What the Feck (WTF): When you don't see a cliffhanger coming...grrr

What the Feck?! (WTF?!)

Every Monday we talk about a book related topic

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book

or talking to others in the book community.

When you don't see a cliffhanger coming....grrr



I have two categories for this topic: cliffhangers occurring in a series and books you THINK are single titles until you reach the end of the book and...it doesn't end. 

In both cases, it's that not seeing it coming that frustrates me. You think you're invested in one book, thinking about what you're going to read next. Then you notice you're running out of pages and the storyline is nowhere near a wrap up. That's not the time I want to be scrambling around either finding the next book or when it's planned for release. 

I don't mind cliffhangers...I just want to know there IS onebefore I start reading the book.....

Take for example the recent trend where a new book is released without any mention at all that it's going to be a trilogy. It seems to be happening pretty frequently these days and I've become leery of the books with vague descriptions, you know, the ones with the dominant rich guy and the heroine exploring her sexuality. These are screaming, "I'm dragging this out for three books!" 

I do my research, and I'm pretty good at it but got fooled with Release Me by J. Kenner. I checked the author's and publisher's websites, Amazon and Goodreads to make certain it was a single title. Since I was downloading it from NetGalley, there weren't any reviews. I really wasn't interested in another series and didn't figure it out until I started running out of pages. Now, I recognize the code words can see them coming from a mile away. 

Then there are those series that are designed from the start to be one continuous story arc. It's pretty common with UF series and you sort of anticipate it. I only read the Fever series about two years ago so I was forewarned. Even so, I had no idea how huge some of these endings would be, finding myself downloading the next book at 2:00 am and ending up reading all night long.





Even knowing this is commonplace in this genre doesn't always prepare you. I didn't realize that some of the books in the Chicagoland Vampires series had major cliffhangers until I was warned by friends not to read the next book unless I was prepared to read the next two (Hard Bitten & Drink Deep). 

I don't see this often in the mystery genre but it does happen. It just goes against the grain to not have a mystery solved by the end of the book. The Deer Lake series by Tami Hoag is one exception. I read Night Sins (all 500 pages!) and was astounded when I got to the end and the mystery wasn't resolved.  I had no choice but to continue into the next book, Guilty as Sin, which was another 500 pages. I enjoyed the books but was pretty peeved to have to read 1,000 pages to determine whodunit. 

Does any of this bug you?  

Are you okay with unforeseen surprises that fling you into the next book or make you wait months for the outcome?

If you have any examples, please share them! 

What the Feck (WTF): Romance in Urban Fantasy

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Every Monday we will post a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.



Romance in Urban Fantasy
Need it? Want it? Forget about it?
by Jennifer (aka The Book Nympho)

Most of us read Urban Fantasy for the world building, kick ass heroines/heroes and the fight scenes. Maybe you read UF because your not really a "romance" reader or you want to take a break from the smexiness of romance genres. BUT what happens when you find yourself continuing an UF series because you want to know if the main characters start playing naked twister between saving the world and cleaning their weapons?

To see this post in full, hop over to 

Gizmo's Reviews and join her week long 

Blogoversary celebration. 

What the Feck (WTF): Virgins and Billionaires

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Every Monday we talk about a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.

We have a special WTF post for you this week coming from 
Heather at Book Savvy Babes.

Thank you Jennifer for allowing me to rant today for WTF. I have had this rant on my mind for a while and I needed to get it out :)

Virgins and Billionaires

Let me start with this, I love contemporary romance reads, especially when they are erotically charged. I love the heat and the connection between the characters. With that said, I have to admit that I am weary of the Virgin and the Billionaire story line.

Let’s start with the virgins.

I have never really loved the innocent, virginal heroines in contemporary romance. I’m sorry, but it is SO unlikely that in today’s world a beautiful woman would make it past college without even getting to second base. I just don’t buy it. Most women today don’t get through high school very innocent. (Anyone remember spin-the-bottle or seven-minutes-in-heaven?) Put a beautiful woman in college, give her a few friends: She’s not going to be innocent for long. I don’t understand the appeal of virgins either. I mean, that first time, it’s going to flipping hurt. So, you take this innocent and put her in a situation where not only does she have sex for the first time, but it’s marathon, hard, pounding sex. Yeah, I really don’t buy it. I am over the virgins and “innocent” heroines.

