Crystal Singer
Crystal Singer by Anne McCaffrey is 99c! This is one of the books Sassy Outwater mentioned on episode 200 of our podcast where we talked about what books made us romance readers. Some people feel that the book is a bit dated from when they first read it, while many loved the creativity McCaffrey has when building fantasy settings.
Her name was Killashandra Ree. And after ten grueling years of musical training, she was still without prospects. Until she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild who could provide careers, security, and wealth beyond imagining. The problem was, few people who landed on Ballybran ever left. But to Killashandra the risks were acceptable…
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The Knocked Up Plan by Lauren Blakely is 99c! It seems that (based on the description) the hero doesn’t know the heroine wants a baby? Or maybe he does? Because for me, that detail hinges on whether or not I’ll pick this one up. If you read this one, let us know your thoughts!
There are three little words most guys don’t want to hear on the first date. Not those…I mean these… “knock me up.”
This single gal has had enough of the games, the BS and the endless chase. I know what I want most, and it’s not true love. It’s a bun in the oven, and I’m not afraid to hit up my s-e-x-on-a-stick co-worker to do the job. Ryder is gorgeous, witty and charming — and he’s also a notorious commitment-phobe. That makes him the perfect candidate to make a deposit in the bank of me.
I won’t fall for him, he won’t fall for me, and there’s no way baby will make three.
Right?
****
There are four words every guy wants to hear on the first date — “your place or mine?”
When my hot-as-sin co-worker makes me a no-strings-attached offer that involves her place, my place, any place — as well as any position — I can’t refuse. Besides, I’ve got my own reasons to take her up on her deal even with her one BIG condition.
There’s no way I’ll want more from one woman than any position, any where, any night? Except . . . what if I do?
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The Bookshop on the Corner by Rebecca Raisin is 99c! This is more chick lit than a contemporary romance, but it does sound all sorts of fluffy and cute. Be warned that this is on the shorter side and is more of a novella.
Who said that only real heroes could be found in fiction?
Sarah Smith had an addiction – she was addicted to romance novels. The meet-cute, the passion, the drama and the gorgeous men! Now this wouldn’t have been such an issue if she hadn’t been the owner of the only bookshop in Ashford, Connecticut.
Ever since her close friend Lil, from The Gingerbread Café, had become engaged she had been yearning for a little love to turn up in her life. Except Sarah knew a good man was hard to find – especially in a tiny town like Ashford. That was until New York journalist, Ridge Warner stepped into her bookshop…
Love could be just around the corner for Sarah, but will she be able to truly believe that happy-ever-after can happen in real-life too!
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Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay is $2.99! This is an Austen-esque retelling with a slight romantic subplot, though I believe this is more contemporary fiction. Readers really loved the heroine in this one, but it seems like this has some inspirational elements. It has a 3.9-star rating on Goodreads.
Samantha Moore has always hidden behind the words of others—namely, her favorite characters in literature. Now, she will learn to write her own story—by giving that story to a complete stranger.
Sam is, to say the least, bookish. An English major of the highest order, her diet has always been Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. The problem is, both her prose and conversation tend to be more Elizabeth Bennet than Samantha Moore.
But life for the twenty-three-year-old orphan is about to get stranger than fiction. An anonymous, Dickensian benefactor (calling himself Mr. Knightley) offers to put Sam through Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. There is only one catch: Sam must write frequent letters to the mysterious donor, detailing her progress.
As Sam’s dark memory mingles with that of eligible novelist Alex Powell, her letters to Mr. Knightley become increasingly confessional. While Alex draws Sam into a world of warmth and literature that feels like it’s straight out of a book, old secrets are drawn to light. And as Sam learns to love and trust Alex and herself, she learns once again how quickly trust can be broken.
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Ah, “The Crystal Singer”! I wasn’t as fond of the follow-up books, & I don’t remember it making me a romance reader, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Still have my paperback around the house somewhere. Time to break it out & reread this one!
And Amanda, I’m with you on “The Knocked Up Plan”! I like Lauren Blakeley’s writing – & just finished binge-reading several of hers – but this one… I’m going to need a bit more info before reading (or not reading) it.
According to some reviews for the Blakeley novel, the heroine first approachs the hero to be a sperm donor for her IVF and then they decide to try to bang a baby into her instead. So I think both are aware and fully consent to the “knocked up plan”.
@Marci: Thank you!
@Deianira I agree, might be time for a re-read of Crystal Singer! Also agree that the follow-up books in that series were not quite as good, but I loved Anne McCaffrey so much as a young teenager and I do credit her book Dragonflight and her Harper Hall series with some formative effects on my romance reading!
Dear Mr. Knightley sounds like a combination of Emma and Daddy Long-Legs. Is it?
@Jennifer, Dear Mr. Knightley is essentially a modern retelling of Daddy-Long-Legs…except for the title, there’s not much of Emma in the book.
