Tori Carrington's in the Corner

June 2007

I love movies, and being half-Greek, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is one of my favorites. First of all, the movie was simply hilarious, making good-natured jests of some of the more quirky aspects of our culture. Secondly, we Greeks don't often find Greek characters in the entertainment industry. So when we do, we latch onto them with a vengeance. This movie became the sleeper summer hit of 2002. There is also the play Momma Mia, which is set in Greece (and I highly recommend it for a rollicking good time!).

And now in the mystery novel industry, we have Sofie Metropolis.

Initially, Sofie had been the good Greek girl. She'd been just about to marry a Greek boy when she discovered that he truly wasn't a nice Greek boy. He and the maid of honor had become, shall we say, "close". Sofie had dumped her fiance, moved out of her parents' house, into the apartment building down the street that was her wedding gift from her parents, and had decided to work for Uncle Spyros as a private investigator.

And that is where our fun begins, in the first mystery of the Sofie Metropolis series, which is of the same title (Please see my review!). Sofie has a knack for finding missing animals, which, much to her chagrin soon becomes one of her primary types of cases. That and cheating spouses. It was enough to make any aspiring PI go crazy. That is until she is also called in to investigate a potential vampire. She had to be crazy to look into that issue. Then her big break comes, and Sofie is up to her neck in trouble.

But of course, our intrepid heroine succeeds. To live until another book, Dirty Laundry (Please see my review!). Sofie still seems to be the top missing pet investigator in the area. Also, the owner of the local laundromat has gone missing and there is suspicion of mafia involvement. And as if Sofie didn't have enough to worry about with the potential of being mafia-whacked, her mom has asked that she investigate her father to find out if he is cheating.

All's well that ends well and begins all over again in the most recent installment in the series, Foul Play (Please see my review!). As can only happen in Sofie's neighborhood, the receptionist in her office believes there is a missing pet conspiracy. There is also yet another cheating spouse case, although this time, the wife insists that there is something wrong with her husband. As Sofie digs further into the case, Sofie, being Sofie, gets into more and more trouble.

Much to the delight of readers.

I must stress that this series does not qualify as a Romance Genre series, but rather is truly a mystery series. The Sofie Metropolis mysteries are written by the husband and wife team of Tony and Lori Karayianni, writing as Tori Carrington. Tony was born in Greece, while I like to say, Lori is Greek by choice. "Or by injection, as a Greek radio host in Tampa proclaimed. Lol" - Comment by Tony and Lori.

Their first published romance, Constant Craving Harlequin Temptation #716, has recently been re-issued. They have released 35 stories, and many of their older series romances are being reissued. Until Sofie, they had stayed within the Romance Genre guidelines, typically publishing for Harlequin Temptation, and later, Blaze. Their unique humor, engaging characters, and intriguing plotlines have created a dedicated following of readers.

I was lucky to meet Tony and Lori many published books ago, in fact, before their first, Constant Craving, was picked up by Harlequin. I'm thrilled to see how much they have grown as authors, and look forward to seeing where they take me next.

What is next? Here is straight from the authors themselves. "We're currently having a blast plotting out Sofie IV, yet untitled. We're planning to take our intrepid, frappe-lovin' heroine into the paranormal realm (do you know how many hilarious superstitions and beliefs the Greeks have?) - Kathy interjects, "yes, I do", - and are setting the book during Halloween, when all sorts of strange and creepy characters come out to play. And, of course, we plan to "resurrect," or rather, bring the neighborhood vampire back for a command performance.

"We also have three more Blazes in the can, the first of which will launch the second Bad Girls Club series in July with TAKEN. The next two books Bad Girls will be written by Julie Leto and Leslie Kelly.

"Oh! More news for Sofie fans! Akashic Books will release the QUEENS NOIR anthology this fall. In our short story, tentatively titled, LAST STOP, DITMARS, Sofie's uncle Spyros (the real PI) investigates a fellow Greek's murder. The story is set during the Queens blackout and takes place right before Sofie hires on at his agency...you know, before he virtually disappears. But that's all we're saying about that Sofie subplot."

Wow! Looks like some fun reads are on the way. They plan to have five more titles out by next June. Can't wait!

Also, please check out my Tori Carrington's Profile Page

Welcome

I truly enjoy sharing my love of reading. This site was started to allow me to share some of my favorite books. I hope that if you look around and find that you agree with some of my selections (see my reviews), that you will return and hopefully find new authors. I plan on having periodic "Recommended Reads" lists that will include books I recommend, as well as suggestions by visitors to this site. I will also keep you up-to-date on different upcoming events, special offers, etc.

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My Personal Disclaimer

Boy Meets Girl, They Fall in Love, and the two of them live Happily Ever After. This is the content for any book I believe is a true Romance Genre novel. The books that I recommend, or have reviews posted for will follow that format, unless I note otherwise. Granted we may know the outcome of a Romance Genre Novel, but it is the journey the characters take that is the reason we read these books. The Happily Ever After doesn't mean they're all vampires... Just means that the future is open to them, even if it is set 500 years in the past - we don't need to know their final chapter in life. At times I have have Recommend Reads by visitors to this site - I cannot guarantee that they meet my criteria for a Romance Genre Novel.