The Couple That Fooled The World, by Maisey Yates - Review

Information
Title: The Couple Who Fooled The World
Author: Maisey Yates
Release Date: June 18, 2013
Publisher:  Harlequin
Imprint: Harlequin Presents
Reviewing: advance e-copy
Reason for reading: Uh.  I think it was because of the phallic salmon.

The Short Answer 
I loved this story!  I love the gender role inversions and the (I thought, anyway) tongue-in-cheek pokes at genre cliches. Fun, authentic, emotional, and deeply romantic.

Wait, Did You Say... "Salmon" ?
Well, yeah.  I did.  After RT12 last year, I sort of developed this Twitter habit.  So full disclosure, Ms. Yates and I have been swapping tweets for quite a while now.  Partly because we tend to be online around the same times, and partly because she cracks me the heck up.  I found myself in the middle of a conversation between Yates and another author about their WIPs.  One thing led to another, and the phrase "Is that a salmon in your pants or are you just happy to see me?" may have come up, and, well, long story short, she sent me an advance e-copy.

I want to assure my readers that if I didn't like the book much or was really lukewarm, I would likely have opted out of the review entirely.  I'm not going to pump up a book that I didn't like.  I have to say though, that reading this book was really just kind of a highlight of my weekend.  I swapped "live-tweets" with Maisey of some favorite quotes as they happened, and honestly, the characters totally pulled me in. I didn't know much about the story other than the afore-mentioned salmon, and the geek-speak at the beginning just KNOCKED ME OVER.  Romance writers, I love you, but honestly, there are not that many of you who do this right.  Yates turns out to be one of them.

Her characters are basically Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, if Gates had invented the Blackberry, and if Jobs was female, and if they were both SUPER ULTRA HOT.  And, um, had not started out in business together and tried to sue each other into oblivion.  And the Blackberry wasn't dying a slow painful death. Anyway, just go with it.

Ferro (iron? steel? I love the name) is the incumbent king of the secure, business-oriented smartphone, while Julia's upstart company is upsetting his applecart (heh, see what I did there) with a sleeker, more useable, more FUN smartphone.  The positioning of their companies and products don't consume very much of the story, but it's an opening gambit that is SPOT ON for what's going on in the industry right now, without a false step.

My Sordid History with Category Romance

It's been a really long time since I read a Harlequin Presents, but I'll tell you, they are the books that lured me into romance at age 12 or 13, with their exotic settings and luridly fascinating sexy sexytimes.  Also, I had this set of ever-so-wholesome "Sue Barton, ____ Nurse" books.  Their covers were falling off.  And those covers? fit just perfectly over the average category romance.  Voila.  I'm sure I FOOLED THEM ALL, HAHAHAH!!

Anyhow, I digress.  I moved on to stand-alones because they had even sexier sexytimes and also because I could read a 400 page novel in like 3 hours back then AND I had a lot more time on my hands.  I haven't been back to category very often, but I'm finding the shorter, sweeter bites to be more appealing these days. In many ways the format suits my available reading time better than a longer book.

Twisting the Tropes
I am more than a little bemused at how adamantly the romance genre continues to push the "marriage of convenience" trope into the modern day.  Is this still a thing?  Do actual people ever do this?  I feel like it's a beloved holdover from historical romance that we can't quite relinquish. It is indeed, a thing, in TCWFTW.  This one wasn't really a twist, but an obedient servant: the two are pretending to team up romantically so that a joint business venture will get more PR and have better odds with the client against a third competitor.  I will say that in today's highly visible environment, I felt that the characters handled their charade-that-comes-true realistically enough.

You can't start talking about the romance genre without someone bringing up the punishing kisses.  I have never found this as offensive as some and I've never taken it literally -- to me, it's visually powerful phrasing to convey a hard, passionate kiss that might leave your lips a little swollen.  Nevertheless, it's a Thing in Romlandia, and particularly in the HP line, so I was delighted to see the author playing with it like a cat with a catnip-bell-toy:

He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear, his breath hot on her neck.  "Think of how angry I make you.  And then kiss me like it's my punishment."

And then she does it! It's not often that a scene can be hott and slyly self-referential at the same time, but this one totally rang that bell.

