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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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 Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 7:26 am Post subject: |
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| mirole wrote: | HWhat's funny is that a lot of ladies over at DA are saying they are going to read BtY just in protest to FS phenomenon and a lot of them are praising its cover as a very stylish one not mentioning FS covers. Really? I admit the cover is very erotic but is it original?
No, I've seen something similar on every other Carina Press or Ellora Cave cover. |
I think Bared to You has a nice erotic cover but the praise for the cover of 50 Shades has been that it doesn't scream erotica or romance so women are not shy about taking the book out in public. Me I don't care, I'll read anything anywhere and I think both covers are fine. 
I'm not surprised to hear that they're going to read BTY in protest because I KNEW those reviews had been padded! Good for the author though I'm sure, lol. I wish her well.
| mirole wrote: | While there are some good (albeit not relevant in the context of how they relate to FS tropes) recommendations on that DA thread, some of them were astounding for me. E.g., one of the commenters said she wished Annabel Joseph had recognition EL James is getting. So here's a review of one of AJ's latest novels on Goodreads, decide for yourself how close the tropes of it are to those of FS:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/280203556
Or another poster recommended Carrie's Story - a very popular erotic novel by Pam Rosenthal under a pen-name. I haven't read it in full but read most of it in a bookstore - it's mostly a story of a sex slave training for an auction with no romance in site except for a hint of it in the last two pages.
To DA's Jane's credit, she always responded to such recommendations with her comments alerting potential readers of the differences between FS and recommended reads. |
Mirole, I read the review for the AJ book and it does not sound like my kind of book at all. Aside from Patience (which is a historical) I haven't seen a 'if you like' rec yet that really captures the same balance as FSoG does, there is either no D&S play at all (like Bared to You) or they are too deep into the BDSM game where the heroine is degraded and humiliated.
Linda
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Diana
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
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Location: Washington DC
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 8:38 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, Linda. Day's book is ordinary and Harlequin-y, nothing to get excited about. Mirole, I may end up reading 50. I've had several kindle loan offers. I was terribly disappointed in the audiobook disaster. Random House really screwed that up. With all the millions of dollars swirling around they didn't see the importance of casting appropriate actors. Or my cynical side says they knew they had an instant bestseller so why bother with making a quality audio.
All the bloggers are into the if-you-liked-50 recommendation game. Yesterday SB Sarah (who admits to not finishing 50) in her Kirkus column recommended her friend Jane's anthology as well as Maya Banks and Lorelie Leigh, both of whom are not to my taste--not even close. How sad is it that romance newbies are being sent to the far-from-the-best of our genre. Has DA Jane read 50? I think some terrible recs are coming from there as well, but then my taste has never meshed with hers.
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 9:12 am Post subject: |
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| Diana wrote: |
All the bloggers are into the if-you-liked-50 recommendation game. Yesterday SB Sarah (who admits to not finishing 50) in her Kirkus column recommended her friend Jane's anthology as well as Maya Banks and Lorelie Leigh, both of whom are not to my taste--not even close. How sad is it that romance newbies are being sent to the far-from-the-best of our genre. Has DA Jane read 50? I think some terrible recs are coming from there as well, but then my taste has never meshed with hers. |
Those 2 blogs are always pushing their BBF's books. Instead of embracing the newbie romance novel reader and leading them to something decent, they shove these out. Pathetic. (And really? Jane's anthology?)
I think you should try 50 Diana. I personally think it needed an editor, because it does get wordy, but there is something about it that I loved.
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 9:14 am Post subject: |
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| Diana wrote: | Thanks, Linda. Day's book is ordinary and Harlequin-y, nothing to get excited about. Mirole, I may end up reading 50. I've had several kindle loan offers. I was terribly disappointed in the audiobook disaster. Random House really screwed that up. With all the millions of dollars swirling around they didn't see the importance of casting appropriate actors. Or my cynical side says they knew they had an instant bestseller so why bother with making a quality audio.
