Abandoned Book by swotai (via Flickr)

Today I started reading the first book in a paranormal series that seems to have been generally well received. I got up to page 16 before I closed the book, knowing I’ll probably never read this series. Sixteen pages were enough to tell me that the author’s voice and style are just not going to do it for me.

For one thing, certain words bugged me as sounding out of place or not quite right. Like when a writer uses a word and you know what they want to express, but the actual word is just an approximation, or they’ve tried to turn a verb into a noun (or a noun into an adjective, etc.) but used the wrong morphology–or worse, turned it not into a noun but an adjective being used as a noun when a perfectly good noun already exists.

Another problem was the awkward management of POV (point of view). I’m not against POV changes within the same scene. I even tend to prefer them in general (although I concede there are certain types of stories that are strengthened by restricting POV). But when I notice and am jarred by the POV changes by page 16, I think it’s safe to say that it will only get worse as I read on. (more)

Lord of the Fading Lands by C. L. Wilson (Tairen Soul, Book 1)

I won an ARC of Lord of the Fading Lands via Dear Author, and it’s taken me a while to blog about it because I wanted to read it a few times to do the book justice. Lord of the Fading Lands is a blend of epic fantasy and good old-fashioned romance–two of my favourite reading pleasures. I expected great things from this novel on the strength of Jane’s review, and for the most part, it didn’t disappoint. C. L. Wilson’s writing is lush without being bloated, and the romance … well, it made me giggle and blush in very good ways.

The heroine

Ellie Baristani, adopted daughter of a Celierian woodcarver, was plagued with nightmares and torments as a child, which has caused her to fear magic. With one year to go before she’s considered a pitiable spinster, Ellie’s marriage prospects are grim. Her family isn’t rich enough nor is she beautiful enough to attract suitors, and Ellie is tricked into a betrothal with a man who repulses her. (more)

Lover Unbound by J. R. Ward

J. R. Ward addresses the ending of Lover Unbound in the BDB Boards. (You need to register if you haven’t already.) She’s also written a Slice of Life that’s supposed to show how the characters have ended up.

I don’t know. Whenever authors have to add extra info to reassure fans, I tend to think it shows that the book has problems (think Taming of the Duke). I mean, I’m glad she’s going to clear things up, but I’m disappointed that it wasn’t addressed and closed off in the book. After all, when I read a book, I expect to get all the info I need from that book (or series of books), not search online for a proper resolution. (more)

Lover Unbound by J. R. Ward (The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 5)

Because it takes me almost a day to write up any sort of response to J. R. Ward’s BDB series, I’ve liveblogged this one. Well, it’s technically not “live” because I’m posting my thoughts in one hit, but I wrote them up as I went along. I’ve tried to avoid spoilers in the liveblog, but after I read the book, I couldn’t resist and I’ve posted my overall reactions afterwards. Those contain spoilers.

Anyway. On to V’s book. Ready? Here we go… (more)

High Noon by Nora Roberts

It’s clear why Nora Roberts is beloved by so many romance readers. Her voice is gentle but not wussy, and her characters are interesting but real. While I have some stylistic issues with this novel, they weren’t enough to distract me from a well-crafted storyline and believable, lovable characters.

I bought this book on the strength of Rosie’s post here. What struck me most about the story is that even though the characters’ circumstances are sometimes unusual–Phoebe’s mother has agoraphobia, Duncan won a bazillion dollars in a lottery–they still felt very real to me. Roberts does an excellent job of keeping the characters consistent, and I never felt that any one of them, including the secondary characters, acted out of character throughout the novel. The suspense plot isn’t shoddy, either, although it sags a little in the middle. Roberts gives enough information for me to understand what’s happening and to create the right atmosphere. It *felt* right, which is all that matters to me since I know nothing about law enforcement.

I do have an issue with some of Roberts’s POV choice because not all of the transitions in the narrative are smooth. Readers who hate head hopping will probably find this a problem. (more)

Demon Angel by Meljean Brook (The Guardians, Book 2)

I debated whether or not to write this up as a quickie or post in detail about this book. But I’m going with the quickie because if I try and write down everything I love about Meljean Brook’s Demon Angel, it would be a humungously long post and will probably sit in draft because I’ll never get around to finishing it.

In case I’m not being clear: go and read this book.

