I love the arrivals & departures theme of this new book by Lucinda Elliot, one of my favorite UK writers. It is original and densely crafted, a suspenseful, contemporary (80s and 90s) paranormal romance that dips into demonology and the distant literary past. I recommend it to literary and genre readers alike.
Initially I was so turned off by Charley, the shallow human who is on and off with our heroine Natalie, a lovely, voluptuous London model hooked on sausage rolls, that I was eager to meet the competition. He is a daemon. And what a daemon! Aleks Sager is vivid, complex, likeable, and even vulnerable as a struggling writer, which doesn't make him any less paranormal. Is he dangerous?
Smitten with Natalie's Pre Raphaelite looks and fluid mind, Aleks finds himself literally and figuratively chasing her through the dark streets of their desperately fashionable demi-monde world, which is inhabited by wannabe models, agents, writers, and actors, who run into each other, hit on each other, and leave each other at parties. The setting never slows the pace; it is gorgeously cinematic.
Lucinda handles all characterization with sure, deft touches. When we first meet Aleks, he is agonizing over his hate mail and his love life. Demonic physical traits are dropped in subtly. "As he buttons his shirt over the mat of hair on his chest, leaving the two top buttons undone – if you’re as hairy as he is then the only thing to do is to flaunt it – he pulls a wry face, glancing down at those long nails."
The archaic spelling of "daemon" and references to Pushkin make me want to know more about demonology and the author who was the Russian equivalent of Shakespeare. My curiosity is satisfied by elements of synchronicity, a character who comes alive, and helpful ending notes.
Lucinda also has an original way of handling the language. Take the capital letter in these sentences, which describe a human's foreplay that fails to do the job. "'There? How about There? Is That It?' He doesn’t see the humour in the situation. His tone of irritation just held in check guarantees that it isn’t There or There or Anywhere." Ingenious and hilarious.
Is Aleks Sager's daemon bad or good ? The paranormals and humans get sorted out. The tension escalates on several fronts, and my interest in the twists and turns in the relationship triangle never lets up. I read the book in one day, and my mind was blown by the ending. Next stop for this book should be a London or Hollywood screen treatment.
I was given an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Rings of Passage by Karla Tipton: Review by Anne Carlisle.
I'm proud to say that Karla Tipton is a fellow author at Lazy Day Publishing.
I'm proud to say that Karla Tipton is a fellow author at Lazy Day Publishing.
Anise Wynford is playing the king's wife in Shakepeare's play
THE TRAGEDY OF RICHARD III at a Massachusetts summer stock theater. The 22-year
old falls on the porch step of her dead father's
farmhouse after finding a mysterious journal and an ancient gold ring.
Suddenly she's in armor and on a bucking horse, in the middle of a medieval battle.
She has slipped out of time through the magic of the ring, and next she appears
as a mysterious lady in the dream of
Richard III, who is suffering from depression, guilt, and loneliness following the deaths of his wife and son.
Despite his proven ability as a warrior, he is doubting his ability to face
Henry Tudor.
History is written by the winners. Shakespeare wrote in the age of the Tudors,
who owed their throne to Henry Tudor's vanquishing of his cousin, Richard III,
in 1485. In Karla Tipton's version of
the last few months of Richard III's reign, Richard was no crookback, nor did he
have a withered arm, and he was anything but an ambitious butcher incapable of love.
If anything, he was love's fool, refusing to take off his wife's ring after
her death and therefore exposing himself to the sorcery of a wizard, a former Welsh monarch bent on
revenge.
The book's title brings to mind rites of passage, wedding rings, and even Lord of the Rings. In this case, it refers to a set of rings
creating a passage out of time. They were
forged from the Philosopher's stone by the Welsh sorcerer, who, as the story
unfolds, hovers between worlds, waiting
for another necromancer to bring him back to life and crown Henry Tudor.
