Review: Love Unexpected by Jenny Proctor

Title: Love Unexpected

Author: Jenny Proctor

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Subgenre: New Adult, Young Adult (twenty-something)

Heat Level: Sweet (with a touch of salt)

Links: Amazon, BookBub

This story is perfect for the crazy times we live in. Isaac is a social media personality famous enough to have his own merch and provide careers for several of his friends and family. Rosie is an introverted web designer with barely controlled anxiety issues and a monster crush on Isaac since high school. She moves from Kansas to Charleston, South Carolina to take a job at his company. Unfortunately, she practically hyperventilates every time he comes near.  

I have to admit I thought these two were totally wrong for each other, and I was eager to see how the author made it work. I mean, an extreme extrovert with a committed introvert? 


One of my favorite scenes is where Rosie is talking to her mom about how having a relationship with Isaac would be difficult. Her mom points out that every long-term relationship is challenging in some way and that being married to someone with anxiety issues will take just as much of a commitment from Isaac. There’s a sweet realism to the relationship between Isaac and Rosie, and it’s the kind of stuff that leads to real happily ever afters, even after you strip away all of the first-blush chemistry.  










Review: I Hated You First

Title: I Hated You First

Author: Rachel John

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Sub-genre: New Adult; Young Adult (twenty-something)

Heat level: Sweet

Links: Amazon, BookBub

This is the first book I’ve read by Rachel John, but I will be reading more of her work. If you like the enemies to lovers trope, but in a sweet romance, then I suspect you will like I Hated You First. 

I thought Lauren and Clay were both charming characters and not the usual stereotypes. Lauren’s definitely not the girlie-girl you find as the heroine in so many romances. Other than her 15-min mile run pace (I can so relate) she’s as tough as any of the guys she works with. In fact, there are definitely times when Clay comes off as the more emotionally mature one.

The secondary characters played very strong roles in the story. Clay and Lauren’s relationship is complicated enough, but it’s made even more so by about the sweetest dysfunctional family in literature. I know her roommate Jenny’s story is next, and I’m looking forward to that, but I really hope that Parker finds his soulmate soon, too. There’s someone for everyone, right?


What's Next?

With a new release on the market, I'm trying to decide which project to tackle next. I have three options calling to me:


Option A: Finish a new contemporary romance
I started drafting while I waited for edit rounds on Smitten. It's going well, but I'm only about a quarter of the way through the first draft, so it's not like it just needs a bit of polishing.






Option B: Revisit Rebel's Kiss, a historical romance I was querying when I got bitten by the contemporary bug. 

I really like this story, but I wasn't getting much traction. American historicals aren't a genre many publishers are looking for. Now that I set it aside for a year or more, looking at it with fresh eyes may help. Plus, I learned a ton from my developmental editor for Smitten. And, there's always the self-pub route.

BTW, the cover shown here is only a concept cover. Even if I self-pub, that will change.



Option C: Revisit my historicals. Almost since the day they were published, I've wanted to go back and clean up the first set of romance novels I wrote. I have learned so much since then! Of course, I'd need to get the rights back from my publisher, and then I'd have to self-publish them, but I know other authors who have done this successfully.






I'm leaning toward option B. I like the story and it's low-hanging fruit. But, who knows which way the wind will blow tomorrow. 

Happy reading!

MJ






It's Finally Here!

Ack! It's been so long since I've posted anything, I completely forgot how to log in to my blog. In my defense, I've been in heavy-edit mode for the last six months. 

But, at long last, Smitten is finally here! 

Special shout out to @PatriciaSCook, my fabulous editor at Champagne Book Group. She put oodles of hours, working with me on developmental edits and helping me hit that sweet spot of sexy, but still sweet.

New city. New job. New life. No jerks allowed.

After thirteen years, Liv Sanders can no longer deny the truth: Her boyfriend is a slimeball. So, at twenty-eight, she puts a pin in her metaphorical map and heads to Chicago.

Still stinging from betrayal, the only relationship she’s ready for is with Smitten, a ginger tabby who adopts her as his human. Malcolm, her gorgeous next-door neighbor, is off limits. Totally. Absolutely. At least for now. Unfortunately, he’s not helping her resolve by showing up every time her new life throws a curve ball.

If only she’d checked him out online. She would have known Malcolm wasn’t who he claimed to be. When Liv’s ex shows up, ready to try again, she has a decision to make. Which man will she forgive, and which one will she forget?

Buy Now

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Apple

Champagne Books



Review: Love and a Little White Lie

4 Stars
Genre: Contemporary
Subgenre: Christian
Heat Level: Clean

I received a pre-release review copy of this novel through NetGalley. This review is a slightly longer version of the one I posted on NetGalley and on Amazon.