Onto the billionaires:

Unless someone is a celebrity or a socialite who inherited, becoming a billionaire before the age of 30 is fairly absurd. Let’s look at the age. Graduating college leaves age at about 22. Then there is graduate school or climbing the corporate ladder. That takes time, years and years of investments and hard work. In fact, acquiring investment money, real estate, and business mergers that would net millions and billions of dollars take years to put in place and go through. Accomplishing all of that in under 8 years is beyond my scope of believability. There may be the occasional exception or genius that could possibly hit billionaire status before 30, but it’s not realistic to me.

There are only so many circumstances in contemporary romance that are reasonably believable for the virgin and the billionaire storyline. The storyline is getting over-played and is no longer original. I may enjoy the characters and the story in general, but it’s hard to believe. I do believe in successful, determined, career-minded people and people with self-esteem issues and bad past experiences. I can even understand either a virginal woman OR a billionaire character, if the circumstances are right, but the two combined make me roll my eyes.

So, there’s my two cents on virgins and billionaires.


How about you? Are you okay with the virginal, innocent Virgins and Billionaires heroine? Do you believe the billionaires before 30?

--Heather, aka Book Savvy Babe from Book Savvy Babes blog--

What the Feck (WTF): June is Audiobook Month

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Every Monday we will post a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.

JUNE IS AUDIOBOOK MONTH

This week's WTF post is brought to you in part by Audible.com.

You guys know by now that I have a love for audiobooks.  I try to turn other readers and bloggers on to them. I've been successful in getting a few bloggers and a real life friend to give them a try. And now that they are hooked. I feel like an audio "dealer". Just one listen and you'll be coming back for more. LOL That's why I decided to host an audiobook challenge this year. Which I totally completed my chosen level within the 1st quarter. Just look at the update post.

I don't know if you guys have noticed but there's usually at least one audio review a week here by me. Honestly if it was for me listening to audios in the car and at work I would only get 1 book read every other week. I've been spending more and more time online at night chatting on Twitter or catching up on my new favorite TV show, Supernatural that my reading time has slowed down.

And truthfully, I've been enjoying listening to books more than reading them lately. But it's all about the narrators. A great narrator can really add to an already great book. See a few examples in one of my earlier WTF posts.


Where do you get your audiobooks from?

I've been asked this question by many people on Goodreads, Shelfari and Twitter. The answer is my local library and Audible.com.

I try to use my library system as much as I can to save money but their selection is limited; although it's getting better all the time. But when I purchase my audiobooks I do it 98% of the time through Audible.com.

Audible.com has been my provider of choice for audiobooks since becoming a member in 2010. They have the biggest audio library to choose from (at the moment). And if you listen to audios you know that sometimes a narrator just doesn't work for you and now with their exchange/return policy you can't loose. I've exchanged two audios after not liking the narration with no questions asked.


Why do you like audiobooks?

Another question I get asked by non-listeners. Again if the narrator is great it's like having someone "act out" the book for your listening enjoyment. Authors can bring characters and worlds to life on the page but with an awesome narrator it's like having a book in 3D. It makes the experience richer.


How do you listen to your audiobooks?

I downloaded the free Audible.com app for iPhone. It's really easy to use.

  

What audiobooks do you recommend?

I get this question from readers wanting to pop their audiobook cherry. Well here is my audiobook auto buy list.

Downside Ghosts Series by Stacia Kane, Narrated by Bahni Turpin

Kate Daniels Series by Ilonda Andrews, Narrated by Renée Raudman

Dreg City Series by Kelly Meding, Narrated by Xe Sands

Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep, Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

Jane Yellowrock by Faith Hunter, Narrated by Khristine Hvam Kies

Immortals After Dark by Kresley Cole, Narrated by Robert Petkoff

Anything by Molly Harper and Narrated by Amanda Ronconi

Charley Davidson Series by Dyrand Jones, Narrated by Lorelei King

Disclaimer Time.

I was contacted by Audible.com. They wanted to know if I would share my customer comments about their audio services. I said sure. The timing was perfect since I had this WFT topic already on my calendar.


Audible.com gifted me with 2 audio credits for being a customer and for agreeing to givie my feedback to my readers. But I feel a little icky keeping the credits for myself. So that means.....GIVEAWAY TIME. Two lucky readers will get 1 audio of their choice.

This giveaway is sponsored by Audible.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What audiobooks will you be listening to this month?

What the Feck (WTF): Authors Interacting with Readers

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Every Monday we talk about a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.

Authors Interacting with Readers

by Jonetta (Ejaygirl)

  

I was in a lively discussion recently in one of my Goodreads groups. The topic involved authors reacting or commenting on readers' reviews. No, this is NOT another discussion about readers or authors behaving badly!