The author went to
England to research the truth about Richard III, the much maligned king who was
toppled from the throne after only two years. The time-travel romance between a modern-day, American drama student and a medieval English monarch who is about to die
on the battlefield seems doomed from the
start. But the author deftly weaves revisionist history and a fantasy plot, moving toward an ingenious HEA . The
events take place over several months prior to the battle of Bosworth Field in
August, 1485. They are covered in scrupulous detail as the action zooms from the fumbling sorcerers to the traitors and loyalists in the king's retinue
to the heroine's 21st century family history, connected, through the ancient ring, to the
story out of time.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Review by Anne Carlisle
DUVAL AND THE INFERNAL MACHINE by Michele McGrath
A Fast Five Star Read!
I became an instant fan of Michele McGrath when I gobbled this book at one sitting. It is a historical romance blended with suspenseful police action set in post-Revolutionary France, and a thumping good read! It would make a terrific movie. All the characters are multi-dimensional, even the cameos, such as the feared Minister of Police, a Jacobin regicide. I'm totally hooked by the unassuming hero and first person narrator, an injured French soldier returning from service in Germany with only a letter of reference to secure his future. Alain Duval's mother is dead and he is estranged from his father. Duval longs to be away from the violence and putrid smell of Paris, but because of a connection, he gains a position as a Ministry agent, a job he manages with courage, common sense, and generosity. He soon finds himself at the center of a high-profile case. The Infernal Machine, which is how Parisians describe the primitive bomb that barely missed killing Napoleon en-route to the Opera, has left few traces, which are the focus of a carefully executed hunt. The pace escalates into nail-biting action and a deadly confrontation, followed by the enticing prospect of romance for our hero . Meanwhile, as Duval's efforts bring him closer to rounding up all the ringleaders in the Royalist plot, a friend is turning out to be different from how he appeared. New adventures unfold. Michele McGrath knows how to tell a great story, from beginning to end!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10456095-anne-carlisle
DUVAL AND THE INFERNAL MACHINE by Michele McGrath
A Fast Five Star Read!
I became an instant fan of Michele McGrath when I gobbled this book at one sitting. It is a historical romance blended with suspenseful police action set in post-Revolutionary France, and a thumping good read! It would make a terrific movie. All the characters are multi-dimensional, even the cameos, such as the feared Minister of Police, a Jacobin regicide. I'm totally hooked by the unassuming hero and first person narrator, an injured French soldier returning from service in Germany with only a letter of reference to secure his future. Alain Duval's mother is dead and he is estranged from his father. Duval longs to be away from the violence and putrid smell of Paris, but because of a connection, he gains a position as a Ministry agent, a job he manages with courage, common sense, and generosity. He soon finds himself at the center of a high-profile case. The Infernal Machine, which is how Parisians describe the primitive bomb that barely missed killing Napoleon en-route to the Opera, has left few traces, which are the focus of a carefully executed hunt. The pace escalates into nail-biting action and a deadly confrontation, followed by the enticing prospect of romance for our hero . Meanwhile, as Duval's efforts bring him closer to rounding up all the ringleaders in the Royalist plot, a friend is turning out to be different from how he appeared. New adventures unfold. Michele McGrath knows how to tell a great story, from beginning to end!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10456095-anne-carlisle
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Already ten five-star ratings for Anne Carlisle's newly released
best-seller in the paranormal ebook collection of LazyDay Publishing!
THE
SIREN'S TALE is a stand alone novel
and the second in Anne Carlisle's HOME
SCHOOLING series. The author
has been compared to Anne Rice and Erica Jong (Jong gave us the "zipless
fuck"). The series is a sexy, smart saga about a family of sirens
operating as humans, offering a new twist on the paranormal-historical
romance field for New Adult
readers.
