Confession number one: I used to be one of those genre purists. Way back in the day, I would cringe at the thought of a paranormal romance or romantic suspense. I certainly wouldn't deign to read one of those "mixed books." I read widely across genres. But I was like one of those kids who didn't like their food to touch on the plate. So I wouldn't even have picked up a book that proclaimed itself a romantic suspense novel. (And I certainly couldn't have imagined writing a paranormal erotic romance.) Thank goodness my quirky reading habits have changed! I recently went on romantic suspense reading spree and read three really great novels that I want to tell you all about. So, take a minute and go on a little journey with me. 
The first novel on my trip was Deatri King-Bey's Beauty and the Beast. Some of you might remember that Deatri stopped by my blog in December for an author interview. Check it out in the archives if you’d like to find out a little more about her. Anyway, I enjoyed Beauty and the Beast immensely. At its heart the novel is a retelling of the wonderful fairy-tale. But it is also action-packed and has enough suspense and intrigue to keep you turning the pages. I loved both the hero and the heroine in this novel. But the hero really made me fall in love. He was a different kind of hero in that he suffered from bipolar disorder. However, Deatri does an excellent job showing how the relationship between Bruce Maxwell and Nefertiti Townes grows, how they learn to heal themselves and each other. And on top of that we get some bad guys and mystery thrown into the mix. The novel has several twists and turns and a few surprises. I would definitely recommend this book!
Then I read Patricia Sargeant's new novel You Belong to Me. This is Patricia's first novel and it was really good! It was the perfect mix of romance and suspense. I loved several things about this novel. First, it had one of my favorite romance plots at its core, the lovers reunited plot. I love it when folks give love a second chance. (I guess that's why two of favorite love songs are Shalimar's "Second Time Around" and Peaches and Herb's "Reunited.") Anyway, Nicole Collins is a science fiction writer who finds that her ex-husband Malcolm Bryant owns a film company and he wants to buy the rights to her series. Add a crazed fan to the mix that doesn't want to see the "family" that he/she loves destroyed by Hollywood and you get a novel jam packed with intrigue and drama. I loved trying to figure out who the crazed fan and possible murderer was. And I loved all the twists and turns Patricia put in along the way. The love story and the mystery are equally strong in this one. Pick this one up today!
Finally, I read Beverly Jenkin's Sexy/Dangerous. This book was great! So far I have really enjoyed all of her romantic suspense novels. She normally writes historical romances. And I don't usually read a lot of historical romances. So, when she started writing these contemporary romantic suspense novels I automatically picked them up. Sexy/Dangerous is my favorite of her romantic suspense novels so far because the heroine, Maxine "Max" Blake is a bad girl! And I'm talking bad like Shaft--I'll kick your butt kind of bad! She's an ex-marine, an ex-cop and secret agent. And she is in charge of protecting the hero, Dr. Adam Gary. He's discovered a product that can revolutionize the world and some people want it and are willing to kill him to get it. But they have to go through Max first, and that ain't easy! Did I already say that I loved this book? I really did love it. Funny how just that simple switch, having the woman protect the man, can make for such a thrilling and page-turning read! If you want to read a book with a super-bad sister kicking butt and taking names, this one is a must!
So what about you? Have you read any good books lately? Are you a genre purist or do you like to mix it up? Have you read any of these books and have a different take? Also, I should let you all know that next month's author on Gwyneth’s Blog, Katherine D. Jones is making a name for herself as the queen of African-American romantic suspense. She has written a series of books that perfectly marry romance and suspense. So be sure to check out her interview next month. Until next time…
Happy reading,
Gwyneth
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Romance. Suspense. Intrigue. Drama...
Posted by Gwyneth Bolton at 12:05 PM
Labels: Commentary, Reading, Reviews
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13 comments:
Hi, Gwyneth. Thank you so much for your kind words regarding my debut novel, You Belong To Me. Coming from an author with your amazing storytelling abilities, your words are truly a huge compliment. And to be included in a blog with Deatri King-Bey and Beverly Jenkins is overwhelming. Thank you so much!
Gwyneth -
you are causing me to spend too much money lady, I have a four day weekend coming up, so maybe I can read a book a day, your book and these three...
angelia
Cool! I'll add those to my booklist for Tuesday Speed-Read reviews, though I don't know if I'll get to them by this coming Tuesday. Depends on if I can find them at the store!
I've found that my tastes have changed as I have gone through the changes of my life. For example, right now I'm a stay-at-home mommy, so I can't stomach any story in which children are harmed. Gives me nightmares.
Gwyneth!!!!