Characters
I'm only going to say a little about this because discovering the characters and how well they fit together is a big part of how this book works.  I will say that their chemistry worked really well for me.  HPs are infamous for giving us couples with a huge power differential, always in the man's favor.  This one isn't like this. The characters are on equal footing in every way.  While Ferro demands a certain amount of dominance in their relationship, it's more of a defense mechanism that the two of them eventually overcome than any kind of kink.  Even so, it's quite clear throughout that Julia is is equal.

Bits and Pieces
I love how Yates uses Julia's wardrobe to trace her character arc. One of the "secrets" of powerful people is not that they are good at everything -- but when they understand their weaknesses, they hire people to fill in the gaps.  On the first page:

She smiled for the cameras, knowing she looked good.  Thank God she had a personal stylist, along with a hair and makeup team.  On her own she was hopeless.

Early in their deal, Ferro invites her at the last minute to be his date for a Hollywood opening; the whole red-carpet deal.  I love that she doesn't freak out over what to wear:

...she hit the intercom on her phone. "Thad."

"Yes?" Her assistant's voice came through the speaker.

"I need a dress. A hot one. Get Ally on it, please. And I need to get my hair done."

"Formal? And by when?"

"Yes, and I need to be waiting out in front of the building at four-fifty."

That's it! No freaking out. I love it. The result:

...he was genuinely stunned by her appearance.  She was utterly captivating in a long black dress-- the woman didn't seem to own another color-- that skimmed the gray sidewalk.  The sleeves were long and full, like a kimono, and the neck high, revealing very little of her pale skin.

Later, when they are staying in the same hotel suite to promote their fake affair, Ferro sees her dressed casually in sweatpants, and it kind of knocks him out:

Lace, silk would not have been as compelling. Because right now, Julia was a woman as he had never seen one."

When Ferro's backstory is revealed-- which twists another trope-- you'll see how perfectly true that is, and it just might pull on your heartstrings a little bit.

Bottom Line
I really enjoyed this story, and would recommend it to anyone who likes contemporary romance, whether you are usually a fan of category or not. 

Around the Blogosphere
Contemporary Romance Reviews
RT has a review in their latest issue if you are a subscriber.
A fun interview at Lady Scribes
(note, since I'm getting this review done ahead of time for a change, the list of published reviews is pretty short.  I'm happy to add more in as they become available.)

Sunday Soup - June 9

Sunday Soup is... a little of this, a little of that, not too much work, and hopefully a tasty result.

Soup Dish:  book people are talking about...
Well, to be honest, I dropped out of Twitter and my readerly Facebook feeds this week because I was worried about getting spoilered for Heart of Obsidian. So I'm a little more unplugged than usual. But here are a couple of things I tagged for the Soup:

✽ HuffPo's list of 9 Books People Will Judge You For Reading.  One of the "books" is the entire category of romance.  Sigh.  They're not wrong, but my response is always, always, Dear Author's classic Apologia Scale.  I'm thinking about trying to work my way through some of the rest of that list.  Actually, I'm rather liking their column on books in general.  I'm not really great about reading on news sites, but perhaps I'll try to adopt a new habit. Because I really need another avenue for book recommendations -- my list is just not long enough!

✽ Penelope, whom I follow on Twitter and whose blog I've enjoyed for years, had a short, pithy little rant that I think most readers will cheer about, and maybe a few authors (and I really don't have any in mind) might want to remember. Do you like the book?

✽ Being more than a little bit geeky for tech, I found this article to be really inspiring.  I want to try all those apps: Book Publishing May Actually Save Itself, in Forbes, no less.

What I'm reading
✽ I finished up Wanted: Wife, by Gwen Jones, a cute contemporary out from Avon last week.  You'll see the review this week from me (imagine! an actual post other than the Soup!)

✽ I'm still in the middle of the Laura Wright and the Anna Campbell titles that I mentioned last week.  I had to set them aside for ...

✽ Heart of Obsidian -- Oh my, this was everything I've come to expect from Nalini Singh, and then actually? A little bit more.  I wouldn't really recommend diving into the series with this book, but you really, really should be reading this.  I'm debating whether I will do a review, but I think I have Things To Say, so there will probably be something.

✽ And then I really needed something completely different so even though I had two books in progress already, I switched into the latest Jill Shalvis title, a small-town contemp.  I haven't been reading the Lucky Harbor books prior to this, so I'm not sure if it leans more sweet-small-town or if the suspense-thriller angle will be more dominant, but either way it's good so far.

