I have an author whose first series I read I accepted that because of the time period and who the characters were that there was a high possibility of such and ending. But then I read more of her books she just gives her characters a HFN and then ends up killing them either in the beginning of the following book or near the end... she does state though that when the H and h are the main leads that she gives them a HEA in their book but that realistically things that she writes happen all the time. (I know this is true but...) Though her writing is good in my opinion, it's not enough for me.
Northwomen Sagas- Susan Fanetti Vikings/Shield-maidens. The kinds of lives the H and h lived was going off and fighting and pillaging and conquering that them dying or being killed for their titles and lands is not bad in my head. In the case of the leads in this series each gets a long happy time with their perspective H and h and later (once their kids are adults) then the leading couple of the 1st dies.
Then I started on this series Signal Bend-Susan Fanetti and it was like okay, I get it tough lives led by the the main leads. The H lived a criminal life, not my favorite kind of H thought he would change his ways but instead this goes deeper and deeper and though the couple from the first book seems to make it, it's everyone else involved who gets killed and they lose their H or h. I stopped reading her books.
I understand her point of view (the authors) but sometimes it's too realistic and I see more than enough ugly in real life.
I felt there was a real 'bait and switch' in Marta Acosta's books The Casa Dracula series. In the first two the h is with one particular guy. But in the third book he starts acting like an asshat, and guess what? She ends up with this other guy. I'm invested in the relationship after two books. Not liking the switching out of the H like that.
I had other problems with those books but they were ok, until the bait and switch.
Of course after getting complaints about it, the author was all 'Oh, these books aren't REALLY romance books....'. Sure.
linviolet Those are the sort of events that distinguish general fiction or women's fiction from romnce in my mind. If a book or series is marketed as romance, I have expectations concerning the main couples that I don't with other categories, such as them staying together. If a series covers generations, then obviously that is different and original couples will age and pass away. I still expect them to remain together until the end, though, and to not have the author try to turn a previous H into an ass 20 or 30 years later.
I still expect them to remain together until the end,
agreads I have that same expectation, specially if the H and h have gone through many, many, many hardships. I want them to be happy and live the rest of their lives in peace.
In the case of Susan Fanetti she has her characters going through really horrible situations and at the end of the book the H and h have a happy ending, which is expected and then that gets taken away in the following book where we follow another H and h and then we see the past H or h get tortured and killed rather graphically in this new book. Had I not gone into her website and looked at her social media accounts I would have been under the illusion that her books were romance books. She wrote something along the lines of how she follows the guidelines for romance, giving the H and h their HEA but that since in real life HEA can be interrupted with loss of a loved one.
Now the books were introduced to me as MC romance books with a dark edge, which I thought it meant that the H and h were going to go through tough times and situations but they do find some sort of happiness and live their lives to ripe old age and friends and family and pet animals surround them as they remember the old days of hurt and how they surpassed it. Her books are great if I want to read about fictional crime and men living on the wrong side of the law living their regular lives (which includes marriage and kids at one point), it just isn't a romance.
I agree that in romance genre the H and h should be together at the end. But as long as the book is known to be part of a series, it can be tolerated. I loved, loved, loved Cat and Bones. But SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE SERIES
They aren't together at the end of book 1. Now when I read it, the rest of the series was already out. So I don't know, was it clear at the time the first book was released that there would be more books with them in it?
I felt there was a real 'bait and switch' in Marta Acosta's books The Casa Dracula series. In the first two the h is with one particular guy. But in the third book he starts acting like an asshat, and guess what? She ends up with this other guy. I'm invested in the relationship after two books. Not liking the switching out of the H like that.
I had other problems with those books but they were ok, until the bait and switch.
Of course after getting complaints about it, the author was all 'Oh, these books aren't REALLY romance books....'. Sure.
I read this series and decided the same thing. I gave them away because I knew I'd never re-read.
I felt there was a real 'bait and switch' in Marta Acosta's books The Casa Dracula series. In the first two the h is with one particular guy. But in the third book he starts acting like an asshat, and guess what? She ends up with this other guy. I'm invested in the relationship after two books. Not liking the switching out of the H like that.
