Awesome Sauce Harlequin Historical Giveaway!

I loved this contest/giveaway last year, and I think I love it even more this year!

Once again a handful of authors from the Harlequin Historical family are getting together to sponsor an Advent Calender!  From November 29 through December 22, every day a different author will sponsor a giveaway and there will be daily prizes!  But the best part?  The most awesomest part?  At the end of the calender, one lucky entrant on a randomly selected day will win....

A Kindle Fire!

And since we don't know what day that random day will be?  The more authors you visit, the more chances you have to win!

Contest calender and details can be found here.

Also, the contest is open to some residents outside of the U.S. (It boils down to if you can get a Kindle shipped to your country!)  Further details about eligibility and the nitty-gritty can be found here.

Hello? Is It Me You're Looking For?

I got the best e-mail from one of my colleagues this morning.  She's a big time reader of inspirational historical romance, and has just wrapped up Deeanne Gist's latest, Love On The Line.  Some of you might recall I featured this book, about a rural switchboard operator and a Texas Ranger working undercover, in my last Unusual Historicals spotlight.

Guess who else is a character in Love On The Line?  Oh, none other than the town librarian.  A town librarian who is named after....

Yours truly.

Gist even makes her a "Mrs." - so it's nice to know that my name isn't attached to an Old Maid Spinster Librarian Who Is Two Steps Away From Being A Crazy Cat Lady.

The fictional Queen Librarian Of The Universe is apparently only mentioned a few times in the story, and not a terribly prominent character, but still? Squee!

I was going to read a library copy of this, but damn - now I have to buy the book.  Well, actually two copies - since I'm sure My Man's mother is going to want to read it as well.

MVP

Go on with your bad self JV!

When Being A Romance Reader Gets In The Way

Nothing gets my goat more than when a book is criticized for not being what it never intended to be in the first place.  For example, when I see a mention of a suspense novel where the reader (or reviewer or whomever) says: "The mystery was good, but the hero and his wife are getting a divorce!!!!"

OK, here's the thing cupcake: It's a suspense novel.  The author has one job, one requirement they have to meet - and that is solve the suspense thread.  Period.  End of story.  Personal relationships can be left twisting in the breeze.  Authors can even kill off beloved secondary characters (readers probably won't like it - but the author can still "do it" without breaking The Genre Code).  What the author cannot do?  Is not solve the suspense.  They have to give readers the whodunit. 

The romance genre is a bit different.  Yes, you have to have the happy ending - but fans of the genre also despise loose ends, as a general rule.  So while mystery/suspense authors can get away with leaving personal character relationships "messy" - romance authors?   It's a short leash.

I was a mystery/suspense reader long before I was a romance reader, so I'm pretty good and flipping the genre switches in my brain.  When I sit down to read a suspense novel, I expect certain things.  When I sit down to read a romance novel, I expect other things.  I've always had pride in the fact that I can keep my preferred reading hats in separate boxes in my reading closet.

That is until I read Choke Hold by Christa Faust. 

I thought I had bound, gagged the romance reader in me, and locked her in the attic - but apparently not.  That sneaky witch somehow managed to slip her bonds, remove her gag and start screaming to beat the band. 

Choke Hold is the second crime novel in Faust's series about ex-porn-star, turned vigilante on the run, Angel Dare.  Obviously when I read her books I expect 1) dark 2) characters with dubious reputations and 3) lots o' violence and dead bodies.  I'm not expecting Sunshine Happy Land.  I have to acknowledge the fact that none of the secondary characters are sacred.  Angel, being the main character, is probably safe from death - but the others?  Yeah, not so much.

However the author makes some choices in this novel that drove my inner romance reader batty.  First, there's an unprotected sex scene.  This sex scene happens after a break in the action where our fair heroine literally escapes with her life.  Adrenaline is surging towards the OMG, We're Still Alive!  Let's Celebrate With Hot Sweaty Sexy Times! spectrum.  I get that.  But the romance reader in me?  She sees "unprotected sex" and immediately thinks, "That bitch is going to end up pregnant, I just know it."

Granted the chances of Angel ending up with a bun in the oven strain considerably - but stranger things have happened.  All I'm saying is if there's another book in this series down the road, and she's either 1) knocked up or 2) has a baby in tow.....

