Officially a Lynn Viehl Fangirl

I just finished Lynn Viehl's Night Lost. I am now an official Lynn Viehl fangirl. I knew it was coming. I loved the first book in the Darkyn series, If Angels Burn, even though there were other readers announcing it was too dark, not enough romance, it completely worked for me. The next two, Private Demon and Dark Need were both keepers too. This one may be my favorite, with the main storyline and the overall series story arc working together for a GREAT read.

You know the feeling you get when you close a book and realize the next one wont be out for at least 6 months? I'm devastated, okay not devastated, but really annoyed that this one's done and nothing is on the horizon until January of '08.

Before I can write a review/commentary I'll need to gather my thoughts, this one left me craving more and I'm a little scattered. Why? Because I just realized there's an ebook download for this series that somehow I missed. How? I rarely visit author websites (exceptions--the ones on my sidebar). I'll be adding Paperback Writer. I hate to admit it I've never been there before. So, while I'm there I see a cover I've never seen before, for a story in the series I've never read... Midnight Blues, a Darkyn Novella. "A Darkyn Novella", why don't I remember anyone mentioning this?? Not only does Adobe pop up with 108 pages, there's a huge list of other free downloads. I'm so pathetic I'm sure someone somewhere must have mentioned this. I live in my own world, surrounded by books, rubbernecking at on-line train wrecks, but go no where.

So, you can probably figure out what's up next on the TBR pile, but then I'm bereft, with nothing to read (not--LOL), knowing what I really want is Evermore. I've read the excerpt and already know it's going to be fantastic.

I wonder how hard it would be to get on Signet's ARC list? I somehow managed to get myself on Simon & Schuster's Historical Fiction list. Hmm, I'll have to work on this :D

Love Those Keepers

I reread Eloisa James' Pleasure for Pleasure this week. It's officially a keeper.

While I was reading I realized a book doesn't have to be an A to qualify as a keeper. It just needs elements, that I want to visit over and over. Maybe it's the characters, a particular scene, or dialogue that completely works.

I love the interaction between Josie and Mayne on their wedding night, their conversation is incredible, smart, witty, romantic and some how real. I can reread this section over and over and it's always wonderful--love it.

Probably half my keepers aren't because I love the entire book but rather sections. Catherine Coulter's Fire Song has been on my keeper shelf for years. And if I reread the book in its entirety I'd probably throw it against a wall, but when I reread it's only the second half and the last 100 pages absolutely sparkle, at least for me. When Kassia finally gets fed up and Graelem realizes he's an ass, and he loves her and can't figure out why she's put up with his crap--she leaves and he goes looking for her--love it.

The opening scene of Linda Howard's Open Season, when Daisy realizes she fits the "librarian" stereotype to a "T" and decides she needs to change her life, and then her first encounter with Jack when she wont let him in the back door of the library, makes me smile just thinking about it. And then there's the priceless condom scene in the drug store--love it.

Another Linda Howard keeper--Sarah's Child, is Rome an ass? You bet. Do I love him anyway? You bet. I can't read the scene where he's on his knees with the baby without crying. I've read this book countless times over the years and that one still gets me--love it.

Even if the rest of Meljean's Demon Angel tanked (it doesn't :D) this scene alone would make it a keeper:

Guardian's milled about--men and women, some with wings, some in human garb, some nude--and he searched the faces for the one who had come for him, saved him.

And did not see her.

"Where is she?" He blushed as Michael raised his brows. Would the Doyen think his intentions toward the woman impure? But still he asked, "My angel."

Michael did not reply.

Hugh swallowed and looked at the ground. Pure, clean--no dirt or rot. "'Twas Lilith?"

"Aye."

How could it be? Except that there must be good in her, must be something within her that resists the demon. "Can she be saved?" Did he not owe it to her to try?

Michael studied him with obsidian eyes. "I can not save her."

Hugh nodded. If a place like Caelum could exist, then it surely possible to save a demon. "Then I will."

I've posted that section before, but it's one of my absolutely favorites scenes this year, actually the first 100 pages of Demon Angel completely rock.

So, am I the only idiot who keeps an imperfect book because two, three or ten chapters are perfect??