Posts tagged ‘October Daye series’
September 2011 Book Releases, part 1
Another big release day is coming up! Here are a few books I’m looking forward to getting my hands on:
September 6, 2011: One Salt Sea (October Daye series, book 5) by Seanan McGuire
This series has become one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. The author weaves a good, fast-paced story for Toby and the gang. And, I also enjoy the theme of what it means to be a hero—especially through the eyes of a woman— on which Seanan McGuire often touches. I also enjoy the chemistry between Toby and Tybalt, the King of the Cats.
September 6, 2011: Archangel’s Blade (Guild Hunter series, book 4) by Nalini Singh
While I didn’t enjoy the last book as much as the other books in The Guild Hunter series, I do enjoy the series originality. I’m excited about Archangel’s Blade, because this is the first book that will depart from Elena and Raphael’s relationship, and focus on Dmitri, Raphael’s second in command. I’m hoping this will shake things up a bit. My hopes are high, since I’ve already been hearing great buzz about it.
September 6, 2011: Never Enough (Brown Siblings, book 4) by Lauren Dane
I’m still behind 1 book in this series, but am really looking forward to Adrian’s story.
I’ve really enjoyed all of the stories, and (eldest brother) Brody’s most of all. I like how we get bits and pieces of the other siblings’ stories without sacrificing the central relationship. Dane always conveys the depth of the main characters’ feelings so well.
I just LOVE this cover!
September 6, 2011: Midnight (Dark Age Dawning trilogy, book 2) by Ellen Connor (aka Ann Aguirre and Carrie Lofty).
I had really high expectations for Nightfall (book 1 in the trilogy) and it lived up to all of them.
The world is dark and gritty and the action is intense. I’m looking forward to seeing how Chris, who is just beginning to become hero material in Nightfall, fills that role in Midnight.
Three years pass between the 2 books, and I’m really curious about how the world has developed during that time.
September 6, 2011: Cipher (Southern Arcana, book 4) by Moira Rogers
I read books 2 and 3 last month, and am so excited I didn’t have to wait long for Cipher.
Kat and Andrew’s story has been unfolding slowly over the course of the series (& boy has it been a bumpy ride!), and now they will finally get their HEA.
One of the great things about this series is that the wolf/supernatural politics are just as absorbing as the romance. I also can’t wait to see what will happen after the events in the previous book.
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That’s a lot for 1 week, isn’t it? Is there anything coming out this coming week that you’re excited about?
Just finished reading . . . An Artificial Night
An Artificial Night (October Daye series, book 3) by Seanan McGuire
This audiobook was given to me by Brilliance Audio for review purposes.
Audiobook read by Mary Robinette Kowal.
HOW MANY MILES TO BABYLON?
Everyone in the Bay Area knows about Blind Michael, the unseen, dangerous figure whose Hunt sweeps the Berkeley hills on full moon nights. He’s a familiar hazard of life in the Kingdom of the Mists, and most people don’t waste time worrying about him. October “Toby” Daye certainly doesn’t. She has better things to worry about, like paying the electrical bill on time. So it’s understandable that she’d be upset when Blind Michael suddenly starts taking an interest in people that matter to her, like the youngest children of Mitch and Stacy Brown.
Tasked to find the missing children, and with the stakes growing higher by the minute, Toby has few choices and fewer allies to help her through the dangers yet to come. With the Luidaeg’s help and a candle to light her way home, there’s a chance that she’ll come through this latest danger…but the sudden appearance of her Fetch doesn’t give Toby all that much in the way of hope…
I always worry when I’m about to read (and review) a book that I’m really looking forward to. I’m afraid that my expectations are unrealistically high, and that the book is doomed before I even crack the spine (or turn on the ipod, as the case may be).
But, as with book 2 (A Local Habitation, reviewed here), An Artificial Night not only lived up the the high expectations, but took the series in ever more interesting and complex directions.
The above description describes the plot well, but for as much as I enjoyed the originality of the plot and the action kept me turning the pages, it was Toby’s character development that I found most absorbing.
AAN touched on two themes with regard to Toby. The first one was that of childhood. When Toby is commissioned to rescue the missing children from Blind Michael, she doesn’t realize how greatly she will have to get in touch with her own “childhood”, and her feelings about her own daughter from whom she is alienated. It was great to see a child-Toby still retain her intrinsic “Toby-ness”: brave, outspoken, and just a little bit irreverent.
