First, I'm excited to report that I'm now official at Two Sisters Promotions. We've been working on this for several weeks now, and all the details are squared away. If you're unclear on what this means, well, I have a publicist! As of yesterday, it's a done deal.

Second, a new review came in for Boundless. Ordinarily, I don't make a to-do about reviews, good or bad, but I really liked what Lindy said. Check this out:

"She takes a very dark character and makes him not just palatable but kind and even gentle. Once again I see why Annie Dean is one of my favorite authors. Her creative flair and likable characters take a dark and seemingly impossible scenario and turn it into a tender love story with a wonderful depth."

You can read the entire review here.

I can't accurately depict the awe and wonder that comes over me when I read these words: "...Annie Dean is one of my favorite authors."

My first reaction is me? Really? ME?

See, I have favorite authors. People I think are insanely gifted and whose words make my breath catch in my throat, whose books captivate me and keep from getting other things done. So when someone comes along and tells me that, for them, I do the same thing, I don't know what the hell to say. I want to gush like a fangirl yet I check myself so I don't come off like a giant rubber bouncing goober. I say, "I appreciate hearing that" sedately and add, "I'm so happy you enjoyed the book" (warning, warning, Will Robinson, understatement meter overload!) and then, "thanks so much for taking the time to write me."

Whilst inside me there's "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" going on. This doesn't change. No matter how often I hear it, I still have that reaction. There's a five-year-old in my head, running circles with overexcited glee. You know how kids do that until they fall down? In my head, I so do that when someone tells me they enjoyed a book, a story, or that they like my writing. And when someone says I'm one of their favorite authors, OMG. Picture the five-year-old sucking down a Pixie Stick first. Then commence the running. I know, right?

I know this makes me an enormous geek. But I figure it's better to own it. I am an enormous geek. And you readers thrill the pee out of me on a daily basis. Well, not literally. Y'know. Except at the usual times.

I love British humor, sci-fi flicks, superhero movies / TV shows, hot emo boys, alternative music, and all kinds of books. I'd rather buy books than anything except possibly purses (and yes, that includes shoes). I'd rather stay home with my husband than go to a club. I am what I am.

Thanks for liking me this way.

Labels: publicist, reviews, thank you

Not reviews, per se, but a review of my vacation books, a roller coaster ride of reading fun. I won't go into detail, just my basic reactions.

I think you may be surprised by what I devoured in one short week. Ready? This'll go fast. You sure you're set? K, hang on tight, here we go!

Ebooks

By Bonnie Dee
The Warrior's Gift Meh.

Moon Over Bourbon Street Fun. Gabriel Knight in book form. Recommend.

Home Bound Crazy-hot. And kinda wrong. But hot. Recommend.

Blackberry Pie Holy crap, was this hot. Too short. Wanted a whole damn book. So hot I got a sunburn. And so beautifully written it brought tears to my eyes. BUY THIS.

By Charlene Teglia
The Gripping Beast Good writing. Fun way to kill a few hours. Plus...VIKINGS. Minus points for weird title that made me think it had hentai in it.

By Lauren Dane
Giving Chase Fresh baked bread, wholesome. Great heroine. Minus points for making me fall in love with one brother, and then turning him into a dick. Kinda suffered from dual hero syndrome. But worth reading.

Taking Chase Great! But it wasn't a keeper because Shane was such an ass in book 1 that I couldn't forgive him too readily. If you read these back to back as I did you may have the same problem. Cassie's issues were written beautifully. Warm chocolate chip cookies feeling from reading it and a happy sigh at the end. Even if I was still kinda mad at Shane.

Chased Not as powerful as book 2. Worth reading, though.

By Pepper Espinoza
Mad World Crap on a cracker, this is the shit. But dark, terrible, ugly, and dysfunctional. Hero is a corrupt cop just this side of insane vigilante and the heroine is a sociopathic hooker. KEEPER! Not for the faint of heart.

Rayne of Love Meh. Good idea, shaky execution. Writing was engaging, needed tighter editing.

New Frontier Hello, genuine frontier story. Outlaw, pioneer woman, Old West, hot sex? What could be better? I liked.

By Dee Tenorio
Betting Hearts Rocked me. SEP, look out. Fuckin' loved this. Buy this one!

Paperbacks

Still Waters
Tami Hoag
Tired, dated. Everybody smoked. The only interesting character, well, I won't spoil you. But meh. Yawn.

Moonshine
Rob Thurman
Better than the first one. Didn't make me sing out in awed delight like Patricia Briggs, but readable.

The Scent of Shadows
Vicki Pettersson
Gack.

Private Arrangements
Sherry Thomas
A very pretty, artfully written historical romance. Clever. It was a sugar cookie, a Quinn, not a Kinsale. PS -- haha! I have it and you don't.

You Belong to Me
Patricia Sargeant
Good writing. Great hero. Romantic suspense, and I'm not prone to love those. But I enjoyed it.

Forever Odd
Dean Koontz
Love the characters, love his writing and sense of humor. Hated the plot/story. I won't give up on Odd Thomas, but the first book was the best to date.

Got questions? You can ask in comments or email me. Feel free to disagree. As always, this is only my opinion, which doesn't matter for shit.

Labels: books, impressions, quickie, reviews

Eyes of Crow
by Jeri Smith-Ready

This isn't a review so much as homage. I finished this book earlier, and I've been mulling it over all day. Above all, Eyes of Crow is a book that stays with you. Haunting, that's a good word for it. After reading her tragic masterpiece, Requiem for the Devil, I was somewhat prepared for that when I opened this book, which I bought at Nationals.

