What Turns You OFF When Reading an Interracial Romance? Showing 651-700 of 1,097

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

I would add that our President is biracial (though he identifies as black)--his mother was white--and that still doesn't stop the ignorant racists from calling him every nasty racist stereotype in the book. People see skin colour FIRST, before anything else and tend to act/react to that.

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

Regarding the surprise ethnicity IR, I think it comes off as a cheat if you're looking for an IR book. However, I still consider a book that is marketed IR an IR if the main character identifies as biracial and the other character is another race. If they are both of mixed black heritage, that doesn't feel like an IR. I guess that's as clear as I can make my opinion.

Regarding the race issue in the US, it's messed up. I don't see any change in the near future. I feel that people should identify the way they want to. I don't think biracial identifying people are denying their heritage by calling themselves mixed. I do feel itchy when a person of mixed heritage denies they are part black. I think most black Americans are mixed to some degree, some more than others.

I like the fact that the term African-American does refer to a mix of heritages that many black people have: Black African, British/Irish/Scottish and Native American. That fits my make up to a tee, although there might be some other stuff thrown in. I call myself black and African-American. While I am proud of my heritage, I wish that we didn't have to be so stuck on race in this country. But I may not see that change in my lifetime.

[Tea]

TheFountainPenDiva wrote: Seriously, the only Cubans most Americans know well is Desi Arnaz from I Love Lucy or Gloria Estefan, lol.

LOL! I guess I was really lucky with my extended family and family friends. Because of them, the first Cubans I ever knew (from birth) were varying shades of brown — from coffee without milk (and, damn it! I usually hate comparing people's skin colours to foods and drinks!) to walnut shells to fresh-cut pine wood. I was shocked to learn that Arnaz was Cuban, too.

So, yeah, now that I've been reminded of that, I believe more than ever that having characters that reflect these differing perspectives truly could (eventually, anyway) help start to kill off a lot of the fails I see in IR books.

[Tea]

Lethal, for me it's a lot less complicated than your situation: I just think of myself as being a Black person. Well, a Black person with a multi-racial background, but still a Black person. (I also tend to picture myself as darker than I truly am, but I don't allow myself to be photographed often, so I'm not often reminded that my head!Tea is a different colour to the flesh!Tea.)

Over the past decade or so, I've actually been more likely to run into a problem opposite to what you described: people asking me "what else are you?" and insisting that I can't have two Black parents.

I considered giving that experience to one of my characters, but it's a touchy thing, not often talked about, and I worried that it would come off as a truth that was a lot stranger than fiction.

[Arch , Mod]

Savannah, I am grown and black. When I was young, I knew about being black. Teach your children what you want. I wasn't trying to tell people what to do.

I would like to see more IR books in print. I would also like to see IR dangerous bad boys stories (Assassin, FBI Agent, Navy Seal, etc.) and non-race conflict stories. Everybody doesn't have a problem with interracial pairing.

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

TheFountainPenDiva wrote: "Remember that "Black" as a designation/category has always had a LOT of negative (and untrue) baggage attached to it, in this country especially (but dark-skin regardless of country also comes with baggage). Granted, society may copy/steal our various styles of music, dress, speech, etc. but no one actually wants to BE black, to deal with the loss of privilege and the everyday micro/macro aggressions black people operate under."

And this, in a nutshell, is why I think we are seeing most IR rom leading ladies described as 'light' in every which way describable (hair, skin, eyes, etc) on a subtly psychological level.

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

Arch wrote: "I would like to see more IR books in print. I would also like to see IR dangerous bad boys stories (Assassin, FBI Agent, Navy Seal, etc.) and non-race conflict stories. Everybody doesn't have a problem with interracial pairing. "

This would be cool. I know we are seeing a surge of mafia books but I'm not really into those types of "bad", more so the edgy hero with a heart of gold types. I have one assassin book coming out in the next month or so which is fun to write but I wouldn't mind reading it as well.

[Arch , Mod]

CaliGirlRae wrote: "This would be cool. I know we are seeing a surge of mafia books but I'm not really into those types of "bad", more so the edgy hero with a heart of gold types. I have one assassin book coming out in the next month or so which is fun to write but I wouldn't mind reading it as well.
"

Hey Rae, no I don't care for Mafia books. Cop is an example of a dangerous bad boy with a heart of gold. Let me know when your book comes out. I wish it will be in print and also the library.

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

Hey Arch! Exactly! I love the type of character Cop is. Those are the type of characters I like (dangerous bad boy with a heart of gold).

