What's Erotica and What's Not?

A few years back I was blown away by an interesting contemporary romance that revolved around weight, Heavy Issues by Elle Ayecart.  The book was classified as erotica, a classification that perhaps Loose ID, the publisher, probably tagged it.

Like Deep Down, the latest Ayecart, the designation of erotica bothers me because so many of the Regency romances I was reading at the same time I read Heavy Issues were as erotic if not more so.  At the time I wasn't quite sure what made erotica erotica.  Now I'm even less sure.

The sex scenes in Deep Down are no more detailed or lusty than those found in the run-of-the-mill contemporary or historical romance.  If plot and not sex is the issue, then again erotica, at least Ayecart's erotica, is less erotic than every other romance published today.  Deep Down features the same angst-ridden couple who share a Big Misunderstanding.

In fact, the only thing that separates Deep Down from probably every other lusty contemporary or historical today is the trio of grandmothers, whose sometimes nearly slapstick antics lighten the otherwise fairly typical plot.

I'm wondering if erotica is a subgenre of the past.  Has its time come and gone already?

A Bloated Penny

My review of Catherine Anderson's Lucky Penny appears at AAR today.  This was another book I really wanted to like because I've enjoyed Anderson's work in the past.

Unfortunately, this one doesn't have a very likable female protagonist.  This shouldn't bother me since I've read a lot of books that begin with unlikeable primary characters who, thanks to a sympathetic love interest, mend their ways and become very likable.

I'm reminded of Anthony in Mary Balogh's DIK The Temporary Wife, who starts off very unlikeable since he's out to hire a quiet governess to marry and present to his family as his wife.  Fortunately, Charity, the impoverished woman he hires, helps Anthony become less self-centered and less tortured about his past.  Anthony ultimately is one of my favorite Regency heroes.

But while David in Lucky Penny is a terrific guy, Brianna never made me like her at all.  Considering that divorce was pretty much unheard of in the Old West, I can't help but think that David's life won't be as happy ever after as he deserves.

A Writer Writes about Love

Okay, I'll freely admit it:  I love Lisa Kleypas' writing.  I think I first fell in love with it when I read Suddenly You, which to this day is one of my top 10 favorite romances.  Kleypas doesn't make life easy for her lovers, and often bringing them together comes a little too close to real life.  Jack in Suddenly You isn't always the nicest of guys, but when he falls, he falls hard and will do anything for the one/s he loves.

But Jack is purely Regency as were all the other books I'd read.  So I was surprised when Kleypas ventured into contemporary country.  Sometimes authors who go from one to the other show facility in one but become clunky in the other.  Not Kleypas.  Sugar Daddy begat Blue-Eyed Devil, and while neither is an easy book, both are beautifully written and worthwhile reading.

Now comes Rainshadow Road, which I reviewed for AAR.  Kleypas adds a bit of magical realism that enriches the story and makes what might have been just another women's romance tale about an idyllic small town a memorable waltz between two people who discover that love is a mystical binding agent.

Sam from Rainshadow is my newest Jack. 

Off on a Tangent

One of the nice things (among many nice things) about reviewing for AAR is the ability to go off on a tangent now and again with the daily blog or the daily After Hours blog.  Today I roll with the lie I used to tell myself about what kind of romances I prefer.

I do read a lot of Western romances, both historical and contemporary, as well as series and contemporary romances.  On my personal Top 100 book list are a smattering of everything as the top 10 books illustrate:

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: classic
2. Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh: Regency
3. The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh: Regency
4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: time-travel / fantasy
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: classic
6. Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas: Regency
7. The More I See You by Lynn Kurland: time-travel / Medieval
8. The Older Woman by Cheryl Reavis: contemporary
9. She's Got It Bad by Sarah Mayberry: contemporary
10. A Reason to Live by Maureen McKade: Post Civil War America

So no one type of romance really rules, which I hadn't realized until I sat down and looked at my list.

Another Review Up on AAR (www.likesbooks.com)

The review of Redeeming the Rogue by C. J. Chase is featured today on AAR.  One of my gripes about the book is its title which is far from true if the rogue in question is the male protagonist.  Poor Kit, having served his country well as a spy, is beatin himself up for doing a good job.  Spying, after all, requires lying and cameleon-like behavior.  That his boss didn't commend him in a way that he felt proud to have done the job he was hired and trained to do is a failing on the boss' part, not Kit's. 

Even though the book his Christian underpinnings, it's one that can be enjoyed by those who aren't usually attracted to books with overtly religious sentiments.

Onward to today's task:  writing a review of Miller's The Creed Legacy.  Brody Creed, the Creed in question in this third book, unlike Kit has no problems about taking credit where credit is due.  He's a rodeo champion and is proud of his past accomplishments even though he's embarking on a new career.  I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would, Kit being a guy who's full of himself and all.  In fact, it's definitely going in my DIK pile.  Like they say, review to come!

Reviewed: How Not to Write a Romance

It's distressing for me to read and review a book whose only redeeming quality is that the writing flows.  My review of Her Scottish Groom on the AAR site is a case in point.

Maybe there is nothing new under the sun as far as Regency and Victorian romances go, but regurgitating an already trite formula and throwing in so-so sex scenes doesn't add anything to the subgenre of romances.

I hate giving D's or F's to books, but some seem to demand those grades.

Sigh.