered popcorn that I will have seen this movie before the end of the weekend.
For some time I’ve mistakenly considered myself a Superman fan. I say mistakenly because when you look at the facts, I’m really only a poseur. I have seen every Superman movie made, and I religiously watched every episode of both Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Smallville. But I’ve never read a single Superman comic in my life.
To be honest, of all of the superheroes out there, I find Superman to be somewhat mundane. After all, he’s practically indestructible so there’s little risk to his personal safety when he undertakes his acts of derring-do. I never have any doubt he’ll save the day. He’s kind of a goody-goody. And I’ve never been fond of the gym-rat over-muscled physique. If pressed to name a favorite, my superhero of choice would be a toss up between Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man.
No, when it comes down to it, I’m a fan of the romance between Superman and Lois Lane. My favorite incarnations of the story are the ones in which Clark Kent is the real man, Superman is his hidden identity, and the focus is on his relationships with the ladies in his life rather than his efforts to save the world from destruction. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All About Romance, Man of Steel, Superman
Posted in AAR Jenna, Movies, Reading, Television | 21 Comments »
June 13th, 2013
Grading books is not always straightforward. For me, there is no rubric, no check-list of Do’s and Don’t's. I have a few deal-breakers, but not many. When I assign a book a DIK grade, though, I often feel like it has to be perfect — or at least very, very close. The writing must be flawless. The characters, well-developed. The plot, exciting, believable, and interesting. But I’ve found that some of the books I go back to, the ones I re-read over and over again (the true test, in my opinion, of a DIK), are objectively problematic in some way.
“Problematic” can mean a lot of different things. Maybe there is a pretty huge logical fallacy upon which the plot hangs. Maybe there’s something that should be totally unromantic, unhealthy, or taboo. Recently, my fellow AAR reviewers and staff members got to talking about our favorite books that have some flaw or problem. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All About Romance, Beatriz Williams, J.R. Ward, Joanna Lindsey, linda howard, Liz Berry, Patricia Gaffney, problematic books, Susan Sizemore
Posted in Books, Jane AAR, Romance reading | 18 Comments »
June 11th, 2013
When you’re a voracious reader, picking a top 10 is a daunting task. There are so many books that I’ve loved and in many different ways or for different reasons. Some may be because they’ve brought me to a particular sub-genre. Some I’ve loved perhaps because they struck the right note for me for where I was emotionally at the time I read them. And some are on my favorites list just because they have that certain je ne se quois that causes me to connect with the story and characters. Whatever the reason may be, AAR has brought me fantastic recommendations for many years thanks to the wonderful community of reviewers, pollsters, commenters, and visitors to our message boards.
My highly scientific method of decision-making consisted of going through my reading log and if a book made me squee with delight, I short listed it. Then I began the arduous task of narrowing down my choices to ten. My choices represent a variety of genres and styles, but all have become favorites of mine in some way. There are some glaring omissions, notably due to the fact that there are no medievals on my list, and a few favorite authors, while I consistently enjoy the books they produce, did not make the cut.
And so now it is time for me to pick my favorite children, er, books. Gosh, this is harder than it sounded at first. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All About Romance, Barbara Samuel, Ilona Andrews, J.R. Ward, judith mcnaught, Kresley Cole, loretta chase, Marsha Canham, Nora Roberts, Pamela Clare, ruth wind, Susanna Kearsley, top ten romance novels
Posted in All About Romance, Books, Heather S. AAR | 21 Comments »
June 10th, 2013
We’re pleased to announce that we’re opening four more Special Title Listings for your suggestions. Even though it’s summer we hope you’ll be able to help us once again and offer some great suggestions for the following lists: (1) Suspense & Mystery; (2) Sports Romances; (3) Heroes in Pursuit; and (4) Heroines in Pursuit.
We look forward to seeing your submissions for these lists starting today Monday June 10 and going for the next two weeks ending Sunday June 23 at midnight. As a reminder, any additions to the list have to be: (1) the best of the best, (2) stand the test of time, and (3) actually fit the list for which they were submitted.