In a lot of ways, her journeys through Blind Michael’s land reveals more about her than previous books. The second theme in AAN (and in the series in general) is that of the meaning of heroism. (And not necessarily the “heroism” of a typical uf kick-ass heroine, where the emphasis tends to be on the “kick-ass” part, but on the more classical definition of “hero”.) Toby spends much of the book denying that she is a hero. Yet, she embraces the ideals of a true hero—honor, loyalty, and the importance of keeping one’s word—and I love how through the course of the book she comes to accept what those around her keep telling her: that she is a true hero. When she finally did accept it, I really felt like cheering for her, and couldn’t help but think about what a long road she’s been on since escaping her enchantment as a goldfish in book 1.
Tybalt, the King of the Caith Sidhe, continues to drop in on Toby, and steal every scene he’s in. I love his dry sense of humor, and he always seems to get the best lines. I hope that the burbling chemistry between him and Toby that remains (at this point) mostly under the surface, will become more in the near future.
Mary Robinette Kowal did another wonderful job on the narration of this audiobook. She really has a way of imbuing each character’s voice with their distinctive personalities, and making it a fun listen.
I’m still hoping for an appearance of Toby’s estranged daughter, but at least in AAN, I gained a great deal of insight into Toby’s character that will (hopefully) lay the ground work for her daughter’s inclusion in a future book in the series. I was glad to see on Seanan McGurire’s livejournal that she has 2 more Toby books (The Brightest Fell and Ashes of Honor) in the works (among some other really interesting looking projects). I can’t wait to see what Toby will do next.
- Seanan McGuire’s site.
- Audio excerpt (mp3 download) at Audio Bookstand (Brilliance Audio).
Just finished reading . . . A Local Habitation (audiobook)
A Local Habitation (October Daye series, book 2) by Seanan McGuire
This audiobook was given to me by Brilliance Audio for review purposes.
Audiobook read by Mary Robinette Kowal.
TOBY’S HAVING A BAD DAY…
After spending fourteen years lost to both the fae and mortal worlds, only to be dragged back into Faerie by the murder of someone close to her, October “Toby” Daye really just wants to spend a little time getting her footing. She’s putting her life back together. Unfortunately, this means going back to work for Duke Sylvester Torquill of Shadowed Hills, doing her duty as a knight errant. That isn’t the sort of thing that exactly lends itself to a quiet existence, and before she knows it, Toby’s back on the road, heading for the County of Tamed Lightning in Fremont, California to check on Sylvester’s niece, January.
Things in Tamed Lightning turn out to be a lot stranger than they seemed at first glance, and Toby’s talent for finding trouble isn’t doing her any favors. With Quentin—a young foster from Sylvester’s Court—in tow, and the stakes getting higher all the time, it’s up to Toby to solve the mystery of Tamed Lightning, or face a failure whose cost will be too high for anyone to pay.
When this audiobook was offered to me for review by Brilliance Audio, I agreed to review it. Rosemary and Rue, book 1 in the October Daye series was one of my favorite urban fantasy series debuts of 2009, and I listed Seanan McGuire as one of my 2009 author discoveries. So, I had very high hopes for A Local Habitation, and, I was really pleased that it more than met my expectations.
First off, in terms of the audio production, I was very happy with Mary Robinette Kowal’s narration. Her voice was key to my enjoyment of the book, especially since ALH is told in 1st person. To me, this means her voice is Toby’s voice. MRK’s narration had a great blend of tough-girl (which Toby must be, since she is a knight errant), self-deprecating humor (Toby is always aware of her “outsider” status since she is a half-blood fae), and vulnerability (in much of ALH, she really doesn’t know what’s going on, and is struggling to protect the people around her). Her style reminded me of Marguerite Gavin, one of my favorite narrators, who is the voice of Rachel Morgan (Kim Harrison’s Hollows series) and Kitty Norville (Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series).
The action in A Local Habitation begins shortly after the events of Rosemary and Rue. Toby is still uneasy with her connection to Shadowed Hills, though her loyalty to Sylvester is unwavering. When he asks for her help in finding out info about January, she is a good soldier, takes Quentin under her wing, and sets out for Tamed Lightning.
Bad things are happening in Tamed Lightning, and Toby finds that very little is what it seems. The people she is there to help seem to be hiding something, and it quickly becomes apparent that someone within the territory is responsible for the mysterious deaths that are occurring with increasing frequency.
