Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
Josh wrote: "Katharina wrote: "Josh wrote: "I read the single most glowing review of any m/m novel EVER in Publisher's Weekly for 
I mean, they could not say enough wonderful..."
It's worth it, I think. It was for me, anyway :)
Josh wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Anna wrote: " Josh wrote: "Are any of you planning to read the new JR Ward book?" I honestly planned to. But after reading this review... I guess, I'll read it anyway just to have so..."
Josh wrote: "Susinok wrote: "Na wrote: "Do readers complain a lot about that ? Once characters are well known and liked, most readers read the books for the characters interactions then the plot."
I don't thin..."
I just finish it and my humble opinion is as m/m i read much more better as a BDB book it's amazing but not every1 has the knack to write m/m romance and wasn't wot i expected to be honest i was disappointed :|
Mod
..."
Hmmm.
Charming wrote: "Tracy wrote: " I liked the first 5 pretty well, but after that... she's got about 14 different storylines going on in any given book; none of them get more than a few pages at a time before moving ..."Sometimes i feel that are to many stories going on in the same time, when suppose to be just one 4 ex in Lover at Last were 3 stories and i felt it wasn't enough of Qhuinn and Blay when they suppose to be the main subject
figuranta wrote: "Sometimes i feel that are to many stories going on in the same time, when suppose to be just one 4 ex in Lover at Last were 3 stories and i felt it wasn't enough of Qhuinn and Blay when they suppose to be the main subject ..."The multiple story lines is something I really like about the BDB books though. Ward re-visits her characters from the other books, we see the ups and downs of their relationships, the lessers and now new enemy vampires make for more plot.
Those subplots and extra storylines really set the series apart and above most other paranormal romance series.
But somehow it all doesn't seem overpoweringly complicated (like George RR Martin's stuff0.
I still dig it! :) I'm not a JR Ward fangirl or anything, but I still enjoy each story as it comes out.
Susinok wrote: "figuranta wrote: "Sometimes i feel that are to many stories going on in the same time, when suppose to be just one 4 ex in Lover at Last were 3 stories and i felt it wasn't enough of Qhuinn and Bl..."Yes i enjoy the BDB series as well, one of the best vampire series out there, but multiple stories can overpower the main story sometimes.
Joe wrote: "Tracy wrote: "'m like you; I liked the first 5 pretty well, but after that... she's got about 14 different storylines going on in any given book; none of them get more than a few pages at a time be..."I was actually kind of disappointed when they decided to dump the previously planned "digital only novella" for Qhuinn and Blay. I felt like giving it that more focused treatment and the shorter format would have allowed her to maybe be more true to the characters' developments, if that makes sense. My biggest fear (which seems to have been born out, based on what the author of the review that was pointed out earlier said) was that she would gloss over certain aspects of their physical relationship in deference to the poor "OMGHetSexONLY!" portion of her readership.
Josh wrote: "Tracy wrote: "Anna wrote: " Josh wrote: "Are any of you planning to read the new JR Ward book?" I honestly planned to. But after reading this review... I guess, I'll read it anyway just to have so..."
Seriously, the top & side of that book looked like a rainbow Post-it porcupine. I *almost* took a picture of it before I gave it up in disgust...
Charming wrote: "Tracy wrote: " I liked the first 5 pretty well, but after that... she's got about 14 different storylines going on in any given book; none of them get more than a few pages at a time before moving ..."Xhex was my least favorite of the female characters so far (except, of course, I haven't read the two after JM's book, yet) but I honestly am not sure if it's just that I didn't like her, or that I never really completely connected to JM.
Susinok wrote: "figuranta wrote: "Sometimes i feel that are to many stories going on in the same time, when suppose to be just one 4 ex in Lover at Last were 3 stories and i felt it wasn't enough of Qhuinn and Bl..."You're right that it makes her world much more complex and compelling in a lot of ways than the average run of vampire fic (although I will admit to LOVING Katie MacAllister's Dark Ones series; she has a much more hilarious take on the vampire side and more relatable heroines, IMHO). On the other hand, rather than attempting to subtly weave all those storylines together, she just bashes you over the head with a change every few pages and I have a hard time keeping up. I've never been great with that kind of mental gymnastics.
