Reading RomanceFollow

I was reading an article about a guy, a well-read heterosexual guy, and his secret passion for romance novels.

I've been caught up with sci-fi/fantasy lit since a pre-teen and haven't taken much to romance. However, I do recall sneaking two books off my mothers 'bedroom' bookshelf. One was Summer of "42", the other was The Wolf and the Dove. Summer of 42 I remember for being a good story about some kids not much older than me at the time, the sex was not romance. Reading The Wolf and the Dove however, I remember not being able to put the book down, and waiting, hoping, expecting the sexually charged, romantic encounter that was building. It got my 12-year-old juices flowing - probably for one of the first times.

Do you read romance with any regularity?

What book would you give the title the 'juiciest'? (plz exclude ****)

My favorite authors are Mary Balogh and Teresa Medeiros. I'd give Mary Balogh the "smexiest" author award; she writes characters you genuinely care about and you're practically cheering for them by the time the book is done.

Medeiros is more of a comedic fantasy writer, and some of her stuff deserves to be made into movies (although they'd probably botch them bad so I'm glad they haven't.) Breath of Magic, about a Puritan witch who escapes her trial by accidentally traveling through time to the 21st century, is considered her best work.

This site keeps making me want to start reading romance but so far I haven't had much luck finding good stuff. Then again, my usual method of acquiring books is to buy whatever looks halfway interesting from the used books section at Goodwill, so... *shrug*

I read Best Lesbian Erotica. I've met Tristan Taramino a couple of times and hung out with another writer who contributes alot. For me, erotica cuts out the middle man and goes right for the sex.

For no brainer romance, I head to Nora Roberts. I prefer her longer novels than the little short story/novellas she does. My favorite Nora Roberts titles are Three Fates, Montana Sky and the Dream trilogy.

I'm not ashamed to admit it, I LOVE Anne Rice when she's writing as Anne Rampling...Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, Exit to Eden, Belinda. If Ray seems me reading Exit to Eden, he knows he's getting a good time in the sack that night.

And of course, letters to Penthouse.

So she does have good stuff, it's not just that she's written a lot?

Because I'm reading one of hers right now and it is awful. Over a hundred pages in and it's still about the heroine's abusive childhood and her drug-addicted mother and then they go to America and there are RICE CRISPIES YAY!

And also it is written in third person retarded. Like, third person, but switching perspectives between the characters randomly every few paragraphs. So, with the Rice Crispies, first the kid sees her mom's friend getting them out of a shopping bag except OH WAIT that little bit was the mom's friend's perspective because in the next paragraph she's explaining to the kid what they are and why she should like them and the kid never saw her taking them out of the bag to begin with.

Haha, yep, that would be it.

I don't think I'd mind nearly so much if the little blurb on the back of the book hadn't made it sound actually interesting and exciting. I thought there would have been some, you know, thieving and revenging by now. xD

Having worked in a bookstore, I have always had a suspicion that somewhere, in a dark and secret room there is a Nora Roberts book generating machine. It consists of seven velcro covered monkeys that they repeatedly have dipped in a vat of cloth covered plot elements. They then place the plot piece covered monkeys inside a rotating centrifuge cage, and then spin them until everythign seperates and colesces into a book. The better ones are the result of them not feeding the monkeys beforehand...

More accurately, the series devolves into Anita fucking everyone.



For anyone who was invested in the paranormal mystery aspect of the series, it sincerely sucked, since from that point on, all the books should have included a "plot sold separately" sticker on the cover, but didn't.

Even worse, the sex really started to get quite dull, even downright bad (and not in the good way.) I mean (spoilers)

SpoilerDonovan, the swan king? Seriously?

The same cannot be said about the Merry Gentry series, ALSO by Hamilton. Those started out as PWP (****-without-plot) and have remained that way. Since there was no letdown factor, I've been able to keep reading those, whereas I had to give up Anita Blake once I read the preview of the first chapter of last year's book, when I realized (spoilers)

SpoilerI'd rather read about Anita, Nathanial and Jason deciding what to order on their pizza than about them negotiating the kind of threesome they were going to have.

If you don't mind taking a walk on the fanfic side, and enjoy Buffy the Vampire Slayer fic (particularly Spike-centric fic) allow me to introduce you to Mustang Sally and Rivka T. Their take on the Whedonverse can be a bit harsh at times, but mmmm it's good stuff, particularly

Spoilerthe mental image of Spike on a cot wearing nothing but a pair of glasses.

(Start with The Heart's Filthy Lesson and work your way upwards)


Edited, Jul 12th 2009 10:03pm by Ambrya

Should I find it odd that Kao frequents this thread?

No. I read ALL the threads. Everywhere. Besides. Someone mentioned john ringo.