Okay, so I'm a smidge early, but I'm tired and need to go to bed. So, without further ado, the two "winners" of Katie Allen's books. And remember, these are e-books, so if your system is not compatible, let me know.
Eva-Breaking the Silence
Tracy-Raw Footage
Please email me @ good . bad . books @ gmail . com (no spaces, obviously). Thanks to all of you who commented and especially huge thanks to Katie for being so gracious and fun to interview!
Showing posts with label katie allen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label katie allen. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
2 Hours & Counting
It's almost time to name the "winners" of the Katie Allen books. I doubt I'll get anymore views, but just wanted to let y'all know. :)
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Interview With Katie Allen...And Books To Give Away!!!!
Back in January I had the pleasure of reading Breaking the Silence by Katie Allen. After reviewing it for the blog, I've reread it a couple of times, finding new things about it that I love. The other night I decided to write Katie and tell her how much I enjoyed reading her book. After a few emails back and forth, I asked her if I could interview her and do a book give away on this here blog and she agreed!
So...here are the questions and answers. I've always believed in pimping authors and books I believe in and this time is no exception. :) Enjoy!
Question 1: How did you come up with the idea for Breaking the Silence. I know, authors hate that question, but I'd really like to know. :)
Answer: I don’t mind this question at all! In fact, I love talking about the ideas that spark my book plots. This was a combination of two things, really. After I moved to Colorado, I found a great path for long dog walks. I’ve always made up stories in my head when I exercise (unless the exercise is something like Krav Maga or gymnastics, where I have to concentrate so I don’t get punched in the head (former) or fall on my head (latter)), so I started creating a whole tale about the owner of this gorgeous house that backed up to the path. In my imagination, he was beautiful but isolated and shy, and the idea for Will was born.
I then promptly forgot this story idea until a few years later, when I read one of those “What kind of relationship do you have?” articles (I don’t remember where—probably in a three-year-old Elle while waiting in the dentist’s waiting room). The article proposed that how a couple sleeps together (literally sleeps—get your minds out of the gutter, folks! ) says a lot about the relationship. Spooning means one thing, back-to-back means another, etc. The article went on to say that couples that sleep facing each other, wrapped in each other’s arms, are probably too attached. Their relationship is intense to the point of being unhealthy.
This article made me wonder—can two people love each other too much? Is it wrong that I find the idea of these two sleeping people, intertwined with their faces just inches apart, kind of romantic? There’s an intensity about love that borders on obsession that I find sexy (I know—I’m a freak). The idea of this overwhelming love merged with that image of the reclusive house owner on the dog-walk path, and the idea for Breaking the Silence was born.
Oops, I kind of rambled on there—sorry. Do you regret asking that question yet?
Question 2: Did you model Will after anyone in particular or did he just pop up in your head fully formed? LOVED him, by the way.
Answer: Thank you! I have to admit that, of all my heroes, I love Will the best (although Ky from One-Two Punch is a close second). I started Breaking the Silence with an idea of a gorgeous, hermit-like house owner, but Will pretty much just introduced himself to me in my head all put together. I am still startled by the way my characters direct my writing—I don’t feel like I have very much control, which is very annoying since it is coming from my brain, so I should be able to order all my imaginary characters around. When I write, the story just kind of dumps itself out of me onto the laptop screen, and I’m just the typist.
Question 3: *SPOILER FOR BREAKING THE SILENCE!!!!!!* And this is a spoiler so I'll warn the readers. What made you decide to have Evan attempt to rape Jenny and then kill him off (nice twist to the usual)? This is a hot button for a lot of readers and I'd love to know how you approached it.
Answer: I don’t plot, but I usually have a vague idea of how everything will play out. This scene wasn’t part of my initial idea for the story. I was more focused on Will’s journey, finding love and building connections with people for the first time in his life. The story got a little stuck, though. I didn’t want it to be one-sided, with Jenny giving and giving selflessly, because that imbalance tends to stunt a relationship. Jenny’s recovery lets Will be the nurturer for once. After I came up with the idea for the attempted-rape scene, the rest of the book flowed from there. When I wrote that scene, I cried really hard (like bawled), and I felt so guilty, as if I had done something horrible to Jenny.