I had other problems with those books but they were ok, until the bait and switch.
Of course after getting complaints about it, the author was all 'Oh, these books aren't REALLY romance books....'. Sure.
I read this series and decided the same thing. I gave them away because I knew I'd never re-read.
I said something about this on the Amazon boards once, and the author not only responded to my post, but tracked down ever post I ever made about it and responded to them as well. At the time I really was unhappy to get baited and switched like that so I brought it up, maybe 3 or 4 times over the course of a year or so. It wasn't like I went and spammed it across all the boards. Just if a subject came up that it could be included in. But she dug up EVERY SINGLE post. Kind of freaked me out.
I said something about this on the Amazon boards once, and the author not only responded to my post, but tracked down ever post I ever made about it and responded to them as well. At the time I really was unhappy to get baited and switched like that so I brought it up, maybe 3 or 4 times over the course of a year or so. It wasn't like I went and spammed it across all the boards. Just if a subject came up that it could be included in. But she dug up EVERY SINGLE post. Kind of freaked me out.
Were the author's posts just "Oh, these books aren't REALLY romance books....", or something more? Because that sounds just a bit stalkerish.
I can't remember exactly what she said. Along the lines of "Oh these weren't romances..." and then as she found more older posts she started getting like "Wow, you really had a problem with the books..." Or along those lines. Like I said, I didn't spam every board. Just brought it up maybe 4 times over the span of several months/a year because I was trying to find others who read the series and see how they felt about it. I never responded back to her. If this were still on the Amazon boards, I probably wouldn't have brought it up or mentioned it without saying the series or author.
I can't remember exactly what she said. Along the lines of "Oh these weren't romances..." and then as she found more older posts she started getting like "Wow, you really had a problem with the books..." Or along those lines. Like I said, I didn't spam every board. Just brought it up maybe 4 times over the span of several months/a year because I was trying to find others who read the series and see how they felt about it. I never responded back to her. If this were still on the Amazon boards, I probably wouldn't have brought it up or mentioned it without saying the series or author.
This is an author I'd never read again. Very childish and really not someone I'd want to give my money to to read her books. Too many other good authors around.
Banana Boat I agree with you anyone who chooses to publish their work has to know that criticism is part of that. Like it or hate it, it's a part of the publishing process.
I found that the book was good until I saw that there was no way the H was going to change his mind.
he made the choice to die because he was going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life. so you won't be going extreme paragliding anymore but you had the means to live a life even after your accident.
he made the choice to die because he was going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life. so you won't be going extreme paragliding anymore but you had the means to live a life even after your accident.
I actually loved that book but I never thought of it as a romance. I went into it tninking it was billed as women's literature. I'm not sure why unless I heard or read it categorized that way.
I actually loved that book but I never thought of it as a romance. I went into it tninking it was billed as women's literature. I'm not sure why unless I heard or read it categorized that way.
It's not a romance, it started off good and then the moment I realized that he was not going to change his plans that's when it went down hill for me. (not really the end but close enough for me to consider it a crappy ending kind of book.) I was hoping that Will would look at life from a new perspective, and that they would learn from each other. (the optimist in me is showing and glowing)
I actually loved that book but I never thought of it as a romance. I went into it tninking it was billed as women's literature. I'm not sure why unless I heard or read it categorized that way.
It's not a romance, it started off good and then the moment I realized that he was not going to change his plans that's when it went down hill for me. (not really the end but close enough for me to consider it a crappy ending kind of book.) I was hoping that Will would look at life from a new perspective, and that they would learn from each other. (the optimist in me is showing and glowing)
Ah, see, I loved it because he didn't change his mind. I was glad to see a book take that perspective on the right to choose.
Post by peepicheep on Apr 24, 2018 19:58:14 GMT -7
I know I've mentioned this before but Beatrice Small lost me even trying to read her books for over 15 years when she killed the H of the Sky O'Malley, Niall, in the second book All the Sweet Tomorrows . I could not believe she had killed Niall (and killed him as a drug addict) just so Sky could have sex with a new husband. I don't even own any of Ms. Small's book anymore. I still feel betrayed thinking about it.