Do you think Belle Ami will write more books around Angela and Alex?

[bookowlie]

Bookowlie - I agree with this. I think the problem was mostly in expecting historical fiction and finding romance There are plenty who would find a lot of appeal in Ami's book.

Well, judging from the lively discussion here, I think more readers liked the way the author blended the different genres. This book seemed to attract more OBC readers compared with some of the other BOTM picks. It might be because some of the previous selections contained one genre such as sci-fi or horror.

[Bonnie Shelby]

She probably will. But I wish she wouldn't. Not unless she does enough research to base the plot lines more solidly on art history. If Angela and Alex can start solving art mysterious with a more academic approach, rather than based on Angela's ridiculous past-life regression/spirit possession episodes, the stories could be a little bit more interesting. If she keeps basing the stories on sex scenes past and present, there will be very little to recommend about the books.

I agree. If she doesn't find a way to add some complexity to the plot, I'm not so sure the next book will be worth reading.

[bookowlie]

She probably will. But I wish she wouldn't. Not unless she does enough research to base the plot lines more solidly on art history. If Angela and Alex can start solving art mysterious with a more academic approach, rather than based on Angela's ridiculous past-life regression/spirit possession episodes, the stories could be a little bit more interesting. If she keeps basing the stories on sex scenes past and present, there will be very little to recommend about the books.

I agree. If she doesn't find a way to add some complexity to the plot, I'm not so sure the next book will be worth reading.

I actually thought the plot wasn't overly simplistic. The historical aspects were interesting, especially the parts that were rooted in fact. The sex scenes were overdone and the paranormal stuff was almost comical at times. Still, I wonder if the author will take some of the feedback here and add more traditional detective work in the next installment.

[bookowlie]

She probably will. But I wish she wouldn't. Not unless she does enough research to base the plot lines more solidly on art history. If Angela and Alex can start solving art mysterious with a more academic approach, rather than based on Angela's ridiculous past-life regression/spirit possession episodes, the stories could be a little bit more interesting. If she keeps basing the stories on sex scenes past and present, there will be very little to recommend about the books.

It's probably easier to write scenes that are fantasy-based since you are pretty much write anything. In a mystery plot, I would think it's harder to craft a realistic set of clues and traditional ways for the characters to solve the mystery.

[Bonnie Shelby]

She probably will. But I wish she wouldn't. Not unless she does enough research to base the plot lines more solidly on art history. If Angela and Alex can start solving art mysterious with a more academic approach, rather than based on Angela's ridiculous past-life regression/spirit possession episodes, the stories could be a little bit more interesting. If she keeps basing the stories on sex scenes past and present, there will be very little to recommend about the books.

I agree. If she doesn't find a way to add some complexity to the plot, I'm not so sure the next book will be worth reading.

I actually thought the plot wasn't overly simplistic. The historical aspects were interesting, especially the parts that were rooted in fact. The sex scenes were overdone and the paranormal stuff was almost comical at times. Still, I wonder if the author will take some of the feedback here and add more traditional detective work in the next installment.

True. I guess what I meant was more complexity in the mystery portion. People have been comparing this book to Dan Brown's The Davinci Code when I don't think it comes even close. Not to say that I'm hoping her next book will have that level of intricacy, but a little more work added in that regard, in addition to her historical and romantic themes could really bring her books to the next level.

[bookowlie]

Bonnie Shelby, I agree the books are not similar at all. I think this book would have benefitted would a more complex set of clues and less emphasis on the silly over-the-top stuff. Like you, I like a good, juicy mystery with a bunch of clues that I can try to solve myself. There wasn't too much suspense here - just a lot of special effects (paranormal stuff) and sexy scenes.

[Dael Reader]

She probably will. But I wish she wouldn't. Not unless she does enough research to base the plot lines more solidly on art history. If Angela and Alex can start solving art mysterious with a more academic approach, rather than based on Angela's ridiculous past-life regression/spirit possession episodes, the stories could be a little bit more interesting. If she keeps basing the stories on sex scenes past and present, there will be very little to recommend about the books.

It's probably easier to write scenes that are fantasy-based since you are pretty much write anything. In a mystery plot, I would think it's harder to craft a realistic set of clues and traditional ways for the characters to solve the mystery.

True. Then she should just base her stories purely on fantasy, not art history, which would require a little bit of research and thought. Writers shouldn't be lazy about details!

