My e-mail this morning included a promotional note about Claudia Gray's recently-released novel Fateful, which I skimmed with tepid interest. The cover didn't catch my eye, and our "To Be Read" shelf has enough historical YA romances on it to supply a mid-sized bookstore. But as I kept reading, my interest level grew exponentially. According to the plot description, this book features:
A) an Upstairs, Downstairs romance between a long-suffering housemaid and a rich young man with a dark and mysterious past,
B) a setting aboard the RMS Titanic, and
C) werewolves. (Seriously.)
I am going to read this book; I like an author who's not afraid to go big or go home.
Seriously, I like Anna Faris, and I would totally shell out cold hard cash to watch her in something that wasn't Yogi Bear, part of the Scary Movie franchise, or... this.
I just discovered Faris's new movie What's Your Number? is based on Karyn Bosnak's book 20 Times a Lady. (Bosnak is best known as the creator of the website SaveKaryn.com, which was one of the earliest "web panhandling" sites.) I will not be seeing this movie, because wow, it looks painful:
To give Ms. Bosnak her due, I can at least say I preferred her original title.
I suspect this is one of those trends that are 99% fabrication, but the Washington Post assures me that publishers are bracing for a "flurry" of Navy SEAL-themed romance novels inspired by the death of Osama Bin Laden. The idea of getting all hot and bothered by the killing of another human being (even if said human is, y'know, Osama Bin Laden) strikes me as more than a little creepy, but apparently I'm supposed to see the SEALS who carried out this mission as "superheroes without the spandex".
Another book-to-movie adaptation I will not be watching:
Ugh. I hate books where infidelity is excused because the "other woman" is unpleasant, and this one looks even more irritating than most. Kate Hudson's character might be selfish and vacant, but I hope her cheating boyfriend and spineless friend end up together—not because I want them to be happy, but because two such weak characters totally deserve each other.
I am voting "no" on the romance-novel inspired gloss made by Three Custom Color Specialists. I like romance novels and I like lipgloss, but A) I've never read anything by author Brenda Novak, B) describing the color as a "hot pink shade complete with silver-white and opalescent shimmer" makes it sound like something I would have put on a Barbie doll in 1992, and C) I'm not paying no stinkin' $21.50 for lip gloss unless it does something magical, like in those fairytales where the heroine ends up with gold coins falling out of her mouth whenever she speaks.
Whoa: this is the first time I've seen someone market a romance novel (from Katie MacAlister, one of Meg's favorite authors) as "steampunk". New literary sub-genre, or just a marketing gimmick? Only time will tell...
Huh. It turns out Lori Gottlieb's Marry Him: The Case for Settling For Mr. Good Enough isn't a joke. It's a real book (due out next week!), not just fodder for AustenBlog's "It worked so well for Charlotte Lucas" joke.
...actually, I would totally read a romance guide if the author wrote the entire thing in Charlotte Lucas's voice. That would be awesome.
One of the main reasons Nathan, Megan and I started Wordcandy was our desire to give serious (okay, semi-serious) literary consideration to genres of fiction that do not ordinarily receive their fair share of critical attention—genres like romance. Unfortunately, a personal prejudice has prevented us from reviewing a huge portion of the romance novel market: I am very sorry, but I cannot stand historical romances set before 1780.
I know, I know. There are lots of good pre-Regency-era romance novels... but just think of the grossly inadequate dental care! The chamber pots! The semi-annual baths! It's all so off-putting—I mean, I realize that the human race survived these primitive times, so obviously there was some romance... but I'm really much happier not thinking about how it was managed. I've struggled through a few romances set in the 1400s, but they were all the kind of books that made a (probably historically inaccurate) point of mentioning their protagonists' unusual interest in bathing and tooth powder.
Anyway, all this means that I'm probably not the best person to be reviewing Margaret Mallory's novel Knight of Pleasure, but tough luck: people keep asking me for my opinion (she's a local author), so we'll all just have to make the best of it. Ready?
Knight of Pleasure is set in early 1400s Normandy. In an effort to avert the Siege of Rouen, Henry V decides to marry off an impoverished and widowed English noblewoman, Lady Isobel Hume, to a powerful French lord. Unfortunately, the political effectiveness of the match is hampered by the Frenchman's primary loyalty (which is to himself) and Lady Isobel's growing attraction to one of Henry's knights, the rakish Sir Stephen Carleton.
