Now, SOPA/PIPA. *Sigh*. I keep hearing that even if senators and representatives are not the brightest bulbs in the outlet, they do employ people who are. Well, if they do, the senators and representatives have been ignoring those employees. There’s been some particularly poorly thought out legislation in this past, but SOPA/PIPA has got to be in the top 5. Especially when the committees charged to investigate the impact of the legislation deliberately chose, for as long as stupidly possible, to not invite testimony from noted and cited experts on the technology directly affected.

I am one of those “creative” people affected by copyright and piracy. I have published works of fiction which are available in electronic form. I’ve regularly found copies of my work, as well as offers of copies, up on web forums that were not authorized distributors of my work. Do I think SOPA/PIPA are the solution to this problem as the MPAA and RIAA would have you believe? No. For the issues of piracy of my work that I have come across, there are routes of remediation available to me in *existing* legislation. Do I think the enactment of SOPA/PIPA would harm future revenue, such as it is, from my works of fiction and other creative endeavors I may choose to engage in? Yes. This is because I actually have an understanding of how the internet works. I also believe that this legislation is unconstitutional as it denies the act of due process. The United States’ judicial system is based upon the idea of “innocent until proven guilty”. Well, SOPA and PIPA would throw that even farther out of the window than other recent legislation.

A friend of mine on Twitter said, completely not related to this issue: “Seriously? Who closes a main road during rush hour?”. That is what Congress is trying to do. The Internet is our main road and rush hour is this current period of creative endeavors. I do believe in copyright reform. I don’t believe in copyright reform that solely “benefits” corporations such as MPAA and RIAA at the expense of everyday citizens and small-operation creators.

I’m also a librarian. This is why I ask you not to agree with me, but to educate yourself.

SOPA: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:h.r.3261:
PIPA: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:s.968:

Contact your legislators with YOUR feelings on these pieces of legislation: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

ETA: You might also want to check out the US Copyright info site and this little clause called “Fair Use”: http://www.copyright.gov/

Read

• Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook – sequel to The Iron Duke. Loved it. The tone is very different from TID, but is appropriate to who the main characters are. I’m definitely sticking with this series and recommend it to anyone open to romance with steampunk elements and vice versa.
• Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch – I’d seen this series advertised online in a number of places, and decided to finally check it out. It’s science fiction romance with a heavy dose of humor. This is the first in the series centering around Katherine “Kitty” Katt.

Reread

• Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens – It was $.99 in e-format and this is one of my all-time favorite books.

Listened to

• Northern Lights by Nora Roberts – Read by Gary Littman. I really do love this audiobook. I’ve listened to it numerous times since it came out in 2006. It takes Littman a little while to settle into the female voices, but I can’t imagine anyone else reading it at this point.
• Chesapeake Blue by Nora Roberts – Read by James Daniels. Other than the fact that I enjoy this story, I figured it was a good time to listen to it again now that I live in the area. Daniels does well in distinguishing all of the various voices, both male and female.
• Cover of Night by Linda Howard – Read by Joyce Bean and Dick Hill. I liked that there’s separate male and female narrators for this book, though it takes a little getting used to it when you first hear it. Another frequent relisten for me.
• All Night Long by Jayne Ann Krentz – Read by Kathy Garver and David Colacci. Coming off of Cover of Night, I was still in the mood for a dual-narrator audiobook. It had been quite a few years since I’d read this book, so it was interesting revisiting it. I’d actually remembered a great deal of the story and I might put it into my regular reread rotation.

Novella

• True Colors by Thea Harrison – Part of her Elder Races series. Ebook. I really enjoyed this novella. It felt complete as a shorter story. Storywise, it’s not necessary to read the novels in the series, but the greater understanding of the world does add a richness.
• Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey – Ebook. This is a friends-to-lovers/widow-of-my-best-friend story. Very enjoyable and sweet with just the perfect hit of steaminess.

Total read in October: 9
Total read in 2011: 115

January watchlist:

1. Bride by Mistake by Anne Gracie (1/3) – I’ve read most of the other books in the series and found them enjoyable.
2. Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz (1/10) – First in a new series for her and recommended. Still need to write up a review of it.
3. Capture of the Earl of Glencrae by Stephanie Laurens (1/31) – Finale of the Cynster Sisters sub-trilogy. Still need to write up a review of it.
4. Kiss of the Vampire by Cynthia Garner (1/31) – I’m friends with the author
5. My Wicked Little Lies by Victoria Alexander (1/31) – I am *very* intrigued by the summary blurb and wonder how the author will handle it.

