Favorite Covers of 2008

My first category of favorites for books I reviewed in 2008 are covers. Generally speaking, I'm not a reader too influenced by covers in my book buying habits. Pretty covers are nice, but I'm not buying a book to stare at the artwork. I need a story. But there is still some wonderful work out there, and though I might not get swayed by it too often, I can certainly appreciate it.

That being said, my top 5 favorite covers of the books I reviewed this year...

4th Runner Up

Charlie's Bargain by Evangeline Anderson, Cover Art by Les Byerley

There might be a theme with some of my favorite covers this year, and this fits it. Though the man on the cover is not a very good representation of how Lynx is described, it's close enough - and the eyes are hypnotic enough - that I don't care. The woman's back is elegant, the simple chains at her wrists evocative. I still stop and stare at this when I see it randomly online.

3rd Runner Up

Hawk's Woman by Madeline Baker, Cover Art by Syneca

In the upper corner, you'll see the eyes that seems to trigger my "Oh, I love this cover" reflex. But in this case, I have to admit I didn't even notice them until after I'd read the book. This one is all about the beautiful man on the cover. The muscles, the hair, the lines of his face...yeah, I can be superficial, too.

2nd Runner Up

Dead Man's Rain by Frank Tuttle, Cover Art by Anne Cain

The incredibly talented Anne Cain outdid herself on this one. The colors are haunting, the composition amazing. There's a definite noir feel to this, even though it's fantasy.

1st Runner Up

The Nameless God by Emily Veinglory, Cover Art by Croco Designs

Gee, look, more of the eyes. But seriously, this cover hits me hard. I'm not entirely sure why. I'm not hugely fond of the color, but in this instance, it works. I adore the arc of the bent body, and the old world feel to the title font. The entire effect makes my throat tight, and I can't tear my eyes away from it when it pops up.

And my pick for the favorite cover I reviewed this year is…
Like a Thief in the Night by Bettie Sharpe, Cover Art by Scott Carpenter

This cover is proof that simplicity often provides the best result. There was a theme to all the Strangers in the Night stories - the black background, the female, and the random red highlights amongst the monochrome. The entire effect was striking. Mesmerizing, even. It's especially appropriate for this particular story, since Arden is such a memorable character. This highlights both the danger she presents and the danger she is in, and it does so with elegance and beauty. Just gorgeous.

The Nameless God by Emily Veinglory

TITLE: The Nameless God
AUTHOR: Emily Veinglory
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: Novel (roughly 52k)
GENRE: Gay fantasy romance
COST: $6.99

As a menial hoghand, Fisk has few expectations. All that changes when he’s struck down by a vision from an unknown god. He attempts to do what the god requests, but he’s branded as cursed and banished from the keep, the only home he has. Fisk only has the clothes on his back, until Levin, the kind knight he’d warned of his master’s demise, finds him and announces he’s been called by his goddess to protect Fisk. He calls Fisk “prophet,” a label Fisk abhors, and together, they struggle to obey his nameless god’s orders. But with each vision leaving him weaker and weaker, they can’t even be sure Fisk will live long enough to try…

NOTE: This is a review originally written for Uniquely Pleasurable.

Though I rarely get influenced by cover art, the moment I saw this one – coupled with the title and the fact that it was written by Emily Veinglory – I was intrigued. Veinglory has a way of surprising me. Sometimes it’s her voice. Sometimes it’s her characters. In this, it was a combination of both, with some genuine thought-provoking ideas thrown in for good measure.

As a lowly serf, reliant on his job for his very existence, the last thing Fisk needs is to receive a debilitating vision from a god that doesn’t even identify itself. He doesn’t know quite what to think of it, especially since he’s too fatalistic to really put too much stock in gods. His confusion grows worse when he discovers that his little vision has knocked him out for nearly a day, and he wakes temporarily unable to move his legs. Much of Fisk’s attitude regarding his early visions rings familiar, mirroring the skepticism so prevalent in modern society. He feels like they’re true, but of what use are visions when he gets kicked out of the job he needs just to survive because of them? His initial ambivalence is palpable, and later, when Levin shows up with the announcement that now he’s Fisk’s protector, his reluctance to accept what seems like something too good to be true resonates deeply. This attitude colors most of their early interactions.

Compared to Fisk’s complexities, Levin seems almost too simple to be believed. He’s steadfast and honorable, dedicated to his calling. His unshakeable belief in both Fisk and his duty makes it a little tiring to listen to him as the story goes on. Fisk whines. Levin remains calm. Fisk argues. Levin barely snaps. Fisk does a lot of things that would drive many people around the bend, and yet, the vast majority of the time, Levin smiles and accepts it, or counters with a calm and uninjured manner. Just as Fisk’s new position in life seems a little too good to be true, so does Levin. In fact, it’s not until nearer the conclusion, as events around Fisk grow tighter and tighter, that he starts to get interesting. But then, the story ends, and I’m left wishing there was another one immediately so I could continue these characters’ journeys.

