Reflection by Elene Sallinger-Review, Guest Post and Giveaway
Reflection
Chrysalis Book 2
by Elene Sallinger
Genre: adult, erotic, romance
Release Date: May 6, 2014
4 out of 5 for this reader folks!
I am use to reading gritty, in your face erotica/BDSM but these two books were a more heartfelt, in depth and an emotional read about damaged souls that meet and redirect each other on the path of loving recovery. I was kind of digging the softer aspect going on here. While there were most definitely scenes filled with BDSM/erotica, this wasn’t the focus on this series. There was such an emotional connect between our characters after each has lived a little personal hell, and reading the journey these characters travel to get to each other was endearing. If you have read my past reviews, you know I like my smut hot and dirty at times, but have to admit it’s refreshing to read a sweeter side to this genre.
The Chrysalis series by Elene Sallinger is classified as a contemporary erotica romance and a good start to those that are venturing into this genre. The relationships between our leads is complicated but simply beautiful. Our couple is against all odds but with some personal growth, pure honesty, a little humour and a cast of secondary characters, I enjoyed indulging in this read knowing there was a HEA in the horizon.
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REFLECTION
The Chrysalis #2
by Elene Sallinger
Genre: contemporary, adult, romance, erotica
Release Date May 6, 2014
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The much anticipated follow up to the award-winning ‘Awakening’ – a compelling novel of discovery and desire. Bridget Ross is a woman with a shameful secret. Despite a life full of success and close friends she denies herself her true desires in penance for the crimes she can’t take back. Connor Reynolds is a man without a purpose. His own tragic past prevents him from putting down roots and pursuing his dreams. Their paths collide forcing them to face the ultimate question … is their love worth fighting for?
REVIEW
When Bridget Ross and Connor Reynolds literally bash into one another, little did they know that their lives were about to take a massive change. Bridget has submissive needs but carries a emotional burden that leaves her unable to trust and always on the defense. Connor’s need to control is not working in his favour as he carries his own personal demons that have stunted his ability to pursue his love for art. Bridget is incredibly rude at first, but another chance encounter leads her to have coffee with Conner therefore opening the door to a relationship. Off we go on a push/pull storyline of two people who truly are perfectly matched but need to get their heads out of the ground and deal with their personal turmoil already! When they both begin to supply the needs of the other, they begin to trust. Trust however, opens a huge can of worms … but this trust can also heal and lead to happy and forever.
I found the second book was less sexual than the first. Don’t get me wrong, there is BDSM and some erotica to enjoy, but the focus was more on the building of the relationship. Again, both Awakening and Reflection were a great read. I connected with the characters, I rolled my eyes a few times and shook my head wishing they’d get out of their own way already. I was satisfied by the end of both books for sure. I would recommend this to anyone who may want a softer read of BDSM but still have some scorching moments!
Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley
Reviewed by Rachel T.
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AWAKENING
The Crysalis Series #1
by Elene Sallinger
Genre: contemporary, adult, romance, erotica
Release Date: November 2013
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DESCRIPTION
River Rock, Vermont, 2011: This is the story of Claire Ryan and Evan Lang. Thirty-five-year-old Claire joins a local book club for romance readers in order to get over the breakdown of her 10-year relationship. There she meets book shop owner Evan, a dominant man who has never recovered from the sudden death of his submissive wife.
As their relationship develops and they embark on the path of Claire’s submission, it becomes harder and harder for Evan to keep his emotional distance. Claire is open and responsive and he wants her badly, but refuses to let himself go. As Claire falls deeper in love with Evan, she realises that he is holding back and decides to end their relationship, forcing Evan to confront his own past and his feelings in order to save his new love.(less)
REVIEW
Claire Ryan is a whole mess of complicated. After leaving one heck of a damaged relationship, she joins a romance book club that holds its meetings at a book store owned by Evan Lang. Evan is a dominant who has tragically lost his wife (she was also his submissive), and has since not been able to connect with another submissive. While still grieving and trying to carry on with his life, he is surprised by his attraction to Claire. He is also quick to recognize Claire’s interest in submission. Feeling he is betraying his deceased wife, Evan treats Claire with so much animosity and disgust, that Claire begins to think that being caught researching submission has marked her as a “freak”. Well when the truth comes to surface the explosion is nothing short of remarkable. Finally agreeing to enter a dominant/submissive relationship without the sex, these two begin to unravel each other and peel away layers of pain. Both begin to heal and when they realize there is more than just a dominant and a submissive relationship going on, they both have serious decisions to make.
