Xenia Navarre Historical Romance

In this futuristic paranormal romance, set in post-apocalyptic New York, Frontier action heroine Lilia Desjardins hunts mutants (known as “shades") in order to protect them from slavery and abuse by the totalitarian Republic whose eyes are everywhere. When Lilia arrives in New Gotham to investigate her husband’s mysterious death in the radioactive “hot zone,” she quickly collides with the law, and is rescued by handsome detective Adam Montgomery. Unbeknownst to Lilia, Montgomery is close to a mutant himself—a fallen angel who surrendered his wings in order to save humanity from another nuclear holocaust. Only by working together can the pair discover who really triggered the last global war and why, and prevent that powerful entity from its scheme to repeat this abominable act.

This was an interesting and unusual read. I took the time to check out the book’s reviews on Amazon, and found a fascinating dichotomy between sci-fi readers who picked up the book for its futuristic setting and tolerated the romantic element, and romance readers who picked up the book for the romance, but sometimes found the intricate futuristic world-building a distraction. I like both types of story, and I considered this book to be 75% futuristic, and 25% romance, with a unique and appealing hero. The paranormal element comes from the fallen angels, of which there are several in the story, and which struck me as exceptionally well done, like other elements of this futuristic world. The book opens with a riveting scene of the hero losing his wings, and there are a number of surprising twists that keep the story fresh and interesting until the end. Lilia’s steamy encounters with Montgomery heat up the page, so this is not a read to share with your kiddies at bedtime!

I’d recommend this book for fans of futuristic/sci-fi who don’t mind a bit of romance with their action, and for romance readers who enjoy futuristic stories and don’t mind the world-building that accompanies good science fiction.

Happy reading from your
Xenia

In this sexy contemporary romance with a dash of suspense, set in Manhattan and Santa Fe, con artist Seline Sanborn needs one more good heist to support her seven-year-old daughter and keep both of them away from the girl’s Mafia father. As the CEO of the company Seline targets, ex-Marine Ryder Blackwell doesn’t appreciate losing a good $750K to Seline—especially since the two shared a night of melt-the-sheets passion. Now Seline’s running from the mob, but she can’t shake off Ryder so easily. In fact, she’s starting to suspect that getting rid of her hot-as-hell former boss is the last thing she wants….

It’s always such a guilty pleasure reading a Harlequin Blaze like this one! The Blaze imprint features very steamy, action-rich romance, often with an element of suspense. When I want to relax into a turbo-charged, sexy read, Harlequin/Silhouette romances are often the books I choose, and the Blaze line is one of my favorites. Here the sex is explicit, but stops short of erotica, and the settings are often glamorous and cosmopolitan. For me, reading a Blaze is like eating a hot fudge sundae, but without the guilt!

And, because category romances like this one are written to a strict word count, the writing needs to be drum-tight, with not a single line of wasted dialogue or unnecessary narrative. I’m thinking it would be good for me as a writer to try my hand at one, in fact, in order to write tighter and shorter myself. The Harlequin Blaze, Harlequin Intrigue, and Silhouette Romantic Suspense lines all appeal to me. I’m working on a full-length single-title romantic suspense at the moment, but if I launch a category project, I’ll definitely let all of you know!

Ciao for now,
Xenia

My dear readers,

In order to strengthen my ability to craft a strong romance, I have embarked on an intensive period of reading romance only, across all subgenres (historical, paranormal, futuristic, contemporary, etc.), so upcoming books reviewed on this blog over the next several months will focus predominantly on romance. I pride myself on reading the best of the genre, so I hope you’ll find something interesting in these chronicles. If you’re not normally a romance reader, I hope these discussions will encourage you to give the genre a try. Since I only review books on this site that I genuinely enjoy, you can’t go too far wrong reading any of my recommended reads. And I always enjoy hearing what my readers think about the books I recommend, or any suggestions you may have to broaden my own reading.

In this Regency-set historical romance, soldier Nick Falconer is under orders to find the woman who murdered his debauched cousin–the notorious female Robin Hood who heads the band of highwaywomen called the Glory Girls. When Nick’s investigation leads him to the mysterious widow Mari Osborne living quietly in rural Yorkshire, he can barely believe she’s Glory–the same beautiful harlot who seduced him in a tavern on the night of his cousin’s death. But Mari, a runaway serf from Russia, is hiding more secrets than one, and Nick will need to uncover all of them before he can win her love.

This was a beautifully executed Regency-set historical romance. The concept of the heroine as highwaywoman is a fresh and unique take on the well-trodden Regency period, while Mari’s background in slavery and sexual servitude is treated in a poignant and moving manner. Strong secondary characters and a romantic subplot involving Mari’s housemate and best friend lend additional color to an already strong tale. The story is sensual, the language is inoffensive, and the murder that kicks off the tale happens off the page. This is a fine read for anyone who enjoys a sprightly Regency romance with high emotion and a dash of intrigue.

Happy reading from
Xenia

This international thriller ranges from Europe to Asia to Washington, D.C. When an Islamic terrorist group coordinates a series of explosions and attacks across the globe on Christmas Day, the UN’s secret Office 119 is ordered to find and stop the terrorists. For agent Renate Bachle, the pursuit is personal; the terrorists blew up a church in Baden Baden on Black Christmas because they knew her family was inside, and their deaths would flush her out of hiding. She is horrified to discover that the terrorists’ tentacles extend to the corridors of power, and even to the Vatican and the U.S. President himself. When the threat of nuclear weapons looms, will Renate and her partner be able to defuse the plot in time?

