Bitchin' Blog Posts
by SB Sarah | May 14, 2013 | Tuesday at 1:13 am | 22 Comments
Cover design has changed a lot over the years - and I don't just mean the monochromatic single-item shallow-focus trend going on right now. Used to be covers were... on a book, on a shelf. Now, covers are on books, on physical bookshelves, on digital books in all sorts of sizes, large and small. Resizing the cover image can yield some hilarious results, too.
Here's an example from Chelsea Z:
She came across this cover while book browsing: "one of those covers that makes you go Whuuaaa?? Girlfriend has some seriously stretchy lips...or....reeeally long fingers maybe? Maybe it is clearer on a print book???"
Yup, and it's clearer in the larger-sized image, too:
The larger image makes the depth and contrast more clear - but the smaller cover…
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by SB Sarah | May 13, 2013 | Monday at 12:36 pm | 9 Comments
I have a few dedicated collections on my reader of books that live there permanently for re-reading and reading slump enjoyment. I have a Kate Noble folder, a Patricia Briggs folder, and a Julie Anne Long - Pennyroyal Green folder. I can't recommend this series more enthusiastically unless I came to your house and stood on your front stoop and squeed at you until the neighbors called the cops.
The series takes place in and around two prominent families in the small town of Pennyroyal Green, and it is charming and smart, wonderfully written and so enjoyable. I don't say this often, but Long has tremendous skill with the steamy scenes, too. Each book in the series save the upcoming July title is currently $1.99. Seriously, just buy them already. This is an outstanding opportunity if you like historical romance. The whole bleeping series for about $14, give or take tax and whatnot.
The Perils of Pleasure is book one, and is $1.99. It's Colin's story - and you see and hear from or about him throughout most of the…
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by CarrieS | May 13, 2013 | Monday at 2:03 am | 8 Comments
This year two novels with strong romantic elements were nominated for Nebula Awards. One, Glamour in Glass, is a fantasy tribute to Jane Austen, and the other, Ironskin, is a fantasy version of Jane Eyre. (Note: Glamour in Glass review coming Thursday.)
Glamour in Glass uses fantasy elements in a subtle, restrained manner, as befits a Jane Austen tribute, while Ironskin is gothic right down to the blighted gray moor and the heroine's hand-me-down clothes.
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by SB Sarah | May 12, 2013 | Sunday at 4:00 am | 3 Comments
This week's top ten is brought to you by the number 16, and by the dark and mysterious catacombs of our affiliate sales data.
Along Came Trouble by Ruthie Knox | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | ARE | iBooks A Kiss To Die For by Claudia Dain | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | ARE | iBooks The Seduction Hypothesis by Delphine Dryden | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | ARE | iBooks Rebellious Desire by Julie Garwood | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | ARE | iBooks After Math by Denise Grover Swank | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | ARE | iBooks My Favorite Bride by Christina Dodd | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | ARE | iBooks Crystal Flame by Jayne Ann Krentz | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | iBooks Her Hesitant Heart by Carla Kelly | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo | ARE | iBooks Beautiful Player by Christina Lauren | Amazon | BN | Sony | Kobo Return of the Viscount by Gayle…
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by SB Sarah | May 11, 2013 | Saturday at 5:14 pm | 4 Comments
Falling Into You is $1.99 until 12 May 2013.
I sat next to Jasinda Wilder at RT's book signing and watched as readers came up to her and positively shimmied with excitement at meeting her. Their excitement was one powerful recommendation for me. This is a New Adult title and the author's listing includes the following: "**Mature Content Warning** 17+ for language, and adult situations. HEA ending."
I wasn't always in love with Colton Calloway; I was in love with his younger brother, Kyle, first. Kyle was my first one true love, my first in every way. Then, one stormy August night, he died, and the person I was died with him.
Colton didn't teach me how to live. He didn't heal the pain. He didn't make it okay. He taught me how to hurt, how to not be okay, and, eventually, how to let go.