I'll definitely let you know! It's a finished and edited version of the one I posted over at the Dangerous Heroes board for that one writing challenge. I'll be sure to get it in print for you. :-)

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

FPD...exactly how I feel. Its what people SEE that has the most impact in this country, be that right ot wrong.

Arch- I no you are not trying to tell anyone what to do. I was just answering your hypothetical question.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

CaliGirlRae wrote: "And this, in a nutshell, is why I think we are seeing most IR rom leading ladies described as 'light' in every which way describable (hair, skin, eyes, etc) on a subtly psychological level."

And this is the very attitude that needs to change. I mean Lupita Nyong'o is on the cover of Vogue. She's considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. Our First Lady (also dark-skinned) has been featured in Vogue as a beautiful strong and savvy style maven. We have to be that change. Be that movement. I know that sounds idealistic, because we're talking about fictional stories, but fiction has power. It always has. Why do you think one of the first things dictators do is go after libraries/books? And if it didn't matter, there wouldn't be this huge movement for diversity.

And, what about dangerous bad GIRLS? Why should guys have all the fun?

[Arch , Mod]

CaliGirlRae wrote: "Hey Arch! Exactly! I love the type of character Cop is. Those are the type of characters I like (dangerous bad boy with a heart of gold).

I'll definitely let you know! It's a finished and edited ..."

Oh Rae, I miss that story. You left your readers hanging. :)

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

TheFountainPenDiva wrote: "CaliGirlRae wrote: "And this, in a nutshell, is why I think we are seeing most IR rom leading ladies described as 'light' in every which way describable (hair, skin, eyes, etc) on a subtly psycholo..."

Idealistic? Nah, not at all. That's the beauty of fiction. To inspire that change and raise empathy in the reader. Even if we have two people who read and enjoy it, that's still something. It's a pill I had to swallow as myself and many other authors are already writing these types of women as our heroines but such stories fly under the radar. It's just matter of those books spreading around to the readers we know who will enjoy them and appreciate them for what they are. Thanks to the WeNeedDiverseBooks tag, more readers are making an effort to look around for them.

Personally, I love bad boys myself. It's just a reading preference. ;-) But that hasn't stopped me from writing a female assassin/secret agent heroine twice over. I just love reading and seeing the bad boys more (like Michael in LFN. Woo). ;-)

Arch, eek! Yeah I'm so sorry about that! I think I got distracted by another story I was writing and it went into limbo! Working on changing that though hehe.

[Arch , Mod]

That's okay Rae, I know how another story can take the previous time.

The book world needs more Heroine that's walking in Hero's shoes. I can't wait to get back to my story His Bodyguard. The hero has a hero. :)

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

I'm looking forward to reading it again. :-)

[Arch , Mod]

CaliGirlRae wrote: "I'm looking forward to reading it again. :-)"

What I have written so far is on my group. Check it out when you get a chance.

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

Oh nice! Will do. :-D

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

CaliGirlRae wrote: "Arch wrote: "I would like to see more IR books in print. I would also like to see IR dangerous bad boys stories (Assassin, FBI Agent, Navy Seal, etc.) and non-race conflict stories. Everybody does..."

Ooh, I'm excited for another assassin book!

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

I love tough, dangerous heroines, but I definitely prefer my heroes to be dangerous. I'm not into the criminal heroes so much as black ops/assassin/military/spy type heroes.

[Arch , Mod]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "I love tough, dangerous heroines, but I definitely prefer my heroes to be dangerous. I'm not into the criminal heroes so much as black ops/assassin/military/spy type heroes."

Yes, I love tough heroines as well, but I do read books for the hero. In His Bodyguard, the hero is a hero, but he also has a hero protecting him.

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

As you can see by my Elektra/Daredevil picture, a dangerous duo is always appreciated. :)

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "As you can see by my Eletkra/Daredevil picture, a dangerous duo is always appreciated. :)"

Speaking as a unapologetic Xena fangirl, give me a butt-kicking heroine any day! Flip the script, lol. Have her rescue the hero.

[[deleted user]]

Right on FountainPenDiva! Loved Xena and I love a heroine that is just as bad ass as the hero! I can't help it, the damsel in distress bores me!

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

TheFountainPenDiva wrote: " Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "As you can see by my Eletkra/Daredevil picture, a dangerous duo is always appreciated. :)"

Speaking as a unapologetic Xena fangirl, ..."

Elektra has been known to save Daredevil a few times, when they aren't fighting each other, and sometimes even then.

I like the dynamic where the H/h are adversaries, equally matched in their lethality, and they fall in love.

[[deleted user]]

@ Danielle the book huntress, totally! Too many interracial stories IMO lack this. Maybe that will be my next complaint about I/R....anyone else feel the same or nah?

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

Libertad wrote: "@ Danielle the book huntress, totally! Too many interracial stories IMO lack this. Maybe that will be my next complaint about I/R....anyone else feel the same or nah?"

Totally agree. I would love more of that dangerous/exciting edge in IR.

[[deleted user]]

Totally in love with equally matched hero and heroine. This is not to say I want a male version of a heroine with the hero. I think women and men have different strengths.

Pretty sure no one is a martial arts fanatic like me :/ but wing chun was an art created by a woman to defend herself against men who were physically stronger than herself.

I'd love to see a woman handle herself even if she's not some half god or vampire, maybe just has strong knowledge to notice and exploit weaknesses(oh I can't wait to be ready to self publish, maybe I'm only asking of this because I've written it myself XD).

[Paganalexandria]

TheFountainPenDiva wrote: " Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "As you can see by my Eletkra/Daredevil picture, a dangerous duo is always appreciated. :)"

Speaking as a unapologetic Xena fangirl, ..."

My love of fighter girls began with Buffy. lol

[[deleted user]]

My love started with Yes Madam XD a flashback martial arts series featuring Michelle yeoh. I always liked women in martial arts(particularly the ones of color) before I was old enough to question whether people just randomly knew martial arts and used on their enemies XD

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Emma Peel (of the old British spy series The Avengers) was/is my goddess. She kicked butt, was smart, sexy and oh so swinging sixties fashionable. Right then and there, those were the kinds of heroines I loved. The original Elektra was awesome. I love the anti-heroine types.

[Arch , Mod]

Guinevere, I agree with you. I like a heroine that handle herself as well. The hero can't be the only one that knows how to defend himself.

Alyssa Locke knew how to handle herself.

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "Ooh, I'm excited for another assassin book! "

Yay! I'll let you know when it's available, Danielle. :-)

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "Libertad wrote: "@ Danielle the book huntress, totally! Too many interracial stories IMO lack this. Maybe that will be my next complaint about I/R....anyone else feel the same or nah?"

Totally agree. I would love more of that dangerous/exciting edge in IR."

I second you two. I love Tori Chase, Ericka Scott, Richard North Patterson, Stephen J Cannell, Anne Stuart and David Handler (to name a few) for injecting a bit of it in IR but I wouldn't mind seeing and reading more books. I'd love to help carry the tradition on with the current stories swimming around my head. :-D

Danielle The Book Huntress (Angels Weep For Goodreads) wrote: "As you can see by my Elektra/Daredevil picture, a dangerous duo is always appreciated. :)"

Oh, I'm such a huge Elektra fan. :-D I squeed when I saw you had read it. She's so my fave superheroine. :-) I was disappointed in the movie because that's so not Elektra. They should have consulted the Gregs (Rucka and Horn) before making that movie!

Xena rocks. I still love watching her show and through that started getting hooked on Hercules. I started a rewatch recently and am amazed how they still hold up after so many years. Still so awesome. Xena is in a long line of my fave butt kicking heroines. I love Lara Croft (game version pre-boot), Nikita (LFN), Vicki Nelson (tv version), Ripley (woo hoo!), Sarah Connor, Zoe Alleyne Washburne, Emma Peel, Teyla Emmagen...gosh, so many good heroines in SF, fantasy and the suspense/spy genre.

Guinevere, that sounds like a good story. I'd like to read it! :-D I had one of my heroine's save the hero but she was fae. Wouldn't mind see a human do the same. ;-)

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Romantic suspense thrillers.. .def need more in this genre. Somwthing along the lines of Brockmann's Troubleshooters (which I love).

I like resourceful heroines but I can admit I dont necessarily like them too dominant. Smart, savvy and able to make some clever decisions on the fly that can save her own ass. But ultimately I like my alphas to be the stronger of the two.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

@CaliGirlRae: the Elektra movie SUCKED! I know they had to dumb it down for Hollywood but frankly it should have never been made at all. However, it just proved once again how much fail there is when it comes to crafting multi-faceted, non-traditional female characters. I also blame audiences who can't/won't accept non-traditional roles/images of female characters. I love Game of Thrones (the books more than the series, lol), but the writers on the series are pretty clueless when it comes to getting into the heads of Cersei, Daenerys, Brienne and Arya. Especially Cersei, whom I love (as reprehensible as her actions are).

[CaliGirlRae, Mod Squad]

Oh yes. It was such a travesty that I'm shocked that they actually called it Elektra. I think the only ones who can do her story justice is the fans. I saw this one fanvid on youtube with Daredevil and Elektra that was pretty good. Even the Daredevil movie was pretty disappointing. I wouldn't mind seeing a fanvid version of their Ultimates story.

