Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What Are you Reading?
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Ah!!! Now I get it except...these are the opinions of my most conservative and capitalistic friends. So ordinarily this would be viewed as the greatest of goods!
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And I use the word "goods" deliberately! ;-D
Jordan wrote: "Will be starting JCP's Life is Awesome tonight! Squeeeee!"oh I've been dying to read that series - I'm going to bump it to the top of my tbr. I hope you love it.
Jordan wrote: "Will be starting JCP's Life is Awesome tonight! Squeeeee!"I have not started that series yet. I need to get on that.
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Anyway, I'm loving the last one, and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't read it yet to hurry up and do so! :-)
Ame wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just reread the first two books in the Captive Prince series in anticipation of Kings Rising releasing tomororw."OMG!! *drops every book I'm reading and start loo..."
It's so good!
Trioseven7 wrote: "I read Between Sinners and Saints and I'm glad I did - it was really good. Never loved that cover though...The Backup Boyfriend was also good - way better than I t..."
I agree. I went into The Backup Boyfriend expecting it to be very tropey, and I was pleasantly surprised.
Johanna wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just reread the first two books in the Captive Prince series in anticipation of Kings Rising releasing tomororw."Where's the LIKE button when one needs it?"
Tell me about it!
Jordan wrote: "Mnevermind is really good! I was both surprised and saddened when JCP told me this series didn't sell very well, which was why she didn't bring it with her to Seattle, where I was planning to buy the last book. Anyway, I'm loving the last one, and I highly recommend anyone who hasn't read it yet to hurry up and do so! :-) "
Oops, I mixed up Life is Awesome with Forget Me Not. It's ''Forget me Not'' which would get 7 stars, the other two books ''just'' 6 ;-).
I'm sorry to hear that this series isn't selling well.
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That series certainly has its fans! How wonderful the third book is soon to be released. :-)
Josh wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just reread the first two books in the Captive Prince series in anticipation of Kings Rising releasing tomororw."That series certainly has its fans! How wonderful..."
I can't with that series. Slave fic, fantasy or otherwise, is a giant, neon red, big fat NO with me. But then I barely tolerate BDSM light. Just not into power dynamics in my romance. I like my MCs equal.
Susinok wrote: "Josh wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just reread the first two books in the Captive Prince series in anticipation of Kings Rising releasing tomororw."That series certainly has its fans! ..."
I agree with you, Susinok. That is exactly why I have not picked up Captive Prince series.
Antonella wrote: "Jordan wrote: "Mnevermind is really good! I was both surprised and saddened when JCP told me this series didn't sell very well, which was why she didn't bring it with her to Seattle, where I was pl..."Antonella, you only gave Forget Me Not seven stars? Why not eight? I went for eight. :)
It is sad to hear about this series is selling poorly. It is arguably my favourite thing that she's written.
Haldis wrote: "Susinok wrote: "Josh wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just reread the first two books in the Captive Prince series in anticipation of Kings Rising releasing tomororw."That series certainl..."
I haven't read the books for a while, but I don't remember it being particularly slave fic-ey. Yeah, he's a prisoner and there's a lot of violence initially, but I remember it moving away from that. I'm not into slave stories and I picked it up because it was free and it turned out to not be icky at all. Looking forward to the big finale.
Johanna wrote: "Karen wrote: "I'm midway through Amy Rae Durreson's A Frost of Cares now and loving it. I also read In Heaven and Earth and Gaudete, thought both wer..."Johanna, Amy Rae Durreson has written several free novellas, if you want to try out her style for no money. Which is what I did and now I'm kind of obsessed.
-The Court of Lightning (I might like this one best, maybe)
-The Lodestar of Ys
-In Heaven and Earth. (I finished this just last night and it's delightful.)
-Emyr's Smile
And there are lots of free short things on her website, here: https://amyraenbow.wordpress.com/free...
I think maybe Gaudete might be my favourite of her stories. It's a holiday novella. I read it last year and it's really stayed with me. And Reawakening is wonderful. Okay, I just like all of her books. :)
Alison wrote: "Haldis wrote: "Susinok wrote: "Josh wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just reread the first two books in the Captive Prince series in anticipation of Kings Rising releasing tomororw."That ..."
I didn't think it was slave fic either. Damen being a slave is a big plot point, but it's not glorified and some of the social issues are explored. The blurb is a bit misleading.
Alison wrote: "Antonella, you only gave Forget Me Not seven stars? Why not eight? I went for eight. :)"I could definitely go for eight stars ;-).