The romance in this plays second to the larger story. While Levin and Fisk share their more intimate moments, they’re more grounds for developing Fisk as a character and propelling the grander scheme of his visions and their effects than normal romance expectations. Part of me is even reluctant to label it a romance, but in the end, the fact that his relationship with Levin is critical to Fisk’s personal growth sways me back. Levin provides an anchor in a chaotic world. Through him, Fisk learns what he must in order to survive. The path they both take is a fascinating one.

In the end, the book and its characters fascinate me. The quiet desolation that permeates from start to finish creates an irresistible atmosphere, sucking me into the story’s events and the characters’ lives with frightening ease. While I’m left with questions about where things go from the end, and hesitations regarding Levin’s well-roundedness compared to other characters (I really don’t want to think of Levin as purely a foil simply because I want more from all of them, though it’s obvious he does play that role here), the story remains eloquent and engrossing. I can only hope the author hopes to continue the saga. There is so much to be explored.

Readability	9/10 – Rich with detail and personality
Hero #1	8/10 – Fisk has a fatalistic desolation to him that makes it easy to empathize with everything that is going on to him
Hero #2	6/10 – Too agreeable for much of the story to be very realistic; just as he starts to get interesting, the story ends
Entertainment value	8/10 – A fascinating world, with believable characters…I can only hope there’s a sequel planned
World building	9/10 – A wonderful balance of detail and atmosphere
TOTAL:	40/50

The Call by Jourdan Lane, BA Tortuga, & Emily Veinglory

TITLE: The Call
AUTHOR: Jourdan Lane, BA Tortuga, & Emily Veinglory
PUBLISHER: Torquere Press
LENGTH: Anthology (roughly 65k)
GENRE: Gay paranormal erotic romance
COST: $5.95

A trio of novellas, featuring gay romances where at least one of the partners is a werewolf.

The first story in this anthology is “Instinct,” by Jourdan Lane. In it, construction firm owner Ethan is a reluctant werewolf, scarred by the whole experience by the man who turned him, Jake. He meets Noah, another wolf, who’s interested in some work done at his pack’s home, and surprise surprise, the two fall in love. Like…right away. Seriously. Within minutes of meeting, they’re having sex on the floor of Ethan’s office. There is very little time to actually get to know Noah before they’re supposedly mated, which completely disengaged me from getting emotionally involved in the story. Worse, 24 hours after reading it, I couldn’t even remember what this story was about without going back and skimming it. That’s never a good sign. Pass.

The second story is called “Son of a Bitch,” by Emily Veinglory. Small town werewolf Nate works midnight shifts at the gas station, supplements his income with various online activities, and is hiding out from the pack he ran away from, trying to make his own place. Human Steven breaks down outside the station one night, and Nate falls in lust. Veinglory is the one author of the bunch with an original voice; she has characters that leap off the page with their eccentricities, and her turns of phrase are some of the most vivid I’ve seen in recent months. Unfortunately, she’s also the author with the most mistakes riddled throughout the story. There was at least one on every page, and often, more than that. It gets very distracting, and pulls me out of a story faster than headhopping when it’s that prevalent. Which is a shame, because hers was the story I actually wanted to like, simply because I enjoyed her main characters so much. How can you read a story that doesn’t even look like it’s been proofread? The answer is with a lot of difficulty.

The final story in the anthology is “Home Fires,” by BA Tortuga. Werewolf Houston stumbles into his mate Jackson’s home after having been held prisoner and tortured for the past two years. Together, they have to try and get over the pain of their past, as well as heal Houston’s physical and mental wellbeing. By the time I got to this story, I didn’t have high hopes. The first two had been disappointing at best, so when this story grabbed me by the shirt collar with the opening page, I was delighted. I got sucked into the hurt between these two men, enthralled by the rather vicious sex that happened as they came back together. There weren’t nearly the same number of typos or errors in this story that afflicted the others, which made it easier to enjoy it. Unfortunately, that enjoyment didn’t last. What started out with a sucker punch – easy prose, heartwrenching emotion – turned into more of the same, over and over again, as the story progressed. Sex, lots of mate talk, angst from Houston. Sex, lots of mate talk, angst from Jackson. Sex, lots of mate talk…well, you get the idea.

While a good idea in theory, the execution of this anthology of gay werewolf romance falters under its own weight. There are too many technical problems with the editing to believe it a professional presentation, and at least one of the stories has zero believability in regards to romance. I’m all for werewolf mates, gay or straight, but there’s a balance to be struck that none of these authors found. Unless you’re a fan of one of these authors, or don’t care about spelling errors, wrong word choices, or missing words in prose, don’t bother with this one.

Readability	5/10 – Riddled with typos that make even the most engaging voice difficult to read
Romance	5/10 – I was invested in only 1 of the 3 romances, and 1 not at all
Characterization	6/10 – This gets saved by Veinglory’s story; hers is the only one with full-fleshed, interesting characters
Entertainment value	5/10 – This would have been higher if I didn’t have such a headache trying to work my way through all the technical errors
World building	5/10 – Each tries to build its own unique werewolf world; each only marginally succeeds
TOTAL:	26/50