Most of the action has the feel of a locked room mystery, and the claustrophobic tension ratchets up as the body count escalates. Seanan McGuire is merciless with Toby, and isn’t afraid of letting her heroine twist in the wind in helpless frustration at times. Yet, this serves the action of the story, and makes for an exciting read/listen.
About halfway through, I thought I had figured out “whodunit”. I was in a state of suspense through the second half of the story wondering if I was right or not. In the end, I was only partially correct, but it was such fun trying to look at the mystery from different angles. The mystery-lover in me really enjoyed this.
My favorite character is Tybalt, the King of the Cats. He is not around during most of the action, but does appear at key points, and I really love how his and Toby’s relationship is developing. While the story is told through Toby’s pov, it is clear that she is simply not seeing (or not emotionally at a point where she is capable of seeing) where their relationship might be heading. I can’t wait for more about this!
One thing I wish had been explored, even a little bit in A Local Habitation, is Toby’s relationship with her daughter. It’s an issue that is so monumental to Toby’s personality, and the touch of melancholy which is always with her always seems to me to be tied to their estrangement. However, that is the lovely thing about a series: issues not explored in one book may be covered in the next. An Artificial Night, book 3 in the series will be released September 7, 2010.
- Seanan McGuire’s site.
- Print excerpt on author’s site.
- Audio excerpt at Audio Bookstand (Brilliance Audio).
Mind Games release day, new pub date for JS-F, & an update
First off, big congratulations to Carolyn Crane for today’s release of her first novel, Mind Games (The Disillusionists trilogy, book 1). I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I won it over at DIK, and it should be winging it’s way to me right now. I’m really excited to see Carolyn’s wit, writerly talent, and quirky sense of humor that is so fun to read at The Thrillionth Page, translated into this urban fantasy series.
Another book I’ve been eagerly awaiting is Julia Spencer-Fleming’s One Was a Soldier (Rev. Clare Fergusson and Russ VanAlstyne series, book 7). Her site (which is out of date) has said for months that it would be released “fall ’09 or winter ’10″. However, neither cover nor release date has been forthcoming. Last week in her email newsletter, JS-F gave readers an update on when we can get more of Clare and Russ.
Here’s what she says:
First Amazon posted its publication date as “February 2012,” then sent out a notice it was going to be on sale a month from now! I was deluged by readers wanting to know which was true, and what the story was?
Here’s the good news: One Was A Soldier will be coming out a lot sooner than 2012.
Here’s the less-good news: You won’t be able to read it this year. Publication is set for April, 2011.The manuscript was so late, I missed my production slot–the date my publisher had reserved for the book to be sold-in, printed, bound, etc. There are a multitude of steps readers never see that go into the proper publication of a book. And yes, with today’s technology a publisher can “crash” a book and skip a lot of correct practices but the folks at Minotaur don’t want my series to suffer. They want to do it right — and so do I. I promise you, it will be worth the wait. I’m extremely excited about getting One Was A Soldier into your hands.
She goes on to say that she plans to do some “character sketches, vignettes, or short stories” for her mail list subscribers if she is able.
As disappointed as I am to have to wait another year for One Was a Soldier, I’m glad that the high quality of this series won’t be compromised.
On a personal front, things have settled down a bit. My little great-nephew is home now with my niece. It was wonderful to introduce him to my son, who is thrilled he finally has another boy cousin. (The last few were girls, and he’s been dying for another boy in the family.)
Here is a picture of him getting to know his new little cousin (with my help):
He was a little nervous to hold him or even touch him at first, but by the end of the afternoon, he didn’t want to let go of his cousin’s tiny hand.
The 3rd annual DABWAHA (Dear Author Bitchery Writing Award for Hellagood Authors) Tournament (a romance oriented NCAA March Madness style tournament) has just concluded the 2nd round. I’m really excited to currently be in 5th place. I know the tides change quickly with each set of voting, so I may not be where I’m at once the next round concludes, but it’s been fun to check in after voting in each set, and see where I’m at.
On the book front, I’ve been really loving the audiobook of A Local Habitation (October Daye series, book 2). Rosemary and Rue (book 1 in the series) was one of my favorite UF series debuts last year, and Toby’s further adventures are just as enjoyable. It also is translating well into audio format and Mary Robinette Kowal is doing a great job with the narration.