On Tap... what soup isn't a little better with a slosh or two?
So you know I like a bit of a sweet beer, so I tried out something called Big Sky Honey Ale.  It was OK, but I didn't really taste any honey in it which disappointed me a bit.  It was smooth and tasty and not too hoppy but otherwise unremarkable.  Also, it's gone, which may tell you something.  Whether it's about the beer or the week I had shall remain ambiguous.

Avon Addicts - The Third Wave

Brace Yourselves, Romance Fans....
Avon has a whole new wave of power readers and reviewers!

Maybe you know some of these voices already, but if you don't, be sure to check them out, as they will soon have access to a trove of Avon review titles. Please welcome the third wave of Avon Addicts.  Ladies, you're in for a great ride!

Sheri V (LoveofBookends)

Michelle G (BookLoverChelle)

Crystal B (CrystalBlogsBooks)

Danielle G (RamblingsFromThisChick)

Jennifer D (Bittenbylovereviews)

Melissa W (BalletBookworm)

Pamela R (BadassRomance)

Kimberly W (TrulySimplyPink)

Sherri W (UrbanGirlReader)

Delphina M (DelphinaReadsTooMuch)

Ki P (DoingSomeReading)

Rachael G (BrunetteLibrarian)

Anna C (herdingcats2012)

Kimberly C (CaffeinatedBookReviewer)

Nancy S (OnceUponaHappyWriter)

Laura H (DemonLoversBooksandMore)

Nancy G (RakesRoguesandRomance)

Lisa B (DuckieWench)

Lime C (Limecello)

Teri C (SnarkyMamma)

Seirra P (DearRestlessReader)

Lisa L (TeaTimeRomance)

Vanessa R (JeepDiva)

Wren B (HerHeroHisLady)

Heidi Z (YABibliophile)

Sunday Soup - June 2

Sunday Soup is... a little of this, a little of that, not too much work, and hopefully a tasty result.

Big News for Alpha Heroes!
A few weeks ago I mentioned that my review of Tempestuous Eden, by Heather Graham, was also an application to the RetroReads reader program.  I'm very happy to announce that I was chosen to be a part of this nifty deal, and I look forward to taking you back in time on a regular basis.  Look for the Retro Reader badge around the internet for other participants!

Soup Dish:  book people are talking about...
June! June? how on earth did it get to be June? that's like halfway through the year. I should start my Christmas shopping, right? And I haven't booked our summer travel yet, OMG.  (Yep, it's June. This happens every year.)  OK, anyway, so book people are talking about...

✽ Kensington has re-released Robin Schone's The Lady's Tutor.  It looks like it's been available in Kindle format since at least 2009, but the print version has a gorgeous new cover.  If you've never read this book, I highly recommend it.  Interestingly, it's being marketed as erotic romance, which is a category that did not explicitly exist when it was first published in 1999. Although it will likely be considered fairly mild by today's erotica standards, as a genre historical romance, it raised my eyebrows, I can tell you that. Wikipedia references a dispute with the publisher, now resolved, that prevented her from publishing for a few years.  Hopefully this means more good things to come from Ms. Schone's talented pen.

✽ An author takes a risky public stand: What Authors Owe You. Authors, being in the public eye, are often put in awkward positions when there are problems with their books that are out of their control.   I thought this was particularly interesting:

Readers are not an author’s customers. Readers are our readers. Readers are customers of bookstores (real and virtual) and other retail venues. Unless you bought the book directly from the author, you are not the author’s customer and all you are entitled to is the story we wrote. If there’s a problem with the delivery system, you take it up with the folks who run the delivery system.

If you buy a shirt and it’s missing a button, do you call up Versace or do you take it back to the store?

If you buy a videogame and the disc is scratched, do you bitch at Electronic Arts or do you get your ass back to GameStop for a refund?

Just because social media allows you to reach out to an author, doesn’t mean you necessarily should.

I'm not sure I agree that readers are not customers, and I happen to know that lots of people bitch at places like Electronic Arts for all kinds of stupid things.

