Contest! By HelenKay Dimon, Alison Kent, & Jill Shalvis.

The point I love to see on contests by authors:

*International entries are accepted.

A chance is better than no chance. ♥

Pretty Mass Market Covers.

I've read them all,
When they're in Brava trade.

They all rock,
Their covers are hot,
So they get to decorate my blog. ♥

Your Mouth Drives Me Crazy
by Helenkay Dimon.

The title links to the trade paperback version because this mass version will be out only March '09. Happy waiting.

The next book in this series, 'It's Hotter in Hawaii' is coming out April '09. I can't wait to read this because there's Josh in it! ♥ Josh's own story will be out later next year as stated at Helenkay's blog here. Happy waiting for this too..

Temperature's Rising
by Karen Kelley

Sometimes I wonder, are they trying to make those who already own the trade version buy the same book again in mass version? Well, maybe those rich, rabid fans may. I'm rabid, but sadly not rich.

Anyway, I've just finished Karen Kelley's Nerak series (here, here & here). They're damn funny & sexy and I so need more of these kind of books.

Get A Clue
by Jill Shalvis

I love covers with a couple embracing (or necking). It's sooo hot. ♥ Tasteful hot. Though I wish the picture on this cover is in it's original colours instead the shade of blue. Like the other three covers I posted.

I also visit Jill Shalvis' Blog for a good laugh every week too. ☺



Mouth to Mouth
by Erin McCarthy

I think I miss her comtemporary romance novels. Very much.

Wow, it really seems to be a loong time ago when I read You Don't Know Jack (and loved it).

Hmm. *Goes to put My Immortal at the top my TBR. I do hope she writes more funny vampire romance though.

After seeing that most mass market versions getting hotter covers, no, I still won't wait for them. I'm a big fan of Brava trade paper backs, and I'm not a big fan of waiting. For two years. Give me big fonts any time!

Amended book covers...

Saw the cover for the mass market of Jill Shalvis' Get a Clue at her website:

I liked it~ I've yet read the book, so maybe I just might get the mass market version...

But then after a search at Amazon...

The bottom part is blurred out, that's kinda disappointing. Which reminds me of the cover for P.J. Mellor's Pleasure Beach:

The more censored version on the right in the above pic is what I got. Maybe the cover on the left (ripped from Amazon) is the initial cover design... I definately didn't see it at any bookstore. I would have like to have the cover that shows more bod though. It does make the book feel more sexy.

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And here's something I've been dying to post:

Come As You Are by Amy J. Fetzer, coming this November. Seeing the mass market for Get a Clue reminds me of this. Love it!

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Back on the topic of cover changes....

This cover for Vivi Anna's Inferno is what I see everywhere on the web before the book was released. I was so excited, and also after reading the excerpts at the author's website, I couldn't wait for it to be released.

But to my extreme disppointment, the cover changed:

I don't reeeeally like the new cover one bit.

I have already decided to get this book a long time ago, but with the cover change, it just kinda lessen my enthusiasm to buy it so quickly. Yea I'm shallow like that... So, maybe later... when I get a pay raise or something...

Anyway, I'm just lucky to have saved a copy of bigger image file of the cartoon cover, (I think I got it from Amazon, a 590 x 390 pixel image heh) Yay! It's for a keepsake, I really liked that cartoon cover. Hades had a nice package and I love Kat's hair~

Axel and Marilee.

I wanna rant alittle about the two supporting characters from Out of this World.

Axel and Marilee are really, really cute. They feel alittle scary to me at the beginning, because I didn't know who the hell they are, staying in the middle of nowhere in Alaska, and thus I'm so very, very suspicious of them.

But I did get to know them as the story progresses, and I love their little banters.

Ah, I think I figured out my favourite lines from the book:

"You're the prettiest idiot I've ever known."

and also:

"You're such a beautiful liar."

Both sincerely (I think) from Axel to Marilee. How sweet~

Well, the words"idiot" & "liar" are negative, but still these two lines sounded very honest to me, and it's just so cute cute cute.

Marilee's knowledge of cooking/baking is really entertaining, and oh Axel I don't even know what to say about his grining at almost everything! I love what authors sometimes do to their supporting cast, making them really crazily fun and out of this world.