Question 4: When did you start writing? When did you start writing to get published?
Answer: I was a Creative Writing major in college, and I’d always assumed I would be a published author some day. Then a decade passed by, during which I never really wrote anything. About three years ago, I had this wild revelation that, if I wanted to be published, I actually had to write something. Yes, this does seem rather obvious, but it took me a while to grasp this simple fact. I’d been reading books published by Ellora’s Cave for six months or so before this, and submitting via e-mail seemed a lot less intimidating than print (again, I know that makes no sense, but there it is), so I wrote my first book specifically for EC. That was Seeing Blind, which just came out in paperback, by the way (I’m on Amazon. For some reason, that just blows my mind).
Question 5: What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Answer: Ooh, lots of stuff! I do gymnastics (yes, I’m the oldest student Coach Dave has) and Krav Maga (a form of self-defense training). I own a sweetheart of an Appaloosa named Mr. Toby Polkadots, and I mainly do dressage (although I’m planning to teach Tobes to jump). I also like to (big breath) dance, travel, scuba dive, surf, read, shoot (just at paper), watch immature movies and walk the dog past the neighborhood fire station when they’re washing the truck. For my day job, I’m a mechanical engineer (I design heating/cooling and plumbing systems for buildings), although I’m soon going to give writing full-time a shot, which is both exciting and completely terrifying.
Question 6: I loved Christian. I thought he was a well-written gay character. Do you have a story in mind for him (say yes!)?
Answer: Thank you! Actually, not only do I have a story in mind, but I have it partially written. It was intended to be a short story, but I super-suck at anything less than 50,000 words, so I gave up on the whole “short” part of that “short story” idea. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m a babbler. As soon as I finish Hammer’s (from One-Two Punch) book, I’ll pick Christian’s up again. I’m excited about it—he gets his very own hot, sexy cop.
Question 7: What's your favorite color?
Answer: Green
Question 8: Food?
Answer: In the summer, it’s ice cream, and in the winter, it’s cookies. Warm, melty, chocolate-chip cookies…mmm…
Question 9: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Answer: I want to go everywhere! A year and a half ago, I decided that I needed to quit talking about traveling and just do it. I plan to go somewhere new every year. Um, I totally didn’t answer your question, did I? I think I would go to New Zealand, since that is next on my travel list.
Question 10: If you had a million dollars and only had 24 hours to spend it, what would you do?
Answer: Right now, I would invest it (that’s totally a boring, MBA-ish answer, isn’t it?). Can I give it a chunk of it away to family members (some of the sisters are having a tough time—like so many people are right now) or does it need to be on something for me? If it has to be the latter, I’d buy a big, beautiful piece of land. Someday, I’d like to build an off-the-grid home. And own a cow.
Question 11: Who are you favorite authors?
Answer: I love Jordan Castillo Price, Kelley Armstrong, Ellen Emerson White, James Buchanan, Jacob (of http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/ fame).
Question 12: Who is your favorite actor?
Answer: The entire cast of Friday Night Lights.
Fave Books:
The Lady by Anne McCaffrey
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White
Out of Bounds by Mandy Dickenson Fave
Heroes:
Howl from Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle
Clay from Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series
The Duke of Jerveaux from Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm
The hit man in the movie The Professional (or do they need to be book heroes?)
Roly from Patricia Veryan’s The Dedicated Villian
Jayne Cobb from the TV series Firefly (What? He wasn’t a hero, you say? Sorry, I was blinded by Adam Baldwin’s arms. Um…and his chest.)
Again I want to thank Katie for joining us! She will stop by to answer any questions you may have. She has also been generous enough to offer an e-book copy of Breaking the Silence and her latest release Raw Footage. If you'd like to be considered, just leave a comment! I will draw a winner on Weds.
So...here are the questions and answers. I've always believed in pimping authors and books I believe in and this time is no exception. :) Enjoy!