But this all gets to one of the reasons why the perennial "Authors Behaving Badly" kerfuffles irritate me.   I don't really want to know. I don't want my enjoyment of an authors' work tainted by some kind of stupid lapse of judgment that had the misfortune of being splashed all over the internet.  If an artist (author, musician, cinematographer, etc) crosses the line into overtly racist, cruel, or criminal behavior, then I might want to make an informed vote with my dollars.  But a B or C list author having a tantrum over a two star review? DON'T CARE.

✽ On the other hand, book people ARE talking about the sexism kerfuffle going on at SFWA. As far as I can tell, it was kicked off by this blog post, which outlines the problem pretty well. Spoiler: the Old White Guys pretty much show their ass here, and not at all in a good way. Late edit: good grief there are a lot of people talking about this! The latest to deconstruct and utterly destroy the puny, flaccid arguments coming from Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg is Foz Meadows. She also has lots of links if you feel like going way in-depth.

✽ This headline caught my eye.  Until I got down into the article, I didn't realize it was essentially a review for a book on How to Read Literature, which, based on title alone, sounded kind of interesting. The rest of the article was sort of a pan, but I might look at some other opinions.  I was too busy inhaling stories when I was a kid (still am) to pay much attention to literature--that just slowed me down. I don't know if education failed me or if I just had too much attitude to be open to it.  I remember scoffing pretty hard at a lesson on alliteration in 9th grade. But it would be nice to get better at expressing why some authors just have a treatment of language that moves me more than others.

✽ It's not really about romance, but this article on the physiological effects of corsets can't help but catch the interest of historical romance lovers.  There are X-rays! I mean, we all figure it was bad, but really, it was pretty bad.

✽ I absolutely loved this BuzzFeed article: Can You Guess What These NYC Subway Riders Are Reading?

✽ On my list, haven't gotten to it yet, but certainly strikes a chord with me: The Curse of Reading and Forgetting.

What I'm reading
It's been a bit of a down week in reading - just super busy with other stuff and too brain-dead to read once the day finally settles down.  So this week is more about quality than quantity:

✽Fire and Frost, an anthology with stories by Jessica Sims, Carolyn Crane, and Meljean Brook. It was AWESOME. I'm hoping to get a review up, but in the meantime, I don't know how long the $0.99 price will last, so you should go get it right now.

✽Currently in the middle of Eternal Demon by Laura Wright. I do enjoy this author quite a lot, and this book is so far right in the pocket for expectations.

✽I was out and about on Saturday and left my Kindle at home. Now, if I were absolutely desperate, I could've used my iPhone to sync and keep reading, but I just happened to be at a little local mall with a Half Price Books and thought I'd nab something in an old-fashioned paper format. I'm way behind on Anna Campbell's backlist, so I have just dipped into Midnight's Wild Passion. Sometimes, your average regency rake is really just teddy bear with a thin facade, but so far Ranelaw is looking like the real deal -- actually quite dissolute, actually quite amoral, and with an unsavory ulterior motive. Campbell is awesome at redeeming these bad guys though, so I'm looking forward to the ride.

On Tap... what soup isn't a little better with a slosh or two of an adult beverage? 
OK, so writing this little blurb once a week is making me realize that I really don't know very much about beer at all. So when I was at the fancy mega store looking for my delicious Sam Adams Cream Stout (I got the last six pack, w00t!), I noticed a stack of these booklets and picked one up.

I've been browsing it, and it really is genius marketing because it's not only just general, good-to-know stuff, but it's quite handy to tell what specific brands and varieties--which the store JUST HAPPENS to carry-- might suit the category that you're learning about or that might sound good from the fancy descriptions.  (The book mentioned the existence of cherry porter beer, the acquisition of which just might be my next obsession.)  Meanwhile, I've mostly been alternating between the Sam Adams Cream Stout and the Blue Moon Belgian-style white.

Want to Join In?
I'm thinking about doing a couple of read-alongs in the not too distant future.  I'm thinking sheiks for one, and a specific Lisa Hendrix title for another. Anyone interested?

Just Because It Cracked Me Up:

Sunday Soup - May 26

Sunday Soup Is ... a little of this, a little of that, not too much work, and hopefully a tasty result.