ETA: I knew I’d forgotten at least one book. Added in Devil’s Bride & adjust count totals.

Read

• The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae by Stephanie Laurens – Finale of her Cynster Sisters trilogy. ARC I got from the publisher. Will review later.
• Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz – ARC I got from the publisher via LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. Will review later.
• The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James – ARC I got from the publisher. Will review later.
• Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione – Second in her Lords of Deliverance series. This one focuses on the sister of the group, Limos, aka Famine. This was a very interesting story. I really liked the hero, Arik (brother to one of the heroines in her earlier Demonica series), and Limos as a couple. I would say that you could read this book on its own for the romance plot, but I would strongly suggest reading Eternal Rider first to fully understand and appreciate the external plot. Ione’s got a very strong voice, which may or may not appeal to readers.

Reread

• None

Listened to

• Supposedly none, but I’m betting I probably forgot to note something down. That, or it really did take me a month to listen to the first book I have noted down for this category in December.

Novella

• Under His Hand by Anne Calhoun – Technical reread. Short erotic romance story. I love how Calhoun excels with milking out all of the emotion she can in such a short story. This story deals with the issue of trust in relationships. Packs a punch emotionally and erotically.
• Angel’s Wolf by Nalini Singh in the Angels of Darkness anthology – Yum. Short story set in her Guild Hunter world with a character from the Archangel’s Kiss story as the hero. Like any good novella set in an established series world, this is a great bonus story for fans.
• Versed in Desire by Anne Calhoun – I loved the lyrical tone to this story, which is very important as the main character is an urban poet. I’m expecting big things from Calhoun as she gets better and better with every story I read. If you at all are interested in erotica, run out and get this story, or any of her stories.
• Once Upon a Winter’s Eve by Tessa Dare – I haven’t read the first story in her Spindle Cove series, but that in no way interfered with my enjoyment of this novella. Highly recommended for fans of historical romance.

Total read in October: 8
Total read in 2011: 106

December watchlist:

1. Devil’s Kiss by Zoë Archer (12/6) – I already read this one, but recommend it
2. Daybreak by Ellen Connor (12/6) – Third in the Dark Age Dawning series. I still need to read the first two, but I have this on my list as a reminder
3. A Place Called Home by Jo Goodman (12/6) – I’ve really enjoyed Goodman since I found her, but unlike her previous books (all historicals), this appears to be a contemporary. We’ll see if she takes her favorite trope (sexual abuse/assault of a major female character) with her into the future.
4. A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant (12/27) – Raved about by SB Sarah and Jane in one of their Dear Bitches, Smart Authors podcast episodes.
5. The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James (12/27) – Um, yeah, you know I already read this, but for those of you who want to know the release date.

Blurb: Five men, known as the Hellraisers, accidentally release the Devil into the world and take advantage of his gifts.

Why I chose this title: When Zoë announced online about receiving her author copies of the ARCs, I joked with her about if she’d be doing a giveaway as I’d really enjoyed her Blades of the Rose series. She offered to send me one.

Review: This is the first in Archer’s new The Hellraisers series. James Sherbourne, the Earl of Whitney, and his friends, known as The Hellraisers amongst 1760′s London Society, are out carousing one night in a gypsy camp near one of their estates. Sherbourne is entranced with the gypsy woman, Zora, with whom he’s playing cards. However, when she declines his suggestion that they go off and have some private fun, he gives in to his friends pleas to explore an old ruin they had just heard about. After the men leave, Zora decides to deal a fortune telling hand and the cards tell her the men are about to unleash a great evil upon the world. She sets out to try and stop them, but arrives too late. The men have already released the Devil from his confinement and accepted his offer of gifts for the boon. Zora tries to end it, but the Devil, while weakend, still has enough power to prevail, and he gifts Zora to Sherbourne when he pleads for her life.

