Bookish Rants and Raves: Musing on Series and Longevity

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter

Series. Love em or hate em, they take a single book and turn in into a network of interconnected stories and characters. For my part, I absolutely prefer series reading. Since I’m prone to getting very attached to characters, unwilling to let them go after one book, the ability to follow their growth and development is absolutely wonderful. And that’s not even to speak of the ability to observe detailed and complex world building, epic story arcs, and narrative style that constantly evolves.

But is there a limit to that? Is it possible to have too much world building, too many character development, or–gasp-a de-evolution in narrative style? Is ennui an eventuality that any given series will be up against at some point? One might imagine that there’s a whole constellation of factors that could influence how to answer those questions. So don’t expect answers …

Review: Demon’s Bride by Zoe Archer

Format read: ebook provided by the author
Series: The Hellraisers #2
Genre: Historical Paranormal romance
Release Date: May 1st 2012
Number of pages: 370 pages
Publisher: Zebra
Formats available: ebook, paperbarck
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author’s Website, Amazon, Book Depository

Book Blurb:
Hell to Pay

Leo Bailey may have been born to poverty, but ruthless business sense and sparkling intelligence have made money worries a thing of his past. It doesn’t hurt that the Devil himself has granted Leo the ability to read the future.

But even infallible predictions are a déclassé commoner’s trick to some members of the ton. They’ll never see Leo as their equal—one good reason to prove himself their better. And a noble marriage is an obvious start.

Bookish Anne Hartfield, daughter of a baron, is hardly the flashiest miss on the marriage market. But her thoughtful reserve complements Leo’s brash boldness in an attraction neither can deny. A whirlwind courtship …

Romance and Me: For the Love of a Gladiator

Hey Everyone!

Being the Latin Lover, as ‘Nomen est Omen’ (the name obliges), you might have guessed that I’m a fan of Latin: both the language and the rich historical culture.

So it came as quite a shock when I realized that despite my love for historical romances and interest in Ancient Rome, somehow until very recently I have neither read nor researched HRs set in Ancient Rome. I wasn’t even aware there was such a category (I know, unbelievable!) so I had no idea what I was missing out on.

But then in February I stumbled upon Georgie Lee’s Mask of the Gladiator which I LOVED! Not only was it a terrific story, but it opened a whole new horizon and made me aware of a new subgenre of historical romance. Since then I keep seeing other HRs set in Ancient Rome emerge: My …

Guest Post by Author Alexia Reed + Giveaway

Today we are really happy to welcome at Book Lovers Inc the author Alexia Reed! Alexia’s debut novel Hunting the Shadows is scheduled to be published by Carina Press on May 7th and Alexia is here today to discuss with us character crushes. Interesting topic right?

Hunting the Shadows is a new paranormal romance title that promises to be exciting and really interesting. So, let’s welcome Alexia 🙂 And don’t forget to check the end of the post for your chance to win her book.

You never forget your first character crush. There’s something about them that makes them stand out from all the other characters and makes you wish the book and world was real so that you could crawl into it. I remember my first character crush—teen/adult Ramses from the Amelia Peabody series. I first started the series in highschool while I discovered my love of archaeology and anthropology. It …

Guest Post: Kate Noble + Giveaway

We’re very excited to welcome bestselling historical romance author Kate Noble to BLI today! She stops by to talk about the relationship between music and her writing. For Kate, certain music perfectly encapsulates the emotion and tone of a scene or story, making it into a soundtrack of sorts. Today, that soundtrack is to her latest release, If I Fall, a story of betrayal and redemption–perfect for the most poignant of music. Please give her a warm BLI welcome!

The Soundtrack of If I Fall.

Like many authors, I write to music. Plugging my headphones in and shutting out the rest of the real world helps me to inhabit the universe I’m currently mucking about in. If I’m in the middle of writing an action scene, I’ll generally queue up the soundtracks to epic movies, like Gladiator and 28 Days Later. If I’m writing an emotional scene, Jeff Buckley suddenly becomes …

Sunday Cravings

Remember last week we couldn’t just pick one book from all the amazing titles that were scheduled for release? Well, this week isn’t all that much better… Again, there are so many books we just can’t pick only one… Among the highlights are Insurgent by Veronica Roth, the newest release by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Black Dawn by Rachel Caine and so, so many others that should I start listing them, this post would never end. I’m exaggerating a bit here, but you get what I mean 😛

So, without further delay, let’s start with this week’s Sunday Cravings!

Caro: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics …