Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group discussion
Food for Thought
>
Themes that Just Rub You the Wrong Way!
date
newest »
newest »
message 51:
by
Alisa
(new)
May 06, 2013 08:30AM
I do not like stories where the hero meets the heroine when she is a child or teen. I don't care that they wait till she "comes of age". It is total NO! for me. It completely freaks me out & as soon as I see that in a book description I shut that book down.
reply
|
flag
I don't like stories/series where the hero or heroine in each book are all ancient characters that have been alone for 300 years and then all of sudden the complete story arc over the whole series only covers like 2 years and now all of a sudden 15 characters are mated for life. Why the sudden influx of love? I'm thinking along the lines of BDB. Though I love the series, some time in between matings/pairings would be nice. When you break it down it's like 2 weeks between the pairings. I think only 2 years have passed in the BDB world with all of those books.
Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress wrote: "Goge (BARRONS) le Moning Maniac, wrote: "Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress wrote: "And why are so many YA books built around the love triangle? I actually avoid a lot just because of it."Same. ..."
Very true. I think the norm is people don't experience love triangles, or at least people who do experience them don't talk about them. Myself, I know perhaps six in my whole life who's been in a love triangle. And actually, one of them being me.
Back in my past there was a time when I had three guys vying for my affection, as cliqué as it sounds this happened and it happened in high school. It sounds thrilling but mostly it was a hurtful and BITTERsweet experience. The tears I've shed, the people I've hurt and the people who hurt me. Not memories that'll disappear anytime soon. In the mess that this was, I met someone who I wanted to call mine for a long time. Maybe if this affections situation hadn't happened I could have met him free to take as mine. The feelings and memories he made for me bring tears to my eyes. I wish we would have met when we were older. I wanted him in my future. Or I wished we would have met earlier. But too much shit was going on and I was also recovering from a relationship where I was played with (motherfucker) by someone I considered my best guy friend (the year before I met the three guys who tried to get my affection). So it turned out I never got to call him 'mine'. It still hurts today and I still miss him. What he made me feel makes him unforgettable.
Love triangles: A lot of people get hurt. The memories don't go away. You'll cry. Relationships/friendships break or crack. Love triangles shouldn't be made a fuss of because they're more a painful thing than anything else. And that is why it irks me they're in the majority of YA people read. As though they're so thrilling and people should hope for them.
Mod
message 55:
by
Danielle The Book Huntress , Loves 'Em Lethal
(last edited May 06, 2013 05:45PM)
(new)
Mod
I am late adding to this discussion, but I felt so strongly about what happened in a new series that I started I had to vent.The Hero is sheriff in a small southern town. He was in the army for ten years. When he left for training his high school sweetheart (hss) wrote him a Dear John letter and married a man who was to become a doctor.
The first book was great; kind of a southern noir/mystery novel. Hss is making moves toward H, but he ignores her. He develops a friendship with a female deputy and you are led to believe at the end that they will eventually have a relationship.
The second book is also good. Hss and her husband have a baby. H hooks up with a woman federal agent. Hey, what happened to the deputy, now she is just a friend?
In the third book, which is not as well written, the hss is more aggressive and the Hero ends up screwing her while her mom is watching her baby (she is supposed to be grocery shopping). There was nothing romantic or appealing about it. It just left me feeling as though the H was TSTL and it was just a nasty feeling.
I am not going to continue reading this series. It's obvious that the relationship is going to continue in some way. Yuck!
I have issues with second chance romances, or what I refer to as "I knew you when" books. I just find the reasons for the original breakups to be stupid plus I like to fall in love with the couples while they are falling in love...not after. On a semi-related note, I have a huge issue with the heroine having had the hero's child and never telling him. This is a common part of the "I knew you when" syndrome and it annoys me to no end. Probably because my mother did it with me...to this day I have no idea who my 'blood' father is and he has never been told of my existence, as far as I've been told.
Also, I could not agree more on the cheating thing. I actively avoid any/all books or movies with cheating in them!
I don't like bullies. I can deal with an over the top alpha, if the female has ways of getting around his insanity. I don't like feeling like the a woman isn't allowed to breathe without permission. I can deal with it in BDSM themed books if the boundaries are clearly drawn, but some of these FSOG-a-likes are getting this lifestyle so screwed up. I'm not even part of the community and know, "that's not supposed to be like that." Call me weird, but I don't find watching the start of abusive relationships that romantic.
I'm soooooo over billionaires....but I guess if they are immortal they have time to invest wisely.
Kat wrote: "I'm soooooo over billionaires....but I guess if they are immortal they have time to invest wisely."lol... I makes it less impressive now, doesn't it?
Mod
I'm with you on these two themes. I just don't get into Second Chance romance that much. I rather it be fresh!
Mod
I can't stand controlling heroes. I love the crazy, obsessed, jealous heroes, but I hate when they cross over into being so controlling and bossy towards the heroine.