My Interview w/ Katie Allen...
Question 1: How did you come up with the idea for Breaking the Silence. I know, authors hate that question, but I'd really like to know. :)
Answer: I don’t mind this question at all! In fact, I love talking about the ideas that spark my book plots. This was a combination of two things, really. After I moved to Colorado, I found a great path for long dog walks. I’ve always made up stories in my head when I exercise (unless the exercise is something like Krav Maga or gymnastics, where I have to concentrate so I don’t get punched in the head (former) or fall on my head (latter)), so I started creating a whole tale about the owner of this gorgeous house that backed up to the path. In my imagination, he was beautiful but isolated and shy, and the idea for Will was born.
I then promptly forgot this story idea until a few years later, when I read one of those “What kind of relationship do you have?” articles (I don’t remember where—probably in a three-year-old Elle while waiting in the dentist’s waiting room). The article proposed that how a couple sleeps together (literally sleeps—get your minds out of the gutter, folks! ) says a lot about the relationship. Spooning means one thing, back-to-back means another, etc. The article went on to say that couples that sleep facing each other, wrapped in each other’s arms, are probably too attached. Their relationship is intense to the point of being unhealthy.
This article made me wonder—can two people love each other too much? Is it wrong that I find the idea of these two sleeping people, intertwined with their faces just inches apart, kind of romantic? There’s an intensity about love that borders on obsession that I find sexy (I know—I’m a freak). The idea of this overwhelming love merged with that image of the reclusive house owner on the dog-walk path, and the idea for Breaking the Silence was born.
Oops, I kind of rambled on there—sorry. Do you regret asking that question yet?
Question 2: Did you model Will after anyone in particular or did he just pop up in your head fully formed? LOVED him, by the way.
Answer: Thank you! I have to admit that, of all my heroes, I love Will the best (although Ky from One-Two Punch is a close second). I started Breaking the Silence with an idea of a gorgeous, hermit-like house owner, but Will pretty much just introduced himself to me in my head all put together. I am still startled by the way my characters direct my writing—I don’t feel like I have very much control, which is very annoying since it is coming from my brain, so I should be able to order all my imaginary characters around. When I write, the story just kind of dumps itself out of me onto the laptop screen, and I’m just the typist.
Question 3: *SPOILER FOR BREAKING THE SILENCE!!!!!!* And this is a spoiler so I'll warn the readers. What made you decide to have Evan attempt to rape Jenny and then kill him off (nice twist to the usual)? This is a hot button for a lot of readers and I'd love to know how you approached it.
Answer: I don’t plot, but I usually have a vague idea of how everything will play out. This scene wasn’t part of my initial idea for the story. I was more focused on Will’s journey, finding love and building connections with people for the first time in his life. The story got a little stuck, though. I didn’t want it to be one-sided, with Jenny giving and giving selflessly, because that imbalance tends to stunt a relationship. Jenny’s recovery lets Will be the nurturer for once. After I came up with the idea for the attempted-rape scene, the rest of the book flowed from there. When I wrote that scene, I cried really hard (like bawled), and I felt so guilty, as if I had done something horrible to Jenny.
Question 4: When did you start writing? When did you start writing to get published?
Answer: I was a Creative Writing major in college, and I’d always assumed I would be a published author some day. Then a decade passed by, during which I never really wrote anything. About three years ago, I had this wild revelation that, if I wanted to be published, I actually had to write something. Yes, this does seem rather obvious, but it took me a while to grasp this simple fact. I’d been reading books published by Ellora’s Cave for six months or so before this, and submitting via e-mail seemed a lot less intimidating than print (again, I know that makes no sense, but there it is), so I wrote my first book specifically for EC. That was Seeing Blind, which just came out in paperback, by the way (I’m on Amazon. For some reason, that just blows my mind).