I’m also reading Flirt by Laurell K Hamilton, which I have a feeling won’t be one of my favorites in the series. It’s one of her shorter books (158 pgs) leaving little time for plot, and the “flirting” theme isn’t really doing it for me. However, I will persevere for continuity sake and hope for better things with Bullet (a regular length novel) which will come out in June. I enjoyed the last Anita Blake novel, Skin Trade, more than any of the last 5 or 6 that I read and will continue to be optimistic about the future of this series.
This week I’m hoping to finally get to Linnea Sinclair’s Games of Command and Madeleine Brent’s Tregaron’s Daughter, my March Re-read Challenge book. I’ve been totally flaking out on my challenges this year, reading the books but not reviewing them. Ideally, I’ll be turning that around this month!
So, that’s what’s going on around here. What’s happening with you? Read any good books lately?
21 Author discoveries in 2009 (well, at least they’re new to me)
One of the ways I was able to limit myself to choosing only 5 for my Top Reads of 2009, was that I told myself I would acknowledge some really great new and new-to-me authors that I read last year. (This list is in no particular order.)
Here they are:
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JR Ward-Black Dagger Brotherhood
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Suzanne Brockmann-Troubleshooters series
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Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Her site.)
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Jordan Castillo Price-PsyCop series, Hemovore
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Loretta Chase (Her site.)
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Meredith Duran (Her site.)
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Lauren Dane-Federation series
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Ginn Hale-Wicked Gentlemen
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Scott Westerfeld-Uglies series, Leviathan series
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Maggie Stiefvater-The Wolves of Mercy Falls (Shiver) series
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LB Gregg-Men of Smithfield series
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Jill Sorenson (Her site.)
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Jill Shalvis-Wilder Adventures series
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Julie James (Her site.)
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Jaida Jones & Danielle Bennett (Their site.)
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Jane Seville-Zero at the Bone
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Carolyn Jewel (Her site.)
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Gail Carriger-Alexia Tarabotti series (Soulless)
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Seanan McGuire-October Daye series (Rosemary and Rue)
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Jennifer Ashley-Highland Pleasures series (The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie)
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Samantha Kane (Her site.)
Well, duh. Honestly, I was sort of put off by the random h’s, “bro-talk” and ubiquitous brand-name-dropping that I had read was so prominent in this series. But, at the same time, so many people whose reading tastes I shared (and whose opinion I heeded) loved this series. They were so right. I call it my “Pringles” series. Totally fun to devour and completely irresistible. I’m waiting for Lover Avenged to come in from the library. I have found the controversial switch from a pnr style to more of a uf style hasn’t affected my enjoyment of this series.
Duh, again. Spec Ops/Military themed romances aren’t my first choice. But, this is another reason to read outside my comfort zone. Lori (among others) convinced me to give this series a try. And I have come to love not only the action-romance combo, but also the way the characters and their relationships grow over the course of the series. This is one of those series where, when I think I’ve chosen my favorite hero or couple, I keep remembering others, and have such a hard choosing just one. This is just such a consistently great series, and Suzanne Brockmann is a masterful writer.
Yeah, again, I’m sometimes late to the party. I won What I Did for Love over at Book Binge. It was celebrity romance, another theme I don’t really read. But, SEP writes both incredible characters and some of the best dialog around. Natural Born Charmer has become one of my Top 5 Contemporary Romances, as well as a “comfort listen”. I’m still working my way through her very lengthy backlist, and have only had 1 so-so read.. BTW, if you haven’t listened to SEP’s books in audio format, they are SO worth checking out.
I’m SO digging Vic Bayne and the PsyCop universe. Tracy first turned me on to JCP’s Hemovore which was an awesome m/m parnormal romantic suspense. I’d heard great things about her PsyCop series, but just never got around to reading it (I think I melded it in my mind with RoboCop. 
) But, after enjoying Hemovore so much, I had to read it. Right now, Vic is one of my favorite misfit heroes: edgy, a loner, and still trying to figure out what Jacob is doing with a guy like him. The supernatural mysteries are tightly plotted and really absorbing. And, the chemistry between Vic and Jake is smoking. I’ve also got to say, the PsyCop book covers are among my favorite in the m/m genre.
SO GLAD I listened to Carolyn, who told me I HAD to read Lord of Scoundrels. This is now one of my Top 5 Historical Romances. The dialogue is great, and I love how Loretta Chase can take a romantic convention and completely stand it on its head. In LoS, Jessica doesn’t treat Dain like the jaded rake that he projects, but nurtures (sometimes with VERY tough love) the wounded child she sees inside of him. LC’s heroine’s are smart, and she always has a surprise for the romance reader. So far, I haven’t been disappointed in a Loretta Chase book.
