Welcome back to Cover Awe! Let’s discuss interesting covers, shall we?
From Qualisign: This is one of the few covers of a naked person that screams power, competence, beauty without hinging on sex. It’s gorgeous.
Sarah: Wow.
I follow some ballet dancers on IG and this image reminds me of some of their posts. Stunning.
Amanda: It’s also nice to see muscle definition without the bulging veined, dehydrated look.
Sneezy: Dancers are amazing!!!
Cover design by John Vairo Jr.
Cover illustration by Chris McGrath
Carrie: Damn girl!
Amanda: A powerful cover for sure. I love how you slowly start to notice that she’s above a sea of people. Is she commanding them? Or about to kick their asses?
Sarah: The art makes incredible use of light and balance so even though it’s predominantly one color there is so much to look at and notice. Wow.
Sneezy: Yes, exactly!!! So much depth with so little colour!!!
Tara: Whoa. Bold Strokes Books pulled off an excellent f/f historical cover.
Amanda: The gold really complements everything, from the model’s soft blonde hair to the pop of red lipstick. Well done!
Cover design by Rodrigo Corral
Amanda: There are so many small details. Like the water droplets and the way they warp the text underneath. And the eyes!
Sarah: I didn’t notice them until you mentioned the droplets. I was too busy admiring the line work. That’s a great cover.
Sneezy: Googoogaagaa!!!! This cover is at once so nuanced with so much depth and also so energetic and simple.
Chris McGrath is the only cover artist I can reliably identify at a glance, and his covers have drawn me to many, many books. (What can I say, dark-and-gritty speaks to me.) He’s the only cover artist I can reliably identify at a glance.
Comparison/contrast time: I love the cover for OFF BALANCE. Now look at this cover for Alta Hensley’s PRIMA:
https://www.amazon.com/Prima-Dark-Romance-Alta-Hensley-ebook/dp/B08M8NPD4H/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=alta+hensley+prima&qid=1630928640&sr=8-3
Is it possibly the same photo—or at least the same cover model taken at the same photo session—but photoshopped? I know the genders are different, but so much about the poses (especially the position and appearance of the uplifted arm/hand and the configuration of the back muscles) looks the same. Otoh, I admit to knowing very little about ballet and possibly this is a standard pose in every ballet dancer’s repertoire.
The Savage Bounty cover is strongly reminiscent of Gideon the Ninth’s cover
I find the placement of the eyes in An Emotion of Great Delight really distracting. It’s like my brain can’t process the wording, particularly on Emotion.
The cover for “Her Lady To Love” looks like they photoshopped a new skirt and background on the cover for “The Heiress Gets a Duke”.
It’s a lovely cover, and it was also lovely the first time I saw it.
I just finished reading Off Balance and highly recommend it. It’s my favorite Jay Hogan book to date. MM romance set in NZ about a ballet dancer whose career is ended due to Meniere’s disease, a condition that causes severe vertigo and other problems. He comes home to the small town he desperately tried to escape. Great characters and thoughtful looks at grief, chronic illness, and family dynamics.
Loved ‘Off Balance’ – one of my favorite books of 2020. A second book in the Painted Bay world releases Sept 23. 🙂
The gold dress picture is also used in The Heiress Gets a Duke, by Harper St. George. It’s cropped differently and the dress is a bit darker gold.
#1: Check. (Ooh, nice muscles.) #2: Check. (Did everyone else immediately decide her name is Arya?)
But … If Her Lady to Love had instead shown up in Cover Snark, I have to think there would have been some remarks about the dark red lipstick and the strapless dress. And do we really need to be told that An Emotion of Great Delight is a novel? Seems a waste of a perfectly chosen font.
I initially misread the last title as An Erection of Great Delight. I imagine that could prove an intriguing book!
@Kareni: That’s what I saw too!
Not all of the covers are showing up on my browser, but in looking them up I discovered Chris McGrath did my favorite Brandon Sanderson covers, and Rik Lee has an astounding range of art and products.
That Her Lady to Love picks up the exact shade of the lipstick for that little turned-up corner on the bottom is just . Pulls the whole thing together.
Rat, it dropped out my chef’s kiss.
@RenBenton: You’re right. I just went to McGrath’s web page and realized I own so many of those books/covers. Very distinctive and SAVAGE BOUNTY stands out even in that group.
I also reliably enjoy McGrath covers. Here’s a bunch, not sure if this link will show up.
https://chrismcgrath.art
@carrieG–just bought Off Balance thanks to your recommendation and just wanted to let everyone know it’s on sale at Amazon for 99 cents in case anyone else is interested.