Nell Hawthorne is in love with her life-long best friend, Kyle Calloway. Their young love is invincible and life is full of promise; then one night Kyle dies suddenly in a…
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by SB Sarah | May 11, 2013 | Saturday at 12:38 pm | 7 Comments
JL is looking for this book, and she remembers the cover most of all:
I actually have a HABO that I've been holding onto for a little while now. I can't remember a ton about the book and have been hoping more would come to me, but I think this might be it! I'm looking for one of the earlier romances I read, which I got from a truly amazing used romance book store my mom used to take me to when I was a tween. I remember shelves that were as tall as I am just filled to bursting with romance paperbacks--if only such a magical place existed today!
Anyway, the book was a Harlequin Regency I'm certain, and I read it in probably the mid 1990s (so the book might have been early to mid 90s?) . I remember the cover illustration was of a woman with black or dark brown hair, and she's making this ridiculous surprised look at the hero (picture the Home Alone kid in the aftershave scene). As for the plot,…
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by SB Sarah | May 11, 2013 | Saturday at 10:35 am | 1 Comments
Julia is looking for this book - which sounds very sweeping!
Sometime between 1975 and 1979, I read a book set in Wyoming or Colorado, during the Cattlemen/Shepherders War. I believe the characters names were Jason and Kate. I know she had green eyes and that Jason(?) bought her a pair of emerald earrings.
As life would have it, Kate left or got sent away and took up with a gambler named Jacques. Jason(?) gambles with Jacques and loses the emerald earrings.
I remember during the gambling scene, Jacques said he had a mistress with green eyes.
I THINK the cover had a lot of brown in it. I know the book is not a Rosemary Rogers or a Laurie McBain or a Kathleen Woodiwiss.
I surely would love to know if anybody else remembers this book and/or what the heck the name is.
Never gamble with a guy named Jacques when the prize is earrings. Do you recognize this book?
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by SB Sarah | May 11, 2013 | Saturday at 4:15 am | 18 Comments
Catherine is looking for a book she read years ago - and I want to know where this cart full of books is, because I have a few dozen to donate!
I got the first romance novel I ever read from the hospital library cart when I was 8 or 9 and hospitalized for asthma for a couple of days. It was some 70s type book, probably a Harlequin or a Silhouette, with a dark-haired woman in a filmy white nightgown standing on the cover with the hero.
The plot involved the rich hero nearly running her down with his car, deciding to "apologize" by marrying her on his deathbed so she can inherit his money, and then inexplicably recovering.
Why he didn't just tell his lawyers to cut her a nice check for her inconvenience I have no idea. Maybe he didn't have a lawyer.
The hero's glamorous ex girlfriend was lurking around a bit and I don't think there was much sex, if there was any at all.
…
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by SB Sarah | May 10, 2013 | Friday at 2:06 am | 10 Comments
These videos were sent to me by Marie C, and I laughed so hard I choked. Star Wars explained by someone who has never seen it, with animation and excellence:
Link!
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
There's also a Matrix version, too.
Am I wrong for wanting to do a series of these about books people know a bit about but have never read? Epic.
I hope your weekend is fully of body-crunching laughter.
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by SB Sarah | May 09, 2013 | Thursday at 10:50 am | 9 Comments
So many book deals to tell you about to day. Get ready and sit on your wallet. Or do what I do and put it on the desk ... and regret that decision later.
First: this book was recommended to me as part of my Buy Your Mother a Book recommendation round up, and when I went to link to it, I saw that it was .99c in some retailers, and free at Amazon. Then Loni left this comment:
The Phrynne Fischer Mysteries are AMAZING! I highly recommend them. I’m Australian and I can tell you they are really quite accurate about a lot of Australian bits and pieces, the history is good the writing is beautiful and they flow really well and the mysteries are well done too as are the clues. And while there’s no actual romance per se she does have romantic relationships which are well done and fit beautifully with the series and her character. The characters are great and a lot of fun. Some of the places in the book such as the Victoria…
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by SB Sarah | May 09, 2013 | Thursday at 9:48 am | 0 Comments
Suzanne Enoch has re-published some of her traditional Regencies. Angel's Devil is $2.99, and was originally published by Avon in 1995.
