Free and bargain romances in July 2013

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by library addict

I just have my TBR list in order by author with a separate column for new-to-me authors. I admire people who plan out their list and follow in order, but I could never do that. The order changes with my mood.

Mostly because sometimes I start a book and am just not in the mood for it. I usually know I will enjoy it later/when I am in the right mood for that particular type of story. Forcing myself to read it because it is "next" doesn't work for me.

For example, I have to be in the mood to read historicals as I am totally burned out on the genre. I still buy my favorite authors (though the list has shrunk) and I have several series by new to me authors my friends have recommended. But if I try to read one when I am not in the mood I wind up disliking it. And that's not fair to myself as a reader or to the author. Whereas when I am in the mood, there are still authors I enjoy.

I couldn't put it better myself. I am the exact same way! Problem is my reading moods change pretty often. I never know what I am going to read next and if there a book that sounds so interesting I have to read it now.

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by library addict

The Witness was rather middle-of-the road for me as far as Sandra Brown books go. My favorites by her are Mirror Image and Slow Heat in Heaven, which both have old-school alpha (re: jerk) heroes

Her writing style really changed when she went to hardcover. She slowly stopped writing romance altogether. I view her as a mystery author now, sometimes with a romantic element, but not always or even usually nowadays. I am about 5 books behind on her at the moment. The last book I read of hers was Rainwater, which is in no way a mystery.

Spoiler:

And I really disliked as I found it very emotionally manipulative and condescending.

I would recommend Envy or maybe Smoke Screen to start. If you want more romantic suspense try French Silk. I’m not sure how well some of her older books have stood the test of time as Mirror Image and Slow Heat in Heaven are the only ones I’ve reread recently.

I have Mirror Image so I'll start there. I just picked up Lethal this past weekend and I also have Ricochet and Tough Customer. Dang, I think I already passed on sales for French Silk and Smoke Screen.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by library addict

The Witness was rather middle-of-the road for me as far as Sandra Brown books go. My favorites by her are Mirror Image and Slow Heat in Heaven, which both have old-school alpha (re: jerk) heroes

Her writing style really changed when she went to hardcover. She slowly stopped writing romance altogether. I view her as a mystery author now, sometimes with a romantic element, but not always or even usually nowadays.

This is sad because she can really write a good romance! I love love Her Texas! series and her Native American heroes stories. Last one I read by her was an older book called Shadows of Yesterday. It was really good because most of the heroes I have read by her was really Alpha but the guy in that book was a really nice guy.

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I couldn't put it better myself. I am the exact same way! Problem is my reading moods change pretty often. I never know what I am going to read next and if there a book that sounds so interesting I have to read it now.

Same here. Which is why my TBR consists of over 400 books on my Sony at any given time, in just about every genre. I just never know what I'll be in the mood for when I finish whatever I'm currently reading. (I don't count the other 2000 I haven't read yet as my TBR - they are The Stockpile.)

I haven't been in the mood for standard romance lately (been devouring the, um, spicier stuff though) but I keep coming by here because I know I'll be due for a romance binge before too long.

My ever-changing reading mood is the reason I am able to justify still acquiring more books even with the aforementioned Stockpile - I *might* be in the mood for that zombie-vampire noir dystopian romance one day!! (Okay, that's one hybrid genre I haven't encountered yet, but I bet if I went looking, I'd find one.)

[library addict]

I still usually enjoy Sandra Brown's writing. It took me a few years to readjust my expectations for her books though. She was the first author I ever tracked down their entire backlist for. This was back in the pre-internet days when I would have to snail-mail used bookstores all over the country from the back ads of RT Magazine. It took me nearly three years to get them all. So she still holds a special place in my heart.

One thing that makes me happy is she's releasing her backlist (via different publishers) as the books were originally written. As we've discussed before I really dislike it when authors decide to revamp/update their old books to release digitally.

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

Spoiler:

I was so afraid it was going to be about the priest, and I just couldn't imagine an entire book around him. I could see him as a secondary character in the next book or the main character in his own novella, but not a full-length novel.

Originally Posted by library addict

Ditto three!

Spoiler:

I was thinking the upcoming novella would be about Xavier, but it will be set at DarkRiver.

Spoiler:

Yes, I was thinking Xavier as well and I'm so happy it's not him. I'm uber-psyched for Vasic's story!! And I'm intrigued that the heroine is someone we haven't met

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I couldn't put it better myself. I am the exact same way! Problem is my reading moods change pretty often. I never know what I am going to read next and if there a book that sounds so interesting I have to read it now.

I mostly stick to the list I maintain on my tablet but I will sneak in a book I'm anxious to get to (MacRieve you're next!), then back to the list. My list is my way of ensuring that I eventually read everything I spend money on (thus making me more selective with bargains) and that I don't spend too much on a book I don't plan to read immediately. Right now my threshold for new purchases is $4, if it's not a Read-It-Right-Now book it gets parked on the wish list until the price drops below the current threshold. As far as old stuff, I'm way back in May 2011 Some of the stuff I bought in my new to digital days (post Agency) wasn't so good but I have run across some overlooked gems by working my way through the old stuff. I expect my average on the old stuff to improve as time goes on as I got pickier and better at finding the right bargains.

