Staff Picks - Me Before You by JoJo Moyes

Louisa Clark is a typical English girl in a small town.  A small town she’s never left.  Like many others in the town she’s settled for a local guy.  Hers loves his sports and triathlons more than he loves Louisa.  They have nothing much in common but everyone expects them to marry.  When Louisa loses her job at the local tea shop she knows she has to do something to earn money and get on with her life.  She lives with her parents, her sister, her young nephew, and her granddad.  Like many other close families, they are either minding her business for her or asking her about it.  Louisa answers an ad for a caregiver         at the local castle because she has no other viable prospects.

Will Traynor is a hotshot in business.  He’s young, handsome, successful, and very rich.  He has a beautiful girlfriend.   One day a routine departure from his parking garage ends in a tragic accident.  He is left to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.  His family has lots of money but nothing can take away his pain, his depression, and on many days his will to live.

Louisa enters his world and as you might imagine turns it upside down.  She has no patience for Will’s moodiness, his bossiness and she isn’t afraid to tell him.  She’s one of the few people who have stood up to him since the accident.  As these two complicated strangers get to know each other walls begin to break down and both realize how much they’ve come to care about each other.  Louisa wants to make plans and begins to see her life in a whole new light.  For Will there are no long term plans.  He has one plan and that’s the only one that matters.  His family knows about the plan and when Louisa finds out her world is turned upside down once again.

I’m sure that the Hollywood had no way of knowing that the release of Me Before You in theaters in  June would coincide with Canada’s national debate on (spoiler alert!!!!) assisted-suicide.  It’s a fictional story but one that reflects both sides to a very divisive issue.

For those left behind after a loved one opts to end their own life with assistance, it is a long road back to some semblance of normalcy.  Jojo Moyes gives us a look into the aftermath of Will’s choice in After You.  Some of the same endearing characters are back and we meet one special character no-one knew existed. 

Alternate Universe Regency Romance

Love Regency Romance? Love Fantasy? Try these titles that combine the two genres:

Sylvia Izzo Hunter - Midnight Queen

In this alternate universe Regency England the sons of the upper class study magic at the College of Merlin in Oxford. The main character, Graham "Gray" Marshall, has been accused of murder and drained of his magic. He is banished to the country house of Professor Appius Callender where he meets Callender's middle daughter, Sophie. Together they uncover a conspiracy, clear his name, discover Sophie’s magical ability, and, naturally, fall in love. The pacing of the story is a bit uneven, but the romance, the intrigue, and the inventive world building make this an enjoyable read.

Zen Cho - Sorcerer to the Crown

In Cho’s alternate universe England, magicians belong to the Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers. The protagonist, Zacharias Wythe, is the child of African slaves who was adopted by the late Sorcerer Royal, Sir Stephen Wythe. His adoption grants him access to society, but due to his parentage he remains an outsider. He wishes to discover the reason behind the decline of magic in England. He meets Miss Prunella Gentleman, a young woman with her own magical talent, who wishes to enter society. They are obviously made for each other, but before true love can take its course, they must overcome obstacles such as witches, fairies, and various assassination attempts. Cho’s universe stands out for addressing issues of diversity, racism, and sexism.

Mary Kowal - Shades of Milk and Honey

Kowal is clearly a Jane Austen fan. This is the story of sisters, Jane and Melody, and their quest for a suitable marriage; however, in this universe ladies are expected to have skill in the magical art of glamour in addition to the usual accomplishments. The younger sister, Melody, lacks ability at glamour but makes up for it with natural beauty while Jane is plain but gifted in the art of glamour. Jane's magical ability is put to the test when she discovers that one of Melody's suitors has the wrong intentions; in trying to protect her sister she finds herself caught up in a romantic entanglement of her own. While this may not quite match Jane Austen for astute characterization, dry wit, or style, it is a fun homage that is easy to enjoy.

Patricia Werde and Caroline Stevermer - Sorcery & Cecelia: or the enchanted chocolate pot

This epistolary novel began as a letter writing game between the two authors. Each wrote as one of the main characters, Kate and Cecelia. They are two young ladies living in an alternate-world Regency England. Kate is experiencing her first season in London while Cecelia remains in the country. They separately become involved in a magical plot which leads to a great deal of comedy as well as romance. The authors appear to have had endless amounts of fun writing this, resulting in a book that is equally fun to read.

A Little Holiday Romance

Love in the library

Last week a good friend told me that she was heading to the library to meet someone for a blind date. It seemed like a great idea to me - libraries are generally brightly lit public spaces that offer opportunities to sit and chat as well as stroll through the stacks, and we also have a great coffee shop. Plus it's never too early to determine if you share the same taste in books, right? (Although if having a similar taste in books is a compatibility marker, then my non-reading husband and I are in trouble!)

The Romance of Libraries by Madeleine Lefebvre is a lovely anthology of true-life stories about relationships that began (or ended) within libraries, and although many of the stories vary a great deal, the physical setting of the library as a public space always plays a role. "While most accounts are about romances that developed in a library setting, some are about romances with libraries themselves. Loosely arranged by context, the stories―happy, sad, or bittersweet―share an over-arching theme of the transformative and emotive power of libraries in our lives. Lefebvre's underlying message is that the physical library can play a role in our affections that the virtual library never can." Publisher.

Some other books for the literary-minded romantic:
The Jane Austen rules : a classic guide to modern love by Sinéad Murphy gleans dating advice from everyone's favourite Regency Era author, Jane Austen. "What's a strong, independent-minded woman supposed to do in a world of insipid dating guides? Sinéad Murphy responds by asking: Who has more time-tested secrets than Jane Austen, whose novels continue to captivate us almost two hundred years later? Whether you can recite paragraphs from Pride and Prejudice or just admired Colin Firth in his wet t-shirt, the romance of Jane Austen's world is one you'll never forget. Does love like that even exist today? Yes, it does. If you look closely at the women of Jane Austen's books, as the witty scholar Sinéad Murphy has, you'll discover Austen's countless tips for finding the right leading man, navigating the ups and downs of courtship, and building a happy, independent life for yourself." Publisher.


Much Ado about Loving : What our Favorite Novels can Teach You About Date Expectations, Not-so-Great Gatsbys, and Love in the Time of Internet Personals  by Jack Murnighan and Maura Kelly takes a critical look at romances in literature. Rather than providing dating advice, this book is a fun look at our favourite classic books from two authors with different perspectives. The books is set up in a "he said - she-said" format, with the two authors taking alternate chapters debating the romantic feasibility of literary couples while sharing personal anecdotes. This book is a fun read, whether or not you're actively looking for love!

2015 RITA Winners

The RITA^® Awards - the highest award of distinction in romance fiction—recognizes excellence in published romance novels and novellas.

Listed below are a selection of the 2015 RITA winners.  Please visit their website to see the full list of winners.

Contemporary Romance: Long Winner
Baby It's You by Jane Graves

Contemporary Romance: Mid-length Winner
One in a Million by Jill Shalvis

Contemporary Romance: Short Winner
A Texas Rescue Christmas by Caro Carson

Erotic Romance Winner
The Saint by Tiffany Reisz

Historical Romance: Long Romance Winner
Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran

Historical Romance: Short Romance Winner
Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Inspirational Romance Winner
Deceived by Irene Hannon

Paranormal Romance Winner
Evernight by Kristen Callihan

Romantic Suspense Winner
Concealed in Death by J.D. Robb

Young Adult Romance Winner
Boys Like You by Juliana Stone

Linda Howard Read-a-likes

This blog post has been created by Chelsea, a NSCC Library Technician student

After twenty one years of writing fiction purely for her own enjoyment, Alabaman author Linda Howard bit the bullet and courageously submitted a manuscript for publication. After a nerve-wracking wait (Howard claims she lost 20 pounds due to stress) the manuscript was accepted by Silhouette Books. Her subsequent career has spanned over a successful decade, accumulating numerous awards and attracting a loyal fan and adoring fan base. Many of her titles have appeared on best-seller lists including the New York Times, USA Times and Publisher’s Weekly.

Howard is best known for her hot and spicy contemporary romances, peppered with suspenseful plots, dark twists, fast-paced dialogue and steamy, descriptive sex scenes. Her novels offer the reader an intriguing glimpse of a sensual dark and edgy world where her heroines are both self-aware and reliant under pressure, and her heroes are tough, sexy and often a little jaded. As attracted to each other as they are from the beginning, it takes a little longer for these characters to respect and open up to each other. But with the assistance of the harrowing situation of the moment and a little verbal jousting, her characters eventually find solace and fulfillment.

Although her novels are considerably character centered, expect an abundance of mystery and action. But with that being said, Howard’s books rely more on creating a suspenseful tone than indulging in explicit descriptions of violence.

Eagerly anticipating Howard fans might find some solace and fulfillment of their own by delving into books by these similar authors:

Karen Robards

Howard readers will no doubt appreciate the lure of Robards’ vibrant character relationships, fast-paced action and highly suspenseful settings and may over-look that these novels tend to contain a little more explicit descriptions of violence.

