Back to the Books Giveaway! September 1 thru Sept 7

Under The Covers is excited to participate in the Back to the Books Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Buried in Books.  This giveaway hop will run September 1st to 7th.

So what have we planned for you?  Well, there are soooo many good new books out now that we thought we'd let YOU chose which one you want.  Pick from the books below!  (If you chose The Darkest Surrender it'll be pre-ordered for you). Books will be shipped through Book Depository so make sure that eligible.

To enter:

1. Be a follower
2. Fill out the form below

Now keep on hopping thru...

Dirty Little Secret # 11

 

<a href="http://underthecoversbookblog.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h367/utcgraphics/Memes/dirty-little-secret.jpg" border="0" /></a>

Dirty Little Secret is a weekly meme hosted by us at Under the Covers. Every Thursday we get to know other bloggers and our readers more intimately by asking them a question hoping to reveal their dirty little secrets.  We hope that you will all join us!

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link below.

Non-bloggers: We want to hear from you as well!!!  Let us know your answer in the comments!

We hope you join us and let us know your Dirty Little Secrets!

This weeks question:

If you could spend the day with your favorite heroine, who would you pick and what would you do?

Our answer:

Annie: I'd pick Eve Dallas from J.D. Robb's In Death series. We'd do things like be badass, wear leather jackets, keep our hair carelessly groomed, drink lots of coffee and basically kick ass and don't bother with taking names.

I'd love to go with her on one of her cases, except that I'd probably faint at the sight of anything gruesome. Maybe we can just have a girls night out with Peabody. Or maybe have one of those fancy dinners at Roarke's place! Who else is in?

Suzanne: I pick (this probably surprises no one!) Kate Daniels because I adore her! We would probably spend the day chasing down obscure beasties, whilst getting shot, magicked and stabbed by a mysterious baddie. In between I would sit back with some popcorn and watch the sparks fly between Kate and Curran and then when she isn't looking try and steal him for myself MWHAHAHA!

Francesca: Maybe my answer is a little biased because Im reading Succubus Revealed but Id love to spend a day with Georgina Kincaid. We would talk books, she can shapeshift so we can mess with the humans around us, definetely we would have to be in Vegas, and she would introduce me to Carter and then he'll realize Im his one true love!! Or maybe Id just go drinking with the witches and valkyries of Immortals After Dark.

August 2011 Monthly Recap

Summer is officially coming to an end as is the month of August. We ladies at UTC have had such a blast this past month putting together interviews, giveaways and special posts that we're so sad to see it end. First off, we'd like to thank all the authors who made appearances this month, especially our Author of the month, Gena Showalter!Thank you so so much! Check out this month's recap of events:

Author of the Month
Gena Showalter Interview
UTC interviews the Lords of the Underworld

Interviews
Laurie London
Jennifer Ashley
Diane Escalera
J.K. Coi
Brenda Novak

Author Override
Cynthia Eden
Diane Escalera

Reading on the Dark Side: Lords of the Underworld
In honor our Author of the Month, Gena Showalter we pimped out her vastly popular Lords of the Underworld series! Check out our cast here.

Battle of the Covers
Dueling it out this month is Stacia Kane's Downside Ghosts series!!! Which set of covers do you like better? US or UK? Find out the results here. 

Mind Spill: What kind of heroine are you?
Suzanne asks "what kind of heroine are you?" What's your answer? Come check our her Mind Spill here.

Lord of the Vampires review
Lastly, in honor of our Author of the Month, Gena Showalter, we all did a group read of the first book in the Royal House of Shadows series and did a fun little IM style review. Check it out here. 

Waiting on Wednesdays

 

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  The pre-publication release we are eagerly anticipating this week is:

Envy 

(Fallen Angels # 3)

by J.R. Ward

Seven deadly sins. Seven souls to save. And a man and a woman treading the lines of danger, desire and deliverance ...As the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas DelVecchio Jr grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father. Hired to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in Veck is both professional and arousingly personal. But Veck and Sophia have a common interest. He's Jim Herron, a mysterious stranger enlisted to save the soul of a killer's latest victim, one precariously hovering between heaven and hell. Before Herron's job is done, Veck and Sophia will be inexorably drawn into a battle of good against evil, where the risk is nothing less than total damnation.