Kirsten wrote: "Alison wrote: "Haldis wrote: "Susinok wrote: "Josh wrote: "Jordan wrote: "I just reread the first two books in the Captive Prince series in anticipation of Kings Rising releasing to..."Yes this is correct. It's hardly any sex in the first book and it's not at all a book about sexual slavery and bdsm. It's an adventure/fantasy story first and foremost so I don't think anyone should be afraid to pick it up and read it.
I honestly didn't expect much from this book, I went into it with no expectation especially since I'm not really into fantasy stories. I was broke and picked the first book up because it was free. I never ever expected to be sucked into it as I did. Thankfully I was on a holiday so I could read non stop (breakfast, lunch and dinner for the kids were pizza :D)
And the power balance is not as ill balanced as one might think. The second book ended in such away I've been PINING for the third one for what's felt like forever. So happy I can use February for this reading. Too bad RL is hectic as hell.
Susinok wrote: "Just not into power dynamics in my romance. I like my MCs equal. ! ..."It's funny you say that, because you never forget for a moment that Damen is a prince and heir to his kingdom, all through the story. Even though he's a slave, he always sees himself as Laurent's equal and he's always fighting to get back what was taken from him. The books are told from his POV, flawed though it is. I love that he's an unreliable narrator and that my opinions of the other characters changed as his do. It's really well written and layered.
Sounds like the blurb does it a disservice. Plus when you look at it, Amazon and Goodreads recommends other books that most definitely ARE Slave Fic in the BDSM sense.
Susinok wrote: "Sounds like the blurb does it a disservice. Plus when you look at it, Amazon and Goodreads recommends other books that most definitely ARE Slave Fic in the BDSM sense."Think of it a little more like Kirk Douglas's Spartacus (although without the slave revolt), and less like Anne Rice's Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. ;)
Ame wrote: "And the power balance is not as ill balanced as one might think. The second book ended in such away I've been PINING for the third one for what's felt like forever. So happy I can use February fo..."
This is what I like about this group. Getting my to consider books I wouldn't have otherwise because they have terrible blurbs but are actually good books. I will reconsider this series, download a sample.
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The second book ended in such away I've been PINING for the third one for what's felt like forever. So happy I can use..."
I've been thinking I need to read this too.
Maybe this should be a BOM? Someone could nominate it for April when we get there, since we've already chosen February and March.
Kirsten wrote: "Think of it a little more like Kirk Douglas's Spartacus (although without the slave revolt), and less like Anne Rice's Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. ;)..."
Ok sounds better. The blurb does seem misleading then.
Ame wrote: "The second book ended in such away I've been PINING for the third one for what's felt like forever. So happy I can use February fo..."I know! The ending point of the second one is marvellous. I decided today to re-read the first two to get all the build up again. I agree it's definitely a political fantasy adventure first. I'm always hesitant about books with a lot of hype, but I'm so glad I tried this one. I love fantasy, which is ultimately why I decided to read it, and I loved it. I just looked at the blurb and it certainly does the book no favours.
Ame wrote: "And the power balance is not as ill balanced as one might think. The second book ended in such away I've been PINING for the third one for what's felt like forever. So happy I can use February fo..."
Does it end with book 3? I bought book 1 and 2 ages ago but stopped at book 1 because book 3 hadn't been written. I will read all 3 later this year but I would like to know if book 3 is the conclusion.
I've read the first two parts when they were for free. I didn't share the general enthusiasm about them. Does the published version differs from that first one?A rec for something similar and excellent, still for free:
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I read that ages ago and I enjoyed it even though it was a slave story (not really my kind of stories). I remember this one was written really well and had a great ending.
I am reading two advanced copies from Riptide. Until September and Patchwork Paradise. They are both such lovely stories and thoroughly enjoyable gentle romances. Really great!
Ije the Devourer of Books wrote: "Ame wrote: "And the power balance is not as ill balanced as one might think. The second book ended in such away I've been PINING for the third one for what's felt like forever. So happy I can use..."
It does end with book three, Kings Rising. Pacat did say she was going to write three short stories to go with the universe, but they're going to be side stories.
Susinok wrote: "Sounds like the blurb does it a disservice. Plus when you look at it, Amazon and Goodreads recommends other books that most definitely ARE Slave Fic in the BDSM sense."That's probably due to the American publisher deciding to place it in that category. Here in Australia it is firmly in the fantasy section, at least in actual bookstores where I've seen it. Cannot recommend it highly enough, though perhaps if you have a low tolerance for violence/BDSM the beginning may be hard to get through.
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A rec for something similar and exc..."
I did read this one awhile ago and enjoyed it a lot.
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The second book ended in such away I've been PINING for the third one for what's fel..."
That's good to know. Then I'm more likely to pick it up, I think.