Question 5: What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Answer: Ooh, lots of stuff! I do gymnastics (yes, I’m the oldest student Coach Dave has) and Krav Maga (a form of self-defense training). I own a sweetheart of an Appaloosa named Mr. Toby Polkadots, and I mainly do dressage (although I’m planning to teach Tobes to jump). I also like to (big breath) dance, travel, scuba dive, surf, read, shoot (just at paper), watch immature movies and walk the dog past the neighborhood fire station when they’re washing the truck. For my day job, I’m a mechanical engineer (I design heating/cooling and plumbing systems for buildings), although I’m soon going to give writing full-time a shot, which is both exciting and completely terrifying.
Question 6: I loved Christian. I thought he was a well-written gay character. Do you have a story in mind for him (say yes!)?
Answer: Thank you! Actually, not only do I have a story in mind, but I have it partially written. It was intended to be a short story, but I super-suck at anything less than 50,000 words, so I gave up on the whole “short” part of that “short story” idea. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m a babbler. As soon as I finish Hammer’s (from One-Two Punch) book, I’ll pick Christian’s up again. I’m excited about it—he gets his very own hot, sexy cop.
Question 7: What's your favorite color?
Answer: Green
Question 8: Food?
Answer: In the summer, it’s ice cream, and in the winter, it’s cookies. Warm, melty, chocolate-chip cookies…mmm…
Question 9: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
Answer: I want to go everywhere! A year and a half ago, I decided that I needed to quit talking about traveling and just do it. I plan to go somewhere new every year. Um, I totally didn’t answer your question, did I? I think I would go to New Zealand, since that is next on my travel list.
Question 10: If you had a million dollars and only had 24 hours to spend it, what would you do?
Answer: Right now, I would invest it (that’s totally a boring, MBA-ish answer, isn’t it?). Can I give it a chunk of it away to family members (some of the sisters are having a tough time—like so many people are right now) or does it need to be on something for me? If it has to be the latter, I’d buy a big, beautiful piece of land. Someday, I’d like to build an off-the-grid home. And own a cow.
Question 11: Who are you favorite authors?
Answer: I love Jordan Castillo Price, Kelley Armstrong, Ellen Emerson White, James Buchanan, Jacob (of http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/ fame).
Question 12: Who is your favorite actor?
Answer: The entire cast of Friday Night Lights.
And since I'm a member of the DIK island, I can't not ask you these two questions. Please list your 6 favorite books of all time (that you couldn't be stuck on a desert island without) and your 6 all-time favorite heroes. :)
Fave Books:
The Lady by Anne McCaffrey
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It by John Seymour
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White
Out of Bounds by Mandy Dickenson Fave
Heroes:
Howl from Diana Wynne Jones’ Howl’s Moving Castle
Clay from Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series
The Duke of Jerveaux from Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm
The hit man in the movie The Professional (or do they need to be book heroes?)
Roly from Patricia Veryan’s The Dedicated Villian
Jayne Cobb from the TV series Firefly (What? He wasn’t a hero, you say? Sorry, I was blinded by Adam Baldwin’s arms. Um…and his chest.)
Again I want to thank Katie for joining us! She will stop by to answer any questions you may have. She has also been generous enough to offer an e-book copy of Breaking the Silence and her latest release Raw Footage. If you'd like to be considered, just leave a comment! I will draw a winner on Weds.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Raw Footage by Katie Allen
I've come to the conclusion that Katie Allen likes BIG men. :) So far there's Will from Breaking the Silence and now Rob from Raw Footage. Big hulking men who turn into marshmallows when their woman comes along. *sigh* Why can't I find guys like that?
This book is a bit more lighthearted than BtS was. In this case we have Lily, the sister who covers up for her foster-brother Mikey when he does something completely asinine. When her house is broken into, she turns to her hunky neighbor Rob. Mmm...Rob. Big, built, dark and scarred. Le sigh.
Crazy hijinx ensue and they all live happily ever after. Yep, that's about it. However, this doesn't describe the hotness that sizzles between the two leads. The affection Lily has for her loser brother. The dynamics of Rob and his family. Yeah, some of it was ridiculous and the plot wasn't the absolute best it could be, but it was still fun to read. And to me, that's the most important thing.
