30 September 2010

In Which I Deviate.

Remember that time I was going to write about my heroines? Yeah. Semi-fail.

Remember that time I abandoned my other blog in favor of this one? Yeah. Total success. I think.

So now is the time when I wish the two points above would coalesce into something awesome. I am currently reading two books, with emphasis on the one that arrived from Amazon today (I clearly need to talk to someone about my ADD reading habits... Melissa?!). The new book is a new-ish book called One Day by David Nicholls. I recently read the super happy Entertainment Weekly article regarding excitement over the movie that has just been filmed, and was intrigued by the premise.

Don't worry, it's totally a romance.

Moral of the story? I don't have a book to write about right this minute, but I really would like to write a blog entry anyway. As we all know, I have been fully entrenched in all of my new DVDs (Community is my most current obsession) which is not entirely appropriate for my book-reading blog, but which brings me around fully to my heroine post.

I've written about it before on the other blog, but I am actively not linking, because that would be cheating.

Liz Lemon is my heroine. "And by heroine, I mean 'lady hero.' I don't mean I want to inject [her] and listen to jazz."

Coming from a generation of girls nursed through adolescence by Sex and the City, I have to say that nothing about that show appealed to me. (Full disclosure: I enjoyed the first movie) Sure, the fashions were great and it was awesome to see a group of liberated women living unapologetically in the 00's, representing a new generation, etc. Yay post-modern feminism. Or something.

Except that they didn't represent me. I fully acknowledge my freakishness on a number of levels, but I don't think I'm alone in saying that I am neither a Carrie, a Samantha, a Charlotte, nor a Miranda. I mean, I'm a Miranda if nothing else, because that's what she was there for, right? To represent the nerds. But she wasn't a nerd. At all.

Liz Lemon, rather, is my hapless, Star Wars referencing, successful, bra-taping role model. Is she perfect? Not in the slightest. But she also doesn't give two fat rats about her shoes, clothes, the condition of her hair, or the fact that she is, quite simply, a raging nerd. This is the woman who tried to write Star Wars references into a telenovela called Los Amantes Clandestinos, and who dumped Jon Hamm (Jon-freaking-Hamm, people!!!) because he was too dumb, who regularly writes sketches about farting, and who constantly finds herself in socially awkward sitations. Like having to stall your ex-boyfriend's wedding so your boss' girlfriend won't leave. I believe the quote "Come on, Bible. Give a girl a break" is used. Genius.

This is my kind of woman, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get her on to my list before. I guess things are finally lining up for old Liz Lemon.

P to the S- I'm sorry to report that the paranormal writing thing didn't quite work out. Obviously it's going to take more to get me to write it than it took to get me to read it.

26 September 2010

In Which There is A(nother) DNF, and Also a Kindle for iPhone Book.

Oops, sorry. Didn't quite realize it had been that long since my last entry.

This post is going to cover a lot of weirdness, so bear with me.

Part of the reason this has taken so long is all of the same reasons involving the insanity of my life, but also there is the fact that I have not been excited to read anything for the past week. This might be due to the arrival of last season's The Office, Big Bang Theory, and 30 Rock on DVD and my obsessive need to catch up immediately. It might also be because I have no idea what I am in the mood to read lately.

Or write, apparently. More on this in a bit.

I started reading Wicked Delights of a Bridal Bed by Tracy Anne Warren... two weeks ago, now? (Really?!) It was light and charming and full of all of the things I love... a lovesick hero... an oblivious but charming heroine... A hunormous family about whose members I had already missed three books... You know, the usual. I was really excited about this book because of the contest Smart Bitch Sarah organized around it (If you have some time, read the entries. They're amazing) Alas, I didn't win the mattress or the backlist or the book, but I did find it at Target for 20% off, and who can resist that?!

Well, I sort of wish I had. After reading a perfectly charming (if slightly perfunctory) first third of the book, I started skimming ahead. I do this, by the way. I totally skim ahead, especially if the sexxing isn't happening as quickly as I feel it needs to. At some point a girl just needs some reassurance that these crazy kids are going to stop running circles around each other and jump in the sack already.

