I like to think Cover Awe as a moment of zen, where we can all take a collective break to look at pretty things.
Design by Michael McCartney
Susan: Oh that is BEAUTIFUL.
Sneezy: *Heart eyes*
Amanda: Well hi there.
Elyse: I love all those colors.
Sarah: I wish some of my dreams looked more like that.
Carrie: That list of authors…my heart…
Sneezy: It’s like if you open the book, you’ll melt into the night sky with all those authors and constellations!!!! Ah!!!!!
Catherine: So beautiful – the colours, and the way the constellations seem to glow.
Susan: I love this.
Tara: I love the colours on that.
Amanda: I do too! Zoraida always has some interesting covers.
Catherine: Oh, that’s gorgeous. And fascinating, too – you can’t tell if she is falling or flying…
Sarah: This cover does all the work of getting my attention, and making me ask what’s happening, in about .02 seconds.
Catherine: I love the colours and the intensity on their faces.
Shana: Oooh pretty.
Susan: I’m about ten pages into The Resurrectionist of Caligo and I’m already so stressed that something terrible is going to happen to the small child.
Catherine: Oh dear!
Tara: Can you read ahead to check? That’s how I manage my anxiety while reading, even if reading ahead is a cardinal sin for most other readers.
Catherine: I am a terrible reader-ahead-to-make-sure-everything-is-ok and I endorse this suggestion!
Carrie: Skim the end for sure.
Susan: I’m not gonna lie, I do sometimes read like the first and last three chapters of a book, so I probably could do that!
Carrie: OMG I’m begging you to check and report back because that cover – the font, the colors, the drawing style, the composition – that’s a Carrie Trap is what that is OMG
Sneezy: Hello heart rate boost. No, we aren’t about to be…whatever is happening on the cover. No, I’m not sure.
Amanda: THE SMILING
Aarya: The crinkles by his eyes! The way he holds her! THE POCKET SQUARE!
Sneezy: So many heart eyes!
Lara: Lucy Parker hits me RIGHT IN THE FEELS.
Catherine: I love the way they are looking at each other. The light is just wonderful, too.
Sarah: I wanna be friends with both of them. They look like they are having the greatest time.
Amanda: Romance covers don’t have a ton of smiling I feel like.
Claudia: They don’t!!
And interestingly isn’t this one an enemies to lovers theme? Or career rivals at least.
Catherine: Yes, it is.
Elyse: I think it conveys intimacy which I love.
Carrie: More covers should convey joy! How lovely!
Sneezy: YES!!!!! More joy please!!!! And Magic Purples. And Shimmering Golds. And Fairy Sparkles.
Similar to the first cover is “Phosphorescence: On awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark“ by Julia Baird. It’s a non-fic and I’m not sure if it’s available outside Australia.
The hardcover is stunningly printed in iridescent and shine. I rarely buy hardcovers full price, but I couldn’t resist this because of the stunning cover.
Look at this lovely cover for Naima Simone’s TRUST FUND FIANCÉ. I love the color and composition: the ice-blue gown, the jewelry, and the way the two very attractive cover models are leaning toward each other and touching each other in an almost delicate way.
https://www.amazon.com/Trust-Fund-Fiancé-Texas-Cattlemans-ebook/dp/B085MH2DH1/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=naima+simone+kindle+books&qid=1599478175&sprefix=naima&sr=8-3
I am a big fan of John Coulthart’s work & have been following him for years. He has an amazing online journal where he writes in depth about art & music both famous & obscure. http://www.johncoulthart.com/feuilleton/
@hng23 I’ve not come across John Coulthart before but his art is amazing, and the blog is fascinating too. Thank you for that link!
I taught high school biology to homeschoolers, and I had two students in my class who have since gone on to marry. The couple on the cover of headliners look so much like them I did a double take! Even at closer inspection they look like my friends. Its so sweet! I’ll buy the book just for that.
Incendiary looks like she is about to get impaled on the castle in Wizard of Oz.
That cover on Headliners is in fact one of the types of romance covers I actively like. Show me a couple taking obvious joy in each other’s company, and I’m going to be a lot more inclined to believe that couple will have a HEA. <3
And the color scheme is nice as well. Plays beautifully off both their outfits, and her hair!
I am a terrible reader-ahead-to-make-sure-everything-is-ok
It is not many weeks since I noticed, in a public-domain ebook I was then working on, that the very last illustration plainly showed a kitten who plays a minor but recurring role in the plot. This was such an enormous relief that I had to point it out in my preliminary comments, just so no reader need be distracted by worries about her safety.
Show me a couple taking obvious joy in each other’s company
To say nothing of a couple with obvious lines in their faces. Grownups In Love, wheee.
According to a tweet I saw from Lucy Parker apparently the couple on the cover are a real life couple!!!
Eee, they’re LAUGHING! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a couple on a romance cover laughing before! Like one of them just said something that cracked them both up, or they just ran out of a ridiculous situation.
…And I can somehow hear the movie soundtrack running under the scene?
Anyway WANT.
@Laura Wouldn’t that be an amazing trend – real-life couples on the covers of romance novels?!? Better for social distancing for sure.
@Elle G OMG yes! and it makes it all just a little bit sweeter *serious heart eyes*
Headliners has a beautiful cover. And yes, I too saw Lucy Parker’s tweet a while back that these two cover models are married in real life. Incidentally, I always love the cover art for Parker’s novels.