Can't stand bullies either - this reminds me of the one and only Diana Palmer book I read,
- the hero is simply obnoxious.Not a fan of the secret baby trope either - it reeks of dishonesty.
Books in which the heroine has had a child with another man are also not my favorite although there are some that I've really enjoyed. Sandra Brown is really good with this theme but it has to be written well into the storyline for me to get over my initial aversion.
I don't like plots that are very complex and difficult, then suddenly a huge coincidence makes everything fall into place.
Lauren wrote: "Can't stand bullies either - this reminds me of the one and only Diana Palmer book I read, - the hero is simply obnoxious.Not a fan of the secret baby trope either -..."
Lauren, I haven't read any Diana Palmer, sounds like a miss. I am reading the This Man series
and it inspired my original post. I normally love a good angsty FOSG inspired book, but this is new level. The codependency of this couple isn't romantic at all to me. I keep reading because it's like watching a fatal accident in traffic; you should look a way but can't.
There isn't much I don't love, but a few things irk me. I can't tolerate menage or cheating. I like a couple to be exclusive. I can't stand huge misunderstandings. I learned this with Judith McNaught's book
The misunderstandings in this one gave me whiplash. Not a fan. I also prefer couples to have good dialogue as well as good sex, not just a sex-centered plot/relationship. And it seems I've read a lot of billionaire books recently where H's are all under 30. Seriously? That's just a tad unrealistic for me.
Paganalexandria wrote: Lauren, I haven't read any Diana Palmer, sounds like a miss. I am reading the This Man series and it inspired my original post. I normally love a good angsty FOSG inspired book, but this is new level. The codependency of this couple isn't romantic at all to me. I keep reading because it's like watching a fatal accident in traffic; you should look a way but can't. I had to take a few days off from the This Man Series. A lot of the things that went down on their wedding day was just too much for me. I guess I needed a short break from the insanity.
Mochaspresso wrote: "Paganalexandria wrote: Lauren, I haven't read any Diana Palmer, sounds like a miss. I am reading the This Man series and it inspired my original post. I normally love a good angsty FOSG insp..."Mocha, that wedding was so WTF, I can't even begin to start on what to rant about. Where is David Tutera when you need him? Everything about it was definitely a wedding planning don't. I am 20% into
and just accempted Ava would have made more sense as the spoiled ex-girlfriend versus a heroine. She is just so unlikable. The only person I like in this series is Kate and she is barely in it.
I hate cheating and don't want to read about it coz it makes a HEA incredibly difficult to believe - I'm firmly in the "once a cheater always a cheater" belief camp. Also it speaks (or rather shouts) to the character of a person - to be a cheater requires the character traits of lying, lack of respect or even common decency and deceitfulness to name 3 - NOT character traits I want my hero or heroine to have! If you are that dissatisfied with your current relationship, end it before starting another one!!!Also don't like triangles. It implies a person can't make up their mind - and that fannying about is, to me, not an indication of real love and it implies you can't make a commitment and stick to it. Even in the early stages of a relationship, it smacks of "keeping a spare on the backburner" in case one of them doesn't work out. Just a tad tacky.
Along similar lines, I'm not a fan of menage either. I want my hero and heroine to want only each other. And then be faithful to that one other person!
Neeta wrote: "I hate cheating and don't want to read about it coz it makes a HEA incredibly difficult to believe - I'm firmly in the "once a cheater always a cheater" belief camp. Also it speaks (or rather shou..."I hate cheating too. It is starting to be a real deal breaker for me, especially cheating by someone that has a family. The last series I read (see message 56) really set me off. As far as I'm concerned he not only s***wed her, but also her husband and baby daughter. No abuse or anything; her husband is a good man. Hate that a H is willing to destroy a family to get a little.
Cheating isn't that much of a deal breaker for me, but totally get how it can turn others off. I recently read a series where the heroine was such an awful person, it boggled my mind that the author thought rooting for her was an option. She annoyed me with her personality defects for 2 whole book, but when she found out she was pregnant and decided to get drunk to make her boyfriend mad...That was the last straw. How can I like someone who disregards the welfare of a child for a boy? WTF?
Would you guys say that Contemporary Romance is the genre where cheating comes up the most? Or is it pretty evenly distributed?I haven't come across it, but I read a lot of PNR's.
Rachel ~ SnapDragoness wrote: "Would you guys say that Contemporary Romance is the genre where cheating comes up the most? Or is it pretty evenly distributed?I haven't come across it, but I read a lot of PNR's."
For heroes and heroines who do the cheating it's probably an equal spread across contemporary and historical...
For heroes and heroines who'e been cheated on (by others to explain why they're single now) the stonking great majority is contemporary.
Mod
Agree 100%!
Mod
I haven't come across it, but I read a lot of PNR's."
