Thursday, June 24, 2010

A Blissful Book!

by Anna Campbell

As anyone who looks at the 'what we're reading right now' slide show on this site knows, I get a craze on Harlequins every so often. Usually just one line. I get my fix then I wander back to single titles for a while until the next time. Lately I've been reading some fantastic SuperRomances.

A confession - I used to avoid SuperRomances because of the covers, in spite of the fact that people kept telling me they were great. The stories looked too wholesome for me with all those smiling people and babies. There's lots of babies on Super covers (not on this one, you'll notice - instead we get a tattoo!). But my first year judging the RITA, I got one and loved it so they've become regular reading for me since. A few favorite writers in the line are Kathleen O'Reilly, Sarah Mayberry and Beth Andrews.

Now to that list, I'm adding New Zealander Karina Bliss.

Karina Bliss and I were on the contest circuit here about the same time so I knew her name. And she's won an Australian Romantic Book of the Year Award. But it took me until now to pick up one of her books. Now I want all the others.

There's something really intriguing about a librarian story, isn't there? It makes me think of Marian the Librarian in The Music Man. You just know you're going to get an outwardly starchy stick-in-the-mud loosened up by her encounter with passion in the form of a gorgeous guy. That nerd to siren story arc gets me every time (actually the book I'm writing now has a similar theme!). There's something magical in the transformation and also in the fact that the big bad wolf discerns the promise beneath our heroine's buttoned-up exterior. We love it when big bad wolf falls for the wallflower and shows her she's not such a wallflower after all. Yum! Also delicious is watching big bad wolf cope with the fact that he's falling for the last woman he ever imagined would attract him. Fun on so many levels! And in a good librarian story, both hero and heroine emerge at the end with a richer view of life. It's never a one-way street.

WHAT THE LIBRARIAN DID is set in Auckland and features librarian Rachel Robinson who lives very much in a world of books and learning. Rachel has a BIG secret which propels a lot of the plot and adds a heart-wrenching depth to this story. Into Rachel's safe little world bursts ex-rockstar Devin Freedman. After his band breaks up, he seeks a purpose in life. He's s doing a business degree at the university where Rachel works.

There are some hugely enjoyable scenes as the worlds of these two very different people smash into each other. Rachel is one of the few people in the world who has no idea who Devin is. Devin, understandably, is a fairly cocky guy so it's wonderful watching his bewilderment when this dowdy librarian (or dowdy in rockstar terms!) treats him like just one more borrower! Both Devin and Rachel are vulnerable and there's such poignancy in watching them edge towards love, making so many mistakes along the way.

There are a stack of classic romance themes weaving together in this book. Cinderella, certainly. The rake reformed. Secret baby. Fish out of water. Opposites attract. Karina juggles these various elements with immense skill. There's great humor and there's great pathos. I found myself tearing up at a few points in the story and laughing out loud in others.

The characterization is so rich, not just Rachel, with her businesslike distance from life and her yearning heart, and Devin, with his baggage and wariness and sexy swagger. One of the things I appreciate about Supers is that because they're longer than many category books, you can play with things like subplots and secondary characters. There's Mark, Devin's unlikely friend at the uni. There's Trixie, Rachel's goth offsider in the library. There's Devin's mother who is a lovely character. There's even a wonderful clash of cultures when people from the music business invade the quiet island where Devin is living.

I hope you pick up this book. As you can gather, it's a real treat. Definitely worthy of Dewey classification on your keeper shelves!

41 comments:

  1. Hi Anna

    I must keep my eyes peeled for this book - it sounds like a great read. I've read a couple of Karina Bliss's books now and enjoyed them very much!

    And that cover's pretty special, isn't it!

    Thanks for the heads-up!

    :)
    Sharon

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  2. Hiya Miss Sharon! Great to see you here! Hey, you already knew about Karina Bliss! I feel like I'm very late to this particular party. I thought this book was great - it's right up your alley!

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  3. Sounds really good Anna I will be looking out for it. I really enjoy the SuperRomances

    Have Fun
    Helen

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  4. Hi Anna,

    Thanks for this tip about Karina's books. I've not read much of this line but I think I'll take a peek. And what reader wouldn't be intrigued by a story about a heroine who works with books! My sort of gal.