There’s the basic set up to the story. What I really liked about this book is the way Archer was able to very effectively balance all of the elements: romance, historical setting, paranormal aspects with an urban fantasy feel. Both Zora and Sherbourne feel like real people, and I was rooting for them to succeed in their challenges. There were points where, even knowing this is a romance, I questioned whether they would succeed, and those moments of doubt added a richness to their story. Archer does a fabulous job of seamlessly integrating the details of the unusual historical time period without overwhelming the reader. The different historical setting is what really made this story feel fresh to me. Archer’s previous series, The Blades of the Rose, was set in the late 1800′s, so I commend her for choosing a different time period in which to work, while still maintaining the context of “paranormal historical”. This book whetted my appetite for the rest of the series, and I think Archer has secured her place as an exceptional paranormal romance author with a fresh take on the genre.

Final thought: Perfect for fans of paranormal romance and urban fantasy with strong romantic elements who are looking for a new twist on the genre.

Read

• Blood Rights by Kristen Painter – This is one the books I had set down in July. A friend asked if I read it and I decided to go back to it. I sucked it down in less than a day. Definitely proof that I was in a major reading funk in July & August. An intriguing spin on vampire urban fantasy.
• Doukakis’s Apprentice by Sarah Morgan – This had been getting some buzz by friends whose reading tastes I trust, and I’m making a point to read more category Harlequins this year. Very good, and I really liked that both main characters act like adults.
• Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione – First in her Demonica series. Very enjoyable. I like Ione’s voice a lot in that she’s got a light touch, but deals with some heavy character issues, and the lightness doesn’t detract from the heaviness.
• Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione – Second in the Demonica series.
• Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione – Third in the Demonica series.
• Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione – Fourth in the Demonica series.
• Sin Undone by Larissa Ione – Fifth in the Demonica series & sows the seeds for her current Lords of Deliverance series. I had read the first of the LoD books back in May and really enjoyed it. I liked being able to read this series back-to-back. Ione manages the worldbuilding details well and I found very few inconsistencies between books. Definitely recommended for fans of paranormal romance and urban fantasy with romantic elements.
• Serpent’s Kiss by Thea Harrison – Third in her Elder Races series. It took me a little while to get into this story. I enjoyed it in the end, and I’m not sure exactly why it took me so long to hook into the story. I’m definitely sticking with the series and look forward to the next one.

Reread

• None

Listened to

• Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle – Technical reread. Joyce Bean narrated. I’ll stand by my comments from when I first read this back in August. Not bad, but definitely transitional novel in terms of storyline for the setting.
• Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer – You will have to pry this audiobook from my cold, dead hands.
• The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie – I don’t think I’ve actually ever read this book before. If I have, I’d completely forgotten the story. This was originally published by Random House’s Bantam Loveswept line. You can absolutely see with this novel how Crusie would grow as a writer that straddles the line of romance and women’s fiction. She packs a lot of story within the confines of a category-length novel. There are some story elements that date it as being from the mid-90′s, but it overall holds up as a great story.

Novella

• Vampire Fight Club by Larissa Ione in the Supernatural anthology – Part of my glom of Ione’s Demonica & LoD books & related stories. Very enjoyable and a quick read.

Total read in October: 12
Total read in 2011: 98

November watchlist:

1. Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook (11/1) – Next in her Iron Seas series. I’ve been lusting after this book since the first novel came out, and before I knew this would have the characters I wanted together
2. The Next Always by Nora Roberts (11/1) – First in her Inn Boonsboro trilogy.
3. The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne (11/1) – Long-awaited story of Adrian Hawkhurst. I should probably reread the first two books in the series as well as getting around to reading The Forbidden Rose as there’s a lot of his backstory in those books.
4. The Hunter by Theresa Meyers (11/1) – Western steampunk romance with fantasy elements. I’m intrigued by the premise of the story and want to see how it stands up to other steampunk romances I’ve liked.
5. Heart of Darkness by Lauren Dane (11/1) – I’m liking the premise of power plays between factions of witches.
6. Reaper by Mina Carter (11/1) – A woman who has the powers of the Grim Reaper. This is a trope/character set that I’m a sucker for.
7. Lord of the Abyss by Nalini Singh (11/22) – I’m curious about her non-Angel books.
8. Bad Blood by Kristen Painter (11/22) – Third in her House of Comarre series.
9. Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione (11/22) – Second in her Lords of Deliverance series.
10. Her Christmas Pleasure by Karen Erickson (11/28) – I liked her last historical for Carina Press and want to see how she does with this one.

• Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh – Latest in her Guild Hunter series. This is the first book that veers away from what had been the main couple of the series, Raphael and Elena, and focuses instead on the leader of Raphael’s “Seven”, Dmitri. This was a wrenching book to read, but one I really enjoyed.
• Canyons of Night by Jayne Castle – This is the book that’s pretty firmly moving the Harmony series away from the Ghost Hunters to the Arcane Society. It was an enjoyable read – almost all of JAK/AQ/JC’s books are for me – but I felt this one fell a little flat. I’m still trying to pin my finger on why, but I’m hoping when I listen to it, I’ll get a better idea.
• The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum – I loved this book. I can’t even remember how I heard of it, but if I could, I would kiss the person who told me about it. This is non-fiction, and an unusual subject, but Blum hits it out of the park. Her storytelling style is magnificent. I’ve been recommending this book right and left since I finished it and highly, highly encourage anyone who’s watching the Prohibition documentary from Ken Burns and company to check it out.

Reread

• Archangel’s Kiss by Nalini Singh – This was a reread and part of the read-a-long of the series for Copia. Having read the first book finally, really gave me some context I’d been missing.
• Archangel’s Consort by Nalini Singh – I really enjoyed how Singh is exploring the deepening of Raphael & Elena’s relationship in this book.

Listened to

• After Dark by Jayne Castle – Continuation of the previous month’s re-listening of Castle’s Ghost Hunter books in preparation of reading Canyons of Night. Read by Joyce Bean. You should know my love of her by this point.
• After Glow by Jayne Castle – Ditto.

Novella

• None

Total read in September: 7
Total read in 2011: 86

October watchlist:

1. Everything I Know About Love (I Learned from Romance Novels) by Sarah Wendell (10/1) – I actually got an ARC of this at BEA and have already skimmed through it, but totally want a regular copy as it’s a fabulous book.
2. A Touch of Crimson by Sylvia Day (10/4) – I won an ARC of this from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and am just waiting to get it.
3. Angels of Darkness by Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook, Sharon Shinn & Ilona Andrews (10/4) – I really want this for the Singh entry as it’s a Guild Hunters story.
4. Serpent’s Kiss by Thea Harrison (10/4) – Latest in her Elder Races series
5. Slow Ride by Erin McCarthy (10/4) – Latest in her Fast Track series
6. Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt (10/18) – Latest in her Maiden Lane series
7. The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton (10/18) – I think this is Jaci’s first foray into the romantic suspense sub-genre and want to check it out
8. Flesh and Blood by Kristen Painter (10/25) – Second in her new House of Comarre series. Read the first earlier this week and sucked it down.
9. Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl (10/25) – Third in her Donovan Siblings trilogy.

Blurb: Bold are the kidnappers who take a Cynster woman out from under the noses of her family.

Why I chose this title: Stephanie Laurens is an author who is an automatic read for me. Ie. I’m predisposed to like her.

Review: This is the second in a trilogy. Some series you have to read in order, some you don’t, and for others it’s strongly recommended to read them in order. This series falls into the third category. I read this book before I had read the first book, and, frankly, I’m still working on reading the first book. This is because so much of what has happened in the first book is referenced in Eliza’s story, that I’ve lost the narrative impetus. As this review is supposed to be about IPoEC, however, I now wonder if someone who has read the first book would be bored in parts of the second book.

This was an interesting story from Laurens. Her heroes tend to lean heavily toward the alpha-hero end of the romance hero spectrum. The hero of IPoEC is decidedly in the beta camp of things. He steps up to doing what needs to be done to ensure Eliza’s safety with little dithering. He acknowledges what he is doing is outside of his milieu, and decides this is not something he wants to do on a regular basis, but it needs to be done now, so it will. (How’s that for a run-on sentence?) I genuinely liked both Eliza and her hero, Jeremy Carling. They struck me as a good match, and were believable as a couple. The overarching story of the trilogy was well-done and left me wishing this trilogy was one of those back-to-back-to-back ones, rather than having to wait until the end of January 2012 for the release of the finale. My one complaint, and this is something endemic to almost all of Laurens’ stories (especially the more recent ones), is that I think the story and the writing could be tightened up a bit. There were points were I felt like looking at my watch.

