2 Good Reviews!

This week has made me very, very happy.  With A Midsummer's Nightmare set to release in just over a month, I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of reviews.  It's both exciting and terrifying.  This week, two such reviews appeared, and both had some great things to say!


First, Romantic Times gave A Midsummer's Nightmare 4.5 stars and named it a Top Pick!  WOOHOO!  They also said some cool things about the book, calling it "Another stunner by this up-and-comer!" and praising the character of Whitley by saying, "Whitley may be the prickliest of her heroines yet, but readers will commiserate with her as she figures out what she wants - and how to get it."


Then the Kirkus review showed up. Y'all, I was particularly worried about this one.  In the literary world, Kirkus is Simon Cowell.  Or the cranky grandmother who tells you "You'd be pretty if you'd lose some weight."  Kirkus is tough, guys. Real tough.


And while they had a few bones to pick with the book, mostly with side characters, they also said, "There's a lot to love about this story."  And, to top it off, "Whitley's...a smart, assertive girl and a refreshing change from the passive, wryly observant heroines of non-paranormal fiction."  Um, YAY!!!!!  Oh, oh, and there's more! "With her third novel, this young author continues to evolve; a talent to watch."


As you can imagine, I'm thrilled. BEYOND thrilled!


And it's just because they are good reviews, either.  I'm thrilled, mostly, because both of these reviews praised the character of Whitley - a character that is very special to me.  Whitley is the most complicated heroine I've ever written.  She's not always easy to love. She rarely does the "right" thing when she's supposed to. She's got a lot of flaws, and I know that's going to scare some readers away.  It's something I've been worried about for a while.  


I love complicated, flawed, sometimes even "unlikable' characters, but I know others find them hard to get behind.  I was stressed, worried Whitley would have a tough time fitting into the hearts of readers.  These reviews haven't necessarily relieved that stress - these are just the opinions of two readers - but having them praise Whitley, despite her "prickly" character, really gives me hope that others will love her as much as I do.


So that's my good news for the week!  


If you're interested in reading A Midsummer's Nightmare, be sure to check out the widget in the top, right corner and enter to wint he Goodreads giveaway!  It ends April 30.


Have a lovely Wednesday, everyone!