@Jennifer Yes, it was both. More of Daddy Long-Legs through. I love both books so I thought I would like this one, but I thought the inspirational elements were too intrusive. (Although probably my fault for not noticing the publisher imprint before I bought it. It’s not that I always avoid Inspirationals, but for me, they seem to work better when they are also Historical).
I loved the Crystal Singer also–Anne McCaffrey was probably the only author who’s books I would buy as soon as they came out. Everything else I checked out of the library since I was a poor student at the time. The Crystal Singer was so very different than her Pern books which I thought was interesting. So many authors that do world building type books seem to get stuck on only that world, and when they try to break out into something else it comes out feeling like a weak clone and not so very different. McCaffrey spawned my lifelong love of sci-fi and fantasy which I like even more than romance! While there’s plenty of understated most of the time) romance in her books it’s not the sole focus.
I’m going to have to go back and read this again…
I’ve been slowly working my way through The Great Ann McCaffrey Reread since she passed. So many books, so little time. Finished all the Pern related books, working on the Brain and Brawn books now. The Crystal Singer books are up next.
I always like how there are little references, let’s say Easter eggs, that let you know you’re actually in the same universe across some of her different series. For instance, that coffee doesn’t grow any where in the Universe but Earth.
I agree with KarenF that the inspirational elements were very awkward in Dear Mr. Knightley. They just popped up out of nowhere, almost as if they were inserted later by a different author. It was a very straightforward modernization of Daddy Long-Legs, and other than setting, it didn’t bring anything new to the table. I’m really sick of everyone just stealing the same few plotlines over and over again, though. We don’t need another Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre, as not one of the retellings has been close to as good as the originals.
“So many authors that do world building type books seem to get stuck on only that world, and when they try to break out into something else it comes out feeling like a weak clone and not so very different.”
That explains why most of the time when an author I like starts a second series (or third or whatever) I am usually NOT into it, I think.
The first book in Suleikha Snyder’s Bollywood Confidential series is free! It’s a good kick in the pants for me to finally read it.
When I was a kid, I thought Killashandra was the best name ever!
I loved McCaffrey’s books till the cliffhanger of Dinosaur Planet, number 2 of a trilogy. She never wrote the third book. Maybe she won the fight with the publisher, but i felt she didn’t care for her readers. Sad.
Since then never buy or read a trilogy till all the books are published.
Daddy Long Legs with out the squicky 30 year age gap (I think Knightley’s older but not Barnaby Jones older)
I really liked The Crystal Singer, but agree that the later books weren’t nearly as strong. A couple of years ago, I listened to the Catteni/Freedom series on audio and had a similar reaction. I thought the first book had a lot of promise, but I was feeling quite hostile by the 4th book.
I also started to revisit the Pern books on audio and still enjoyed them. I got pretty far before I decided to take a break (just for a change of pace), but intend to continue. I quit reading the series years ago when the son took over, but I may continue this time around. I’ll have to see.
@DonnaMarie: I never noticed the Easter eggs! I’ll have to pay closer attention now. Thx.
Belated, but as a child I wrote a fan letter to Anne McCaffrey, complete with a picture I had drawn of a gold dragon, and got the absolutely loveliest postcard back from her.
Daddy Long Legs without the squicky 30 year age gap
He’s only about 14 years older; she just thinks he’s an old man.
What does squick me out is that DLL only works in its time. Yes, I love the book dearly (somewhere hereabouts is a Squee review with my name on it)–but at the same time I have to avoid reading it from a modern perspective or it gets unbearably creepy. How would you react if the man in your life turned out to be privy to your inmost thoughts and feelings because he has been, in effect, reading your diary? Would you throw yourself blissfully into his arms?
I. Think. Not.
@MMV, I remembered that the story got shunted off into another series. I looked it up on goodreads, and Generation Warriors is the book that gets back to the Dinosaur Planet people. It comes from the Planet Pirates series that was co-written with Elizabeth Moon. I think Moon may have done more of the writing- a lot of ideas are seen again in the (Excellent) Harris Serrano series. I highly recommend that series, but it is not a romance, even though there are some romantic storylines. Great female characters- Cecelia is a wonderful older woman character- should have listed her in the rec league.
Oooh, Elizabeth Moon. I loved the Deeds of Paksenarrion. I wasn’t as enthralled with her other books.
In the Knocked Up Plan he does know. She asks him to donate but he wants to do it the old fashioned way. He has something he needs help with too so it’s a trade-off.
Hoo boy, yeah, the inspirational elements in Dear Mr. Knightley are *strong* – it’s worth noting that there’s (if memory serves) a fair amount of slut-shaming in that book, too. I picked it up thinking it was an Austen/Daddy-Long-Legs hybrid, and hated it, hated it, hated it.