I wish I could set aside my early-historical prejudice here, but it's tough. Knight of Pleasure has historical information coming out of its eyebrows—some of it interesting (the political machinations surrounding Henry V's capture of Caen), some of it totally gross (the perceived sexual viability of girls as young as 11). If this is the kind of thing you enjoy, Mallory's book is obviously carefully researched, without too many words like “Ere” or “Forsooth!” sticking out like sore thumbs from her otherwise modern dialogue. The protagonists' initial attraction should have been introduced with more subtlety (they don't even meet until page 44, and yet they're groping each other on the floor of an empty storeroom by page 57), but their ongoing courtship does manage—eventually—to kick up some semi-plausible sparks...
...which would have been so much hotter if the author had made it perfectly clear that both parties had bathed first.
I've always been curious about Jennifer Crusie's long-out-of-print early novel The Cinderella Deal, and it's finally being reprinted (with, sadly, a luridly pink-orange cover). Crusie has said this was her first romance novel that wasn't "cold", so I'm looking forward to seeing what she means—even if she claims there are moments in the book that are "downright weepers", something I usually avoid like the plague. Here's the author's description:
Daisy Flattery is an incorrigible free spirit with a soft spot for strays and a weakness for a good story and a bit of adventure. Why else would she agree to the outrageous deal offered by her button-down, workaholic neighbor Linc Blaise? The history professor is desperately in need of a fiancée to capture a dream job at a local college—and Daisy is up for the challenge. But something funny happens on their way to the altar that breaks all the rules and changes the game. Falling in love was never part of the bargain. Their little charade has taken in everyone—including themselves. Now with the proverbial midnight hour approaching will the fairytale finally be over or will opposites not just attract but live happily ever after?
Sounds cute, right? So where do the weepy bits come in, I wonder? Does the dog die? Because I don't care how much I like Crusie's stuff: I am not signing off on the romance novel equivalent of Old Yeller.
Is anybody else having one of those weeks where they're constantly checking the calendar, wondering uneasily if they've lost time and it's suddenly April first?
Ohohoho, what is this? Amazon tells me that Bantam will be releasing Crusie's long out of print title The Cinderella Deal as a mass market paperback in January 2010.
Note: I would post a picture of the original cover, but I've decided, for the sake of everybody's eyes, it's better to wait until they've updated it.
High-school junior Kat Flynn loves her after-school job, even if it is a little unconventional. She works at her mother's midwife birthing center, intermixing secretarial work with helping prospective parents design song lists and mood lighting for their children's births. The only problem with working at Abra's Midwifery is the boss: Kat's earth-goddess-y mother Abra is beloved by her patients, but she has a bad habit of relying on meaningless platitudes to talk to her daughters. Kat's crush on a schoolmate, tentative friendship with the most popular girl in school, and uneasy relationship with her mother guarantee that life isn't easy, but she's determined to find her own path.
Denise Vega's Fact of Life #31 is arranged by pregnancy trimester, a less-than-subtle metaphor for Kat's personal growth. Unlike many young adult heroines, Kat is restrained, easy-going, and well-behaved--maturity, for her, means growing more emotional and noisy as the book goes on, rather than less. (To put it in terms an Austen fan would understand, she has to set aside her inner Elinor and embrace her inner Marianne.) There are tons of coming-of-age novels out there featuring young women with wacky parents and quirky home lives, but Kat's quiet self-confidence makes her a genuinely unconventional and appealing heroine. Fact of Life #31 was delightful, and we look forward to seeing more of Ms. Vega's work!
Last month Yulianka noted some signs of life from Jennifer Cruise, including the first chapter of her next collaborative novel, Dogs and Goddesses.
"Once upon a time, three writers decided to do a novel about three ordinary women who meet at a dog obedience class and discover they’re descended from ancient Mesopotamian priestesses and are, in fact, the embodiment of Lust, Chaos, and Ecstasy. Oh, and their ancestors served the ancient Mesopotamian Goddess of Life, Kammani Gula, whose sacred animal was the dog. And she’s just risen to save the world. In southern Ohio."