What I found in the ahead-skipping was every cliche that has ever come out of the powerful-man-in-love-with-a-woman-who's-in-love-with-someone-else trope. Delayed wedding night due to chicky-poo's whining and hero's (justifiable) frustration about the heroine's refusal to let go of the past (though, come on... you're surprised, dude? You've been CEO of the "let's get her to stop acting like an idiot" campaign) and then (IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO READ THIS BOOK, THIS IS THE SPOILER ALERT. FOR REALSIES) the reappearance of the object of her affections, followed closely by marital blow-up and her realization that she's been acting like a Class-A Moron, with a dash of dumber-than-a -Barbie-doll thrown in for good measure.

Again, I didn't finish the book, so there could be a perfectly legitimate reason for this sort of tom-foolery. All I know is that I didn't have the patience to find out.

So then I started reading The Tycoon's Rebel Bride, an awesomely bad Silhouette Desire book written by my personal "new one to watch," Maya Banks. (To be clear, she's not even close to "new" as an author. But she's new to me.)

It was one of those free Kindle giveaways... or something... and has been sitting on my iPhone for several months. Finally enlargeable text and an eye appointment involving dilation led me straight to it.

In so many ways Tycoon's Rebel Bride is every Harlequin cliche (we're big on those in this post, apparently); the "Tycoon" in question is Greek and from a family of overbearing men (each of whom has a book, natch), he's got old world ideas about a woman's place, her virginity, and exactly how much control he has the right to exert on those around him. So when his family's ward (not really clear on the details here) shows up in New York, of course he a) takes steps to supervise her settling in to the city and to "protect her" and b) starts lusting after her immediately.

The incongruity of this whole story is what makes it work. For every insistence that Theron has on his Old Skool hero garb, Bella (Oh, when is that name going to go back out again?) has marks of a New Skool heroine. Literally. That would be her oh-so-tempting belly button ring and tattoos. Don't you worry, though, that hymen is still fully intact.

Of course Theron's Old Skool-ness got to be a little much ("We must get married because I took your virginity"? Really? You know we're in 2010, right?) and there was no real reason for Bella to have been so madly in love with him for so long... especially when it's clear that she probably saw him all of... one time in her life. And my psycho boyfriend antennae went up when Theron made Bella's friend quit her job at the strip club so... Bella wouldn't be exposed to that kind of thing? He even went so far as to pay Sadie's rent for the rest of the year so she wouldn't have to strip. Which I suppose is a degree or two of noble. But also painfully overbearing. And a little creepy.

But you know what? It's a Silhouette Desire book. And my eyes were dilated. And it did what it needed to do.

So now my mission for the next 48 hours: To write a paranormal of 2,000-3,000 words. Go on, laugh. But that's only 2 days of writing on a WriMo scale (Which is coming up, btw. Guess who's finishing this year, kids!!) Here's the problem: the only paranormal I have ever attempted was last year's epic-fail WriMo. Wish me luck.

14 September 2010

In Which I Answer a Question You Didn't Even Ask.

This is the review I read earlier today on DearAuthor.com.

Lovely, well-written review.

It brings up an issue that I'm slightly embarrassed to admit has never ONCE occurred to me: the obvious pro-British, anti-French thread running through almost all American-written Regency/Revolution era romance novels. Once you hear (or read) that it exists, it's like, the biggest "DUH" ever. EVER. What can I say? I left all of my major thematic analytical skillz in Mrs. Eriksen's Senior English.

The lovely review vaguely tries to make sense of this, but ultimately offers little by way of answers. Because honestly, who can answer that question definitively? Maybe every single American author of Regencies hates all things French (highly doubtful). Maybe they all favor hereditary monarchies (possible, but only in hypothetical, ridiculously small countries where the nannies are particularly virginal and marriageable). Maybe they're all pacifists who abhor the violence writing about the French Revolution entails (probable, though the vast majority of heroes seem to be badass retired military).

I suspect the comments section of the post will continue growing, both with ideas about the whys and wherefores, and also with commentary about the book in question, which I confess I have not added to my TBR list. Too many books, not enough interest in this particular one despite the largely positive review. I also know that I tried to form a response in the comments section with my theory about this phenomenon, but a) it was too long and b) I realized I hadn't blogged in a while. So without further ado...

REASONS I THINK THERE IS A PRO-BRITISH, ANTI-FRENCH BIAS IN REGENCY/REVOLUTIONARY ROMANCES WRITTEN BY AMERICANS.

Small Print/My Qualifications For Addressing This Issue: I write as an attempted writer of romance, a long-time reader of romance, a person who lived in Paris for a year, and a person who dated a Brit for three years.

