Reviews

Taking the good with the bad.

Lately I’ve received an influx of reviews. There’s been a mixture of good and bad. I’m happy to say most have been positive. It’s the negative that sometimes leave me baffled.

One reviewer said if you can get past the heroine, the book was good. First and foremost I’d like to say, thanks for taking the time to buy and read my book. I really, really do appreciate it. More than you’ll know…I’m just confused. The heroine is a huge part of the book. If you don’t like her how did you like the book?

Talking with two other authors we’ve come to the conclusion we really need to look at the review itself. Is it poorly written, could the reviewer have a bone to pick? I’m not referring to the review above when I ask these questions. I’m asking them in general.

The truth is when I go back and re-read some of the reviews I have to take the comments with a grain of salt.

You can benefit from reviews though, even the negatives. I believe we can grow from others comments and critiques.

Another thing I hear a lot is “the book was great, I just wish it were longer.” I believe I’m not alone here. A lot of writer’s get this. In the beginning I’d get pissed and want to scream. It’s a f*ing novella, it’s supposed to be short. Now I’ve decided to look at the positive side of it. The reviewer wanted more. He/she wished it were longer because they liked it and craved more.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. :o) Besides, it feels better when you see it in a positive light.

Yes, I read reviews. It’s just part of the writing game. What I don’t do is allow them to consume me with grief and heartache. I accept that it’s one or more person’s opinion and they have a right to express how they feel. How I interpret those opinions is up to me. 

One Tasty Night

I received a google alert today and it was for this fantastic review for One Tasty Night. I decided to share a bit of the book with you. So, I'll start with the link to the review and below I'll share the blurb and excerpt!

Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!

Wild Plum said:

It seems Amber Skyze has a writing ability we would all love to have when it comes to erotic romance. I am so impressed with her writing. She is a very clear, tight (no pun intended) writer. I really enjoy her books and her characters and the worlds they live in.

To read the full review go here:

http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/2009/09/one-tasty-night-by-amber-skyze.html?zx=25c9a31d54c01c18

Blurb:

Taylor Jax has a secret. She fantasizes about seducing long time friend Shane Griffin. Only problem, he’s eight years her junior – too young in her mind.
During a game of truth or dare her secret is exposed. Challenged by her best friends Taylor must go into an adult toy store and buy all the accessories needed to live out her fantasy.
With another night of truth or dare looming, Taylor makes a bold move. Before her friends can dare her, she plans a full-fledge seduction.
Shane has loved Taylor for as long as he can remember. She enters his store in disguise, prompting him to tease her. To his surprise she agrees to have dinner with him. And when she propositions him he wonders - will one night be enough?

Excerpt:

Looking around Taylor noticed she wound up in the vibrator aisle. At least it was something familiar. Every woman owned a vibrator, didn’t they? As she absorbed the different sizes and shapes she wondered how big Shane was. Picking up the icicle dreams she scrunched her nose. Not her style. She liked them to at least look like a penis. She placed it back in its spot.
She snatched a rather large one off the hook, imagining it Shane’s size.
“Hot bunny. Now this is what I’m talking about.”
"Find everything you're looking for?" Shane asked, sneaking up behind her.
His warm breath tickled the back of her neck, sending heat coursing through her overheated body. Her mouth grew dry. Water. She needed water to put out the flames burning her body. "Umm, I think I'm okay," she breathed.
"Are you sure?" he whispered.
She wanted to fall back into his arms. She wanted to give in to her desires and let him do whatever he wanted. “Yes.”
God, she had to get out of there soon or something bad was going to happen.
"You sure you don’t need a hand?" His fingertips traced down her arms and sent shivers through her body.
She wanted to scream Fuck Me! but she fought the urge. "Really, I'm fine. Don't you have other customers to assist?"
"Not at the moment. You're my only customer. And since you're always so good to me I'm going to give you extra special attention.”
Her legs were mush standing this close to him.
“Let me see your list,” he coaxed.
“Shane, I’m fine. Seriously. I'll handle the list."
Shane stepped in front of her. "I know the store from top to bottom. Just like you know Tasty Taylor’s. Let me help, please."
Those captivating cerulean eyes pulled her into a trance. They begged her to just give in this one time. She wouldn't. She couldn't.
"No.”
"Come on," he pleaded. Before she could respond, he snatched the paper from her hands and looked it over. "Oh, this will be a cinch."
"Give that to me," she demanded, her hand held out impatiently.
He shoved the paper into his pants. "If you want it, come and get it."
Taylor stood there dumbfounded. Had he really just stuck her list down his pants?
What the hell was she going to do now? Certainly she couldn’t put her hands down his pants and grab it could she? Serve him right if she did. Wonder if he’d be standing there looking so smug if she reached in and took her paper.
If she did she could find out just how big he was. Oh, the would girls enjoy that conversation.
“You seriously don’t want me to come and get it, do you?” She gave him one last chance to change his mind.
“Don’t I?” He turned and walked away.
Challenging her was a big mistake on his part.

