SquawkRadio Comments

"Heroine does stupid things to advance the plot” That is it in a nutshell for me, though add Hero to that description as well.

Doesn’t it all boil down to how a book is written?  I hate, for example, the Big Misunderstanding plot device, but, really, only because I can tell it’s a plot twist—it feels contrived, rather than organic to the story or character(s).  Write something well enough and I’ll buy it , however outlandish it may seem.

I’ve thought about this a lot. I realized that the ones that I reread establish character then structure the plot based on what they have established that the character is likely to do. It feels as though the story grew organically, building on itself through layers of character and plot. Foreshadowing is your friend.

What causes me to put down a romance is a story that doesn’t reveal why the hero and heroine fall in love with each other. Why would a strait-laced woman fall in love with a rake? Because she has secret wild passions and because she sees that he is meticulous about caring for his family, servants and lands so she feels he will take care of her too if he loves her. Why would a rake fall in love with a strait-laced woman? Because he wants a place for his heart to rest and be safe and he wants to be the one to release those deep passions. There are as many permutations of that as there are people in the world, but it has to make sense based on clues in the book for me to believe in it. I love to see the couple not just sexually enthralled but clearly drawn to each other in ways that lay a foundation for a mature, forever relationship - one unique to them.

What a wonderfully, vocal and opinionated group we area!  Over 635 folks stopping by to vote!  I can only hope authors and publishers alike will take note!

One thing that drives me crazy when I read a romance is the occasional mistake when it comes to historical accuracy.  I was a History major at Uni, so when I catch names of people who were dead or not yet born being added into plots it makes me scream. 
Also, I love a heroine who is strong but in the regency time period you need to add a bit of background as to why she is so strong of character and willing to defy the norms of society, because that is exactly what she is doing.

Ah, I wish there’s had been a box for “*Hero* too experienced sexually”.

I’m sick of only reading about rakes and Dukes of Sluts. Which is why I tremendously enjoyed Ewan from Eloisa’s Kiss Me Annabel. He was a sexy hero who hadn’t slept with half of England.

For me, one of my biggest pet peaves is when the cover art doesn’t represent ANYTHING from the book, including the main characters.  I do tend to read a book with an image of the hero and heroine in my mind, but it helps to have cover art that I can use as a reference point of sorts to reinforce that image.  The artwork doesn’t necessarily need to be the classic “clinch” pose, but I do like to see the faces, hair colors, etc. of the people that I am reading about.

As to the various other points in the poll, I think that it depends on the individual book and author as to whether or not a plot device is successfully carried off.  I have read books by various authors with the plot points mentioned in the poll, and only rarely has it not worked.  Usually, it is an integral part of the story, something for the hero or heroine to overcome. 

Frankly, I don’t think I have EVER read a book and thought, “Oh nuts, not THIS tired plot again!!” All of my favorite authors, including the fine ladies of this board, have managed to make each story unique in its own right.

I also am a little tired of the super experienced male.
I also do not like the contrived misunderstandings because the hero and heroine just don’t talk to each other.
The one thing that makes me not want to read a particular author again is the hero (or heroine) being unfaithful!!!  There is a certain author that did that for awhile, just because “that’s what men are like” I won’t read her any more.

I think one of the things that drive me nuts about a book is reading the back cover and getting an idea in my head how the book is going to be and then WHAM! Totally different book - hasn’t happened too often but often enought to tick me off!  The other thing that bothers me about some romance books today is the lack of shall we say quality of sex scenes.  He we have a great story richly developed characters and when they finally decided to have sex it’s two lines and the next paragraph never fails to start with - When it was over… Makes me angry - especially since the rest of the novels has such detail.  I feel cheated.  I am a grown woman - I can handle sex scenes in a novel!  I am not buying teen romance here - some detail and effort would be appreciated.  I also must say how happy I am to see more and more paranormal, futuristic, sci-fi romance novels on the market!  Way to go!
Thanks for listening!