The Mystery of Romance Fiction

One of the biggest complaints about romance fiction from people who don't read it is that romances are so predictable.  You know that the couple are going to get together in the end, which makes the books boring, say the detractors.

That's true, as it is in mystery fiction, biographies, and a number of other genres.  But I contend that romance readers are into the genre for the ride, and in order to get the most out of the ride (watching person A get together with person B), we go into the books thinking in this one romance the unthinkable might happen: There won't be a happily ever after.  And it's this self-deception that makes the book even more enjoyable.

Lane Hayes in Better Than Chance destroys even that little bit of self-deception by making his first person narrator tell the ending the of the story before relating the story itself.  If you'd asked me before I reviewed this book, if I thought revealing the ending of a romance book would bother me, I would have said no.  But it did.

All the way through I kept waiting for something to surprise me, but nothing did.  And when I finished reading, I kept wondering why the book felt so blah to me.  I finally figured out that I like the little bit of suspense when I'm not quite sure that person A really will end up with person B or if this time, there will be no happy ending for anyone.

5 Reviewed in Booklist's latest

The November 1, 2011, issue of Booklist carries a whopping five of my reviews:

* Demons Like It Hot by Sidney Ayers, a sequel to her Demons Prefer Blondes that I reviewed for the June 2011 edition of Booklist.  Book two follows closely on the heels of book one, so it's more of a squeekquel.

* Silver Sparks by Starr Ambrose, a cautionary tale about taking on the popular press and one of its icons.  This one asks the question, "What's truth go to do with it?"

* A Place Called Home by Jo Goodman that I read and wrote the review in August, but the publication date got pushed back until December.  It's been so long ago that I had to read the review to remember what the book was about.

* The Heart of a Killer by Jaci Burton, which is a cautionary tale about childhood love and trust.  I thought another character would have made a better killer, but the one Burton picks isn't totally unbelievable.

* Briar Patch by Linda Sole, which is melodrama writ large.  I couldn't believe what glowing reviews her other books have gotten.  This one was pure soap opera.

Quick Update

Today my AAR After Hours blog entry went live.  I'm talking about one of my favorite television shows, Castle.  Oddly enough I'd never really heard of Nathan Fillion before Castle, but now that I know his work, I'm definitely a fan.  But you can read my thoughts in the blog post.

Turned in reviews of Delilah Marvelle's Forever and a Day and Evelyn Hood's cozy Mystery in Prior's Ford to Booklist at the beginning of the week.  One is absolutely wonderful while the other is so-so.  You'll have to read the reviews when they're published to find out which is which.

Currently writing these reviews for AAR:
* Beauty Dates the Beast by Jessica Sims
* Tall, Dark and Cowboy  by Joanne Kennedy
* A Texas Christmas by Jodi Thomas, DeWanna Pace, Linda Broday and Phyliss Miranda
* The Survivor by Shelley Shepard Gray
Three of the four are Desert Island Keepers, which means I've had a very, very good week of reading recently.

Upcoming Reviews

My review stack is sky high these days.  Here's what's in it:

For Booklist:

• A Place Called Home by Jo Goodman
• The Great Betrayal by Pamela Oldfield
• Riptide by Cherry Adair
• Mr. Darcy's Bite by Mary Lydon Simonsen

For AAR:

• To Have the Doctor's Baby by Teresa Southwick
• Cheri on Top by Susan Donovan
• Redeeming the Rogue by C. J. Chase

I've finished reading the Goodman and have started on the Oldfield which is a mystery and not a romance.  I'll write the Goodman review while I read the Oldfield and then turn in both reviews probably before August 1.

Deja vu All Over Again

My editor at Booklist emailed to ask if I'd help out by reviewing some cozy mysteries.  I had to laugh.  When I started with Publishers Weekly, I was reviewing cozies.

So many things in life seem to come back around!

I said yes, and will be back on the mystery trail for Booklist's mystery fiction issue.  Now to find out when that is.

Review Background: The Life History of a Reviewer

I've been a book reviewer for most of my adult life.  I started at The Houston Post newspaper where I worked as a librarian and reviewed any books that were assigned to me by the features department.  I met my husband at the Post, but since they had a nepotism policy (ironic because Ovita Culp Hobby's family ran the paper), I applied for a job at the rival Houston newspaper.

When I moved to The Houston Chronicle and worked as a features staffer, I had a multitude of jobs, including reviewing books, movies, and events.  Again, I had no real specialty, but reviewed whatever was assigned to me.