Lately, there have been quite a few HR where either character is already married to someone else. It sucks!
Rachel ~ SnapDragoness wrote: "Would you guys say that Contemporary Romance is the genre where cheating comes up the most? Or is it pretty evenly distributed?I haven't come across it, but I read a lot of PNR's."
The reason I stopped reading YA was because of an epidemic of cheating. Unfortunately it has spread to other genres.
Pamela wrote: "Rachel ~ SnapDragoness wrote: "Would you guys say that Contemporary Romance is the genre where cheating comes up the most? Or is it pretty evenly distributed?I haven't come across it, but I read ..."
Yeah. I don't like stories where the hero/heroine are cheating. Not interested in picking up those books.
I see cheating in women's fiction or urban fiction a lot. Which is why I dislike reading them. But what I consider romance seldom has any cheating at all. It's just not a part of the HEA scenario for the reasons that have been mentioned here.
Not really a theme, but one thing I've started noticing happening more often in books is a lack of safe sex. I don't wanted to be slapped in the face with a condom every time the H and h have sex, but at least mention it once before the first sex act.
Malakoka wrote: "I hate when whole-book-long bad boy H at the end becomes too-good-to-believe.i really hate that. I feel cheated in some way"
That is annoying. I liked the first book in the Consequences series. Even though Tony is horrible, he was a fascinating villain. I hated
because they totally changed him into this romanticized version of the person in the first book. I know it's popular but the first version of him was a more interesting character. IMO
Malakoka wrote: "I hate when whole-book-long bad boy H at the end becomes too-good-to-believe.i really hate that. I feel cheated in some way"
I can agree with that. I've read books where the bad boy keeps those bad boy qualities. As long as he is good to the heroine, he can stay as badass as he started out and stay true to the character that sucked me in in the first place.
Mod
2. Cheating
3. Hero/Heroine in love with more than one person and they have a hard time trying to decide who they should be with. I hope I don't offend anyone, because that's not my intention. I don't believe in taking someone out on a test drive to see if they are the one for me.
4. Hardhead heroines. No one can tell her what to do. She has to be tough.
5. Hero/Heroine is described as being unattractive, but either in the middle of the book or towards the end, they turn out to be handsome/beautiful
6. A sorry excuse for the hero and heroine to sleep together. (I really don't care for love scenes, I like the leave it to your imagination scenes and those scenes in my eyes, don't always have to be the TV version of hooking up. I don't care for detailed love scenes, I would skip those in a heartbeat.) In a lot of books that I have read, somehow the heroine had to lose her brain, all because she needs to hero to sleep with her. For example: If the hero moves in with her to protect her from bad guys or even just go check up on her, she forgets how to go to sleep as in, all of the sudden, because he's around, she has a hard time sleeping. She needs to go take a shower or bath, at the same time the hero is in the bathroom. She's freezing, although it's hot. She forgets how to cook. She's upset with the hero for no reason, etc. I hate those themes. Women aren't that weak!
7. Hero is said to be this though guy, but thoughout the book, he is getting beat up or doubting himself so much.
I think I have said enough for now.
Arch wrote: "4. Hardhead heroines. No one can tell her what to do. She has to be tough."So with you one this one--I have a hard time with UF because it seems many of the h's are written that way.
Mod
So with you one this one--I have a hard time with UF because it seems many of the h's are written that way."
Heroines shouldn't be that way. When they are, it makes me not want to finish the book.
Mod
Neeta wrote: "I can agree with that. I've read books where the bad boy keeps those bad boy qualities. As long as he is good to the heroine, he can stay as badass as he started out and stay true to the character that sucked me in in the first place. "Yeah Lothaire in
is still the Enemy Of Old even though he found his bride. He didn't just totally change personalities. If anything his relationship made him more ruthless. That made him more badass to me.
Paganalexandria wrote: "Neeta wrote: "I can agree with that. I've read books where the bad boy keeps those bad boy qualities. As long as he is good to the heroine, he can stay as badass as he started out and stay true to ..."Exactly! Kenyon's Stryker was the same. In the non-paranormal genres, I'm thinking of heroes like Kristen Ashley's, Cara McKenna's, Sarah McCarty's or Shannon McKenna's guys who get a tad squishysoft for their heroines but woebetide anyone who crosses them or anyone they care about - they stay badass to the bone.
Mod
I don't think every heroine has to be physically kickbutt, but I do like when they are emotionally strong and they have adapted to their environment to be able to deal with whatever obstacles they currently face.
Mod
For instance, if he was a womanizer before he fell in love, that needs to stop when he gets with the heroine.
If he was a cold-blooded hero, same.
Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group
Books mentioned in this topic
The Witness (other topics)Lothaire (other topics)
Truth (other topics)
This Man Confessed (other topics)
Whitney, My Love (other topics)
More...
