This multi-publisher issue needs a shorter title! This issue covers Amber Quill, Astraea Publishing, Liquid Silver Books and Riptide Publishing for October 2011. That’s a lot to swallow in a single post, but we’ll get to that later. Also, this is the last issue that covers October, next week cycles back to Carina Press, but we’ll move along to November books.
Riptide Publishing made a huge, huge splash in October. Their multi-blog launch parties created major buzz for this new ebook-only publishing house devoted to M/M romance. In spite of their launch date being the very end of the month, their books generated tremendous interest. Every title received multiple reviews. Almost all were positive, but not 100%. And that’s not the point. Readers will always have different opinions about what they read. The point is that people cared enough about this new venture to post all those opinions. Keeping the conversation going can only be good for the company. Because of all the buzz and all the reviews their new titles generated, Riptide books nabbed two of the three featured slots this month.
On the other hand, there were a significant number of Astraea Press books that were not reviewed anywhere that I could find, not even on Goodreads or Amazon. (The Amazon links are to the book in that case) One of the purposes of Ebook Review Central is to provide a guide to where reviews of ebooks can be found. If there are no reviews to find, that purpose is just not served. Unless readers of this post indicate strong interest in seeing me continue to cover it, this will be the last time that Astraea Press is covered by Ebook Review Central.
As promised two of this week’s featured titles are from Riptide Publishing’s debut list.
Grown Men by Damon Suede is book one in Suede’s HardCell series. This is science fiction romance, with emphasis very much on the science fiction side of the equation according to most of the reviewers. In fact, the two men don’t seem to reach the romance part of the book until very near to the end of the story. On the other hand, every reviewer was very positive that any reader who likes a lot of science fiction in their SFR is going to love this book, and that the world-building is particularly good. There is also a free short story, titled Seedy Business, available from the author. I love the tagline for this series, “Every future has dirty roots”. Sounds like good, gritty science fiction to me.
Cat Grant’s Once a Marine received the highest and the lowest reviews, but everyone had a very strong opinion. The two heroes of this romance are a former marine with PTSD and a writer of male/male romance who is making ends meet by waiting tables. The writer is also a military brat who happens to have a thing for men in uniform, even men formerly in uniform. Most of the reviewers thought that the story of these two working through their issues and towards each other made for a powerful romance. Try it for yourself and see.
The final featured title is another trip to hell. We went there last week and we’re back. The third book in Eve Langlais’ Princess of Hell trilogy is Hell’s Revenge. Published by Liquid Silver Books, this book, following Lucifer’s Daughter and Snowballs in Hell, sounds like a really fun, and funny book! Muriel is the Princess of Hell. She’s Lucifer’s daughter, and she’s actually a good girl. So good, that she makes Lucifer a laughingstock in Hell because she’s not bad enough. Take this concept to it’s nth degree, and you’ve got a series. I think I’m in! This sounds like it might be a good one for fans of MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead series.
Tune in next week for the Carina Press November titles!
I personally have reviewed two Astraea books on Amazon. Please do not stop covering this publisher.
I have reviewed an Astraea book The Keepers by Monique O’Conner James . Here is the Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/review/R38LV5D6BGJK1Z also I put up a review on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11566745-the-keepers
There are thirty other reviews for this book. I not sure why you are having difficulty finding reviews for the books Astraea puts out, they are not hard to find. Please continue covering this publisher.
I read and have reviewed books from Astraea Press. I look for their new releases. Please continue to cover them.
One quick reminder about how ERC works. I’ve covered the September and October books for each publisher, and I’m working forward. Books published before September 2011 are not covered. Next month I’ll look for any more recent reviews of the September and October books, and I’ll search for reviews of the November titles. My comments regarding reviews of particular books related to the titles published in October 2011.
Some Astraea Press authors absolutely do get reviewed. Meg Mims and Monique O’Connor James very much so. But 5 of the 14 books published in October were not reviewed anywhere, not even on Amazon or Goodreads.
If you are a reader of Astraea Press books and you think it is important for their books to continue to be covered, please read their October and November books and review them.
Hi Marlene – thank you for the great entry (the coverage and giving our authors two slots!). Just a quick note, we’re also publishing trans* fiction (we are actually really interested in acquiring much more trans* writing than we’re getting) and while we are currently only doing e-ebooks, we have a print programme in place that will kick off in (early) 2012.
Thanks again!