There have been lots of discussions about authors responding to negative reviews and most agreed that authors would be better served by just ignoring these and staying out of the fray. There's very little to be gained and lots at risk for an author to engage in these situations.


There was a bit of a split, however, on authors engaging with the reader on positive reviews. I still think it is prudent practice to limit comments to "liking" a review or saying "thanks" or "glad you enjoyed it" unless the reader/reviewer has first reached out to the author.


Some others in the discussion liked having an author initiate communication with them about a review, positive or negative, as long as the interaction was respectful and thoughtful.

I really like writers and will always be grateful for the pleasure and enjoyment they've brought me, past, present and undoubtedly in the future. My point of view is completely from the perspective of protecting these writers. With a few exceptions, most of those who entered into a discussion with reviewers about a negative review aren't bad people; they were misguided and ended up seriously suffering from their errs in judgment. The risks for initiating interaction, IMHO, are far greater than any perceived benefit.

Social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) offer readers and reviewers an excellent opportunity to engage with authors in appropriate ways. Book sites like Goodreads and Shelfari also provide means for them to connect beyond book reviews. And, blogs like this one give readers an opportunity to learn more about authors of interest and engage during interviews, guest posts and the like.

I love interacting with authors and most came from my initiation (except for requests to review a book and I'm excluding these type of interactions from this discussion) either through emails, twitter, Facebook or book sites. These are private discussions most of the time and they've had an opportunity to get to know me. Most love hearing from readers and enjoy the feedback.

I firmly believe that the intended audience for reviews are other readers. Should an author read them? Why not, I know I'd find it hard to resist. Even the less positive ones have something to offer (most of the time) when the reader shares from the heart. Now here comes the big BUT....I don't believe an author should ever comment on these reviews other than what I stated above. The rewards are small and career risks immeasurable.

Where are you on this topic? 

Am I being too conservative?

Do you have another point of view?

We'd really love to get your perspective.

What the Feck (WTF): Are You Reading Those Freebies?

  

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Every Monday we talk about a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.

Are You Reading Those Freebies?

by Jonetta (Ejaygirl)

For a while there, I visited Amazon just about everyday for what I call Kindle freebies. After about a year, I was amazed at how many books I'd collected but hadn't read!

So, I decided to take a break and really analyze a free book before putting it on my shelf, even if it was free. I also have some freebies from Barnes & Noble for my iPad reading app. However, I haven't checked in for about a year so I haven't collected that many.

I don't have an accurate way of measuring how many of these books I've read since I didn't tag them. But, there are a few that were memorable because I enjoyed them so much.






One I recall is The Wild One by Danelle Harmon, the first book in the de Montforte Brothers series. I actually discovered it when she promoted the book in one of my Shelfari groups, liked the description of her series and downloaded the freebie from Amazon. It turned out to be one of my most favorite books and the hero, Gareth de Monteforte, is on my top ten list.









Last year, one of these freebies was a selected to be the group read for the month in my Mystery & Suspense group. The Huntress by Alexandrea Sokoloff turned out to be a diamond in the ruff (see my interview and reviews) and I'm now sucked into the series.










I've got another in the queue to read that has turned out to be a real success. Forged in Fire by Trish McCallan has taken off and led to what is now a 4-book series (Red-Hot Seals).

I don't download as many as I used to and really take the time to figure out if it's a book I will actually like AND read. I read the best and worst reviews and checkout the authors' websites. (Confession: I ducked away to check out Amazon's top 100 free best sellers while writing this and downloaded two books).

So, are you reading those freebies?

What's been your experience when you do?

Any standouts?

Have your freebie downloads habits changed any?

Do you know how many you've got?

Come on, it's confession time!

What the Feck (WTF): Audiobooks

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Every Monday we talk about a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.



Audiobooks:
When a narrator can make or break a book.
by Jennifer

When we read books, especially series, we get the voice of the characters in our head. We develop our own way they sound and look. We make the characters ours and that's why we can get a little touchy when a book is made into a movie or tv show. Sometimes we don't always agree with the casing because the actor/actress doesn't fit what we see as character X to be like in our heads.

Same can be said for the narration of books. For this post I'm sticking with series where I've both read and listened a book(s) in a series. Some of them I read before listening to the audios and others I listened to audio and then read a book. Lets see how the narrator stacked up in my opinion.

Downside Ghosts series

by Stacia Kane

Narrated by Bahni Turpin

I tried reading Unholy Ghosts and after about 4 chapters I just could not get into it. I think it was the slang I was having problems with. So I stopped with the intent of starting over at a later date. Then I got into audiobooks and tried it in that format. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

Why the change? The writing is awesome but the narration takes the series from awesome to fan-fecking-tastic. Turpin does an excellent job with the characters and the Downside slang. This series is on my audiobook auto-buy list. Even after reading an ARC of the latest book in the series, Chasing Magic I still bought the audio to listen to. And while I read CM I had Turpin's narration of the characters in my head the whole time.

