Iron & Velvet, the first book in the Kate Kane, Paranormal Investigator series, is an f/f urban fantasy and a campy romp of a book. The cast is large, the mystery quite plotty and the dry, noirish witticisms utterly hilarious. While done up Sam Spade style, what Iron & Velvet most reminds me of is
About six months ago, I got an email from romance writer Alexis Hall. He wanted to know if I’d consider developing a lemon meringue pie recipe for this kinky book he was writing about a chef and a doctor. Of course I agreed and therefore ended up helping with this book, For Real (out everywhere
Alexis Hall, Dabney Grinnan and I are at All About Romance today with a glowing review of Against the Dark by Carolyn Crane. I can’t believe it took me so long to read one of her books, particularly after last year’s RITA win. I already started the second one, but got sidetracked by other commitments.
I’m a pretty cerebral romance reader. It’s rare that I read one book by an author that so transports me I can’t write anything intelligent about it, much less two. So when it comes to Alexis Hall’s work, I’m three books in and still struggling to write anything coherent, both because it’s just not how
Love in romance novels tends to be flashy. The memorable elements of a story are the ones where the hero fights off the bad guy and saves the heroine from the speeding train or when the heroine uses her family connections to keep the hero out of jail. There are murderous zombies and cyborgs to
Thanks to a new reader, I found out that October is Queer Romance Month. The kick-off was yesterday so you can go over to Joyfully Jay and read all about why queer romance is better than cats. Yes, those cats. The furry kind. It’s very funny. As a very new reader of queer romance myself,
Alexis Hall’s Glitterland is a flawless gem of a novel. Certainly the best thing I’ve read all year. Maybe one of the best things I’ve read ever. When I start ranking books in my head, it approaches Prince of Midnight, my favorite Laura Kinsale book and Stardust, my favorite Neil Gaiman book. So I think
Aside from the first romance novels consumed in utter stealth beneath my covers after midnight while still in high school, I’ve always been a pretty open romance reader. I mean, I’m not shy about cracking a vintage Harlequin while waiting for the bus or pulling out my Grace Burrowes at the doctor’s office. My female
