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Jo-Ann Walmsley - Commentary |
The creative possibilities inherent with all things paranormal – vampires and werewolves, witches and demons, ghosties and ghoulies and all things that go bump in the night - make this a very hard category from which to choose the Best of the Best since each image is splendid in its own right. The covers on this slate made use of a lot of color, a lack of color, and one color. They featured attractive people, ferocious animals and stunning eyes. Incorporated into all of them were elements of romance, intrigue, sex, danger and a sense of other-worldliness. Which to choose? Which is the Best? The heroes and heroines in all these stories came through for us and luckily, so did our voters!
The top three winners in the Alternate Reality category received over half of all the votes collected so clearly they were the definite favorites and it was a relatively close race between these three. Of the remaining seven covers the votes were again relatively evenly distributed. I always find it fascinating to hear why one person likes one thing while another prefers something else – why I like vanilla and you like chocolate, so to speak. I hope you’ll enjoy the reasons as well.
Delacorte Press |
The 2005 Cover Café Contest – Alternate Reality winner is Spell of the Highlander. The reason? It’s sexy. That’s it. I’m not kidding. Over half of the comments submitted for this cover contained the word “sexy”. If the word sexy was not used, the words sensual, erotic, and hot were. Even though this was not my pick, this cover is so spectacular, I’m going to give it a little extra comment room! Spell of the Highlander was a favorite for a couple of Cover Café’s members. Jeanette said, “It’s a sexy cover. A very sexy cover.” Jenny agreed. “He's just so sexy. And I love tattoos!” I like how Sandy expressed her choice in the simplest terms! “Sensual, shows us the Highlander and why we would be under his spell.” Kemberlee used some simple terms too! “In one word? SEXY. In two words? DAMN SEXY.” (You all are getting the point, right?) Other voters expanded on the “sexy” theme and pointed out the loveliness of the greytones, the models themselves and of course, the tattoo! Rosario wrote, “I like how the dark tones of the image contrast with the colour of the font. I also like the protective way the guy is hugging the woman.” Rachel loved, “…that the heroine appears to be on the voluptuous side.” Bonnie chose this cover because, “Anything with Nathan Kamp as the model gets my vote! But I also like the black & white imagery, and the tattoo!” Yuri explains why this was her choice. “Spell of the Highlander wins out marginally for me over Dreams Made Flesh and Warprize (both beautiful covers) because it encapsulates romance so much better. The choice of black & white makes the very erotic pose classy. And it expresses the story so well - the tartan, the Celtic armband, the way he is embracing her so protectively. I think even the largeness of the font make it seem like they are hidden from the world, that this is something intensely private that we are being allowed into. Besides he's a hunk!” We all know that you can’t judge a book by its cover, however, sometimes you can judge the cover’s effectiveness on sales! Many voters either bought the book because of the cover, or it made them want to buy it. Rowena was one reader who bought the book because of the cover. “The sexiness of the cover is what lured me to read the story in the first place.” Lynn was another. “This cover single-handedly convinced me to buy Moning's Highlander books, even though I'd never heard about them before nor had ever read her. Actually, I think this cover is my favourite one of all subgenres for the whole year. In a word: HOT!” Sula echoed Lynn. “HOT HOT HOT! Makes me want to run out and buy this book right now. Love the detail of the tattoo on the muscular arm.” Adeline appreciated the cover for its, “Pure beauty. The cover alone would make me buy this book.” Amanda paid tribute to one of the most famous and desirable Romanceland Scotsmen of all time! “When I think of a Highlander, I think of Jamie Fraser. When I see this cover, I think of him too.:) The guns on that guy are impeccable. I would want to read this book because of those arms (drool, drool..).” This Highlander may not be our Jamie, but we can dream! |
The second place cover was Warprize, a colorful, mystical cover with horses and a silhouetted woman. Many voters commented on was the very blue eyes - they mesmerized them into voting for the cover!
