The Owlsfane Horror

So the other night we wandered down to the "common room" in this building, where there are many well-read paperbacks that are just chillin' quietly on shelves, having been donated in times past by well-meaning people who really shouldn't be allowed to purchase books; in doing so they create the demand for the supply which really should not exist...
But my view on all of that was changed when i realized, while gazing at the cracked spines, that i couldn't drag myself out of the house to the library, and there was nothing new to read up in the apartment. nothing much caught my eye until- yes! a romance novel! now, i have never actually read one of these, so it seemed like the time was right. for once i was more curious than sneering about it.
Upon pulling the book free, however, i noticed the title: "Texas Ecstasy". Now i'll admit, the words themselves sounded good together, but the grimace on my face threatened to put a stop to the whole experiment, until i read the teeny-tiny super-title above, written in a flowing script: "Louisiana Love was nothing compared to..." ha ha ha ha ha :) oh, dear. it was almost too good to be true. could it be that there actually existed a whole series of these books, one for each state? marvelous.
It would have been nothing but ripped bodices, strong calloused hands and long, dark tresses from then on, had not the Boyfriend noticed an enticing tome: The Owlsfane Horror. the name itself certainly trumped the Lonestar Liaison, but the cover- oh, the cover. it had a wonderful false front of a stone man's screaming face, and within the oval of his gaping mouth one could view the page beneath- a woman's screaming face! not to mention that the protagonist's name appeared to be "Sandy Horne", and that the whole kit and kaboodle came straight from the discerning fingers of author "Duffy Stein" (yeah, right). oh, the joy!
Well, i was sold. it's possible i actually dropped Texas Ecstasy to the floor while clasping my new treasure against my chest. Nat said, "you're actually going to read that??" but i couldn't hear him.

My dedication has paid off with such witty lines as, "David's palms leaked water." and memorable paragraphs like "She let go of David's hand, reached into her Vuitton handbag, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. (She had a lot to learn. Who brings Vuitton handbags on a ski trip?) She offered the package to David. "No thanks," he said. "It cuts down on my wind."

wow, people. just- wow. imagine if i had never picked this up? tragic.

also:

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/03/man_gives_wife_steampunk_mac_f.php

...yes, please!
pretty please?