The list goes like this for unread books:
-Most expensive Contemporary
-Oldest Historical
-Paranormal/UF of Choice
-Oldest Contemporary
-Historical of Choice
-Most expensive Paranormal/UF
-Contempory of Choice
-Most expensive Historical
-Oldest Paranormal/UF
-then mixed in are Other (straight suspense/action/thriller), Category (HQN, etc.) and Erotica.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

Same here. Which is why my TBR consists of over 400 books on my Sony at any given time, in just about every genre. I just never know what I'll be in the mood for when I finish whatever I'm currently reading. (I don't count the other 2000 I haven't read yet as my TBR - they are The Stockpile.)

I haven't been in the mood for standard romance lately (been devouring the, um, spicier stuff though) but I keep coming by here because I know I'll be due for a romance binge before too long.

My ever-changing reading mood is the reason I am able to justify still acquiring more books even with the aforementioned Stockpile - I *might* be in the mood for that zombie-vampire noir dystopian romance one day!! (Okay, that's one hybrid genre I haven't encountered yet, but I bet if I went looking, I'd find one.)

I'm sure it exists too. I pretty much just read Romance (all kinds) some urban fantasy and cozies with romantic elements. I am trying to read a fiction novel with no romance in it and find myself struggling to stay awake.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by library addict

I still usually enjoy Sandra Brown's writing. It took me a few years to readjust my expectations for her books though. She was the first author I ever tracked down their entire backlist for. This was back in the pre-internet days when I would have to snail-mail used bookstores all over the country from the back ads of RT Magazine. It took me nearly three years to get them all. So she still holds a special place in my heart.

One thing that makes me happy is she's releasing her backlist (via different publishers) as the books were originally written. As we've discussed before I really dislike it when authors decide to revamp/update their old books to release digitally.

So have you read them all? Which ones of her romances are your favorite? I always looking for more of her to read but I like her old stuff best, problem is I don't know which one to read next.

[Loosheesh]

There are a number of authors I read plenty from back in the day that I have little to no interest in revisiting now, like Sandra Brown, Tami Hoag, Iris Johansen, Linda Lael Miller etc.

Regarding Sandra Brown she got me particularly irritated ages ago with a pair of historical romances she wrote ...

Spoiler:

... where the 2nd story is about the daughter of the hero and heroine in the first book, but she kills off the heroine's father.

I'm still upset about that, and it definitely turned me off her work

[TallMomof2]

Originally Posted by library addict

For all those Phy/Changeling fans, Nalini just announced she'll be doing a novella next year in addition to a full length novel. If you're caught up in the series and want to know who the hero of the next book will be, it's on her blog.

Great! I finished the Psy-Changeling series and am on the second book in the Guild Hunters series.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by apesmom

The list goes like this for unread books:
-Most expensive Contemporary
-Oldest Historical
-Paranormal/UF of Choice
-Oldest Contemporary
-Historical of Choice
-Most expensive Paranormal/UF
-Contempory of Choice
-Most expensive Historical
-Oldest Paranormal/UF
-then mixed in are Other (straight suspense/action/thriller), Category (HQN, etc.) and Erotica.

Interesting way of doing things, wouldn't work for me though. In the past I could care less on how much I spent on a book if I want a book bad enough I will buy it. Once Agency came around $8 was my new limit after paying $20 for a Heather Graham novel that was just so-so I told myself never ever again. Now my limit is $4 for those not on my autobuy list and $8 for those that are minus the ones I get from the library.

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Interesting way of doing things, wouldn't work for me though. In the past I could care less on how much I spent on a book if I want a book bad enough I will buy it. Once Agency came around $8 was my new limit after paying $20 for a Heather Graham novel that was just so-so I told myself never ever again. Now my limit is $4 for those not on my autobuy list and $8 for those that are minus the ones I get from the library.

My thought process is that I've got 50+ $4 books (these are my autobuys although they were my auto-wait-for-agency to end for awhile) sitting in my queue that I want to read just as bad so unless the threshold buster is going straight to the very top of the pile it can wait for a drop. So far I've spent over $6 on exactly 2 books and those were both before I knew what I was doing.

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by TallMomof2

Great! I finished the Psy-Changeling series and am on the second book in the Guild Hunters series.

How are you liking Guild Hunters?

[library addict]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

Regarding Sandra Brown she got me particularly irritated ages ago with a pair of historical romances she wrote ...

Spoiler:

... where the 2nd story is about the daughter of the hero and heroine in the first book, but she kills off the heroine's father.

I'm still upset about that, and it definitely turned me off her work

That didn't bother me as much as it did others. I was upset when

Spoiler:

She killed off the older brother's pregnant wife in the first Texas! book. I may have gotten over it if I hadn't disliked the heroine he got in his book so much, but I really didn't like her!

Originally Posted by Blossom

So have you read them all? Which ones of her romances are your favorite? I always looking for more of her to read but I like her old stuff best, problem is I don't know which one to read next.

I have read them all through Rainwater, with the exception of Smashcut which is still in my print TBR pile and Ricochet which I know I had when I moved, but I haven't been able to find since. And I refuse to rebuy it since I paid for the hardcover (I probably will eventually buy it digital, but it's the principle of the matter - lol).

However, I never rated my books until I got Calibre so it's hard for me to remember since I read the great bulk of her books pre-1991 and the others as they were released. I liked a lot of her Loveswept titles and the later Silhouette Intimate Moments written as Erin St Claire.

My tastes have also changed somewhat since then. I have less tolerance for doormat heroines than I did when I was younger. Not that SB's early heroines are all doormats, but she wrote a few.