If you've read Ward's Lover Unleashed earlier this year, then you should be already familiar with Veck, the hero of this upcoming release, Envy because he plays a part in LU as well. I love when authors do these crossovers. Not only is it really, really cool, but it shows the amount of planning that goes into these books.

Also, check out the freakin awesome cover!! IT'S PAUL MARRON EVERYONE! I LOVE that he's on all the covers of the Fallen Angels series. It's so badass. I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on this baby right here.

Release Date: September 6th!

Battle of the Covers: UK vs USA - Downside Ghosts

We're back for another edition of Battle of the Covers! This time we're looking at Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane!
I am torn about which cover I like best for the Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane.  I think the cover of Unholy Magic (US) is the prettiest cover of the bunch, but I'd have to go with the UK covers on this one.  But if you've read the books, you might see why the US covers fit the books better.

What are your thoughts?







USA                                       UK


USA                                       UK


USA                                       UK

So what do you think?? 

Cast your votes below and leave your comments!

Review: Dark Taste of Rapture by Gena Showalter

 

Dark Taste of Rapture
(Alien Huntress # 6)

by Gena Showalter

Paranormal Romance

How do you like your heroes? Tall, muscled, strong, tortured, tattooed, oh-so-sexy, with golden eyes and . . .dimples! Is that close? Well then, meet Hector Dean. I mean, just take a look at the cover. He is edible!! And to make the cover justice, the man you will meet in the book is a fantasy come to life!

This book backtracks in the storyline to when Noelle and Ava go into the AIR agent training. And really, how can they be expected to concentrate on training when you have Dallas and Hector as your instructors? The connection is instant between Hector and Noelle but there are so many layers to their relationship that need to be peeled back from there. And it’s a lot of fun to see it happen.

Hectors past was very hard, and his present is a major thing to deal with. Although he is human, his arms heat up and can burn through even metal when he gets aroused, angry, or any strong emotion. Great in a fight, not so great around a girl. But he is intense!!! Hot in more ways than one!! I wouldn’t mind going up in flames with him. . . At all. . . He’s worth it!

And then there’s Noelle. She is my favorite heroine in this series. She can be funny, snarky, a bit spoiled. But she hides behind a mask and inside there’s a girl who has never been good enough for anyone, not her family, not her boyfriends. The only constant in her life is her friendship with Ava. Their loyalty to each other is amazing! But now she is getting married. I loved seeing their friendly interactions, her sadness at losing her friend or so she thought. They are hilarious together, they get each other in all their quirkiness.

But Hector sees through Noelle’s act as well. He knows there’s more to her than she lets on. And when Noelle really starts pushing the boundaries of their relationship, well I just love how he gives in to his desires and passions 100% and as much as he can. Even though he fights going further.

We revisit the alien trafficking storyline in this book instead of the Schon queen. She was completely absent here and I just wonder what happened with her. We do get somewhat of an answer to Dallas vision but there is still an open question about it at the end. I think I just heard Dallas saying he is ready to have his book written. And since I’m on the Dallas subject. . . He is so cute, trying to put his "best moves" on Noelle. It was hysterical. I gotta admit I’m jealous though!! I want to be Dallas' pretzel!

And just as we had best friends forever Ava and Noelle, we also see a small glimpse of my favorite bromance: Devyn and Dallas. I’m soooo on Brides side when Devyn mentioned that she wanted them to kiss like Noelle and Ava had done. *purrrrr*

Pretty much the whole cast shows up in this book. We also see Jaxon and Mia as well as McKell obviously. Together, AIR solves a case of missing girls aaaaaaannnnmnnd in the process a blast from the past character reappears! No, can’t tell you who it is. You’ll have to read to find out. But I’m sure this will play a big role in future books.

So what are you waiting for? Pick up this book, or if you haven’t yet, start this series!! You know you want to see Hector burn holes in brick walls, burn through gloves and burn down a house!!!!

Favorite Quotes:

Speaking of funny looks. "Did you see the way that Hector guy eyed me up and down, as if I belonged in a scientific studies magazine for newly discovered fungus?" "Yeah, but did you see his muscles?" "How could I miss them? His I've-tasted-human-heart-and-liked-it black T-shirt was strained to the point of lunacy." "Vocab lesson time. You mean lewdness. As in, indecent."

