Rebecca Hunter's Blog, page 10
January 18, 2017
Pretending He's Mine by Lauren Blakely
This fall, I wrote a quick, sexy book with (hopefully) a good twist of humor. If the right people like it, I'll be writing three more of these. So lately, I've turned my reading in this direction, looking for authors who do this kind fast-paced story well - more humor than melodrama.Then I got an email from a list I probably signed up for at some point but never bothered to unsubscribe from: Pretending He's Mine, one of Lauren Blakely's first books, is free right now. Perfect. I've bought some of Blakely's books, but I probably wouldn't have searched through her backlist without this prompt. Now I will.If you haven't heard of Lauren Blakely, she's a self-publishing phenomenon. She started in 2013 (I think), toward the end of what many are calling the "Gold Rush" era of self-publishing. Some authors that came out on top during this time were more right place, right time, and some were really good. Blakely? She's really good.This book is set in New York and uses the faux-engagement-turns-into-more trope: Sutton Brenner is up for the job of her dreams, and she needs a fiancé to pull it off. Enter Reese, talented, sexy actor barely making ends meet. Sutton hires him for a rather unconventional acting job: her pseudo-fiancé for a week. Except this “pretend” relationship, which includes some “practice” action, starts to feel less and less like acting.We all know where this one is heading, right? But I still had a great time reading it, and I wanted to figure out why. Here’s what I came up with.Blakely delivers exactly what she promises on the cover and in the book’s blurb: sexy, fast-moving fun. A few twists but no real surprises. Just fun.Strong, witty dialogue. Truth be told, I have been known to do some skimming when romances get too predictable or when a scene hasn’t caught my attention and I know it’s not essential to the story. In this book, I enjoyed the dialogue enough not to skim.The story isn’t angst-y. I can enjoy a dose of angst as much as any romance reader, but I get a little weighed down by it, too. This book has no terrible pasts, no hidden secrets, no threats to anyone’s life… and the story still manages to be a high-energy page-turner! That’s a real accomplishment, and I think she does it through plain old good writing. Strong, believable characters, good plot set-up and (see #2) snappy dialogue.Strong female lead.Anything more to add? I’m a fan of fun, sexy romance, and Pretending He’s Mine was definitely worth my time.
November 28, 2016
A Winter Wedding by Brenda Novak
Since we moved from snowy Sweden to warmish California, I’ve had a thing about winter. Every year, when November rolls around, I start thinking about sledding and ice skating and evenings by a cozy fire, watching the snow fall outside. And because this is my fantasy, I ignore all memories of shoveling the sidewalk, scraping the ice off the car and losing the feeling in my fingertips.
So what does a California girl do to get that winter feeling? Read winter/holiday romances, of course!
A reader suggested Brenda Novak’s Christmas-themed stories, so when I saw A Winter Wedding on sale for $.99, it seemed like the perfect book to start my winter reading kick.
Novak’s fictional Whiskey Creek is exactly what a small town romance setting should be. It has a cozy downtown with quaint small businesses and time-tested traditions, such as the town’s Victorian Days Christmas celebration. It’s populated with quirky, often nosy characters who know everyone else’s business. This book is the first book I’ve read in her series, but Novak did a good job of introducing me to already-established characters without bogging down the story with past plotlines.
Why does this book work? What I liked best was the steady pace Novak used to unfold the romance itself. Kyle and Lourdes are together on most of the pages (except for their predictable split towards the very end), and we watch them have fun and grow to like and understand each other. Even when the budding couple is not together, we follow action that directly affects their relationship.
Like any small town romance, A Winter Wedding didn’t have surprising plot twists or melodrama in the romance. The story gave me exactly what I was looking for when I picked up my e-reader yesterday evening: a cozy winter escape, with a little heat and a slow-growing, satisfying relationship. If this is what you’re looking for, Brenda Novak does it well!
November 23, 2016
Redeployment by Phil Klay
Looking for gritty, heart-wrenching, punch-in-the-gut stories with great writing? Look no further.