Bound by Your Touch was such a beautifully written book! I just wish the covers weren’t so cheesy. To me, they distract from the wonderful story inside. The story of Lydia’s and Sanburne’s romance was an exciting read. Also, there was a love scene in BbYT which was the best I’d read all year. It brought together the emotions and sex that really revealed so much about these two characters (and was incredibly hot.) I also enjoyed Written on Your Skin immensely, which involved characters introduced in BbYT. I’m not currently reading historicals, but when I’m back in the mood, I’ll definitely be picking up MD’s debut novel, Duke of Shadows. ETA: I forgot that I won this over at Ciara Stewart’s! And then, the lovely Rosie brought me a signed copy from RWA!! THANK YOU, ladies!
Relentless (Book 2 in the Federation series) was such a surprise for me. I had seen it, and book 1, Undercover, around, but the plots hadn’t really caught my attention. Then, I went to a So Cal Bloggers get together, and it came home in my bag after one of our book swaps. Then, it blew me away. I was worried that starting with the 2nd book in the series would leave me confused, but Lauren Dane seamlessly weaves in the essential information from book 1 without ever seeming to info dump. I loved Relentless so much that I immediately went out and bought Undercover. I’ve also started LD’s shifter series, Cascadia Wolves, and have been told that her Chase Brothers series is also excellent.
Author of one of my Top 5 books. I’d been hearing some buzz about this book, and then read a post by JenB at the Den of Iniquity (her former blog) that made me HAVE to get this book. I’ve written ad nauseum about how much I love this spec fic m/m novel. But, really, it comes down to Ginn Hale’s wonderful story telling skills. Even in her short online story Shy Hunter, and her story in the Hell Cop anthology, it is clear that she has a way with characterization and plot. I’m eagerly looking forward to her Wicked Gentlemen sequel, as well as anything else written by her.
Scott Westerfeld has been around writing YA fantasy for ages, but I finally listened to his Uglies series this year, and was blown away. This series set in a futuristic society where everyone receives plastic surgery on their 16th birthday to make them “pretty” was not only an exciting read, but also much food for thought about accepted standards of beauty and the need/desire to conform to society’s norms. SW’s current release, Leviathan, is a steampunk adventure that takes place on the eve of WWI.
I’ve had Maggie Stiefvater’s Lament on my tbb list for ages, but it was her new shifter book, Shiver that finally got me to read her books. Shiver really demonstrates what a multi-talented author she is. The prose is beautiful, the atmosphere is vivid and the characters were ones I really cared about. Maggie Stiefvater writes in a beautiful, lyrical style, and she is also very musically talented. (She wrote the music for as well as animated Shiver‘s book trailer-scroll down to bottom of linked page to view trailer.)
I was nervous about reading a book by a person I knew (virtually) and then I was relieved to read the fun, sexy and fast-paced first installment in the MoS series, Gobsmacked. I love how LB has developed her stories around the rural NE town of Smithfield, and her men are guys I’d want to go out for drinks with. I’m also enjoying the elements of suspense in this series, and I can’t wait for 2010 to bring MoS 4 and LB’s new series, Romano & Albright.
I’m not a big romantic suspense reader, but Jill Sorenson’s debut novel, Crash Into Me was a great departure from my regular reading. I love the San Diego area setting of her 2 books, and the characters are original and compelling. One of my other favorite things about both Crash and Set the Dark on Fire are the strong secondary storylines featuring YA characters. The suspense plots kept me guessing, and even after I knew “who did it”, finding out the “why” kept me reading. I’m really looking forward to finding out what 2010 will have in store for Jill!
Jill Shalvis really knows the mountain setting (again, a part of California not often written about) she writes about, and her characters in the Wilder Brothers Adventures are interesting and sexy. I was worried that I’d be disappointed with Instant Attraction (book 1) after hearing so many raves for it. Luckily, it was as good as I heard, and Instant Gratification (book 2) was even better. Jill Shalvis takes characters that are sometimes a little hard to warm up to, like Emma in IG, and over the course of the book makes the reader understand why she is the way she is, and enjoy reading about her growth.