[A.W.]

The mafia stories are not my choice of reads. I am all about the military heroes (being married to one) I also like to read stories where the hero is a public servant like a firefighter or police officer etc. As for the heroine I like for her to have strength and the ability to stand on her own however not so overly done that she can't show a little vulnerability. I have read some really great books where the heroine is Serving in the military those are very good as well.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Mafia romances can be interesting when done well. Unfortunately too many seem to want to gloss over the ugly side of organized crime. These guys, sexy studs and rich as Croesus they might be, are also responsible for drugs, prostitution, extortion, torture and pretty heinous murders. The drugs and prostitution aspects especially destroy lives, families and entire communities. Call it fantasy if you want, but for this chick, I'd rather authors not sugarcoat what being this kind of criminal is all about. I don't need my heroes to be all squeaky clean, lol.

[Kim]

Stories about drug dealers, drug lords, women sold into prostitution, torture, kidnapping victims who fall in love with their captors, murderers and women dumb enough to think they can change criminals with the power of love? Yeah...then you've lost me as a reader.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

FPD. as usual- you save me keysrokes.
Reading is fantasy for me. Its a world where anything can happen and I can get lost in the guilty (and completely nonsensical) idea of loving a powerful bad boy. I dont always need my romantic hero to be moral- just loyal.lol

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Oh, and I love me some Battaglias. That man is the very hottest of messes. The series has been done brilliantly and woerks for me. Having said that, its the ONLY mob series I have dipped into and liked. The rest are sugar coated nonsense. If a woman is going to love a man "in spite of" then dammit, make me see all that her love has to ignore.

[[deleted user]]

I don't know if it's the feminist in me XD but I just don't get the appeal of a bad boy. Not saying I want a guy who has no backbone, but I've just never gotten the appeal of a bad boy, particularly a white one. Maybe it's stems more from the learning about white privilege and stuff. But I'm not attracted to unapologetic white men.

[Desperado]

Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva wrote: "Oh, and I love me some Battaglias. That man is the very hottest of messes. The series has been done brilliantly and woerks for me. Having said that, its the ONLY mob series I have dipped into and..."

I CONCUR! The Battaglia Mafia series is a guilty pleasure of mine (guilty because the way the women are treated and the way the women are oppressed in this series makes the hardcore feminist in me want to bitch-slap myself for enjoying it). But for some reason Giovanni Battaglia just straight does it for me. He's so gangsta and I LOVE IT!

Speaking of that series-and others by Mynx-WTF is up with some of the phrases Mynx uses? I adore her books but serious, WTF is "using her bottom maneuvers"? If that's another way of saying she thrust/rotated her hips or grinded on him, please just say that. And PLEASE, stop with the freaking eye stretching! Her eyes stretched in happiness. His eyes stretched in wonder. I get what Mynx is trying to say (that she smiled with her eyes or that her eyes tilted up when she smiled) but every time I read "Her eyes stretched" my immediate thought is "WTF does that even mean?!!? Because it sounds like it hurts."

[TinaNoir]

I don't mind a bad boy in romance, but I think some authors can work it better than others. From one author, I can sop it up with a biscuit because for some reason they can sell it to me. But from some other authors -- and it can be the same type of guy -- he is just a thug asshole.

Same with Mafia books. On the whole, I am not a fan of mafia or any organized crime "heroes". A lot of people would not accept Pimp as a hero. To me, a mafia hero is just another form of a pimp. They are just packaged a lot nicer. Of course, as with anything a good author can (and has on some occasions) sold me. But these are exceptions for me, not the rule.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Lethal- you have me at work about to get FIRED! LOLOLOL

I know Im truly no feminist so maybe thats why I dont feel guilty reading the bad boy stuff. I believe in equal everything-that-a-woman-wants-to-be-equal-in. lmao I personally have zero desire to fight on the front lines and have a belief in certain things being a man's responsibility. But then, my roots are so southern Im surprised I wasnt born with a parasol.lol

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

I'm not real big on the criminal hero type. I don't know, the idea that he makes his living off human misery is a turn-off. Especially if it's human trafficking and drugs. I think I can be a little more forgivable if he's getting out of the life and shows some qualms about what he'd do and wouldn't. I wrote a story with a guy who was in the Russian Mafia. He was an enforcer, so he killed people for the Mafia. He had objections to human trafficking because of his mother/sisters, so that was where he drew the line. I don't know if I would be okay with the hero staying in that life.