This book is the best cross-genre (paranormal romance) novel I’ve read bar none. The paranormal elements are well fleshed out and the world building is extensive but woven into the story without bludgeoning me with details. Other bloggers have complained that this is a weakness of the book, that it slows down the pace, but I disagree. And that’s from someone with a relatively short attention span for world building. The romance is given centre stage, and the paranormal conflicts are intrinsic to the romantic conflicts. In my opinion, this is how a paranormal romance should be. You can’t take the paranormal out, and you can’t take the romance out–they both have to be there for the story to work.

The romance in the story is heady. It’s exciting and it’s complex. The central characters are immersed in shades of grey. I was filled with dread as I neared the end because I couldn’t figure out how the Brook would pull it off. But she does, and it’s glorious, and I can’t stop raving about this book. (more)

Castle of the Wolf by Sandra Schwab

Sandra Schwab has a great voice, and she conveys a wonderful sense of atmosphere in Castle of the Wolf. However, the story underutilises the paranormal element. Or, another way to look at it is to say that the paranormal element is superfluous. Without it, the story would still stand on its own, and I’m baffled as to how this story became a paranormal in the first place. This was distracting because I kept expecting the hero to shapeshift (the heroine calls him her “wolf”) but no, the paranormal element is really quite … wussy.

Von Wolfenbach, the hero, is deliciously dark and broody, but veers into immaturity at times. The pranks he plays on Celia to try and scare her into leaving the castle are juvenile, and the way he keeps stomping off in a huff can get irritating. The villain’s motivations are underplayed, and he’s too much of a caricature for me. Likewise, some of the characterisation seems forced. The bedroom scenes are wonderfully sensual, however, particularly when the erotic playing cards are used. You can read an excerpt here. (more)

Simply Love by Mary Balogh (Simply Quartet, Book 2)

I’m not sure what else I can say about Simply Love except that I struggled to get through it. I just felt that it lacked … passion, I suppose. I wasn’t invested in the characters, and the story dragged. A lot.

For example, the afternoon tryst mentioned in the blurb doesn’t occur until almost halfway through the book. Sure, Balogh has to ease into the story more slowly than usual because the hero has some very significant injuries, but the lead up to the couple’s first sexual encounter seems tepid and awkward.

A gazillion secondary characters, from previous books, are introduced, which I thought was unnecessary. I mean, it’s fine that they’re there, but I didn’t think it was necessary to name every single one or give each person a speaking role or allude to their backgrounds or family relationships. Most aren’t even relevant to this story.

I have to admit that the dramatic confrontation at the end squeezed a tear or two out of me. But I should have been bawling at that point, and yet I didn’t even need a tissue. This was a disappointing read if only because, in theory, the characters and conflicts should have made more of an impact. This is the second Mary Balogh novel I’ve read, and I’m not feeling the love. Click here for an excerpt. (more)

Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair

One of the first things that struck me about this story was that the sci-fi aspect is well fleshed out. It didn’t feel cliched to me, and I didn’t feel as though the author, Linnea Sinclair, was pulling back on the plot to concentrate on the romance. However, there’s so much information to learn about Sinclair’s world and her characters’ backgrounds that it sometimes gets a bit much, to the point where I found myself skimming in some parts. I’ve since discovered that this book was conceived as a series but turned into a stand alone, and that’s probably why it seems like there’s a lot of background info to get through. I wonder, though, if a prologue might have done the job better. I was left with a lot of questions regarding the Alliance, the Nasyry and biocybes in general.

The best thing about the story is Kel-Paten, the hero who’s been pining for Sass for twelve years. His attempts to show her how he feels, his insecurities about being part machine, his fear that someone will discover his secrets all add up to some very enjoyable angst, although at times he veers into too-sappy territory. I like Sass, the heroine, but her feelings towards Kel-Paten change too abruptly, and I would have preferred a more gradual progression from lust to love. (more)

Gimme an O! by Kayla Perrin

Kayla Perrin’s Gimme an O! starts off with some witty dialogue and an engaging heroine. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sustain the pace, and while the romance is sweet, the main characters make dodgy decisions throughout the book. I guess the back blurb does warn that it’s a “harebrained plan”, but I ended up irritated by the silliness of it all.

The love scenes are also frustrating. There’s some great sexual tension and then … slam! The sound of the bedroom door being firmly shut. I don’t have a problem with keeping the sex off-page, but with such a strong build-up, it’s jarring to get to the next paragraph and find out it’s all over.

Finally, the heroine is a sex therapist, but she has hang-ups that I don’t seem to suit her character.

Overall, I was disappointed with this book because I thought I’d enjoy it more than I did. It wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t live up to the promise of the first few chapters. Read an excerpt here. (more)