Me, Lover At Last and the LoveLetter Convention.

I’ve got no clue how to start this blogpost as it will be me rambling. But then again, how is that different from other posts, right?! I’ve just had a week off from work where I spend some much needed me, myself and I time. I read J.R. Ward’s Lover At Last and yeah, the story had some major likes and dislikes. There’s no fuel to write a review but here’s a quick summary of thoughts;

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

• Qhuinn and Blay; I wanted to submerge myself in their romance but I didn’t get all that much in their book. I think it got snowed under by too many other character/story arcs. I still love the ever living crap out of them but with a lead up in several previous books the romance stalled in LAL and didn’t have much progress.

• A HEA in 20 or so pages; Really?! With all the emotional issues going on between Qhuinn and Blay I mostly got superficial or cryptic dialogues. Some hot, quick sexing and then at the end of the story all of a sudden Qhuinn has an epiphany about his sexual orientation. The ending was very romantic but in twenty pages it didn’t come off as very believable.

• The lie of Blay; This really irked me. There was no reason in my book where Blay couldn’t speak up to Qhuinn about the status of his and Saxton’s relationship.

• The M/M aspect; I got my panties in a twist when I read the first erotic scene between Blay and Qhuinn. With the anticipation high I went off like a skyrocket. But then it stayed the same, it was all physical release and very little emotional connection between them during the progress of their story.

• The pregnancy of Layla; Oh come on!! Do you really want me to believe Layla goes in to a miscarriage for a few days and then Payne walks in, puts her healing hands on her, and all is well with the young. My jaw dropped to the floor how J.R. Ward handled that one. Why not let Layla have a healthy pregnancy to begin with if the young was to be part of the story arc? Pages saved to devout to Blay and Qhuinn.

• Layla; Her character arc is intriguing. I love the star-crossed love thing she’s got going on with Xcor. • Assail and Sola; Another two characters whom held my attention. Really like the chemistry they have together.

•iAm and Trez; Where they are going I don’t know and I really don’t care all that much. I almost skipped their parts in the story.

•Xcor and his band of Bastards; Getting very invested in them and like the bad and ominous vibe they add to the story.

•Wrath; While his personality has changed and the innate bad-ass vibe has dimmed a bit I like where his story is going.

While there where things I liked very much overall the romance of Blay and Qhuinn was so-so. It wasn’t bad but I didn’t get the pay-off for being so invested in them.

3 stars

Okay, those were my thoughts about Lover At Last in a nutshell.

I had an incredible week off. Spend time with my SIL, BIL, nephew and God-twin. I cleaned out my closets, waxed my floors, read and had a date with Janna. I also perfected my brownies with Muscovado sugar. I feel like a baking geek admitting it but I *love* it when a recipe gets better than the last time simply by changing some ingredients. And, OMG let me tell you…it’s good I gave away a lot or else I would’ve eaten brownies every day until it was gone. I vote for making brownies a separate food group which you need every day ;)

Now that May is on the horizon me and my sister, Natascha and friends Maggie and Lucy are getting ready for the LoveLetter Convention. Last year we had a blast and looking forward to all the authors who are coming; Courtney Milan, Delilah Marvelle, Vivian Arend, Thea Harrison, Karen Rose, Maya Banks, Cherry Adair, Michelle Styles and more!

Now I'm off to work and find out what's happening there...

Have a great monday!

My 2012 and Book Top Ten

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about 2012 is the fact I read far less books than I wanted. I ventured in to a new job at a kiddie daycare and while I love working it has taken a big chunk out of my reading time. I can whine about it, which I have in Sunday’s Brunch posts, but I have come to terms with it. Also my blogging has become so erratic, it’s something I’ve(somewhat) come to terms with as well. I’ve always said to others who dealt with the same situation; “It doesn’t matter that your online life has changed, it’s the love for reading and books that truly matters!” Yeah, that wisdom bit me in the ass in 2012, as I too had to accept a change in my online life.

I’ve read thirty-five books in 2012 and I have re-read on occasion.

I’ll give you my top ten in random order:

Kele Moon – Defying The Odds ****. I *love* the characters and romance that Kele Moon writes. Emotional depth and great storylines are just about synonym with this author!

