Welcome to
Shelf Candy Saturday!!
This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,
features beautiful book covers!
If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. (You have to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.)
As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!
Here's my choice for this week!
(Guild Hunter #4.5)
Trade Paperback, 406 pages
Berkley Trade
October 4m 2911
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy
Why do I love this cover?
I can honestly say that I have never seen an image like this one. It's absolutely breathtaking! The most beautiful feature is, of course, the male angel's wings, and how they enfold the woman in a tender, loving embrace.....such a romantic concept....and then, the two lovers are so obviously deeply immersed in each other, almost as if they were touching each other's heart and soul... Okay, I'm a hopeless romantic, so please bear with me. I can't help sighing over this image!
There are more things to like, such as the colors of the wings, sky, and drapery. As I stated in last week's Shelf Candy post, I don't normally count gray as one of my favorite colors. Here, however, it is actually beautiful! Perhaps that's because it has a greenish tone to it. The drapery is definitely gray-green. I love the folds, too; they're so realistic, as are the meticulously detailed feathers!
Another reason I love this cover is that it reminds me of an Old Master painting. I don't have any particular artist in mind -- it's the style, more than anything else. Old Master paintings handle light in a very diffuse manner, illuminating everything within the painting. The angel and the woman are surrounded by light, which is ironic, considering the title of this anthology. They seem to be floating in a cloudy sky. I wonder if they're poised between heaven and hell? Anyway, the effect is nothing short of exquisite!
I also adore the font used for the title; it's breezy and flows magically. It also contrasts sharply with the starkly classical font used for the authors' names.
To sum up, this is a truly inspired cover!!
Thanks to Nalini Singh's website,
I discovered the highly talented artist,
John Blumen!!
Artist's Bio
(from his website)
After years of perfecting his techniques with traditional media, John chose to apply his creative knowledge and artistic insight to the discipline of digital illustration. This seamless transition from canvas to computer has yielded some of the most imaginative and thought-provoking imagery in John's career.
John lives and works as a freelance illustrator in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His images grace the covers of books published by The Penguin Group, Tor, Harcourt Publishing and Llewellyn Worldwide and a myriad of other publications and periodicals. His work also appears in the fantasy art showcases Spectrum, Fantasy Art Now, and many others.
For more information about this artist:
John Blumen
(includes an interview with the artist)
What do you think of my choice?
What beautiful cover(s)
are you featuring this week?
Ok, I admit that it is eye catching!
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding to analytical, I am actually thinking of some of the Old Testament story where angels had relationships with human women.
I think the we discussed this a little in the comments section of one of your posts a few months ago.
Sexy cover! My fav part is his wings wrapped around her.
ReplyDeleteHey, Brian!
ReplyDeleteOh, it most definitely IS eye-catching! And you're absolutely right about he Old Testament story. It might have been in the book of Genesis -- not really sure. Anyway, I think all of these angel romances are based on that. And, of course, we romantic females love it!!
As for discussing this in a previous post's comments, I really don't recall that, but I'll go take a look at my other SCS posts.
Thanks so much for commenting!! :)
Hi, Jen!
ReplyDeleteYes, this is a sexy cover, but yet, it doesn't go too far. I really don't like covers that are too explicit.
I love the wings wrapped around her, too! It's SOOOO romantic!!
Thanks for participating in Shelf Candy Saturday!! ;)
I agree. This is such a gorgeous cover!
ReplyDelete