Firstly and foremostly, it is important to note the "written by Americans" part of the thesis (is that a thesis? I didn't make an argument. Mrs. Eriksen is going to kill me). The "written by Americans" is key because anything anti-French written by a Brit makes some sense (old habits and all that), but it makes no sense for our bias to play out this way. During the Regency period, we were at war with Britain (though it might not have been officially declared... I don't remember), and they burned down the White House. There was no Special Relationship, only sailor impressment and shore raids. Fun! Also the French Revolution, while bloody and brutal, was modelled on and inspired largely by our own Revolution, and it could be argued that theirs would not have played out the same way (if at all) if ours had not been so successful.

So we should have a natural inclination toward the French side in these matters, right?

HA!

Here's THE THING: While writing books with a pro-French bias would make more sense for American writers historically speaking, there is the entirely other matter of culturally speaking.

Most obviously, there's the fact that the French speak French. Books can most certainly be written for Americans/English speakers in English with the understanding that the characters are actually speaking French. But as a reader, when I realize that the characters are speaking a different language than what I'm reading I find it distracting, and as a writer I would be terrified of getting something wrong. Changing the language can change the entire tenor of someone's character. It changes their tone of voice, it changes their mannerisms, it can even change the way they look. Writing for a (major, fully fleshed-out) character in a language that is not the language that they're actually speaking is really intimidating to me as a fledgling writer, and I can't imagine it being a wholly comfortable concept for others.

Also, while there are obvious differences between American and British temperament (obvious, obvious differences), there are still many, many similarities. Possibly stemming from the shared language. But in general it's easier to get into the head of the Brit and to write their motives and personalities and not feel like you're making stuff up.

Eddie Izzard said it best when he said "I like the French, but they can be... fucking French." What does that mean? It means that they think differently from us. Not in a bad way, not in a wrong way, but in an incredibly generalized way. They value different things in their romances, in their sex, and in their expectations for relationships. They aren't nameable, definable differences. It's just about perceptions of what's important. It's cultural. And again, as a writer, I would feel like an absolute fraud trying to write about something I didn't understand, or trying to fake it.

You don't have to fake it as much writing Brits. Which is why any French-Revolutionary characters we run in to are usually women (at least they have that in common with the author), and have been Anglicized. Like in the book that was reviewed; the heroine is French, but raised in London, working for the British government. Or in Spymaster's Lady. It turns out the French spy in Joanna Bourne's most excellent Regency-period novel is... Welsh.

It's not really pro-or-anti anything, to be honest. It's about what and who is comfortable to write about. What's familiar, and what's not. And that's all I have to say about that.

8 September 2010

In Which I Read the New Maya Banks Book. Last Night.

So after the DNF disaster I sat down to read the Maya Banks book that Amazon miraculously delivered to my door on its release date. Say what you will about Amazon, they know how to keep their rabid constituents happy.

Having been hotly anticipating The Darkest Hour since I saw an ad here and read an excerpt here last week, it really look no convincing to drop everything and read this book.

Full disclosure: I do love me some tortured heroes. You probably already knew that if you've read the Top Heros post, or know anything about my favorite books. Very few scenarios get me more excited than a tortured, lovesick male character. Thusly, Ethan Kelly of The Darkest Hour was someone I couldn't wait to lay eyes on: one year after the death of his wife, Rachel, the very-much-still-grieving Ethan gets proof that she's alive. And not just proof, but a freaking road map to where she is being held in the South American jungle.

Enter... The introduction of a new series! Ethan is one of six Kelly brothers, all of whom were in the military in some capacity, and most of whom run Kelly Group International, a Blackwater-like privately-owned security contracting firm. Thank GOD this poor girl married in to such a family, otherwise she would have been stuck in this drug cartel camp forever.

The boys get her out (with the help of their very own army) and Ethan sets about bringing his wife home and putting his life back together.

There is a lot, A LOT that is not really OK with the plot of this book. A lot. But it's also very terribly easy to ignore it all, because it's such a crackalicious read.

I've read a couple of Maya Banks books. Some of the dirtier ones (sister got it on with how many dudes? at the same time? and they were brothers?) and a few of the cleaner ones, all of which move a little quickly, but are ultimately nice romances to read.

Ethan (and indeed, all of the Kelly brothers) is a typical Banks hero in that he is 1000% testosterone and can't go more than five minutes at a time without pounding his chest and threatening to kill someone. These men worship their women, and when I say "worship their women," I mean they tie them to the freaking pedestal so they don't accidentally fall off and hurt themselves. And also because being tied up is kinky.

