Cover Awe is like the opposite of Cover Snark. Here, we talk about covers we like and why!
Model photography by Wander Aguiar
Amanda: I hate holiday romances and I’m indifferent about heroes on the cover, but I actually really like this one. Maybe it’s because he’s wearing somewhat appropriate clothing and has a comfy looking blanket.
Tara: I like the blue a lot. It’s kind of nice to see a holiday cover that isn’t all green with red. And the red that’s there doesn’t overwhelm it.
Amanda: I’m also a sucker for flannel.
Tara: I want to steal that shirt.
Amanda: I bet it smells nice.
Carrie: I don’t think it looks romantic but I do think they nailed the 10,000 yard stare of the holidays. He looks less sultry and more like he needs a nap. Maybe that’s why he brought the blank.
Amanda: Sleeping outside would be preferable to staying another second in that lovely cabin crammed with extended family.
Charlotte B: That blanket 100% says “we’ve reached the stage where Uncle Joe is drunk and racist, wanna go hang out in my truck?”
Amanda: And I would wholeheartedly say, “Yes, please.”
Charlotte B: You know that’s a man who has a crew cab with heated seats.
Claudia: You guys are killing me over here!
Catherine: Charlotte B, that is one effective seasonal pickup line.
Susan: I am honestly just impressed that his shirt is fastened.
Too many covers where people are in the snow in undone clothes.
Amanda: Is it sad that the bar is low enough to include “can he dress himself?”
Tara: Yes.
Carrie: It sure is.
Sarah: Brought a blanket? Is that a heroic archetype? IS NOW.
Lara: I’m not sure why, but I am DEEPLY obsessed with this cover
Amanda: It’s creepy but in a good way, though I think they changed it to a hand holding a pomegranate.
Catherine: That cover is spectacular.
Sarah: That is captivating and disturbing at the same time. Perfect.
Amanda: The composition and lighting of this cover is gorgeous. It fills me with whimsy, which is hard to do even on a good day.
Elyse: She also looks like she is up to something and not at all apologetic about it.
Catherine: Yes, there’s a definite ‘and what are you going to do about it?’ vibe about the way she is looking over her shoulder.
Amanda: I’m inputting books into the repo and look at this old Mesalliance cover. I kind of love it. I want to know more about this tousled-haired woman and her rabbit.
Sarah: Don’t rabbits signify something in art?
Yes!
“The rabbit as well as the hare have been associated with moon deities and may signify rebirth or resurrection. They may also be symbols of fertility or sensuality, and they appear in depictions of hunting and spring scenes in the Labours of the Months.”
Amanda: The position reminds me of the meme, “Don’t talk to me or my son ever again.”
Sarah: Fuck off into the horizon, good sir.
Tara: I want that on a shirt.
Carrie: I adore that cover and will totally read the book based on nothing but the imagery and the fuck off stare. Also Hares are both mythologically and biologically tough as nails. Do not fuck with them.
Charlotte B: That’s totally the cover of the Hole/Joanna Newsome concept album I didn’t know I needed.
Claudia: I heartily recommend that Stella Riley book on the strength of its first half alone.
And now I have to go and reread The Mesalliance for the umpteenth time…
Incidentally Rockliffe is one of the two exceptions to my « no dukes please » rule!
NB: the other one is Georgette Heyer’s Duke of Sale in the Foundling but that’s a completely different kind of duke, what you guys would call a cinamon roll.
Go ye and read The Mésalliance. Rockliffe and Adeline are witty and agonising and brilliant. Terrific research (lightly worn), villains, great secondary characters, and an HEA that is hard won and worth it.
It’s one of my 5* books. I spent a RIDICULOUS amount on buying a copy (nearly £30, more than I have ever spent on a book ever ever), and then bought the e-book when Stella Riley republished it. Totally recommended.
PS – the cover isn’t really representative of the book.
Totally agree that The Mesalliance is wonderful, all her Rockliffe books are well worth reading. The cover isn’t representative of the whole book, but it captures the prologue where Rockliffe first encounters Adeline almost perfectly.
Heroine standing in a field -check.
Gathering wildflowers – check.
Disordered hair – check.
Pink dress -check (and when has another cover had the right color dress and hair details right before?).
Hero galloping up on horse – check.