Suspense & Mystery: While AAR is a romance site, we also recognize that many AAR readers – and staff – love romantic suspense as well as traditional mysteries with strong romantic elements. In this list we feature romances filled with intrigue, mystery, and mayhem. Traditional “gothic” romances are included, and suspense or mystery novels with a strong romantic sub-plot may be listed as well. It’s been over four years since this was last updated and based on the active thread on mystery and suspense on the Let’s Talk Romance Novels forum, we’re hoping to see a lot of great submissions from you to add to the list. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All About Romance, heroes in pursuit, heroines in pursuit, romantic suspense, Special Title Listings, sports romances
Posted in All About Romance, Books, Cindy AAR, LinnieGayl AAR, Rike AAR | 4 Comments »
June 7th, 2013
Looking for something good to read this summer? We went over the list of July releases to see what all of us here at AAR were looking forward to reading. The most popular picks were upcoming historical releases from Cecilia Grant and Julie Anne Long, as well as the latest in Laura Griffin’s Tracers series. I’m looking forward to having some good reading time this summer. How about you?
|
Title and Author |
Reviewer |
 |
A Woman Entangled by Cecilia Grant |
Blythe, Dabney, Lee, Caz |
 |
Exposed by Laura Griffin |
Lynn, Maggie, Mary, Lee |
 |
It Happened One Midnight by Julie Anne Long |
Lee, Mary, Caz, Blythe |
 |
Mist by Susan Krinard |
Anne Melanie |
 |
The Favor by Megan Hart |
Heather S., Lynn
|
 |
The Hunter by Monica McCarty |
Jenna, Mary |
 |
The Duchess Hunt by Jennifer Haymore |
Dabney
|
 |
How to Be a Scottish Mistress by Adrienne Basso |
Mary |
 |
Paradise Valley by Roseanne Bittner |
Lynn |
 |
The Newcomer by Robyn Carr |
Pat |
 |
Hot Summer Nights by Jaci Burton Carly Phillips, Erin McCarthy and Jessica Clare |
Haley |
 |
The Officer and the Secret by Jeannette Murray |
Jenna |
 |
One Wrong Move by Shannon McKenna |
Dabney |
 |
Austenland(reissue) by Shannon Hale |
Lauren |
 |
An Unexpected Wife by Cheryl Reavis |
Lynn |
 |
From This Moment On by Bella Andre |
Haley |
 |
Dream Lake(mass market reissue) by Lisa Kleypas |
Mary |
 |
Caged Warrior by Lindsey Piper |
Jenna |
 |
City of Hope by Kate Kerrigan |
Melanie |
 |
Taking Him Down by Meg Maguire |
Dabney |
 |
Betrayed by Trust by Ana Barrons |
Lynn |
 |
An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands |
Melanie |
 |
Recipe for a Happy Life by Brenda Janowitz |
Jenna |
 |
Scandal in the Night by Elizabeth Essex |
Dabney |
 |
Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger by Beth Harbison |
Lee |
Tags: All About Romance, Eagerly Awaited books, Eagerly Awaiting, July 2013 book releases
Posted in All About Romance, Book news, Lynn AAR | 3 Comments »
June 6th, 2013
I was thrilled when I learned several months ago that Fredericksburg, Virginia had won a spot on Susanna Kearsley’s whirlwind tour for The Firebird. It was wonderful to have a chance to see her, and I really enjoyed having a chance to hear about her research, her writing process, and just some of the fun stories she had to tell. Prior to the event, Susanna had asked me if I would lead a Q&A session, and I very happily agreed. There was a good crowd at the local library, with people of all ages filling the room.
If you’ve not read Kearsley’s books before, they’re reminiscent of books by Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels and I’ve seen them referred to as “modern gothics.” I find that I preferred the description she told us her husband gave them. Apparently, he thinks they are somewhat like old Alfred Hitchcock films in that there’s some mystery but not lots of blood and gore, there’s “something woo-woo” going on but it’s not just a ghost story, and then there’s a love story but it’s not the only thing going on. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: All About Romance, booksigning Susanna Kearsley
Posted in All About Romance, Authors, Book Signing News | 8 Comments »
June 5th, 2013
Delphine Dryden’s The Seduction Hypothesis (The Science of Temptation series) is a funny, sexy erotic romance. In it, the absolutely adorable, quite nerdy hero, Ben is trying to get his girlfriend Lindsay back. He stupidly broke up with her a few months ago and has regretted it ever since. The two are on their way to BeastCon–a convention for fans of comics/games/anime–and Ben plans to use the next five days to reclaim Lindsay’s heart. Ben realizes Lindsay is, in BDSM parlance, a Sub and he, once he tries the role on, is more than happy to be her Dom.
I loved this book. It’s witty and steamy, has engaging leads and a sweetly believable HEA.
I know Del through Twitter and asked her if she’d be willing to answer a few questions. She agreed and wow, does she know a lot about spiders and snakes. And, if you leave a comment below, we’ll enter you in a drawing to win a $5.00 gift/credit from Carina Press! Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: erotic romance, nerdy heroes
Posted in Authors, Dabney AAR, Interviews | 5 Comments »