Andi: “Draws my immediate attention! Those eyes! Very beautiful.” Christy: “I have picked up this book several times because of this cover. The story itself has never drawn me in, but the cover is wonderful. I think the eyes, watching, are the key.” Anna: “The eyes. I found myself drawn to the cold, burning blue, superimposed over the silhouettes of heroine and horses. To me, it's a hint of a heroine-centered story, which makes me more likely to pick up the book.” Kristie: “This one was one of the easier choices. In fact I bought this book based on the cover. I love her vivid blue eyes. As I looked at them in the store, they just said, "Buy me! You know you wanna…" And I was helpless in their power. Now they are saying "Choose me. You know you must!" |
Tor Books |
Signet Eclipse |
Coming in third place is Beyond the Pale. With its attention-grabbing red, black and white coloring, the lovely model, and the exquisite titling, it’s no surprise it was a favorite for many voters. Former Cover Café member Kellye thought it was a classy cover with lovely colors and Zola agrees, “I really like the use of varied shades of red -- red, black and white are a powerful color combination and it's done skilfully here. The posture of the model suggests that she's hiding something, which is intriguing.” Liz went along with them. “I really like the contrast of the red with the other colors here. The design over the words is neat too.” Heather chose this cover because it was, “Gorgeous. Moody. Erotic. Dark. Everything you want in a paranormal cover!” Diane liked that it was, “…sexy without morphing into soft porn and it doesn't rely on the stereotypical AR motifs of full moons, clenched daggers, piercing stares or animal familiars.” Caryl found symmetry in the image. “A hard choice between this and Shadows of Myth, but Beyond the Pale wins out because of the sheer elegance of the composition. The curlicues behind the title echo the curlicues of smoke and the curves of the woman's arms and hips. Lovely and mysterious.” This cover did such a good job of selling the book that Cindy admitted, “I rarely buy a book based on the cover but this one had me picking it up and carrying it to the cashier without even reading the back blurb.” |
The Moon Witch is our fourth place winner. The voters seemed to really like the colors, the mysticism, and the hair! Ruby commented, “This is one of those covers that really grabs my attention. The design and colors are terrific and reflect the name of the book. It seems almost three-dimensional and definitely says “pick me up and read me”.” Jackie thought this cover had a “Gorgeous Celtic look. Love the art nouveau look of the vines. Ethereal and moody. Want to read this…” Cover Café’s Mary Lynne chose this, “Because I love the fantasy feel of this cover, I love the colors (especially her hair!), and I love the way the elements in the cover play up the title. All of the covers for this really excellent series of books were very good, but I think I liked this one the best!” Another Cover Café’ member, Mary Alice, picked it because, “This just screams AR, from the misty look to the moon, to the other-worldly look of the model. The colors are perfectly suited for an AR cover.” And once again this cover did what it was supposed to and got Barbara’s attention. “Very ethereal. Seems to be descriptive of the story. Not my genre, but this cover would make me pick the book up.” Art departments – don’t you just love when that happens? |
Berkley |
Roc |
Finally we get to my pick! Dreams Made Flesh won the fifth place slot in the contest, but first place in my heart. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’m predisposed to love the cover anyway because I loved the entire Black Jewels series so much. But I truly believe, even if I hadn’t been avid to get this book into my hot, little hands, the stunning woman in the gorgeous dress, standing in her elegant pose, taming the fierce white tiger at her feet in a trade-size paperback framed by a classic border would have made me buy this book. It took my breath away! Stacy admired it too. “It's both mystical and primitive with the gorgeous tiger and the lovely dress worn by the model. I just love it.” Malvina liked the, “Gorgeous heroine, gorgeous tiger, clear details on the cover without having to squint through murky gothic gloom. A standout winner.” Karla noted, and admired, its likeness to the other books in the series. “I like that it is a whole person who looks like one of the characters. I like the font and I think the border works great. It's especially nice that the board style is the same as on the other books related to this one.” So did Cydi. “The cover has the same theme as the other covers for books in that universe, it's got nice texture work and a whole person who looks normal.” Danielle chose Dreams Made Flesh,“because it's not only a gorgeous cover, it also draws your attention and remains interesting after you've stared at it for a while. Having read the book, I also think the cover model works as the main character. And I love the way the border is part of the cover too.” |