This novel features three generations of gifted, bawdy
sirens, following them from 1900 to modern times. The suspense deepens when the sirens get tangled in their
own webs and struggle against the dark, punishing presence of a family
curse. The central story traces the
history of Cassandra Vye, a talented, gorgeous, and highly intelligent siren
whose libertine behavior brings about the a family curse in a remote Wyoming village at the turn of
the century. After luring the town's choicest bachelors into her net, she goes on to San Francisco, finding fame and
additional affairs. The dire fates of her lovers are cautionary for her
descendant, Marlena Bellum, a young architect conflicted on what to do about an
illicit pregnancy by a powerful man and a budding romance with an old flame.
Meanwhile, Cassandra's grandson, a demon in disguise has penetrated the family.
More hot romance and calamity await the dramatically haunted sirens, so stay
tuned for book three.
A different take on the paranormal field, Anne Carlisle's
siren series addresses young women's career decisions, family connections, and
sexual relationships, New Adult issues explored from the perspective of female
beings with supernatural powers. The
sirens are free spirits who stand up against bigotry and intolerance. They
achieve their HFN's through an unabashed love of their own sexuality. They grow
toward an understanding of their own natures
aided by the fabulous power of storytelling. Are you a siren in human form?
LINKS TO VIEW OR BUY THE BOOK:
http://amzn.to/175YqQe Amazon
http://bit.ly/18p8Ycs B&N
Short Links:
http://amzn.to/175YqQe Amazon
http://bit.ly/18p8Ycs B&N
http://bit.ly/18AISlr
Lazy Day
http://bit.ly/17CbJHh
All Romance Ebooks
http://bit.ly/15vShzU
Goodreads
BLOG APPEARANCE 9/7 ON Coffee Time Romance:
Monday, August 26, 2013
8/27/2013 New Adult Tour Spotlight
Synopsis: Nineteen-year-old Emily is new to pairs skating,
but she and her partner Chris have a big dream–to be the first American team to
win Olympic gold. Their young coach Sergei, who left Russia after a mysterious
end to his skating career, believes they can break through and make history.
Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily's dreams of gold.
Author bio:
Jennifer Comeaux earned a Master of Accounting from Tulane University and is a Certified Public Accountant in south Louisiana. While working in the corporate world, she sought a creative outlet and decided to put on paper a story that had played in her head for years. That story became Life on the Edge, her first published novel.
When not working or writing, she is an avid follower of the sport of figure skating, travelling to competitions around the country. Those experiences allow her to see another side of the sport and serve as an inspiration for her writing.
Find Jennifer on:
http://www.facebook.com/jennifercomeauxauthor
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5368434.Jennifer_Comeaux
Emily and Chris are on track to be top contenders at the 2002 Winter Games. But when forbidden feelings spark between Emily and Sergei, broken trust and an unexpected enemy threaten to derail Emily's dreams of gold.
Author bio:
Jennifer Comeaux earned a Master of Accounting from Tulane University and is a Certified Public Accountant in south Louisiana. While working in the corporate world, she sought a creative outlet and decided to put on paper a story that had played in her head for years. That story became Life on the Edge, her first published novel.
When not working or writing, she is an avid follower of the sport of figure skating, travelling to competitions around the country. Those experiences allow her to see another side of the sport and serve as an inspiration for her writing.
Find Jennifer on:
http://www.facebook.com/jennifercomeauxauthor
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5368434.Jennifer_Comeaux
B&N - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/life-on-the-edge-jennifer-comeaux/1108128017?ean=2940013689534
Thursday, July 11, 2013
New release! THE SIREN'S TALE
The Siren's Tale, by Anne Carlisle, LazyDay Publishing
5 star review from Donn: "Anne Carlisle combines erotic, siren-infused romance with a fictional view of rustic frontier Wyoming in THE SIREN’s TALE, the second book in the HOME SCHOOLING TRILOGY. The dominance of the educated, cunning, and alluring sirens over their male conquests makes Carlisle’s novel a staple on the nightstand of female readers seeking steamy paranormal passion. However, the story also contains abundant suspense, capable of pulling readers of all genres anxiously through the novel -- page to page, chapter to chapter."
