I’m sure you’ve noticed one of my recent book reviews was titled “ARC Book Review,” and you’re probably wondering what the heck “ARC” stands for. This is the abbreviation for Advance Reader Copy. Authors use these ARCs of their books to generate buzz about their upcoming book as well as have reviews already under their belt when the book is released. These ARCs and the advance reviews and ratings they generate are vital to the visibility of these books. As a writer – as yet unpublished – I’m paying my dues by taking on these ARCs (and my little romance reader’s heart is super happy with all the books on my Kindle!).
I thought I’d use today’s post to tell you about some of the ARCs I’m reading this month. (Some of them I’ve already finished, and others I’m still working my way through.) With that said, I feel I may have gone a little crazy with my sign-ups, but it’s a learning process.
So, the first ARC I had this month was the Candy Hearts Anthology Volume 2. This was a collection of short stories surrounding the theme of “wrong number.” I don’t know why I thought signing up for an anthology ARC for my first one was a good idea, but the stories I managed to get through were so sweet. For this one’s review, I simply posted on Goodreads. The second book I had this month was His Reluctant Savior by Courtney W. Dixon. This was such a good book. I’ve got an upcoming ARC Review post where you can read my thoughts.
Now, here’s the fun part. On February 11th, there are three – yes, three – books that I signed up for that are being released on the SAME day. This day and these three books have been my biggest lesson in the ARC chapter of my journey. Those three books are Now Comes the Dark by Thom Collins, Mirror, Mirror by Christina Nolte, and More Reason to Stay by Ryder O’Malley. I’ve currently got two out of the three finished and reviews written – but not posted – for Goodreads and Amazon. (Fun fact: Ryder O’Malley is a former instructor of mine at SNHU, so you know, the moment I saw his book pop up, I was all over it!)
There are two more books coming out this week. The Fly-Half by Charlie Novak (out 2-13) and Love’s Ace by Lee McCormick (out 2-14). After this week, things slow down, and I’ll be able to breathe a bit. With three releases the week of the 17th (Devoted by Lark Taylor on 2-19, White Room Virgin by Cas Roman on 2-20, and Pumped by Linden Bell on 2-23) and only one the week of the 24th (Choosing You by Taylor Wilson-West on 2-25).
There are others that I’m signed up for, but they’re for the month of March. Of the ARCs I’m reading this month, you can look forward to reviews for some but not all. As I said before, His Reluctant Savior will be up this week, but the other two reviews for the month are up in the air. My overall takeaway from this month’s ARCs… only blindly sign up for known authors and be very picky about new to me authors so as not to overwhelm myself. Until next time.
XO
Deanna.