Angieville

If you'd asked me last year if I was a fan of novel serializations, I would have issued a flat no. But then there was Truly . And it took me exactly no time at all to become a very big fan of this particular serial. It helped that I basically spent last year blowing through Ruthie Knox 's backlist. Truly represented a somewhat different venture, as a handful of new chapters were posted each Monday morning over a period of several weeks. I began to look forward to Mondays (a first) with a kind of gleeful hunger. And those chapters just always came through the way I needed them to. And then I was able to hop on Twitter and gab about them with all the other poor saps following along. In other words, it was the height of fun. The first in Knox's New York series, Truly was available to read for free for a couple of months on Wattpad . It was then taken down in anticipation of the ebook release in August. This is the point at which I apologize for not getting a review up while ...

Got a review up over @ Dear Author today, guys. This time it's Lost Lake —the latest from the lovely Sarah Addison Allen . I adore her brand of magical realism, though this one left me with decidedly mixed feelings. Have you read it yet? Stop by and let me know what you think.

I really don't often love photos of actual people on my covers, thank you very much. But I make an exception for Robin LaFevers ' His Fair Assassin series , because it was the cover of Grave Mercy that lured me in to begin with. Well, that and the word "assassin" in the series title. And nuns. Assassin nuns. Genius, people. In any event, here is the cover for the third and final (I believe) book in the trilogy— Mortal Heart . It is Annith's story and, really, she deserves one. I have loved each of these covers, but this one might actually be my favorite because bow and arrows. And her dress. I covet it. Cannot wait to read this one. Your thoughts?

British Men: Poetry & Prose from SADarcy on 8tracks Radio . My favorites are the Armitage, Macfadyen, and Hiddleston tracks (obviously), but the Tennant and Rickman are quite lovely. Thanks to Maureen for the heads up.

I am here to deliver the only piece of important news you will receive today. And it is this: Ellen Emerson White has released all five of her Echo Company books (that's right, that includes The Road Home ) for Kindle! I repeat, all five Echo Company books are available as e-books. Just $3.99 apiece. This is the series that introduces the irascible Private Michael Jennings and the one-of-Angie's-favorite-characters-of-all-time Lieutenant Rebecca Phillips. As you know, I have purchased countless used copies of The Road Home over the years and sent them careening across the globe to good homes. Now, if you have a Kindle, this stellar series can be yours at the click of a button. Word is, they will be available for other e-readers in the near future. So go. Go buy them now. Do not let me down . On Christmas morning, Rebecca lost her moral virginity, her sense of humor—and her two best friends. But, other than that, it was a hell of a holiday. Buy:

So I read another Beauty and the Beast retelling. As one does. Cruel Beauty has been on my radar for several months now. The truth is I was a goner when I heard it blended my favorite fairy tale with Greek mythology. Having read it now, another truth is that, in my humble opinion, it would be better billed as a Cupid & Psyche retelling. Not that all the lovely elements of Beauty and the Beast aren't there and thriving. As a matter of fact, threads of several different fairy tales run through the veins of this crazy, lovely book. And I appreciated all of them. But the Greek mythology aspect of it is real and very important to the story as a whole. As such, I think it bears the strongest resemblance to the tale of beleaguered Psyche and the god she weds. I've read a myriad different reactions to Rosamund Hodge 's debut novel, and I can credit all of them because Cruel Beauty is a twisty, mercurial cracker of a tale and most readers are not going to feel mildly about i...

Today I'm over @ Dear Author with my review of the first in Mary Ann Rivers ' new Burnside Series. You know my feelings on Ms. Rivers' novellas, so it was with much anticipation that I dove into her first full-length novel. After the fact, I have two words for you: Welsh Woodcarver. That is all.

Top Ten Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish The truth is I don't actually cry while reading as often as you might think. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that what elicits my crying is less predictable than you might think. Even I am usually caught be surprise at what moments catch in my throat and cause my eyes to fill. When I review a book that by and large did not fill me with grief, but which did contain a scene or a passage that brought tears, I always try to mention it in my reviews. Because the sudden rush of emotions in those instances is so real and so valuable to me. But the following is a list of the books that consistently push me to the edge, that I reread knowing and accepting what's coming. As always, in the order in which I read them: Anne of Green Gables - Because Matthew. The Hero and the Crown - Because Luthe puts his ear to the ground and listens to Talat's hoofbeats carrying Aerin farther and farther away....