Robin D. Owens just blew my mind.

I was logged in here because I was going to write something. It might have been about my internship with the literary agent. It could have been about the RITAs. But I had an email in my beta-reading account. So I checked it. And it was Robin D. Owens.

I've actually spoken to Owens in real life, at last year's RWA literacy signing, but my part in the conversation largely consisted of grabbing Heart Journey(which I already owned) from her piles and shoving it in her direction, mumbling 'Sign please. I love your books.' I am hoping to somewhat redeem myself this year. However, I'm irrationally excited about the possibility of an avian Fam, a native species no less, and going by how I already babbled about this to her editor, it doesn't bode well. I foresee myself grabbing Heart Search from her piles (which I already own), shoving it in her direction, and, in a crackly voice, saying 'I can't wait for Heart Secret and a bird Fam, that's so cool, native species too, that's awesome, can't wait to read it. I love your books.'

So when Robin D. Owens sent me an email, let me tell you, my brain just exploded. Especially since it went to my beta-reading account and I didn't realize at first how she got it and my instinctive reaction at seeing her email address was 'I AM NOT BETA-READING FOR ROBIN D OWENS, IT WILL RUIN THE MAGIC AND I'D RATHER CONTINUE TO PESTER BERKLEY FOR ARCS OR SUFFER THE AGONY OF WAITING THAN LOSE THE MAGIC.' Then when I realized she read the review I wrote for Enchanted Again, I freaked again, because I knew I'd been disappointed in the book and WHAT DID I WRITE?!?

Luckily, while I was clear in my disappointment, my die-hard fangirlness tempered my usual bluntness. The review turned out to be more 'The first book was great, I don't know what happened with this one, but it's Robin D. Owens so we'll just not talk about it, m'kay?' than what I probably would have done if it'd been almost any author, i.e. 'Why are her books by Publisher A so much better than her books by Publisher B?' Which, I guess, I just did it, but it's Robin D. Owens, so let's not think about it too hard, m'kay?

Anyway, the email was short and Owens was nice and said she was sorry I didn't like it and directed me to excerpts for the next book. I'm not gonna be reading those excerpts for three reasons.

1. Sometimes I'll read an excerpt, like if it's for book 2 at the end of book 1, but then I'll start reading book 2 when it comes out and I get confused because it'll be familiar. I read at least, at least, 300 books a year. I don't always remember what I've read so if something seems familiar, I have to double-check my GoodReads account to make sure I didn't read it as an ARC or something. Therefore, as a general rule, I don't seek out excerpts.


2. When I do read excerpts from a book, it generally shapes my opinion of the book. So if I wrinkle my nose at the excerpt, I'm likely to pass on the book. Since I've already been disappointed, I don't want to take the chance that something in the excerpt will send up red flags. As long as I don't look, I can continue to live in hope. 


3. A book by Robin D. Owens is on my auto-read list. Smart Bitches, Dear Author, Romantic Times, GoodReads, whoever, could all say Book X by Owens is made from remnants from the Staten Island landfill and sprinkled with bat guano and my reaction will be 'Really? That's kinda extreme. I better read it to find out if it's true.' I might not buy it, but I'd definitely read it. Hell, I'm still up to date on Lora Leigh and Laurell K Hamilton, and I think we can agree some of their books were heavily flavored with bat guano.

Re-reading this post. Was there a point to this? What's a good ending? I don't know. I'm slowly coming down from the high of ROBIN D. OWENS EMAILED ME. *sigh* I'm totally gonna make an ass of myself in July...

Incoming!: RWA 2012

So, my plane for RWA and Anaheim leaves 29 days from today. I am beginning to freak out. You wouldn't think it would be that big of a deal because it's not like I have anything riding on this. I'm not trying to make a sale. My career doesn't rest on making a connection with an agent or an editor. Indeed, aside from attending Librarians' Day on Wednesday, most of my time will be spent at Disneyland.