Tracy wrote: "she would gloss over certain aspects of their physical relationship in deference to the poor "OMGHetSexONLY!" portion of her readership. "I don't know, Suzanne Brockman has a huge following for her m/m romances.
figuranta wrote: "Charming wrote: "Tracy wrote: " I liked the first 5 pretty well, but after that... she's got about 14 different storylines going on in any given book; none of them get more than a few pages at a ti..."I think if you separated the storylines she has going and pared them down to just 1 main story and 2 subs, each BDB book could make at least 2 or 3 more sane and coherent separate books. I think at this point, the series might be more readable for me, if it were actually two different series taking place concurrently so that she could separate different parts of what's going on.
Joe wrote: "Tracy wrote: "she would gloss over certain aspects of their physical relationship in deference to the poor "OMGHetSexONLY!" portion of her readership. "I don't know, Suzanne Brockman has a huge f..."
I suspect Suzanne Brockman doesn't have quite the hugely rabid fanbase... Although I don't know that I've ever read any of her books; I may have to check them out sometime.
Joe wrote: "Tracy wrote: "she would gloss over certain aspects of their physical relationship in deference to the poor "OMGHetSexONLY!" portion of her readership. "I don't know, Suzanne Brockman has a huge f..."
Suzzane Brockman's M/M book I've read is cute and heartwarming.
Joe wrote: "Tracy wrote: "she would gloss over certain aspects of their physical relationship in deference to the poor "OMGHetSexONLY!" portion of her readership. "I don't know, Suzanne Brockman has a huge f..."
I suspect that Suzanne Brockmann's fanbase has shifted a bit since she first started writing about Jules and Robin. Jules was a regular character for years before he got his romance, and by that point Suz had been very outspoken about her son being gay and her support for equality. Some folks *really* didn't like that. But she also seemed to pick up readers who agreed with her.
The m/m stories that I've read from her have been no where near as explicit as her m/f. So in that sense, I'm not sure that she's all that different from Ward. But she's been at it for a long time. Jules and Robin's story starts in Hot Target, which was published in 2004. I don't think there was much in the way of m/m at that point, certainly not like the sub-genre we see today. A couple of guys kissing was some hot stuff. I'd like to think that she'd get the same positive reaction if she wrote that book today. Jules is a great character, and Brockmann is kind of notorious for drawing out popular pairings for several books before giving them their happy ending. But I suspect she'd be getting a lot of complaints about glossing over the sex scenes, too.
Lady*M wrote: "I struggled with Collusion for days and when I finally finished it, I needed something completely different. I was lucky with Dead in L.A.. I enjoyed the book immensely. Charming and entertaining a..."Yeah! Same here. It was a winner, wasn't it?
Katharina wrote: "Josh wrote: "I read the single most glowing review of any m/m novel EVER in Publisher's Weekly for I mean, they could not say enough wonderful things about this..."
Terrific! It's rare to come across m/m in the scifi genre that's really well done. Thank you so much for the rec.
Finished Lover Reborn. There was a brief, abrupt m/m scene in this one as well. All I could think was "Yikes, where's the lube?"... :)
Becky wrote: "Joe wrote: "Tracy wrote: "she would gloss over certain aspects of their physical relationship in deference to the poor "OMGHetSexONLY!" portion of her readership. "I don't know, Suzanne Brockman ..."
Becky same here, the m/m of J.R. Ward is not as explicit as her m/f, and i was disappointed cuz i read some hot and explicit m/m what was much better than may m/f i read.
So I pretty much just read Death of a Pirate King in one sitting. Didn't even eat dinner. Perhaps this bag of popcorn I just popped will hold me over as I read Dark Tide right now.
Charlinda wrote: "So I pretty much just read Death of a Pirate King in one sitting. Didn't even eat dinner. Perhaps this bag of popcorn I just popped will hold me over as I read Dark Tide right now."Add some crisps (chips). You need variety in your diet!