"Graduate Camp Hellhole - check," Noelle muttered. "Hired by AIR - check. Complete my first mission successfully - check. Kick Hector's ass at a foot race - check. Lose my best friend - check, check, fucking check, and scribble and crumble the notepad and slam it into the trash."

The T-shirt was a gift from Ava and read Good Girls Need Spankings Too.

"Hey!" Dallas frowned at him. "When I tell you something's a secret, and you tell me that secret is locked in the vault, you aren't supposed to blab about it." Devyn blew him a kiss. "How was I supposed to know Hector would have the key to my vault."

 

Review: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

 

 

Bloodlines

by Richelle Mead

Young Adult

Sydney Sage makes her debut with the new Richelle Mead series, Bloodlines. Ever since Blood Promise, I was intrigued by the Alchemists and Sydney but it wasn’t until Last Sacrifice that I really wondered what was behind Sydney Sage.

Bloodlines is still set in the Vampire Academy world, but now we’re following the Alchemist, Sydney. Our girl has a lot of work cut out for her. Her task is to protect Jill, the princess and sister of the queen, Vasilisa Dragomir with the help of the Moroi and dhampirs. To keep Jill safe, Sydney, Jill and Eddie enroll in a human boarding school in Palm Springs and play the part of siblings. Along with some high school politics, there are more serious problems that Sydney encounters.

While this book still has the core elements of the Vampire Academy world, such as the Moroi, Strigoi, and dhampirs races, what really set this book apart from other series is the fact that Mead plays up the chemistry aspect of the Alchemists. I loved the tattoo storyline. It was right up Sydney’s alley. It was perfect for her.

In this book, we do find out what went on behind the scenes when Sydney made a deal with Abe, making her in his debt that resulted in her helping Rose out in the Vampire Academy books. And let me just say, it wasn’t what I was expecting....

This is always the case whenever I read a Richelle Mead book! I always have my own expectations about certain plot lines and characters, but Mead always seems to be able to surprise me in the best of ways.

With Sydney as the new narrator of the series, I found that I liked her controlled nature. She’s a far cry from the impulsive girl that was Rose Hathaway, but I thought the change was refreshing. From the get-go, Mead goes straight into Sage’s backstory, showing how the young Alchemist was brought up. Under the scrutiny of her father and Alchemist’s eye, Sydney must also put her best foot forward as she tries to live up to their expectations of her. At first, I saw Sydney as someone who allowed others to walk all over her, but I was wrong.

There are countless times when she stands up for herself in this book and I was surprised to see this, but also glad. One thing I didn’t realize about her was the fact that Sydney has more control than anyone else in this series. While Rose would have yelled and punch someone if they insulted her, Sydney would rather bite her tongue. It takes a whole lot of control to do something like that and I respect her a lot. I’m definitely looking forward in following the series through her eyes.

One of the characters I was most excited to read about was Adrian. As I said before, I’M IN LOVE. He is funny, just adorable. We also see a different side of him in this book. After what happened in Last Sacrifice, I was hoping that Adrian would get his HEA. And while he hasn’t found that yet, I’m sure that Mead has it in the works. There’s already sparks flying and I can’t wait to see more of it. Not to mention that Adrian also has some of the best lines in book!

Then there’s Eddie Castile whom I just adore. I wished there was more of him! I know, I’m selfish. But Eddie’s the man and he just needs his own chance to shine. I love the romantic story Mead has made for him. He’s such an honourable guy! He deserves the best!

Jill has been having a bit of a rollercoaster ride. So many things happen to her that I wonder how the poor girl can deal with it all. One big shocker is revealed about her and another important character in this series so I am so excited to see how that works out! But could she have acted a little more childish? She was my least favourite of this book. She came across like a brat sometimes but then sometimes she was a bad ass.

There are new characters such as Keith, who is basically SCUM!!!!!! I didn’t expect his actions of the past.
And of course there are familiar faces! Rose is there and also ABE! OMG I LOVE ABE!!! Yes Rose’s father makes a cameo appearance and as before I just think he’s great! He brings entertainment, spark and just a touch of danger. And if you were still scratching your head trying to figure out what he has on Sydney that she would do anything he wanted, then you're in for a surprise at the end if this book. Watch out, that Sydney is craaaaazy!!!! LOL

While I thought the beginning of the book was a little slow, the book does increase in pace, especially towards the end. Mead loves hitting you with all she’s got at the end of her books, revealing secrets that will blow your mind. But it’s the very last sentence of this book that made me groan out loud and say, “OH COME ON, MEAD!” Needless to say, I’m ready for The Golden Lily. 

 

 

Purchase links: Amazon

Guest Review: Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Retribution

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

(Dark hunters # 20)

Reviewed by Angela

As a big fan of The Dark Hunter series, I couldn’t resist reading this book as soon as it was released.
In this installment, we finally get to meet William Jessup “Sundown” Brady. Jess was a famous gun slinger, an outlaw cowboy, a badass of the West if you will. *sucker for the bad boys*
We first meet Sundown in Zerek’s book (Dance with the Devil). He was the cowboy who helped our Z get his HEA. Although becoming a Dark Hunter is a long Story, it is explained and revealed how Jess became one.

If you don't already know, most of the Dark Hunters have a tormented past and that's usually the very reason they become a Dark Hunter….. For Retribution.

Our hero here definitely has a reason for requital . This outlaw has found love and lost it tragically. He was betrayed by the only one he trusted. Bart Wilkerson, his confidant, sidekick, best friend, father figure whom had a similar interest.....His Matilda. I won't go into details because if I do, I will just give up spoilers everywhere. (I probably will anyway but I will try to keep it to a minimum) It is obvious that this love triangle will not end well.

Because Jess is an immortal and unknown to the humans as a Dark Hunter, he was force to watch Matilda from afar. He watched her live her life without him. Anonymously, he took care of her financially and her family line over the course of 1138 year span.. And that's where our Heroine comes in. Abigail Yager is a descendent of Matilda Aponi. She was orphaned young, was taken in by the Daimons/Apollites and used as a pawn. She started to hunt for Dark Hunters and was damn good at it. In the process, she had set off a series of events that will bring Jess, Ren, Sasha, Choo Co La Tah and herself on a journey to, well, pretty much save the world.

Though this book is good, it is not my favorite among the series. You do see the typical banter among the characters, there is some action and there are twists in the story. But it lacked the Dark Hunter character I have come to expect from Kenyon. It lacked steamy hot scenes and the romance was not as strong IMO. This story is more based on Native American Mythology than the Greek Mythology / DH vs. Daimon story I am used to. ~Way to throw me off Kenyon~

We do get a glimpse of a typical DH story at the end of the book. It's a bonus story of Ash and Tory as they deliver their baby! Now here we see the usual characters; Ash, Tori, Nick, Kat, Simi, even Nick, Apollymi and Artemis. I give this short story 5 Stars!!!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I love Kenyon's writing and the magical world she had created in this series.

Favorite Lines:
~Don't let yesterday use up too much of today. -Cherokee Proverb
~Jess: "I though you were communing with Chocolate tonight." Ren shook his head. "Choo Co La Tah". "Ah Potato, Potahto......"
~”Jess: Got to say, dying would really wreck my best day. Been there, don’t that…..Artemis forgot to give me the T-shirt.”
~Jess: “Why’d he <Ash> call you?” Zarek gave him a droll stare. “My charming personality.”
~Abby: Please don’t drop me.” He actually winked at her. “Not on your life.” (Jess)
~Jess: “C;mon, punks,” he goaded. “You want to fight or sniff each others’ crotches?”
~Simi Explains a Charonte Custom: “When a new baby is born you kill of an old annoying family member who gets on everyone’s nerves which for all of us would be the heifer-goddess…..you just gotta say no thank you. You a mean old heifer-goddess who need to go play in traffic and get run over by something big like a steamroller or bus or something else really painful….”
~Ash and Artemis: “She, a pathetic human, really means that much to you?” “I would die for her”.
~The Happiness on your face when first you touched him was enough. I only wish you’d been there when your daughter was born……..Let’s hope the future is much kinder to all of us than the past has been.”

Interview and Giveaway with Brenda Novak!

Brenda Novak is a New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling author and we are absolutely thrilled to have her today to speak about her new Romantic Suspense series called Bulletproof! As many of you know, I have been on a Romantic Suspense rampage, devouring several books in this sub-genre. And let me tell you, Ms. Novak’s Bulletproof series is one of the best! If you’d like more information on Brenda Novak, please visit her website here.

Now, let’s get to the good stuff! Thank you so much Brenda for taking the time out of your schedule to chat with us. Let’s talk about your books first. You have a new romantic suspense series called Bulletproof. What sparked the idea for this series? How did the Bulletproof series come to be?


INSIDE, the first book in the series, was inspired by Prison Break. Although I rarely watch TV, my daughter she insisted on showing me Prison Break (it was over at the time so we watched it on DVD). “You’ll love it,” she said, and she was right. I found the characterization, plotting, acting and dialogue to be fantastic. I was so captivated, in fact, that I rented every season and watched the whole thing. But, when it was all over, I decided that there was one thing about Prison Break I would’ve done differently, and that was the romance between the two lead characters. The writers took a very minimalist approach and yet, for me, it was the most interesting part of the whole show. So I decided to write my own story set against the gritty back-drop and high stakes of prison life.

You pay a great amount of attention to detail, making INSIDE as realistic as possible. How much research went into the making of INSIDE?


A great deal of research went into the story because I really wanted it to feel authentic. For those who don’t know, I run an annual online auction for diabetes research at my web site every May. In that auction, I offer everything from jewelry, to Coach purses to trips and stays to meetings with your favorite author. I also offer a great many things for writers, and some of those involve the opportunity to do research with a professional in various fields. I purchased the opportunity to talk with Sergeant David Doglietti, an investigative officer at Soledad Prison from my annual online auction, and that turned out to be so fortuitous. “Dog,” as he is called, is an amazing and generous person. Not only did he answer my endless questions about the inner workings of a prison and gang life, he gave me a day-long tour through the prison and read my manuscript to check it for accuracy. How cool is that?

Virgil is my favourite character of Inside! To you, what makes a hero desirable?


I love Virgil, too. He’s so wounded and yet so admirable. I think a hero who has really been tried and tested and yet rebounds and refuses to knuckle under to loss or discouragement is desirable. Of course, Virgil’s hot, too, so that helps. LOL


What can readers expect in your newest release, IN SECONDS?

IN SECONDS is Virgil’s sister’s story. She’s gone into the witness protection program and has started over in a quiet little town in Montana—only to have the gang they escaped in INSIDE find her.

How about we chat about your writing process a little bit? When writing an ongoing series, do you plot before hand or just follow where the story takes you?


I’m definitely a pantser. I can’t plot too much ahead of time or I get bored with the story. It makes me feel as if I’ve already told it. Or I march down the list of things I want to have happen without really bringing them to life. It’s tough to explain all the ways an outline gets me into trouble. It’s probably easiest to say that I need to be as surprised by what happens as my reader. That’s what keeps me interested and turning out my best stories.

How do you maintain a balance between the suspense aspect of the story and the romance?


This is always a struggle. One aspect sometimes wants to overwhelm the other, but if you give yourself a great romantic conflict to work with AND a great suspense conflict, it helps keep things going and pretty evenly balanced.

Fun questions! If you could collaborate with another author(s), who would you choose and why?


I would love to work with Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She’s so great at creating appealing characters—is one of my favorite authors.

You’ve got about five seconds to grab TWO books from your bookshelf to read, what two books do you snatch?


Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ HEAVEN, TEXAS and Ken Follett’s EYE OF THE NEEDLE.

Complete this sentence: One fun thing about me that people might not know is...

I’m shy. I don’t come off that way, but…it’s true! LOL


Thank you so much for chatting with us today! We really appreciate it!  And Maidens, be sure to check out In Seconds, which comes out tomorrow (August 30)!

 

Brenda will be giving away a copy of INSIDE! Open to US and Canada.

To enter, please:

1. Be a follower

2. Fill out the form below

ARC Review: In Seconds by Brenda Novak

 

 

(More like 3.5 feathers!)

In Seconds 

(Bulletproof # 2)

by Brenda Novak

Romantic Suspense

In all honesty, I was hoping for a romance between Laurel and Pretty Boy aka Rex McCready because of the build-up in INSIDE, the first book in the Bulletproof series. So when I started reading IN SECONDS and soon found out that this was not the case, I was a little sad about that. But nevertheless, Brenda Novak pulls this one off with ease!

Laurel Hodges, the heroine of this novel, was one of my favourite characters from INSIDE. Now she is on the run from The Crew, a deadly gang with serious connections. When Peyton, Virgil, Rex and Laurel are forced to leave the Witness Protection Program after being found, they all split up and take on different names in order to save each other’s lives. Now living as a brunette named Vivian Stewart in Pineview, Montana , Vivien lives her life constantly looking over her shoulder with her children, Jake and Mia.