I think what I'm really worried about is missing something. I haven't been to Disneyland since I was ten and a lot of new things have opened. We are big Disney people so I'm also excited about having the chance to pick up some Disneyland-exclusive merchandise. The summer is the busy season for Disney, of course, so there's a lot of strategy involved to make sure I hit all the important stuff: Cars Land, the Little Mermaid ride, World of Color, the Storybook Canal, etc. My best friend who moved back to CA last October is driving over to join us on Saturday and she's asked me to pick up some things she can't get there (i.e. Dunkin' Doughnuts coffee).

I've been invited to a publisher party and I'm a little apprehensive. What do I say? What do I do? What should I wear? My tentative plan at the moment is to try to hook up with an author I know who's with that house and try to hang out with her. While I don't have a book to sell, I would like to try to network a bit. My future career plans are kinda nebulous, but I definitely want to stay in the book field. Whether that means staying in libraries, jumping to publishing (most likely an editor-type position), or, maybe, thanks to a shiny new internship, trying out agent-hood, I don't know. Therefore, it's important for me to go against type and try to talk to as many people I can. There are going to be a LOT of people in the romance business in a mile and this is a great opportunity. No pressure, right?

Money is also a factor. I'm definitely doing the literacy signing, but the question is how much I can afford to spend. My usual strategy is to go through the author list and figure out which signed book I want the most. I'm also thinking about doing an autograph book. Some bloggers will bring canvas tote bags and have authors sign the bag, then do a giveaway on their blogs. Authors are usually just thrilled that someone knows who they are. It's definitely true that the romance genre is one of the best communities to be a part of.  I can count on one hand the number of people who treated me poorly in one capacity or another. So you wouldn't think I'd be too nervous.

EXCEPT I TOTALLY AM!

Review: Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Three things you probably know about me by now: 1) I am incapable of keeping things to myself when I'm excited. 2) I am an avid Nalini Singh fangirl. 3) I have PTSD.

Something you may not know, I prefer Nalini's Psy/Changeling series. It's Rafael, man. All the Archangels. They are scary-ass beings and I don't want to be in their vicinity, let alone in their heads. The idea of living in a world where the planet's well-being is in the hands of these Archangels is terrifying. If these books weren't written by Nalini, there is no way I'd still be reading the Guild Hunter books.

Up until this point, my favorite story in this series was Jessamy's and Galen's. Probably because Galen wasn't about to go out and slaughter anyone by tearing their wings off, and Jessamy was a born nurturer. However, Jason just shot to the top of my favorite Nalini Singh characters list.

The best analogy I can come up for PTSD is that it's like your soul is a bone and the traumatic event shatters that bone. Sometimes it shatters into so many pieces, it never heals right. Sometimes your soul just fractures and given enough time, it mends. However, like a healed broken tibia in a skeleton, years later, the bone continues to show evidence of the break. That's what PTSD does to your soul. You can learn how to manage the fear, to break free from the darkness, quiet the screams, get yourself to a place where you can live again, but your soul still bears the scars.

"Yet she also knew that the man in front of her was not that boy, had not been that boy for hundreds of years. She couldn't wipe away his pain and tell him that everything would be all right.

"Jason had learned too well that sometimes, nothing could fix what was broken."

I had to stop reading for a bit after that last sentence. I stared up at the ceiling for a while before I began again.

Jason isn't 'fixed' in this book. There's no miraculous cure, no 'love conquers all.' However, just because a person is traumatized doesn't mean all emotions are shut off. Being broken does not necessarily equate being unable to love, it just means it takes an extraordinary person willing to accept the kind of love you have to give.

Mahiya, his heroine, knows what it's like to be caged, to be a prisoner. She understands that while he may be flying free through the skies, the fractures in his soul means the cage flies with him. She has faith, though, in Jason and she understands him so well, she hears what he cannot say.

Nalini has written other wounded heroes before (Judd and Dorian spring to mind), but her skill is such that she makes them damaged in different ways and therefore, their healing processes happens differently as well. Judd finds his center, Dorian finds acceptance, and Jason, well, you'll find out.