I haven't read it before now partly because I was saving it, like a child tucks away a treasure or a sweet to savor during that perfect moment. And partly because I didn't want to -- because once I did read it, I would no longer have the anticipation of reading to look forward to. Many of you know, I read insanely fast. It's both a gift and a curse.

Well, today, I found myself home alone during a thunderstorm. Andres had to work, and the kids are in Cancun with their grandmother for another day. All the signs augured ideal confluence, so I went and got the book from its place of honor on my nightstand, and then returned to my office to curl up in my favorite armchair.

I can't express what Jeri Smith-Ready has done with this book. As all fantasy ought to be, it is simultaneously beautiful, heartbreaking, and transportive. I ceased to hear the rain outside my windows, creating a soft rush in the tires of passing cars. I did not hear the hail drumming on my roof or the hungry rumble of the thunder god.
For a space of about three hours, I visited a world that exists only in the imagination of Jeri Smith-Ready.

The heroine, Rhia, is a woman of ethereal fragility, bolstered by inexplicable strength. A dark dance, that of light and shadow, life and death, weaves through her very soul. I experienced the story with anger, wonder and sometimes trepidation. By that I mean, the author moved me. I can offer no greater compliment.

And when I finally surfaced, I felt like a dreamer awakening from a dream that was not my own. Somnolent, aching for something that was never mine, but the glory and glamor of it brushed me briefly and left an echo of its shine. This is a book that leaves you with a hole in your chest, tears in your eyes, and aching for more.

Voice of Crow? I'm so there.

Labels: homage, reviews

Whenever I read a book I love, I run off to my blog to tell people about it. This has been a longstanding tradition for me. The fact that I haven't done it in a while just means I've been writing more than reading lately. However, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of Making Chase by Lauren Dane.

Here's the blurb.

Tate Murphy is a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She grew up a million miles away from the easy life Matt Chase has had. She's spent her life pulling herself and her siblings up and out of that trailer by the railroad tracks and she hasn't looked back. Matt Chase is a dream of a guy and she's certainly not going to turn down a short fling with one of the most handsome men she's ever seen!

Matt Chase has watched each one of his brothers find love and he knows he's ready for that too. It's all a matter of finding the woman who captures his heart. He's certainly sampled his fair share of them but none has moved him the way Tate Murphy does when he goes to her shop to thank her for some cookies and a thank you note.

But as Matt gets to know Tate and appreciate her strength and unique beauty, he also realizes she's got some big self esteem issues about her past. To build a future, he's got to find a way past some big road blocks.

Dude. Making Chase was un-put-downable, exactly the kind of book I love. It reminded me of the most heart-warming of Nora Roberts's family sagas. In fact, some of the interactions between Tate and Matt reminded me a little of Eve and Roarke. I don't mean it's derivative, just that these characters have that same perfect chemistry, married to marvelous banter. Tate isn't all melty-girly; she's more likely to say, "Then fuck me, bub" than anything more subtle. No hearts and flowers for her. She's a realist, not a romantic.

I didn't mean to devour it in one sitting; I really didn't. I opened the file to make sure the pdf downloaded correctly, and lost the whole morning. I was supposed to be writing, dammit! I want to read the first three now, but I cannot buy any books until I finish WANDERLUST, because as I have just demonstrated, I have no willpower.

I love Lauren's writing--she has such a charming style. A couple of my favorite bits were "the visual donut" and her creative cursing. Of those inventive phrases, I giggled most heartily over "fuckadoodledoo."

You don't want to miss this one.

Labels: reviews

Poison Study
by Maria V. Snyder

(Sidenote - I like the new cover a lot more. This chick looks like she belongs on the cover of Seventeen and did not fit my image in any fashion of a woman who has been in a dungeon for over a year).

At the beginning of the novel, Yelena is about to be executed for murder, but she's offered a choice by Valek, a sleek, amoral killer himself who heads up the Commander's spy network. She can take the quick death or choose a slow death as the Commander's food taster. Not being a fool, she decides to delay her demise and chooses to undertake the training as a poison taster.

Snyder writes well in first person, which can be difficult, and Yelena is a great character. The castle intrigue was well-done and I enjoyed the hell out of Valek. He's like a combination of Snape from Harry Potter and the assassin from the Brust novels. Very cold, very inscrutable, and yet the reader thrills to imagine melting his reserve, finding out what's really beneath that icy exterior.

The castle intrigue was extremely well done and the Commander was an interesting character. However, why did Yelena have to possess latent magical powers that kicked in anytime she was in trouble? (Aside from the fact that Ms. Snyder wanted to write a sequel called Magic Study.) The suspense became a touch tedious because you knew the time-slowing-down thingie would kick in and she would tingle all over, and then somehow her enemies would be vanquished, or she would have gotten away. Generally speaking (don't want to spoil) I wish, for once, the poor orphan in fantasy would turn out to be a fucking orphan instead of being a long-lost prince or princess, or the member of some clan or other.

I enjoyed the book, but there were a couple other things that bothered me. I know it can be hard for fantasy writers to flesh out a romance while doing other things in the story, but this one turned on a dime. It felt mechanical, like the author decided, "This is the point where they must share their feelings," so Valek tells Yelena she's held his heart for weeks, and then they do it (the one sex scene in the book) in the dirty straw of a dungeon. The writer tries to gloss over that point, making sure the reader knows that the hide-the-sausage action is so transportive that the two principals don't realize they're in a smelly dungeon anymore, but...ehm...

Good book. Worth reading. But not without its problems. It started out strong, ended on a whimper, if you ask me.

Don't even get me started on Magic Study.

Labels: reviews