Books I'm definitely planning to get
Just the 3, but they're all books I'm looking forward to.
Along Came Trouble, by Ruthie Knox (Mar 11)
I loved Ruthie Knox's first 2 Loveswepts. Unlike those two, the plot description of this one doesn't particularly draw me to it (bodyguards, ex-military, tabloid press -meh), but I'm interested in seeing what Knox does with it. Plus, the idea of the series sounds like fun.
Lover At Last, by JR Ward (Mar 26)
I've gone a bit off Ward lately, and even though the couple featured in this one (Qhuinn and Blay) were the only two characters who interested me in the last few books, I don't much like where their story has been going. Still, gay romance front and centre a in mainstream, blockbuster romance series! I'll be reading it, and I hope it does well and opens some doors (especially since rumours are that whether Meljean Brook's Scarsdale book is traditionally published will depend on how this one does). ETA: Sorry, turns out that's not true, please see Meljean's comment below.
Books that interest me and I'll keep an eye on
A Most Improper Rumor, by Emma Wildes (Mar 5)
The series (Whispers of Scandal), seems to be about heroines who are caught up in different sorts of reputation- ending situations. In this case, the heroine is a suspected murderer who asks the hero to clear her name. Emma Wildes is an author I've been meaning to try, and this one might do.
An Inquiry Into Love and Death by Simone St. James (Mar 5)
I didn't adore St. James' The Haunting of Maddy Clare as much as everyone else seemed to, but it interested me enough to give her brand of creepy, eery ghost story another chance.
The Turncoat, by Donna Thorland (Mar 5)
I'm really not sure about this one, but I haven't read a romance set during the American Revolution for ages. Depending on reviews, this might do.
Dark Tide, by Elizabeth Haynes (Mar 12)
I really liked Haynes' Into The Darkest Corner, she does suspense well. Plus, a houseboat!
My hopes are also--absurdly and against all previous evidence--high for Lover at Last. I didn't buy Tohr's book, barely made it through Payne's (and never listened to the audio book on my iPod).
ReplyDeleteI want the book to be good, for readers, for these two characters, for a writer who is taking a significant risk. Like the Cowardly Lion, I'll be holding my tail in both hands, eyes squeezed shut, muttering my version of "I do believe, I do, I do, I do believe" the entire time.
Exactly the same here, down to not having bought Tohr's book and finding Lover Unleashed difficult. I'm just hoping she finds the magic of, say, Zsadist's book, which was even more anticipated than this one. I think I'll be joining you in your Cowardly Lion impression!
ReplyDeleteBut what's the third book you are definitely going to get? You have only two books listed--now I'm really curious!
ReplyDeleteBarb: Whoops! The third when I wrote the post a few days ago was Mary Balogh´s next, The Arrangement. It must have had a March date when I added it to my wish list ages ago, but then I realised it´s not coming out for months!
ReplyDeleteHey Rosario! :) It's nice to see the Emma Wildes on books that interest you :) I hope you give her a try and enjoy her writing. By the way, just to clear stuff up, Benjamin is not the heroine's hero. He's already married. I think he's the link in the series.
ReplyDeleteHa - I was also trying to figure out the 3rd book.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing reviews for LOVER AT LAST - I never got into Ward's books (the spellings!), but yes, mainstream gay romance!
Oh! Actually, my editor is already all for a Scarsdale story. I already got the go-ahead, and we originally intended to publish it last year as one of the novellas at the back of the Iron Seas reprints, but it would have ended up being so long that it wouldn't really fit in a print version along with another full-length book, and I wrote a Yasmeen/Archimedes story, instead.
ReplyDeleteSo Scarsdale's story isn't dependent on the success of Ward's book. Mostly, it's just waiting for me to write it, seeing how long it is (and I'm so slow, that's always an issue), and then figuring out whether I'd rather go through Berkley or do it myself -- and that's strictly my own worries about the market rearing its head rather than any feet-dragging from my editor, because m/m stories have traditionally done better in the digital market rather than the print market, and it's not a genre that Berkley is really known for publishing -- and even if Ward does well ... well, I'm not Ward, lol. Berkley putting out a m/m (or f/m) book with my name on it is never going to have the same kind of success. Self-pubbing it won't have the same kind of success, either :-D I probably won't look to Ward at all when I make the decision, simply because, compared to me, she operates in the stratosphere of publishing and number of readers.
So I'm not sure where the rumor started, but Ward's book definitely won't have an influence on Scarsdale's (though I do think it will be awesome if her book does well, and that it opens up m/m to a wider readership.) The only thing that Scarsdale's book depends on is me coming up with a plot that I really like, the length of the final story, and getting the time to write it.
Nath: I'm looking forward to trying her, as well. Do you have a favourite of hers that you'd recommend starting with? Thanks for the clarification about Benjamin -that's one confusing blurb!
ReplyDeleteLi: LOL! Sorry, sloppy editing! Being in the middle of packing for going away doesn't help.
ReplyDeleteThose reviews should be coming in the next couple of weeks, I expect. Don't know if they're many ARCs out, there don't seem to be any reviews at goodreads yet, which isn't usual.
Meljean: Sorry for unwittingly spreading a false rumour, and thanks so much for updating us on what the situation really is. Well, however you end up publishing it, I'll be waiting with my finger hovering over the buy button, hopefully helping push you into that stratosphere :)
ReplyDelete