Little Known Blogs: On a Book Bender

This month if you sign up to be featured I will also offer 1 person a complete re-design of their blog.

Once a month I will be hosting a new feature Little Known Blogs, in order to give the spotlight to blogs that I love that need need deserve a little more attention. In order to be considered for this feature you must have less than 200 followers and have great content. If you’d like to be considered for this feature please fill out the form!

This month’s feature:

Why did you start your blog?


I think I would have to trace the start of my book blog to my 101 goals in 1,001 days list that I started in 2009.  It was through blogging about that list that I met two people who went on to start their own book blogs (25 Hour Books andAnd the plot thickens...).  I was instantly struck with book blog envy and wanted to start my own.  As much as I love reading, I had never thought of blogging about books until Tara and Rachel started their blogs.  Unfortunately, I was in the first year of graduate school at the time, and I had almost no time to myself.  I was lucky if I could read a single book during a semester.  I tended to binge on reading during my breaks, but it wasn't enough to sustain a book blog, so I occasionally posted reviews for Tara at 25 Hour Books and held off on starting my own blog.  But in the spring of 2011, I decided that the demands grad school placed on me had diminished enough that I could start book blogging on my own by May 2011.  So I officially launched On a Book Bender the day before my thesis defense, and I haven't looked back since.

What is your favorite part of blogging?


The book blogging community.  Really, it's no contest.  I love the book blogging community.  They have been so accepting and welcoming that I feel as though I've been blogging for years, not months.  I have met so many great new people, and book blogging has also helped me through some difficult personal times.


What book is your current obsession?

Hmm.  This question is tough for me.  I don't know that I really get obsessed about specific books, but lately I've been obsessed with dark paranormal romances.

What do you do when you aren't blogging or reading?


I tweet a lot.  Probably too much.  I also hang out with my boyfriend (and his dog), watch TV, practice photography, go on food adventures, and occasionally run.  

Please link any posts you'd like to give more attention.


I have a couple series reading order posts that I get tons of searches for, but I'm not sure if a) people find them useful and/or b) people would want more lists of other series (and if yes, which series?).  Right now I have one list for Karin Slaughter's 3 series (two of them combine into the third) and a list for Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series.

Sample Review:

Review: Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

AUGUST 1, 2011

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tags: Black Dagger Brotherhood, J.R. Ward
by Amanda
Lover by J.R. Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #1) [A]
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Received: ebook from Rain Maiden
Read: 7/9/2011 — 7/10/2011
In six words: Didn’t wanna put Dark Lover down.
Links
J.R. Ward — Website | Facebook
Amazon — Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
Book Depository — Paperback
Add it to Goodreads
 


Book Order


1. Dark Lover [A]
2. Lover Eternal
3. Lover Awakened
4. Lover Revealed
5. Lover Unbound
6. Lover Enshrined
7. Lover Avenged
8. Lover Mine
9. Lover Unleashed
10.  Lover Reborn
(I’m sensing a pattern here)


Summary

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there’s a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood. 

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.
-from Goodreads

Why I Read This Book and General Thoughts


Yes, this is another one of those books/series that I have not read and have clearly been out of the loop.  Well, fine.  I am here atoning for my sins.  And a big thank you to Rain Maiden for making it all possible.  And surprise, surprise </sarcasm> I really enjoyed Dark Lover.  You know I’ll be picking up the next books in this series.  Whenever I get through the rest of my TBR books, anyway.

A More In-Depth Look


A few months ago, I read the first chapter of Dark Lover for free on my computer and was totally lost.  When I began reading on my Kindle, I noticed that the “first page” was at 3%.  I am curious by nature, so I had to investigate.  It is fortunate that I did, because there was a glossary of terms that were ever so useful for keeping up with the story.  It made my early confusion disappear, and increased my enjoyment.

One aspect of the Dark Lover that I liked — even as it frustrated me at times — was that this was not just a story about Wrath and Beth, although their story is central to the book, but that some side characters  played a role that served to enrich the plot.  Being that Dark Lover is the beginning of the series, there was the necessary world building, but I was never once lost, and completely enthralled with the story.  If date night with the boyfriend hadn’t intruded on my reading time, I would have easily finished Dark Lover in a day.  Beth’s entry into the vampire world and its subsequent effect on Wrath has set the stage for what I can only assume based on its popularity and the strength the first book is a strong series.  I am already interested in the stories of the brothers introduced in Dark Lover.

If I had any complaint about Dark Lover – and I’m not sure that I do — would be that the romance moved particularly fast.  Even then, it seemed to fit; Beth’s transformation and sexual awakening coincided in a way that felt natural and instinctive.  Wrath, of course, is helpless against the draw of his leading lady, as all good tough alpha males are.  I could do without the repeated lovey words, but I have a feeling that’s me.  For me, actions speak louder than words, and there is certainly no shortage of that in Dark Lover.

You Might Enjoy This Book If…


Considering I’m probably one of the very last people on earth to read this book, is there even a point in recommending it?  Okay, okay, I’ll just say this: lovers of dark paranormal romance will likely enjoy this book.

Categories: Little Known Blogs