I’m late! Ack! Sorry! August has been a hellacious month, teething baby, deadline for a proposal, not to mention the three, yes three, novellas/short stories I’ve written since the start of the killer 70 Days of Sweat. I’m also more than half way done with the current WIP, titled The Missing and I’ve done edits on One of the Guys and For the Love of Jazz, both due out this fall.
So yes, I slacked on the BOMC, I admit it.
BUT! I have done some reading. I read Ann Christopher’s Trouble and liked it. I reread Nora Robert’s Rebellion (uhhhhhmmmmmm… the MacGregors….I’ll admit that a certain juvenile part of me wants to have a tantrum that we won’t see any more of Daniel or the rest of the clan…sniffle) and I’m working on Moongazer by Marianne Mancusi~working because the idea interests me but I hate first person. Normally, I’d toss it back to the TBR pile or the giveaway pile but the idea is pulling me so I am going to work past my hate of first person and read it.
But I have read something that I absolutely loved and it’s going to be my BOMC….Night Play, by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The readers over at the BDB yahoo group mentioned this one and after I saw it multiple times, I had to get it and oh, man am i glad I did. Vane and Bride…. ummmmmmm…. wonderful book there. loved loved loved it.
It was mentioned after a couple of the group members asked for suggestions for books with plus sized heroines. Now I am plus-sized, but I didn’t pick it up because of that, and I didn’t pick it up at all until several people started raving about it.
Plus sized doesn’t matter to me. Just liking the heroine is all I care about and way too many books with plus sized heroines seem to feature the heroine as just about hating herself because of her weight. How can I like her if she doesn’t like herself? More, how can I like a book if it makes me feel that much more self conscious about my own weight?
Night Play did none of that. Yes, the heroine wished she weighed less, but she didn’t dwell on it too much. Some, yes. But not too much. And the hero loved her.
He didn’t have a fat fetish and that’s another one of my pet peeves about romance books with plus sized heroines. Comments like he loved her big, jiggly ass do not strike me as erotic, romantic or hot. I see those in a book and I throw it. Literally. And I probably won’t ever buy the author again. Yeah, I have a big butt and the DH incidentally does like it, but if he called it a big, jiggly ass, I’d smack him. So I don’t want to read that kind of line either.
I was a little leery of reading the book just because it did have a plus sized heroine and too many books with plus sized heroines hit my pet peeves. Not this one.
Vane was romantic, he loved her as she was and saw her as perfect. Bride accepted herself and came to see that Vane loved her without pulling any stupid crap that also makes me want to hurl a book.
This was just, plain and simply, a very good, very hot, very sweet romance. I enjoyed it so much that I went out and bought Valerius and Tabitha’s story, although I haven’t read it yet. I also want Fang and Fury’s stories.
While I’m not haunting her website and looking for bits and morsels of the next books, and while I haven’t bought every book on her backlist, I can definitely say I am loving what I’ve read so far from SK.
Since it’s so late in the month, Night Play is going to go thru August and September as the BOMC. This is a contest which means there is a prize and the prize is Night Play. If you’ve already read it, join in anyway and if you win, you and me will work something out.
As always, the way to win the book is join in on the discussion. FYI, I count DISCUSSION as something like, Hey, I read that book and I loved this about it or that… or a comment like, I don’t normally read her because…. You can offer suggestions for me or other bloggers, books you’ve read and loved, etc etc. But I’d love to win this isn’t really discussing. It’s sort of boring and I do hate being bored. ;o)
You can comment as many times as you like, but I draw the name by ISP so you will only be entered once, and it’s YOUR responsiblity to check back at the end of September to see if you win. Reading my blog regularly greatly increases your chances of seeing your name… but that isn’t why I do it that way. I’ve got too much to do to track down winners and after I’d wasted a week trying get ahold of one, I decided now the winners have to contact me.
Soooooo…. who has read it? Who has loved it? Got any recs for me?
August 21, 2007 at 4:42 pm
I LOVED this book too! I am a little behind in reading a few of her new ones, but I started with Fantasy Lover. (The first book) It had me hooked and I had to pick up all of her books. She is a keeper for me and an auto buy. I’ve heard all the talk on the BDB yahoo group as well and I really need to go back and read Night Play again!
August 21, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I loved the book too. As a plus size myself I was glad to read a book where there wasn’t a lot of fuss made over it. Pirate has always said that he prefers to get his arms around a bit of flesh not skin and bones so I have a healthy attitude to my plumpness and it was nice that Vane made Bride feel the same way.
As to any recommendations, you already seem to read most of my faves (BDB etc.) so I thought I would mention a new writer I recently came across – Karen Chance. Her first book Touch The Dark had me hooked from page one and I already have her second book on my wishlist
August 21, 2007 at 7:14 pm
I’ve read all the Dark-Hunter books I love this series. I went to her release party for her new book Devil May Cry in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the 6th of this month. She is absolutely hysterical and I can’t believe that she has dyslexia. What a great accomplishment for a writer to tackle. I haven’t read the new book yet I’m keeping it to read for a special occassion. I know that the signing was video taped and is suppossed to be available online on the 23rd. I think the site is Bordersmedia.com. I’m anxiously awaiting to see it since I was there and sat in the front row. I had my book signed and me and my friends had our pictures taken with her. I highly reccommend this series and loved the book Night Play.