MAKE!

 

Jane True Series 
by Nicole Peeler
Narrated by Kate Reinders

Jane True serie is an example of where the narration killed the story for me. Reinders's is not bad, it's just not what I thought Jane and the gang would sound like. Well that's not fair....her narration of Jane is ok even though she sounds like a 12 year old girl, it's the male voices I don't like. Reinder doesn't change her pinch enough for the males or really any of the characters. I find it hard to know who is speaking at times while listening to the audios. I really enjoy Peeler's writing. This series is better enjoyed by reading it than listening to the audio, IMO.

BREAK!

  

Mercy Thompson Series
by Patricia Briggs
Narrated by Lorelei King

I've read all of Mercy Thompson series but when I was running low on reading time I checked out Frost Burn from the library in audio format. I was curious what it would sound like since I love King's narration of Dryanda Jones' Charley Davidson series. But to me the series are different in tone. Mercy is more serious than Charley, or at least that's what I thought while reading the books. But now that I've experienced Mercy through King's narration, I found myself picking up on Mercy's snarky side. I must say the way I view Mercy is totally different now. I'm not sure if I'll read the next book or listen. 

ON THE FENCE

Elemental Assassin Series
by Jennifer Estep
Narrated by Lauren Fortgang

This series is an excellent example where you have a delectable cake drizzled with yummy, rich chocolate sauce. Both Jennifer Estep and Lauren Fortgang is on my top 5 favorite list. Both ladies do an outstanding job. Estep writes amazing characters and Fortgang brings them to life like no other narrator can. I've done the whole series on audio with the exception of Thread of Death (novella) and the arc of Deadly Sting and when reading, I have Fortgang's voice in my head.

MAKE!

What are some of your favorite 

books/series on audio?

What the Feck (WTF): Sex Scenes

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Is a new feature here at The Book Nympho.

Every Monday we will post a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.

Sex Scenes
When it goes from hot to just plain gross.
by The Book Nympho

I love smut! But I prefer my smut with some romance and my romance with some smut. But how much smut is too much? My first response would be that there is no such thing as too much smut.

"You’re damp. You’re so wet. I want to taste your honey. I want to drink your juices." - Hostage to Pleasure

Honesty, who talks this way? I would LOL at a dude if he talked that way to me. It would so take me out of the mood. Less talk, more action.

How many times have I read lines similar to this: She was so wet that her juices ran down her leg. I have NEVER had that happen to me. Is it even possible? It's just screams Eew when I read lines like that. 

Lora Leigh is not an author to use pretty words in her sex scenes. While listening to Narravo's Promise I heard pussy like 10 times within one sex scene. Her juices coating her pussy, he licked her pussy and so on. I finally had to do a word search in my ebook copy to see how many times pussy was actually used.

Pussy # 74

Juices # 15

"She would be on her stomach, braced on her hands and knees. That lovely hair would casced down her elegant back, he would grab hold of it and tugging. Her neck would arch, her lips would part on a gasp of pleasure, pain. In and out he would pound, her shealth hot and wet, tight. Yes she would be tighter than a  fist. He's testicles would slap at her legs."  ~ The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

Wait, what?! Testicles slapping is not a hot picture. That took me right out of the moment.  Sure they could slap her in the hot spot of her clit but her legs? Just how low do those testicles hang?


There are many more examples but these two are fresh in my mind since I've listened to these books recently.



After reading the following I had to share.....

Which brings me to my next big issue. I am very comfortable with adult language, but the way these sex scenes are worded does nothing for me. Like, "Her pussy juice dripped on the sheet and she squirmed, unable to lie still." Or "Moisture dampened her lower lips, dampening the path to her anus." This is not sexy. Dirty to be sure, but that's not the same thing. The author used the word "pussy" 35 times in 123 pages. And I'm not even going to get into how she rubbed herself off on the saddle he made her, except to say..Who would want to ride on it after she slimed all over it?” - from Red Hot Books review of Consent to Love by Abby Wood

Then I asked Laura to share her thoughts on the subject....

