Reading Romances in Order

I just finished Joy Nash’s IMMORTALS: THE CROSSING which had been on my TBR shelf since I met her in NJ a year ago. This was such a great book! I actually got to revisit Dante’s 9 levels of hell through the characters' adventures. Talk about up close and personal! Truly amazing. I like saving books to read when I know more will be coming out in the series and then I read them all at once. That way I don’t have to wait months between books. The IMMORTALS series has a total of 8 books and three authors, Jennifer Ashley, Joy Nash, and Robin Popp. The last book was published this March. Okay, so I’m still a little late, but it’s so fun to get lost in a world with reoccurring characters throughout the books. I hoard them until I have them all.
http://www.immortals-series.com/index2.html

I also used this strategy of buying and holding for Cassie Ryan’s SEDUCTION Trilogy. These books take place mostly on a planet called Tador which is similar to the proverbial Garden of Eden, but these are erotic romances so reader beware these are very, very hot books. With this series I loved the characters so much that by the last book I made myself stop reading every few chapters to make the story last longer. http://www.cassieryan.com/index.php?id=2

How do you read books in a trilogy or series? As they come out or do you save them for an all out read?

ANNOUNCEMENT: I’m so excited! This Sunday I will have my first guest blogger. Laura Breck, whose first romance SECRET VEGAS LIVES came out last Thursday, will be giving away a prize to one lucky commenter. So don’t miss next week!

Sending Fan Mail

When I finish reading a book by one of my friends I always send them a quick email and let them know what I liked about it. I can’t help it. I think it’s because I’m always so thankful to read a great romance and when it’s written by someone I know, I want to tell them how much I enjoyed it. Since I’m quite the miser with compliments, this is a bit out of character for me.

However, I’ve never sent fan mail to an author I don’t know. I wonder why. I did ask a few authors what they thought about fan mail and was excited to hear that they love it! Even if you read a book of theirs from years ago, they love receiving your reaction to their stories. In fact, the authors I corresponded with said they reply back to fan mail! How great is that?

Have you ever sent fan mail? Did you hear back?

Characters’ Names Starting with the Same First Letter

commenter from Maryland contacted me to ask if other readers find this annoying in romance novels. She says she is a very fast reader and when multiple characters’ names start with the same first letter, she has to slow down and confirm which character it is. For her, it gets frustrating. I can see where this might be an issue for very fast readers. Do people who read slower care about the first letter of the characters' names? Do other fast readers find this to be a distraction? Where do you stand?

Does Setting Matter?

This weekend I read a book from one of my favorite authors. It was a paranormal set in San Francisco, mostly in Chinatown. I love visiting San Francisco and have even enjoyed the Dim Sum experience, but for some reason I just couldn’t connect with the environment. Maybe it was the big city. I’m a rural/suburban girl at heart. I still thoroughly enjoyed the book, but not as much as her others and I know it was the setting and my own personal bias. In the historical genre publishers have slowed down on westerns. In all genres publishers have been more open to settings around the world than they used to be. I wonder where that leaves futuristic romances with whole new worlds which could be either. Have you ever found setting effects your connection to the story? Have you ever thought about where the book takes place before buying it?