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That's prob..."
It reminds me just enough of the The Crystal Cave series, that I'm interested, even though I know they're nothing alike.
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Started Two Boys Kissing this morning. It's a YA told from the point of view of the ghosts of an older generation of gay men who didn't survive AIDS. They're looking down on gay teens today, watching them live. It's interesting, and kinda cute. Not at all what I was expecting.
Antonella wrote: "I've read the first two parts when they were for free. I didn't share the general enthusiasm about them. Does the published version differs from that first one?A rec for something similar and exc..."
The Violet and the Tom is excellent. I'm usually wary about slave stories, there are so many ways they can and do, go wrong, but this one was very well written and did not trigger my usual misgivings.
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Thank you for listing these, Alison.
Gaudete sounds very tempting, so I think I'll actually start with that one. :-)
Alison wrote: "Ame wrote: "The second book ended in such away I've been PINING for the third one for what's felt like forever. So happy I can use February fo..."I know! The ending point of the second one is mar..."
I just started my re-read and I'm enjoying it even more the second time around. I'm not much of a fantasy reader and I don't think I've read any other slave fiction but this series is just SO good. I can't wait to read Kings Rising but then again I don't want to start because then it will be over. :-)
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That ..."
I haven't read any of it, but there was an interesting review from a clearly besotted fan who made a pretty good case for both the pros and cons of it being slave fic.
I understand why the slave/master aspect might be just a romantic fantasy step too far for some readers though.
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A rec for something similar and exc..."
It sounds like it was significantly edited? But for the good, not in a way that lessened what people love so much about it.
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I know! The ending point of the se..."
I think when slavery is placed in a complete fantasy context, it's probably a bit more palatable? Not for everyone, of course, but so much depends on how things are handled.
The review I read indicated that the balance of power was pretty even, regardless of who was "slave" and who was "master." And there was some thought on how slavery creates chains on both sides of the equation.
Josh wrote: "The review I read indicated that the balance of power was pretty even, regardless of who was "slave" and who was "master." And there was some thought on how slavery creates chains on both sides of the equation. "Yes, exactly. For me, it's definitely misleading to classify this as "slave pic" or BDSM. I've also seen it described as "erotic", and I'd challenge that assertion, too.
For the first two books, it has less sex, less violence, and certainly less imbalance of power between the MCs than Game of Thrones, for example.
I wouldn't even consider the first two books "romance" books at all. I'd call them political intrigue fantasy, where there's romantic tension between the MCs. This in the same way I would first and foremost clarify the Adrien English books as mysteries.
So much of what is interesting about the dynamic between Laurent and Damen is that they each hold significant power. They have different strengths, and their power comes from different places, but they always feel like equals.
This story is a huge onion, as well, which is part of the delight in reading it. Even into book 3, there are things that I had to revise my assessment of as the layers were peeled away. So, I'll be clear that my assessment of the power dynamic is certainly influenced by the endgame, but looking back I really don't recall getting that squicky feeling (and I'm not a fan of master - slave stories either).
Jordan wrote: "Started Two Boys Kissing this morning. It's a YA told from the point of view of the ghosts of an older generation of gay men who didn't survive AIDS. They're looking down on gay teens today, watching them live. It's interesting, and kinda cute. Not at all what I was expecting. "I read that last year and I thought it was so intense. I read it in one sitting because I was totally sucked in and kind of hypnotised. It was one of those really cool reading experiences for me. David Levithan writes such interesting books. And I've really liked everything I've read by him.
I read Captive Prince: Volume One l and ll, 2 or 3 years ago, while it was still free on the writers webpage and before any publishers editors. I loved it and still have those copies, don't remember any bad editing problem just that it sucked me in. Not sure if I'm going to buy the new ones other than the third one.I'm only bummed I haven't had the chance yet to start reading :(
Jordan wrote: "Josh wrote: "The review I read indicated that the balance of power was pretty even, regardless of who was "slave" and who was "master." And there was some thought on how slavery creates chains on b..."I agree with all of that. Well said, Jordan. :)
Johanna wrote: "Alison wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Karen wrote: "I'm midway through Amy Rae Durreson's A Frost of Cares now and loving it. I also read In Heaven and Earth and [book:Gaud..."I liked Gaudete too. Enjoy! :-)
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I know! The ending point of the se..."
I actually love reading this kind of thing. I guess I am vicariously enjoying the delight. There's nothing better than when a new book you have been waiting and waiting for finally comes out.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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It is a hilarious comic strip about a group of gay men who live in a B & B. The artist publishes a regular comic strip and then also p..."
I haven't heard of this before! Thank you for the recommendation, dear Ije!