Sylvia Day – Reflected in You *****. The Crossfire trilogy wow-ed me so far with emotional turmoil, flawed characters and sex play. The stamina of Gideon is not of this world, I tell ya. The energizer bunny has nothing on him!!

Kresley Cole – Poison Princess ****1/2. The world building, Lore and character Kresley breathes to life is awesome. I’m completely absorbed by her storytelling gift! While my body is here on earth my mind travels into her world for a fantastic adventure.

Joey W Hill – Bound By The Vampire Queen ****1/2. Ever since I discovered this author she has made my top 10/20 lists with one or more books. Her imagination, her layered characters and profound emotions allow me completely connect with her characters.

Tiffany Reisz – The Angel *****. I already mentioned it in one of my reviews that 2012 is the year of Tiffany reisz. Absolutely fell head over heels for her voice and characters. She brings erotica to a whole new level with Nora, Søren and Kingsley.

Carrie Lofty – A Little More Scandal ****1/2. I’ve also read more historical romances in 2012 and this author is one of the reasons. She gave me romance with a capital R.

Kristin Callihan – Firelight ****1/2. Another surprise I found in 2012. I picked up Firelight because of the blurb and was blown away. The storyline surprised the hell out of me and I instantly loved the characters. I want to re-read it every time I talk about this novel.

T.J. Klune – Bear, Otter and the Kid ****1/2. I know there has been much controversy around this novel. When Dreamspinner Press offered this novel for free on their website I picked it up. I read it and loved it. I also watched the movie; Shelter of which T.J. Klune supposedly based allot of his novel on. I have to concur that movie and book have a lot of similarities but while Shelter didn’t impress me one bit I loved Bear, Otter and the Kid.

J.P. Barnaby – Aaron ****. I love J.P. Barnaby for the fact she is able to let her characters endure some of the most atrocious acts known to mankind but make it all about the healing power of love. Aaron grabbed me, made me cry and made me believe in the resilience of the characters. I hope we get more of him in 2013.

Laura Wright – Eternal Captive *****. I’ve been absorbed in this series from book one, Eternal Hunger but it was Eternal Captive which emotionally resonated with me on a very intense level. Can’t wait where she’s going to take the overall story arc!

Personally if I never see anything regarding the Fifty phenomenon I’ll be a happy me. We, in the Netherlands, also had to endure a Fifty movie month on a local network and a sort of documentary where Dutch celebrities read from the book(s) and discussed the Fifty phenomenon. I did get a good LOL moment where a cabaret performer named; Guido Weijers read a part from Fifty and did it in such a way that my sis and I laughed so hard and so long we had belly aches!  

2012 was also the year I battled and most important, concurred Mono. The company doctor put me on a tight leash and ordered lots of rest. Which I didn’t get in my LoveLetter Convention weekend. But of the fun we had. In the fall of last year I also got my contract renewed, not for as much hours as the first one but I was happy. These days any kind of work contract in the children’s daycare field is a miracle. The economy isn’t doing well and we’re all getting slapped by it :(

With my x-mas bonus I bought an Ipad 2, thanks to Janna I could afford one! *smooch* Thanks hon!!

2012 was an exciting year and I look forward to what 2013 may bring me. I wasn’t happy when I heard that Sylvia Day’s release of Entwined With You is pushed back to May 2013. But hey, a few more months until Lover At Last. I also look forward to Kristen Callihan’s Winterblaze and various more releases from authors I love.

2013 is also the year for my second LoveLetter convention where I have to give brownies to the crew there. Cause Delilah Marvelle from my list is coming YAY!

What are you looking forward to in 2013?

Guestpost: L.A. Witt - O Come All Ye Kinky

Thank you for joining us on the O Come All Ye Kinky virtual book tour! For two weeks, anthology editor Sarah Frantz and her merry band of authors will be stopping by some of your favorite blogs to spread kinky holiday cheer! How, you ask? Well, if you don’t know what candy caning is yet, pick up your copy of O Come All Ye Kinky from Riptide Publishing today and see how these authors get into the holiday spirit.

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, follow our tour for the chance to win one heck of a stocking stuffer—a $100 gift card to The Stockroom, where kinky dreams come true! Leave a comment on the post below by Dec. 16 and you’ll be entered to win.  Check out the complete tour listing to see all the places we’ll be stopping by to chat about BDSM, the holidays, and all eight steamy stories, and comment on each post to earn more entries.

