Posted by Janga on Jun 29, 2009 in
The Critic's Corner 
Don’t Tempt Me, Loretta Chase
Loretta Chase is an autobuy author for many, many romance readers. Fans are sure to be delighted with this stand-alone book that features the daughter of an English lord returned to England after twelve years as second wife to a Pasha’s son and a jaded duke whose status in the Beau Monde can save the reputation of the “Harem Girl.” Reviewers are already raving about the book. Book Smugglers called it “fresh, witty, full of wonderful, typical lorettachaseness.” The excerpts that I have read reveal Chase’s trademark rich characterization, subtle humor, and exceptional dialogue.
You can read the first three chapters here.
Bound by Your Touch, Meredith Duran
Meredith Duran’s debut novel, The Duke of Shadows, was one of the big buzz books of 2008. Bound by Your Touch promises to be another riveting, unusual story. This one focuses on the relationship of an intelligent spinster and a scandalous viscount, tangled family relationships, and the danger surrounding a certain Egyptian artifact. The book has won high praise from early reviewers, receiving an A from both Dear Author and AAR.
You can read an excerpt here.
Suddenly One Summer, Barbara Freethy
Library Journal called SOS an “intriguing, suspenseful romance” and implicitly identifies the quality that keeps Freethy on my autobuy list even though I read little romantic suspense. Freethy never forgets that she is writing romance. The relationship is never overshadowed by the suspense. SOS introduces Freethy’s new series, Angel Bay, which sounds as if the author has ventured into the Debbie Macomber/Susan Wiggs/Robyn Carr community-centered romance territory to which she has added a suspense element and a touch of the paranormal. Jenna Davis is a woman in hiding, Reid Tanner is a journalist with tragedy in his past. Angel’s Bay offers the miracle they both need. PJ at RomanceNovel TV gave it 4.5 stars.
You can read an excerpt here.
Are any of these books on your TBB list? What qualities make an author “super” for you?
Greetings gypsies! Hope you are having a glorious Tuesday. Down here on the coast we have a partly sunny day after a day of rain, rain, rain, yesterday. But it’s getting to be the steamy/glasses-fogging time of the year. Sigh. Thank goodness for air conditioning.
But, enough about the weather! I’m here to congratulate friend of the Vagabonds Kris Kennedy on the release of her first book The Conqueror today! It’s a wonderfully intense, superbly crafted medieval. Now, I’m not usually a big medieval fan. But this book is GREAT medieval or not. And it’s definitely going to put Kris Kennedy on the map for a lot of people. She even got a great review from All About Romance today! (Which, as we know, is not always the case with our favorite authors.)
Kris will be guest blogging with us tomorrow and I hope you’ll join us!
In the meantime, Tiny here is feeling generous, and he’d like YOU to haz romance! So we’re giving away some ARCs!Tell us about your favorite medieval…be it a movie (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, perhaps?), a book, or even a medieval artwork. Let’s get medieval!
One random commenter will win a two-ARC package from Dierdre Knight, including Red Fire and her latest Red Kiss.
Tags: AAR, Deidre Knight, Kris Kennedy, Red Fire, Red Kiss, The Conqueror, Tiny
Posted by Manda on Apr 8, 2009 in
The Critic's Corner 
Before 2007 I’d never read a Nora Roberts novel. Yeah, I know, where have I been, & etc. But after Janga’s raves about Angels Fall and in preparation for that slew of Lifetime movies I decided it was time to take the plunge and I was hooked. But this year I let the Lifetime movies sneak up on me and as a result, I haven’t read any of the novels that have gotten the Lifetime treatment. But, after watching High Noon this past Saturday, I think that might be the way to go.
Of the 2007 Nora movies my favorite, notwithstanding the bad southern accents, was Carolina Moon. I think mostly because the casting was good. Oliver Hudson and Claire Forlani were good together. They had chemistry and both are appealing, talented actors.
Though there is still one left to go with this year’s crop of Noratime movies, I am prepared to state that High Noon is this year’s Carolina Moon.
I had high hopes for Northern Lights. I really did. Eddie Cibrian is a dish and I loved him on Third Watch (even though he was a cheating jerk). I was worried about the casting of LeAnn Rimes, but I was willing to give her a shot. But alas, it was as I feared. She is just not a very good actress. Add in the rumors of an affair between the two co-stars and Northern Lights turned out to be a big old ball of meh.
