Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romance. Show all posts

May 20, 2014

Cover Reveal – Kisses by Clockwork edited by Liz Grzyb

Please find below the cover of the forthcoming Steampunk romance anthology from Ticonderoga,  Kisses by Clockwork, edited by Liz Grzyb. It will feature 16 stories of Steampunk romance.  pre-orders can be made through Indiebooksonline.com

 

kisses-by-clockwork-web

The TOC is as follows:

  • Marilag Angway, "Smuggler's Deal"
  • Cherith Baldry, "The Venetian Cat"
  • Gio Clairval, "The Writing Cembalo"
  • M L D Curelas, "Ironclad"
  • Ray Dean, "Practically Perfect"
  • Stephanie Gunn, "Escapement"
  • Richard Harland, "The Kiss of Reba Maul"
  • Rebecca Harwell, "Love in the Time of Clockwork Horses"
  • Faith Mudge, "Descension"
  • Nicole Murphy, "The Wild Colonial Clockwork Boy"
  • Katrina Nicholson, "Lady Presto Magnifico and the Disappearing Glass Ceiling"
  • Anthony Panegyres, "The Tic-Toc Boy of Constantinople"
  • Amanda Pillar, "A Clockwork Heart"
  • Angela Rega, "The Law of Love"
  • Carol Ryles, "Siri and the Chaos-Maker"
  • DC White, "South, to Glory"
  •  


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    Dec 5, 2012

    eBook Review–Flesh by Kylie Scott

    wpid-9781743340806_Flesh_cover

    Zombies and erotic romance, though not erotica with the Zombies cause that’s a “hot, wet mess”, to quote a line from the book, of a rather icky kind.

    No, Kylie gives us an erotic romance set in a post apocalyptic, post zombie infected Brisbane.  The end of civilisation as we know it, throws characters together that perhaps would not have met and formed relationships otherwise.

    It was Scott’s energy and humour in the free first chapter that intrigued me and the rest of the novel didn’t disappoint.

    Now it is erotica and if you blush rather easily or prefer sex between characters to be handled off page, then you probably won’t enjoy Flesh. Though you could just read the action scenes.

    Scott’s a fan of B grade horror movies so I was expecting something a little more camp.  The background is light, but has an Australian flavour it carries the romance and the action well. Anything more would possibly have distracted us from the aim of the novel which was to arouse and entertain.  So I was pleasantly surprised at the action genre elements she presented.

    There’s almost as much action as their is romance and I find myself a little surprised at how balanced the novel is.  I don’t know what I was expecting, my erotica reading has been limited to short stories which regardless of whether they are considered literature or “smut” tend to be a brief set-up followed by an “action scene”.

    Flesh features a good number of sex scenes, some unconventional and kinky but these are carried along by well structured action story and some decent emotional characterisations.

    My one concern throughout the novel was that Ali was a bit passive.  There is character growth though and the relationship between her, Finn and Daniel is fairly even by the end.

    It was fun, eminently readable ( I could not get past the first paragraph of Fifty Shades) and I must admit that I will be interested in the follow up novel – for the characters of course.

    In all seriousness, it’s a good blend of erotica, action and romance. The romance tag might put male readers off, but I’d say they’d be missing out.

    This book was provided by the publisher at no cost


    awwc2012_thumb[1]This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

     

     


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    Sep 19, 2012

    Book Review–Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

    alice-in-zombielandYou might be mistaken for thinking that Alice in Zombieland is another of those faddish hacks of copyright free classic literature.  You’ll be relived to know its not.

    While it does tip its hat several times to the classic, it is very much its own tale. Alice in Zombieland is an “action and romance lite” book aimed at the teen market and chiefly the female portion of it.

    While clearly not being the target market for Harlequin Teen, being closer to 40 than to 15 and male, I didn’t find it a chore to read. 
    Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that's all it took.
    One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone. Her father was right. The monsters are real. 

    To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.
    Considering it’s written in first person, from the point of view of a 16 year girl, Showalter’s done an excellent job of varying action and introspection, dialogue and description.  At no time did I feel trapped inside the head of the most boring teen on earth.

    I have described it as “action lite”, for aside from one particular scene, the action and the violence lacks a sense of verisimilitude. I never get a sense of horror, visceral or emotional.  To be fair, it’s a teen novel and I think this is a deliberate choice by Showalter.

    The romance is tame too, a little sexual tension, a lot of heavy breathing and petting and a definite suggestion that teens should be “safe” when exploring their sexuality in both the physical and emotional sense.

    I found the Zombies and their raison d'ĂȘtre a little weak and two dimensional for my tastes - being that of an experienced speculative fiction reader.  For your average teen just looking for a hero to smack down some <insert evil monster here> and experience some vicarious romance it’s quite good.  Think Buffy the Vampire slayer as opposed to Dracula.

    Alice Bell our protagonist, is strong and forthright, but still occasionally vulnerable.  I get a sense of a well rounded teen and a good role model.  She’s young woman who is prepared to challenge the male lead in the story.

    I’d recommend Alice in Zombieland for the 13 to 16 age bracket.  It’s not that sort of young adult book that will have the depth that older, more experienced readers are looking for.

    This ARC was provided to me at no cost by the publisher.

    Released in paperback in October 2012

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