February 15, 2008
Okay, time to 'fess up…when you read, do you peek ahead? Do you read the last page first?
Do you do it all the time, or just for certain books? Why?
Why? asks the author, who's never ever ever peeked ahead in her life. Why?
(And I'm guessing that you peek-aheaders are also the ones who sneak down an unwrap your Christmas/etc. presents early too. Am I right?)
And, just 'cause it's Friday and I'm nice, I thought I'd share The Hotness….Lynn sent me this pic and said she thought it was the perfect image of Max. Hmmm.
Richard Armitage might just be a contender, no?
The second installment of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles takes Victoria to Venice and Rome.
My novel, 
February 15th, 2008 at 11:17 am
You really have “never ever ever peeked ahead” - not once?!? I know I have done it at least 3 or 4 times. I just get so caught up and anxious that I can’t help myself!(I try!!!) I have never read the last page first - thank goodness! While reading the end of Rises The Night I was really tempted to scan ahead…I barely made it through without doing so!(But I did - really!) Yeah, when I was a kid I searched for the Christmas presents when they were stashed away and not even wrapped yet - I was pretty successful! As for the image of Max - not bad…it conjures up about half of what I envision him to look like, but I think he needs to come across a bit more intense!
February 15th, 2008 at 11:28 am
ooo sexy! Would that be Richard Armitage of BBC North and South fame? (God, he’s a hottie!)
February 15th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I scanned through very briefly and quickly during Rises the Night to see if Max would be back. I wanted Max! But I would not say I’m a read-a-header but more of a peek-quickly-a-header.
February 15th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Lord God Above, I sent the picture to you and it still made me tremble when I saw it here!! I’ve got one in living color, too. Yes, that is Richard Armitage from “North and South” (not to be confused with the American miniseries by the same name). He’s also in the BBC series “Robin Hood” (he plays a bad guy — no, seriously, he does…Guy of Gisborne)
Okay, what was the other question…oh, yeah…do I peek. Sometimes — if I’m desperately afraid a novel is going to have a bad ending and I don’t want it to…
Finished TBD — loved it! Am still so worried about Max, though (which may make me peek at the end of the next one!!)
February 15th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
i am a NON-PEEKER. i love the anticipation of an ending i still don’t know! no peeking here!!!!
February 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I am also a non-peeker…which has caused me long nights of reading past 1 or 2 am when I near the end of an excellent book. I enjoy the anticipation too…like Elizabeth who posted before me.
I think that Richard Armitage looks close to what my minds eye had of Max. Yummy!!!! (Does anyone else like the occasional flyaway strands of hair?..hmm, looks similiar to Colleen’s pic on this site.)
We need a close up of Sebastian too!
Unfortunately, I am still reading TBD…’cuz I’m out of town at a training seminar and I am too tired to read most nights after class/dinner/drinking on someone else wallet! But, I plan to finish it up this weekend.
February 15th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
There have been a few books, that I just had to know the ending of so I peeked. It’s the books that I get frusterated with
and I just have to know if it’s going to turn out good in the end.
Richard Armitage is a nice looking man, but not really how I picture Max. Alex O’Loughlin fits the bill, more for me.
February 15th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
nope, never read ahead, except by accident when the book mark has fallen out and i can’t find my place. but my mother reads ahead ON EVERY BOOK! makes me absolutely crazy.
and i do rather like that richard armitage, he married geraldine on the “vicar of dibley” and it made her fly (well, it was a fantasy)! now that’s some kind of power!
February 15th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I’ll admit to having peeked ahead in a couple of books. But, it’s just because I was so bored with the book I wanted to know if the end warranted donating the time to finish reading! Generally, I don’t want to know. I’m all about the journey of the characters, and it’s just not quite the same if you know the ending!
And, oh my! He’s nice. Wonder if I can convince my cable company to add BBC…
February 15th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I have never peeked ahead either. I was so tempted for Potter 7 though it was all I had not to peek so I just stayed up all night and read.
Yes, that is Max!
February 15th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I usually manage to restrain myself from peeking at the end. But sometimes I can’t help myself.
And I think Richard Armitage would make a delicious Max!
February 15th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Richard Armitage would definitely make a good Max! I could sit and look at the man for hours…actually I do sit and look at the man for hours!!
AS to the question, I peek ahead in just about every book I read! I read a fe wpages, then read the last page, and then go back and read the bits in between. Every time!
February 15th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Sometimes I peak ahead in looking to find out when the good parts are going to happen ;o) I mean sometimes the sexual tension is so high you just need to know when it’s going to be relived
) It seams I’m the only one who does this (I say this as I turn red lol)
February 15th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Not at all LeeAnn - I do that too!
February 15th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
I refuse to read ahead. I live for the surprise of the ending. I hate when I’ll watch something like Bones and the husband will say, “You know the gardener did it.” I HATE when he does that!! I never can guess right. hahahaha
The photo is yummy, I may have to find one for my blog too.
February 15th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Mmmm….Yummy Richard. *sigh*
I only peek ahead in really, really bad books (i.e. don’t want to read the whole thing so I read the end to see if it ends as badly as I think it will. 99% of the time, it does).
I read The Bleeding Dusk. I haven’t reviewed it yet. Still trying to get my thoughts together. Though I will tell you that there’s a certain part of the book that actually made shivers go down my spine! That hardly ever happens.
February 15th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Well, hmm, I’m going to hit these backwards. I personally picture Max as a little more weathered. He’s sexy, but in an “I’ve been around the block and back” way - a streak of gray and a wrinkle or two around the eyes would help. This fellow does have the penetrating gaze down, yep.
I occasionally peek ahead and I’ll be glad to tell you why. I do so if I think I’m going to absolutely hate a book’s ending — based on foreshadowing, does it appear that something I really, really don’t want to happen is going to happen? I do this partly because I’m squeamish and prone to nightmares and partly because I don’t want to waste valuable reading time. Sometimes I’ll abandon a book rather than waste my time if it does turn out the author is just going to dangle the reader and then hit him with a brick.
I did this with a suspense, last year, and found that the heroine died the tragic, senseless death that was hinted at. She was such a wimpy, stupid little thing that I figured if she’s just going to get herself killed by this psycho then what’s the point? I want to read about heroines who have guts and sense.
Of course, that is why I love Victoria.
February 16th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I do think of Max as not quite as pretty, but a little more Clive-Owen-rugged. But Armitage isn’t a bad model. And I haven’t seen North & South, though I have seen Robin Hood (which I love).
As for me peeking…really. I never have peeked ahead, even for HP 7. If I get bored I might skim through pages to the end, but I never skip to the end.
February 17th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I’ve never peeked ahead and don’t understand those who do. LOL
Definitely check out North & South. It’s the good stuff.
February 19th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
If a book is boring me, I will read the last chapter to see if the ending is worth the effort. I do not sneak looks at my presents.
February 19th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I peek–and Colleen, you have GOT to see North and South. Yow.
February 20th, 2008 at 11:27 am
I know…I know. I have to put N&S on my Netflix. Then my daughter and I can watch it together.
Her favorite movie right now is the newer P&P with Keira Knightley…but only because she hasn’t seen the real one with Mr. The Hotness Firth. Yowza.
She loved Robin Hood, so I’m sure she’ll like N&S.