Misc. Monday: Top Ten Romance Authors on RtP

Developing a list of the ten most highly rated and reviewed authors on this blog was something of an educational experience. It was fun to look back on the books that I've read and reread over the last year and a half. I initially composed this list with pure mathematics--by adding up positive star ratings on a spreadsheet. I then made some readjustments based on how re-readable I find the author's work and how likely I am to read more of their work in the future.

This being a purely romance list forced me to leave off a lot of authors who write in other genres. A top list of authors with no genre restrictions would be a very different list indeed.

#10: Julie Anne Long

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 11.5

Reviewed Works: The Perils of Pleasure, Like No Other Lover, Since the Surrender, I Kissed an Earl, What I Did for a Duke

What Make Her Awesome: Julie Anne Long writes the Pennyroyal Green series, a which centers around a small English town with two feuding families. I didn't really care for the first book of the series, finding it mediocre and boring. But then, magically, as I tried more of her work, I discovered that she has a talent for writing a different, unique, and engaging story for each character. You never know exactly what you're going to get, but you know it's likely to be good. Visit Her Website: http://www.julieannelong.com/index.shtml

#9: Jolene Perry 

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 12

Reviewed Works: Night Sky, Knee Deep, The Next Door Boys

What Makes Her Awesome: Jolene Perry writes deeply thoughtful contemporary YA and New Adult romance. I was first introduced to her work when I was asked to read Night Sky for a blog tour, and it turned out to be one of my favorite books of 2012.  I like that she writes nice, well rounded teenagers that occasionally find themselves in rough (really rough) situations, and that they deal with them realistically. Visit Her Website: http://www.jolenebperry.com/Jolene_B_Perry/Jolene.html

#8: Karina Bliss

Cumulative  RtP Star Rating: 12.5

Reviewed Works: Here Comes the Groom, Stand-In Wife, Bring Him Home, What the Librarian Did

What Makes Her Awesome: Karina Bliss writes Harlequin Superomance, dramatic and heart-wrenching stories set in contemporary New Zealand. Her Special Forces series, which begins with Here Comes the Groom, is particularly enjoyable. The heroes are soldiers trying to put their lives back together after their war experiences. Visit Her Website: http://www.karinabliss.com/

 

#7: Nalini Singh

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 16

Reviewed Works: Angel's Blood, Archangel's Kiss, Archangel's Consort, Archangel's Blade, Archangel's Storm

What Makes Her Awesome: When I first encountered Nalini Singh's Psy/Changeling series, I was really unimpressed. Her other series, though, is purely fantastic. The Guild Hunter series is gripping, elegant, deeply addictive paranormal romance. It blends horror, fantasy, and pure love stories in as seamless a manner as I've seen. Visit Her Website: http://www.nalinisingh.com/

#6: Gena Showalter

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 18.5

Reviewed Works: The Darkest Night, The Darkest Kiss, The Darkest Pleasure, The Darkest Whisper, The Darkest Passion, The Darkest Lie, The Darkest Secret

What Makes Her Awesome: Until compiling this list, I had actually forgotten how very awesome I found these books. I was so fed up and disappointed by two or three of her books, that I actually stopped reading her altogether. Her place on this list, though, makes me think that I really ought to give her another shot. Her books are dark and sexy and worth at least a try.   http://members.genashowalter.com/

#5: Courtney Milan

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 22

Reviewed Works: Unlocked, Unveiled, Unclaimed, Unraveled, The Duchess War

What Makes Her Awesome: Courtney Milan writes historical romance in a completely unique way. She writes heroines that you can like and respect, and deliciously unusual heroes that you fall in love with. No cookie cutter characters for her. Visit Her Website: http://www.courtneymilan.com/

#4: Nora Roberts

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 18

Reviewed Works: Sea Swept, Rising Tides, Inner Harbor, Chesapeake Blue

What Makes Her Awesome: Math put this amazing author lower on the list, but that's purely because I read so many of her works prior to this blog, and although I've talked about them, I've never formally reviewed them. So, I bumped her up a bit. Nora Roberts writes amazing contemporary romance with some of the best male characters around.  Visit Her Website: http://www.noraroberts.com/

#3: Larissa Ione

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 28.5

Reviewed Works: Pleasure Unbound, Passion Unleashed, Desire Unchained, Ecstasy Unveiled, Sin Undone, Eternal Rider, Immortal Rider, Lethal Rider

