Thursday, August 13, 2009

In Which Miss Percy Parker has more nice things said about her...

At some point I'm going to do a post that doesn't have to do with Miss Percy Parker. At some point I'm going to talk about my pet bunny. Or maybe my good sport real-life hero.

But right now, Miss Percy Parker is my life, and will be for the first month of her release. At least. We're all just going to have to be okay with that. Rest assured, I'll have moments of a life outside of a Victorian Paranormal universe, just not right now. (I also kind of enjoy my Victorian Paranormal universe, ok?)

So the lovely thing about getting a lot of your books out there, is that the people who got them will likely say things about them. And, let's face it, it's always more fun for an author if they're nice things. Thankfully, for Percy's delicate nature (her biographer has tougher skin) they've been lovely.

The Latest:

Kate (KatieBabs) of Babbling About Books And More

has just posted a lovely and in-depth review. Here are my favourite highlights, but as she really gave the book a thorough discussion, I encourage you to read her post. And follow her blog. Because it is funny, informative, and often quite moving. Thank you, Kate.

I particularly appreciate her opening disussion of cross-genre. From her review:

"Cross genre books are a hard sell. And unless the author has the skill to pull it off, the book will not find a readership. When it comes to The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, this could have been a problem. This novel is a Victorian Gothic Paranormal Ghost filled tale with romance that both teens and adults can read. The sensuality is subdued enough to fit the time period of 1888 London, England. Emotions such as the yearnings of love and lust are meant to pushed way down. What Leanna has done with her very unique character of Percy Parker is shown that these intense feelings of desire and the sense of belonging cannot be ignored. Percy is a very confused young woman deserving of love. And when she finds this love with the stoic, brooding and equally confused Professor Alexi Rychman, it is a wonderful, beautiful and sweet story.

Even though The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Percy Parker is heavy on mystical and supernatural action, the true enjoyment in reading boils down to the character of Percy. Leanna has written a wonderful character that shines from the inside out. Percy’s innocence and need for approval is wonderful to read. Even though Percy wants love, her quest is one we all have experienced at one time or another. Watching Percy moon over Alexi may seem silly, but it is endearing. I never truly understood what swooning was until Percy does it.And what can I say about Alexi? I think I was as far gone over him as Percy was. My favorite scenes are the ones where Alexi tutors Percy in his office. There is a nice sense of closeness between these two. Alexi is not necessarily a tortured hero, but he is one who has so much responsibility to deal with. He broods wonderfully. Is it wrong of me to say I wanted him to keep brooding? And guess who Alexi reminds me of? If you have seen Richard Armitage play John Thornton in North and South, then you know what I mean. Richard would be perfect to envision as Alexi. I definitely did as I read.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is a bit lyrical and poetic in its telling. My imagination and senses were very much engaged. If you are in the mood for a book that is very different from your normal read, I recommend you give Percy Parker a go. Leanna Renee Hieber is one welcomed debut author this year who will bring so much to the publishing world for the years to come.


2.
Mishel at Mis(h)takes has this to say, in part:

"Leanna has created a rich and unique world filled with interesting and new characters going through things I haven't quite seen before."

"...there is just so much going on in this story. You really must discover the details on your own. There's plenty of action, suspense, thrills & chills, and romance weaved into Leanna's writing. I think everyone can find something they'll like in Percy's story. And don't be discouraged by the mouthful of a title, it grew on me quickly as I found myself agreeing with Leanna's choice of words...this tale is indeed strangely beautiful. I'm so excited to see what Leanna has in store for us in the next book. The series has so much potential to be something amazing that it's bursting from the seams!"

Thanks Mishel! I love her blog, her header picture makes me so happy, simply looking at it! Visit the whole post.

3.
Now Shanra at LibriTouches is the hardest on me yet, and I appreciate her time and her thoughts. I admire honesty in a reviewer and if there are troubling things about an author's style, well then, so be it, a reviewer shouldn't shy away from discussing it. Thankfully my characters (who are truly the reasons I remain compelled to this series) still appealed and she's exceedingly gracious in plugging my book! And I can assure her that Elijah and Michael, and their incessant teasing of Alexi, continues healthily as the series progresses.
Now, on to finishing up my posts for THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL HAUNTED LONDON BLOG TOUR AND BOOK GIVEAWAY!!! What's that, you ask? Follow me...

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