This world is still scary as hell, with violence and gore, and there's a truly creepy moment involving Lijuan. Nalini ratchets up the tension and increases the likelihood of incredibly bad things happening. Truth be told, I'm not really looking forward to reading the next book in the series, but I'm going to read it anyway. Like Emily Dickson wrote,

"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,"

That's what Jason now represents to me and even if he ends up relegated to glimpses in the background, I'll wade through the blood to see him.

Review: More Than Words, Volume 7 by Carly Phillips, Donna Hill, Jill Shalvis

More Than Words, Volume 7 by Carly Phillips

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



"Compassion Can't Wait" by Carly Phillips: This is the RITA nominated story from this anthology. Phillips gets around the novella format by having her couple be high school sweethearts. So the emotional foundation was already there, they just had to get over the misunderstanding that separated them. I think it was a good novella. I wasn't left wanting more and I didn't feel like it was bursting at the seams. In addition, the organization, Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation, was skillfully woven in. It was name-dropped a bunch of times, but it felt organic and not preachy. I was left with a lot of admiration for how the organization helps single parents care for their critically-ill children. I'd give "Compassion Can't Wait" four stars.

"Someplace like Home" by Donna Hill: I definitely wanted more from this one. I felt like it ended too quickly. I liked the premise of it and the slow way the hero (baseball player) & heroine drew together. It was also kinda nice to have a hero who was the nurturing type. However, in addition to the abrupt ending, there were also a few loose threads here and there. "Someplace like Home" gets three stars from me.

"What the Heart Wants" by Jill Shalvis: Shalvis is gradually becoming one of my must reads for contemporary authors. I'm kinda bummed this was so short because I loved Jack and I wanted to see more of him. There was only one short scene from his POV. Also, there were repeated allusions to something that happened to the heroine in her youth, but we never get the particulars. I suppose it's not really that big deal, but when the heroine finally mentions the 'horrific experience,' my curiosity went into overdrive. Stupid page limits and word counts. Still, four stars here as well.

Out of the three stories, I liked Shalvis's hero & heroine the best, but overall, I thought Phillips's story was the strongest.

Review: The Mystic Wolves by Belinda Boring

The Mystic Wolves by Belinda Boring

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



You know I try to remain objective about critiquing someone's life work, but this book gave me a headache and if I'd had it in hardcopy, it would've been flung across the room a number of times. Only sheer willpower led me to finish it.

First off, this is the first book in a series, but when you start reading, all this stuff has already happened. Darcy and Mason are together, war has been averted, and football has commenced. Boring later inserts a flashback showing us how they got together, but, at that point, it's anti-climatic. Why not make it a prologue at least?

Secondly, a supporting character is killed and someone who is very important to both Mason & Darcy. However, rather than mourning or dealing with the fallout, they go romping in the woods. Mason, who should be more devastated than anyone, seems particularly unmoved by the murder of a loved one. He eventually breaks down a little, but it didn't ring true to me.

Thirdly, it was hard to get a grasp on the culture of this particular breed of werewolves. During the first violent scene, Darcy makes reference to the idea that they are taught not to change, as if the wolf will take over, but no reason or explanation is given as to why. In addition, Boring allows her characters to utilize some wolf behaviors while still in human form, implying the human and wolf are meshed together. So why aren't they allowed to change? There also seemed to be some kind of psychic component to this werewolf breed as Darcy tries repeatedly to connect properly with Mason. Darcy and Mason also reference dreams that foreshadow finding their mates. However, the reader is never told how these werewolves came into being, how they evolved into what they are.

Fourthly, it was in first person and Darcy is, um, how to put this, not exactly what I'd call alpha material. She's an unreliable narrator because she's so focused on Mason and she, presumably, knows all the things that the reader doesn't, so she doesn't feel the need to think about them, leaving us in the dark. For example, we know that the humans are unaware of the existence of supernatural species. Darcy violently kills an attacker and then gets swept away by Mason. No mention of hiding the evidence, of DNA, nothing. The attacker has links to vampires, but Mason & Darcy just go la la la-ing into the woods. Yet, SOMEHOW, the vampires find out and show up. The plot holes, they are huge.