Wendy Mad, Wendy Smash!

However, that wasn't what bothered me the most.  No, in this novel it was the feeling I had that Angel was being exploited.

Yes, yes - I know she's a former porn star.  I know me worrying about her being "exploited" sounds ludicrous.  I also understand that she makes the choices she makes in this book when her back is literally up against a wall.  She doesn't see any other way out. 

However, it didn't stop me from feeling like Angel was more reactive than proactive in this book.  Hence, exploited.

I have no idea if Faust is going to keep going on with the Angel Dare saga, but even with my misgivings with this book, I still appreciated the fact that we had a gutsy, gory, pulpy crime novel with a female lead.  That lead might not have always "behaved" the way I wanted her to - but she was still the star of the show.  That is something, especially in a fictional universe where testosterone has always been king.

Now it's your turn - Have you ever read a book that wasn't a romance, wasn't marketed as a romance - but you still couldn't silence your inner screaming romance fangirl?

TBR Challenge 2011: Stupid Girl

The Book:  Officer Down by Theresa Schwegel

The Particulars: Mystery/Suspense, St. Martin's Minotaur, 2005, Out of print but available digitally.

Why Was It In Wendy's TBR?:  First released in hard cover, Officer Down won Schwegel the Edgar Award for Best First Novel.  So when it was slated to come out in mass market, her publisher printed up more ARCs for it - which is how I got one when the St. Martin's library rep paid a visit to my office. 

The Review:  You know why some think women are stupid?  Because it turns out, many of us are.  No really, we are.  That's the formula for this novel, which features a female cop who somehow has not managed to shoot herself with her own gun....yet.  Seriously, a duffel bag full of rocks shows more brain power than Samantha "Smack" Mack.

Sam wasn't even supposed to work that night.  She was at home, waiting for her married lover to return her phone call.  Instead she ends up going into work when the resident hypochondriac cop calls in sick.  She's riding around with her ex-partner Fred, when they get a tip from a snitch that a Very Bad Man they've been looking for has resurfaced.  They storm into the building, only to walk into a trap.  Fred ends up dead, Sam ends up concussed, and those investigating the crime scene chalk it up to "friendly fire."  A tragic accident since it was Sam's gun that delivered the fatal bullet.

This is one of those books where the author literally drops you in the middle of everything with very little lead time.  It's also a very plot-driven story, and the character development, such as it is, is fed to the reader in drips and drabs.  Sort of like quenching your thirst from a leaky faucet.  It makes for a very detached reading experience for the majority of the story, which is a neat trick since the thing is written in first person.  Feeling "detached" while reading first person takes some doing folks.

But the story is told well, and I kept flipping the pages to find out what happened to Fred, even though Sam is the sort of character I want to throw heavy objects at.  I tend to adore self-destructive characters in crime fiction.  The more screwed up they are, the more I tend to like them.  But Sam isn't just screwed up, no she's also an idiot.  Which just makes it hard to give a flying crap about the fact that she's obviously being framed.  She runs around like a loose cannon.  She won't talk to a shrink.  She won't talk to Internal Affairs.

However, she will talk to, and trust, her married lover.  Seriously?!?!  This girl is so dumb she makes Jessica Simpson look like a Rhodes scholar.

That's ultimately my problem with this book.  Sam is just too much of an idiot for me to care about what happens to her.  I don't care that someone is framing her, because she's too stupid to see the obvious smacking her in the face.  But, like I said, it's a well-told story.  It's well-written, I kept flipping the pages, and I had to find out how it was all going to turn out in the end.  Even with a heroine that was a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

Final Grade = D+

Delicious Despair, Gone Reading And Epic Caffeine Consumption

Another day, and another post from yours truly over at Heroes & Heartbreakers.  It's another round of Delicious Despair, and ::shock:: it's another historical romance!

This go-around I'm talking about one of my favorites (OK, it IS my favorite) by an author with a backlist a mile long.  Here are some hints: 1) It's the final book in a trilogy 2) The entire trilogy opens up in Chicago and 3) This author wrote a boat-load of historicals before jumping ship to the contemporary romance/women's fiction waters.

Head on over to learn the identity of our Mystery Date.

