Review: Die for Me by Karen Rose

Another bestseller from a multi-published romantic suspense author.

Karen Rose is a master at suspense as she constantly keeps the reader guessing who the sadistic and psychotic murderer is, leaving his prey buried in the snow covered fields of Pennsylvania.

Rose has an extended cast of characters beginning with a beautiful, twice bitten archeologist, Sophie, who’s position is to analyze the medieval torture used on the victims. Detective Ciccotelli fights his attraction to the archeologist, yet guards her life, as he mourns the death of a former girlfriend.

The other characters are relatives, business associates, and friends scattered throughout the East coast. Rose does and amazing job of bringing all the issues of the characters to a connected and screaming climax, some dead and a few lucky enough to be alive.

A great novel to stay awake for.

Dawn

When She Doesn’t Like It

If you are anything like me, you have your favorite authors. You read every book they publish. And when a friend asks me for a new author to try, I first find out what she likes and doesn’t like. Then, of course, I suggest some of my favorite authors based on her tastes. I’ve done this for years and my friends have always liked the authors I’ve suggested.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that one of my friends wasn’t thrilled by my recent recommendation. She read a couple of the romances and liked them, but the author failed to impress. I was stunned. I’d never had this happen before. I had suggested authors to this friend before and she’d loved them. So what happened? Have I lost my touch, my critical ability, by sense of what she likes?

Have you ever had this happen? What do you think went wrong? I’m still trying to figure it out :-}

Alexis

What makes a hero?

Happy July 4th! It seems like the perfect week to talk about heroes as we celebrate America’s independence which couldn’t have been achieved without the courage of our ancestors, soldiers and statesman alike. There are everyday heroes that receive little notice and then there are those who are splashed across the internet for their great deeds. But we don't need the media to tell us who is heroic. So if we are reading a romance novel, what makes a hero?

One of my favorite authors asked her readers which of her heroes was their favorite. I immediately replied as I knew who I liked the best, despite having read at least a dozen of her romances. Afterwards, I started wondering why that particular hero stood out to me. He was, of course, the usual hunk with a lot of power who found the heroine fascinating, but there was one quality that truly took hold of my heart. He made the ultimate sacrifice for the benefit of the heroine and his community. No, of course he didn’t die, this is romance after all, but he did give up his freedom and by freedom I don’t mean bachelorhood!

But other readers of Jennifer Ashley had different choices for their favorite heroes which told me many specific virtues spoke to other people. I’m curious as to what makes a hero a favorite for you? Are there one or two qualities that really tip the scales toward having a favorite hero? Please share, my curiosity is driving me crazy :-)

Alexis

What to read next?

Wow, what a great blog last week with guest blogger Laura Breck. Thank you everyone who commented. The winner of the goody bag was Hannah Howell! Congratulations, Hannah.

Since I’ve already read Laura’s book, I was looking at my “To Be Read” shelf and wondering what to read next when I decided to expand my horizons and see what others might recommend. So that’s my question for this week. What have you read recently that you just couldn’t put down and think I should read? I’m open to all possibilities as long as it’s romance and it is available for purchase now. Give me the name and author of the book and a little about the story to wet my appetite. Whichever commenter’s book I choose will win a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble so she can buy her own next book. Don’t be shy. I need some suggestions!

Does Setting Matter?

This weekend I read a book from one of my favorite authors. It was a paranormal set in San Francisco, mostly in Chinatown. I love visiting San Francisco and have even enjoyed the Dim Sum experience, but for some reason I just couldn’t connect with the environment. Maybe it was the big city. I’m a rural/suburban girl at heart. I still thoroughly enjoyed the book, but not as much as her others and I know it was the setting and my own personal bias. In the historical genre publishers have slowed down on westerns. In all genres publishers have been more open to settings around the world than they used to be. I wonder where that leaves futuristic romances with whole new worlds which could be either. Have you ever found setting effects your connection to the story? Have you ever thought about where the book takes place before buying it?

What types of Romance do you like the best?

When I started reading romance novels, which was further back than I care to put in writing, I read only Historical Romances. For decades I did this with one exception, Sylvie Kurtz. She was writing for Harlequin Intrigue at the time and was part of my critique group so I bought her books and devoured them. Finally, in the past few years I have expanded to Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, and (dare I say it) Erotic Romance. Again, it is because I know the authors and it has opened up whole new worlds for me, in some cases literally! If someone were to ask me what my favorite sub-genre of romance is today, I would be hard pressed to give a definitive answer. What types of romance do you like best . . . or can you say?

Who's on your Keeper Shelf?

There are some romance novels that I just can't bear to part with after I've finished them. Unfortunately, because I live on a houseboat I have limited space and have to make tough decisions about which romances I can keep on my shelves. Some of my keeper authors are Julia Garwood, Karen Marie Moning, Jennifer Ashley, Jo Beverley, Johanna Lindsey, and Kathryn Kennedy, just to name a few. There's actually about 50. I live on a big boat :-)
Who is on your Keeper Shelf? We all have them. Those amazing authors that we just can't give up. Do you have Oldies but Goodies, Up and Comers, both?