Fulfilled my Punishment: Out of this World!

I finished reading Out of this World yesterday. Read about what's with the "punishment" here and here.

The book is written in first person, which I wasn't really a big fan of. But I'm getting to like them due to alot of fabulously written ones.

In Out of this World, other than getting into Rachel Bond's mind (the girl who wrote the pros and cons on Alaska on the blurb), we get her good friend Kellan's view of things too, which surprised me because I totally didn't expect that. I don't read alot of first persons you know.

And that's probably what I enjoyed most about the book -- reading Kellan's view.

I got an overload of emotional feelings reading the first part of chapter 5 (Kellan's point of view), when Kellan is thinking about his and Rachel's past together: Rachel in kindergarden/high school/or just life in general together before this Alaska thing.

Of course, if Rachel would just realise that I'm her soul mate...

I'm a sucker for such thoughts, though they make me want to hit Rachel hard in the head (Of course I support Kellan. I always suport the heroes).

Unexpectedly, Out of this World had really taken me for a wild heart-stopping ride. I'd never thought there would be a your-life-is-in-danger moment in the book. But there is, complete with guns and pirates and all. Seriously, from the cover and blurb, I thought it's just a normal twist of your average cute romances with penguins in them. No danger involved. Hmm, maybe I should have taken a hint from the text under the title on the cover:

And I don't mean that in a good way...

Anyway, it has been quite an exciting reading experience for me. Me, who hardly ever touch paranormals or first persons. Now, throw me paranormals and first persons anytime.

I've gotten my "Punishment" : Out of This World!!

I got my hands on Out of This World by Jill Shalvis yesterday (like I said I would) and it goes on top of my beautiful pile of white-spined Brava Books:

Yes, I shelf my books according to colours of book spines.

Well, mostly according to colours for anthologies though.

Oh by the way, guess what I found hiding behind Out of This World on the shelf of the bookstore I was in:

I just grabbed both books in one hand and ran for the cashier. And do I feel embarrassed when I placed Pure Sex on the counter? Not really, it's not like the cashier is screaming: "You perverted gal!" *shrugs*

The queue at the cashier was very long, because there's a 20% discount storewide. Anyway, here's a sentence from the blurb for the one of the novellas, The Bet by Lucinda Betts, at the back of the book:

If golden girl Zoe wins the company’s big promotion, she gets Phillip’s bonus. If Phillip wins, Zoe’s his sex slave for twenty-four hours.

A steamy idea, love it!

The book cover looks very classy by the way, but what I wished this book didn't have is the loud title. I live in a conservative country (hello Singapore!) & belong to a conservative family (I can just imagine my parents freaking out if they saw this book, or any of the very few Aphrodisia books I own). I have to throw these kind of books (with sexy images on the cover) to the extreme back of my book cupboard. Not that I'm complaining about the sexy covers.

But what can I expect from erotic romance book covers? Penguins dressed like bell boys carrying suitcases?

Read some reviews on Pure Sex at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Check out the Aphrodisia Authors blog too.

Abrupt ending here, bye!

How to get your favourite author to contact you.

Misspell their name on your blog.

Step by Step Instructions:

1) Start a blog online. Make sure it's about books.

2) Create links to your favourite authors.

3) Misspell your favourite author's name in the links (E.g: Jill Shalvis becomes Jill Shavis. Note the missing letter L? Good.)

4) Post a comment (with your email & blog add) on the blog of your intented victim- I mean, author.

5) Check your email the next day.

6) Congratulations! You just got emails from your favourite author!

PLUS POINT: Bragging rights instantly. (E.g: "Hey guys! You never knew who emailed me yesterday!)

NOTE: Remember to leave out the contents of the email while bragging.

I'm not kidding! It WORKS!!

Anyway, the deal is, Jill SHALVIS emailed me because I misspelled her name on my blog. (Of course it's corrected now.) But how can it happen in the first place? Maybe I could buy Out of this World this weekend and read it as a punishment.

And yes, I did had an moment of urge to misspell all the names of authors in my links section.