What Makes Her Awesome: Larissa Ione writes dark, sexy paranormal books that I always enjoy in a purely guilty sort of way. I love the demons and the visits to hell and all of the characters with their possibly evil dark sides. All around good, creepy fun. Visit Her Website: http://larissaione.com/blog/

#2: Kresley Cole

Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 30

Reviewed Works:  A Hunger Like No Other, No Rest For the Wicked, Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night, Dark Desires After Dusk, Dark Needs at Night's Edge, Kiss of a Demon King, Deep Kiss of Winter, Pleasure of a Dark Prince, Demon From the Dark, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, The Poison Princess

What Makes Her Awesome: Kresley Cole's writing has a brilliant, light funniness that somehow does not detract from the sexiness of her stories. He heroines are strong and independent and her heroes are fierce, scary monsters. I can't help but look forward to her books, even after a few let me down. Visit Her Website: http://kresleycole.com/paranormal-romance.html 

#1: Lisa Kleypas

  Cumulative RtP Star Rating: 38

Reviewed Works: Secrets of a Summer Night, It Happened One Autumn, The Devil In Winter, Scandal in Spring, Mine Til Midnight, Seduce Me at Sunrise, Tempt Me at Twilight, Married by Morning, Love in the Afternoon

What Makes Her Awesome: At first, her position in the number one spot on this list probably seems surprising. I haven't talked about Lisa Kleypas as loudly or as often as some of the authors lower on the list. But, in fact, Kleypas is responsible for sparking my interest in historical romance, when before I stuck almost entirely to PNR with the occasional contemporary thrown in. She can make a dull setting and situation funny, and her characters are as charming as you could ask for. Visit Her Website: http://www.lisakleypas.com/ 

RtP Top 10 Books Read in 2012!

It has been one heck of a year, ladies and gentlemen. I got finished school, moved, got married, adopted a demon posing as a cat...and I read some pretty great books too. So now, for your reading pleasure, I present the top ten books reviewed on Reading to Penguins in 2012.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, published in 2011, was reviewed in January. It's almost impossible to place genre-wise--not solidly romance or fantasy or anything else, but a little bit of all things fantastic. It tells the story of two magicians in a magical fight surrounding a circus. It's memorable for its rich imagery and setting driven story. It's a book to immerse yourself in, a book that makes you desperately crave caramel corn. If it's a bit low on the list, it's only because I felt the plot was a bit weak compared to some of the other books in our top 10.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins was published in 2010, and I reviewed it back in March. It's a very simple YA romance, but I find it completely charming. I like that it's a "friend's first" love story, with a build up of chemistry that I always find appealing. The characters are fun and easy to relate to. Most importantly, the setting will have you wishing for a vacation in Paris tomorrow. I put it a bit low on the list only because, having glanced through it again, I do find that it does a lot of very cliched YA things--like the instant group of perfect friends for the new girl, and the Etienne's somewhat bitchy current girlfriend.

So, I don't read a lot of high fantasy. I don't have a lot to compare to. But Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, published in 2012 and reviewed this August, managed to leave an impression. It's a novel about dragons, and about a heroine who must accept her own deep connection to the dragons. The setting and plot are extremely creative. I liked that the author put us right inside Seraphina's head, allowing us to see her dreams and the secret visions that she keeps hidden away. It's a fun novel, but the plot is slow and the pacing stalls out at times, much to my frustration. It's still well worth your time.

The Color of Snow by Brenda Stanley, published in 2012, found it's way onto my blog in July. Admittedly, this isn't my usual fair, and I don't know how many people it will appeal to. But I found it uniquely enjoyable. It's the story of a teenager who lived in isolation for years after her paranoid father kidnapped her from her grandparents. What stood out about this story, for me, was it's lack of a villain and it's ability to make the character sympathize, to some degree, with all of the characters. It's a serious book about love, insanity, finding your place, and learning to think for yourself. 

I knew at the outset that Fables was going to appear on this list somewhere, but it was honestly difficult to decide which one to put and where. In the end, I decided to put Volume 1, Legends in Exile, here. First, because it introduced me to the series and got me hooked. Two, because it actually made book of the month back when I reviewed it in October. Fables is a graphic novel series in which fairy tale characters are stuck in the real world, trying to live normalish lives. Legends in Exile is actually something of a murder mystery, but the plot is less important than the introduction of the fantastic fairy tale characters--all at once familiar and totally unexpected. If you only ever read one graphic novel, it should be Fables.

