Update on "To Be Read" pile

A while back, I lamented the fact that my TBR pile had reached untold heights and was quickly overtaking my little house. I am happy to report that I am slowly catching up on those untold pleasures (having some extra time while I’m looking for work will do that for you). So, in the last eight days, I have read six books, cover to cover….and now, I can’t seem to get enough. Yes, my eyes are blurry and feel like they’re filled with sand but that’s okay. I love my Kindle though. I can make the type bigger so I can keep on reading.

             

So what have I read? I finished Caris Roane’s Burning Skies (love how she writes), Terri Brisbin’s Mistress of the Storm (my first one of hers…there will be more), Kathryne Kennedy’s The Lady of the Storm (excellent); Erin Quinn’s Haunting Beauty (beautifully written), Elizabeth Hoyt’s Wicked Intentions and To Seduce a Sinner (both of which I loved) and I just started Stormwalker by Allyson James.

            

Have I worked on my own books? Not as much as I probably should have (I have a Civil War story I’m working on, but it’s making me pull my hair out) but my TBR pile is shrinking and I am pleased. So, what are you reading? Anything you want to recommend?

As always, happy reading!

Marie

For a chance to win either COWBOY DAD by Cathy McDavid, GRAYSON by Delores Fossen, or BLAZING BEDTIME STORIES VOLUME VI by Tori Carrington and Kate Hoffman, leave a comment and tell Marie what you are reading or what you would recommend :-)

Desert Dreams Conference Experience

At the end of April, I spent the weekend at the lovely Chaparral Suites in Scottsdale, Arizona, attending the Desert Dreams conference….and my brain is still full. What a lovely weekend! The weather was perfect and I was able to connect with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while.  

           

I also had the opportunity to attend some fabulous workshops given by some of my favorite authors (which is why my brain is full). Such marvelous writers, so willing to impart their knowledge, so generous in their time and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate them! 

Elizabeth Hoyt is a hoot! Funny, sweet and charming. Brenda Novak is not only fabulous and wise,  but lovely as well. I met Terri Brisbin (a New Jersey girl like myself) and I’m happy to report, she is kindness itself.

           

I had promised myself that I wouldn’t go crazy during the author book signing, but truthfully, I wasn’t able to help myself. Meeting these authors after having read their novels was such a treat. I couldn’t help purchasing more of their books and having them signed (and yes, I will be hiding the credit card statement when it comes in)!

            

As I said, my brain is full and I am slowly disseminating all the information, however, that hasn’t stopped me from reading and I’m happy to say, my TBR pile is shrinking. Whooo-hoooo!

As always, happy reading,

Marie

For photos and more on the 2012 Desert Dreams Conference check out these links :-)

http://kathrynekennedy.blogspot.com/2012/05/photos-of-desert-dreams-conference-2012.html

http://desertdreamswritersconference.blogspot.com/2012/05/reminiscing-in-pictures.html

http://desertdreamswritersconference.blogspot.com/2012/05/pictures-of-event-continued.html

http://desertdreamswritersconference.blogspot.com/2012/05/more-pictures-from-conference-continued.html

The Physically Scarred Hero

This weekend I read Elizabeth Hoyt’s TO BEGUILE A BEAST and I know exactly why I was hooked. I’m a push-over for a hero who is psychologically or physically scarred due to some violent act in his past. Hoyt definitely went out on a limb with this one and I was with her all the way (till 2:00am to be exact). Actually, her Legend of the Four Soldiers series, the fourth one coming out in November, is based on men changed by war, but the first two books have heroes with internal scars. This book’s hero, Alistair, has some pretty scary physical scars which of course mold his motivation towards being a recluse. I think it is a real challenge for an author to write the physically scarred hero, especially as Hoyt did, where the damage is readily apparent and not beneath his clothes.
I think I love this type of hero because I hope that I would be like the heroine and see beyond the scars and through the defenses he puts up, and like her provide emotional support for the vulnerable man underneath. How do you feel about physically scarred heroes in romance novels? Do you find them more compelling or the same as any hero with a tough past? Have you read any particular romance novels where the physically scarred hero was particularly memorable?