As a result of all of this burgeoning alpha-maleness, Banks heroines tend to be a little mushy. But then, who wouldn't be, with all of that muscle closing in on all sides? Rachel actually holds up pretty well, being neither overly weepy nor too quick to recover from her ordeal.

The relationship between Ethan and Rachel is a complicated one, and it's revealed after she's rescued that Ethan had asked Rachel for a divorce right before her "death." Due to the copious amounts of drugs she had been injected with during her incarceration, Rachel is left with little memory (for once, a plausible amnesia device) and Ethan lives in dread for most of the book that she will remember the extent to which their marriage had deteriorated.

The very glaring problem I am ignoring studiously is the speed and ease with which everything in the story is resolved. Considering that throughout the book the Kelly family seems to be taking Rachel's "death"/abduction as a personal and purposeful assault on the Kelly family itself, the end result that what happened to her has nothing to do with anything feels like a tremendous letdown. This is the beginning of a series! With sexy alpha heros! Surely there could have been an actual threat to the family that would have taken a book or six to resolve. Also, the lack of "person whose ass we can kick" over the incident(s) made all of those overly muscled men seem... moot.

Ultimately, this is beside the point. The KGI series is currently filling the "hot and dangerous brothers" quota I've been missing for quite some time now. I liked Ethan and Rachel, and am pretty excited for Sam's book (December) and Garrett's book (next year) and... on and on and on.

Well done, Ms. Banks. Thanks for giving me a reason to stay up until 1:00 am.

7 September 2010

In Which I Report a DNF

This post is to say that I did not finish (am not finishing? will not be finishing?) Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy.

I'm not sure of the tense, because this is such a new decision that I am not sure it's fully formed yet.

Oh wait. Yes, now it is.

I was really looking forward to this book, mostly because I have (had) yet to meet an Erin McCarthy book I didn't like. I'm not nearly versed enough in her back catalog to fully endorse "anything she has written," but what I've read so far has been sexy and fun and enjoyable.

Mouth to Mouth is the story of Russ, a police detective in a midwest town (Milwaukee? Cleveland? I only just stopped reading the book about two hours ago, and I really don't remember) who is investigating a man who preys on women, gains their love/trust, and then steals all their money. Douchecanoe? Douchecanoe!

While staking out the next suspected victim (they found her name and contact info in papers left at the most recent victim's house... sloppy conman), Russ decides to "get a closer look" at the newest mark. She's gorgeous. And blond. And deaf. Lack of hearing ability aside, there is nothing to distinguish Laurel from her TSTL predecessors. She has money and has been in her shell since her dad died in her first year of college but is looking to bust out of her shell with some sex... stop me if you've heard this one before.

The other thing about Laurel is that she recognizes Russ as the guy she's supposed to be meeting for a blind-date-coffee thing at the coffee shop. Why? Because the conman has been assuming the identity of cops in the various areas he visits. He just coincidentally happens to be portraying Russ at this moment.

If you think this doesn't make sense, that might be because it... doesn't. The conman has assumed Russ' identity, which I guess is fine (if ballsy) (and awfully coincidental) but has also supplied Laurel with personal details (apparently someone the real Russ went to high school with put them in touch with one another? I'm fuzzy on the finer points) and a photograph. Of the real Russ. Who Laurel then recognizes when he coincidentally decides to go into the coffee shop to scope out the hot chick in the window. (Dear Conman: Assuming new identities is fun! But it only really makes sense when you substitute your own photograph. Right? Right!)

Too much coincidence? Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

As far as I can tell (from 106 pages), they don't even really like each other. Russ wants into her pants, but thinks she's a little dumb (or naive, as he uncondescendingly puts it). Laurel thinks he's a bit of an ass who is condescending. Yet thinks it's a really good idea to invite him into her bedroom the first time he (rather stalkerishly) comes over to her house. And also, thinks it's a good idea to string along the conman (now fully aware of his intentions) and to not really tell anyone about it.

All of this nonsense, combined with the truly irksome secondary story of Russ trying to raise his thirteen year old brother (a mopey, attitudial lame-o in need of a serious ass-kicking) meant Mouth to Mouth was abandoned early in favor of the Maya Banks book that was delivered to my doorstep today.

Which will hopefully end with a much happier entry.