If you asked me which book I was most surprised to be including in a top 10 list, it would be Angelfall by Susan Ee. I say that because, on the surface, it sounds derivative and amateurish. Once you delve into it, though, you find that it's better than a lot of main stream, popular urban fantasy currently on the market. It's the story of Penryn, a teenage girl who wants to protect her little sister, and her broken journey alongside the angel Raffe. It's everything a post-apocalyptic story should be--horrific, disturbing, thoughtful, and vaguely hopeful. But be warned, it ends on a cliffhanger that might make you throw your reading device at a wall.

Night Sky by Jolene Perry is an absolutely fantastic contemporary romance. It was published in 2012, and I reviewed it in April for a blog tour, feeling mostly surprised and relieved to have really liked it. The characters and the romance feel very real, and the power of their impact lies in how serious and yet sweet it all is. Notably, it's told from the hero's perspective, and that male point of view put an entirely novel dimension to an otherwise simple story. Jameson is a typical guy in many ways, but a really nice guy all the same, and it's hard not to love him. It's hard not to love this love story.

Spoiler alert, folks, Duchess War by Courtney Milan was my favorite book of December. More importantly, it was the #3 book of 2012. It's a historical romance with a remarkably smart but sadly suppressed heroine, and a hero trying to right many ancient wrongs. Milan writes the most compelling characters I've seen recently, and the plot almost doesn't matter because it's so interesting to just watch these people be. The plot, however, is engaging by itself. All around, the complete package. Go read this book. Go read it now.

It's surprising to tell that I had somewhat mixed feelings toward Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and yet Days of Blood and Starlight ranks at number 2 on my list of favorite books for the year. I felt deeply invested in the world while I read this book. The stakes seemed so high, and so was my level of sympathy for Karou. The world building is just so strange and unique and fantastic. The love story is compelling--you want everything to end up happy. But above all, it's a story of war at it's worst, and trying to overcome it's effects with acts of mercy and love.

And the #1 book of 2012 is...

Yes, it's Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. It's a science fiction fairy tale retelling, and it is even more awesome than it sounds. It's the best possible version of Cinderella, with a charming and quirky heroine who at least gets to know her prince charming a bit. The world building knocked me on my ass, it was so interesting and so bizarre. If you haven't read this book yet, you need to read it in 2013. It's absolutely essential.

Misc. Monday: Reading YA as an Adult

That title should, by all rights, say "Adult", because I don't think I've ever fully grown up. I don't really plan to. I'm going to keep my Disney movies, and my dolls, and my fuzzy pink slippers, thank you. Those things aside, I am in all other ways an employed, rent paying, married twenty-something adult. Who occasionally reads teen literature.

My Journey Away From, and Back Into YA...

 

I read virtually no teen literature while actually a teen. The last arguably young adult thing I remember picking up was Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn when I was twelve or thirteen. By Christmas of my thirteenth year, though, I was pretty much exclusively reading adult paranormal romance. I remember this, because I asked for a bunch of them for Christmas and that's exactly what I got. My mother has never been one to forbid books...but that's a story for another post.

So, my teens went by with Harry Potter being the only under 18 MC in my life. There were a couple of reasons for this. The primary reason is that I'm always resistant to entertainment that reflects whatever is actually going on in my life. I wouldn't watch teen movies while I was a teen, or college movies while in college. I drove everyone crazy during my engagement because I wouldn't even watch Bridesmaids. I can't explain it, other than to say that it's not escapism for me if I'm going into the same environment.

Then, about a year and a half ago, I was browsing the internet for books. I came across Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series. I was already familiar with her Shifters books, and liked those well enough, so I was thrilled to see that she had something else. But, oh whoa is me, they were young adult. It got me thinking things over, and I realized that I was now several years removed from high school, entirely past the teen stage of my life. Thus, it would now be much less uncomfortable for me to read a book with a high school setting. I knew it was going to be an easy read, it wouldn't take up that much time, and so it seemed like it would be silly not to give it a try.

I haven't actually caught up on the Soul Screamers books (someday, maybe), but what they did do was open the door for me to read a genre that I had bluntly ignored for eight or nine years. This meant that I had well over a decade of untapped authors and series to try out, and to say that I dove in head first would be an understatement. You can see on this blog that I've reviewed quite a few YAs, and I've tried out even more. I love these things.

