First....a couple of quickie reviews.....
Jillian's Job by Fran Lee
I was looking for a quick, hot read for Valentine's Day. This was quick. It was hot. It was also sort of ridiculous. For almost the whole story the heroine is insisting that she "hates" her boss, and her boss is insisting that he married her so he wouldn't lose his assistant (and of course to have easy access to round-the-clock hot sex) and then on the last page, they're all "We love each other!"
O-kay.
It is a cute, hot read, but the premise is ridic-a-less! I know....why am I whining about an erotic storyline? I'm an idiot!
Grade: B-
Changeling Moon by Dani Harper
This is my first book by this author, and it won't be the last. I was soooooo not expecting this. I had no idea Harper was such a good writer! I have been getting back into the whole werewolf thing lately, and this work is an excellent addition to the genre. The story is extremely well-written, with a tight, intriguing storyline. The characters were superb. There was just enough info about the werewolf pack and history to be interesting, but without the typical info dumps we sometimes get in these types of paranormal books. The pacing was spot-on, and I loved both the hero and heroine. Hot, sexy alpha werewolf.....sweet!
Grade: A
And finally, about "beginnings"......
There is nothing as formulaic as the "make-over" theme in romance. But here's the deal. Sometimes, it works. And sometimes, it falls flat on its fitted-sheath-and-stiletto-heels ass. But it's never, never, never going to work if it happens in the first couple of chapters. The only way it will work is if we see the heroine in her BEFORE state for a while, and get used to her frumpy clothes and see why she wears them, and how they are part of her comfortable old life. And then, maybe half-way through the story????? or at the end????? but NOT at the beginning of the book, she can have this big transformative moment and become Cinderella. If you put the make-over scene at the beginning of the book, the reader doesn't give a shizz.
Thus ends Penelope's rant for Thursday.....
Have a great day!
Penny
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