Soup Dish ... book people are talking about:
✽ Kindle Worlds Announcement.  Amazon is throwing out an interesting model to cash in on the enthusiastic world of fan-fic.  The originators of the world, the fan fic writers, and of course Amazon, all get a slice of the pie, always assuming that there are buyers for this work.  I have no particular dog in the fan-fic race (and there are some positively rabid ones), but the intellectual property ramifications are pretty interesting. As you might expect, Amazon is undoubtedly going to be the big winner in this particular deal, as all of the creators are essentially agreeing to hand over all rights, licensing, etc. to Amazon in exchange for a percentage of the e-story take.

✽ Nalini Singh's latest hero (anti-hero, perhaps) granted an audience to Twitter users this week.  The Book Thingo blog posted a very nice summary of the session [edit: I forgot the link!], and while it says "spoilers" pretty prominently, I don't think there's much there to worry about.  The book releases June 4, so anticipation is building nicely.  It's one I'm particularly looking forward to.  Berkley also posted a Storify rendering of the Tweetfest, but unfortunately I don't think it was all that well done.  Skip it. (I must admit I'm intrigued by the Storify tool though.  I am looking forward to checking it out).

✽ If you're not following Foz Meadows, you should be. That's all.

✽ Smart Bitches takes on the sequel to my all time favorite romance. She gives it an F+. Of course, the sequels are never as good as the original, but if you like old skool, and you like over the top, you might check out this series -- there are 4 or 5 titles, and astonishingly, they are still in print.

• My review of Captive Passions. 
• Smart Bitch tears up Captive Splendors.

What I'm reading
✽ My favorite read last week was a Harlequin Presents by Maisey Yates, called The Couple Who Fooled The World.  It was just so sweet and funny, and she gives good tech speak.  It'll be out in a couple of weeks, and I'll post a review at that time.

✽ The Cursed, by Alyssa Day.  I loved this author's Atlantis series, and I love this one too.  Like her Warriors of Atlantis series, there are all kinds of paranormal races and powers in this series.  The dark stuff is sufficiently scary, but in general this is a lighter-hearted series than many of your gritty UF offerings.  It reminds me a little of Christine Warren's Others series.

Some Words of Wisdom
✽ My office building runs this TV thing in the elevator, called Captivate Networks.  (That video was taken in "my" building.)  Anyway, I stare at the little screen while I riding up to the 18th floor, either slurping a latte or waiting to be caffeinated from the free office coffee.  It runs headlines, weather, some ads, and the occasional random factoid.  Recently, it ran this memorable suggestion:

"Management Tip: Don't leave problems hanging. Try to solve them."

I was like OMG! Why have I never thought of that before?  And how much did they pay the person who wrote that?  Now you too may understand the secrets of a successful manager.  Who needs an MBA?

✽ A more better pearl of readerly wisdom was passed my way via Jeffe Kennedy, by one McNally Jackson.  It's destined to become a classic, if you ask me.

I sometimes pretend to myself that I have insomnia, when what I really have is a good book and inadequate respect for tomorrow.

Can't you just picture that on a mug?

✽ I learned a word today: tsundoku.  I bet you can relate.

On Tap... what soup isn't a little better with a slosh or two?

I am something of a serial monogamist with beers. When I find one I like, I default to it until I find a good reason to change my mind. I drank Alaskan Amber for several years, and last year a friend got me started on Blue Moon Belgian White.  I'm only starting to learn about anything more subtle than "too hoppy, too malty" in terms of figuring out what I like.

For example, after trying a couple of different lagers that both had a weird floral note, I decided that must be what lagers were like, and I didn't like them. Then one of my beer friends said, "Oh, no, that's just the type of hops they used."  The TYPE of hops? Now I have to pay attention to what KIND of hops are in it?  Sheesh.  Complicated.

Anyway, after trying and liking a few pilsners recently, I'm sensing an impending pilsner fling for the summer.  I just have to find the ones that are not too hoppy, and not too flowery, inspired by several pitchers of this delicious, delicious beverage: Roger's Pilsner.

That's it! Have a great week!

Sunday Soup - May 19

Sunday Soup is... a little of this, a little of that, not too much work, and hopefully a tasty result!

Soup Dish...
✽ Brenda Novak's annual fundraising auction for diabetes is currently underway, and you have some time to find something good.  You're not likely to get a bargain here-- nor should you expect one, since the object is to raise money for a worthy cause-- but there are some unique and bookish items available.

