Two things I seem to be seeing more and more of lately…
or it could be something I am just noticing but…
- Does there seem to be more books lately that keep the hero and heroine apart for large parts of the book? What’s up with that? Do you enjoy reading about the h/h fighting to get back together? It annoys the hell out of me.
- There are more and more ‘series’ novels, a la Brockmann, where there is a large cast of characters and plot lines happening at once.
Is this a new trend or something I just didn’t notice before because I avoid those type of novels – even though I like them (really enjoyed Into the Fire by Brockmann [first Troubleshooter book for me] and Whiteside’s Vamps [read this weekend]).
I hate when the h/h are apart, and I hate if it takes them too long to meet. I have no patience, I want the good stuff now.
As for the other, I dunno…I don’t pay much attention lol There are so many series books that they are just overwhelming at times. I love them though.
Series … yes. So many. It’s a great marketing ploy to get people like me who must own every book in a series. But I think I’m getting stronger. I only have one book in one series, and I think it’s going to stay that way.
Tired of the series. Wishing more authors would consider the one-offs. Or short series of 3-4 books only.
yea shorter series definitely. Some are just way too long and they get bad. I use to have a series problem, and would read them all no matter what lol I am cured of that, mostly
Must you taunt me with the fact that you’ve already read Into the Fire? Really, must you?? 😉
If it is a straight-up romance novel, I don’t want the hero and heroine apart a lot. I’m more flexible if it is more suspense-y or whatever.
I do like the big sprawling series, if they are done well (like Suz’s), but sometimes they seem to get out of control (not mentioning any names).
I am not so much talking ‘series’ books as SERIES books… the ever ending assload of characters, all these plot lines happening at once series books…
Like Brockmann or Ward the past h/h don’t have ‘walk’ in bit parts they are APART of that world. They have a reason for being there. And sometimes they aren’t there because they are having lives off screen.
I read Whiteside’s series this weekend back to back and was very impressed. I admit when I first heard about the hunter’s prey, I was very eh. Who wants to read a bunch of short ass novels that are erotic stories. WHY do I want to read about the hero or heroine not getting their HEA?
But when I started Bond of Darkness two characters get married. And things happen that I thought had already happened. So I pulled out my novels and was like ohhhhhhh parts over lap.
And they are vampires (TEXAS ones you know 😉 ) who have lived for evah and evah. They live off blood and emotion so of course they have had lots of sexing.
Going back and reading first book of ‘shorts’, which Diane Whiteside does very well, was fun. It was a look into these guys that you don’t see in the normal ‘romance novel’.
Then looking at Nightkeeper I see it going in that direction. A h/h for each book of course but things that happen to other charcters matter to make them who they are, it isn’t just background noise.
Or I could be wrong. And it can’t just be a ‘paranormal’ event cuz Brockmann has done it with her TDD with Harlequin (FINISH THEM PLEASE… sniff… poor Thomas King…) and Bantam both with SEALs.
hmmm are there others you can think of? I can’t think of any ‘big’ series books like that in historical. I mean you have Laurens but that isnt’ really what I mean because it is more like h/h in this book and you KNOW this couple is the next h/h but their lives don’t really interact or ‘wrap’ like I see Whiteside, Ward, Brockmann doing. Or I could be making no sense but to myself… I blame the drugs and the weather.
sorry C2, it was good, does that help?
It’s just you (snort – couldn’t resist).
I like series – big sprawling ones – because you really get a chance to get to know characters and worlds. They’re really only interesting if the world is interesting, though. If it’s just one big dysfunctional family dealing with the same issues I deal with every day, I don’t wanna hear it (so to speak). But toss in some demons and a werewolf or two? Oh baby! You got me!
And there are a LOT of them lately. Which is cool for me.
I love a good series but when they are dragged on for too long it gets on my nerves. Like the “Outlander” series. I was hoping that the one that’s supposed to come out next year would be the last because godammit..how much MORE can Jamie and Claire POSSIBLY go through!
Oh, and don’t get me started on Brenda Joyce with her “Deadly” series! She got me hooked into the Calder/Francesca/Rick love triangle only to say she may not even finish the series because her publishers don’t want her to write it for now. UGH!
I personally think it is very hard to sustain the growth of the emotional relationship between the two protagonists as the spine (which is what a romance is) IF the protagonists spend a long time apart.
If the book’s spine is in another genre entirely, and the romance is secondary to the main story, then it is fine. A spine is the major arching story and holds the whole thing together.
But good practice (if you will) is never to let more than a scene go by without the main plot being advanced in some way. And you need to have the subplots being advanced frequently enough so that the reader does not say — hey where did this come from.
Oh and if a plot line is going to run from several books, it has to be strong enough to sustain the reader without distracting from the stand alone nature of the book.
Sorry, I have just been busy indulging in reading craft books, in particular Snyder’s Save the Cat about screen writing. Many of the Principles of screenwriting can be apply to commercial novels.
I love series, but I prefer a separate story per book, and I don’t always read a series in order.
Hero and heroine apart? Well it’s one of those It Depends things, but in general, I prefer them to be together for as much as possible. Apart, their relationship isn’t developing properly, like Michelle said.
I’m trying very hard to write tighter and that includes concentrating on the main plot. I find that if I do it that way, they’re more intense and the book works out well. But, there are always times when it works. Anyone remember Linda Howard’s “Son of the Morning” or Laura Kinsale’s “My Sweet Folly”?
I want to talk about the historical. It’s becoming something really interesting, but is the historical romance dying in favor of the Big Canvas stories?
Lynne – I bought “Son of the Morning” a while back and am looking forward to starting it one day. What did you think was most effective about how it was organized?
When you say “Big Canvas”, do you mean world events or large casts of characters (possibly both)? I find that a very interesting question. I mean, how do you write a historical without at least addressing world events, even if only mentioning them. Otherwise, it would simply be a contemporary in other clothes, right?
It does not help! Of course it was good – it’s Suz! *pouting look* Meanie.