The 10 minutes before I sleep.

I’ve fallen out of the rhythm of blogging for a number of reasons, but something has stirred inside me–an inspiration to get back into it. I’m a creature of habit, and so I plan to make a new one.  A Monday post about what I’m reading.

Sadly, I lost my primary reading opportunity–audiobooks on my commute–three weeks ago, when my kids started joining me for the 1-1.5 hour round-trip each day. Since then, I have listened to the same Fancy Nancy stories countless times, instead of the grown-up novels I prefer. There’s something cool about sharing books with the twins, but I do miss my adult reads.

Consequently, I’m forced to choose what I read carefully.  And, currently, I don’t have time to read things I’m compulsive about. By compulsive I mean the absolutely delicious audiobooks of Laura Kinsale novels narrated by Nicholas Boulton, to which I have lost many hours of sleep.  I just can’t afford book hangovers when my only writing time is at 5 a.m.  Romance is largely a genre of page-turners, but for now I’m choosing the slow reads, which I can enjoy five or ten pages of before my eyelids begin drooping. If you have any slow-build romance authors to recommend, please share!

It’s a delicious feeling to settle into bed, warm and ready for sleep, and to pick up a book. The one I’m presently enjoying is the first Thursday Next novel, The Eyre Affair.

A little back story: in April, on a non-linear impulse, I listened to the fourth Thursday Next book on audio and enjoyed it. Months later, I undertook to write an “In Love with Nanny” story, and thought I should re-acquaint myself with Jane Eyre (which also included some yummy time watching Michael Fassbender as Rochester.)  When I found a few weeks ago that someone had abandoned the paperback at work, my next book was chosen for me by divine providence.

These Thursday Next novels are really peculiar.  They are full of wordplay and puns, most of which I am probably missing.  They are essentially extensive literary in-jokes, delightfully surreal, plotted like genre fiction but only sort-of, and just right for reading sporadically. You could probably re-read countless times and find new layers on each pass. I’m a third of the way in, and we’ve only once been tantalized with a Rochester appearance.  We’ve also just now met “the love interest” who I happen to know spoilers about, since I read out of order.  Thursday is a little bit noir, very droll, and quite likable.  These books probably aren’t a fit for people who prefer to read only romance, but since I’m a genre omnivore, I am already looking forward to brushing my teeth and then reading another half-chapter.

I also had the pleasure of reading the ARC of a debut by romance writer, Rebecca Grace Allen, who I *met* in those fun “Firsts” blog hops. Her novella, called The Duality Principle, will release November 11 from Samhain.

The story is smart, sexy, and passionate, with two lovable characters trying to make peace with the disparate parts of themselves.  I guess it’s a New Adult story, a genre I tend to avoid, but I enjoyed this one! Rebecca Grace has a lovely and natural voice, and it was fun to be inside both her sweet characters’ heads.  I have a high standard for fresh, believable internal conflict in erotic romance, and this book has it! I’ll definitely check out more of her work, and I recommend this fun, steamy summer-fling story. You can pre-order it now. And what a cute cover, right?

 

 

Two bits of news:

The box set of the Blood Vine series, featuring a short story about Pedro and Lucas called “Blood Eternal,” will release Oct 14. You’ll be able to get the story separately too, if you already own all three Blood Vine books.

And yay! I’ve sold a paranormal romance called Temptress in a Teapot to Lyrical Press, now part of Kensington. This book is dear to my heart and I’m so happy it will be released in July 2015.