So, on to the Good & Bad portion of my list. I'll do Bad first to get it out of the way.
The Bad:
For me, it was the plot. I'm not a big fan of the blackmail for money part. Mikey drove me up the wall. Immature and just plain STUPID!
The fact that instead of going to the police, Lily covered for him. *headdesk*
The "villain". Argh! *headdesk again*
The Characters: For the most part they were fine (except for Mikey & the "villain"), but I had issues with the fact that none of them were really fully developed. It seemed like they were two-dimensional and not fully realized. If I hadn't read BtS, I probably would've liked it better. But I know Ms. Allen can do better...and has.
Lily: For the most part I really liked her. I didn't understand her, but I liked her. I think that it would've been better if there'd been a reason for her reactions, especially when it came to Rob. I don't understand why she acted like she did. She has no hidden trauma or past (that I know of) and I found myself frustrated with her actions.
The Good:
Rob: Oh yeah. Tall, broody, hot, scarred. Yum! Of all the characters he came across as the most fully developed. You can tell that Ms. Allen really liked him. When he falls for Lily he falls hard. Do I think that the relationship worked? To some degree, but I think he deserved someone stronger and more able to deal with things. Maybe that's just me though.
Rob's Family: They don't show up much, but they're the other "realized" characters in the story. Kind of typical Hispanic family, but I still liked them...esp. his mom. :)
My Overall Feelings: For me, this book was a bit of a disappointment. I feel bad saying that, but it was. I think if the characters had been a bit more fully realized (esp. Lily) and the villain hadn't been quite so cartoonish, the story would've worked much better. I think that's one reason why I have issues with novellas. It's harder to get a full story put into less words. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
And it's not that the story is bad. It's not. It's just not as good as other works by the author. I will definitely be reading more by this author, because I love the way she writes. Even in the midst of a lot of drama, her sense of humor shines through.
My Rating: C+
This book is a bit more lighthearted than BtS was. In this case we have Lily, the sister who covers up for her foster-brother Mikey when he does something completely asinine. When her house is broken into, she turns to her hunky neighbor Rob. Mmm...Rob. Big, built, dark and scarred. Le sigh.
Crazy hijinx ensue and they all live happily ever after. Yep, that's about it. However, this doesn't describe the hotness that sizzles between the two leads. The affection Lily has for her loser brother. The dynamics of Rob and his family. Yeah, some of it was ridiculous and the plot wasn't the absolute best it could be, but it was still fun to read. And to me, that's the most important thing.
So, on to the Good & Bad portion of my list. I'll do Bad first to get it out of the way.
The Bad:
For me, it was the plot. I'm not a big fan of the blackmail for money part. Mikey drove me up the wall. Immature and just plain STUPID!
The fact that instead of going to the police, Lily covered for him. *headdesk*
The "villain". Argh! *headdesk again*
The Characters: For the most part they were fine (except for Mikey & the "villain"), but I had issues with the fact that none of them were really fully developed. It seemed like they were two-dimensional and not fully realized. If I hadn't read BtS, I probably would've liked it better. But I know Ms. Allen can do better...and has.
Lily: For the most part I really liked her. I didn't understand her, but I liked her. I think that it would've been better if there'd been a reason for her reactions, especially when it came to Rob. I don't understand why she acted like she did. She has no hidden trauma or past (that I know of) and I found myself frustrated with her actions.
The Good:
Rob: Oh yeah. Tall, broody, hot, scarred. Yum! Of all the characters he came across as the most fully developed. You can tell that Ms. Allen really liked him. When he falls for Lily he falls hard. Do I think that the relationship worked? To some degree, but I think he deserved someone stronger and more able to deal with things. Maybe that's just me though.