*Holds up mistletoe*  Look at that—our lovely host today is under the mistletoe! You know what that means—a big kiss from the entire O Come All Ye Kinky group for hosting us today! We hope everyone enjoys today’s post from L.A. Witt.

“Riptide Edits, Revisited” by L.A. Witt

Yes, it’s that time again: time for L.A. Witt to wax sarcastic about the Riptide editing process. I truly love Riptide because their editing is insanely awesome. But it’s also brutal. And considering I’m midway through my fourth Riptide edit as I write this, with several more planned for next year, I think it’s only fair that I get to poke fun at them for it.

Though O Come All Ye Kinky is a winter holiday-themed book, it actually had some ties to Halloween, too. You see, a lot of the editing took place in October. And I thought that was rather apropos. I mean, that’s the time of year when slasher films are at their most popular. When we twisted people flock to the theatres and Netflix (or, if you’re particularly nostalgic, Blockbuster) and then shovel candy into our mouths while people are hacked, shot, sliced, diced, mutilated, impaled, boiled, grated, zested, minced, and chopped to death in true Hollywood fashion.

The edits for O Come All Ye Kinky were obviously not as time-consuming for the authors as a novel would be. 10,000 words is naturally only going to take so long to edit compared to 100,000 words. Now, for our poor (yeah, right) editor Sarah Frantz, it was likely the equivalent to editing a novel, because she still gutted every story with novel caliber brutality.  Except instead of….well, let me put this more appropriately.

Being the author of a standalone novel during a Riptide edit is sort of like playing the lead role in something like Silent Hill. You’re just a meek, vulnerable human, haplessly wandering into this terrifying landscape of hell and horror, and in spite of all the danger and chaos, you just hope you make it out in one piece. And I haven’t actually seen Silent Hill, so I have no idea if the main character makes it out in one piece or gets turned into a hellhound’s chew toy, but I can say on good authority that Riptide authors do generally make it out alive. I think a few have gone missing, but search parties haven’t given up yet and the majority of us just leave with stitches, third degree burns, and/or 1980s earworms.

A collection of short stories is a little different. It’s more like House on Haunted Hill.  Eight strangers suddenly find themselves trapped inside a dark, scary place, and the forces of evil slowly pick them off one by one in progressively bloodier and more twisted ways until only one of us remains. While one unfortunate character is sliced to ribbons with razors and then dunked repeatedly into a vat of lemon juice, another is put on a rack and forced to watch Justin Bieber videos.  We all suffer separately, and yet together, united in our agony, while Sarah watches us on closed-circuit television and cackles like a madwoman.

In the end, whether it’s one or eight of us, the result is the same: all our gristle and bones are put back together, tied up in neat little bows, and presented to our readers. In this case, it’s just in time for the holidays. Ta da! O Come All Ye Kinky.

So does that mean I’m comparing Sarah to the evil forces behind Silent Hill or House on Haunted Hill?

Not really.

Judging by that cackling I hear going on backstage, I’m more inclined to compare her to that sadistic clown thing in Saw, but with better hair.

Here’s the blurb for my story, “Candy Caning.”

Nate is dreading the annual Christmas visit with his family, during which they will ignore or insult his partner and Dominant. Stephen tries hard to take Nate’s mind off the trip with the promise—and threat—of a three-foot-long candy cane. It’s a race to see if Nate’s resolve or the candy cane will shatter first.

And here’s what you can expect to find in the anthology as a whole:

Christmas is a time of love and joy, and the New Year is a time of renewal. But they are also times of stress and strife, family drama, pressure and heartache—a potent mix of high expectations and conflicted emotions. Add in power exchange relationships, kinky gift swaps, and unconventional love in a sometimes unforgiving world, and you have a formula for a sizzling anthology of stories that tug at your heart.

From Ava March’s forbidden Regency love between men, to Katie Porter’s scorching hot contemporary tale of two women discovering holiday happiness, everyone will find a favorite here. Pervertible toys abound: Lambda Literary Award finalist L.A. Witt’s candy cane, Jane Davitt’s wrapping paper and tape, and Alexa Snow’s Christmas candles all please and delight. Newcomer Elyan Smith and fan favorite Kim Dare both celebrate New Year’s Eve with romantic flair and kinky fireworks, while bestselling author Joey W. Hill’s poignant story of discovery and commitment will lead you home.

