I realized it was worth a few more words to flesh out my reaction to Knave’s Wager/Sandalwood Princess and If Angels Burn, so here it is.

First, If Angels Burn is a fantastic read but may not meet reader’s expectations if they’re expecting a traditional romance. It’s fantasy with a strong romance plot, not romance with a strong fantasy plot. Unlike most fantasy with a romance plot, though, there’s a lot more space given to the hero/heroine relationship and I found it a very satisfying romance. But I also expected a lot of space to be given to other characters, given that it’s a series, and on the external plot beyond the romance, so I wasn’t disappointed. Crossover readers who also enjoy Lois McMaster Bujold (Shards of Honor, A Civil Campaign) will love the mix of real romance within a big story with lots of fascinating characters besides the hero and heroine who are much more than placeholders.

Next, Knave’s Wager/Sandalwood was gripping enough to keep me distracted while I was in labor; not a dull read! While Sandalwood Princess is far and away my favorite of the two stories, the reason I didn’t love the hero in Knave’s Wager was something built into the plot. His acceptance of a wager to seduce the heroine was the plot device that brought them together. And it was also why I didn’t respect him. He deliberately set out to seduce her, knowing that if he succeeded it would ruin her life. And not just her life, but the lives of her nieces who depended on her to get them launched into society and settled into good marriages. So it’s a built in flaw, but otherwise the story is an excellent read and like I said, intersting enough to keep my attention through labor. I think the reason it still works is due to the secondary romance and the secondary characters. It’s not entirely focused on The Flaw.

My reading frenzy goes on!

I finished Knave’s Wager/The Sandalwood Princess by Loretta Chase; wonderful stories and I’m so glad they’ve been reprinted since I had no luck finding the originals. More fun, romance, wit and adventure, although I liked Sandalwood Princess best. I actually found the hero of Knave’s Wager unlikeable which made it less than the perfect romance for me. Still good stories, both of them. And Sandalwood has such an exotic setting, too.

I raved about If Angels Burn by Lynn Viehl on the Alison Kent Bookclub, but to recap here: my one complaint is that the story wasn’t longer. I wanted MORE! And now I have to wait impatiently for the next installment. Big thank you to PaperBackWriter for posting a preview of the next Darkyn novel, Private Demon, for the bookclub!

Now reading Eleven On Top by Janet Evanovich and I’m also getting a sneak peak at Shelley Bradley’s upcoming Berkley Sensations novel. Mwahahahaha!

More excellent reviews for Legendary Taills II have come in. Here are a couple of quotes:

Keely Skillman at ecataromance gives the anthology 5 Stars and says, “Love Spell by Charlene Teglia is a fantastically wonderful and amusing story of how misunderstandings and a lack of communication can lead for frustration all around. I fell head over heals for both the characters and adore how they finally got it all together for their happily ever after. As usual, Ms. Teglia’s sex scenes were small doses of TNT and the tension was perfect. Ms. Teglia continues to entertain and amuse me with her delightful erotic stories.”

Fallen Angel Reviews gives it 5 Angels. Reviewer Serena says, “In Love Spell by Charlene Teglia an inept witch finds herself in a platonic relationship and decides to get out of it and search for the passion she needs. This was a fun romp through the fantasies of two sensual people. The idea of ending one relationship to start another is intriguing. I loved how uninhibited they were with their sensuality. This was a great start to an anthology. Well-done Ms. Teglia.”

I just want to be up to walking into a bookstore and SEEING IT ON THE SHELVES. I haven’t seen it yet! *sob* Maybe by this weekend I’ll be up to a bookstore trek.

Thank you to everybody for your birthday wishes and baby congratulations! She’s a wonderful present and she’s doing beautifully. You can see pictures of Morgan, myself and her big sister in the hospital after her arrival in my husband’s photo blog. There will be more pictures soon, I’m sure.

Right after I got home from the hospital and posted her birth announcement, our cable modem died so we’ve been offline until this morning. Good thing I had stocked up my reading material! I’ll be blog-hopping and catching up now. If anybody is missing an email from me, I should get through the rest of it today.

Came home today with new daughter Morgan Chandra, born June 23rd, 7 lbs., 7.2 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long. Spent my birthday in labor, but hey, it beats staying pregnant! She’s a wonderful little girl and it’s very good to be home. I’ll be catching up on all the news and email now.

I thoroughly enjoyed my quiet celebration of a milestone in my writing life yesterday. There’ve been a lot of milestones in the last year and I enjoyed all of them. I’d go on in a deep, thoughtful way about this, but I don’t have it in me right now. Which reminds me, I have a new release but I didn’t update the newsletter. I have it about half done but I’m not really up to making jokes about Elvis and UFOs. Sad, but there you have it. So I’ll finish it up and send it out late when I can. Sorry, but being 9 months pregnant and doing zippy promotions don’t go well together!

Today is my birthday and I’m enjoying the dozen red roses my husband brought me. I hope everybody out there is enjoying the wonderful things in their world.

Jenny! Congratulations, Jenny, and happy reading on the longest day of the year.

Thanks to everybody who participated in yesterday’s surprise blog giveaway. You can still get your very own copy in either ebook or paperback at Ellora’s Cave or in paperback at your favorite bookstore. Sadly I won’t be able to get to a bookstore to see it on the shelves with my own eyes until this weekend, but I can admire it from afar with the miracle of internet.

Have a happy solstice, and a happy birthday to my dad today!

Did I mention I’m wildly excited? Today is the first day there’s a paperback in major bookstores across the nation with my name on it! WOW!