The common thread in this collection is the absurdity of what men face in Iraq (the author doesn't take up women in the war zone). It's not anti-war per se. The stories are personal, in the tradition of Tim O'Brian's The Things They Carried. The stories range from a Catch 22-like satire about a misguided donation of baseball gear in a war-torn area to a re-integration story that includes a soldier's first trip to the mall after a tour to a clergyman's helplessness in the face of all the fear and death on the front lines.
I read this book as research for a new series I'm writing, but it's good enough to recommend to anyone who wants to start to understand what's going on in Iraq. Well worth the read.
November 17, 2016
Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!
Hi everyone!
As a thank-you to my readers, I'm giving away two gift cards to start off your holiday season! I'll draw one name the last minutes of Friday, November 18th, Pacific time, and I'll draw a second name according to the clock on my website. Click here to enter
Hope to see you all there!
xoxo,
Rebecca
As a thank-you to my readers, I'm giving away two gift cards to start off your holiday season! I'll draw one name the last minutes of Friday, November 18th, Pacific time, and I'll draw a second name according to the clock on my website. Click here to enter
Hope to see you all there!
xoxo,
Rebecca
November 11, 2016
A Message of Hope
Dear Readers,
I’ve rewritten the beginning of this letter a couple times. I debated whether to even mention recent events in the U.S., but after a particularly tumultuous week, I decided to add a few words of thanks and hope to the current storm.
I write romance, which isn’t often political. And yet, embedded in my Stockholm Diaries stories are values that I hold about love, tolerance and understanding of others who come from different places – places on the map but also emotional places. These are not values that belong to only one political group.
My U.S. readers come from both red and blue states, from both conservative and liberal backgrounds. My international readers come from many different cultures all over the world. As I sat down to write this letter, I realized that my hope for a better future is grounded in my stories and in you, my readers. I am so honored and heartened that you all want to read books about (hot!) men and women who overcome differences through understanding and love. Buying and reading my books are votes for these values. Thank you.
xoxo,
Rebecca
I’ve rewritten the beginning of this letter a couple times. I debated whether to even mention recent events in the U.S., but after a particularly tumultuous week, I decided to add a few words of thanks and hope to the current storm.
I write romance, which isn’t often political. And yet, embedded in my Stockholm Diaries stories are values that I hold about love, tolerance and understanding of others who come from different places – places on the map but also emotional places. These are not values that belong to only one political group.
My U.S. readers come from both red and blue states, from both conservative and liberal backgrounds. My international readers come from many different cultures all over the world. As I sat down to write this letter, I realized that my hope for a better future is grounded in my stories and in you, my readers. I am so honored and heartened that you all want to read books about (hot!) men and women who overcome differences through understanding and love. Buying and reading my books are votes for these values. Thank you.
xoxo,
Rebecca
September 26, 2016
NERFA Winner - Yay!!
I'm really excited to announce that my first book, Stockholm Diaries, Caroline, Caroline, won the 2016 National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award in the Contemporary Series category!
I started this series as a tribute to all the interesting stories of romance, hard choices and, ultimately, love that I heard from other ex-pats living in Sweden. I've thrown in some of the fun and sometimes baffling details about living in Sweden, and the next two books coming in the series have more!
In a world full of so many great books, I'm so happy that mine stood out for the judges. I hope you enjoy this story, too!
I started this series as a tribute to all the interesting stories of romance, hard choices and, ultimately, love that I heard from other ex-pats living in Sweden. I've thrown in some of the fun and sometimes baffling details about living in Sweden, and the next two books coming in the series have more!
In a world full of so many great books, I'm so happy that mine stood out for the judges. I hope you enjoy this story, too!
August 25, 2016
Lost among the Living by Simone St. James
When my author friend Jane George loaned me one of her favorite books, Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James, I had no idea what I was in for.
“Hard to categorize. A ghost story. A love story. A mystery.”
