5 Minute Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis (out now)



Maddie's mother, Phoebe, was a free spirit who chose to follow the Grateful Dead on tour and live in a run-down resort. Maddie barely knew her mother, having been sent to live with her father when she was five. Her relationship with her two half sisters, Tara and Chloe, is only marginally better. Cut adrift from her life by circumstances beyond her control, Maddie seizes the opportunity her mother's passing provides. She is now one-third owner of Lucky Harbor Resort. She travels to the small town on the Washington state coast to rebuild her life and her relationship with her sisters. On her way there, she nearly hits Jax on his motorcycle. She doesn't think it's an auspicious beginning to her new start, but Jax knows the hand of fate when he feels it...

This one sat on the piles for a while. Something about the back blurb put me off. I think it has something to do with the way it made Maddie sound. I really wasn't interested in reading about another down-on-her-luck 'woe is me' heroine. That's not what this was, at all. Maddie spent less time complaining about her lot in life and more time searching for the strength to change. She didn't wait to be rescued, she wanted to save herself. Towards the book, when Jax offers her a way to fix all her problems, she doesn't take it. Jax is very understanding, almost unbelievably so. He's like the perfect man: smart, rich, and successful. He even deals with his angst in a healthy manner.

The supporting characters were equally interesting, even though the future couples were painfully obvious. Three sisters and three best friends? Gee, I wonder. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on 'The Sweetest Thing', Tara's book, because I'm pretty sure about something and I want to see if I'm right. Read 'Simply Irresistible' for the story as a whole rather than simply the relationship between Jax and Maddie. 

Waiting on in 2011

I'm in an unique position with regards to book publication dates since I receive & read so many ARCs. Still, there are some books that I won't get due to the fame of the author or because it's not a romance.

The biggest book that I'm looking forward to is Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh. I twigged onto Hawke & Sienna back in book 3 and I'm dying to see how Nalini writes them. I was a little hesitant about tthhe relationship due to the age difference, but my faith in Nalini is such that I know all my doubts will be swept aside. At RomCon, Nalini talked about how Kiss of Snow brings the first overall series arc to a conclusion. I can't wait to find out more about the Ghost and how Silence is going to fall. I also think Sascha gives birth in Kiss of Snow and I'm dying to meet the first member of the new generation.

On the YA front, there are a lot of great sequels on the horizon. Trial by Fire, the next book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. The long overdue book in L.J. Smith's Nightworld series. Kiersten White's sequel to Paranormalcy will be released in the fall. I've also been reading Colleen Houck's books. Since Ms. Houck self-published before getting picked up by Splinter, I was able to get my hands on the second book in the series. I'm interested to see where the third book is going to go.

There are also the authors for whom I'm waiting their yearly book. Ilona Andrews, for example. I can't wait to see what happens next for Curran & Kate or on the 'Edge.' Robin D. Owens' Celta book will be released during the summer and, according to her website, there may be an anthology too!  Patricia Briggs' latest book is a must-read and I'm always curious to read a new Laurell K. Hamilton, despite the erratic nature of the books' quality. J.R. Ward releases Lover Unleashed at the end of March and Charlaine Harris has Dead Reckoning in May. I'm also anxious for the next Breed book in Lora Leigh's series.

We know I've already read it, but I'm looking forward to Thea Harrison's May release of Dragon Bound. My copy is falling to pieces and I need something pretty for my shelf! If the buzz is getting you excited, Dear Author is giving away copies of the ARC to commenters.