Thank you so much for the kind words. You know I truly value your opinion. And that you put me in the same company as my idol (Beverly Jenkins) you know I'm sending this to my mom to put in my baby book.
Seriously though, this novel will probably always be my favorites I've written because it has special meaning to me. As you know, Bruce's character was inspired by my hubby, but what you don't know is that Nefertiti was inspired by my best friend who believes because of how she looks, no man will ever fall in love with her.
Don't let me get to talking about us women and our self-esteem as it relates to our image.
Thanks again,
Peace
Deatri
Love you
Patricia -- Thank you for writing such a wonderful novel that I had such a hard time putting down. I love to read and I love to tell other people about the good books I've read. But more than that, as a new author myself, I love reading and spreading the word about talented new authors. So of course I had to tell folks about your novel. :-)
Angelia -- LOL! If you could see my book store receipts, you would see that I already spend all my money there... I can promise you that you will love these books and probably end up putting them on your keeper shelf. :-)
Kimber An -- I can say that no children are harmed in these books.
Deatri -- It is clear that these characters are close to your heart based on the wonderful and engaging way you portrayed them in the novel. It was a great book! I loved the risks you took in it! Kudos!
Looks like I have to go shopping again;))
initially, i was strictly contemporary sorta girl. silhouette desire was my fay-vo-right in the whole world.
it took beverly jenkins to get this historian into historicals. she tricked me! the title escapes me, but the cover just showed a cornrowed brother with a beautiful sister about to lie on a purple bed, i believe. by the time i realized it was a historical, i was hooked (how i missed the dates she includes at the begining, i don't know!) i exclusively read her historicals.
but now, the suspense, yeah, years ago, i got into the intrigue line and liked them (the colby agency series i believe). for a while, all i read from harlequin were intrigue and blaze. for some reason, i can't get into blaze anymore.
my meager experience with paranormal comes from ellora's cave and anisa damien. i still haven't cracked my divine destiny. **blushes** i got it for christmas along with 2 cookbooks and a book by Zane.
in the year since i've discovered AfAm/"multiculti" romance, i've read across genres. still a suspense or romantica chick, mostly, though.
except for the sublime ms. jenkins :-)
Kari -- I know what you mean. everytime I hear about yet another book that I want to read, I realize that means another trip to the bookstore and probably a bag full of even more books that looked too interesting to leave on the shelf. :-)
Elle -- I still haven't read a lot of historicals. I have all of Beverly Jenkins books and I even read a few of her historical romances. But when I have time I'm reading a contemporary novel. But you Ms. Historian... I would have thought that you would be all over the historical romances. LOL! And I know the cover of Beverly Jenkin's book you are talking about. That cornrowed brother does look like he could be a 21st century brother. LOL. I'm so glad that she is writing contemporary novels now too. And I loved her novella in Cuffed by Candlelight. It was amazing! And it was a historical romance novella too.
I'm on the look-out for new release books, so I scanned everything at eHarliquin.com. The majority of the books which grabbed my interest the most were in the Kimani New Releases.
Kimber An -- Kimani has some great releases. I just got my box of books in the mail from e.harlequin and can't wait to dig in. I usually order my books on the first day of the month. I lo-ve getting my category romances a month early! Yes, I do adore e.harlequin for that reason alone. :-)
Because everybody's preferences are so different, I imagine which category had the best each month will vary for me. I should go find out what deals they offer on shipping. For Alaska, shipping costs can be tricky business. It's almost like shipping to a foreign country. Sometimes it's cheaper to get a bookstore to do it for me and sometimes not.
I used to be a romance purist but I definitely cross the genre lines now! I loved Sexy/Dangerous- Ms. Jenkins is a gifted author and I never miss one of her historicals but I totally loved this contemporary. Romantic suspense can be so much fun, especially when written well. I agree with Angelia, you keep recommending all these good books and I'm going to go broke trying to read them all!
Melissa- LIP Publisher
KImber An -- They will change. I find myself browsing all the lines and categories and although I usually end up getting books from my favorites like Desire, Presents, Nocturne, and Kimani, I often find others that I end up ordering as well. And I think if you spend $25 or more the shipping is free. And needless to say, I always end up spending $25 or more... I feel like such a bad influence... like a book pusher... LOL
Melissa -- Beverly Jenkins is such an amazing author that if anyone could woo this contemporary gal over to historicals it would be her. But now that she is also writing romantic suspense, I think I'll just continue to buy all her historicals and save them for when I'm ready to make that plunge. And my motto is as long as I have all these books surrounding me, I'll never go broke... well, maybe I just won't feel it because I'll be too busy reading all my books to care. LOL!
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