Obsession

After waking up from a horrific ordeal, head of the National Security Agency Katharine Lawrence is sure of nothing—except that she can trust no one and that her instinct is to run. With the help of a handsome doctor, Katharine is drawn into a web of conspiracy, where no where is safe and peril is at every turn.

Julie Garwood

Although Garwood’s style of writing is considered to be gentler and less gritty as Howard’s style, readers will still find merit in her edge-of-the-seat-plots, similar pacing, well-developed characters and witty repartee.

Fire and Ice

When crime reporter Sophie Rose’s potential interview turns up dead, she finds herself in imminent danger. Travelling to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in hot pursuit for more information, with sexy Jack MacAlister assigned as her body guard, Sophie is steadily immersed in a passionate affair—and on the trail of a sinister mystery.

J.D. Robb

For a similar experience in terms of a grittier and darker nature, Howard readers might find interest in J.D. Robb, a pseudonym for well-known and beloved writer Nora Roberts. Her In Death series features Eve Dallas, a NYPD Lieutenant hell-bent on serving justice to cold-blooded murderers set in a futuristic world.

The series encompasses a nice blend of both suspenseful mystery and sensual romance. With thirty-eight titles and no doubt more on the way, it is best to start at the very beginning with the first title, Naked in Death.

Elizabeth Lowell

Saving the best for last, Elizabeth Lowell finishes out the list with the usual prerequisites: witty dialogue, character development and stories that contain suspense and romance in equal measures—however, her explicit sexual encounters, eloquent detail, similar heroes and heroines (think strong, intelligent and emotionally scarred types) serve as an excellent alternative for Howard fans.

The Wrong Hostage

With no one to turn to when her son is held hostage by a ruthless drug lord, federal judge Grace Silva seeks out the man she helped send to jail 16 years ago. With precious time slipping away, Grace and retired kidnap specialist Joe Faroe must face the past and settle their differences before it is too late and the killer takes yet another victim.

“A tale as old as time…”.

Fairy Tales were originally morality tales for adults. There seems to be a revival of fairy tales coming to the big screen or on stage lately. Just last year there were the movies Maleficent and Into the Woods. Cinderella is this year’s golden girl and the following novels just add to her walk of fame.

I was introduced to Gregory Maguire through his novel, Wicked. His Confessions of an Ugly Step-sister continues his rewriting of classical children’s stories through the eyes of the villains. Iris is not exactly a villain in the classical sense, just like all of Maguire’s characters. You get to understand and sympathize with these characters. Iris is the plain younger daughter of Margarethe Fisher. She has to take care of her mentally challenged older sister Ruth and her stepsister Clara. Is there a happily ever after for any of these girls? Well, read the book to find out.

A vampire and a blonde walk into a bar…I know this sound like the start of a joke; but it is just one of the plot points to the wonder fantasy novel, Charming by Elliot James. John Charming is not your average prince. After all, most princes are not tending bar in the back woods of rural Virginia. John comes from a long lineage of dragon slayers, witch finders and killers dating back to the fall of the Roman Empire. Elliot has a winner in this start of the Prince Charming series that are packed with adventure, humour and plenty of plot twists to keep the reader on the edge of their seats.

Nancy Madore reimagines classic fairy tales in Enchanted : erotic bedtime stories for women. These thirteen tales reminded me of Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty trilogy. They are guaranteed to sizzle and titillate. Madore states in her foreword “It is my belief that to empower women sexually (or in any other part of their life, for that matter) we need to stop trying to control or change them….We need to feel safe being sexual without the fear of being exploited, changed, categorized, punished, shamed or degraded”. Some of her stories tackle self-image head on (“Mirror on the Wall” and “The Ugly Duckling”). Madore’s Cinderella faces the challenge of keeping her love life “hot and sexy”. If you like this novel you might consider the others in the trilogy.

A more modern retelling of this tale is The Cinderella Rules by Donna Kauffman. Every little girl gets a bit brainwashed by fairy tales and the myth of happily ever after. The three fairy godmothers of Glass Slippers, Inc. guarantee they can bring out the princess in any woman. With Darby Landon they have their work cut out for them. Darby is more comfortable in jeans and cowboy boots while working on her Montana Ranch. But her father’s business deal needs to turn her into a princess – fast. This modern day Cinderella ends up with two princes to choose from and she is determined to stay dancing way past midnight!

May you have your own happily ever after!