All the bloggers are into the if-you-liked-50 recommendation game. Yesterday SB Sarah (who admits to not finishing 50) in her Kirkus column recommended her friend Jane's anthology as well as Maya Banks and Lorelie Leigh, both of whom are not to my taste--not even close. How sad is it that romance newbies are being sent to the far-from-the-best of our genre. Has DA Jane read 50? I think some terrible recs are coming from there as well, but then my taste has never meshed with hers. |
Diana, what a shame about the audio. I have a friend that only reads audio books now due to time constraints and was anxiously awaiting her library to get in the audio version of this book so she could try it.
I've tried Maya Blanks, blah. I have read and enjoyed Lora Leigh but not recently as she became overly repetitive. With Lora Leigh books the sex is graphically written and uses lots of over the top language and dialog, the hero always commenting on how small the heroine is, her tiny hands, feet, etc. The Fifty books do not really go in that direction for their sex scenes, they've been criticized for Ana saying things like 'down there' but I'd rather hear that then some of the more raunchy language that is common, which to me isn't at all realistic. I can't imagine a woman thinking in these terms IRL. Ana's thoughts to me are more realistic, if not always as sophisticated.
Fifty Shades is an erotic romance but it doesn't read like those of us more versed in the genre would expect from romantica. I hope some of that made sense!
Linda
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Diana
Joined: 23 Mar 2007
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Location: Washington DC
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 9:34 am Post subject: |
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I meant to say that SB Sarah recommended Lorelie James, author of those cowboy books. I tried one of her kindle freebies and I can't say YUK loud enough.
I'm also inherently suspicious of authors who seem to publish a book every month.
In my erotica experimentation so far I've liked Beth Kery. She has a kindle freebie up now with a rockstar hero, Gateway to Heaven--I liked it. Liked Willing Victim by Cara Mckenna. Both are love stories sans humiliation. I picked up quite a few recs from people I trust on twitter yesterday. I'll share as soon as I get it together.
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 9:39 am Post subject: |
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| Linda in sw va wrote: |
I think Bared to You has a nice erotic cover but the praise for the cover of 50 Shades has been that it doesn't scream erotica or romance so women are not shy about taking the book out in public. Me I don't care, I'll read anything anywhere and I think both covers are fine.
I'm not surprised to hear that they're going to read BTY in protest because I KNEW those reviews had been padded! Good for the author though I'm sure, lol. I wish her well.
Linda |
The Fifty covers are sleek and sparse. Even though many read digitally, the cover still shows up on my Kindle app. Me...I don't care. 75% of my books have those romancy covers. I do think the initial appeal of the book comes from the subtle covers. One day the romance novel business will catch on to that one.
And I think the idea of read BtY in protest of Fifty is just silly.
My first impressions of BTY...did she write this after reading Fifty, because it seems she tried to capture the essence of Fifty. It's hard for me to step back from that and decide whether I would like this book if it didn't read so much like a knock-off. It is strange.
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 9:52 am Post subject: |
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| Linda in sw va wrote: |
I've tried Maya Blanks, blah. I have read and enjoyed Lora Leigh but not recently as she became overly repetitive. With Lora Leigh books the sex is graphically written and uses lots of over the top language and dialog, the hero always commenting on how small the heroine is, her tiny hands, feet, etc.
Linda |
Agree about Maya Banks. Years ago when I was trying to broaden my horizons in romance reading, I tried her, and pretty much liked her. In recent years, I have tried her with no success, so she is not an author I would recommend. Lora Leigh...same thing. And yes...I remember the tiny everything about the heroine. The giant heroes and the tiny heroines.
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 9:58 am Post subject: |
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| Diana wrote: | I meant to say that SB Sarah recommended Lorelie James, author of those cowboy books. I tried one of her kindle freebies and I can't say YUK loud enough.
I'm also inherently suspicious of authors who seem to publish a book every month.