HAPPY READING! 🙂
Copy supplied by Netgalley
Reviewed by Rachel T.
No, Thank You: Rejection & Writing
by Elene Sallinger
“Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own” – Bruce Lee
When most people think of rejection and writing, the likely connection is to publishing houses. An author submits their work and receives a resounding no thanks. This, however, is only one form of rejection that a writer must face during their career. Bad reviews and paltry sale are forms of rejection as well. An aspiring author must also prepare themselves for these hits to their writer’s ego.
Will You Publish Me?
The most commonly acknowledged form of rejection for a writer is the rejection of one’s work by a publishing house. After spending months, if not years, of one’s life shaping a story, a writer sends it off hoping for universal acceptance and subsequent publication. Sadly, this dream is the exception, not the rule. The average writer is more likely to have a story rejected – often multiple times – rather than published out of the gate.
It’s important to note that this rejection does not immediately translate to fault on the writer’s part. Yes, the story may need to be refined. And, yes, it may actually be a poorly written story. However, the acquisition process is highly subjective. A writer is at the mercy of the preferences of the editor and the publisher’s existing catalog. In other words, it may be that the story isn’t right for that publisher, not that the story isn’t worthy of publication. Hand-in-hand with this is the preference of the acquiring editor. As much as we all want to believe we are 100 percent objective, this isn’t so. Bias always exists and your story may not resonate with the editor leading them to reject it.
Many international bestsellers were rejected multiple times before finding the nirvana of fit and preference that launched their success. Twilight was rejected fourteen times. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was rejected twelve times before the insistence of the CEO’s eight-year-old daughter convinced him to take a minimal risk on the book. Dune was rejected twenty-three times. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was rejected 121 times. The list goes on. Finding a publisher is like finding your mate, the first person you date is rarely the one you marry.
They Don’t Like Me, They Really Don’t Like Me
Here is a basic fact all writers must embrace: you can’t please everyone, and the moment you try you cease to write anything interesting. When asked why they write, most writers will say it’s because they have stories to tell; they can do nothing else. However, this fails to answer why a writer shares their work. One can write indefinitely without ever sharing a single word. I believe that writers share their work, because at our deepest psychological level, we seek to move people emotionally.
Like with publishing, most of us only fantasize about this in a positive way. In our minds, our work resonates with readers leading to public acclaim and the universal praise of our story. In truth, no book goes without negative reviews. Even the classics, books now considered masterpieces, had their detractors. Publisher’s Weekly published an article, “The 13 Worst Reviews of Classic Books”, that I found hilarious because it was famous authors trashing books now considered classics. Reading it puts the whole bad review thing in perspective.
You got a bad review, so what! The very fact that a person was moved enough to write that review means you did your job, you sparked an emotional reaction. Shake the negativity off. Move on. Unless they are pointing out functional errors like poor proofing, continuity errors, and the like, ignore them. They have no meaning in the grand scheme of things. They represent one person’s individual opinion. Don’t make mountains out of molehills, and, above all else, don’t reply!
They’re Not Buying It
When a book doesn’t sell, or fails to sell in quantity, the immediate conclusion tends to be that the problem lies in the story. However, there is a fundamental difference between writing a book and selling a book. Clearly, writing a book is a function of plot, character development, etc. However, selling a book is a function of packaging and promotion with heavy emphasis on the former. All the promotion in the world won’t help a poorly packaged book.
If you’ve released a book and it’s just sitting there rotting, before scrapping the book consider your promotion efforts. Are you getting the word out effectively? If you can comfortably answer yes, or you make changes with no effect, you need to reevaluate how the book is packaged. By this, I mean the cover and the blurb. Test your blurb with friends and colleagues. Would they read that story? Once you’re satisfied with your blurb, consider changing the cover.
Graphic design, of which book cover design is a subset, is an art that is rooted in psychology. Typeface, color choice, and imagery all spark autonomic emotional reactions. A bad cover on a good book can impact sales dramatically. Always consider changing a book’s packaging before turning to the story itself.
In the end, the thing to remember is that rejection, in any form, is subjective. Once you eliminate the functional, or the technical from the publishing process, what you’re left with is strictly subjective opinion. What you do with that is up to you.
~~Elene~~
Elene and Sourcebooks are offering a paper copy of REFLECTION to one (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.
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5. Giveaway is open to US and Canada only.
6. Giveaway runs from May 22 to May 27, 2014, 2014
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