Review of "Winter's Heart"

Well, I didn't have time for a blog again this week, so y'all will have to do with a review space-fill. Did warn you the other day. Hah. Stuff is happening at the moment, so there might be some change in the near future. Hopefully that will mean more time for writing. Yay. Oh, and just as an FYI: the ABNA competition is now running, and we'll know whether we're through the first round on the 18th. Keep yer fingers crossed...better do your fingers too, just in case. Hah.
Here's the review...and cover.

Review of “Winter’s Heart”
by A.C. Warneke.

By my own 1-7 star stystem

* * * *

A wonderful story, but…

I have to say that I was wonderfully surprised by the writing style of Warneke from the moment I started reading her Winter’s Heart. Flynn, the heroine, is a wonderful girl, with witty dialogue, a quick smile and a sweet character that won me over immediately. Winter, the hero, is similarly impressive from the moment I met him and was nicely complex in his character. Perfect counter points, I would say.

To give you a small outline, it is basically “Nottinghill” in reverse, with a normal girl falling for a big handsome movie star, and him falling just as hard. Then there are the pitfalls of fame, the backstabbing and corruption of “the Bizz” and then love conquering all.

Nice. A perfectly respectable story line that had me at the get go…in fact, I was really getting into the story when suddenly, out of the blue (shows me for not checking out reviews of this then freebie, I suppose) I got slapped in the face by a sex scene that had me agog for a several lengthy pages. I mean, I guess I could have seen it coming with the occasional rather liberal mentions about the hero “helping himself” and the virginal heroine having this obsessive fear for STDs, but I dismissed those as the story just being very modern.

As it turns out, it might just be a bit too modern for me. Both in language (no pretty wording when it got serious) and actions. A pity, too, since except for those sex scenes, which went on endlessly and were totally unnecessary to make these characters interesting (they were!) I loved the story. Heck, I even shlogged my way through the supposedly hot spankings, the toys, the submissions, the bodily liquids, the endless varieties of A and B, and C, and D, and…gawd knows how many appendages and orifices coming together, just because I wanted to know what happened to these characters.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read my fair share of sex scenes, I even enjoy them if they fit the story, but I really found myself getting that “icky” feeling from the complete lack of inhibition displayed by both characters whenever sex came into play. Which was often. And long. And I hope not too realistic in most cases because, yikes! A serious case of TMI for me, I fear.

Story wise, the characters, dialogue, talented descriptions (even during the sex scene *shivers*) humor and nicely fast-paced prose, this story would have gotten the highest marking from me. Regretfully, I’m going to stick to four stars only.

Conclusion: For some this could definitely be the perfect read. It’s hot, it’s modern, and…creative. For others, like myself, who’re more into old fashioned romances where it’s about the characters just falling in love, rather than girth, speed, and some serious exhibitionism, better steer clear.

You want to check out Winter's Heart yourself. Go Here