Monthly Tally: February 2011

From TBR journal

1. Deadly Lies, Cynthia Eden - See last month's comment.
2. Primal, Lora Leigh, Michelle Rowen, Jory Strong & Ava Gray
3. Dreams of a Dark Warrior, Kresley Cole
4. This Side of the Grave, Jeaniene Frost - I'm not really a fan of first-person urban fantasies, but I adore this series. 
5. Treachery in Death, J.D. Robb - I continue to love this series, although it has its ups and down. I thought this one was better than the previous installement.
6. Visions of Magic, Regan Hastings
7. The Perfect Play, Jaci Burton - I have a fondness for romances starring athlete heroes, but I wasn't head over heels for this one. 
8. Look! A Book! A Zany Seek-and-Find Adventure, Bob Staake - Okay, I'm 29 and I easily spent a half an hour going through this book. Part of the fun for me was trying to figure out what the rhyming objects on the next page would be. For elementary school kids and the 'child at heart' adult.
9. Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch Melt-in-Your Mouth Cookies, Alice Medrich - A cookbook divided up by the texture of the finished products. A nice idea, but there were only a couple of recipes that interested me. Would probably be a good housewarming present.
10. When Beauty Tamed the Beast, Eloisa James
11. Unveiled, Courtney Milan
12. Tortall and Other Lands, Tamora Pierce - If this had been in paperback, I'd bought it in a heartbeat. It's a collection of short stories set in the world she's created. My favorites were 'Lost,' about a Darkling that ends up in Tusaine and befriends a young female mathematical genius, and 'A Dragon's Tale,' a story from Kitten's (the dragonlet adopted by Daine & Numair) point of view. I had to go back and re-read the Wild Magic quartet after I finished, it was just that awesome. 
13. All Jacked Up, Lorelei James
14. His Sinful Secret, Emma Wildes
15. Wolfsbane, Patricia Briggs - Overall, Briggs' books don't fit the romance genre, but I love the way she writes relationships.
16. There's a Princess in the Palace, Zoe B. Alley
17. Weird and Wonderful, ed. Welleran Poltarnees - This was reviewed by PW, which is how I found out about it. It's a collection of odd illustrations from old (early 1900s) children's books. In AU's special collections department, they specialize a bit in children's literature and I rec'd this book for purchase.
18. Dare to Believe, Dana Marie Bell - I will be very surprised if this author doesn't make the crossover into mainstream publishing one day. 
19. Batwoman: Elegy, Greg Rucka & J. H. Williams III
20. Bedtime for Mommy, Amy Krouse Rosenthal
21. Miss Winthrope's Elopement, Christine Merrill
22. Love 'Em or Leave 'Em, Angie Stanton - An interesting plot idea (the heroine gets drafted to be a contestant on a Bachelor-type show & the hero's the Bachelor), but would've benefited from better editing.
23. Submission Times Two, Claire Thompson
24. Big Mama Makes the World, Phyllis Root - A little bit of a twist on the Christian creation story. I liked it and I may buy it for my personal collection one day. 
25. Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book Based on the Film Phenomenon, Lucy Kee - This was insanely cool. The pop-ups were focused on the different film sets, with little bits of trivia here and there. It's currently on sale at Amazon and I'm definitely going to pick it up.

ARCs

1. Welcome to Last Chance, Hope Ramsay, out today
2. Halfway Hexed, Kimberly Frost, out now
3. When You Dare, Lori Foster, 5/2011 - This was a great book. It's a little more along the lines of military romance than a contemporary. I'm a sucker for a heroine who's also a writer and the hero was very compelling.
4. Quicksilver, Amanda Quick, 4/2011
5. Big Bad Beast, Shelly Laurenston, 5/2011 - I am about to be very honest here. While I have still read this book about five times, Beast Behaving Badly was much better. Dee is a complicated character and a complicated heroine, which doesn't always translate well. 
6.  Any Man of Mine, Rachel Gibson, 4/2011 
7. Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart, Sarah Maclean, 4/2011  
8. Trace of Fever, Lori Foster, 6/2011 - I loved it a little less than the first one, mostly because the plot subject matter was difficult to handle (human trafficking, rape, etc. The bad guy was really bad). However, Dare & Molly make a return appearance, I adored the supporting characters of Chris & Mark (I want them to have their own story), and the animals were so cute. 
9. Notorious Pleasures, Elizabeth Hoyt, out now

I also read the Black Bird manga series, volumes 1-5. I was cataloging my manga collection and discovered I owned volume 1. The public library provided the rest! 