The "Shame" of Reading YA

 

I put shame in quotations to emphasize that I personally, absolutely do not feel ashamed to read YA. However, shortly after I started talking about these books I noticed that there are plenty of people--in real life, on forums and blogs, in review comments--that are eager to shame adults who read teen books. It's usually along the lines of  "I don't know why all of these adults want to read things meant for young people, what is wrong with them, this is yet more proof that literacy is in the toilet, no wonder there are so many stupid people..." and so forth.

I can't defend all adult YA readers, because I don't know all of them. It is entirely possible that some of them are stupid or barely literate or incredibly immature. I highly doubt that this is the case. It's far more likely that most of them are like me. There is nothing wrong with my education or my reading ability. I've read over a dozen Shakepeare plays, Jane Austen, the Brontes, Charles Dickens, and so forth, many of my own volition. I've slogged through scientific journals where the jargon is so thick you could cut it with a knife, and I've been made to write critical essays about them after the fact. My brain is in full working order. On an unrelated note, sometimes I read teen books.

As I said, though, I also read romance novels, so I'm inoculated to the shame of reading stigmatized genres. Sit is a cafe full of frat boys with a book who's cover looks like this--

--and your ability to feel shame will gradually dwindle into nothingness.

Why Adults Read YA

 

Now that we've established that adults can read YA, you might ask "But why would you want to?"

The first reason is that YA is oddly nostalgic. I'm not saying that I'd like to relive my teen years, because they weren't exactly easy. But sometimes reading about a character who's dealing with the same issues that I dealt with back then is cathartic. I can say to myself, "Yep, I got through that. Phew..." Sometimes there will be a character that reminds me of an old friend, or a setting or circumstance that I remember. In other cases, the characters are dealing with such tough stuff that it makes me feel like I got off easy as a kid, and that is also a comforting thought. Sort of.

The second reason that I like reading YA is that I really enjoy good character focused stories with a lot of personal development for the main character. That is exactly what a good young adult book should be about. Most people take the biggest strides toward finding themselves between the ages of 15 and 25. Watching a character do just that, and find courage, integrity, and purpose, is absolutely fascinating.

...specifically, YA romance

Sometimes the characters also find love. This is the sticking point for most people that argue with me against the merits of teen literature. I encounter a remarkable number of people who think that a romantic relationship that begins in high school can't or should not work out. To which I say: Screw you. It's great that you think you've found the perfect formula to lasting relationships, and I hope that works for you. For me, personally, I don't think that such a formula exists, and I don't think that older people have a monopoly on love that lasts. I believe there's hope for teen couples, because I was once part of a teen couple, and we ended up married. After a very long engagement (I'm not reckless).

There are a couple of things that I like about teen romance. Primarily, I like that it's usually based on pure relationship development, where sex is a small or nonexistent factor. In adult romance, authors can get caught up in the physical aspects of the relationship and forget that there is also emotional development that needs to happen. I find that young adult authors are often better at the friendship, connectivity, and longing that are involved in the early stages of a relationship (for good examples, see Stephanie Perkins, and Jolene Perry).

And Now For A Break

 

All of this was my long winded way of saying that I do, with absolute conviction, love young adult novels. However, I may be taking a tiny "break" from them. Oh, not entirely, but I would like to cut it down to one or two a month. I get a lot of review requests from YA authors (you guys rock, and thank you for the opportunity), and as a result I feel like they've taken over my reading hours and this blog to a greater extent then I would like. In the coming months, I'm going to try to focus on the adult books gathering dust in my TBR. I miss them. I miss the gore, and I'm not going to lie, I miss the sex.

That said, to all of my adult readers, specifically those who have not read any teen literature in recent years, I really hope that you'll give it a try. There are a lot of amazing authors doing phenomenal work in that genre. These are authors that take their audience seriously, and we shouldn't be afraid to be a part of that audience.

Follow Friday 6/14/12

 

Q: Happy Father’s Day! Who is your favorite dad character in a book and why?

Just one? I have four!

