Dear Lori

What I am about to tell you will have you shaking your head and looking over the top of your glasses at me in disbelief. I know this, and yet I'm gonna say it anyway.

I've discovered a new series. *grin*

Yes indeedy, after much searching and some agonizing, if not downright traumatizing, reads I struck gold. The best part is, there's already seven books. :-D

The series is World of the Lupi by Eileen Wilkes. I gobbled up book one, Tempting Danger, devoured book two, Mortal Danger, and am about to finish book three, Blood Lines.

Why these books? Damned if I truly know. I like both the main characters. I like the secondary characters too. I like the world she's built - there's a faint resemblence to Ilona Andrew's Magic books, but nothing overt. Magic is returning to this world too, just not in as destructive a fashion. Also, while there are other paranormal creatures, so far the author is concentrating on the Lupi and their main adversary is She who must not be named and various and sundry demons.

I like the way she used the mate bond; it's purely physical but there's room to fall in love. When it first hits, the couple can't be too far away from each other, which makes things rather interesting, since Lily's a cop and Rule is the heir to his clan's leadership. The different magics she describes and uses are fascinating too.

I guess is all comes back to voice, that thing that's so hard to pin down. I've seen other attempts along these lines that left me cold. And bored. I just didn't believe in the world. Someone writing these books has to be good enough to suck in the reader, have her believing that, yes, it could happen this way, it all makes perfect sense within the confines of the laws of that particular world.

Good writing helps too. This is some good writing. It flows.

I'm reading these books too fast; soon I'll run out, but I can't slow myself down. Damn Kindle! I know, as soon as I finish the third book, I'll be downloading the fourth.

I'm so easy. Weak and easy. And fortunately plumper in the pocketbook than I usually am, so what the hell.

Luckily the other half doesn't know the password to the bank account,lol.

Hopefully you'll try one of these books, or the Magic books one day. They really are amazing.

But if you don't, I'll love you anyway. ;-)

Carolyn

Hot Hexed and Bothered

Hot Hexed and Bothered

I had a little time on my hands and made a book trailer. Really, a bored Lori is a dangerous Lori.

Dear Carolyn,

Writer's Gone Wild is doing blatant promo for me. Isn't that sweet?

http://www.writersgonewild.blogspot.com/
Later I'll tell you about the book I read that made my eyes leak numerous times. But check out the blatant promo. It's fun and nice of them.

Lori

Dear Carolyn,

Goodness woman, we haven't blogged in ages! We also haven't talked in awhile. Life has been reprioritzed recently, hasn't it?

Mollie has been sick and my life has gone from work, book promotion, writing and chores to hanging out in bed with a coughing, sneezing, feverish nine year old and trying to make her feel better. Not much you can do except push liquids and be there.

Heck, I haven't even brought my Kindle down. That tells you how focused I've been.

I'm going to try getting back into my WIP. It's my first major world building and so far, it's fun but not necessarily effective. I see many rewrites in my future.

So I haven't read anything, haven't written anything, have nothing to say.

Guess there's a reason I haven't been blogging. What's your excuse?

Lori

Dear Carolyn,

I was lying in bed this morning playing with my new phone. Yeah, I joined the ranks of big weenies and got an iphone. And I loves it. Loves loves loves it.

Technology is so damned awesome.

Anyway, I checked email in bed and played on Twitter and listened to my daughter's songs which all seem to dirty... whatever happened to The Partridge Family anyway?

But I got a text from my brother. He's a Tom Clancy kind of reader. A little sci-fi for fun but he loves those books that have military and exploding things and all that sort of thing.

Bless his heart, he texted me that if I don't have a new book out soon he'll be reading Harlequin soon. I laughed my rather large ass off. I've converted him and I'm so proud.

So just for my brother....



http://www.nobleromance.com/

Dear Lori

I've been in the mood for paranormal lately and actively seeking new books/series to suit my palate. I took a chance on Taste Me by Tamara Hogan. (How's that for a sorta pun?)

I couldn't quite connect with this one. The lifestyle was way beyond my comprehension and while I have no objection to reading about different lifestyles, this one was not for me. It would probably work real well for someone younger (say, about 100 years younger). I am an Old Fart, after all, and my old fartiness came to the fore with this book. When I say incubus and rock and roll concerts, does that give you a hint?

I started it with high expectations, saw where it was going and said to myself 'Ptooie', because I do say things like that frequently. I also use 'Pfftt' quite often and did so for this book. It's one of those books where, after you get past all the lust and internal yearning, you realize everything could have been settled with one honest conversation, but then we wouldn't have a book, would we? I loved/hated the hero. The heroine (who is a siren and can bring out everyone's lust) did try to pin down the hero, trying to find out where the hell he was coming from, but she got nowhere fast.

I confess, I ended up skimming through much of the book.

On a more optimistic note, I have the first book in the Gardella Vampire series by Colleen Gleason, called The Rest Falls Away . It's evidently an historical, so maybe I'll fare better because I'm rather historical myself. *grin*

I have no idea why I'm telling you all this. You don't even like vampires, except for Susan Squire's. Gonna post it anyway. Ha!

Is this a review? Nah, because we don't do reviews. This is an opinion, a simple opinion. Like/dislike - simple as that. No book dissection. No opinion about the writing because - hey - who am I to talk? I'll just say I'm not into incubi, sirens and rock and roll put all together and leave it at that.

It was a damn good premise though. Wish one of us had thought of it.

Oh My Goodness Carolyn!

Stop buying books! My poor Kindle is groaning from the weight of your mighty credit card.

However, if you plan on buying books then more like The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen. Oh my gracious, that was an excellent book.

I love Miss Allen anyway since she wrote Garden Spells which is on my all time best books evah list. Sugar Queen was delicious and The Girl Who Chased the Moon wasn't my fave but this is oh my.

Peach Keeper was a little of everything but a lot of the romance. And not the kissy romance but the people getting to know each other and their souls are lighter because they're together romance.

A little like you and I but with less kissy noises over the phone. j/k

I devoured the damned book. Like a juicy peach, dare I say. Gobbled it down with words dripping on my chin and when I sucked the last bit from the pit and licked the last little dew drop of juice ... hell, I was almost tempted to start reading it all over again.

Forgive the bad metaphors and all Carol. This book was just such an amazing delight and Miss Allen has such a fan girl in me that I can't help but gush.

Love ya Red,

Lori