In my erotica experimentation so far I've liked Beth Kery. She has a kindle freebie up now with a rockstar hero, Gateway to Heaven--I liked it. Liked Willing Victim by Cara Mckenna. Both are love stories sans humiliation. I picked up quite a few recs from people I trust on twitter yesterday. I'll share as soon as I get it together. |
Oh ok I see, I have read a couple of the LJ Rough Rider books and they don't come close to the Fifty books. It's like two different worlds, the only thing they have in common is some of the BDSM aspects of the sex, that's got to be where that rec is coming from. The LJ books read more like cheap romantica, a quick bubblegum fix but not mcuh depth to the story and no humor that I recall.
I may try Gateway to Heaven, though I have to ask, will it bring me an alpha hero? LOL
Linda
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 10:00 am Post subject: |
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| xina wrote: |
Those 2 blogs are always pushing their BBF's books. Instead of embracing the newbie romance novel reader and leading them to something decent, they shove these out. Pathetic. (And really? Jane's anthology?)
. |
This is why I stick with AAR, I may or may not agree with their reviews but I never feel like they're pushing an agenda!
Linda
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 10:03 am Post subject: |
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| Diana wrote: |
In my erotica experimentation so far I've liked Beth Kery. She has a kindle freebie up now with a rockstar hero, Gateway to Heaven--I liked it. Liked Willing Victim by Cara Mckenna. Both are love stories sans humiliation. I picked up quite a few recs from people I trust on twitter yesterday. I'll share as soon as I get it together. |
I've read Beth Kery before, but looking over her booklist, I can't remember which one. Perhaps it was in an anthology. I'll have to try Gateway. And it's a freebie, so all the more reason!
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
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Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 10:06 am Post subject: |
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| Linda in sw va wrote: |
This is why I stick with AAR, I may or may not agree with their reviews but I never feel like they're pushing an agenda!
Linda |
Yeah...they aren't pimping for their friends here. ***read her, because I love her on Twitter***
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mirole
Joined: 06 Aug 2010
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Location: Toronto, Ontario
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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I agree about Maya Banks, I read Be With Me - not erotic at all to me plus I could not keep the three heroes straight, they were one and the same for me.
I second Diana's recommendation of Cara McKenna's Willing Victim.
Xina and Linda: if you haven't read it yet, you should. It's fantastic. Although it's a novella and a lot of people are complaining it was half-baked and not romancy enough b/c of it's length, for me it was totally satisfying as a romance.
DA Jane read FSoG, the whole of it and reviewed it on Dear Author but gave it an F (B- for Bared to You). I had a sense that she became prejudiced against FSoG b/c of its fanfic origin and the author's alleged unethical behaviour at publishing a previously free fanfic work.
Basically, she said the writing was terrible, the heroine TSTL and annoying as hell, inner goddess was even more annoying than Ana, sex scenes were not sexy at all, everything was amateurish and the whole book was an X-rated version of Harlequin Presents.
In her review of Bared to You, everything was the opposite: the heroine is mature and strong, the writing is brilliant, the sex scenes are scorching hot and she's looking forward to read the rest of the trilogy.
Xina: I also feel very weird about this book being a knock-off of FS (although I haven't read it yet). I guarantee you she wrote this after reading FS, it's not a coincidence. Nobody at DA though is in a rush to do comparative analysis of the two books. |
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| mirole wrote: | | I Xina: I also feel very weird about this book being a knock-off of FS (although I haven't read it yet). I guarantee you she wrote this after reading FS, it's not a coincidence. Nobody at DA though is in a rush to do comparative analysis of the two books. |
What you mean this one isn't getting the special software treatment? 
Linda
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"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner |
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Linda in sw va
Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a vodka ad E L James is standing in front of, too funny!!!
She has to be beside herself with the attention these books are getting!
Linda
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"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner |
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xina
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 6627
Location: minneapolis
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| Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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| mirole wrote: |
Xina: I also feel very weird about this book being a knock-off of FS (although I haven't read it yet). I guarantee you she wrote this after reading FS, it's not a coincidence. Nobody at DA though is in a rush to do comparative analysis of the two books. |
They would be all over it like a cheap suit if the situation were reversed. Findings and all. Head on a platter.
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Last edited by xina on Thu May 03, 2012 3:13 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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