What about Midnight Bayou, you ask…Well, I forgot to watch it. And really, I think that’s for the best. The preview of the bad CGI ghost special effects combined with a badly miscast Jerry O’Connell (I cannot forgive him for the animated kangaroo movie…I just can’t!) made me kind of glad I missed it.
So that brings us to High Noon. I’ve had High Noon on my TBR pile forever. And honestly I meant to get to it before I watched the movie. I really did. But, I didn’t and I’m one of those people who does not like to read the book after I’ve seen the movie so I guess that ship has sailed. But I’m okay with that. Because High Noon Lifetime-style was actually pretty good.
Ivan Sergei was great as lottery millionaire Duncan Swift. And Emilie de Ravin, while a little young seeming to be a hostage negotiator, gave an impressive performance as Phoebe McNamara. It was obvious that the novel was cut down to fit the format, but overall it was an entertaining couple of hours. I’ll probably even watch it again when Lifetime reruns it (as they are likely to do once a day until the end of time.)
High Noon even garnered some attention from the Pop Watch blog over at Entertainment Weekly’s website where they speculate that it might contain Lifetime’s best sex scene ever! WTG, High Noon! (And I heartily concur–that scene was smokin’!)
So, Vagabonds, have you watched any of the Nora Lifetime movies? What do you think? Which one is your favorite? If you don’t like the casting on some who would you rather see in the plum roles?
Tags: Carolina Moon, High Noon, Lifetime, Nora Roberts
Generally, I’m one of those individuals that simply cannot be bothered to read an ongoing series about a particular hero and heroine. They drive me crazy. I reach the end of the book and there is no happily ever after and I’m left feeling a little cold. C’mon you know the feeling. It’s like an unfinished orgasm. You’re waiting for the end and he’s snoring on the other side of the bed.
Okay, so maybe it’s not that bad. And I definitely am not saying that the Stephanie Plum/Ranger and Bubbles/Stiletto romances are like bad sex, but I keep waiting for the climax and it’s like I have to wait months for satisfaction. For some reason, they cannot seem to hold my attention past one (maybe two) books and I definitely do not make a concerted effort to hunt down the “next book” in the series when it is released.
Until now. Charlotte Hughes has found a reader for life in me because of Kate Holly and her dishy firefighter (ex-)husband Jay Rush. I became hooked on Kate and Jay when I first read What Looks Like Crazy last year.The funny thing is that I picked up the first book in the Kate Holly series about a half dozen times before I finally bought it because of my earlier complaint about romances that span several books.
Boy was I glad I got over my earlier prejudices because I read the book in 2 days and proceeded to [im]patiently waited for the release of Nutcase last month. After reading it in less than a day, I decided it was well-worth the wait and I simply cannot wait until the next release to find out what insanity occurs next in Kate’s and Jay’s lives.
Nutcase brings us to a couple of months after Kate blowing up her office; and life, relationships, and most importantly patients haven’t gotten all that much better for her. Day in and day out her patients continue to prove that the business of mental health might just be about insanity after all. And her firefighter husband whom she accidentally divorced does little to help the situation as they continue to argue over who has the more dangerous career–the man who runs into burning buildings or the woman with patients carrying nitroglycerin around in insulin bottles–that is when she’s not distracting him with sex.
Between Kate’s ex-boyfriend Thad’s obsession with her underwear, a best friend/secretary who just might be as insane as Kate’s patients, an (ex-)husband with no problem taking risks on the job and with it, Kate’s heart, and a mother who doesn’t know the word “no,” not to mention a dog in the doldrums, Kate’s life is the stuff tragicomedies are made of. And boy did I laugh while sighing with Kate over the problems in her life.
Perhaps it is driven by ruminations with colleagues about the fact that we often choose career paths (academically-speaking) where we see some lack in our lives and so study what we do in order to understand it, but Hughes does a marvelous job of showing us that becoming experts in helping others doesn’t mean that we’ve solved all our life problems.
I love Kate Holly and Jay Rush and I love everything about the craziness of their story. Hughes shows that those of us who are the craziest are often the ones treating those who see us as miracle workers. And sometimes happily-ever-after, in reality, translates into wackily-ever-after in an attempt to land us forever with our soulmates.
If you haven’t read Kate’s and Jay’s story, thee to a bookstore or library today. They are fabulous fun reads that will have you laughing every minute of the way.
And don’t forget to visit with us next month on April 7 when Charlotte Hughes, author extraordinaire herself, guest blogs about the release of Nutcase!
Tags: Charlotte Hughes, Kate Holly, Nutcase, Romance, What Looks LIke Crazy
First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh
This first in the Huxtable series is an enjoyable character-driven read. If you like the Balogh of Slightly Dangerous and A Summer to Remember you’ll like this one. Can’t wait for the next installment. A-
Bogeyman by Gayle Wilson
There wasn’t very much romance in this romantic suspense, but the characters were appealing and the mystery was well done. Points off for the stereotypical old maid librarian character (though she is just the sort I would expect to find in a small Alabama town). Not sure how I feel about the resolution. Ambivalent I suppose. Overall a quick, entertaining read. B+
Until Dark by Mariah Stewart
A solid romantic suspense from the early days of Stewart’s FBI series. Reunited lovers. Heroine is a compositor for the FBI (fancy word for sketch artist) and the hero is an ex-Pro football player turned FBI agent. Double twist at the end made this a fun read. B
Seeing Red by Susan Crandall
OMG what a great read. Crandall outdid herself. Great mix of romance and suspense. Unique characters, sexy hero, vulnerable heroine. Complex mystery plot. A
What I Did for Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Much has been made about the resemblance between a triangle in this book and a real life celebrity triangle, but honestly I forgot about the real life trio about three pages in. I liked both Bram and Georgie and thought that SEP did a great job of showing how they came to love each other. I found the secondary romances a little tedious but not overwhelmingly so. B+
So, dear friends, what have YOU been reading lately? What’s floated your boat and taken your fancy? Let’s chat about it. And if you’ve read any of the above books what did you think of them?
Tags: Bogeyman, character-driven, First Comes Marriage, Gayle Wilson, librarian, Mariah Stewart, Mary Balogh, romantic suspense, Seeing Red, Susan Crandall, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Until Dark
I started reading The Eight back in October. I was in France, vacationing on trains and planes, and generally chugging right along since I had plenty of reading time. Then I came home, where I actually had work to do, much of which requires reading. I got a Kindle. Alas, there is no hardback to Kindle conversion. New books I was desperate to read were released (how am I supposed to resist Eloisa James?). And The Eight kept getting pushed aside.
Not that I wasn’t enjoying it. It’s a great read. A bit denser than I expected, since it’s compared a lot to The Da Vinci Code, but still very enjoyable.
And yet I’m still reading it.
For three months now. Not my record – I think that goes to Tom Jones, which took me at least nine months. Daphne du Maurier’s The Loving Spirit took me at least four. Generally I’m a fast reader. And a goal-oriented one. I have TBR piles coming out of my ears, and there’s always something I’m excited to read. But every so often there’s a book that’s just a little too long, a little too dense, that comes at a time when I’m a little too busy, and is a little too easy to put down.
I will finish. I almost always do. And I’m getting very, very close. The print is just so darn small…
What books have taken you the longest to read? When a book has been taking forever, do you finally give up or do you push on through? What are you reading right now, and how long have you been reading it?
My brain is fried. Writing a syllabus is not always the easiest (or most fun) task, so, I thought I would share with you my Friday morning funny.
My sis received this email a couple of years ago and I laughed so hard as she read it I had tears streaming down my face and I literally (no seriously, I did) fell off the end of the bed. It was that funny…I just fell right off and continued laughing on the floor…
I received this email again in the last couple of days and it had me laughing all over again.
Of course, the rumors abound as to the origins of this email message or even the veracity of it (see http://www.snopes.com/love/dating/frozen.asp), but every time I see it again, I still laugh. Mostly because it is funny as heck and partly because the romance writer in me sees the perfect scene of this event in a good romance novel. One variation of the story goes:
WORST FIRST DATE EVER
In the “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno, Jay went out into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date that a woman had ever had. The winner described her worst date experience. There was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!
She said it was mid-winter….snowing and quite cold..and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a day trip (no overnight) They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before.
The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon. They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should have not had that extra latte.
They were about an hour away from anywhere with a restroom and in the middle of nowhere! Her companion suggested that she try to hold it, which she did for a while. Unfortunately, because of heavy snow and slow going, here came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her pee beside the road or it would be in the front seat of his car.
They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn’t have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.
Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady discovered her buttocks were firmly glued to the car’s fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to pump handles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold.
Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date’s concerns about “what is taking so long” with a reply that indeed, she was “freezing her butt off and in need of some assistance!” He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma.
Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal!
Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip is pants and pee her butt off the fender.
As the audience screamed with laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down…or perhaps it should be “pants down”.
…………And you thought your first date was embarrassing. Jay Leno’s comment. “This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off.”
The variation of this I received a few days back includes a line about how the couple married and were sitting in the audience at that Tonight Show taping. Granted, all the possibilities suggested for why this scenario is unlikely may outweigh the likelihood that it did occur. However, what I found in my early days of pondering the possibility of writing romance was that this truly funny situation would make a perfect scene in a romance novel…too bad somebody already beat us to it… 
Funny tales such as this that circulate prove that inspiration can be found anywhere. And I did take away a little inspiration from my jolt of laughter…enough to warm me to the idea of beginning a manuscript…
To my mind, the veracity of the statement is rather inconsequential. If the woman really did make up the story, she probably should try her hand at writing romantic comedy. She certainly has a flair for telling an amusing first date tale! 
Whether you had read this morning’s funny before or not, I hope you got a good chuckle out of it…and maybe some inspiration for your own writing adventures, too!
So, dear readers and writers, what are some of the funnier tales you have heard or seen that have given you some inspiration in your own writing adventures? And for those non-writers in our group, have you ever found any funny anecdote that made you think, “Somebody absolutely must tell this story”?
Posted by Lindsey on Jan 9, 2009 in
The Critic's Corner 
Shattered by JoAnn Ross (February 3, 2009)
I only started reading romantic suspense a couple of months ago. Well, technically I’ve been reading it for a while, but only certain authors. Linda Howard, Marianne Stillings…did I say Linda Howard? At the RWA conference this summer I was lucky enough to get Karen Rose’s entire backlist and when I got back I dove in. But once I’d finished, I needed more romance. More suspense. More romantic suspense. Which led me to JoAnn Ross. I read the first in her High Risk series and I was hooked. I mean, what’s not to love? Military heroes and a southern setting. Two of my favorite things. Coming up in February is the story of Shane Garret, a former Army Night Stalker pilot who lost his leg in the incident in Afghanistan that emotionally scarred each of the High Risk Series heroes. Now back in the US and adjusting to civilian life, Shane hooks up with an old flame, Kirby Campbell. And of course, as nearly always happens in romantic suspense, their path to true love is paved with danger. Dunh, dunh, duuuuuunh…I can’t wait!
–Manda
Nutcase by Charlotte Hughes (February 24, 2009)
Granted, it’s not heavy on the suspense, but Hughes does build up a measure of mystery about what’s going on around Kate and Jay, so it counts. We met Kate and Jay in What Looks Like Crazy. She’s the psychiatrist surrounded by crazy and she just cannot seem to get a handle on the craziness around her from both her patients and her family, who some might consider should be patients. I can’t wait to see what happens next in Kate’s and Jay’s story and whether her band of crazy family members, patients, and colleagues drives her mad in the process.
– Élodie
Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn (March 1, 2009)
I’m cheating again. Deanna Raybourn, as I hope you all know, writes Victorian mysteries. (If you don’t know, run to a bookstore ASAP and find out.) Her first Lady Julia Gray novel, Silent in the Grave, won the 2008 Rita for Novel with Strong Romantic Element against some intimidating competition. Silent in the Grave was a terrific read: character-driven, filled with a level of detail that draws the reader into the book’s Victorian world, and made more interesting by an intriguing relationship between Julia and the sexy, enigmatic Nicholas Brisbane. Her second, Silent in the Sanctuary, was just as good. Silent on the Moor is the final book in the series. I’m confident I will find the mystery engaging, Julia’s continued growth revealing, the eccentricities of her large family amusing, but what I’m most looking forward to is seeing what happens with Julia and the delicious Nicholas.
I stand corrected. There will be more Lady Julia Gray books–and that word is straight from Deanna Rayborne herself. You can check her blog for more information.
–Janga
Fade to Black by Leslie Parrish (July 7, 2009)
I love a good transformation story, and in this case it’s the transformationg of funny, sexy contemporary author Leslie Kelly into uber dark romantic suspense writer Leslie Parrish. Her new series features FBI Black CATs, a Cyber Action Team full of specialized agents trained to respond to cyber threats, and the idea for it was inspired by those Nigerian email scams. Fade to Black features a Black CAT agent teaming up with a small-town sherriff to go after a psychopath running an online murder auction. A villain called the Reaper, a computer-savvy hero, and Leslie’s stellar writing? Sign me up!
–Lindsey
So, Vagabonds, what’s on your Romantic Suspense wishlist for 2009? Are you a woman in jeopardy fan or a love-struck detective afficionado? What’s your poison?
Posted by Lindsey on Jan 8, 2009 in
The Critic's Corner 
What I Did For Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (January 27, 2009)
It all started about seven years ago. I had just moved to Toronto to start a PhD program and one bad thing after another happened. A family member became ill. I became ill. It was Toronto’s worst winter in years. I was in need of some serious comfort reading and having sworn off romance in some misguided attempt at being scholarly (hah!) I had no comfort reads at hand. After snapping up every romance at the local pharmacy, I was desperate for something else. So I thought I’d check out these newfangled ebooks on Amazon. One of my first buys was Susan Elizabeth Phillips’s Nobody’s Baby But Mine. I left the PhD program behind, but took SEP with me. This year’s offering from Phillips is called What I Did for Love and according to the blurb tells the story of perky sitcom star Georgie York and her fake marriage to hunky co-star Bramwell Shepard. If Georgie sounds suspiciously like another famous sitcom star, well, I’m not one to quibble. I’m just glad to have another offering from SEP on the horizon. And what with the tanking economy and another long winter ahead, it couldn’t have happened soon enough!
–Manda
Smooth Talking Stranger by Lisa Kleypas (March 31, 2009)
From the first moment we met him in Sugar Daddy to his heroic loving brotherly help in Blue-Eyed Devil, we’ve been dying to see Jack Travis get his HEA. And seriously, who could resist after reading the sneek peek at the end of Blue-Eyed Devil. Smooth Talking Stranger perhaps is the one book I am most anticipating of all the books this year. Complex and compelling, Jack is absolutely irresistible. I hardly can wait until the last day of March for its release. And I cannot wait to see what else that sometimes meddlesome Travis family (especially the patriarch) gets up to with him in his own quest for love.
– Élodie
Paradise Valley (Virgin River Book 7) by Robyn Carr (April 1, 2009)
Robyn Carr has been an autobuy author for me for a long time, so I bought Virgin River in early April of 2007 as a matter of course. I knew by the time I had finished the first chapter that even for a favorite author, this was an extraordinary book. Every Virgin River book that followed added to my conviction that this was a place and a group of people that readers would take to their hearts. Like other Carr fans, I read A Virgin River Christmas with delight and rejoiced that I would be able to return to Virgin River in February with Second Chance Pass and in March with Temptation Ridge, but the book I anticipate with greatest eagerness is Paradise Valley, the story of Rick Sudder whom we met as a boy in Book One and who has now become a man, a veteran of the war in Iraq, wounded in body and in spirit. Paradise Valley tells another story as well, that of Dan Brady, the mysterious marijuana grower, an outsider looking for a place to belong. Just writing about the characters makes me homesick for Virgin River, I think I should be able to work in another reread before February.
–Janga
One Reckless Summerby Toni Blake (May 26, 2009)
Welcome to Destiny… Talk about a new release – the end of May marks not only a new book from Toni Blake, but a new look to her covers (unfortunately, not yet released – but the sneak peek I got was gorgeous) and the start of a new series – her first! But even with the exciting new packaging, it’ll still feel familiar to those of us who’ve come to love Toni’s small-town settings, bad boy heroes, and sexy & emotional reads. Set in the lakeside town of Destiny, Ohio, One Reckless Summer brings ultimate good girl Jenny Tolliver back to her hometown after her failed marriage, where a late-night attempt at stargazing brings her face to face with Mick Brody, baddest of the bad boys of her youth – and supposedly one of the most tortured heroes Toni’s written yet. All this and the promise of more connected books to come? Now that’s destiny.
–Lindsey
So, Vagabonds, what contemporary romances are you looking forward to in the coming year? Which books are you just gaga waiting for? Inquiring minds want to know!
Posted by Lindsey on Jan 7, 2009 in
The Critic's Corner 
Casual Hex by Vicki Lewis Thompson (March 3, 2009)
Casual Hex gives us the chance to see Gwen Dubois’ story. And what a rivalry it looks to be! But seriously, who can resist a love triangle story, especially when one of the party involved sounds like a delicious Frenchmen and the other an equally charming wizard. I can’t wait to see who she chooses and who shows himself to be just perfect for her. Plus, you know we just can’t wait to see what George will be up to next!
– Élodie
Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione (February 24, 2009)
Ever since falling for Ione’s demons last summer – and then reading the tantalizing blurbs and excerpts on her website – I’ve been dying to read the stories of the other two brother. Since Shade’s comes first, that’s my pick. How can I resist his love curse – or conflict that starts with him trapped in a mysterious dungeon, chained to the ex-lover he betrayed. Plus, getting my hands on this book will mean it’s only another month to wait for Wraith’s story, Passion Unleashed!
– Lindsey
Midnight’s Master by Cynthia Eden (June 30, 2009)
Cynthia Eden has not one, but TWO new books coming out in 2009. The first, Immortal Danger, features a vampire cop and her sexy main squeeze, and sounds sexy and dark and fun. But if I am to be honest, it’s Cynthia Eden’s second release of 2009 that’s got me counting down the days to June 30th. Because Midnight’s Master features that oh-so-bad boy bar owner who’s appeared in both Hotter After Midnight and Midnight Sins, Niol Lapen. Not only is Niol a powerful demon, he’s also a reluctant hero who’s been hurt before. Sigh. I love my heroes that way. And together he and his heroine, the intrepid reporter Holly Storm, must work to stop a killer. But if I know Cynthia Eden, there will be plenty of time for some hot demon love along the way! Only 173 days to go!
– Manda
Storm of Visions by Christina Dodd (August 4, 2009)
NYT Bestseller, Rita winner Christina Dodd gained new fans and set a personal record with her Darkness Chosen quartet last year. The last two books of the series, Into the Shadow and Into the Flame, reached #4 on the New York Times Paperback Fiction Bestseller list. Like many Dodd fans, I followed the Wilder saga from book one, impatiently awaiting Firebird’s story, and yet I adored the Wilders and was sorry to see the last of them. When I saw a new Dodd title listed on a website as Darkness Chosen Book Five, I was delighted—but I was also misled.
August 4, 2009, Storm of Visions, the first book of a spin-off series, The Chosen Ones, will be on bookstore shelves across the country. (Book Two Storm of Shadows will follow in September.) Although the new series is not a continuation of the Darkness Chosen books, it is set in the same universe. According to La Dodd herself, “It includes the Zorana’s gypsies, and the Abandoned Ones are the element that holds everything together; and one of the Wilders is a main character. But not the main character. Not for quite awhile.”
Hurray! We see more of the Wilders, and this series is going to be longer than four books. Ms Dodd is frankly enthusiastic about the new series: “It was so much fun to write and I love this cast of characters.”
I’ve been a Christina Dodd fan for a long time, and I feel certain that I will share her love for these characters. I won’t name names, but I know some of you other gypsies share my fangirl status.
The Vagabonds, thanks to Christina’s graciousness, are privileged to give you a first look at the introduction to the series and the back copy for Storm of Visions:
Hailed as “a master romantic storyteller,” New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd delivers a seductive new paranormal series about an ancient rivalry that lives in the world today.
When the world was young, twins were born. One brought light to a dark world. The other, darkness and danger. Their powers could not be denied, and they gathered others around them, men and women destined to use their gifts for good or evil. Today, they walk the earth as the Chosen and the ultimate battle is about to begin.
Jacqueline Vargha has always run from her gift. Now Caleb D’Angelo forces his way into her life and insists she take her place as one of the Chosen. She flees, he pursues, but she can no longer deny her visions, or the dangerous man who is her downfall and her destiny.
There will be an excerpt from SOV in the back of Danger in a Red Dress (March 2009), the conclusion to The Fortune Hunter series. Be sure to check out Christina’s website; she plans to reveal the cover of SOV, which she describes as “beautiful,” in February.
– Janga
What are your most anticipated paranormals for 2009? Got any scoop on them?