The group posted the second chapter on their blog shortly thereafter, and there are rumors of a third "soon". Unfortunately, there is still no mention of a release date for this book... but, based on the preview chapters, it should be an entertaining read!
Several Wordcandy-approved romance novelists have released books in the past few weeks, so if you've got an economic stimulus package burning a hole in your pocket and a beach visit or a plane trip in your future it might be time to head down to the bookstore:
Duchess by Night is the third title in Eloisa James's "Desperate Duchesses" series. I find most of Ms. James's novels tedious, but--judging by her sales numbers--plenty of other people seem to like 'em.
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched, the third book in Meg Cabot's "Queen of Babble" series, is out. I didn't care for the first book in this series (it read like a teen novel, but it had the cover price of an adult hardback), but maybe it has gotten better with age...?
Suzanne Enoch has just released After the Kiss, a sweet-looking historical romance that--in a rare but welcome combination--happens to be both the cheapest title featured in this post (costing a mere $6.99) and the one I'm most excited to read!
Last week it was suspense, this week it's romance. We'll be featuring THREE Georgette Heyer titles on the main site this week (count 'em!), and titles from Karen Neches, David Van Etten, and Denise Vega on the blog.
The fine people at Sourcebooks will soon be releasing three reprints of Laura Kinsale's historical romances from the '80s and '90s. Kinsale has only written one new book in the past decade (2004's Shadowheart), and her epic tales of tortured romance have grown increasingly difficult to find in used bookstores, so these reprints are particularly welcome--and they're even more welcome when you compare their elegantly restrained cover art with that of the originals, which ranged from generic to gloriously cheesy:
The Originals:
Love curtains! Fabio! Teal! Compare the above with...
The Reprints:
While I love a good bodice-ripper as much as the next girl, there's no denying that the Sourcebooks reprints would be about 1000% less embarrassing to be seen reading on the bus.
Check back later in the day for our reviews of the above titles!
Kendra Leigh Castle’s debut novel Call of the Highland Moon kicks off with a supernatural twist on the meet cute device: When werewolf Gideon MacInnes is attacked by his cousin’s minions during a visit to Upstate New York, he collapses behind Carly Silver’s tiny romance novel bookstore. Carly can tell there is something off about the huge dog bleeding on her doorstep, but snow is falling fast, and the poor thing looks so pathetic she can’t resist taking it home and treating its wounds. She even allows the injured beast to sleep on her bed... only to wake up and find that her new pet has transformed into an extremely handsome—and totally naked—Scottish guy.
Most of Call of the Highland Moon focuses on Carly and Gideon’s developing relationship. The book features its fair share of violence, but its villains are clearly 100% evil (which makes all the butt-kicking pleasantly uncomplicated), and the characters devote just as much angst to wondering if small, delicate Carly could survive a werewolf transformation as they do to Gideon’s epic battle with his cousin. Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton’s kinky, blood-soaked books would be well advised to look elsewhere, but Call of the Highland Moon is a great pick for readers who like their supernatural romances funny, seductive, and light on gore.
Avon Books has launched a charity called Love Gives Back. According to their website, "Love Gives Back [is] a new program where you'll get Sneak Peeks into upcoming releases and be able to read Avon books for free online. And best of all, we'll be donating books to charity organizations each month based on how much you read."
This month's free title is the first book in Julia Quinn's Bridgerton Family series, The Duke and I, and their "Sneak Peek" features the first 20% of Ms. Quinn's current title, The Lost Duke of Wyndham. Click here to read it--but we're getting to this story a little late, so you'll have to finish the book by tomorrow, because I think they switch books on June 1st.
...with not one but two(!!!) new historicals, and it looks like A Wallflower Christmas will be coming out in HARDCOVER:
(I'd be even more excited about this if the book didn't cost $16.99, which tells me that it's probably a novella, not a full-length novel.) Click here for sneak peeks of both titles.
My e-mail this morning included a promotional note about Claudia Gray's recently-released novel Fateful, which I skimmed with tepid interest. The cover didn't catch my eye, and our "To Be Read" shelf has enough historical YA romances on it to supply a mid-sized bookstore. But as I kept reading, my interest level grew exponentially. According to the plot description, this book features:
