Join Carrie Olguin on Tuesday 7/20/2011 at 6:30PM EST (3:30PM PST) on Edin Road Radio with host Ms. Jesse V Coffey.
The topic is The Five Worlds series, specifically “Fire and Ice.” The recorded show will be available at iTunes and on the Edin Road web site.
Click this link for information about Edin Road Radio and scheduling information. http://www.edinroad.com/radio.html
I've got flutter-moths in my tummy, I'm so excited!
I'll keep you posted.
Carrie O.
The Ultimate Alpha Male
The alpha male is charismatic, dangerous, and mysterious - the bad boy to tame and possess. Romance novels reveal the alpha, pealing away his layers, exposing his inner core, giving women insight into the ultimate male.
What makes this type of man the way he is? What is it that makes up his undeniable charisma? To create an ultimate alpha male character, a writer has to understand his reality.
Here's a list of ultimate alpha male characteristics I complied from various sources:
- Self-confidence - comfortable in his skin, loves his body, his skin is his favorite outfit.
- Always dresses his best - his body was designed for worship. He is properly groomed, clean and physically fit. He looks good in any type of clothes from formal to casual to naked.
- Doesn't spend time in front of a mirror. He knows he's the best looking man in the world.
- His eyes speak for him - he has a range of "Looks" that speak volumes. If he wants you to know what he is thinking or feeling, it's in his eyes.
- When he walks in, the room seems to shrink - no space is large enough to contain him
- He leads - expects everyone to follow
- People look to him to make decisions
- Doesn't care what people think of him
- Either he doesn’t answer questions or gives basic responses. The alpha is in control of the game and keeps his strategy to himself. This forces others to guess what he's thinking - usually guessing wrong, which helps the Alpha maintain control of the game.
- Gives his opinion - doesn't wait to be asked
- Happy in any situation - aloof, untouchable
- His ego is never a problem - only insecure men need to protect their ego
- Always ahead of the game - intelligent, well informed, resourceful
- A man of action - takes control of the situation, acts first, thinks later
- Lives by his rules - when his moral code and the law overlap, it is merely a coincidence
- Exudes an air of danger and unpredictability - you want him as a friend not enemy - he destroys his enemies and runs over anyone in his way
- Not afraid of the unexpected or unknown - he knows he can handle any situation
- Fights for what is his
- Gives the impression that he is a predator always stalking potential prey.
- Takes what he wants - the world and everything in it belongs to him.
- Hangs out with Alpha - has no use for the weak. When with other alpha males, there is a pecking order. Never know when a fight for dominance will break out, even if the alphas are best friends. The Ultimate Alpha's level of dominance forces other Alphas to be submissive to his authority.
- Enjoys the challenge of maintaining his dominance over everyone - not threatened by the presence of strong personalities. He knows he can put them in their place.
- Honor, integrity, and loyalty - demands the same qualities in those he considers his friends/allies
- He's busy, has a full life, enjoys a variety of activities, finds pleasure in everything he does.
- Recognizes others - he remembers the people he's met, laughs at their jokes, acknowledges their ideas, makes them feel important.
- Self-focused - he is superior to everyone, the world revolves around him, people exist to entertain him.
- Takes the glory - will tweak the ideas, jokes and opinions of others and present them as his own without giving recognition to the original author.
- Can be a genuine nice guy at times - because he doesn't care what people think. If being nice, down to earth, and caring helps him obtain his objective, he will do so.
- Well-developed sense of humor, sharp wit - laughs at himself and the rest of the world, makes others laugh. His humor can he sarcastic and twisted.
- Sucks people into his reality like a black hole, he's interesting, makes people feel comfortable and welcome in his world.
- Never apologizes - unless jesting
- Never explains his actions
- Never boasts or brags about his accomplishments - knows others will do that for him in their effort to gain his attention, respect, and affection.
- Never does anything to bring attention to himself - all he has to do is walk into a room for that to happen
- Never nervous or fidgety
- Never stresses over a situation
- Never asks others to do something - he tells them
- Never acts surprised by what happens around him - calm, composed, focused
- Never admits to failure - to him, a failure is a learning experience, one more step toward his goals
- Never admits he is wrong
- Never lavishes his attention on anyone. He is the only one who deserves such treatment.
His attitude toward women (in romance novels, the Heroine is the only possible exception - symptoms of the love disease):
- Not possessive
- Not needy
- Not the jealous type
- A woman is lucky to gain his attention
- Does not use gifts or flowers or favors of any kind to impress a woman.
- Women are a secondary life goal.
- Sex is important but not the focus of his life, women are an activity to be enjoyed.
- Knows women benefit from his attentions
- Rejection doesn't hurt - a woman is lucky to come to his attention. Her refusal is her loss.
- He doesn't smother women when in a relationship
- Doesn't put women on pedestals
- Tears do not sway him - he walks away
Body Language
- Doesn't scan the room - not concerned what others are doing, knows he is the center of attention, everyone is looking at him, that is why he exists.
- Uses his peripheral vision to take in a scene
- Positions himself so that everyone has to see him, becomes the focus
- His body stance takes up space - elbows slightly out, legs apart, head held high
- He looks down on others - even if they are taller than him
- Maintains a comfortable stance, doesn't shift positions often.
- Hand gestures are slow and deliberate.
- Breathes slowly from deep in his chest
- Controls the pace of a conversation with thoughtful pauses or well-timed interruptions
- Moves at his own speed - expects others to match his
- Speaks slowly - uses fewest words necessary.
- His forward motion is smooth and purposeful at any speed.
All men have alpha tendencies, but only the rare few are Ultimate alpha males. Thank heaven for that or there'd never be a moment's peace anywhere in the world! A man with all of these tendencies can also be classified as a sociopath.
Alpha tendencies are what women both love and hate about men in general. We hate that they are stubborn, egocentric, insensitive, chauvinistic and unbendable. But we love that they are loyal, funny, sexy, protective, and unbreakable.
Did I miss anything? Please let me know.
I'll keep you posted.
"Highland Rebel" by Judith James
Highland Rebel: A Tale of a Rebellious Lady and a Traitorous Lord by Judith JamesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jamie and Catherine are not standard H/H romance characters and the story (with HEA) isn't typical fair either. What does that mean? Refreshing! Let go your expectations and enjoy the ride. The characters feel like real people. Not the pretty people but beautiful in their own way.
Jamie's wit made me laugh out loud. Loved his dialogue. He knows who he is and jokes about himself. Self-confidence is so sexy.
Cat is a one of the rare “warrior woman” and leader of her clan, she’s smart, mature, and well educated, which according to James is correct for a woman of this time frame. Since all I know about this time period I’ve learned from reading Romance novels, I’ll take her word for it.
The novel is full of historical details, facts, and people from the past woven in. If you prefer fantasy to history, there may be too much. But the facts made the events come alive. Especially life in London with all the politics and gossip, how easily one person can use words to destroy another person. The character’s trips into London brought alive, parts I never knew existed and made me wonder what the modern equivalent of “Penny Universities” are – and it’s not the Internet!
I was left fascinated with the past she wrote about. After finishing the story, I was tempted to find the history books she talks about in the back of the book. Okay, so that passed and I’ll continue to collect my history from my favorite format – romance novels.
Bravo, James. Outstanding job!
View all my reviews
Vacation and the Muse
We returned from a much-needed nine-day vacation. It's so good to be home. While we toured five states (Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho), I took landscape pictures. Yummy fodder for my Five Worlds.
Yellowstone is like visiting another planet. The geysers, waterfalls, canyons, paint pots and hot springs are unique and colorful, giving my muse much to chew on for my out of this world WIPs. Walking around on a sleeping volcano was so cool!
The Tetons with snow on the mountains and wildflowers in bloom below.
Yellowstone is like visiting another planet. The geysers, waterfalls, canyons, paint pots and hot springs are unique and colorful, giving my muse much to chew on for my out of this world WIPs. Walking around on a sleeping volcano was so cool!
Yellowstone's Grand Canyon.
Artist's Paint Pots 1
Artist's Paint Pots 2
Geyser Basin
Western Thumb - Hot Spring
Western Thumb - Elk
Yellowstone Waterfall
White Wolf Fishing
(Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, Montana)
Hard to believe I took these pictures with my cell phone camera. Oh, how technology has progressed!
I'll keep you posted.
Show and Tell, Revisited
At my kidlet's school, there is a poster of the school mascot, which upon closer inspection is made up of little pictures of all the kids enrolled there that year.
That montage concept can be applied to fiction as a bunch of little “snapshots” that when joined create a larger impression. Authors do this using both the “show and the “tell.”
A “show” requires more words than “tell” because it draws a mental image. By combining the show with tells, a writer sends a clearer message. Here are some examples from my experience.
Descriptions:
Sometimes you have to share boring information to the reader quickly. There are ways of hiding exposition and foreshadowing inside a scene. In Fire and Ice, which takes place on another planet, I have to explain the alien technology, economy and political system.
Here is Sarica's POV for a piece of technology, description mixed in with actions and her emotional response:
Jolted awake, she examined the brown metal {bracelet} with the small blue flashing light. Proximity sensors of different styles—wrist, ankle and collar—were designed to keep a servant from running away from their master. If the servant moved too far away, the servant received a large dose of ouch. The same pulse could also be used to send a pain wave for punishment. He snapped the control bracelet onto his left wrist.
Shows (motion and emotion): “Jolted awake, she examined...” “...flashing light.” “If the servant moved...running away.” “...dose of ouch.” “...pain wave.” “He snapped the control bracelet onto his left wrist.”
Tells (description, exposition): “Proximity sensors of different styles—wrist, ankle and collar—were designed to keep a servant...” “The same pulse could also be used...for punishment.”
Big picture: He is the master and she is the servant.
Foreshadowing: “The same pulse could also be used to send a pain wave for punishment.”
By mixing the show and tells together, information is passed onto the reader through motion, sensory information and the POV character's emotional response.
Emotions:
Search and find “telling” type words in the MS. The easiest to find are emotion nouns. Also look for the words “felt” or “feel.” Here is an example from Fire and Ice.
Rosche, the hero says: “Whatever I need to surrender or sacrifice for your happiness, I will do so willingly.”
Sarica, the heroine has a reaction because she has been unwilling to do the same. In a tell: “His confession made her feel guilt and shame.”
This gets the point across, but the reader doesn't feel her emotions. I need words with texture, something to stimulate the reader's senses.
The Show: “His confession stung.”
The above works okay, but in this part of the story, her feelings of guilt and shame are an important turning point. All along the hero has been, well, I'll say selfish, and his confession proves to her he has changed, profoundly. She needs a bigger reaction, and I want to make certain the reader knows exactly what she is feeling. So, I combined the tell and with show imagery.
The Show and Tell: “ His confession stung – like an insect called guilt, which brought along a biting spider friend, called shame.”
Another example:
In her Fever series, Karen Mari Moning has an excellent “show” for rage. Her main character could have said: “I was very angry with him.” Notice the emotion word? That indicates a tell.
Instead she says: “I needed to hit something. Lots of things. Starting with him.”
Notice the lack of emotion words? And yet, the rage is clear.
Characterization:
For the opening of Fire and Ice the reader meets the hero first.
Here's the tell: Rosche is an arrogant, callous man who believes his wealth and power (which his thinks are his only real assets) give him the means and the right to obtain whatever he wants. He has the ability to generate intense heat from under his skin, fueled by emotions, which he struggles to control. He masks his despair and vulnerable core with arrogance. In the first chapter, he is on his way to meet Sarica, a woman who has the ability to generate intense cold from under her skin, whom he lusts for, but also has a crush on. He wants to “trade” Sarica as his wife for the credits to finance her father's expedition.
Rosche “shows” who he is with his thoughts and actions, by interacting with the world around him. Here he has a bouquet of flowers for Sarica in is hand (can you say, “awe, romance.”) and is on his way to meet her for the very first time:
Sarica could save him from endless torture. Her gift of cold generation had calmed the beast. She embodied hope for the normalcy that his curse had prevented. He would know passion again, with her wrapped around him to chill his blood-boiling lust.
The beastly heat surged through his skin. Damn. He dare not feel. He clamped down the emotional burst. The heat built, nearing combustion. Steam spiraled from the stems; the blossoms wilted, dried and then burst into flames. Holding the torch up, he spat curses. He dropped the bouquet and stamped out the fire.
With a grunt, he tugged down the hem of his heat resistant shirt. His burnt hand complained. The healing itch began and he watched the red skin fade to tan. He lifted his chin, strutted up the steps of the building and glared at the grimy city dwelling students. They stopped and stared for a moment before scampering away like little rats.
Stockley had suggested they meet in his office, where Sarica would be more open to his offer. Rosche had counted on flowers to soften her for the discussion. Instead, he must rely on the impressive benefits of the arrangement. Most importantly, if she married him, he would finance her father’s expedition.
What woman didn’t dream of a man who provided protection from harsh reality and a simple life of domestic bliss? Rosche would spoil Sarica, give her the life of a princess, and remove her from the stench of the city. In his care, she would want for nothing and never come to harm. He was considered a worthy husband candidate and women all over the Five Worlds pursued him. If it wasn’t for lust flaring his gift—scorching the woman while they engaged in sex—he would have already settled for an alliance marriage with a Noble woman.
Though as a city dweller, Sarica wasn’t Noble, and didn’t have a tribe to form an alliance with his, he could overlook her shortcomings in exchange for the use of her Anom gift. She could turn the intense heat of his passion into a large family. Women had to willingly say the public vows to gain the legal Blessing. Only children produced from a Blessed wedding were considered legal heirs. And he needed legal heirs to rebuild his Noble line. As an educated woman, Sarica would see the wisdom of his offer. He didn’t need flowers when he had wealth.
His arrogance: "What woman didn't dream of..." "He lifted his chin and strutted..." "...before scampering away like little rats." "...rely on the impressive benefits...""...he could overlook her shortcomings..." "He didnt' need flowers when he had wealth."
His despiration: "..save him from endless torture." "The beastly heat surged through his skin. Damn. He dare not feel." "Rosche had counted on flowers to soften her..."
The flowers bursting into flame foreshadows their meeting and the start of their relationship as well as to show the damage his Anom gift can do.
Do you see the montage working here? Do you get a sense of who he is, what he wants and his emotions, especially those that I don't use the word for in a tell?
Now contrast that with Sarica's impression of Rosche during a discussion with her father.
The Tell: She is intensely aware Fosche of and pretty much has him pegged, she just doesn't understand why he is who he is. She believes in coms gossip, and has never experienced lust. Sarica is a recent collage graduate without much life experience, due to her over-protective father, whom she adores. Sarica believes her father is the smartest, bravest man in the world – but Stockley is too “chicken sh*t” to tell his daughter about Roshe's offer, especially after this conversation:
With an uplifted chin, Noble Rosche carried himself as if he judged the world based on a secret standard. He wore his rugged face like a mask; not even the twitch of a muscle betrayed his emotions.
While she had stood stupefied at the sight of him, her normally well-behaved Anom gift had threatened to burst free. Some strange mixture of emotions triggered the problem, which she could not identify, having never felt it before. As with fear, primal and powerful, she had nearly lost control. She had to keep a tight hold on her emotions lest she ice someone. It had happened once; she’d not let it happen again.
Intrigued by the man and her body’s dangerous reaction, she had researched him even before her father’s suggestion.
Tilting his head, her father peered up with honest curiosity. “What do you think of the man?”
She shrugged one shoulder with faked indifference. “Typical of a Noble, his personal life remains private. I can find nothing about his upbringing, tribal ties, or family. What I did find comes from the people who have stood before him in court. ‘Excellent judge. Impartial. Emotionless. Rule of law prevails. No mercy. No compassion. He easily makes the cold, hard decisions, even if all parties in the case suffer. Judge Rosche presses for a quick resolution.’ Do you know he once had a puppy cut in half to end a dispute?”
Her assessment: he was dangerous, heartless, and cold as stone. Enjoy the view, but stay away from the edge.
Her father asked, “No one you would want to spend an extended amount of time with?”
With girlie pleasure, she could ogle Judge Rosche. Beyond that, they probably couldn’t even maintain a conversation. “Not at all. Why do you ask?”
The wrinkles on his forehead deepened. With a tense sigh he leaned back in his chair. “No reason.”
"She shrugged one shoulder with faked indifference." shows her internal conflict that plagues her throughout the story: she lusts for Roshce but believes him to be completly unsuitable as a husband. That one shoulder shrug shows one side of her conflict. The shoulder that doesn't shrug shows the other side of her conflict.
Notice the subtext to the conversation. Stockley knows that Rosche is on his way to talk to Sarica and starts this conversation hoping his daughter will have a good report about Rosche. When she doesn't, he drops the subject. Coward. That's the show for him.
I'll keep you posted.
Carrie O.
That montage concept can be applied to fiction as a bunch of little “snapshots” that when joined create a larger impression. Authors do this using both the “show and the “tell.”
A “show” requires more words than “tell” because it draws a mental image. By combining the show with tells, a writer sends a clearer message. Here are some examples from my experience.
Descriptions:
Sometimes you have to share boring information to the reader quickly. There are ways of hiding exposition and foreshadowing inside a scene. In Fire and Ice, which takes place on another planet, I have to explain the alien technology, economy and political system.
Here is Sarica's POV for a piece of technology, description mixed in with actions and her emotional response:
Jolted awake, she examined the brown metal {bracelet} with the small blue flashing light. Proximity sensors of different styles—wrist, ankle and collar—were designed to keep a servant from running away from their master. If the servant moved too far away, the servant received a large dose of ouch. The same pulse could also be used to send a pain wave for punishment. He snapped the control bracelet onto his left wrist.
Shows (motion and emotion): “Jolted awake, she examined...” “...flashing light.” “If the servant moved...running away.” “...dose of ouch.” “...pain wave.” “He snapped the control bracelet onto his left wrist.”
Tells (description, exposition): “Proximity sensors of different styles—wrist, ankle and collar—were designed to keep a servant...” “The same pulse could also be used...for punishment.”
Big picture: He is the master and she is the servant.
Foreshadowing: “The same pulse could also be used to send a pain wave for punishment.”
By mixing the show and tells together, information is passed onto the reader through motion, sensory information and the POV character's emotional response.
Emotions:
Search and find “telling” type words in the MS. The easiest to find are emotion nouns. Also look for the words “felt” or “feel.” Here is an example from Fire and Ice.
Rosche, the hero says: “Whatever I need to surrender or sacrifice for your happiness, I will do so willingly.”
Sarica, the heroine has a reaction because she has been unwilling to do the same. In a tell: “His confession made her feel guilt and shame.”
This gets the point across, but the reader doesn't feel her emotions. I need words with texture, something to stimulate the reader's senses.
The Show: “His confession stung.”
The above works okay, but in this part of the story, her feelings of guilt and shame are an important turning point. All along the hero has been, well, I'll say selfish, and his confession proves to her he has changed, profoundly. She needs a bigger reaction, and I want to make certain the reader knows exactly what she is feeling. So, I combined the tell and with show imagery.
The Show and Tell: “ His confession stung – like an insect called guilt, which brought along a biting spider friend, called shame.”
Another example:
In her Fever series, Karen Mari Moning has an excellent “show” for rage. Her main character could have said: “I was very angry with him.” Notice the emotion word? That indicates a tell.
Instead she says: “I needed to hit something. Lots of things. Starting with him.”
Notice the lack of emotion words? And yet, the rage is clear.
Characterization:
For the opening of Fire and Ice the reader meets the hero first.
Here's the tell: Rosche is an arrogant, callous man who believes his wealth and power (which his thinks are his only real assets) give him the means and the right to obtain whatever he wants. He has the ability to generate intense heat from under his skin, fueled by emotions, which he struggles to control. He masks his despair and vulnerable core with arrogance. In the first chapter, he is on his way to meet Sarica, a woman who has the ability to generate intense cold from under her skin, whom he lusts for, but also has a crush on. He wants to “trade” Sarica as his wife for the credits to finance her father's expedition.
Rosche “shows” who he is with his thoughts and actions, by interacting with the world around him. Here he has a bouquet of flowers for Sarica in is hand (can you say, “awe, romance.”) and is on his way to meet her for the very first time:
Sarica could save him from endless torture. Her gift of cold generation had calmed the beast. She embodied hope for the normalcy that his curse had prevented. He would know passion again, with her wrapped around him to chill his blood-boiling lust.
The beastly heat surged through his skin. Damn. He dare not feel. He clamped down the emotional burst. The heat built, nearing combustion. Steam spiraled from the stems; the blossoms wilted, dried and then burst into flames. Holding the torch up, he spat curses. He dropped the bouquet and stamped out the fire.
With a grunt, he tugged down the hem of his heat resistant shirt. His burnt hand complained. The healing itch began and he watched the red skin fade to tan. He lifted his chin, strutted up the steps of the building and glared at the grimy city dwelling students. They stopped and stared for a moment before scampering away like little rats.
Stockley had suggested they meet in his office, where Sarica would be more open to his offer. Rosche had counted on flowers to soften her for the discussion. Instead, he must rely on the impressive benefits of the arrangement. Most importantly, if she married him, he would finance her father’s expedition.
What woman didn’t dream of a man who provided protection from harsh reality and a simple life of domestic bliss? Rosche would spoil Sarica, give her the life of a princess, and remove her from the stench of the city. In his care, she would want for nothing and never come to harm. He was considered a worthy husband candidate and women all over the Five Worlds pursued him. If it wasn’t for lust flaring his gift—scorching the woman while they engaged in sex—he would have already settled for an alliance marriage with a Noble woman.
Though as a city dweller, Sarica wasn’t Noble, and didn’t have a tribe to form an alliance with his, he could overlook her shortcomings in exchange for the use of her Anom gift. She could turn the intense heat of his passion into a large family. Women had to willingly say the public vows to gain the legal Blessing. Only children produced from a Blessed wedding were considered legal heirs. And he needed legal heirs to rebuild his Noble line. As an educated woman, Sarica would see the wisdom of his offer. He didn’t need flowers when he had wealth.
His arrogance: "What woman didn't dream of..." "He lifted his chin and strutted..." "...before scampering away like little rats." "...rely on the impressive benefits...""...he could overlook her shortcomings..." "He didnt' need flowers when he had wealth."
His despiration: "..save him from endless torture." "The beastly heat surged through his skin. Damn. He dare not feel." "Rosche had counted on flowers to soften her..."
The flowers bursting into flame foreshadows their meeting and the start of their relationship as well as to show the damage his Anom gift can do.
Do you see the montage working here? Do you get a sense of who he is, what he wants and his emotions, especially those that I don't use the word for in a tell?
Now contrast that with Sarica's impression of Rosche during a discussion with her father.
The Tell: She is intensely aware Fosche of and pretty much has him pegged, she just doesn't understand why he is who he is. She believes in coms gossip, and has never experienced lust. Sarica is a recent collage graduate without much life experience, due to her over-protective father, whom she adores. Sarica believes her father is the smartest, bravest man in the world – but Stockley is too “chicken sh*t” to tell his daughter about Roshe's offer, especially after this conversation:
With an uplifted chin, Noble Rosche carried himself as if he judged the world based on a secret standard. He wore his rugged face like a mask; not even the twitch of a muscle betrayed his emotions.