Sometimes gross sex can be great. It allows you to imagine experiences outside your comfort zone and lets you have those disturbing fantasies in a safe environment. It doesn't mean you would ever try those things in real life should the opportunity present itself. But everyone has their line, where it crosses from ok gross, to just outrageous - almost put this book down (or actually put this book down) gross. For me that line is overly descriptive rape. It can be mentioned, and even alluded to in some detail such as in A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer where the MC witnesses a girl being horrifically raped, but the whole scene is not overlly descriptive. Just enough so you know what happens and can move on. Or in Stacia Kane's Downside Series, where it is mentioned Chess had been raped in her past. It happened, but isn't happening now. She has a few close calls, but is able to escape (fortunately). 

What's your tolerance? 

Share your gross out moments.

What the Feck (WTF): Cover Trends

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Is a new feature here at The Book Nympho.

Every Monday we will post a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.

Cover Trends

When they all start looking the same.

by The Book Nympho

It's getting harder and harder to distinguish books from each other because their covers are so similar these days.


First up is the men's items. Like the tie, cuff links, keys, etc.


Take a look....

I guess these work for the peeps that want to read the hot and steamy books without people knowing they are reading them. But as much as these cover are being used, they're not fooling anyone.

I can't but help that these overs are trending because they are cheaper. You don't have to pay a tie but you do have to pay a cover model. Sure there's still the photographer to pay but you've cut down the cost by eliminating the models.



Sylvia Day's Bared to You received a new cover. Take a look at the previous cover....

Did they change it to make it "saver" for bookshelves or to make the trend? I personally like the 1st cover because there is no doubt in my mind that this book will have hot sex scenes. But then again I'm a perv and like the fleshier covers. LOL

Next up is the trend of using sweet couples and slapping the same fonts and title blocks over them for the covers.

Exhibits  A, B and C.....

I know. I know. You should not judge a book by it's cover. But looking at these similar covers I can't help but wonder if the stories under them are just as similar.


Now to be fair, with so many books out there and only so much stock photos and font types there are going to be similar covers.

What do you think of the cover trends of late?

Is it a true trend or cheaper printing cost?

What the Feck (WTF): Your Erotic Zone

What the Feck?! (WTF?!) 

Is a new feature here at The Book Nympho.

Every Monday we will post a book related topic 

that had us thinking WTF?! while reading a book 

or talking to others in the book community.

Your Erotic Zone 

Do you have boundaries?

by Jonetta

It wasn't that long ago (less than two years) that I read my first erotic romance. It was Colters' Woman by Maya Banks and I stumbled upon it while searching for something else on Amazon. It was free and the premise of the story sucked me in....a woman in a relationship with three brothers. It was a ménage so I obviously jumped in the deep end of the pool. Within three days I'd finished the entire series.

I don't know what I thought erotica was at the time but I didn't know the stories could be so compelling and interesting. Whatever stigma I may have attached to the genre at the time disappeared pretty quickly. That first book opened the door to an exploration that is still in progress.

I've been pretty comfortable with my selections, mostly ménage situations similar to the Colters (fascinated by the idea) or really steamy situations involving one heterosexual couple. I also figured out I don't have any boundaries in this area of erotica.

Then enter the era of Fifty Shades and BDSM, though most who are experienced with bondage, Dom/Sub sexuality consider this to be lite fare. It did, however, shine a spotlight on this type of eroticism and I discovered a boundary...BDSM lite was enough for me.

Late last year, I was asked to read and review the first book in a mystery/suspense series with a m/m romance front and center (Missing Daughter, Shattered Family by Liz Strange). It's not erotica but it introduced me to m/m romance and I discovered how much I loved this romance genre and especially the couple in this story. I'd thought that my love of the m/m romance in the BDB series was just specific to that storyline and those characters. Apparently not!

Authors like Liz Crowe (Honey Red) and Amelia Gormley (Impulse series) took me many steps forward with their fabulous m/m erotic romances. These women know how to write erotica. No one is more surprised than I am to learn that I love these stories (I'm a heterosexual woman) but I've discovered great romance isn't limited to like gender when the writers telling the story do it well. Apparently, I don't have any boundaries here and it's opened up a whole new legion of books and authors. The Book Nympho is breathing down my neck for me to read Cut and Run by Abigail Roux and Madelene Urban and it's already scheduled:)

So, while I've discovered some boundaries in erotica, I've also torn down much more and the field is pretty wide open. I'm sure there will be more discoveries both ways as I continue to explore this genre. What's exciting to me, however, is I've abandoned my old stereotypes about it and am open to reading more erotica when written by some pretty talented authors. I no longer have a "comfort" zone and that's pretty exciting.

• Do you have any boundaries when it comes to erotica/erotic romance? 

• Were they created from reading experience or your belief that you might not find it interesting? 

• What other experiences can you share?