Wow, the month is nearly over. How did that happen? So much to do, so many things changing all the time. I suppose that´s life. It certainly applies in the romance industry. Favorite authors changing genres or subgenres, publishers going under or being bought out. You´ve got to love it to stay in it for any length of time, or to even try to get into it.

I´ve been hearing about new lines forming at the existing publishers while some of the older ones are fading away. Berkley has the new Irish line, and is also adding one called Seduction that is more hero driven and supposedly very, very sexy. There´s also talk of a Scottish Lairds line at the same house. But the Haunted Hearts and Time Passages will no longer be published regularly, just a book here and there. What happens when your favorite subgenre is nowhere to be found? Gosh, I hate when that happens. One of the new lines I´m happy to see is the new Blaze line from Harlequin, the super-sexy books. Beginning next January, it will become its own line rather than remaining a subseries of Temptation. The sad fact is, though, the market is getting smaller all the time. Just last year, Harper and Avon merged. Who might be next in the takeover frenzy? And what will it mean to your reading habits?

How do you feel about your fave authors changing genres? A couple off the top of my head are Sandra Brown and Tami Hoag. Neither are writing straight romance anymore. Have you followed them to their new niche? Or did you prefer their romances? I just saw Mary Jo Putney had her first contemporary romance released. I´ve heard raves but haven´t read it yet. Is this something you don´t mind as much, this stretching of the wings within the romance genre?

This week I read one of those authors who regularly stretches herself into another area of romance. I just finished Witness in Death by J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts. I have to confess, I haven´t read any of her other Robb books, so I was a little confused by some of the relationships and terms she used. Some I could figure out, but others I obviously missed out on by not reading the other nine books in the series first. All in all, I liked the book. I couldln´t completely identify with Eve, but I´m sure that´s deliberate, since she doesn´t know all about her past. And I´ve heard raves about the love story between her and Roarke, though I didn´t find that one of the major elements of this story. This one focused a lot on Eve and her past as it related to the murder that she and a whole theater of people witness. My biggest problem now is when am I going to find time to buy and read the other nine books? I really liked this book and now I have to find out for myself about Roarke and Eve´s romance.

Until next week, happy reading.