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In other news, I am currently in denial over the holidays.  I'm not sure what happened, but I woke up one morning and found out it was the middle of November. Do you think I've done any shopping yet?  Do you think I have any frickin' clue what I'm going to buy people?  Ha ha!  It is to laugh.

But, never fear!  If you're in the same boat I am, and have some hardcore readers on your shopping list?  Why not check out Gone Reading?  There are all sorts of goodies ranging from mugs to t-shirts, all with a bookish theme.  Also, in an added bit of coolness, proceeds from items purchased go towards funding/building libraries in under-developed countries.

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As far as my work misadventures, things are starting to settle in.  Although it hit me last week, after a meeting with my new supervisor, that he expects me to...well...act like someone who is "in charge."  Why?  Oh, might have something to do with the fact that I do have a supervisory classification.  Hand to God.  Color me crazy, but this sort of smacks of the lunatic running the asylum. My previous stint as a library branch manager not withstanding.

So while I think I've managed to uncover a new workflow, at least as far as my collection management duties, now I'm back to fumbling around in the dark like an over-excited teenager.  This is going to require a lot more caffeine, I just know it.

Reminder: TBR Challenge For November

For those of you participating in the 2011 TBR Challenge, a reminder that your commentary is "due" on Wednesday, November 16. 

This month's theme is Other Genre Besides Romance.  Or as I like to call it, Because Wendy Has Plenty Of Mystery/Suspense In Her Giant TBR Mountain Range That Can Be Seen From Space. 

Anywho....remember, the themes are completely and totally optional.  If the idea of not reading romance fills your heart with dread, never fear!  The themes aren't as important as digging something (anything!) out of your TBR Pile.

It's also never too early to think about joining the TBR Challenge in 2012!  More information will be coming in December.  In the meantime, if you're new to the challenge and curious on how it works, please see the 2011 information page.

Delicious Despair

Oh look!  Wendy, not being lazy!  That's right kids, I have a new post up at Heroes & Heartbreakers.  This post is in a series that is run semi-every-so-often over there called Delicious Despair.  What is DD?

"Those moments in romance novels where you feel as though your heart is being ripped from your chest. Come suffer the anguish with us!"

Yeah, that's DD.  Those moments in a romance novel where even a hard-ass like Wendy will tear up a bit, if not fall into an outright swoon.

Why not head on over and find out what book gets Wendy's DD stamp of approval?  Here's are some hints: 1) It won RWA's Golden Heart 2) It's a medieval and 3) The author had a new book out this year, with a different publisher.....

The Month That Was October 2011

Lemon Drop: Hey there I'm Little Red Riding Hood; I sure am lookin' good; I'm everything a Big Bad Wolf could want....

Not that I want him....

Me: Hmmm, have you met the Big Bad Wolf?

Lemon Drop: Sigh.  Yes.  His name is Alex.  My Mommy is friends with his Mommy.  He's sorta kinda maybe cute, but boys are gross Auntie Wendy.  Except for Daddy.  Oh, and Papaw.  But yeah, gross.

Me: A girl after my own heart.  I thought boys were pretty gross too, until puberty.  Then it sadly went downhill from there.

Lemon Drop:  Puberty?  What's puberty?

Me: Oh look!  It's time to talk about what I read last month!  I started off mired in the Reading Slump From Hell, but was able to pull myself together to finish somewhat strongly.  The final tally ended up being 6 books.

Flawless by Carrie Lofty - Historical romance, Pocket, Book one in series, 2011, Grade = B+

• Heroine and her no-good husband travel to South Africa after she inherits a failing diamond brokerage house from her father.  True to form for Lofty - great attention to detail, lots of angst, and a hero who actually grows up over the course of the story.

Dead Shot by Annie Solomon - Romantic suspense, Warner Book, 2007, Grade = D-

• My duddy TBR Challenge read for October.  Liked the hero quite a bit, but never gelled with the heroine, and was majorly annoyed by the fact that a key part of the suspense (you know, the one the author harped on for the whole blessed book) was left entirely unresolved at the end.

Fast Girls edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel - Erotica anthology, Cleis Press, 2010, Grade = B

• Erotica anthology featuring stories about "fast" women.  What missed really missed for me, but there were plenty of hits to even it out in the end.