    Annie

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  5. Anna, I love Superromance. I'm glad you are now a convert! I read Karina's first book and enjoyed it, must catch up with this one

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  6. Anna, I love Superromance. I'm glad you are now a convert! I read Karina's first book and enjoyed it, must catch up with this one

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  7. Hi, Anna!

    I just have to read this book now after your fabulous review. You're right - the cover's a total departure.

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  8. This book sounds really good, Anna; thanks for a wonderful review. I always did like Marian the
    Librarian. I like the cover; it's cute.

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  9. Thanks Anna, another great find to add to my ever growing list. I have not read a Superromance yet and this sounds like a good one to start with.

    Hope you have a great day today.

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  10. Anna, Check out Cathy McDavid for a good HQ book. She's a friend and a fabulous writer. I love her books. Waiting for Baby is on my keeper shelf.

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  11. Anna, Check out Cathy McDavid for a good HQ book. She's a friend and a fabulous writer. I love her books. Waiting for Baby is on my keeper shelf.

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  12. Great Review, Anna! I haven't read a SuperRomance in years, but like most women out there, I can't resist the 'nerd to siren' story :) WTLD will def find its way into my tbr pile.

    -Okie

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  13. Sounds like another winner, Anna. It's been awhile since I've read a SuperRomance, so I'll have to start back up with this one.

    Thanks, Anna!

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  14. Hi, Anna C! Karina's book sounds terrific! At one time, I seriously considered studying Library Science and becoming a librarian. Now, I am really wondering what I have been missing all these years : )

    I adore “SuperRomances”–the longer-length format gives the author lots more room to develop the characters and the story line. I have read many, many “SuperRomances”, and I’ve never been disappointed. I’ve been touched, surprised, amused, intrigued and delighted. So many talented storytellers in the “SuperRomance” authors group!

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  15. Sounds like a delightful book, Anna. I will have to add Karina Bliss to my list of authors to seek you. Thanks again!!!!

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  16. I'll have to look out for this one. It sounds great.

    Melissa

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  17. Helen, I've read some fantastic Supers since I got over my cover jitters ;-) You'd really like this one!

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  18. Annie, one of the things I like is that the heroine's love of books is such a positive in the story. Our librarian is smart enough to handle anything, including an obstreperous rock star! Great fun seeing them sparking off each other.

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  19. Kandy, this one got quite a lot of buzz when it came out and I was curious enough to try it. So glad I did! Must chase up Karina's backlist now.

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  20. Actually, Vanessa, I've noticed a few Supers lately with no babies. Just read Sarah Mayberry's Her Best Friend, another great read. Just two attractive people on the front! Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against babies! ;-)

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  21. Deb, what's funny is just about the stage that I was reading this, they repeated the Music Man on TV and I just loved it. Hadn't seen it for years. I think Marian is a great character in that and I love the way she has come almost as far by the end of the story as the main character. They sort of meet in the middle. He'd found his honor and she's found her wild girl!

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  22. Melanie, you're a newbie to Supers? I've been reading them for a couple of years now and I must say they'd be edging toward some of my favorite Harlequins in recent times.

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  23. Hey, thanks for the alert, Monica! I'll definitely check them out. TBR pile groans from the corner ;-)

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  24. Hey, Okie, cool! I love nerd to siren stories too! That's kinda what I'm writing right now - love the moment he takes off the glasses and says, "Why, Miss Jones, you are beautiful!" I think we're all suckers for scenes like that!

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  25. I've been reading HSRs since the line began back in the 80s. Did you know Judith McNaught and Vicki Lewis Thomson both published HSRs, Anna? It's still the category line I read most.

    I loved What the Librarian Did. I loved Rachel the librarian and Devin the musician. I loved her vintage clothing and his purple boots. I loved that both of them had made some bad choices in the past, but Bliss let the reader know what led to the bad choices. I even loved the secret baby plot, and I found the goth assistant endearing. I particularly loved Devin's mother; the scene where she and her friends walk into the bedroom made me laugh until I cried.

    I'm delighted that Bliss is doing a Christmas novella. I'm eager to read it.