[Emie Cuevas]

As with anything, the decision to write a sequel will probably be decided by economics. If the author makes a lot of money from this book then a sequel is almost certainly guaranteed. If no copies are sold then there won't be one.

What I find distressing is when it falls somewhere in between, and it seems to be a random choice whether or not to continue the series. I have read many series that I wanted to continue but the author didn't bother because the sales weren't there. I find this sad when some of us are invested in the characters and storyline but get left high and dry.

[bookowlie]

Actually, some of the historical info about the characters was fact-based - Fioretta and Giuliano's story, at least much of it. In historical fiction, writers always mix fact and fiction.

[SweetMelissaV2131]

I think there is nothing for us to wonder since, amazon has revealed that this is the 1st book of a series, in the book description.

I do realize that now That will teach me to post a question without reading the whole Amazon description of a book. I also wanted to see if this question would raise some opinions on whether or not the readers/reviewers here would like to see this book as the beginning of a series. It will be interesting to see how the author continues the storyline I think.
Thanks for taking the time to comment on my post.

Don't trust what Amazon says!!! LOL. I'm joking but how many years have we been waiting for the next Game of Thrones book?? Also Superhighway is classified as a trilogy, but I have seen no mention of a third book yet. I'm stumped as to whether or not that will actually be a trilogy. I think it was a reasonable question to ask simply based on how the book ended. I think some people may see it as an opening for a series and some may think it was just a nice way to end the book with a little intrigue.

I recently read Superhighway and loved it so much that I jumped right into reading the second one. Heck, I even signed up for Kindle Unlimited so I could read the second one right away. I do hope they do a third one but have not seen any mention of it either

[SweetMelissaV2131]

The two past lives in this story already requires a suspension of disbelief. If Angela is going to have other past lives in Book 2, that would be mind-boggling. That's why I would have preferred she just had visions rather than past-life regression. Then it would make more sense to have visions about different people or artwork in the next books in the series.

Ah yes, good point with the difference between visions and past-life regression. Maybe she has the ability to do both? is that possible I wonder?

[SweetMelissaV2131]

As with anything, the decision to write a sequel will probably be decided by economics. If the author makes a lot of money from this book then a sequel is almost certainly guaranteed. If no copies are sold then there won't be one.

What I find distressing is when it falls somewhere in between, and it seems to be a random choice whether or not to continue the series. I have read many series that I wanted to continue but the author didn't bother because the sales weren't there. I find this sad when some of us are invested in the characters and storyline but get left high and dry.

That always seems to be my problem, I get so invested in the characters of the books I love and when the book is over I'm like, 'Ok...I want more!! That was awesome!' but then there are no more books with this characters

[CinWin]

I would say YES she plans on writing a sequel. It appears that way from the way the book ended. And if she isn't planning on writing another book about Angela and Alex, she should. It was a great read!

[bookowlie]

The two past lives in this story already requires a suspension of disbelief. If Angela is going to have other past lives in Book 2, that would be mind-boggling. That's why I would have preferred she just had visions rather than past-life regression. Then it would make more sense to have visions about different people or artwork in the next books in the series.

Ah yes, good point with the difference between visions and past-life regression. Maybe she has the ability to do both? is that possible I wonder?

I am very curious about how the author will deal with the paranormal stuff in Book 2, given the way the way this book ended. Mixing visions and past-life regression would be a bit much. It would be like saying someone is both a vampire and has psychic visions. I know writers take liberties when writing fantasy elements, but I would prefer some consistency. Of course, Angela having tons of previous lives with each successive book would also be wild!

[SweetMelissaV2131]

The two past lives in this story already requires a suspension of disbelief. If Angela is going to have other past lives in Book 2, that would be mind-boggling. That's why I would have preferred she just had visions rather than past-life regression. Then it would make more sense to have visions about different people or artwork in the next books in the series.

Ah yes, good point with the difference between visions and past-life regression. Maybe she has the ability to do both? is that possible I wonder?

I am very curious about how the author will deal with the paranormal stuff in Book 2, given the way the way this book ended. Mixing visions and past-life regression would be a bit much. It would be like saying someone is both a vampire and has psychic visions. I know writers take liberties when writing fantasy elements, but I would prefer some consistency. Of course, Angela having tons of previous lives with each successive book would also be wild!

I agree! I'm looking forward to a second book!