In sixth place, we have If Angels Burn and once again, the vivid blue eyes and striking colors made many voters chose this cover. Mee: “I really like how his eyes stand out.” Melanie: “The eyes, man. It's all about the eyes!” And then there is Suzanne, who is claiming those eyes all for herself! “The look that he is giving me!!!!” Now, Suzanne, you must SHARE. Cora looked beyond the eyes. “I like the color scheme, the layout and, last but not least, the man. Plus, while all the other covers looked a bit samey (either standard horror romance or standard female-centered fantasy), this one really stuck out by being different.” Virginia appreciated the artistic composition of the cover as a whole. “The combination of black & white print with splashes of color is very well done. The text doesn't blend into the background. There's room for the Darkyn logo for immediate recognition, along with a credit and a teaser.” And here are two compliments of the highest order! Cover Café’s Karen was very tempted by this cover. She wrote, “I was torn between this cover and Shadows of Myth, but the intense gaze of the hero in this picture made me choose this one - it almost made me buy the book and I don't even like vampire stories!” But Sandy did buy the book. It was “Compelling. This cover made me buy the book when I didn't know who Lynn Viehl was. Her writing turned out to be so good. I am now reading her Stardoc series.” Wow! That’s some marketing success! |
Signet Eclipse |
Luna |
Shadows of Myth is lucky number seven and was only two votes behind If Angels Burn! Very evocative, richly colored, fairy-tale quality art work, drew many voters to vote for this cover. Elle: “I like the soft focus look to the image of the sleeping woman and the rich colors, particularly the red of the blanket against the green and gold. Very lovely and somewhat mysterious-looking cover…” Maria: “A dream is an alternate reality of sorts. The cover model seems to be asleep and perhaps dreaming. The cover has the look of painted canvas and is well done.” Suzannah: “The colors! Some of the others were lovely--Warprize and Dreams Made Flesh (and the Highlander one is very steamy--whew!) but I like this one best. The girl is not dangerous looking or glamorous, she's just peacefully asleep with a happy smile on her face. Is she maybe awake...elsewhere? It also makes me wonder what she's doing in the forest, and whose cloak she's wrapped in. Beautiful!” April: “Love the striking colors. The image immediately brings to mind Sleeping Beauty, but not the usual stiff effigy--instead this seems languid and romantic.” |
Eighth place winner is A Taste of Crimson and again, this cover received only two votes less than the one before it. The colors, the wolf’s head imposed on the super-huge moon and Nathan Kamp were a winning combination for many people. They certainly were for Karen “I want a good looking man on the cover and Nathan Kamp certainly qualifies. I like the wolf in the moon since it signifies “werewolf” so clearly and lets us know this will have paranormal elements.” By the way, apparently Nathan Kamp is having a very good year, unlike someone else mentioned on the Worst Cover page…. Liz freely admits, “Given the choice between a book with a woman (or even a couple) on the cover and one with a good looking guy, I'll pick up the book with the guy. I might not buy it, but it will always be the one that catches my eye. As this one did!” Kaye was swayed into checking the book out because “The colors captured my attention. Then I wondered why this dark and mysterious man was running away. I'm not into Alternate Reality, but something evil is lurking in Seattle...” Caroline likes that “The background, with the wolf howling in the moon, provides a nice sort of not-quite-halo for the hero who looks pleasantly mysterious. Of all the covers offered here, this one is the most atmospheric, truly promising a different world and not only sex in exotic costumes.” Very interesting point, Caroline! |
Love Spell |
Pocket Books |
St. Martin |
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Awaken Me Darkly,
in ninth place, won over voters because of the striking contrast in
colors. The standout red, over the monochromatic blue, makes
quite an impact. And then you spy the knife - and shiver! Robin noted the same things. “I like the contrast of the red and blue. You have to look closely at the picture to actually see it's a woman with a knife. Very cool looking.” Amy thought “The blue filter and her pose are very sexy. The knife adds intrigue to the cover as well.” Jenny chose it because “It's sexy without being cheesy and I am in love with the color combination which adds to the feeling of danger and mystery. I can also see myself not being afraid to read this on the bus without hiding the cover, which is my litmus test.”
Jessica had a dual reaction to the book. “The mood the cover
conveys is dark, sexy and ultra dangerous. It hit all the right notes
with me that I bought it on sight alone without knowing anything about
the book. A move I later came to regret since the book is nothing
like its cover but the artist got the job done.” |
The Hunger took tenth place and is another monochromatic cover in
blue! The balcony, the water, and the moon give it a very exotic feel. Martha thought the cover was sexy and Gigi appreciated the artistic quality of it. “I like the style of font they used in the title and author’s name. I also like the color scheme and the models.” Eileen also loved the monochromatic theme. She thought the hero was exceptionally hot, too!
Linda is a testament to a well-done cover – she bought the book
because of it. “I love historic romance novels.
I own this book myself because the cover jumped out to me. The
different shades of blue and the couple standing there just look so - I
don’t know the right words - but they look good.” |
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