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  26. Hey, Gannon, hear you've got lots of reading time right now - ouch on the knee! This one is a really nice way to pass a few hours. Lovely characters, some laughter, some tears and a really awwwww ending!

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  27. Hey, Virginia, another fan! Cool! One of the things I love about Supers is the range of tones. You can get quite wholesome ones and then there's some I've read that really sizzle. You can get really emotionally wrenching stories and lovely, flirty, funny ones. And as you said, the extra space lets you get to know a range of wonderful secondary characters. Have you read Bandita Beth Andrews's Supers? They're fabulous too. She's up for a RITA award this year for my favorite of hers, A NOT-SO-PERFECT PAST. I just fell in love with Dylan in that! He's so gorgeous and tortured!

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  28. Hey, Buffie, you're most welcome! I've picked up some great books on your recommendations so this is just turn and turnabout ;-)

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  29. Melissa, it's probably not in the shops - you know how Harlequins come and go so quickly. I just looked it up on Amazon and it's still there: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=what+the+librarian+did+by+karina+bliss&sprefix=what+the+librarian+did

    Or you can get free postage on it at the Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780373783670/What-the-Librarian-Did

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  30. Janga, I didn't know about those great, hugely successful writers starting at Supers! I think I read Supers back in the 80s and then I just couldn't find them any more at any of my local bookshops. I remember loving them then - I'd forgotten about those older books! There was a wonderful one about a Russian writer I've always wanted to find again. He was gorgeous - and he must have been for me to remember him for this long. And another one about a male escort who takes refuge on a farm to escape his crime connections and falls in love with the woman who owns the place. Even back then, they were taking some risks with subject matter and I loved it.

    Hey, cool you've read the book! Isn't it great? And it plays such fun games with what you think is going to happen. I loved that scene when she tells him she's a love goddess! And as you say, the secondary characters are fabulous!

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  31. Anna, I love Beth Andrews's SuperRomances! I just read her book, "Do You Take This Cop?", and it was great! The hero was a gorgeous, Italian-American cop who was just as funny as he was sexy! I briefly toyed with thoughts of getting myself arrested : )

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  32. Virginia, I've read all Beth's books. She's wonderful, isn't she? So proud of her RITA final. She really deserves it. Do You Take This Cop is great! Check out Sarah Mayberry's too. They're great - the characters are really alive in her writing.

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  33. Yep I'm a newbie to supers, it has amazed me what I have missed out on, guess that happens when you rely on your local library for info. The internet has opened up a whole new world for me, don't know why I was dragging my feet about it. FYI I just bought this book at Amazon, on sale for good price through Kindle.

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  34. Melanie, I hope you have fun with it. He's a delicious hero and she's such a brave, smart heroine. I remember when I first realized I could find out about romance novels on the internet - the whole world opened up to me. At that stage in Australia, there was very little available.

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  35. Drew, I'm so glad you understand the baby thing. As I said, it's not that I have anything against babies! Hey, if you like Sarah's stuff, I think this will be right up your alley. Similar vivid feeling of real life in the stories. I loved Her Best Friend - it was quite wrenching emotionally, wasn't it? And he's a gorgeous hero! See if you can find Sarah's Blazes - they're fantastic too! Let me know when your review is up - I'll be interested to read it.

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  36. I love Karina's books. Always a terrific mix of pathos and humor with Gorgeous! heros.

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  37. Lovely review, Drew. Thanks for the link.

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  38. Ha ha, and it's another one of my favorite Kiwi writers! If you guys haven't read Sandra's stuff, grab it now! She's wonderful - writes wonderfully sexy, sparky romances for Silhouette Desire.

    Sandra, that was one of the really masterly things about this book. I found myself laughing out loud and there were bits where I had tears in my eyes, it was so emotional. You have to be really good to pull off that double!

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  39. A librarian and a bad boy?! I am SO there! Thanks, Anna, for another terrific second helping! My husband and my wallet might not thank you, but I will!! LOL

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  40. Andrea, one of the things I love about Harlequins is that they're pretty good value for money. Tell your husband I said so ;-) As you say, the librarian meets the bad boy? They had us at hello!

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  41. LOL! Actually, my husband is very supportive of my book buying habit. He would rather I collect books than what my mom collects--jewelry! Ha!

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