Romance Novels

[Inkyblott]

I hadn't read a romance novel in years but a couple of months ago I picked up How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks from the library on a whim. It was actually pretty good, as these things go though it got a little murky when the author brought up the secret government task force out to kill all vampires not to mention a heavy-handed bit of circular story telling.

Now I'm trying to find the name of a romance novel I read back in high school. It was a fantasy/romance involving a witch or priestess and an arranged marriage. I do remember that the cover art had a (of course) the near shirtless guy. The woman had long white hair and there was either a unicorn or winged horse in the picture. Is this striking a chord with anyone? I do remember that this was the first 'cross genre' book I'd ever read and that the author also wrote romance novels with a time travel theme.

[nitenurse]

Well over the holidays I managed to catch up on my reading.

When did Navy Seals become romantic heros? Brockmann (I think was the writer) has this entire series, Seal or exSeal rescues independent heroine. Fights his urges, gives in, is this incredible lover, sensitive the whole nine inches, and winds up making a life with her.

No wonder some of the young ones at the Garrison look hunted. If this is what women around here are reading those poor 20somethings just back from 'Stan must feel the pressure to perform.

[tamaradixon]

I'm getting into Catherine Coulter these days. Its such light reading that I honestly don't remember any of it once its done. I just move on to the next book. She does write love scenes well and usually throws one or two in per book. I'm easy to please.

[Deleted]

I've been reading the occasional Nora Roberts trilogy for awhile, and lately came into some ebooks of hers, and I'm just...getting pissed off. I get that they're inherently formulaic - I can spot her six stock characters in all their remixes from a mile off - and that never bothered me in the books I read before (the Three Sisters trilogy, the In the Garden trilogy, and the Key trilogy). I don't know if she's gotten more feminist recently or what, but MY GOD, could she STOP IT with the highly aggressive men who prevent the women they're supposedly in love with doing their jobs and getting on with their lives? Or if they have to do it, couldn't they have an epiphany about how these women don't need fucking protecting? The above trilogies have a bit of that, but ultimately the men are much more respectful of the women's choices, even if they argue with them. But in some of these ones I've been reading lately (Night Tales, The Villa), they're so aggressive and so disrespectful in this urge to "protect" their little women, I'm entirely put off the romance aspect of things, because who'd want to have a romance with that kind of jerk?

Grr.

[clady]

That is why I stopped reading Nora Roberts way back when the In Death/JD Robb series was taking off and becoming popular. Between Roark and the men in her other books I couldn't take it any more. They are all exactly like you described, Erinnyes. I do wonder if she's really the one writing all these books. It seems like she comes out with a new one every month and that's a lot of writing even if you do have the same characters in every book!

[Deleted]

See, the later ones (in my previous post, which are all 2005 and onwards) are not so bad. The guys are still a bit over-protective, and people fight too much for my liking, but they usually get reminded that the women aren't weak little babies who need coddling. So I could live with that, and I enjoyed them overall. But these earlier ones are just making my skin crawl. There's NOTHING romantic about a guy who is so "over-protective" that he tries to prevent you from doing your job, even if your job is dangerous. There's nothing romantic about a guy who kidnaps you, even if he doesn't do it for evil reasons. And it's absurd to have these women furious with these bastards one minute and putty in their hands the next. Bah. I will just have to reread the ones I like, and stop reading the earlier ones. But it annoys me a lot that this is considered romantic. I just don't find that kind of condescension romantic, no matter how well the person thinks they mean.

It's possible she's got a ghost writer or two, I guess. She is awfully prolific. But her style is pretty consistent, so they're doing a good copy if that's true.

Bah. It's disappointing, I don't really read romance novels much, and I've enjoyed the ones of hers I've read previously, but I don't think I can read anything before 2005 now.

It's funny, I really like Mary Stewart, who is quite a similar author in a lot of ways, and yet the overt sexism in her books doesn't bother me as much as the pseudo-feminist sexism in Nora Roberts's. I guess it's just knowing Mary Stewart was a woman of her times. Plus, if anything, the behaviour of her heroines belies the sexism in their attitudes, so it's less annoying.

[clady]

I may have to pick up some of her newer ones and check them out. She used to be one of my favorites and I would love to read her again if she's backed off of the domineering men theme.

[Deleted]

I'd recommend the In the Garden (Blue Dahlia, Black Rose, Red Lily), Three Sisters (Dance Upon the Air, Heaven and Earth, Face the Fire) and Key (Key of Light, Key of Knowledge, Key of Valour) trilogies, in that case. There's still a degree of domineering man-ness going on, but it's a lot less. Less forcing women to do things they don't want to do "for their own good". She's over-keen on bickering as a sign of true love, but otherwise very enjoyable.

[Deleted]

inkyblott said:

I hadn't read a romance novel in years but a couple of months ago I picked up How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks from the library on a whim. It was actually pretty good, as these things go though it got a little murky when the author brought up the secret government task force out to kill all vampires not to mention a heavy-handed bit of circular story telling.

I wanted to comment on your vampire book, I just started a series called the DarkHunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon who also writes Avalon (King Arthur) under Finlay someone but she has a great series, they are adventurous and dark, and I don't really read romances anymore but I really like these. Check them out if you get a chance. I love even more her Avalon Warrior series. But the DarkHunter series is awesome.

[snowrunner]

clady said:

That is why I stopped reading Nora Roberts way back when the In Death/JD Robb series was taking off and becoming popular. Between Roark and the men in her other books I couldn't take it any more. They are all exactly like you described, Erinnyes. I do wonder if she's really the one writing all these books. It seems like she comes out with a new one every month and that's a lot of writing even if you do have the same characters in every book!

Eve in the Death series is such a Mary Sue. The author's pix at the back over the years eventually morphed into Eve - black leather jacket and short hair and all.