Penny's Favorite Themes In Romance

I realized this week that I am gravitating towards certain kinds of stories. There are certain themes that really rock my boat, and certain themes I can't stand. Here's a run-down....I'm sure I'll think of more later.

Favorite Stuff:

1. Older Couples Rekindling Their Spark

2. Big, Curvy Girls

3. Funky Stuff....such as autistic characters, etc.

4. Amazing Paranormal Stuff

5. Beauty and the Beast

6. Redemption of Tortured Heroes

7. Brotherhood-Style Books

8. Humor in Romance

9. Highly Romantic Stories (think Balogh)

10. Super Loving Alpha Male Heroes...I love this combo!

11. Alternative Families

12. Bearded Heroes (I know...that one's a shocker, right?)

13. Shapeshifters

14. Metamorphosis....girly-girl turns kick ass, etc.

15. Raw, Lusty Historicals....another great combo!

16. Intellectual Hero/Heroine

17. Foodie-Style Books

18. Snappy Chemistry Between Hero/Heroine

19. Beautiful Prose

20. Symbolism

21. Ethnic Themes...gypsies, etc.

22. Unique Voice

Here are some themes/issues that drive me nuts:

1. Contemporary Romance

2. Too Much Deep POV

3. Too Much Mundane Detail (what the characters ate for breakfast, lunch, dinner....blah blah)

4. Eroticas Where The Characters Fall In Love After 50 Pages of Boinking Their Brains Out

5. TSTL Characters

6. Hardcore BDSM....don't like pain and suffering

7. Big Misunderstanding (aka Three's Company problem)

8. Cougar Stories (older woman, younger man)

My new favorite is the more mature couple theme...I am searching out more of these books. Any suggestions?

How about you....anything really rocking your boat lately? Driving you nuts? Let me know!

Ciao,

Penny

What Really Drives Me Up A Wall In Romance Novels

Happy Monday to All! After reading about ten different books over the last couple of weeks, I realized that there are certain plot devices, character flaws, and other items that drive me totally nuts when I am reading. Here is a list of some of these irritations....

1) The huge "Three's Company" Misunderstanding....

My husband and I call the "Big Misunderstanding" plot device in movies, books and TV shows...a "Three's Company"-- a reference to the ludicrous television sitcom from the 1970s/80s. I cannot relax when reading a book with this irritating plot device...I rush through it to find out when the misunderstanding is cleared up. And if another huge misunderstanding is heaped on top of that, well....I get seriously irked.

2) Sex outside of the hero/heroine coupling, especially when friends are involved...

I don't like reading about the hero getting it on with some other woman, and then being introduced to the heroine next chapter. Especially if it's her best friend. Hate that!

3) When the plot outshines the character development...

Bottom line: I want to fall in love with characters. I don't need (or want) 5,000 incredibly complex story lines going on. Romance, people, I want romance!

4) Over-the-top descriptions of death and destruction...

I can totally appreciate how gross a paranormal world is, but I don't need to hear about the liquid oozing out of some one's eyeball. Ewwwwww. Yuck.

5) Rape and/or child abuse....

Rape and child abuse do not mix well with romance. Period.

6) When a story line is started, and then disappears for no good reason...

Sometimes I get the feeling that an author started a story, got sidetracked by something, and forgot all about Aunt Ethel in the south of France. What's up with that?

7) Snarky first person heroines who are totally clueless....

Snarky first person heroines are pretty popular right now. I can handle them if they are funny instead of ultra-bitchy, and smart instead of too-stupid-to-live.

8) My ultra big beef-a-roni....series that lose the magic and fail to deliver....

When an author gets us hooked on an awesome series, and then starts cranking out books that are below-par, or fail to do justice to a character we have fallen in love with....Piss me off!!!!!! 

Some day I will write a list of things that make me really happy when I read a romance novel (tortured heroes finding true love, snappy banter between h/h, and wicked hot sex scenes in historicals will be included!)- I am off to walk (carry) Lucy, the laziest wiener dog on the face of the earth.

Penelope

P.S.- I would love to hear what some of your irritations are!!! Leave a comment!