Category Totals

Romance: 14 + 9 ARCs

Science Fiction: 1

Mystery: 1

Young Adult: 1 

Cookbooks: 1

Graphic Novels: 1

Picture Books: 4

Film: 1

Lit Crit: 1 

Year to Date: 55 books, 14 ARCs

Monthly Tally: January 2011

From TBR journal

1. Deadly Heat, Cynthia Eden - This was okay, but I much prefer her paranormals. 
2. Marrying Daisy Bellamy, Susan Wiggs - I was waiting for this story for a very long time and I wasn't disappointed. This is definitely a heart-tugger. 
3. Here to Stay, Catherine Anderson - This was an interesting look at mini horses being used instead of guide dogs for the blind.
4. Dragon Warrior, Janet Chapman
5. Bonded by Blood, Laurie London
6. Master of Smoke, Angela Knight
7. Finding Destiny, Jean Johnson
8. Blood Challenge, Eileen Wilks - Oh, I liked this one. The heroine was awesome. Wilks did a great job of balancing the story between Lily & Rule and Benedict & Arjenie. There's even a smidge of Cullen & Cynna. My only quibble is I'd like to see more of Rule's son.
9. Disney's Hero Squad: Ultraheroes: Race for the Ultrapods, Giorgio Salati, et. al
10. How to Woo a Reluctant Lady, Sabrina Jeffries
11. The Legend of the Golden Snail, Graeme Base
12. Sins of a Highland Devil, Sue-Ellen Welfonder
13. Tiger's Curse, Colleen Houck - This is like Twilight, but with tigers. 
14. Skin Heat, Ava Gray - I liked this one so much, I'm going back and reading the previous books. 
15. Yours for the Taking, Robin Kaye
16. Ascension, Caris Roane
17. Eternal Prey, Nina Bangs - This is my guilty pleasure series. I find the idea of dinosaurs in romance novels so ludicrous,  I can't not read them.
18. Game Over, Taylor Keating
19. Inside Out, Lauren Dane
20. Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right of Me, Kieran Kramer - Good book, but awful, awful title.
21. When Harry Met Sally, Kieran Kramer
22. Masques, Patricia Briggs
23. The Fantastic 5 & 10 c Store, J. Patrick Lewis - A picture book told through use of rebuses. Definitely for older readers. 
24. The Beast Within, Erin McCarthy, et.al 
25. Art & Max, David Wiesner
26. Angelic, Kelley Armstrong
27. Demon Bound, Meljean Brook
28. Laid Bare, Lauren Dane
29. One Week as Lovers, Victoria Dahl
30. Shadows All Around Her, Catherine Mulvany

ARCs

1. The Welcome Home Garden Club, Lori Wilde, 4/2011 - I liked the Christmas cookie one better.
2. The Perfect Mistress, Victoria Alexander, out now
3. Against the Wind, Kat Martin, out now
4. It Happened One Night, Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Allessandro, Candice Hern, 4/2011 - This is another book where they all use the same plot outline. It was interesting to see where the stories were similar and where they varied.
5. Eternal Rider, Larissa Ione, 4/2011 - I love Larissa Ione, I really, really do. I was not, however, expecting this book to be what it was. The hero is Ares, Horseman of War. He's one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. You'd think I'd look at that and be, 'Hmm, this shan't be roses and picnics,' but no. In my defense, my grandmother was in the hospital and I just grabbed a book that I thought would keep me occupied while we sat with her. It's a very well-written book with heaps of violence and death. And maimings. And torture. And despair. However, despite all that, I'm still going to read the next book. I need to know what happens!

I also started The Fallen: Raziel by Kristina Douglas (2/2011), but I couldn't finish it. This book really cemented my distaste for angels books.

Category totals

Romance: 25 + 5 ARCs
Graphic Novel: 1
Picture Books: 3
Young Adult: 1

Author Autograph Wishlist

I am from a collecting family. Mom collects Disney related knick-knacks. Little brother is a transformers freak. Me, well, I collect books. The more I love an author, the more I want an autographed copy. I will call up bookstores across the country to have a book shipped to me (J.R. Ward), fly across the country myself (Nalini Singh at RomCon2010), drive three hours (Cathy Clamp at Authors After Dark 2009), or stand in line for 2+ hours at a signing (Nora Roberts at the Columbus Circle Borders, Laurell K. Hamilton at a BEA). These are the lengths I will go to for an autographed copy. I rarely resort to buying on Ebay because you can never know for certain if a signature is for real. In any case, by attending RomCon2010, I got some fabulous autographs last year (Meljean Brook, Jeaniene Frost, Carrie Vaughn, Erin Kellison, Shannon Butcher, and many more).

I don't think I'll be attending RomCon2011 this year (it depends on how the money works out & vacation time), but I definitely want to at least hit RWA's Literacy signing since it's in my neck of the woods this year. The author list won't be posted until April, but they always have a lot of wonderful, wonderful authors. So, since I'm the overly organized type, I wrote up a list of authors that I still need for my collection. I've been adding to it while I type up this entry, so consider it a work in progress! It's also in no particular order, although the top 4 are sorta my holy grails. If you're interested in what I already own, a partial list is available via my LibraryThing catalog.