Whatever your desires, we invite you to explore new fantasies and old with these eight kinky tales of holiday happy endings.

20% of all proceeds from O Come All Ye Kinky will be donated to the Domestic Violence Project of the National Leather Association–International. (If you buy the book, digital or print, from Riptide’s website, more money goes to the charity because we’re not paying third-party vendor fees.)

You can find out more about the anthology and all the stories here.

About L.A. Witt:

L.A. Witt is an author of gay erotic romances, and has been recently exiled from Okinawa, Japan, to Omaha, Nebraska. She resides there with her husband, a telekinetic goldfish, and two incredibly spoiled cats. It’s unclear if the exile was the result of the mostly classified “Aquarium Incident,” or if she’s actually being hidden, for her protection, from the Polynesian Mafia and her arch nemesis, erotic romance author Lauren Gallagher. Should you encounter Lauren, don’t tell her L. A. is in Omaha. You can find L.A. at her website, her author blog, her personal blog, on Twitter and Facebook. Everywhere, in fact. Lauren shouldn’t have any problems finding her.

Review: Tiffany Reisz - The Prince

Paperback, 400 pages
Published November 20th 2012 by Mira Books
ISBN 0778314103 (ISBN13: 9780778314103)
Language: English
Genre; Erotica
Series: The Original Sinners #3
Characters: Nora, Søren, Kinglsey, Wesley and Griffin
An ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

Summary (Goodreads):
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer...preferably in bed. That's always been Kingsley Edge's strategy with his associate, the notorious New York dominatrix Nora Sutherlin. But with Nora away in Kentucky, now it's Kingsley's chance to take her place at the feet of the only man he's ever wanted -- Søren, Nora's on-again, off-again lover -- until a new threat from an old enemy forces him to confront his past.

Wes Railey is still the object of Nora's tamest yet most maddening fantasies, and the one man she can't forget. He's young. He's wonderful. He's also thoroughbred royalty and she's in "his" world now. But Nora is no simpering Southern belle, and her dream of fitting into Wesley's world is perpetually at odds with her dear Søren's relentlessly seductive pull.

Two worlds of wealth and passion call to her and whichever one Nora chooses, it will be the hardest decision she will ever have to make... unless someone makes it for her...

Review:
Over the course of my life as a reader I sometimes feel blessed to be there when certain authors find their way in publishing their stories. The impact they give me with their writing style, their characters and emotions is a treasured connection. On a rare occasion an author resonates on such a visceral level words are not enough to convey what their stories do to me. This is certainly true for me regarding, Tiffany Reisz. She aims for my heart with her vivacious and intricate characters, she searches for my boundaries with whom they are and thrills me with the plotlines.

With the previous novels in this series, The Siren and The Angel, Tiffany Reisz has introduced me to phenomenal characters and storylines which blow me away each time. With The Prince I got to return to these beloved characters and I couldn't wait to find out where the story would take me.

The Prince is a story told in three timelines, the past with Søren and Kinglsey at St. Ignatius all boy school. The present, North; with Søren, Kingsley and Griffin, and the present, South; with Nora and Wesley. I love this kind of storytelling where the author begins with separate story threads and gradually intertwines them. It builds the anticipation, it tantalizes the curiosity and especially the timelines of the Past and the North kept me begging for more. I think the main whodunnit plot is cleverly done where the culprit's identity is cloaked in mystery for quite some time. The viciousness lies is in the warning signals which told me this person was very dangerous. The shock of the ending still has me reeling and let me warn you that The Prince has a cliffhanger ending.

The past storyline gave me a dose of Søren and Kingsley I reveled in. As adults their characters already kept me in thrall and as I love to dig in the past how they came to be it gave me exactly what the doctor ordered. I was spellbound by the back and forth emotions zinging between Kingsley met Søren, how their relationship developed and how they explored their desires. With them pain and pleasure, domination and submission is eroticism at its best. The only thing that niggled me on various occasions was the fact young adult Søren acted just like the adult Søren in the previous novels, and this surprised me. Like there is no growth in his characterization except his external circumstances and his level of experience in sadism, which seems already impressive as a young adult.