I'd not read anything by Tammy Gray before, but I requested this one because the story sounded reminiscent of Faking Grace, one of my favorite contemporary Christian romances. Both are the story of the conversion of a non-believer into a believer. Sort of...

Before I dive deeper, here's a summary I posted on NetGalley:

January (Jan) Sanders’ life is pretty messed up, but then what should she expect? She doesn’t even remember her biological father, and her mother’s been divorced and remarried four times. Stepdad #5 isn’t looking too promising.

After her own breakup, she takes refuge with her aunt and manages to swing a temporary job at the local community church. Being her aunt’s niece, the church leaders assume she’s a believer. January is anything but. Faking it through one encounter after another and navigating two budding relationships, January starts to realize that maybe, just maybe God hasn’t given up on her yet.

 

Love and a Little White Lie is very sweet, and I enjoyed it immensely. The characters are both believable and likable. If you’re looking for a classical Christian romance (and enjoy conversion stories to boot) you won’t go wrong with this one. Perfect for the beach or a cozy weekend by the fireplace.

 

I only gave it four stars, not because of anything I disliked, but because it was such a light read. Jan’s upbringing and life circumstances were pretty gritty, but that was glossed over. Her path to conversion (and love) was a relatively smooth one, with less angst than I would expect from a typical romance. Though there might be a lot of inner doubt, everything just seemed to work out. I suspect Ms. Gray’s readers and publisher aren’t looking for “gritty” or “angsty,” so consider this a personal preference.


***** 


OK, now to an explanation as to why I say this is "sort of" a conversion story. 


If you're looking for a story about a non-believer coming to Christ, this isn't it. Jan isn't an atheist. She's just been led away from the church by a mother who has rejected God for reasons that seem pretty flimsy. Once she gets past the Christianese (who hasn't been in one of those conversations) she falls into the faith pretty smoothly. It's not the rocky road you find in non-fiction conversions, but again, that may not be what Inspy romance readers are looking for.


There were a couple of interesting aspects to the novel that make it different than other romances. The story is told in first person. That seems to be more common these days, but it was also told completely from Jan's perspective. She has two "love interests" in the novel, and we never really know what either one of them is thinking.


The two love interests is the other aspect that's a bit different from the typical romance. Initially, we see more of the relationship that doesn't work out than the one that does. Not many publishers would allow that, and it took some getting used to, but I can see how it was essential for the story. Still, I had to be careful not to invest too much emotional energy in the first guy, and I would have liked more of the main love interest up front. 


Love and a Little White Lie didn't have the humor of Faking Grace, but I found the hero and the secondary characters more likable, so there were some definite pluses. 



My Journey as an Agented Author – Day 7


And so it begins...

After writing four novels and publishing them through a fairly well-known, but boutique press, I decided I wanted to work with an agent. It’s only been seven days since I signed the contract, so I thought I’d share a bit about my journey while it’s still fresh. Maybe I can help others who are deciding whether to go straight to the publisher, to self-publish, or to seek out an agent.

Today, I just want to share a bit of the background to my journey. My current manuscript is a sweet/clean contemporary romance. This is the first time I’ve written in that genre, so it seemed a logical time to try out another path to publishing. In full disclosure, though, I did query another historical romance quite extensively, but to no avail. I got some nibbles, but nothing connected with any of the literary agencies I reached out to.

Here’s a sample book cover my daughter mocked up for me. Smitten is actually the name of the cat, who has a hand (or should I say paw?) in bringing the hero and heroine together.

I pitched Smitten directly to a dozen literary agencies and participated in one #Pitmad. I got a few nibbles from that, but nothing connected. When #KissPitch rolled around, I decided to pitch one more time. I didn’t expect much but thought it was worth a try. I got a couple nibbles from that.

My plan was to participate in #Pitmad a couple of weeks later, and if nothing panned out, to self-publish. But then, my mom passed away, so life got a bit hectic, and I decided not to bother with #Pitmad. 

Since I hadn’t heard back from either of my other #KissPitch queries, I’d pretty much resigned myself to self-publishing. (I make that sound worse than it was. I was actually eager to try it.)

Then, the day after I missed #PitMad, Katie Salvo from Metamorphosis Literary Agency contacted me, saying that her senior agent had passed my manuscript to her. She was still reading it, but planned to finish over the weekend and wanted to talk on Monday if I was still unagented. I’m not a “squee-type” personality, so let’s just say I was cautiously optimistic, even eager for that conversation.

On a side note, Katie is open to queries. In particular, I know she's looking for more contemporary romance, but she represents a number of genres and subgenres. 