✽ This week, I discovered something called The Bechdel Test. It's a pretty simple concept - does the movie or book have:

1. at least two women in it,
2. who talk to each other,
3. about something besides a man

If yes, it passes the test.  The origination of the test was a pithy graphic comic which I won't post here due to copyright concerns, but an image search will turn it up for you quick enough.  It's one of those Occam Razor sort of points-- extremely simple in concept, but so revealing when you think about it for more than five seconds.  I'll be looking for that dialog in my next reads.

✽ Wikipedia, "Qworty" and caveat emptor - once again, we are reminded that while the internet is a magical place of near-infinite knowledge, data, and information... it cannot always be trusted.

✽ Nalini Singh will be posting the first two chapters of Heart of Obsidian (PSY/CHANGELING) up on her blog on Monday.  I just pre-ordered the book, due out June 4.  (You KNOW I love this series when I'm paying hardcover prices for a release-day copy.)

 What I'm Reading
✽ I finished up the Katie MacAlister release that I mentioned last week.  I think the world building premise is neat; I'm not sure how much it relates to her previous books since I've only read one or two and that was quite some time ago.  The characters consistently deliver the sort of goofy slapstick humor MacAlister is famous for.  I really enjoyed the first, oh, 40-50% I guess, but eventually I wanted a little more substance to my characters.  I had the nagging suspicion that this heroine just wasn't all that bright, which is not the way to my reading heart.

✽ I read through a soon-to-be re-released Loretta Chase novella for which I owe a full review, so I will only say here that I loved it as I do almost everything this woman writes.

✽ My favorite read for the week though was Cathy Maxwell's trilogy finale, The Devil's Heart . Unlike most Regency trilogies, this bunch actually did have a strong series arc, so you are well advised to read all three.  Highly enjoyable!  I'd call this a ghost story or a supernatural more than a paranormal -- perhaps I'm splitting hairs, but the characters themselves did not have any paranormal powers so it seems to not quite fit what I think of as PNR standards.

Acquisitions
✽ Bittersweet by Noelle Adams - I caught this one as a freebie, so why not.  Price is at $2.99 as of this writing.

✽ SINFULLY SWEET (Boxed Set of 6 FULL LENGTH Novels), by a variety of authors, which you can't beat for $0.99. That price is still good at the moment. Apparently I'm all price-conscious this week, because that was it.

✽ Oh, hey, there's a similar deal going on, also $0.99: Dark Nights Dangerous Men, for 6 indie romances.  I already own several of these, so I'm pondering whether I want the rest.  Still a great deal.  According to Katie Reus, you should have the rest of this week to pounce.

On Tap
What soup isn't a little better when you split a serving of wine or beer with the pot?

I have been MISERABLE with a rare allergy attack this week, so between the stuffy head and the antihistamines, I've mostly been On A Break from the brew this week.  However, I did try a Burnside Sweet Heat at a work event and it was very interesting! I suspect that if my faculties had been entirely intact it would've been too spicy for me, but the heat was a bit welcome for my stuffy head.

And that's it for this week's Soup!

Thirteen Things about RT13 - Edition 30

I went to the RT convention last year and, honestly, had some mixed feelings about it.  There were a number of reasons why I chose not to go this year.  But I have to say, knowing what I was missing made me feel kind of left out, like there was this big party that I could've gone to but decided not to, and then kind of regretted opting out.  Well, really, exactly like that.  So here's a roundup of a few places on the web where you can kind of live - or re-live, if you were there - RT13 in a vicarious sort of way.


13. Kiersten Hallie Krum's roundup on #Bittercon

12. Danielle with highlights from the Casablanca team

11. John Scalzi talks a little about attending a con as a gender minority.

10. Ilona Andrews sells out in 30 minutes

9. Jeaniene Frost's rundown.

8. USA Today's "Happily Ever After" column is rapidly becoming one of my favorite places to find good stuff about the genre, books, authors, and events.

7. Andrew Shaffer is a prolific Tweeter, so you may need to page back a bit, but his RT live-tweets were pretty awesome.

6. Red Hot Books blogger Jen records her favorite moments

5. Nicole Peeler has lots of neat photos with entertaining captions

4. Kristina Wright's (one my favorite erotica writers) recap

3. From the horse's mouth: RT Magazine's roundup

2. EL James makes a surprise and dramatic appearance, as reported by Smart Bitch Sarah.

1.  Romance authors and cover models doing the Harlem Shake.  No words.