Special shout-out to Wendy Pan for the following exchange-
Me: I'm not really loving this book.
Wendy Pan: It doesn't get better. It doesn't get worse, but it doesn't get better.
Me: I'm thinking about abandoning it for the new book that came today.
Wendy Pan: Do it.

See Wendy Pan? Your contributions could have saved me 106 pages of agony ;)

3 September 2010

In Which I Finished Demon From the Dark, And Am Ready to Write My Review.

At some point, you're going to get tired of me writing about Kresley Cole. I just hope it's not today.

After battling fatigue and illness and general busy-ness (which I'm not technically supposed to be having yet), I finally finished Demon From the Dark last night. I aired my concerns about the future of the series here yesterday, and maybe it was the catharsis of speaking out, but I was able to put my head down and power through to the end.

I'll say up front that I was left totally relieved and re-energized about the series.

Let me back up and start with the plot summary. Carrow Graie, who was reported missing at the end of Pleasure of a Dark Prince, has been imprisoned for a week when the book opens. As suspected she's being held by something that closely resembles Whedon's The Initiative, only with a dash of secret religious order thrown in for fun (apparently these mortals rise up at each Accession, convinced that the immortals are going to war with them and not each other). The head of the compound where everyone is being held seems to have it out for Regin the Radiant, specifically, and is reportedly torturing her at every possible opportunity. Turns out he may just be her mysterious Berserker, after all. Whether or not he's under a spell or heavily medicated (and therefore being manipulated) remains to be seen.

The immediate deal presented to Carrow by her captors is simple: go and capture a vemon (half vampire/half demon... a new and artificially created species within the Lore), and they'll free her and her new charge. A word about this: We're supposed to believe that Ruby is an all-important witch child whose mother (now dead) is well-known within Carrow's coven. We've never heard of her. It's in situations like this that I wish there was a little more background to these characters and this world-- it wouldn't hurt to really deviate from the main characters and show us other things that are going on elsewhere throughout the books. Context after the fact doesn't really work for me.

Carrow agrees to the deal even though it's an obvious double-cross, mostly because they are threatening to outright kill the child if she refuses. So off we go to a new Hell dimension with the help of Lanthe, sister of Sabine the Queen of Illusions. When she reaches Oblivion, Carrow has little-to-no trouble finding Malkom, the aforementioned vemon, and despite huge language barriers and his obvious lack of civility (by which I mean he has not lived in civilization in over three hundred years), they manage to communicate and get naked in an expedited manner.

(I'm OK with this and willing to buy it... Cole evolves the characters reasonably within their tightened "we have to get this done in five days" timespan)

Malkom is an interesting figure, if a little close to J.R. Ward's Zsadist. As a child he was sold as a blood slave to a vampire and used for blood and sex repeatedly-- both by his Master and by his guests. When the book opens and we meet Malkom in his adult state, it has been quite some time since this occurred and he is reasonably "over it" (as much as one can be) though he understandably has serious trust issues.

Long story short, he is betrayed by a domestic enemy and turned over to still more vamps, where he is turned into a vemon. He kills his best friend (prince of Oblivion) and flees to the mountains where he lives as an abomination.

Despite all of this, he is a reasonable being. Lack of civilization for three hundred years aside, he adapts remarkably quickly to Carrow and soon remembers the finer points of interacting with people. He in no way carries the psychosis of the other vemons we've encountered (Hello, dumbass who got between Lachlain and Emma. How's your head? Still missing? Cool.) despite being tortured repeatedly throughout his life.

ANY. WAY. Of course Carrow has to betray him to get back to Ruby. Of course they are separated (though mercifully this is Kresley Cole, and everyone comes to reasonable and not at all outlandish conclusions in the end). Carrow and Malkom deal with his issues, we get us some Wroth brother action (Hi Conrad! I missed you like whoa), and in the end, the Accession is nigh. FINALLY.

Carrow and Malkom were a very nice couple. Not quite among my faves, but solid and well-written. It was a nice change to read about the dude being betrayed and having trust issues, but it was even nicer that he didn't have to be beaten over the head with a sharp object to get why Carrow did what she did. And I liked that Carrow knew she screwed up, and was willing to do whatever she could to help the situation. Per usual they could have had a couple of more honest conversations and taken care of a lot of tension, but overall I was never more than slightly irritated by their running around in circles.

