A great read

I used to read a lot of paranormals, a lot of time travel. But after reading the rich sweeping epic of Jamie and Claire in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series I was spoiled and couldn't seem to lose myself in any paranormal/fantasy novels. That series took so much emotion and commitment that maybe I needed distance. I read them in paperback, actually had Dragonfly in Amber with me on my trip to Scotland. Talk about atmosphere. I read them, bought the paperbacks, then the hardbacks, then unabridged audio. I've blogged about Davina Porter before and her unparalleled narration of the Outlander series. You can hear a sample at Recorded Books.

I gravitated to the romantic suspense books by Robb, romance from Susan Elizabeth Phillips, humorous romance by Evanovich, and thrillers by Baldacci, Mills, and Iles, books that offered a one book resolution, though I was still looking for authors whose characters would beg for that commitment from me again.

When C.L. Wilson appeared on the ProAskandAuthor loop recently, I related to some of the things she said in her posts. I visited her site and found that we had some things in common (like our parents both worked for NASA), and found an awesome site that promised an exciting new world to explore. Fantasy AND romance. I picked up the first book and was hooked within the first few pages. Lord of the Fading Lands.

I knew immediately that I will feel compelled to read each book, own each one in both hardback and paperback, then listen to the audio version, dribbling the last one along like a box of special rare chocolates not to be devoured lest it be really OVER. (I left the sixth book of Gabaldon's for a year before reading it.)

If you haven't read C.L.'s incredible new series, check her site out. She's created the incredible world of the Tairen Soul and our hero, Rain, defender of the Fey and his truemate, Ellisetta. These books made the perfect Christmas gift for my writer friends.