Rob's Family: They don't show up much, but they're the other "realized" characters in the story. Kind of typical Hispanic family, but I still liked them...esp. his mom. :)
My Overall Feelings: For me, this book was a bit of a disappointment. I feel bad saying that, but it was. I think if the characters had been a bit more fully realized (esp. Lily) and the villain hadn't been quite so cartoonish, the story would've worked much better. I think that's one reason why I have issues with novellas. It's harder to get a full story put into less words. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
And it's not that the story is bad. It's not. It's just not as good as other works by the author. I will definitely be reading more by this author, because I love the way she writes. Even in the midst of a lot of drama, her sense of humor shines through.
My Rating: C+
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Breaking The Silence by Katie Allen
After enduring a horrific childhood, William Jackson lives a solitary existence working as a computer programmer from his Minnesota home. His safe routine is blown to pieces when the daily sight of an unknown woman walking her dog sends his heart into a tailspin.Jenny Fitzgerald's love life is at a definite low. Her only potential date in sight is her annoying and creepy coworker, Evan — until a stunning man appears before her like a gift from some kindly sex god. Who is she to turn down what's offered to her on a hunky blond platter?Will and Jenny's friendship develops as their hunger grows into love. Meanwhile, a jealous Evan watches, his rage building until it explodes in a brutal act of violence that tears Jenny's life apart. Will struggles to help her rebuild her courage and sense of self as his own demons and fragile memories threaten their chance at happiness — but perhaps they can learn to heal each other.
I completely, 100% blame Katie(babs) for the fact that I am up at this ridiculous hour. The other day she'd posted her review for this book. I thought it sounded interesting and bought it from Ellora's Cave. I just finished it and had to put my thoughts into words ASAP.
How do I begin? As Katie stated, this book is different than a lot of erotica. The hero, Will, is a virgin. Yep, you heard me right. And this is erotica. Whoo-hoo! Something different.
His childhood wasn't the best and after a traumatic experience, he hid himself away from the rest of the world, immersing himself in his job as a computer programmer. His only "connection" with the real world is from the window overlooking the path outside his house. For the last couple of weeks, he's been watching a woman walk her dog. Of course, he's also pleasuring himself, but that's a totally different story. Not! LOL!
Anyhoodles, he finally gets up enough nerve to go out and meet her. It's a relatively awkward first introduction, but the attraction is there and it is instant. And it is smokin', and I do mean smokin', hot. Jenny, the heroine hasn't been laid in well over two years, relatively content with her pretty boring life. When she meets Will, her first thought is "whoa" and then "Whoa!" :)
Watching the two of them interact as they got to know each other was just plain heart warming. Will is just so...sweet as he realizes almost immediately that she is the right woman for him. But, due to his lack of experience and the fact that he is extremely shy, he's so unsure of himself around her. It's cute and it just made me want to cuddle him. *sniffle*
I do have to warn you though, there is a very, very brutal attempted rape in this book. The scenes leading up to, going thru, and afterwards are just...heart-breaking. You feel for both Jenny & Will as they struggle to put their lives back together.
However, Ms. Allen handles this situation with brutal honesty. It's not all pretty and happy. The ramifications are there. You see how Jenny struggles, not just with the after effects of the attempt, but also in regaining herself. Will's struggle to be gentle with her and yet his almost overwhelming need to keep her safe. Wow!
I've gone over the basics, but wanted to do a good and bad as well. There were definitely more good, but there's a bad that's been bugging me since I read it. Here goes.
The Good:
Jenny. What an awesome heroine! Strong, feminine, totally gaga over her man and willing to be what Will needs her to be. *sigh*
Will. I just loved him. So strong and yet so innocent in so many ways. His character just made me turn into jelly.
Christian & Carrie: Finally! A gay male who isn't a charicature of a gay man. He came across just like my gay friends. A miracle! And Carrie...not as fun, but a great secondary character.
The villain. Ew! Just, ew! What a creep! And he gets his comeuppance! Whoot!
The over-all storyline. Great story.
The sex. As I stated at the beginning, it's smokin'.