I really hate the exploitation of women, period. I don't think it's cool to romanticize prostitution or sexual slavery and it does bother me. I had qualms because I read a book where the hero was a pimp and a drug dealer. I didn't expect to like him so much. But that is the exception to the rule. I don't seek those books out and I never will. I won't be reading the Kristen Ashley book where the hero is a pimp and has no plans to get out of the life. Not my cup of tea.

I don't like street thug types in real life or in books, so that's a huge turnoff. I don't care what color they are.

I guess I'm a hypocrite in that I really do like assassin heroes. Go figure. :)

[Danielle The Book Huntress , Sees Love in All Colors]

Guinevere wrote: "I don't know if it's the feminist in me XD but I just don't get the appeal of a bad boy. Not saying I want a guy who has no backbone, but I've just never gotten the appeal of a bad boy, particularl..."

I lean towards feminism in many ways, but I love bad boy heroes. I don't they have to eradicate or work against feminism or a strong woman. But to be clear, I don't think every heroine has to be Xena. I'm okay with heroines who are sweet and aren't necessarily physically capable of defending themselves as well.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

I think the reason it tends to work in romance is that every criminal "hero" always has a line he wont cross. Usually its profiting off women and children. Even the ones line K.A.'s Knight, where he sure did run a strip club are made to some how be very generous and protective of the women in their employ. That works for me since ultimately they are adults making a conscious decision.

I know Gio Battaglia did indeed include women AND chilluns in his....family wide retaliation cleanse when he believed his beloved to be dead but while distasteful, all that did was make me give Mynx props for realism lol. Dude lost it, regretted it...but it was still about his all consuming love for this woman. So....((shrug)).

Y'all excuse the typos...on my phone and I truly cant type in this thing like I want.

[Monica **can't read fast enough**]

Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva wrote: "I think the reason it tends to work in romance is that every criminal "hero" always has a line he wont cross. Usually its profiting off women and children. Even the ones line K.A.'s Knight, where ..."

I agree with you Savannah-somehow Gio going bat crap crazy made me love him more. I know it's crazy and probably a little twisted but I loved it!

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Beyond feminism, but just as a reader, bad boys when written well can be really great characters. They're an archetype. The protector, the lover, the provider. When they're written well, they do all these things WITHOUT diminishing or belittling the heroine. They do all these things sans chest-beating "me Tarzan, you Jane" theatrics, lol.

The problem is, very FEW authors have ever written bad boys well. Even in the good old days of Johanna Lindsay/Rosemary Rogers bodice-rippers, they were so badly over-the-top one-dimensional as to be rendered fairly laughable (at least to me). A bad boy needs to be DEEPER than just tattoos, pirates, Harleys or expensive suits. And, whether some readers like it or not, they need to be adaptable to change. Being iron-jawed, buff, overwhelmingly good-looking and hung like a horse just doesn't cut it anymore.

Of course my heroines are Emma Peel, Storm, Lady Penelope (Fab One), Princess Leia, Xena and other heroines who DID things and were in charge of their own fates. I have never been into the type of heroine who needed rescuing or the type that needed a man to validate her existence. I admit to liking my women running with the wolves *grin*. I have never liked the typical saccharine-sweet heroine. Even if a heroine lacks physicality, she needs to have a core of iron that comes through, showing she isn't to be messed with. To me, a good bad boy gets that. He gets the heroine's desire for independence and compliments that. They're a team, having each other's backs. And frankly, having that depth doesn't diminish a bad boy's alpha-ness in any way.

Here's the thing with mafia heroes: they can be done well, warts and all. And it's the warts that can make or break this kind of character. A skilled author isn't going to gloss over the ugly, but craft such a compelling hero that yeah, I'm gonna think he deserves love despite being a criminal. Real-life mobsters had/have relationships separate from their activities. Even mobsters need some form of domesticity, lol. Moreover, the heroine can go into this ultra-violent, dangerous world with her eyes open. She can decide her love is big enough to withstand what it really is her boyfriend/husband does (even if he's the one pulling the strings). Hell, she could decide she wants in on the "business" (which would make for a very interesting read). I know, some of y'all probably rolling your eyes thinking "but Fountain Pen Diva honey, sugarpie, honey bunches of books, your ass reads FANTASY! Stuff with wizards and dragons and elves, lol." And you'd be right. However, contemporary books are different and therefore is my benchmark. I expect a damn sight more realism in my contemporary romance.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

One theme I am seeing we agree on....they rock if they are fleshed out and done well. Aint nobody got time for some Neanderthal with nothing to him but machismo. I find that the well written bad boys are the ones who showcase the greatest depths of devotion. They love like they live- hard. My favorite books are always the ones where the hero is so gone over the heroine he cant abide the thought of being without her. Its fiction- obsession is cool LOL!