Author Autograph Wishlist

1. Shelly Laurenston
2. Patricia Briggs
3. Jennifer Crusie
4. Robin D. Owens
5. Jayne Ann Krentz
6. Anne McCaffrey
7. Mercedes Lackey
8. Thea Harrison
9. Larissa Ione
10. Lora Leigh
11. Lynsay Sands
12. S. L. Viehl
13. Cynthia Eden
14. L. J. Smith
15. Sharon Shinn
16. Robin Kaye
17. Eileen Wilks
18. Jean Johnson
19. L. J. McDonald
20. Kresley Cole
21. Victoria Laurie
22. Kelley Armstrong
23. Wen Spencer
24. Ilona Andrews
25. Lynn Kurland
26. Jennifer Ashley
27. Victoria Dahl
28. Christine Warren
29. Stephanie Laurens
30. Shanna Swendson
31. Kathryne Kennedy

I plan on making a concerted effort to cross a number of authors off my list this year. RWA should help, but I'm not leaving it to chance. I'm going to be very organized this year with, like, spreadsheets and everything! Updates to follow.

Behind the Scenes: Booksellers & Authors

I know I have been quite the absentee hostess of late. It turns out that starting a new blog just before the holiday when one works two jobs, one of them retail, is kind of a bad idea.

In any case, I have half a dozen unfinished entries that I hope to bang out shortly. In the meantime, I want to link y'all to today's entry at the Book View Cafe, written by Laura Anne Gilman. I had thought about doing an entry on book signings, but Ms. Gilman offered a great summary on the experience from an author's point of view. I particularly liked this bit:

"If you sell [only] one, and manage to make the staff think you’re just an utter delight, then they will be more likely to hand-sell your book – and your next book, and the book after that."

I cannot stress how true this is. Years ago, there was a local author (not a romance novelist) who so thoroughly pissed us off with his antics, we pretty much banned his book from the store. He used to repeatedly have his family & friends order multiple copies into the store, but then they'd never pick up the books. I would come in and find his book shoved onto displays, replacing titles that were supposed to be in FOS. As a result, we kept one copy on the shelf and sent the rest back. Didn't matter how many arrived in the pallets, we kept one and just threw the rest on the returns desk. Do you think we ever hand-sold his book? Hell no.

To contrast this, I'd like to mention Nelson DeMille. Mr. DeMille was friendly with our old GM and so he used to do signings in the store whenever he released a new book. We used to get a ton of people at these events and Mr. DeMille would stay until every single person got an autographed book. At one signing, he stayed half an hour past closing. He was also always polite and courteous to the staff. Many of the staff started reading him as a result and now when someone asks us for a mystery rec, Mr. DeMille's books are usually at the top of the list.

Motto of this story? Be nice to the people who are the gatekeepers of your books.

2010 Book Tally

Here's yet another post that got pushed to the back burner due to all the craziness. There was the two job thing, a family vacation to Walt Disney World for the half marathon, and the sinus infection from hell. I have high hopes that I'll be able to turn the slump around now that things have calmed down a bit.

I know I did quite a bit of reading in January and I should have the tally up tomorrow. For 2010, I read 207 books from my To Be Read journal, a rather low number. I read 105 ARCs, which is actually higher than 2009. I did try to read at least three ARCs a week to get my numbers up. NetGalley helped immensely with this because I can get away with reading E-ARCs at the library job. If an ARC was also in my TBR journal, I counted it under that total. My cumulative total is 312 titles. This doesn't count any re-reads, which is why I suspect the number is so low. I'm pretty sure I went on a J.D. Robb & Robin D. Owens re-read kick.

I don't have a category break-down this year, but I'll try to implement that going forward. Needless to say, the bulk of the 312 books fall under romance or young adult.

01/10: 13 A=13
02/10: 14 A=6
03/10: 28 A=4
04/10: 24 A=11
05/10: 23 A=12
06/10: 13 A=12
07/10: 24 A=9
08/10: 16 A=8
09/10: 13 A=10
10/10: 19 A=6
11/10: 9   A=9
12/10: 11 A=5

Final total: 207
ARCs: 105