While she had stood stupefied at the sight of him, her normally well-behaved Anom gift had threatened to burst free. Some strange mixture of emotions triggered the problem, which she could not identify, having never felt it before. As with fear, primal and powerful, she had nearly lost control. She had to keep a tight hold on her emotions lest she ice someone. It had happened once; she’d not let it happen again.
Intrigued by the man and her body’s dangerous reaction, she had researched him even before her father’s suggestion.
Tilting his head, her father peered up with honest curiosity. “What do you think of the man?”
She shrugged one shoulder with faked indifference. “Typical of a Noble, his personal life remains private. I can find nothing about his upbringing, tribal ties, or family. What I did find comes from the people who have stood before him in court. ‘Excellent judge. Impartial. Emotionless. Rule of law prevails. No mercy. No compassion. He easily makes the cold, hard decisions, even if all parties in the case suffer. Judge Rosche presses for a quick resolution.’ Do you know he once had a puppy cut in half to end a dispute?”
Her assessment: he was dangerous, heartless, and cold as stone. Enjoy the view, but stay away from the edge.
Her father asked, “No one you would want to spend an extended amount of time with?”
With girlie pleasure, she could ogle Judge Rosche. Beyond that, they probably couldn’t even maintain a conversation. “Not at all. Why do you ask?”
The wrinkles on his forehead deepened. With a tense sigh he leaned back in his chair. “No reason.”
"She shrugged one shoulder with faked indifference." shows her internal conflict that plagues her throughout the story: she lusts for Roshce but believes him to be completly unsuitable as a husband. That one shoulder shrug shows one side of her conflict. The shoulder that doesn't shrug shows the other side of her conflict.
Notice the subtext to the conversation. Stockley knows that Rosche is on his way to talk to Sarica and starts this conversation hoping his daughter will have a good report about Rosche. When she doesn't, he drops the subject. Coward. That's the show for him.
I'll keep you posted.
Carrie O.
Review: Intentions of the Earl by Rose Gordon
Intentions of the Earl by Rose GordonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rose Gordon did good with this story. The three sisters, Liberty, Madison and Brooke (I'm assuming this trilogy is about them) are all different from each other (Americans in England seeking husbands).
Brooke is genuine and likeable. Andrew is a nice guy with bad intentions for (almost) the right reasons and he corrects the error of his behavior. Well, love does have that affect on people.
The plot is refreshing (doesn't rely completely on communication problems between the genders, a little bit but not much).
The description of the hideous parlor room will remain in my memory for a long time.
I'm going to read the other two books in the series, already available and on my e-reader.
View all my reviews
Ruth Langan "Highlanders Bundle" Review
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The copyright is 2006 for this bundle, which includes five stories (The Highlander, Highland Barbarian, Highland Heather, Highland Fire and a short Highland Christmas), all could use a serious facelift. The age is showing. When first released as individual works (I don’t know the years), these stories might have been the height of style for the sub-genre. But readers now have more sophisticated tastes and expect more from the characters.
If you like head-hopping every paragraph, an omnipotent POV that sometimes including the thoughts and feelings of an entire group in a single sentence, and lines of prose that are reused from book to book, then this is the series for you.
If you like physically perfect, beyond beautiful, teen-age, petite, virgin heroines who are good at everything from the domestic castle duties to the field of battle, who are the leaders of their clan, who make "roll your eyes" stupid decisions, who decide to give up everything for the man they love, without asking him to make any sacrifices, then you will love these stories.
If your like heroes with nicknames like Savage, Brute and Dark - who can't win a fight when their lives depend on it, who rise from near death and still recovering from their injuries, later defeat the villain who nearly killed them, and other “roll your eyes” plot points that defy reason, then you just have to read these stories.
If you enjoy knowing the heroine will almost be raped - more than once - as a plot device, with villains who are flat, just born bad, with an abusive hatred for women; if you prefer that your heroines be abducted in order to fall in love with their captors, then hey, you just cannot resist this bundle.
Why did I finish the stories? Each one is like a train wreck, I knew what would happen, but could not look away until it was over.
For romance writers, study these stories so you know what cliched, overused, overdone, items to avoid in your modern work.
View all my reviews
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