The Romance Writers of America announced the finalists for the 2012 RITA Awards and two of our favorite steamy romances are on their list!
Darynda Jones' fun and sexy debut, FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, about part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper Charley Davidson is a finalist for 2012 Best First Book and 2012 Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements! Let's not forget that FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT previously won the 2009 Golden Heart for Best Paranormal Novel.
Christina Brooke's steamy Regency historical, HEIRESS IN LOVE, is the first in her scandalous Ministry of Marriage series following widow Roxdale who is quite inconveniently falling hard for an unrepentant rake. HEIRESS IN LOVE is a finalist for the 2012 Best Regency Historical Romance!
Way to go, Darynda and Christina!
Read moreAfter her adventures in the RWA Golden Heart Award-winning novel FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT and sequel SECOND GRAVE ON THE LEFT, Private Investigator and Grim Reaper Charlie Davidson has come to find that leading a double life of solving crimes and shepherding souls into the afterlife exhausting. But the cases, the dead, and the boys just keep getting wilder!
Publishers Weekly gave the third installment in the series, THIRD GRAVE DEAD AHEAD, a starred review and called P.I./Grim Reaper Charlie, "smart" and "wickedly hilarious." Of the story, they said, "Jones pulls all the craziness together in the end while leaving plenty of open threads to pull the reader into the next installment."
Library Journal said, "A must-buy for Charley Davidson fans, the novel has an engaging style--coupled with the enjoyable sarcasm of its protagonist--that will no doubt win Jones an expanding readership among paranormal romance/mystery aficionados."
And Booklist said, "Readers will be dying to know where the fourth grave is."
The REAL question is, what do librarians think of it? Well, Shayera Tangri of Los Angeles Public tweeted, "I LOVED Third Grave Dead Ahead. Loved it like I love cake. And you know that's a lot. :-)" We do know, Shayera. We do, indeed.
Read moreWelcome to a new week, librarians! We've had an exciting few weeks as the Best of 2011 lists come in and we get to celebrate many of our favorite books from throughout the year.
- FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT by Darynda Jones and narrated by Lorelei King has been named Best Romance Audio Book of 2011 by Audible!
- Steampunk pioneer and Hugo Award-nominated title, BONESHAKER, is scheduled to hit the silver screen! Variety has all the details here.
- BURY YOUR DEAD by Louise Penny took home the Nero Award this weekend and we were even more heart-warmed to hear it after Ms. Penny joined us in the office last week for some deliciously mysterious cake!
- Finally, Esquire named THE SUBMISSION by Amy Waldman Book of the Year!
Read moreFIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT, the debut paranormal romance from the sizzlingly talented Darynda Jones, won the 2009 Golden Heart for Best Paranormal Romance from RWA. The story continues to grab reviewers attention, this time in audio!
The reviewers at Booklist (who starred the book when it first released in hardcover) have starred the audio version, as well! They say, "[Lorelei] King (familiar to many as the recent reader of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels) brings sassy fun to the role of Charley, who is spunky and sarcastic. […] Paranormal romance is hot, so expect high interest in this sizzling, laugh-out loud-story."
It's also an Earphones Award-winner with AudioFile who said, "Narrator Lorelei King has proved herself the queen of snark, the sovereign of inspired performances of sassy female detectives. She’s pretty amazing with a large cast of secondary characters, too. King’s a perfect choice for portraying Charley Davidson, an Albuquerque P.I. and grim reaper responsible for leading the dead to the other side. [...] Jones’s book will leave romance, chick-lit, humor, and mystery lovers waiting for Charley’s second adventure."
[UPDATE]: Library Journal also gave the FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT audio a starred review! "When Charlie announces that the names of her breasts are "Danger" and "Will Robinson," listeners know they are in for a wild ride. Actress/Audie Award winner Lorelei King is comfortable in Charlie's skin and performs a wide variety of characters distinctly. For anyone enjoying sexy paranormal detective fiction."
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