Season for Temptation by Theresa Romain - Historical romance, Zebra, Book one in series, 2011, Grade = C+

• A fluffy, cotton-candy of a read perfect for the craziness that is the holiday season.  Hero engaged to one sister, finds himself entranced by the other (our heroine).  It's not nearly as unsavory as it sounds, trust me.

Blue Angel by Logan Belle - Erotic romance, Kensington, Book one in series, 2011, Grade = C+

• Aspiring lawyer heroine burnt out on the law finds her calling when her boyfriend takes her to a local burlesque club.  Great world-building and soapy plot, even though I wasn't terrible wild about the characters.

Fallen Angel by Logan Belle - Erotic romance, Kensington, Book two in series, 2011, Grade = C+

• Heroine working as paralegal and moonlighting as burlesque performer finds herself reevaluating when she falls under the spell of her hunky lawyer boss.  Again, great world-building and soapy plot, mixed in this time with a dominatrix villainess.  Unfortunately, I still had issues with the heroine.

Me: Well sweetie, I'm sorry you think Alex is gross - but maybe you could just be friends with him?  Boys can make pretty awesome friends.

Lemon Drop: Yeah, not interested.  Mommy keeps trying to make me ride in the wagon with him and that's just not going to happen.  I'm a star Auntie Wendy!  I should have my own wagon!

Me:  That sounds kinda lonely though....

Lemon Drop: Hey, wait a second....as a star I do need a chauffeur!  Alex can be my chauffeur!

Me: ::headdesk::

Lemon Drop: Baby he can drive my car.  Yes I'm gonna be a star....

Me: At least you're singing the Beatles.  Sigh.

Here, There, Everywhere

So, I think it's time we sat down and had The Talk.  The one where Wendy discloses why her blogging has been all over the frackin' place the past several weeks.  But first....

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I wanted to make sure to point any aspiring writers here at the Bat Cave towards Harlequin's online So You Think You Can Write conference.  If you're interested in writing for Harlequin (and, more importantly, keeping Wendy in category romance), this is a great opportunity to hob-nob with editors, get feedback and advice. 

The conference runs from November 7 - 11.  Be sure to check it out.


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I just got back from a trip home to Michigan.  I spent time with the folks, had a fabu dinner out with Big Sis, saw my niece and nephew....neither of whom are Lemon Drop, but still cute as the dickens all the same. 

This trip also explains why y'all got a bunch of reviews in the past week or so.  I hit a major slump in October, which means Wendy Got Back Logged.  Well, being held captive on an airplane where the film was Mr. Popper's Penguins (::shudder::) - pretty much meant Wendy did nothing but read.  I had two books finished before I even landed in Michigan, and finished a third while I was home.  3 books, in 5 days.  That's not a personal best for me, but pretty dang close. 

Still, I need to get some reviews to Sybil soon or she's going to take out my knee-caps.  My category romance back-log on the Sony Reader has hit Epic OMG! levels.

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So why the slump and why the spotty blogging?  Well, for those of you who have been following my work-related misadventures, the "reorg" is in full swing.  I was transferred to one of our larger branch libraries on October 22.  I worked three whole days and then took a week off for my Michigan trip.  Which means I'm still trying to find my groove.

I'm the type of person who pretty much kicks ass in a rut.  Oh, how I lurve me a rut.  Right now, my rut has been back-filled and I've been given a teaspoon to dig a New Rut. Which is a trick, because I still have my responsibilities from My Old Job (you know, the kick ass Wendy Helps Maintain Adult Fiction For 30-Some Libraries one) plus new responsibilities for The Modified Job (public service at the branch - which entails reference work, programming, collection management, the general business of running said branch etc.).

In a nutshell, I'm two people now. 

On the bright side, everybody has been really great - and patient with me while I flail about like a half-dead fish.  I'm at a library with a great staff, it's a community I'm familiar with, I just haven't quite figured out My New Normal yet.  I do need to get my stuff together though, because much more of this and I suspect people will begin to lose patience with me.

But it's tough for me, because I feel like I'm half-assing just about everything right now, which naturally spills over into my blogging and reading.  Sigh, I'll figure it out.  Eventually.  I mean, I always do.  In the meantime though, it's going to be bumpy around here....