*****

Katie Salvo - Junior Agent
A traditionally published novelist, certified copy editor, and avid reader with eclectic genre interests, Katie Salvo loves nothing more than to see authors succeed in introducing new ideas and fresh voices to the publishing industry. With a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, Katie has a background in literary criticism, philosophy, political theory, and history. She is particularly interested in representing women’s fiction, romance, nonfiction, historical biography, historical literary fiction, and academic works in the fields of study listed above.

*****

We chatted that Monday, and she sent me a contract to review. It was pretty standard, but never having worked with an agent, I asked a few questions. A week later, we’d both signed, and the proverbial ball in now rolling.

In later posts, I hope to go deeper into items of interest and things I’ve learned on this journey, and maybe even answer some questions. I’ve left the comment section open below if you’d like to respond. You can also find me on Twitter @MaryJeanAdams. If you’re a member of the #WritingGroup community, reach out and say hi!

Review: Just One of the Guys

Just One of the Guys
by Kristan Higgins

4 Stars
Genre: Contemporary
Subgenre: Chick lit (IMO)
Heat level: Sort of steamy
Amazon Link


I don't think I've read a Harlequin in a while, so this one caught me by surprise. It's sort of crosses the line from romance into chick lit, but in a good way. (Nothing wrong with chick lit, but romance readers often seem to want something more traditional.)

The heroine (Chastity) was absolutely awesome. She's smart, snarky, full of life, but with a vulnerability that makes her completely identifiable. Like most of us, she has body issues. The entire story is told from her POV, and she's so funny, I had to stop working out while I read because I was laughing so hard.

I also like that she was at that vulnerable age - thirties and unmarried. That age appeals to me because when they find their 'happily ever after,' I figure it's going to last a little longer than the HEAs in a teen romance.

I really liked the hero, as well, but I wish we had gotten more from his POV. Or at the very least, I wish there had been more interaction. There was enough to not frustrate me, but I still wanted more. The focus on the heroine's life and perspectives is one of the primary reasons I say it dipped a toe over the line into chick lit. Nevertheless, the author did a decent job of giving him a fleshed-out background and motivation.

The second big element that may surprise some traditional romance readers is the drama that surrounds Chastity. Her family is a mess. I wasn't crazy about the way some of their drama was wrapped up. It didn't feel like an HEA to me, although they seemed perfectly content with life giving them less than a fairy-tale ending.

Finally, although this wasn't a clean romance, there wasn't a lot of swearing. (I'm trying to remember if there was any.) And, although the storyline contained sex scenes, we were forced to endure a play by play.

All in all, well worth the read, and I will definitely be picking up more by this author. Reading through other reviews, some of her fans that didn't like this book named other books of hers they really liked. I'll move on to those, but I think this one is a great one to start with if you haven't read Kristan Higgans before.

Review: A Terrible Beauty


A Terrible Beauty
By Stephanie Patterson

5 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Subgenres: 1850s (Victorian?), Crimean War
Heat Level: spicy
Amazon Link

Between A Terrible Beauty and a head cold, I haven’t had much sleep the last couple of nights. I could have read this in one sitting. In fact, I would put it right up there with some of the best books I’ve read this past year.

Let me go through some of the things I really liked about the book, and then I’ll bring up one thing I had to overlook:

Stuff I liked:
I admit I never knew much about the Crimean War and the nurses like Florence Nightingale who gave up comfortable lives to save soldiers on the front lines. I learned a lot in this book without feeling like I was being fed a history lesson. This book is gritty, but it needed to be.

The heroine is easily one of my favorites. She went from being the talk of the ton to a nurse in the front lines in the space of a few months. Some authors talk about how they torture their characters. Patterson really does, but every step of it was believable.

The plot is tightly woven. Before they see the error of their ways, the hero, heroine and secondary characters are always scheming. Patterson manages to thread these schemes together like pieces of a puzzle to create an amazingly intricate whole.

The heat level is spicy, with several explicit loves scenes and one rather crude one early on, but it is a necessary component of the plot and reveals quite a bit about the character of the hero if one bothers to read closely. I could have done without some of the later love scenes, but they weren’t overly gratuitous.  

I like the overall theme. Essentially, you never really know why someone acts the way they do until you hear (and really listen to) their side of the story.

Last but not least, a Terrible Beauty is available on Kindle Unlimited (at least as I write this), so it was low risk to give it a try. I LOVE finding new authors this way, and I have already downloaded the next book in the series, Mrs. Lady.

One teensy tiny thing I didn’t…
There are quite a few typos in the book and the use of commas is sketchy at best. The typos aren’t egregious…it’s usually a missing article or the use of “nor” when it should be “not.” It’s the kind of stuff an author doesn’t often catch, but a copy editor should have. I might have set a less well written book aside, but the story was so captivating it became easier and easier to overlook these errors.