Well you’re the real tough cookie with the long history
Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me
That’s O.K., lets see how you do it
Put up your dukes, lets get down to it!
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Suisan had a post the other day for smart bitch day (tm beth). You might have read it already if not go check it out.

Tempt a saint for the rest of the post and an earworm…
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Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Why Don’t You Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Fire Away!
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Historicals or why suisan turns up her ever so snooty nose at Contemporaries

As I am hardly a contemporary reader I read the post, thought love historicals too! But have been reading some contemporaries, hmmmm. Thought about it for a min…. and then got distracted by something shiny.

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You come on with a come on, you don’t fight fair
But that’s O.K., see if I care!
Knock me down, it’s all in vain
I’ll get right back on my feet again!
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The the ever so fabulous jay posted some thoughts on what needs to happen to make a contemporary work for her. Which led me back to suisan’s blog. And thinking again on what makes a contemporary work for me. Or not.

Then I thought bah, I don’t really even read contemps so whatever, I have nothing to say. But well…

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Why Don’t You Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Fire Away!
XxXxXxXxXxX

The reviews I am doing right now:
Deep Breath
When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys
Once in a Blue Moon
Share the Darkness
Lover Eternal
Forever Again

See anything repeat there ? Yep, all contemps… and then I have Dates From Hell and Wolf Tales to finish reading and Broken to start. The historicals I have read in the past month would be Only His, Devil in Winter, The Pirate Lord, Dangerous Love, Dance of Seduction and After the Abduction – all rereads. From like cover to cover… the only new historical I have started was The Scoundrel, which I can’t seem to get into and Surrender, which I brilliantly left at my mothers house. (But will get tomorrow, sqqqeeee!)

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Well you’re the real tough cookie with the long history
Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me
Before I put another notch in my lipstick case
You better make sure you put me in my place
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And as I was looking over the notes I had written down for the above reviews. I noticed similar threads in two books. One I really liked and one that didn’t work for me. And then a light bulb went off, it is all about the writing.

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Come On, Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Fire Away!
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That is something of a big ol ‘DUH!’ isn’t it? But what I mean is for me a contemporary must be fast. And I find myself saying that often – it is a quick read. I mean that in a good way, I mean I was lost in the characters and just happily turning the pages. Another thing I find I say often is it was fluffy fun. Again I mean that in a good way. No heavy lifting, no deep thought into why the world is round. Or I need to lose myself in the characters and the setting for a contemporary to work for me. I don’t have to fall in love with the hero. The heroine doesn’t remind me of myself. I don’t ‘click’ with one or that other – they MUST click with each other that is what I need to feel. (again longer post later)

If I am thrown out of the story by something, if I have to stop and think hard about many contemporary plot points. They can seem silly. Or if they are out of my realm of knowledge and if the author doesn’t write in a way that makes it ‘sell’ I find myself thinking on plot points while trying to read a story and oy that can make for one fucking long read. Because for real, contemporary don’t ‘work’ for me in the general sense. This is something I will prolly break out in plot points and such. I have one I started on contemporary virgins that was kicked out of my head when the smart bitches posted about it. So that will prolly be first. But first to get at least three of these reviews OUT and UP.

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Why Don’t You Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Hit Me With Your Best Shot!
Fire Away!
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So even though contemporary novels don’t work for me in the general sense. If the writer can make me believe and not question things deeply. Or try to related it to the world I know, you can slap my ass and call me a happy reader. Well at least for that book.

So hit me with your best shot, what makes contemporaries work for you? Or do they? Have any rec’s GOOD contemp and or a BAD one.