Now onto...The Bad: *****SPOILERISH*****
And this is the only bad, but it was almost a deal-breaker. There's a scene where Will and Jenny are making love. Will is going down on her and begins to lick her "dark passage." Okay, for me, the butt is just not someplace a tongue should go. But that's not the part that grossed me out (much). It's the fact that A. he then goes back to her clit (germs much), but B. he kisses her...ON THE MOUTH!!!! Ack! I kid you not, I think I threw up a little. I almost stopped reading the book at that point, because all I kept thinking was he's kissing her! And he just licked her anal passage. Dude! *ack ack ack*
So, how did I feel about this book? Other than the above "bad" I loved this book. It was so sweet and well-done. I can't recommend it enough (though if you're not into the butt-licking, skim that part).
Rating: A- (for the "bad" part) Otherwise it would've been a higher grade.
I completely, 100% blame Katie(babs) for the fact that I am up at this ridiculous hour. The other day she'd posted her review for this book. I thought it sounded interesting and bought it from Ellora's Cave. I just finished it and had to put my thoughts into words ASAP.
How do I begin? As Katie stated, this book is different than a lot of erotica. The hero, Will, is a virgin. Yep, you heard me right. And this is erotica. Whoo-hoo! Something different.
His childhood wasn't the best and after a traumatic experience, he hid himself away from the rest of the world, immersing himself in his job as a computer programmer. His only "connection" with the real world is from the window overlooking the path outside his house. For the last couple of weeks, he's been watching a woman walk her dog. Of course, he's also pleasuring himself, but that's a totally different story. Not! LOL!
Anyhoodles, he finally gets up enough nerve to go out and meet her. It's a relatively awkward first introduction, but the attraction is there and it is instant. And it is smokin', and I do mean smokin', hot. Jenny, the heroine hasn't been laid in well over two years, relatively content with her pretty boring life. When she meets Will, her first thought is "whoa" and then "Whoa!" :)
Watching the two of them interact as they got to know each other was just plain heart warming. Will is just so...sweet as he realizes almost immediately that she is the right woman for him. But, due to his lack of experience and the fact that he is extremely shy, he's so unsure of himself around her. It's cute and it just made me want to cuddle him. *sniffle*
I do have to warn you though, there is a very, very brutal attempted rape in this book. The scenes leading up to, going thru, and afterwards are just...heart-breaking. You feel for both Jenny & Will as they struggle to put their lives back together.
However, Ms. Allen handles this situation with brutal honesty. It's not all pretty and happy. The ramifications are there. You see how Jenny struggles, not just with the after effects of the attempt, but also in regaining herself. Will's struggle to be gentle with her and yet his almost overwhelming need to keep her safe. Wow!
I've gone over the basics, but wanted to do a good and bad as well. There were definitely more good, but there's a bad that's been bugging me since I read it. Here goes.
The Good:
Jenny. What an awesome heroine! Strong, feminine, totally gaga over her man and willing to be what Will needs her to be. *sigh*
Will. I just loved him. So strong and yet so innocent in so many ways. His character just made me turn into jelly.
Christian & Carrie: Finally! A gay male who isn't a charicature of a gay man. He came across just like my gay friends. A miracle! And Carrie...not as fun, but a great secondary character.
The villain. Ew! Just, ew! What a creep! And he gets his comeuppance! Whoot!
The over-all storyline. Great story.
The sex. As I stated at the beginning, it's smokin'.
Now onto...The Bad: *****SPOILERISH*****
And this is the only bad, but it was almost a deal-breaker. There's a scene where Will and Jenny are making love. Will is going down on her and begins to lick her "dark passage." Okay, for me, the butt is just not someplace a tongue should go. But that's not the part that grossed me out (much). It's the fact that A. he then goes back to her clit (germs much), but B. he kisses her...ON THE MOUTH!!!! Ack! I kid you not, I think I threw up a little. I almost stopped reading the book at that point, because all I kept thinking was he's kissing her! And he just licked her anal passage. Dude! *ack ack ack*
So, how did I feel about this book? Other than the above "bad" I loved this book. It was so sweet and well-done. I can't recommend it enough (though if you're not into the butt-licking, skim that part).
Rating: A- (for the "bad" part) Otherwise it would've been a higher grade.
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