Penguin and the ebook

I know I have not been on here in forever. But I wanted to put something out today.


I am very upset that certain books by a certain publisher (OK I'll say it- Penguin) are not being released (or at least not released timely) as ebooks.

I am have been looking forward to Lion Heat by Lora Leigh. It was released on April 6th ... still not in Kformat.

JR Ward's BDB latest is also not sold as a Kindle release. And if the forums are to be believed it is because the publisher Penguin does not want to release it. There is even speculation that it is being done to increase print book sales.

OK a few things. I have not bought a paper book in years and I have no desire to start now. I LOVE my Kindle. I refuse to be bullied into it by corporations not to mention I do not want to hurt our environment by buying paper books.

ecommerce@us.penguingroup.com

I sent an email to Penguin at the address above. I sent an email to Amazon and to the authors in question. While the authors have the most to loose (fewer sales, pirated ebook copies etc) they also have the least control. However enough authors (especially those like JR Ward with a huge following) CAN make their opinions heard.

I am seriously thinking of a Penguin book boycott. I will keep you posted if Penguin decides to respond to my email...

Dark Night

I love the other worlds of Jayne Castle/Jayne Ann Krentz et al. As a teenager my first foray into her imagination was Shield's Lady. I then went backwards to Crystal Flame and Sweet Starfire and was thrilled when Zinnia, Amaryllis, and Orchid followed by the Ghost Hunter series were released.

I am not sure if it is because I have been reading so many ebooks or if there is another reason but I had a hard time with Dark Light. It has all the makings of a fantastic read, a dashing and sensitive hero, a pretty, talented, smart and sassy heroine, mystery and drama and of course a dust bunny! But I felt that I could not get into the story. It actually took me three days to finish the book. Which is unheard of in my world.

Even my favorite characters- the dust bunnies- did not interest me as much.

Now I will admit by the time I was 1/3 of the way done (third day) the book became intriguing and I was trying to figure out who the secret bad guy was. I guessed wrong but...

At the end I felt that the book made up some ground. If you like the Ghost Hunters series read the book. If it is your first time entering the world of the Curtain, start with After Dark and work your way up- you will not be disappointed.

ebooks?

I know I have been gone for a little while. I have been reading and reading but not many paper books. I have been on an ebook kick.

A very big ebook kick!!!! I am not sure, I know they are a little smaller than a paper book but I seem to be able to get through many books in a short period of time.

While I want this blog to be primarily paper book related I feel the need to mention a new favorite. To be read again and again.

Jules Jones writes a fantastic series. Maybe series is not the right word. It is a book that had a short story added then another book and maybe maybe if the gods smile on us another one set sometime next year (according to her website)

It is the Lord and Master 'series' Now before you get all high brow on me. It is NOT what the title implies. There is no BDSM element to it.

But it is not a traditional romance either. It is a hero/hero instead of a hero/heroine. The layers she brings to the characters as their relationship grows is inspiring. THIS is the type of book I want to write.

I encourage all of you to stop by her site and pick up this ebook! You will be very happy with it. And now that #2 is out...

Vampire Interrupted

I finally read this book. It has been in my TBR pile for quite some time. I did not like it as much as I liked Vampires Are Forever but it was still a nice book.

The story started with two people meeting and one realizing they were destined for each other. Some very nice courting on the part of Julius (inept and bumbling as it was at first endeared him to the reader) The heroine, Marguerite, was sympathetic but not as captivating as I would have thought.

The twist in the book surprised me and I do not want to reveal it here (but you can find it on other review sites) it really shook me up and I had to re-read the paragraph quite a few times before it sunk in. But at the end I really thought it was a nice twist and not something we see in romance novels.

My only complaint in the book, other than it being good but not great, has to do with the editing. At one point the H/H were in a cafe talking and he spoke of a hobby his son has. About 3/4 to the end of the book they have the SAME conversation and the heroine is surprised by the hobby. UMMMM You already know about this lady.

Other than that one editing snafu the book was good. I recommend reading it if you are a fan of the Argeneau family. Enjoy!

Storm Front

This is NOT a new book that I am reviewing. A few years ago Sci Fi ran a show that lasted one season (it may not have even been a complete season) called the Dresden Files. Basically it was about a down and out wizard that was a PI and had some series bad karma. Add a ghost like being and some cops and you had the Dresden Files. I only caught one show but it was intriguing.

Fast forward a few years, and these books have received great reviews. It has been on my list of series I want to try and tonight I read the first one.

I am hooked and I want more more more. Why is it 1:30 at night and the book stores closed? The book starts with Harry seeming like a inept wizard that can not get anything right. He has a bad history with the ruling wizards council, a failing business, no girl in his life, and a small apartment. But thorough out the book, you realize that he has friends, respect and a whole lot of wizardly power that gets quite sexy as the story develops.

I can not wait until I can get the 11 other books on this wizard. There are also links on the authors website for free short stories to download.

This book was very good, an A even if the only romance was a love potion and some misplaced kisses.

Hello from not so far away

My TBR pile is growing and I am too busy to see to it. Sad sad days.

In other news, next Friday hubby and I will be at a party with a publisher (e publisher here in town) so excited to meet some people in the business next week.


If anyone has any hints, tips or advice please comment.

Reviews will return early next week. I promise. Or I may be killed by the pile of books awaiting my attention :)

Again the Magic & Devil in Winter

Reading Julia Quinn the other day has really re-awakened my regency cravings. After The Lost Duke of Wyndham I pulled out the other Quinns I have in my collection. Then I pulled out two of my favorites from Lisa Kleypas.

I have three favorites by Ms. Kleypas and one I have already reviewed here. The two that I pulled out to read this weekend were Again the Magic and Devil In Winter.

Devil In Winter Is the third in her Wallflower series. While the entire series is good this is by far the best book in the series. It opens with the villain in the second book being propositioned by the heroine in a must unlikely manner. The villain is the hero in this book and what a flawed yet romantic hero he is. What drew me to Sebastian, is the same thing that draws me to many of my favorite heros, the layers to his personality, his vulnerability and the way he cares for his love interest. And Sebastian does all of these three things in the first chapter while maintaining his arrogant ways.

LOVE HIM!

In Again the Magic, the reader is introduced to characters that will be in the Wallflower series but years before they come out into their own. So here we have a forbidden love. The tittled aristocratic heiress and the servant boy all fused up with youth and passion. Add and evil duke/father and you have a recipe for angst.

The evil duke has Aline send the hero McKenna away when he finds out about their love. The reader is with Aline as she bargains for his life and tells McKenna that she no longer loves him.

Years pass and McKenna returns for revenge. He is determined to get the one thing from Aline now that he never had before. Yes dear readers I am talking about sex. While McKenna is not the easiest hero to like, Aline is one of the best heroines I have read in a long time. I love how she battles with herself over her feelings for him and the fear she has of intimate relations (not to spoil the book I will not tell you why). The author takes a hold of you and whips you into the emotions and thoughts of this happy couple.

Oh and did I mention that this book has - GASP- a homosexual secondary character AND another love story wrapped up in it? No, well it does and you get all of that for the price of one very good novel.

If you have a hankering for a regency novel or two or three check out these titles. I think you will be pleased. As always, let me know what you think.