I read this novel largely because I’m doing market research on MIRA prior to submitting a manuscript to them, and because I’m taking an online workshop this month on romantic suspense with super-editor Leslie Wainger, who edited this book. Unlike many books I review on this blog, this book is clearly not a romance, and does not include any romantic subplots. It’s an international thriller/espionage story with several main characters that ranges across the globe.

It was interesting for me to note the differences between romantic suspense/romantic thriller and this pure thriller. Less play on emotions, a more direct and workmanlike style of writing, and a plot-driven story (rather than a character-driven romance) move the book forward. The research was solid and believable, and the splintering of the terrorist group into several bad guys working at cross purposes adds further complexity to the story. I also appreciated the fact that one Islamic terrorist became a good guy, with a believable motivation linked to his faith, and helped to bring the others down.

Although I am not convinced that pure thrillers will become a favorite genre for me personally, since I prefer a bit more emotion and character development in my stories, I found the read quite well done, and interesting from a writer’s perspective. There’s no sex, and the violence is tastefully done and never graphic or gratuitous. Thriller fans should enjoy this one.

Happy reading!
Xenia

This women’s action-adventure story is set in a paramilitary training camp in rural Michigan. CIA agent Reese Whittaker left the spy business to spend time with her husband. When her brother is killed by terrorists, she loses her unborn child and Nick is not there to support her, Reese files for divorce and takes a high-risk assignment infiltrating a paramilitary training camp. Quickly she discovers that the unit’s charismatic leader seeks to sell a terrifying new biological weapon on the black market—and that he’s responsible for her brother’s death. Now the stakes for Reese are global as well as personal, and only she can prevent the bad guys from achieving their evil ends.

This story is a good example of the fast-paced, guns and explosives, spies fighting to save the world story that the Silhouette Bombshell imprint excelled at. Since the line is now defunct, you can pick this one up at used bookstores for as little as fifty cents, or on Amazon for only the cost of shipping. Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Private-Agenda-Natalie-Dunbar/dp/0373285582/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248284661&sr=1-9

Happy reading!
Xenia

This action-adventure story is set in modern-day Central Asia. When FBI attaché and secret agent Selena Jones learns that her adored husband is apparently cheating on her, she escapes to a risky new job in the fictional country of Berzhaan. When terrorists take hostage the Berzhaan prime minister, as well as the U.S. ambassador and Selena herself, it’s up to Selena to protect the hostages, escape their captors, discover the terrorists’ true intentions (which are far different and more terrifying than they claim) and work with U.S. military forces outside the captured building to save the day. When she discovers that her husband is among her would-be rescuers, and that Selena herself may be pregnant, the stakes ratchet higher.

Reading a Silhouette Bombshell for me is such a sinful pleasure. They always provide a rocketing good ride and plenty of thrills. They’re perfect mind-candy, and I mean that in the most positive way. It’s a shame that the publisher has discontinued the line, but you can find dozens of old Bombshells at your used bookstore for as little as fifty cents, and these used books are also available at Amazon.com. You can find the link at http://www.amazon.com/Checkmate-Athena-Adventure-Silhouette-Bombshell/dp/0373513607/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248284464&sr=1-11 .

The book is phenomenal, and a good way to get hooked on Bombshells for first-time readers. Many of the Bombshell authors are now publishing elsewhere, so you may also wish to search for their other work on Amazon.

Set in modern-day Georgia and Arizona, this is a romantic suspense with paranormal elements.
For five hundred years, Native American warrior John Nightwalker has roamed the earth, hunting the reincarnated soul of the pirate who killed his wife in the sixteenth century. When John finally tracks down his enemy—-multimillionaire arms dealer Richard Ponte—-John recognizes the soul of his wife in the enemy’s daughter, Alicia. Now Alicia is running for her life, because her father wants to silence her and bury his secrets forever. But he’ll have to go through John to do it.

I picked up this story as an accompaniment to Harlequin super-editor Leslie Wainger’s romantic suspense workshop, which I’m taking online this month through the Kiss of Death chapter of Romance Writers of America. I certainly wasn’t disappointed in the read! The premise and execution of this story were both excellent. The paranormal element of the hero’s immortality is used with a light touch, making this book feel more like a contemporary romantic suspense. John Nightwalker is a sexy, smart hero who blazes with integrity and burns with the need for justice, and the chemistry between him and Alicia is steamy and well done. The arms dealer villain was also intriguing, clever and resourceful, one of the better villains I’ve seen in romance recently. Accordingly, the villain received nearly as much “air time” as the hero and heroine. As a writer, I also noticed how the pacing picks up as the story moves toward its climax, the scenes getting shorter and shorter, the hero-heroine scenes alternating with those from the villain’s point of view. Yet the villain was so active in this story that the generous coverage of his activities felt natural, and seeing how smart and driven he was really ratchets up the tension.

This reminds me of two pieces of excellent writing advice I’ve read recently. In WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, agent Donald Maass says you must love your villains at least as much as you love your heroes. In other words, they shouldn’t be cartoon caricature villains chuckling and twirling their mustaches–your villains should be human, with both strengths and weaknesses, and they act for reasons that seem good to them. Second piece of advice: recently I read an interview with a prominent romantic suspense author (wish I could remember which one!) in which she described the process she used to “calibrate” her manuscripts to the market before she sold her first book. She would read books published in the genre and take copious notes on how each chapter began and ended (the “hook” that draws you into the chapter, and then makes you want to read just one more before bedtime.) She also took notes on the major developments of each chapter, which can teach tons about pacing, progression, and structure in novels. Anyway, I paid attention to these aspects while reading this Sharon Sala novel, and it really illustrated for me how much a writer can learn from studying the work of others.

This story is a great read for anyone who loves romantic suspense, and in particular those sexy Native American heroes!