Candice wrote: "Katharina wrote: "Josh wrote: "I read the single most glowing review of any m/m novel EVER in Publisher's Weekly for I mean, they could not say enough wonderful..."
I am reading this now, it definitely shows potential, some very interesting ideas and visions, and the writing is good. I am really curious and excited to see where she is going with the story or all the characters she has introduced so far. According to the reviews, not where I think she is going. Which is fine with me :). I love being surprised by a book, it happens far too rarely. Not necessarily because authors write bad or boring books ( that happens too!) , but after so many years and so many books, it is a hard call to surprise me ;)
Hj wrote: "Charlinda wrote: "So I pretty much just read Death of a Pirate King in one sitting. Didn't even eat dinner. Perhaps this bag of popcorn I just popped will hold me over as I read Dark Tide right n..."Add some raisins to that, and you should be fine! ;)
Candice wrote: "Yeah! Same here. It was a winner, wasn't it?"Definitely. I've read somewhere that sequel to Dead in L.A. will be longer. I can only say: Yaaaay!
Candice wrote: "Katharina wrote: "Josh wrote: "I read the single most glowing review of any m/m novel EVER in Publisher's Weekly for I mean, they could not say enough wonderful..."
Have you read Aleks' Incursion? That one's great, too! :D
Na wrote: "Finally, I'm going to wait a little bit for the last JRWard book. The kindle version is announced at around 12€/$15. So, if I have to choose between two Andrea Speed's Infected ebooks and one JRWar..."Yeah that would be a no-brainer for me too. But I already have the Speed books so I'm safe to get Ward's. I do not want to wait a year until the prices drop when the paperback is released.
Mod
That's an interesting angle. Yeah. I can see that.
Mod
I don't know, Suzanne Brockman has a huge f..."
I wonder though. I think her stuff is certainly read, but it's never on anyone's favorite list or most anticipated. I never hear anyone really discussing those stories. I speculate that her regular audience is supportive of those stories, even enjoys them. But I wonder how much of the real m/m crowd digs into them?
Mod
I don't know, Suzanne Brockman ..."
Yeah, that's confirms my feeling. A lot of m/m readers have read the stories, find them cute and heartwarming, but I don't get any sense of passion for them. I don't think any m/m readers are going to cry themselves to sleep if Suze Brockmann stops writing m/m.
If that makes sense?
It's not a criticism because I enjoy her work.
Mod
Well, they're vampires right? Immune from normal biology? ;-D
Josh wrote: "I don't think any m/m readers are going to cry themselves to sleep if Suze Brockmann stops writing m/m."I will say that the sex is very tame, hand holding and kisses. Nothing compared to Jake's hands and Adrien's body... *fans self*
Becky wrote: "Joe wrote: "Tracy wrote: "she would gloss over certain aspects of their physical relationship in deference to the poor "OMGHetSexONLY!" portion of her readership. "I don't know, Suzanne Brockman ..."
I agree.
Her het sex scenes have always been very explicit, but her m/m ones often seem to be more fade to black that you find in "sweet" type romance books. Her writing is good, but she hasn't quite jumped into writing her m/m stories in the same way she does her het ones.
As for Vampire stories-I have never particularly been into the concept of the misunderstood vampire romance type books. But I really enjoyed the Blood series by Tanya Huff. Her Vampire lore is one I like and I liked the fact that she stole a real historical figure to turn into her Vampire.
Joe wrote: "I will say that the sex is very tame, hand holding and kisses. Nothing compared to Jake's hands and Adrien's body... *fans self* ..."I just listened to that part while out and about. Very nice. "There's the off button..." love that line.
Mod
I just listened to that part while out and about. ..."
Oh yes!!! One of the best lines EVER! :-)
Mod
This is a far more positive review of Lover At Last."
Oh good!