The downside- the hare is not in the prologue (but there is a semi-tamed squirrel) and she looks too old.
I definitely had that nugget about rabbits and the moon tucked away a and I was trying to figure out why I knew that… thank you Sailor Moon for coming in clutch!
& now I want to reread all of Riley’s Rockcliffe series (& one of my fave Heyers is The foundling ha ha)
Are Riley’s other books just as good?
I had to laugh since I just finished Mesalliance on audio about 30 min before reading this. I don’t like that cover at all. It doesn’t fit Adeline. I like the one on the audiobook. However, that said, I believe Adeline was holding a rabbit when Rockcliffe met her. I also listened to The Parfit Knight,and both are narrated by the amazing Alex Wynnham. The narration and writing combined to earn 5* reviews from me, which I rarely give.
I am a Georgette Heyer fan, and if you love her books, I think you will enjoy these Georgian treats by Stella Riley. They have the wit and charm, with more heat.
For anyone buying the Riley book, it’s book 2 in the series. I can’t jump into the middle of a series, so I had to buy book 1 also, then I noticed too late there is a box set of books 1-3 that would have saved me a few dollars. Too late for me, but you might be able to pick it up.
Then I had to buy the other box set for books 4-6 just so I could feel like I saved some money after all.
@Andrea I think you are right,no rabbit. It was wildflowers perhaps the first time. And you are also correct about the age. She was just 16 or so when he saw her. Also,the posture is all wrong. She looks somehow shrewd here, instead of carefree.
@ LN
Me, too. I love Gilly, and Gideon, and Harry – even Tom.
The Mésalliance cover gives me a Poldark vibe … but that may just be me, since I haven’t read the book.
@SusanE, you don’t need to read the Parfit Knight to enjoy the Mésalliance but all the books in the series are delightful. After the Mésalliance, they all feature a glimpse of Adeline and Rockliffe which is nice too. Once you have read all those you can read the Civil War books which are also great. My favourites are the Black Madonna and Garland of Straw but again once you have read those, you’ll want to read the rest to know what happens next!
I own that blanket. It’s by Pendleton and it is, indeed, comfy.
(1) Is that a teddy bear or the Mouse on the belt buckle, though? Both lead to further questions…
(2) Still Life With Plot Complication (did nothing for me)
(3) Hey, I’ve got a stack of Chicago ballots up in my room. Since as a woman in this time period I can’t vote, it’s the best I can do…
(4) I wonder if she’s got a revolver in her right hand, just out of sight, and is getting ready to turn and deal with the (probable) rake on horseback in the background. The hare has just handed her some spare ammo, assuming that her marksmanship is just about up to typical western/Imperial Stormtrooper standards.
Omg the cover with the hare is gorgeous. Also, I too want a “Hole/Joanna Newsome album.”
‘The Trouble With Christmas’ cover is yummy, and the woman on the cover of ‘The Mesalliance’ looks like Janet Jackson.
@M. F. Hopkins – now I can’t unsee Janet (or Miss Jackson, if you’re nasty)
As the Bitchery’s self-appointed in-house cover (and cover model) maven, I can tell you that photographer Wander Aguiar must really like the pair of jeans the model is wearing in THE TROUBLE WITH CHRISTMAS because (unless jeans are all artfully distressed in exactly the same places), I’ve seen that identical pair of jeans on a different model also photographed by Aguiar. I have given the evidence a very close examination, I can assure you:
https://www.wanderbookclub.com/zack-salum?lightbox=dataItem-kc6hkagh4
The Trouble with Christmas is a great read. Not a Hallmark Christmas book, for sure. Hot sex, penis cookies, and the Christmas tree and topper is outrageous–read it yourself.
@DiscoDollyDeb, Great attention to detail! And given the apparent lack of underwear on that other model, I really hope they wash the jeans between photography sessions.
I was at first disappointed that this is cover awe rather than cover snark, cuz I really needed some snark today. But you managed to get pretty snarky with your awe, so thanks!
And DDD, thank you for your dedicated service.
@SusanE: Apparently, this is how the jeans get washed:
https://www.wanderbookclub.com/zack-salum?lightbox=dataItem-kdevy29u
Lol. And it’s even more obvious here that those are the same pair of jeans that THE TROUBLE WITH CHRISTMAS model is wearing.
Psst. The covers with links are missing the ‘.com’