Hollywood and law firms are 2 settings I usually don’t enjoy in romance. Yet, Julie James proves that great writing will trump reading biases every time. Great dialogue and character growth are my 2 favorite things about JJ’s books. Especially in Practice Makes Perfect, I LOVE how smug, arrogant lawyer JD Jameson is slowly revealed to be the great hero he is. There’s a scene toward the end of the book revealing a secret about JD that got to me so much I had to re-read the scene a couple of times to take it in. Can’t wait for Something About You, out in March.
Havemercy reminded me a lot of Sarah Monette’s Doctrine of Labyrinths when I first picked it up (dark fantasy magical world told in alternating 1st person povs), but by the end of the novel, I felt like Jones and Bennett had set their own path. Then, with Shadow Magic, they took Havemercy’s world and made it even better. Their story-telling is exciting and still is able to touch on themes like the act of storytelling, legend and myth, and the intersection of an individual’s story with the story of a culture. I love it when a writer’s books get progressively better, and I am really psyched to see what happens with this series in the upcoming Dragon Soul.
I meant to get around to reading Zero at the Bone for months, after seeing a review of it at Lesley’s. When I finally picked it up, I couldn’t believe I had waited so long. I loved the intense relationship between D and Dr Jack, and the action kept me riveted to my reader. As soon as I finished ZatB, I went to Jane Seville’s site, and read all the Jack and D short stories she has there. Now, I’m waiting like a kid with my nose pushed up against the pet store window looking at puppies, hoping for a new book by Jane Seville.
I’ve come to love both her historicals and paranormal romances. Her beautiful prose style really smacked me upside the head when I read Scandal, and then when I read her pnr My series, Carolyn Jewel became one of my favorite all time authors. In fact, Scandal is on my Top 5 historical and 2009 Top 5 reads, and My Forbidden Desire is on my Top 5 pnr reads. (See sidebar on right for Top 5 links.) I think that what Carolyn Jewel does so well in these very different types of books is that she really gets inside the characters and lets the reader not just see, but also feel what they are feeling, be they a 19th century widow or a 21st century fiend.
I love checking out the Orbit release schedules to see what one of my favorite fantasy publishers has coming out. I’ve found more than one new author on their schedule that I’ve come to enjoy. This year, the cover for Soulless caught my attention, and the description of this steampunk paranormal made it at the top of my to be bought list when it was released. Gail Carriger’s smart and witty writing style made this book so much fun to read.
This is on of my favorite new uf series that debuted this year. (Ilona Andrews’ The Edge series and Ann Aguirre’s Corine Solomon series would be my others.) Though, this is the only one by a debut novelist. I first saw this at Kmont’s, in a New Author Spotlight post. The story was dark and starts out quite melancholy (given what happens to Toby, it’s understandable) yet the action never bogs down in mopiness or self-conscious angsting. The world is very complex, but doesn’t info dump and Seanan McGuire allows it to be revealed naturally, through the action of the plot. I can’t wait for the rest of the series, starting with A Local Habitation, coming out in March.
This was another book that had so much buzz, I was afraid to read it for fear of being disappointed. Luckily, for me, The Madness of Lord Ian was a wonderful historical romance. This wasn’t just because Lord Ian was such an unusual character (which he was) but also because I found Beth to be equally interesting. Now, in 2010 not only will Jennifer Ashley be releasing the next book in this series, Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage, but also the first book in her new pnr series, Pride Mates, which due to its shifter-y goodness, I’ll be really looking forward to as well.
Though Sam Kane’s m/m/f Brother’s in Arms series is better known, I first read her m/m romance, Islands. The romance and emotions blew me away. She is so great at showing how the characters feel about each other, whether it’s through a love scene, a conversation, or simple looks or touches between characters. Of course, after loving Islands so much, I did go back and read The Courage to Love (BIA 1). I’ve been meaning to get back to finish reading the series, because I know that there are some great love stories to be told there.
PHEW! I feel so lucky that I found so many great new authors last year. They are now all on my upcoming books list as I look forward to their new releases, or on my to be bought booklist as I continue to read their backlist. A couple of things I noticed while compiling this LONG list:
Many of these were books I wouldn’t have picked up on my own. The were stories that were either outside of my comfort zone or had story lines that I don’t usually like.
The other thing was that I DID pick up these books because of other bloggers’ recommendations. So, a big THANK YOU to everyone who led me to these great authors.
Did you have any author discoveries in 2009 that you want to share?
People are going to talk…