Paperback Reader

We decided to try something new.  Not new, really.  We've been avid readers for as long as we can remember.  As we work on our respective writing projects, we continue to read both inside the genre and outside.  One thing has remained constant - our collective frustration about the seeming unwillingness of some reviewers to write and post honest reviews of romance books.  Now, we're not talking about the Smart Bitches or Rosario or even Mrs. Giggles.  These ladies say what they think and while we don't always agree with them, we do admire them.  There are others, too, but there just aren't enough voices. 

We complained for awhile on our individual blogs about how even slight criticism of a romance novel touched off rants from everyone in the community because you just don't speak ill of romance novels and ruin the united front.  We should all agree that's ridiculous.  Reading romance doesn't mean you leave common sense and good taste aside.  Then, we had an idea (Wendy had the idea, actually) - why not give it a try.  Show that we can write reviews about romance books that are aimed at informing readers as well as giving constructive feedback to authors.  Are we always right?  Well, no.  These things are subjective.  These are our opinions and, frankly, there will be times when we don't agree with each other. 

If there are books you want us to review, let us know.  If you disagree or agree with what we say, or just want to chat about a book, leave a comment.  We don't shy away from controversy or a good conversation.  Some people might get mad.  Some folks might be hurt.  But, remember, we're reviewing books, not people.  We vow not to get personal and to always approach the reviews from the angle that we love the genre and want to do what we can to make it better.  And, to prove no one is immune, HelenKay is ready to have her 2006 releases reviewed, with the help of a guest reviewer, of course.

So, starting tomorrow we're up and running.  We hope you'll stop by and join in the discussion.

Wendy & HelenKay

We are thrilled that Kassia Krozser has chosen to join us here at Paperback Reader.  As the voice of Booksquare, her look at the publishing industry is always insightful, witty, and spot on.  We know she will bring that same thoughtful scrutiny to her book reviews.  In Kassia we have found a kindred spirit, who shares, not only our love of romance, but our belief that critical analysis is vital to the genre.

Welcome to the shark pool, Kassia.

Welcome one and all. This is it, our new home. Our permanent home--we know changing links is a chore and we promise not to ask you all to do it again. We're still unpacking and trying to decide what should go where, but fear not, we will announce the February contest winners--of all them--later today.

Lorna Freeman, national bestselling author of Covenants and The King's Own, has agreed to join the festivities here at PBR. Lorna is a long time romance reader who shares many of our thoughts and hopes for the genre. We are humbled by her presence here and delighted with her thought-provoking insight into fiction. Welcome Lorna! And, thank you for saying yes.

The PBR reviewer family is growing and we couldn’t be happier about it. L.J. Schmidt not only reads romance—since the long ago days when she swiped them from her parents’ bedroom—she also spends her days in a bookstore giving thirty second reviews of romances to fans of the genre. We are tickled that L.J. has agreed to share her incisive critical analysis here at PBR. Welcome L.J.!

PBR is thrilled to announce the newest addition to our review team - Alison Kent. If you read romance, you must know Alison. She writes romance and romantic adventure for Harlequin Blaze and Kensington Brava. In addition to writing, holding down another full-time job, running a widely read and very active blog, founding a website design firm as well as an author community, Alison reads with a critical and honest eye. Where she finds the time...well, we're not exactly sure.

Alison appreciates that critical analysis is good for the romance genre. We could not be happier about her decision to join PBR. Welcome Alison!

Stephanie Feagan has graciously accepted our offer to join us here at PBR. We find Stephanie's writing intelligent and funny, her observations keen and savvy. We're thrilled to add another voice to the reviews here and are particularly thrilled that voice is such a nuanced one.

Welcome Stef!

For quite some time now we have covetously read Wendy Crutcher's reviews and wondered: how do we convince her to review for PBR? Turns out, all we needed to do was ask her! If we'd known it would be so easy, we would have asked ages ago.

We are delighted that Wendy (or SuperWendy as we've taken to calling her) has agreed to grace us with her crisp articulation, nuanced perspective, and passion for the genre.

Welcome SuperWendy!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!