The lovely Angelique Graham knows her strengths - and patience is not one of them. So, instead of waiting nine months to wed her beloved Simon, as per her overprotective parents' edict, Angelique decides to use Simon's cousin, the dashing Lord Faring - rake of all rakes - just back from war, to throw her parents into a panic. After all, what parent in their right mind would want their daughter to be courted by the notorious Lord Faring?
Though Angelique has plotted and planned every move...it seems love has a different plan. When the game playing gets serious...will Angelique be able to resist the charms of Lord Faring?
And once she discovers the man underneath the legend, will she even want to?
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Kobo | iBooks | All Romance eBooks
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by CarrieS | May 09, 2013 | Thursday at 8:11 am | 11 Comments
As a fantasy novel in general, Touch of Power is great. As a romance, or even as a fantasy novel with romantic elements, it goes horribly wrong.
Touch of Power is the story of Avery. She is a Healer, a woman who is able to heal people by touching them. When she does this, her own body takes on the illness or wounds of the sick or injured person, but because Healers are able to recover at a much faster rate than other people, they are usually (but not always) able to survive the process.
When a plague struck the Fifteen Realms, killing millions of people, the Healers were unable to treat it without dying. They were blamed for the plague, hunted down, and killed. To the best of her knowledge, Avery is the last surviving Healer.
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by SB Sarah | May 08, 2013 | Wednesday at 12:00 pm | 5 Comments
Here in the US, Mother's Day is Sunday 12 May! Did you get a gift?
If you're having an attack of the OH NOES, fear not - we're here to help. I put the call out this morning on social media for book recommendations for mom, after author Kate Eden tweeted that books make an excellent gift for mom (to "make up for being a pain in the ass"), heh.
This is an excellent idea - books make a terrific gift, especially when you know they'll be enjoyed. And clearly, these are not just meant for mothers, but for anyone who helped shape you into who you are today. We shoud be thankful - book gift thankful - for all those people, right?
First, the major gifts, should have you and a few other people have some cash to combine: ereaders! There are a few deals being offered by Amazon and BN:
The Kindle 6" Wifi: $69.00
…
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by SB Sarah | May 08, 2013 | Wednesday at 9:09 am | 4 Comments
Today's sale collection includes anthologies of many different types of erotica - including lesbian paranormal, erotica for couples, and more. They're marked down significantly, so I hope curiousity will tempt you to try something new! These are, alas, Amazon-only deals, so I'll be posting a few more early tomorrow that are valid everywhere. I'm sorry if these aren't available where you are!
Girls Who Bite - an anthology of lesbian vampire stories - is 93% off at .99c. If you're thinking, "Wait, lesbian vampires?" take note - the reviews for this anthology are mostly glowing, and there are some familiar author names, too. I love short stories when I'm traveling, and it's hard to argue with .99c.
These are no Twilight tales — the stories in Girls Who Bite are varied, unexpected, and soul-scorching. Best-selling romance writer Delilah Devlin and her contributors investigate vampire myths from around the world, and add fresh girl-on-girl blood to the pantheon of the paranormal. Take a walk on the wild side with some of the hottest erotic romance authors out…
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by SB Sarah | May 08, 2013 | Wednesday at 1:00 am | 14 Comments
It's time for the 2013 RITA® Reader Challenge! You ready?
For the past two years, we as a reading community review every single RITA®-nominated book. To coordinate, I set up a public spreadsheet of all the RITA® nominees, and we review every single one by the time the RITA® winners are announced in July. It's crazyfun, and I've had requests for the 2013 challenge - so I hope you're up for reading and reviewing a book! There are PLENTY to choose from.
Here's the deal:
Select a book on the spreadsheet you'd like to read and "claim" it on the Google Doc by writing your name/handle in a box to the right of each title. If someone else has claimed a book you want to read, feel free to grab it as well, up to three names per book. Not everyone has the time to read and write a review, despite their best intentions, so it's good to have backup! I will post multiple reviews of the books as they come in. If you're ready to read, we've created…
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