Mod
Johanna wrote: "Susinok wrote: "Joe wrote: "I will say that the sex is very tame, hand holding and kisses. Nothing compared to Jake's hands and Adrien's body... *fans self* ..."I just listened to that part while..."
Johanna wrote: "Susinok wrote: "Joe wrote: "I will say that the sex is very tame, hand holding and kisses. Nothing compared to Jake's hands and Adrien's body... *fans self* ..."
I just listened to that part while..."
I love that line too! Always makes me smile, so sweet!
i haven't post my review yet cuz of my girls from GR they haven't read it yet and they won't till 26 or 28 and i don't want to spoil the book for them but i think i am going to write it.
Josh wrote: "Yeah, that's confirms my feeling. A lot of m/m readers have read the stories, find them cute and heartwarming, but I don't get any sense of passion for them. I don't think any m/m readers are going to cry themselves to sleep if Suze Brockmann stops writing m/m.If that makes sense?..."
I agree, but I think that she didn't write them for m/m readers. She wrote them for her fan-base which is probably almost 100% into het romantic suspense rather than anything m/m, and that way actually got them to (a) read m/m and (b) know that m/m even exists. She did it to demonstrate to them that an FBI agent can be gay, fall in love, and get married, and that there is nothing wrong with that.
I think she knows her readers and knows just how far she could go to achieve her aim of reducing ignorance and prejudice while still keeping them reading.
Mod
True. And those books were quite a ways back. She might be a little freer were she to write them now.
Josh wrote: "Yeah, that's confirms my feeling. A lot of m/m readers have read the stories, find them cute and heartwarming, but I... I read somewhere that Sue Brockman wanted to write them just as explicit as her het romances but her publisher insisted on the fade to black.
Just finished Tinseltown. Awesome book!! If you're in the mood for a bit of humour and don't mind a narrator with an amazingly (and to me disconcertingly familiar) short concentration span, go for it!!
Mod
The first time I started it, it was a DNF. Second time, I loved it!
Joe wrote: "DNF?"'did not finish' :D
Josh wrote: "Katharina wrote: "Just finished Tinseltown. Awesome book!! If you're in the mood for a bit of humour and don't mind a narrator with an amazingly (and to me disconcertingly familiar) short concentra..."Yeah, I've just read your review ;D Funny thing is, it took me quite a few pages to really get used to Micah's voice. His uber-enthusiasm, his ADD-like behaviour reflected in the writing style, and the whole 'creative' book structuring were a lot to take in at first. But once I was used to it - Bam! I loved it! It really made me laugh out lout a lot of times and books like that are always welcome :)
Kiracee wrote: "Josh wrote: "Yeah, that's confirms my feeling. A lot of m/m readers have read the stories, find them cute and heartwarming, but I... I read somewhere that Sue Brockman wanted to write them just a..."
You know-this I can totally see.
I remember reading an interview with Collins about the Hunger Games series and apparently the publisher pushed her to create the love triangle, because every book aimed at teenagers now has to have a love triangle or something.
I can easily see a mainstream publisher-especially when she was writing them-balking at explicit m/m.
I was thinking not long after an earlier post-I remember in one of her books she wrote a very explicit het sex scene with a blow job. Now really-if you can do a het blow job scene it doesn't take any imagination to write a m/m one.
Anne wrote: "Hj wrote: "Charlinda wrote: "So I pretty much just read Death of a Pirate King in one sitting. Didn't even eat dinner. Perhaps this bag of popcorn I just popped will hold me over as I read Dark T..."Raisins in popcorn 0_o...that's...different :)
Katharina wrote: "Candice wrote: "Katharina wrote: "Josh wrote: "I read the single most glowing review of any m/m novel EVER in Publisher's Weekly for I mean, they could not say ..."
Yes, INCURSION was terrific. Voinov spoils me, though. I hoard his stories, too, like I do Josh's and Harper Fox'.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Heh. John Matthew's was the last one I read (I like Xhex, so I wanted to read about her). I only read the main story line. I skipped all the others and never did go back and read them.
She's too big to edit I guess, because it is getting worse instead of better.