Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Many Thanks to my Goodreads Reviewers!


It's been three months since Deadly Currents, the first book in my new Rocky Mountain Outdoor Adventure mystery series, was released by Midnight Ink in trade paperback and ebook formats. The book has received excellent professional reviews from Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Scene magazine and more. And I'm very, very grateful for those. But the reviews that really warm my heart are the amateur reviews from plain old readers on the Goodreads social network.

As of this writing, Deadly Currents has been placed on the book lists of 250 Goodreads readers and has received 41 ratings and 25 verbal reviews. The average rating, on a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best) is a 4. I'm thrilled with that! And reading the insightful comments of readers about the book is pure pleasure. Here are some samples:

"I was surprised by how much I liked this one. It was given to me and I'm not into rafting at all. Well, at least I wasn't. Now I'd like to try. Along with the rafting and scenery details, the mystery was well crafted and pulled me along at a great pace. I thought the main character was very fleshed out. I'll read more of this series."


"
I really enjoyed this book. It was great to read a cozy set in a different setting and Beth is obviously very knowledgeable on the subject of white water rafting!"


"
This is a new series for Beth Groundwater and it is as good as her earlier one.
...
I didn't figure out "who dunnit" until Groundwater was ready to let me, which is always a good thing. Now, waiting impatiently for her next book.
"


"Now you can enjoy whitewater rafting to your heart’s content—from the cozy comfort of home! This book had everything: a spunky protagonist, a picturesque Colorado setting, and a plot that kept me twisting in the wind (or churning in the water . . .?) until the final chapter. I predict that this will be another winning series for Beth Groundwater."


"
I went to high school in Colorado... and I just loved learning about the culture of river rafting... something I am deathly afraid of since I can't swim! I thought the characters were great and loved how Groundwater pegged the stereotypical Coloradoan! The storyline was great too! It kept me guessing...I look forward to some more books by this author."


Goodreads book reviews are syndicated widely, including to
Worldcat (and to libraries all over the world through that system), Google Books, Blio, Stanza, Better World Books, Alibris, and Facebook. Goodreads applications are available on the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, Android (f0r mobile phones), iPhone and iPad, among other devices. And when Lifehacker, a website dedicated to making life easier with technology, asked thousands of its readers where they got their book recommendations, 39% picked Goodreads. That was well over the 26% who picked Amazon, the 13% who picked Shelfari, and the 11% who picked LibraryThing.

Given this information, the most important place on the web to collect good reviews for your book is Goodreads. And Goodreads readers have come through in spades for Deadly Currents. I am so very grateful that not only did so many folks on Goodreads enjoy reading the book, they took the time to give it a high rating and explain why they enjoyed it. Many thanks to you all!

4 comments:

Sandy Cody said...

Those are good reviews indeed. Pat yourself on the back for writing a book that readers such pleasure.

Beth Groundwater said...

Thanks, Sandy. Now, I just hope more readers discover DEADLY CURRENTS and give it a chance. :)

Kathi Oram Peterson said...

Congrats on the great reviews!

Beth Groundwater said...

Thanks so much, Kathi!