August 21, 2007 at 8:02 pm
I loved it. Once of the best of the Dark-Hunter series, IMO. Vane was such a perfect hero, he embodied all my favorite qualities. And I loved the dynamic between them. Recs…are you reading Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan series yet? If not, check out Shards of Honor/Barrayar, also published as the 2-in-1 omnibus Cordelia’s Honor. If you like the Stardoc series, I think you’d really like the Vorkosigan series.
August 21, 2007 at 8:02 pm
I agree with mum, (ilona)about her weight too. I love SK, she is one heck of an author.
You totally have to read zarek’s story though, Dance with the Devil! He is an arrogant a*s but oh man do you love his character. I must have reread that book about ten times, I really wish i could write like her.
PS i got half way on my WIP a few days ago thanks to 70days, i can’t believe how well you’re doing. Then again you’re published lol.
Ayla (AJ O’Donovan on 70days)
August 21, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Teresa, believe it or not, dyslexia, at least mild forms of it, isn’t uncommon. I have a mild form of it, but my issue has to do with numbers.
me and numbers dont’ always get along, I tend to transpose entire sums. bad bad bad for balancing the checkbook.
ohhhhh books…. list more books…
August 22, 2007 at 1:55 am
This is one of my favorite by Sk just because of the way Vane was with Bride. He just plain liked her just as she was. He didn’t even see anyone else for her.
August 22, 2007 at 1:56 am
oh btw I want fang and fury’s books too. Wish she would write the darn things.
August 22, 2007 at 10:44 pm
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was that while Bride was a plus sized woman, that factor wasn’t the central part of the story, it was just who she was. I’ve read all of the Dark-Hunter series, except the last two which I have but haven’t had a chance to read yet. My favorite so far is Unleash the Night. While all the Hunters have had a tragic life, his just comes across moreso than the others. I met Sherrilyn at a book signing in Denver a couple of weeks ago and asked if she would ever write Simi’s book…she said maybe a cookbook!
August 26, 2007 at 1:21 am
[...] Post is here, along with the rules. [...]
August 29, 2007 at 12:27 am
I liked this book because Vane didn’t care what size Bride was!
I have “Devil May Cry” in my TBR pile since my bro is reading it right now! LOL!
August 30, 2007 at 7:13 pm
This was definitely one of my top three in the Dark Hunter series. I did appreciate that Bride was self-conscious about her weight, but didn’t obsess about it. It was a nice balance between bringing it up as a personal issue without overdoing it.
I loved Vane and got such a kick out of his interactions with Fury. Rolicking fun book and that ending scene with Fang was wonderful.
My only minor complaint was that scene where Vane rolls up on his motorcycle, kisses Bride, whips out his cell phone and uses his enormous bank account to pay off the movers. It was a bit campy. Although, I think that’s part of the appeal of the books.
If you haven’t read Dance with the Devil by SK, I’d suggest that as well. It was my favorite of the series.
Another suggestion is Deidre Knight’s Parallel series. I love the blend of scifi and romance in those.
September 7, 2007 at 2:08 am
[...] September 7, 2007 A little bit of this, a little of that…a new cover…the contest Posted by shilohwalker under BOMC , Trivial Pursuits , Covers Just a reminder about August/September’s BOMContest. [...]
September 22, 2007 at 1:52 am
[...] Contest details are with the post, found here. http://shilohwalker.wordpress.com/2007/08/21/bomc-for-augustseptember/ [...]
September 22, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I haven’t read Night Play. It sounds like the type of book I’d enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation!
September 22, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I auto buy all the Dark Hunter books, and really enjoyed Vane’s story. I especially enjoyed the ending when Vane deals with his parents, that was perfect. Plus Sherrilyn has an amazing picture of her Vane on the website. Makes for a great visual while reading the book. I just received my copy of Devil May Cry. Sherrilyn is one of those authors that I don’t mind paying the hardcover price.
September 22, 2007 at 10:01 pm
I’ve read Night Play, and enjoyed it. I’d also second Charlene’s recommendation. I’m currently reading the second omnibus, titled Young Miles which contains two of her novels and a novella. Quite good fun.
September 22, 2007 at 11:23 pm
I haven’t read any of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s books yet but this one sounds really good. I’m glad to hear so many people loved it. That makes me want to read it even more!
September 26, 2007 at 1:06 pm
[...] BOMContest ends soon. If you haven’t entered…. you can do so here. Make sure you read the post and know the rules for [...]
September 26, 2007 at 7:01 pm
I have Night Play, have read it several times. It’s probably about my third favorite of the series – after Zarek and Astrid and then Tabitha and Val. Unfortunately Kenyon’s no longer an autobuy for me. The last book pissed me off too bad. Once you set rules for your world, at least give the readers an explanation if you then violate those rules.
October 1, 2007 at 2:31 am
I hope I made the deadline, lol!
This is one of my FAVORITE DH books!
I found Bride to be intelligent and smart, and Vane seemed to be extremelly altruistic and thoughtful. I felt that we were actually able to grow with the characters while watching their relationship progress which is very important to me. I also felt drawn to the story – I hate to say it but there are a few DH books that have recently come out that have just bored me because I didn’t feel like I connected with the characters. I am not plus size but I am certainly not a stick figure, and I found it refreshing that Bride was a real woman with real issues that real people can relate too!
October 1, 2007 at 2:34 am
oh I am on eastern time and its still sept 30th 10:30pm
not oct 1st at 2:31am 