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish all my friends and readers a Happy Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for all of you! :o)

BTW, a nice reader who took advantage of my 5 for 5 wrote a nice review you can check out here!

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/237813041

Wallflower, by Holly-Jane Rahlens

I don't normally do 'official' book reviews, but here's my first.

I'm not two things:

1. I'm not a big fan of YA literature unless I'm reading it with a child.

2. I'm not a reviewer.

But a friend and book blogger who reviews mostly paranormal, sci fi and fantasy literature asked me if I'd be willing to read and review a more or less contemporary YA written by an American ex-pat living in Berlin. As the protagonist is a Jewish girl, my friend thought the story, Wallflower, might be right up my alley. I'm Jewish as are at least two of my heroines - Mari in Captured and Eva in Beauty and the Feast.

I pondered her request for a few minutes, and then I decided, why not? I'm in a writing slump anyway, so what the heck...It seemed like a good idea to read something out of my comfort zone.

Wallflower can best be described as a day in the life. Actually, it's more apt to say four hours in the life of the protagonist, Molly Beth Lenzfeld, an American teen living in Berlin with her father. She's tall, gangly, morose, lacks self-confidence and feels out of place at her American school. She's actually on her way out. Molly plans to return to the States to live with her older sister. The Berlin Wall has only recently come crashing down and now that she's leaving Germany, Molly decides to make a pilgrimage to East Berlin to visit her deceased mother's original home, the site where her mother was born, the place she left behind with her parents when they fled Nazi persecution in 1938.

Traveling from West to East on the train, Molly is sidetracked, first by an unpleasant acquaintance and then by a young man, a tall, enigmatic, East German drama student, Michael Maier, or Mick, as his friends call him. Despite Molly's doubts and insecurities, Mick's interested in her. Not only interested, but persistent. During the four hours Molly spends traveling from West to East, she never manages to find her mother's home, at least, she never finds it when we're watching. She finds something else entirely. Hope.

My thoughts...Holly-Jane Rahlens, a journalist by profession, writes lovely prose in the style I prefer - her words are clean, clear and crisp. There's an unusual amount of detail in the short story, yet nothing is extraneous or trivial. Those sensual and tactile details included are absolutely necessary. The reader can hear, see, feel and smell the train car, the subway stations, the foods of East Berlin, even the streets themselves. I swear I could smell the worn yet welcoming scent of Mick's leather jacket.

Wallflower is a delicate story. Not much happens in four hours. No one is murdered, there is no great catastrophe, even the climax of the story is calm and thoughtful. Yet in the space of four hours, a seventeen year old girl is transformed from a wallflower into a young woman. The story is exquisite, actually. The teenage voices are realistic, the characters believable. Wallflower is a refreshing change from what's become the formulaic YA novel containing absentee and/or incompetent parents and super-powered teens. Molly's father cares about her, her sister cares about her, and every character is a regular human being, warts and all. This is a quick read and I do recommend it.

Wallflower was first published in German in 2009, by Rowohlt/Reinbek.

It was released in 2010 in the United States by Berlinica Publishing, LLC, website: www.Berlinica.com

I couldn't find a website for the author, Holly-Jane Rahlens, but her bio says she was born in New York, and moved to Berlin shortly after college, where she's remained, working in radio, television and film. In 2003, her novel Prince William, Maximillian Minsky and Me earned the prestigious Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis as the best young adult novel in Germany.

Ah…found a website! http://www.holly-jane-rahlens.com/about.php?l=2

Since I don't normally do this, I guess I have to say the following: a copy of the book was received from the author. This reviewer did not receive any financial reimbursement for the review.