5 star review from Rick F. "Everything a great novel should be! Anne Carlisle is a magnificent writer! The Siren's Song has it all..a superb plot, characters who jump off the page and a wonderfully macabre tinge of supernatural! I loved this book!!"
The Siren's Tale (Home Schooling #2)
5 star review from Donn: "Anne Carlisle combines erotic, siren-infused romance with a fictional view of rustic frontier Wyoming in THE SIREN’s TALE, the second book in the HOME SCHOOLING TRILOGY. The dominance of the educated, cunning, and alluring sirens over their male conquests makes Carlisle’s novel a staple on the nightstand of female readers seeking steamy paranormal passion. However, the story also contains abundant suspense, capable of pulling readers of all genres anxiously through the novel -- page to page, chapter to chapter."
5 star review from Rick F. "Everything a great novel should be! Anne Carlisle is a magnificent writer! The Siren's Song has it all..a superb plot, characters who jump off the page and a wonderfully macabre tinge of supernatural! I loved this book!!"
The Siren's Tale (Home Schooling #2)
by Anne Carlisle (Goodreads Author)
The sexual pursuits of a siren in human form, operating in the Old West, makes for charming erotic-paranormal entertainment and spicy inspiration for Young Adult and New Adult readers. Female power and intellect clash with rustic superstition as the siren seeks a life of fiery passion. Deadly consequences arise for Cassandra's human lovers, owing to a curse that deflects her paranormal powers toward the dark side. The frame poses contemporary questions: Will the youngest gifted woman learn from her ancestor's exploits? Can a siren's voracious appetite for adventurous passion be reconciled with core human values.
Literary readers will enjoy the theme of storytelling's power of storytelling to alter one's life.
LINKS:
http://www.lazydaypub.com/store/Home-....
http://www.amazon.com/Sirens-Tale-Hom...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/prod...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...(less)
Literary readers will enjoy the theme of storytelling's power of storytelling to alter one's life.
LINKS:
http://www.lazydaypub.com/store/Home-....
http://www.amazon.com/Sirens-Tale-Hom...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-s...
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/prod...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...(less)
Friday, March 1, 2013
New Fast-Paced Shapeshifter Novel
For me, there is a
cartoonish quality to the rapidity with which things change in the shapeshifter
world. Authors of such fiction sometimes offer not more than a sentence for readers to digest exactly who or what is seen
before she/he/it wings into a new shape, gender, or essence. I had a dizzying
experience at the opening of Emperor's Hostages by Gloria Piper.
I re-read the prologue several
times and still was confused about what happens in the woods and the basic nature
of the two characters. In chapter 2, the point-of-view suddenly switches into
first person, and as to the identity of the narrative voice, I was clueless.
In my opinion, the overall pace needs to be slowed and care
taken to be clearer, especially since multiple characters abound on every page. That said, the sentences in themselves are finely
honed bits of work, with excellent imagery and action verbs.
Here is a typical paragraph, at the midpoint.
"Meanwhile rumors and speculation flooded the Cloister, reaching En and
Yon, two brothers newly fated by the Wheel to grub in the Cloister. They hoed to the end of the field, dropped
their tools, and slid into the bushes. I
alerted ben Saludin, he told Zhin, and Zhin found them. The new men hollowed out their hiding places
in the bamboo. "
There is powerful writing here -short, active verbs driving the sentences -
that would be invigorating to read,
except for too many characters being
thrown together. In this same paragraph, besides the aforementioned
characters, there are "landlord knights," "servants," "the festival crowd, "and "two
fugitives." Too many to keep track
of and too much to digest in a short space for my comfort zone. However, this
book would be an excellent read "as is" for those who can't get
enough shapeshifting and rapid-fire
action.
Anne Carlisleauthor of the Home Schooling trilogy
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