Myles is Vivian’s hero and although it took me awhile to warm up to him, I did eventually. I think the reason for this is because Laurel/Vivian has experienced so much already, that I’m a little protective of her. I wanted to make sure she got her happily ever after, because she certainly deserves it. Myles had a lot of overcome for me to approve of him. And in the end, I did end up liking him a lot. Myles is a widower so he and Vivian really found comfort in each other’s presence. With Pat’s murder investigation going on, fear is lingering across their neighbourhood.

What I liked about this book was the fact that Ms. Novak keeps it real. She doesn’t try to sugarcoat anything. If there is a murder, then she writes the scene in an eerie, chilling manner which does great things for a romantic suspense thriller.

I only wished there was more scenes with Myles and Vivian together, showcasing their slow progression in trusting each other. For Vivian, trusting someone with the truth is a life or death situation. I wanted to read more of Vivian’s vulnerability. Or, maybe I just wanted more Myles and Vivian. Maybe both!

Novak crafts another solid instalment in the Bulletproof series! I loved the updates on Peyton and Virgil as well. I am completely enamoured by Virgil. He’s got some serious guts. If you’re interesting in a realistic romantic suspense with complex characters, then this series is the one for you. You won’t be disappointed.

*ARC provided by Netgalley

 

 

Purchase Links: Amazon

HOTTIE OF THE WEEK: FREDRICK LJUNGBERG

Nobody looks better in Calvin Klein underwear than this week's Hottie of the Week!

When I used to go to school in downtown Toronto, there used to be a huge ad of him right smack in the middle of Dundas Square, which is the heart of TO. Needless to say, I ate lunch there often and no, it wasn't because of the outdoor seatings. It was because Fredrick's junk was suspended sx feet in the air above me.


What? I have a pulse! Check out these pictures of him and then try to blame me!

Mind Spill: What Kind of Heroine Are You?

What Kind of Heroine Are You?

Here comes a time in every girl’s life when she must ask herself the eternal question: What kind of heroine are you?

Would you be the dreaded Too Stupid To Live (TSTL) kind of gal? The type that rushes needlessly into danger when SHE KNOWS she shouldn’t! You know the sort; she runs up the stairs and traps herself in a horror film or rushes to face the bad vampires armed only with her cute new dress and her favourite shade of damsel-in-distress-pink lipstick. Will anyone admit to this if they are?

Or are you the Bad Ass Heroine, do you parade around with only your leather jacket and your wicked-sharp sarcastic wit as protection? Throw pithy come backs in the face of danger and generally just kick ass in you tight tight jeans?

There are others like the Plain Jane, she may possess decidedly average looks, but she is guaranteed to have healthy hair and teeth, an agile mind and fabulous sense of humour, with just a pinch of an inferiority complex thrown in for good measure.

However, before you can even put yourself into one of these and all other heroine categories you can think of, there are a couple of requirement that you must fulfil to be worthy of heroine status. The most important one is your skin, it doesn’t matter what you look like but you must have blindingly clear and soft skin, you can have a few freckles, or in romance-novel speak “golden flake sprinkled on her soft skin by mischievous pixies.” Next we come to smell. You have GOT to have naturally exude some kind off fruity or spicy scent, the saying “sugar and spice and all things nice,” has got to be taken very seriously, if you don’t naturally bear the scent of cinnamon and apples of vanilla and strawberries without the aid of Chanel then I am afraid you are going to get the boot.

Have you gotten past these hurdles? Is your skin as soft as a cashmere? Do you smell as enticing as warm apple pie? If you have then well done! You can now practice heaving your bosom, your witty repartee and chewing your lips sexily (I know, I don’t get it either! You just look like a cow munching grass!) and wait for your hero to come and more importantly make you come, over and over and over and over again!

Of course these are all flagrantly generalized statement and stereotypes of heroines but we all recognize them in one form or another, and I have come to love each one of them. At times they may make me want to pull my hair out, or more satisfyingly their hair out, but what would any kind of romance be without them?

So tell us, what kind of heroine would you be?

In my Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a feature that was started over at The Story Siren. Each week we share what arrived in our mailboxes, bought or found in swaps or at the library.

NETGALLEY

What have you got through your mailbox this week?