Monday, November 28, 2005

Falling for Anthony

Falling for Anthony is a novella by Meljean Brooks in the Hotspell anthology.

All I can really say is WOW!

I'm not a gusher. No really. Unless you're Anne Stuart I try not to gush. Uh, there have been other authors I have gushed over but, I try not to do it too much because I'm afraid of coming off as a rabid stalker fan.

Long story short, I stopped buying anthologies a few years ago because the stories were becoming so short that I didn't believe in the HEA that they depicted. (Should mention it is 10:30am and I haven't gone to bed yet so I hope I will be coherent) H/H would know each other 3 days and wham, love, marriage, HEA. I just couldn't buy into the fantasy anymore.

Why did I buy Hotspell?

Meljean's blog.

Okay, and maybe the cover. Oh, but the price alone would have made me back off the cover so it is definitely because of Meljean's blog. Hey, I'm nothing if not specific.

So there you go, blogs do work.

I'm not going to sum up Meljean's story because it really is complex for a short story. It's the first time in years I have finished a novella and felt like the H/H were going to make it! This was not a story that happened in a few short days. Brooks was able to create a realistic timeline not just by saying a few months had passed but by having the heroine and hero go through life changing moments during their time apart. Can you believe that I would start to get anxious because the characters were apart? It's a novella and I still got anxious! That's good story telling.

I have to mention the world building. (authors will correct me if I am wrong because maybe it isn't world building as much as an alternate reality .... can you tell I haven't slept?) There are demons, guardians, the middle guys nosferatu who are evil in the extreme and they can create vampires who aren't evil. Cool. Then there is Heaven and Hell. Yep. I got all that AND a love story. Sweet.

Okay, I have to sleep.

Edited: It's almost midnight now and the day from hell will soon be over. I created this post this morning after deciding to just stay up until the contractors got here instead of going to bed at 4am and getting roused from sleep at 9am. The guys were late. Really late. At that point I was into the over tired state and it took me a while to calm down. I'm figuring, 4 to 5 hours of sleep this afternoon. I'm about to climb into bed now but wanted to get this up before I drifted off.

I'm not sure if this has come across in this post but, this is the type of story I *used* to buy anthologies for. This was the way that I discovered Anne Stuart (what, did I mention her already?), Linda Howard, Justine Davis and Connie Brockway. Back then short stories were a vital part of finding new authors. Nowadays, it feels like if the publisher can throw a *hot* name on the cover then they don't care about the quality. Just write now, faster, c'mon we need to make more money! And that is probably a whole different post. Let's not even bring up the subject of so called erotic anthologies. Bad Boys? Please. Again, another post later.

So, bravo to Meljean! I enjoyed your story and the sex scenes you wrote were hot! (aside: that first sex scene, holy crap, you about killed me! And because it wasn't followed by a 'oh, it was perfect and I love you and we must always be together' moment it completely worked for me.) I will definitely be out scouting for you next book!

I would write more but I don't want to hit on any spoilers for those who haven't had the chance to read it. I am looking forward to the other entries in the Anthology and for those on the fence, I will be reading the rest over the week (a story a day if I am lucky) and will report on the overall quality of the book. With Emma Holly in there, I'm thinking there is at least one more really good read. I'm also excited to try Shiloh Walker's story.

Okay, I should head in.

7 comments:

CindyS said...

P.S. Let me know if I am wrong to call this a novella. I'm not sure if there is a difference between a romantic short story or a novella.

I know in literature short stories have unexpected endings etc. but that doesn't hold true for romance.

Also, maybe a novella is shorter than a short story so if I have not labelled this story correctly please do correct me and I will change it immediately.

Okay, really, off to bed!

Tara Marie said...

Cindy, I loved "Falling for Anthony" too. I can't wait for "Lilith".

I'd call this a novella too and I'm not real big on anthologies. This one was good, though I do thing Meljean's was the best story of the 4.

ReneeW said...

OK, I want this one. Sounds just my speed! Let us know how you liked the others.

I have always thought a novella is longer than a short story but what do I know. Short is a relative term anyway.

meljean brook said...

Oh my god -- I was just having the crappiest day, and then I hopped over here and saw this...you just made my day. Thank you so, so much for this review, but more, I'm just glad you liked it! :D

I'm not sure if the next one will be called LILITH, but I am really excited about Hugh's and Lilith's story (the title will probably be determined by the publisher, as I suck at them) I can't wait until I get it finished and out, and I can start posting excerpts and such.

RE: Anthologies in general, I agree. I buy a lot of them (I was buying some for research on pacing and stuff for this novella, but the short length makes them easier to fit into my reading schedule than a longer book) but, except for usually one story, maybe two if I'm lucky, they won't really tell a satisfying story. Not BAD, just not convincingly HEA.

And I think the max word count of a short story is 12K? (That's off the top of my head, I could definitely be wrong.) FFA ended up at 35K -- it was supposed to be only 25K but my editor was really nice and didn't make me cut out 1/3 of the story. I'm very lucky that way, because it feels pretty crunched as it is; one of the most common things I hear is that there's too much going on, and I can see why that's a valid problem for some readers.

Anyway, I'm blabbing, but I'm am SO happy you enjoyed it. *wild crazy happy dance*

Suisan said...

Cindy, we are on the same wavelength here!

Loved it too--and I just posted my thoughts.

I learned in "Litter-a-toor" class that a novella is a stand alone short novel. OK, I don't know why that matters. Call it what you wish--I lean towards novella for this one because of the number and length of the chapters. I don't tend to think of short stories as having chapters. But that's a construct too, so go figure.

CindyS said...

Okay, we're calling it a novella. Sounds romantic!

Renee, I will let you know what I think of the other stories as soon as I read them.

Meljean - you are one lucky SOB to have the editor you had! 10k less? That would have hurt. It's funny how people would say there is too much going on in the story. My all time fav - Anne Stuart's short with Death as the hero. Heroine has congenitive heart failure and will die sooner rather than later. A cast of family members that make my family look like a tea party. Head of family in a coma. Death gets a two day holiday! There was a lot going on!

I'm glad your day got better ;)

Suisan, like you, I learned that short stories have a climax that is supposed to be unseen. It's funny if I notice a movie is based on a short story because then I am watching for the twist. Some short stories are too far out there for me while others are wonderfully fresh. We're talking lit stuff but then, I only read romance nowadays. Then there are the 1 page stories - I still don't know what those are.

CindyS

meljean brook said...

I remember that Anne Stuart story! I was so amazed by it; an incredibly original idea (and, hey, did MEET JOE BLACK rip off that idea or what? :D I haven't seen the movie, but I remember the description made me think of Stuart's novella) -- and it was dark! I mean, really dark, in a way I hadn't seen in many paranormals. Now I'm going to have to dig that one up again.