Ray Quinn from Nora Robert's Chesapeake Bay series. He won his spot by adopting and raising three teenage boys from horrible backgrounds. Kudos to all adoptive parents. (Amazon/Goodreads)

Ronnie's father from Knee Deep by Jolene Perry. He found a loving and supportive way to help his teenage daughter when she was in a really tough spot. (Amazon/Goodreads)

 Both of Lola's fathers in Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins. Especially Andy, because he can make pie. But they both earn their spot for being strict but loving, and embracing Lola's uniqueness. (Amazon/Goodreads)

Blod Tour! A Review of Knee Deep by Jolene Perry

This is my third Jolene Perry book, and I can now say with absolute certainty that I am a fan of hers. Her writing has that special, undefinable quality that makes contemporary YA work for me--a quality so rare that I usually only come across it once or twice a year.

Knee Deep focuses on Ronnie, a girl in her senior year of high school, who is in a very unhealthy relationship. Ronnie is just starting to find herself, by trying out for the school play and finding a special love of acting. But her self discovery is hindered by Shawn, her long-term boyfriend, who's behavior is becoming increasingly selfish and destructive. Even as she tries to make excuses for Shawn, and tries to make their relationship work, she finds herself falling for her costar in the play--Luke. Luke is one of her best friends, and very sweet. But Ronnie believes that Shawn, with all of his flaws, is her soulmate.

Positive Comments:

Perry makes this simple, predictable plot emotionally gripping. She takes the time to build Ronnie and Shawn's relationship so that the reader really understands what Ronnie is clinging to. I understood, for example, that Ronnie had created  an ideal version of Shawn in her mind, and convinced herself that he would be that Shawn if only she could be patient enough to wait for him.

I loved Luke, and I felt very empathetic toward him. Having been a friend to an abuse victim, I could clearly understand the position he was in. This position is made all the worse by the fact that he's in love with Ronnie. He wants to protect her, and he can't. Luke is Ronnie's night in shining armor, but she'd rather be with the monster.

Perry writes parent/teen relationships very well. Ronnie's parents are also in the position of wanting to help her, but are mostly unable to. Ronnie's father, in particular, is brilliant in his quest to get Ronnie to open up, and later to help her heal after things get really bad. Every girl should be so fortunate as to have a dad like that.

Overall, I just really loved Ronnie's emotional journey--from stubbornly in love, to torn between Luke and Shawn, to all on her own. And of course, I can't give away how it all ends, but I'll just say that the end was so appropriate and so emotionally fulfilling that I sighed contentedly.

Critical Comments:

Unfortunately, I think I'm the only person in the whole world who DOESN'T find Romeo and Juliet romantic. Ronnie's performance as Juliet was part of what opened her heart to feelings toward Luke, and that's great for her. But I just don't get it. I wasn't able to connect with Ronnie during those times--but that is, of course, a matter of my own taste.

Be warned that Ronnie makes some frustrating decisions. She acts exactly, and I mean exactly, like every abused girl I've ever known does. She stays when things are clearly bad and headed towards horrible. She keeps it all a secret, and she makes excuses.  And that can be as tough to read about as it is to watch.

Recommendation:

Young adult fans, romance fans--you really need to give this book a try. It's sweet, sad, and uplifting, all at the same time. The characters are well developed, the tone is relaxed and somber, and the story is thought provoking. 4 stars.

By from Amazon:  Knee Deep

Stacking the Shelves (2)

Last week, I miraculously restrained myself from getting any new books. This week, however, I broke down and picked up a few.

Firelight (Darkest London) by Kristen Callihan (Bought Used)
City of Bones (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare (Bought Used)

Both of these are books that were highly recommended to me.

And for my Kindle, I received:

Knee Deep by Jolene Perry (Given to me for review)

How about you guys? What exciting things got added to your TBR this week?

Best Book of April/May Preview

Well guys, it's the first of the month again, which means its time to crown the best book of April, and give you a little taste of what's coming in May. 

Once again, there were a lot of great books in my pile this month, but the clear winner for favorite was Night Sky by Jolene Perry. I did not expect to love this book, but between the awesome male POV and the rich story of young love, I was enthralled. Go check it out, if you haven't already.

What's coming up in May?

Two reviews, already written, should be up for your amusement shortly. The first is for Bonds of Fenris, by S. J. Bell, which I liked quite a bit. The second is for Daphne and the Mysterious Girls Secret Bathroom Society, by Robert Shields, which I did not like at all. And I mean...not even a little bit.

And in our TBR we have:

Hammered by Kevin Hearne

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benajmin Alire Saenz

Spectral by Shannon Duffy

A Good Man by Venessa Morgan

Symphony of Blood by Adam Pepper

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Knee Deep by Jolene Perry

And that's the official line up! What's in your TBR this month?