The present is full of mystery, of great dialogues between the steadfast cast of characters and in this timeline Nora and Wesley also surprised me. In all their wants, needs and absence of kink it surprised me how little I was invested in their relationship. I love Nora, I love Wesley, I love them both as they lived in Nora's house but now, in Kentucky, it just fell flat for me. Nora always makes me care and get invested in the men whom capture her heart but it just didn't feel right for me. Like a part of Nora wasn't into it.

I might have a few things that didn't work as well for me but on the level in which Tiffany Reisz gives the reader a story I still couldn't tear myself away from the pages. The emotional and sexual connection between various characters was equally intense creating a moving portrayal of their relationship. It swept me off my feet and made it hard to touch ground again! The characters are multi-faceted and have such distinct voices that over the course of the three novels they've come alive for me.

Tiffany Reisz has an exceptional gift to write characters whom get under your skin and inserts plots in her stories which blind sight you as it unravels. The Prince reveals the past of one of the most mysterious characters I've come across in years and gives a present to sink your teeth in.

4 stars

Quote:

Kingsley; Nora could hurt his body in beautiful ways. But only Soren could tear open his soul. 

Tiffany Reisz on the www:
website | Goodreads | Twitter | Buy @ BookDepo

Is there a therapist in the house?

I’m in need of a therapy session with those whom still venture to my blog. I need to admit, out loud, that I’ve fallen of the grid and I have a hard time accepting that. I’ve wracked my brain how others do it, even with jobs and kids and social life. You deserve a freakin’ award, or something, because I can’t seem to find much time these days to even read or review, let alone post something *sniffles*

I have AWESOME books waiting for me to be reviewed. I can’t seem to find time to have hour long phone calls with friends, I can only glance at twitter, facebook is a complete disconnect, and I miss it something fierce! Now I understand why some people call it an evil day job. I love working, love the energy it gives, the laughs and creativity and on various occasions frustrations. However, I hate it that it leaves me with so little time for online social life or actual reading time. I can’t seem to figure out how to make time for something I love to do; blog!

The books I’ve got waiting for me to be read and reviewed!! Lauren Dane with TART, Kele Moon with STARFISH AND COFFE, Kresley Cole with SHADOW’S CLAIM, Erica Hayes with REVELATION, Anne Marsh with BURNING UP, Shiloh Walker with STOLEN, Katie Porter with various titles. Jeebus, it’s a bookgasm right there sitting on my shelves!

Can I say I´m very frustrated, my body needs the thrills of reading a book. And then there´s the complete disconnect with one of my fave genre´s; M-M romance. The last time I read about two men generating heat was too long ago for my taste!! So I’m sitting here, being very frustrated…can you tell?! I need bookgasms to function, damnit!! I also hit emotional rock bottom the last couple of weeks as my second year without Henry came to close. The shock has subsided, the sting from the grief is gone but the feeling of missing him is something that can still rob me of my breath and leave me empty inside. It didn’t help that I had a week long reconstruction of my kitchen going on at the same time. My house upside down and strange men coming in and out. Have I ever told you how my stress level is going from ten to a hundred in sixty seconds when something needs to be fixed up in my house. While I’m happy now with my new kitchen it took some serious zen breathing to get me through it.

I personally cannot wait for the holiday season to commence. Two weeks of blissed free time for me. The first week will be all about family time. For some one on one time with my sis, seeing my brother happy with his girlfriend in his new home and catching up with my parents. There’s nothing like family for some great down time. And then it’s me retreating in my bear cave where I can pick up on drawing again, reading books, watching some of my favorite TV shows…it will be heaven!!

Now that I’ve vomited my frustration in a blogpost I want to ask; Anyone have some advice for me regarding blogging?

PS: There are various tweeps whove contacted me about Pearl. Yes, she’s still alive only also extremely busy with work :)

PPS: I came along these covers and info this morning. Me definitely wants!!

Authors:
Laura Wright and Alexandra Ivy

Cover Artist:
Tricia Pickyme Schmitt

Goodreads:
Raphael/Parish (Bayou Heat,#1-2)
Bayon/Jean-Baptiste (Bayou Heat#3-4)
Talon/Xavier (Bayou Heat, #5-6)