Final thought: Very satisfactory for long-time fans, but I would introduce this to new readers of hers in concert with the first book in this trilogy, Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue.

Read

• Storm’s Heart by Thea Harrison – The second in her Elder Races series. I really enjoyed this one, and loved Tiago. For as dark as the story can get, Harrison’s got a light tone to her voice that is making this series a lot of fun.
• Devil’s Kiss by Zoë Archer – Yeah, this isn’t due out until December. Thank you, Zoë, for the ARC! This is the first in her new Hellraisers series, paranormal historical romance. I really liked it. I’ll do a more comprehensive review closer to release.
• Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh – This is the first in her Guild Hunter series, and while I’d read the other two, I’d never read this one. I’m glad I did. It very much straddles the line between paranormal romance and urban fantasy with strong romantic elements, and I think would be satisfying to readers of both subgenres.

Reread

• None!

Listened to

• Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle – Technical reread. Part of my reading jag of her Ghost Hunter series.
• Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle – See above. Joyce Bean reads both, and I love Joyce Bean. I get a little weirded out when it’s not Joyce Bean reading Jayne Castle.

Novella

• The Blushing Bounder by Meljean Brook in the Wild & Steamy anthology – An entry into her Iron Seas world. *Loved* it!

Total read in August: 6
Total read in 2011: 79

September watchlist:

1. No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper (9/1) – The premise intrigues me.
2. Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen (9/1) – Another intriguing to me premise.
3. The Wedding Affair by Leigh Michaels (9/1) – I have a soft spot for Michaels, and I have an ARC from the publisher.
4. Archangel’s Blade by Nalini Singh (9/6) – Latest in her Guild Hunter series.
5. Demon Marked by Meljean Brook (9/6) – I like Brook’s Iron Seas series, but I haven’t read her Guardian series, and this is the latest.
6. Never Enough by Lauren Dane (9/6) – The combination of the secret baby and rock star tropes caught my eye.
7. Kissing Comfort by Jo Goodman (9/6) – I love Jo.
8. Prey by Linda Howard (9/6) – I’m sentimental toward Howard, but the last few books haven’t hit for me, and I haven’t read a couple of them at all.
9. New York to Dallas by JD Robb (9/13) – Latest in the In Death series. You’ll pry this series from my cold dead hands.
10. In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster by Stephanie Laurens (9/27) – I’ve already read this, and still need to review it, but noting it for people’s enjoyment.

When you are searching out opportunities, whether that’s a new job, getting published, landing a consulting contract, opening a new business, whatever, it’s important to have a sounding board off whom to bounce your ideas. And to provide you with some very needed perspective. I do not mean someone to play Devil’s Advocate (though that may be the type of person you need depending on the situation). I mean someone to provide a perspective separate from yours. You cannot see yourself as others see you.

I get into ruts. Deep ones. I lose track of my value to others, and tend to focus on the more mundane aspects of what I do. One of my bosses once described me as a stevedore. It’s something I do very well, and something I enjoy being. However, that idea of me doesn’t mesh when asked to describe myself as “innovative” and “proactive”. I know I am and can be those things, but I’m stuck in the “I’m a stevedore” mentality. It’s by talking with others and sharing the tribulations of the job hunt that I’ve been able look beyond my initial reaction of what I am. They help me by framing what is being asked of me in a way I would not have been able to see on my own. The more you do that, the more you can do it by yourself.

The one thing to be leery of when seeking out someone to act as a sounding board is to cede your perspective to theirs. No one is 100% right. You need to take what the person is saying, play with it for a bit, and see if it makes sense to you. If it does make sense, are you able to adjust your perspective and still keep it as yours? Sometimes, the sounding boards are able to say things that make sense to you, but are not able to frame it in a way that makes the light bulb above your head light up. That is the person you need. Keep in mind, the right sounding board can and may change. The person who is right for one situation may not be the right one for another. This is why you need a stable of sounding boards. You’ll get a feel for who is the right person to turn to depending on the situation. Good luck.

For more information on this intriguing series:

Maya Banks – http://www.mayabanks.com – The McCabe Trilogy

For more information on Operation Auction: http://operationauction.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/operation-auction/