In conclusion, I did not enjoy this book. However, after writing this, I have come to the conclusion that I think it would have been salvageable. The biggest problems were the flow and the complete lack of world-building. There were no spelling or grammar errors. The funeral scene was lovely. Shifting some scenes around, adding some detail here, trimming some interactions between Mason & Darcy there, and you'd have a solid read.

If you'd like to form your own opinion, as of 6/15/12, The Mystic Wolves is currently free from Amazon and Smashwords.

Review: A Mother's Homecoming by Tanya Michaels

A Mother's Homecoming by Tanya Michaels

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I think it's clear by now that series titles aren't my thing. The rigid and short page counts often leads to a compressed story that fails to satisfy me. A Mother's Homecoming is not necessarily exempt from this as this would have been a five star book if there had more meat to the ending.

This is a unique book because, from the get-go, the reader is not predisposed to like the heroine. A recovering alcoholic, Pamela Jo abandoned her husband and daughter. She's returned to her hometown to make amends, but she thinks Nate and Faith now live elsewhere. She's wrong.

What I loved about this book is that Pamela isn't necessarily apologetic about her actions in abandoning her family. She felt she had her reasons and that she made the best possible decision. When I started the book, I was not inclined to be sympathetic towards Pamela Jo at all. However, as the book progressed and I got to know the character, I warmed up to her. Going in, I had a negative outlook about a mother abandoning her child. By the end, I could understand why Pamela Jo felt she had to leave.

I also liked that the relationships between Pamela Jo and Nick, and Pamela & Faith, were developed as naturally as the constrained book format allowed. Nick was understandably hostile and protective of his daughter. Even by the end, he was still referring to Faith as 'his' daughter. Faith is naturally curious about her mother and acts out, but she's smart enough to go the 'model child' route after a brief detour in 'troublemaker' zone.

Even the ending was more of a 'happily right now' than 'ever after.' It was a more abrupt ending than I would have liked, but I think Michaels did the best she could with what she had. Overall, this book was excellent. So far, I think this is my favorite series title out of all the nominees I've read so far. I leave you with a bit that tickled me.

"[Leigh] glanced past Dawn, and the smile wobbled slightly when she spotted her former sister-in-law. '[The cookies]'re sort of a housewarming gift, I guess. I understand you had furniture moved out to Mae's old place this week.'

"'Thank you.' Pam was touched. And deeply suspicious. Maybe she should have a lab in one of the bigger cities test the cookies before she ate any" (pg173).

Review: Deadly Sins by Lora Leigh

Deadly Sins by Lora Leigh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Two things first: 1) The identity of the Big Bad is not revealed in this book and there seems to be quite a lot of people gunning for these guys & their paramours. 2) In the book itself, this series is identified as the Sins series and I checked this specifically because on GoodReads & Leigh's website, it's listed as 'The Callahan's.' First off, there is more than one Callahan so it should be Callahans. Secondly, you would only need the apostrophe if you were adding a noun after Callahans, like Callahans' Women. The fact that Leigh has this on her own website drives me up the freakin' wall and, to me, is an example of the problems that have been evident in Leigh's books of late.

Leigh's romantic suspense seemed to hold up better than her Breeds books, but Deadly Sins made me roll my eyes. I have a thing about repetitive language and that's a problem here, big time. I wish I'd written down the page numbers or made a note of the sentences, but a character would have a thought and then a few pages later, they'd have the exact same thought. I didn't read the first book in the series, Midnight Sins, but even I was like, 'Okay, I get it already! All the parents suck! Bad things happen!' In addition, I caught at least one incident where Leigh swapped Crowe's and Logan's names. Also, some of the sex scenes reminded me strongly of some from the Breed books, especially when Logan thinks about 'marking' Skye.

Authors live and die by their contracts, and I know it's really hard to make a living as a writer. However, if Leigh has any leeway, I'd really recommend that she take a break from cranking out books. Recharge the batteries, clear her head, write some contemporary e-novellas to cleanse the palette, something, before she does permanent damage to a career that began so promisingly nine years ago.