She’s a discerning reader, so I knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong. Even so, I found much more than I expected. But first let me back up a bit.
I’ll admit that I’ve read Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca more than once. The main character (never named) is hopelessly outdated for my modern sensibilities, but still I find the book a compelling read. The dark, gothic backdrop, the web of family secrets and the one thing that saves the characters from drowning in the heaviness – love – have kept this book in continuous print since 1938.
Clearly, I’m not the only writer who finds this book compelling. Lost Among the Living is a fantastic tribute to Rebecca, and the same characteristic make this book come alive. It’s the story of a war widow who returns the estate of her husband’s family as a paid companion to find a worn estate of gothic proportions, a ghost (a bit of a Jane Eyre twist, in fact!) and family secrets. She uncovers layers of the past in an attempt to find her way back to the husband she’s afraid she’s lost forever.
It took me more than a couple chapters to catch onto the parallels, despite the fact that the main character is named Jo Manders, and her aunt-in-law/employer (an interesting twist on the Mrs. Danvers character) calls her Manders from the first pages on. For those of you who read Rebecca a while back, Manderley is the name of de Winter’s estate. I could go on about the parallels, but you’ll have more fun discovering them yourself.
“Hard to categorize. A ghost story. A love story. A mystery.”
She’s a discerning reader, so I knew she wouldn’t steer me wrong. Even so, I found much more than I expected. But first let me back up a bit.
I’ll admit that I’ve read Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca more than once. The main character (never named) is hopelessly outdated for my modern sensibilities, but still I find the book a compelling read. The dark, gothic backdrop, the web of family secrets and the one thing that saves the characters from drowning in the heaviness – love – have kept this book in continuous print since 1938.
Clearly, I’m not the only writer who finds this book compelling. Lost Among the Living is a fantastic tribute to Rebecca, and the same characteristic make this book come alive. It’s the story of a war widow who returns the estate of her husband’s family as a paid companion to find a worn estate of gothic proportions, a ghost (a bit of a Jane Eyre twist, in fact!) and family secrets. She uncovers layers of the past in an attempt to find her way back to the husband she’s afraid she’s lost forever.
It took me more than a couple chapters to catch onto the parallels, despite the fact that the main character is named Jo Manders, and her aunt-in-law/employer (an interesting twist on the Mrs. Danvers character) calls her Manders from the first pages on. For those of you who read Rebecca a while back, Manderley is the name of de Winter’s estate. I could go on about the parallels, but you’ll have more fun discovering them yourself.
August 18, 2016
Box Set Cover Reveal!
Hi everyone! I'm a part of a multi-author box set of steamy contemporary romances called Twenty Times Tempted! Free on KU, tons of great authors.
Curious? Check it out and add it to your TBR list!!
xoxo,
Rebecca
July 31, 2016
Summer Giveaway #3 is Here!
Summer Giveaway #3 for newsletter subscribers has begun - check your inboxes and don't forget to enter using the Rafflecopter link!!
The books:
Not a subscriber yet? Follow this link:
http://eepurl.com/btDxHz
xoxo,
Rebecca
The books:
Not a subscriber yet? Follow this link:
http://eepurl.com/btDxHz
xoxo,
Rebecca
July 11, 2016
Stockholm Diaries, Melanie $.99 promo!
This week, I'm flying down for my first Romance Writers of American national conference, and in celebration of this event, Stockholm Diaries, Melanie will be $.99!I'm really excited to listen to what so many of my own favorite romance authors have to say. I'm not even sure who will be there, but if I got to choose, I'd love to sit down and have a round-table talk with Lisa Kleypas, author some of the best heroes, Cara McKenna author some of my favorite sexy, emotional books, and Sylvia Day one of the most savvy businesswomen in the industry!
More realistically, I'm looking forward to meeting some other great authors I admire, such as Zoe York and Xio Axelrod.
If you're in San Diego, stop by and say hello to me at the Indie Author Signing on Thursday, July 14!
