Jenna Harte

Author: JHarte

  • Review: Whiskey Beach

    Whiskey Beach
    Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    As Nora Roberts books go, this was pretty good. I like how different Eli was from many of her other male protagonists. In the beginning, he was broken mentally and physically. I could never get used to the name Abra, but she was a fun character, as well. The story involves Eli, whose estranged wife was murdered a year earlier. While there’s not enough evidence to arrest him, many, including the lead detective on the case, believe he did it. He returns to his grandmother’s home in Whiskey Beach for respite and to care for the home while his grandmother is recuperating from a fall. There he meets, Abra, a Jane-of-all-trades who nurtures him back to health by feeding him, challenging him and of course, falling in love with him. The mystery is pretty good, with a little twist right when you think you’ve got it solved.

    As a writer, I wish I had a place like Whiskey Beach, although I’d want it in Hawaii or somewhere warm all year long.

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  • A Writer’s Epiphany

    A Writer’s Epiphany

    I’m a writer, but I spend most of my day blogging and freelance writing about things like belly fat and careers. My dream is to spend my days writing about love and murder. Along with a host of book ideas for the Valentines and Delecoeurs, I have a time-travel book idea and even a paranormal book idea. But more often than not, my fiction writing gets set aside for my “real” work.

    I was reading a book the other day related to success and goal setting, and I had an epiphany. People tend to gravitate toward that which they focus on. So if fiction writing is important, I need to focus on it. Shoving it aside, day after day isn’t giving it the priority it needs to move me toward my goal. So, for the month of May, I’ve decided that not only will I write fiction every day, but I’ll do it first thing in the morning. The idea is that by putting it first in my day, I’m giving it importance.

    So, for the last seven days, I’ve worked on book 4 of the Valentine series every morning. Most mornings I get 500 to 600 words, but I wrote only 73, Still, in the last week, I’ve written a total of 4,100 words, which doesn’t sound like much, but it’s 4,100 more than I would have had. Even better, I’ve still been able to get all my other work done.

    My hope is that by putting my fiction writing first, it will grow, books will sell and I’ll be able to focus most of my time and energy on love and murder and not on belly fat.

  • Publisher’s Weekly Review of Deadly Valentine

    Publisher’s Weekly Review of Deadly Valentine

    The bad news is that Deadly Valentine didn’t make it to the semi-finals in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award. The good news is that the Publisher’s Weekly reviewer had nice things to say about the book. The first part of the review is a recap of the book, which gives some of the secrets of the book away, so I won’t print that part (in case there is anyone who hasn’t read the book yet). The review finishes with:

    Written with precision and care, this intriguing romance/murder mystery is a fun read that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

    I was worried about this review. Book tastes are subjective, which makes reviews difficult. Deadly Valentine has 43 reviews at Amazon, some who rave about it and some who are ho-hum about it. Same book. Different reactions. I was happy that I got a reviewer who understood what I was trying to do and enjoyed it. Even if the book didn’t score high enough to get into the semi-finals.

    During the contest I received two other reviews from Amazon Vine readers. Since they were complementary, I thought I’d share their feedback as well. I put a couple of comments (in italics) responding to the reviewers.

    ABNA Expert Reviewer One:

    What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt? : It gets right into the characters. Not too much description. It’s easy to picture the setting. It drew me in and I wanted to know more.

    What aspect needs the most work? : It was unclear as to how all of a sudden Tess was feeling so ill. Was something slipped into her drink? (I’ve heard this before and while I mention a 24-hour bug later in the story, perhaps I need to make that clearer in the beginning)

    What is your overall opinion of this excerpt? : This was a very good start. The characters were introduced smoothly and the murder was being set up very well.

    ABNA Expert Reviewer Two:

    What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt? : The strongest aspect of this excerpt is the tension between Tess and Jack. He is from her recent past, a relationship that didn’t last. He is back now in her life but she is trying to resist his charms.

    What aspect needs the most work? : It would have been nice to get a little more of a back story on what happened with Jack and Tess in the past. That can sometimes help to get a feeling for the character and how they behave. (This is dribbled throughout the book because the not-knowing is part of what leads to suspicion of Jack.)

    What is your overall opinion of this excerpt? : Overall, I think this is a very good story. I would love to keep reading the finished book. It is a story of romance first and foremost but there is also a murder mystery involved and secrets from the past. In this excerpt I was left very interested in knowing what would happen next.

    Have you read Deadly Valentine? If you did and you enjoyed it, please leave feedback at Amazon! I’d appreciate it!

  • Review: The Perfect Hope

    The Perfect Hope
    The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    I normally prefer Nora’s romantic suspense and JD Robb books, but I’m also interested in staying at the Inn, so I thought I’d read this trilogy. The first two were a little too sweet but okay. I was looking forward “The Perfect Hope”, because of all the brothers, I liked Ryder the best. I guess I liked his gruffness, although I think if I met him in real life, I probably wouldn’t think much of him. Once I finished this book, I realized it was a lot like The Return of Rafe McKade (one of my favorites). Like Ryder, Rafe was surely, restoring an old building and had a ghost. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. If you like Nora’s romances, I think you’ll like this.

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  • Valentines, Vampires and More…Oh My

    Valentines, Vampires and More…Oh My

    I’ve been getting comments and emails about whether or not the Valentine series is over. I can see why some might think that, but I have many stories about Tess and Jack left to tell. In fact, I’ve just started the next installment.

    Deadly Valentine (book one in the Valentine series) has made it to the quarter-final round in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Contest. The book is now competing with 100 other books to reach the Semi-final (top five books) in it’s category. Editors from Publisher’s Weekly are doing the judging and critiquing this round. I’ll be curious to find out what they think.

    My romance novel is with an editor at Harlequin. Last month, she was intrigued enough by the first few chapters to request the entire manuscript. My fingers are crossed that she’ll buy it. I’ve been thinking that if she does, she might ask for other books in the works that would fit the line, since many Harlequin authors write multiple books. I do have some ideas for the female protagonist’s brother and friend. Perhaps I should flesh those stories out … just in case.

    Last October, my writers group had a challenge to write a scary story for Halloween, which I wasn’t able to complete, but I did come up with a paranormal novel idea. Right now I’m doing a lot of research on vampire folklore in Eastern Europe. It’s very interesting and in some ways very different from the Dracula and other vampire characteristics we accept as the norm.

    I want to thank you for supporting me through this new adventure in my life. It is thrilling that there are people who find enjoyment in the stories and characters I write. And I appreciate, beyond measure, the kind comments and reviews you have given. Thank you!