Without giving away the finer points, the book more-or-less ends with half of our favorite people in the same room, on the same mission, trying to get to their loved ones who are now trapped on the island where the The Initiative (I mean, The Order) was located. This includes Sabine and Rydstrom, Garreth and Lucia, Myst and Nikolai, and Mariketa and Bowen. Would have loved some Emma and Lachlain and Holly and Cadeon, too, but I'll take what I can get. As long as over the next two books (one for Regin, one for Lanthe, and then NO MORE) things get wrapped up and we get to see all of our peeps being badass again, I'll be thoroughly satisfied.

I do need to mention that I'm very worried about Nix. Like, a lot. And I have a sinking feeling she's going to be fighting the Goddess of Evil all by herself.

You know what got me really pumped? I mean really, really pumped? HOLY ALPHA MALE THROWDOWN IN THE LIVING ROOM, BATMAN. That's all I have to say about that.


Dear Kresley Cole,
It's spelled "frak." Not "frack." Plus 20 cool points for correct usage. Minus 5 for spelling.
Thanks.

1 September 2010

In Which I'm at a Kresley Cole Crossroads

I started reading Kresley Cole the summer her second book came out. In case you're forgetting, that was 2004.

I have no idea how I found her, where I found her, what author name/recommendation on Amazon led me to her doorstep, all I know is that from the moment I finished with those Sutherland brothers I was hook, line and sinkered.

Then there were the MacCarrick brothers, a trilogy I fell in love with, and though the second book was a disappointment, the third book more than made up for any disappointment (however minor) I had suffered.

When the paranormals started coming, I didn't want to read them. I didn't do paranormal, I insisted. And then I couldn't take the idea of not reading a Kresley Cole book for SO LONG (A Hunger Like No Other may have come out before the end of the MacCarrick brothers' trilogy, which kept getting pushed back... and back... and back...)

A Hunger Like No Other rocked my world and my socks simultaneously-- there was much rocking. It was like reading the fantasy books I enjoyed most in my youth... only with supersexy Alpha Lykae and lots and lots of hot sex. Perfection on a stick. And by the time that book was done, not only did I do Kresley Cole paranormal, but I was willing to try the entire subgenre, for better or for worse.

Four and a half years and nine books later, I'm a little bit worried about the state of the Immortals After Dark series. I talked about it before when I said I wasn't sure who Cole was going to write about next, and it turns out that the "last resort" characters I had identified are indeed the current and next books. I am in the middle of Demon From The Dark as we speak, and am enjoying it immensely, despite my earlier hesitation about how much I liked Carrow the Incarcerated. I'm not going to review the book now, but I do want to talk about some things that are making me... question.

(When I say I'm questioning, I am in no way considering a break up with the series or the author. Even at their worst, the IAD novels are solid, endearing romances with some badass heroines and really intriguing heroes. For the moment I am happy to continue reading them as long as Cole continues to deliver the goods.)

But with this book comes the introduction of (it seems like) dozens of new species, animals, dimensions, and possibilities. In the tenth book of the series, I find myself getting confused about the different Lorean creatures-- and frustrated that even characters in the Lore itself, characters who are over a thousand years old, seem to have never heard of some of these creatures, either.

This series is Kresley Cole's baby, and she's done a wonderful job with it. I question the (sort-of) desperation with which she is clinging to it. For example, it's really difficult to continue to appreciate old characters when we have to meet new ones in every book. Sure, there's cross-pollination, but I occasionally wonder why I had to meet some characters only to see them fade into the background. Doesn't bode well for re-read purposes. Also, ten books is a lot. It's a lot to follow the same characters over time (hi Charlaine Harris! J.D. Robb, how are you feeling today? Good? Good!), but it's really really a lot to keep track of all of these new and not-always-interconnecting characters. And while we (in real life) have experienced (at least) four and a half years, the books' timeline is... one year? Really disconcerting. Really really. All of this is to say nothing of the fact that, honestly, not every character needs/deserves their own book. Regin is next, and based on what I have read so far, Lanthe will be after that... I'm already exhausted thinking about how much longer this is going to be stretched out.

Now that I re-read this post, I recognize that it sounds a lot like my plea at the end of my Pleasure of a Dark Prince review. For that, I apologize. And perhaps, despite my reassurances to the contrary (to both myself and to you, dear reader) I am starting to have a serious problem with the direction of IAD. Maybe it's time for a post about breaking up with a series. We'll get there. But hopefully not with this series, and hopefully not soon.