Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

GS vs. STA: Erotic Novellas

I've received a few email requests for erotic content similar to 50 Shades of Grey  [GR | A | BN | S | K | ARe] and a few bazillion Google searches for '50 shades synopsis' and '50 shades review'  and, my personal favorite, '50 shades free download.' Heh. Good luck with that last one.

This week at Kirkus I talked about the erotic romance that might appeal to those who enjoyed 50 Shades of Grey, from titles with BDSM to explicit sex (and strong heroines, hooray!) and shorter works of erotic fiction. People are still reading and finishing the book, and a few are looking for something like it. 

The problem is, it can be difficult to figure out what it was about a book that contained so many major romance and erotica tropes that you liked specifically so you can go find more of it. Was it the BDSM? Was it the first person POV? Was it the sexual tension? It's probably a different answer for each reader. There are several great recommendation threads, including one at DearAuthor, but one email this past week caught my attention: 

GS vs STA: Romance Over 40

Today's Friday Video is all about sexually active senior citizens, but I had an email about it about a half hour ago that led to an interesting conversation. Meike wrote: 

The desire for more mature characters in erotic romance fiction is becoming more important to me as I become one of them. It gets a little tiring to always read about these beautiful young bodies having this amazing sex. I would love to hear about the amazing sex us softer oldies are having. Sure, I read to escape, but I also like to feel a part of a story, feel like I can fully relate to the character. Hopefully authors will realize the babyboomers are ready for mature erotica.

I wrote back and asked, "Here's a question: do you like mature erotica that features older protagonists, or do you also have some interest in older heroines and younger men? Ellora's Cave did a series recently that was termed "cougar" lit - all about older women and younger men. Would that interest you, or do you want older protagonists… read more »

GS vs STA: Fairy-Tale Romance Retellings

Billie Bloebaum wrote in with a rather interesting question: 

Has there ever been a GS vs. STA for fairy tale-inspired romance? Because I'm totally going through a phase with it right now and was hoping for some recommendations of things inspired by tales other than Cinderella or Beauty & the Beast. I can find a ton of stuff in YA and Fantasy and even Lit Fic (and if you haven't read 'The Snow Child' by Eowyn Ivey you should do so nownownow) ( A | BN | K | S ), but Romance seems to be stuck on those two stories, with the occasional foray into Princess & the Pea territory. There have to be Snow White or Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel stories out there in the great wide world of Romance, so why am I not finding them? Some help, please? What am I missing? And, if anyone can direct me to an 'Alice in Wonderland'-inspired Romance, I might just expire from joy.

Some of my favorite romances are fairy-tale retellings, but they are Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella-based. Teresa Medeiros' Charming the… read more »

GS vs STA: Must-Read Loveswepts

Back in February we talked a bit in the comments of the "Lovesweeping the Titles" discussion about Loveswept romances that are totally worth finding (or hopefully re-releasing!), the ones that rocked your Loveswepty world. So many authors first appeared within the Loveswept line, such as Iris Johansen and Janet Evanovich, and I thought it would be a good idea to have one long recommendation thread of which Loveswepts are worth finding. 

Random House is bringing back older Loveswepts and publishing new books (such as Ruthie Knox's Ride With Me, which I really enjoyed) [ ] . That line is digital only, but some decent used bookstore may have copies of older Loveswept titles in paperback form, so for those of you who love paper book reading, there's plenty of options. There's sites like Alibris that have many older Loveswepts for sale in paperback form. Amazon also has Loveswepts, both digital and used paper, like my personal favorite title, Strong Hot Winds by Iris Johansen.

GS vs. STA: BDSM Romance

Cecilia Tan (no relation to Candy that I know of!) tweeted at me, asking in the midst of Yet More 50 Shades of Grey BrouHaHa if there were any BDSM romances that weren't 50 Shades that I might recommend: 

She later emailed me: 

"Shit to Avoid" is very useful to know, too! Well-written and well-known is probably where I should start[.]

So I just read "The Story of L" by Debra Hyde ( A | BN | K | S ), and loved it. It's a lesbian "Story of O" but done as a romance. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite of the original, in which the female submissive is dehumanized. Hot though that might be in a fantasy, it's obviously antithetical to romance! (Actually, tell me if I'm wrong and there are a lot of BDSM romances where the submissive is dehumanized...?) I liked Exit to Eden ( A | BN | K | S )though I thought it needed editing. 

Now I'm trying to get an idea of what's out there. I'm not picky about sexuality, I'll read het, m/m, or lesbian.

GS vs. STA: Happy Parental Relationships

Melissa wrote to me about a specific type of romance relationship - the parental one:

I'm recently on a kick reading and writing books in which the hero and heroine have healthy, functional relationships with their living parents, but that sort of book is so hard to find in romance! Carrie Ann Ryan recommended Lauren Dane's Chase Brothers series to me, but I haven't gotten any other recommendations from my Facebook or Twitter queries. Perhaps a good topic for GS vs. STA or one of your fabulous editorials? Thanks for considering!

Yes, indeed! Parental relationships are so often the foundation of character drama, and there's no shortage of bad parenting in romance character land. Yet I love books where the relationships that the characters have with their parents or their parental figures shows their emotional maturity, and gives me more characters to like. I also really, really enjoy that the diversity of what makes up a family when it comes to raising children is portrayed more often now. Aunts, grandparents, cousins, unrelated adults, and foster parents have made appearances in romances. 

Two… read more »

What Are You Reading?

I know Sheri was reading Evanovich's Plum series from the beginning last month (sorry I goofed on your name originally, Sheri, my apologies), as was Alina, and Booklight said Amanda Quick's backlist was on the reading schedule - how are you enjoying them?

This week I've tried to read two self-published works, one full length and one short story, and had problems with both. But this weekend I'm spending about 10 hours in the car, and it's audio book time for me, which I'm looking forward to more than I expected. I am curious to see if I recall the story enough to review it when I'm done listening. 

So what are you reading this week? Are you embarking on a massive backlist read-a-thon? What books are you loving right now? 

GS. vs. STA: Infertility

This email comes from Rebekka: 

I don't know if you can help me, but I would really appreciate some recommendations of romances to read that address infertility. As you know, most books that even mention it barely do, and it's usually more a case of, "Oh! My dead husband was sterile!" or it's some other problem easily fixed by the Mighty Wang.

The only romance I have read that actually deals with the emotional aspects of infertility - and which isn't magically fixed - is the Julia Quinn "Bridgerton" book When He Was Wicked (Francesca's story). My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for a year now and are about to start our first round of IVF. Even though I am only 27, our doctors say that we have less than a 5% chance of having a baby without it. Reading about other couples supporting and loving each other through such an emotional and difficult issue would really help me feel more hopeful that things can turn out all right, and that you can get through all this hard stuff together.

I remember being where Rebekka is, and it can be terribly… read more »

GS. vs. STA: Lesbian Romance

In the comments to the entry about the discrimination of the Romance Writers Ink published writers contest, DreadPirateRachel and Keri asked for a Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid for f/f romance, or, in other words, lesbian romances.

Keri commented, "It's easy to find m/m, but I'm having a really hard time with f/f, especially fluffier kinds. I love Sarah Waters and Emma Donoghue, who are always suggested, but their writing tends to be more literary and heavy and less "romance novel", and when I try to find others, I often just come across erotica meant for the male gaze. :(

(also a lot of f/f romance that I find are older YA novels that are less about the romance as they are about GLBT Issues, which is frustrating. I've seen plenty of m/m stories that aren't Issue novels and are more in the vein of what I think of as traditional romance, but not f/f. help help help! i love romance novels, but I want some that better reflect my own identity sometimes!)"

DreadPirateRachel added, "Yes, please! I'd love to read… read more »

GS vs. STA: Military Heroes

This "Good Shit vs Shit to Avoid" request comes from Joanne, who is hunting for books to read this winter:

I am looking for suggestions for lovely romance or wonderfully trashy romance involving a soldier/soldier of fortune, tough guy in uniform, or one beside a crumpled uniform on the floor. A happily ever after would be nice. In fact, I require it from my fictional men.

After an incredibly stressful month and searching in vane, I implore you, please help. The wine is breathing, the phone is turned off (finally) and I am heroless. It's sad really.

Since Joanne isn't specific about time period, historical, contemporary or even paranormal/UF recommendations are more than welcome. Which books do you recommend that feature soldier/military heroes? This will be one hell of a list, given the scope, to please try to limit your recommendations to your top 2 or 3 favorite books. 

And if there's a military or soldier hero romance you don't recommend, feel free to talk about it, but please try to explain why it didn't work for you. 

Classic Romance - Which One First? Judith McNaught Reading List

Judith McNaught is one of the romance authors whose books have been read by so many, for so many years, she's a mainstay in terms of reader best-of lists. Some readers couldn't say enough amazing things about McNaught's novels, while others struggle with the old-skool heroes, particularly those who rely on the "all women are evil" trope to justify some really shitful behavior.

So compiling a list of reader favorites and recommendations for someone who hasn't tried McNaught proved a bit tricky. Based on reader comments, there are some that are loved without reservation - while those same titles are equally hated by other readers. Here's the list of recommended books, and one caution.

Almost Heaven Goodreads | Amazon | BN

Recommended by Daisy, Lauren Willig, and many others. Noelle says, "I cannot live without Almost Heaven, A Kingdom of Dreams and Remember When. I adore most of her historicals and many of her contemporaries, but these three are tops for me!" Kiersten wrote, "McNaught was one of my first keeper authors. I knew… read more »

GS vs. STA: Sports Romances

Last week I had hellaflu, and while working on this week's lineup, I asked on Twitter if there were any requests for content. OddSoxAlex requested a GS vs. STA for sports romances - specifically those that take place in the UK, or in Europe, and not in the US. 

Most of the sports romances I know of, such as Jaci Burton's Play by Play series, which features football and baseball, or Erin McCarthy's Fast Track series, which is about car racing, take place in the US. 

Do you know of any sports romances that take places outside the US, or, if not, sports romances that you loved in general? Recommendations, please!

Penny Jordan

Penny Jordan passed away from cancer at age 65 on 31 December 2011. She was the author of over 200 novels, and a name that many, many readers saw frequently on the covers of Harlequin Presents. Jordan's most recent book, Passion and the Prince, was just released at the end of December.

Jordan is more remembered, aside from authoring a metric ton of novels, for being a generous person who eagerly helped new authors navigate the path to publication.

The Romantic Novelists Association collected remembrances from its members, many of whom are grieving for the loss of a close friend. penny jordan

Lynne Connelly also wrote a very moving post about Jordan, and how much she'll be missed.

So, which Jordan novel would you recommend for someone curious about her books? It's an impromptu "Which one First?" though Jordan was on my list for this feature, as her backlist is very impressive. Which Jordan book do you recommend above all others? Please share your favorite and why. 

GS vs STA: Overcoming Prejudice

I received this email from Jan Oda, who is looking for a particular type of romance. Her request gave me a lot to think about. 

"I was going through my old HP's, and I bumped into Sun Lord's Woman by Violet Winspear. It's an HP from the 80s, but I quite like it because of its subject. It starts out as a typical Sheik romance, but the conflict is very original. Linda's mother was Jewish*, and when Karim finds out he's distraught that they married, because of his position as an Arab leader and the everlasting conflict. In the end, love conquers all however, and they live happily ever after, no matter their ancestry.

I was really surprised that an HP could touch on a subject so sensitive, and not screw it up completely (it's not very nuanced nor deeply explored, but it's there). So I got thinking, I want to read more books like this. Where characters are prejudiced and discriminating, but where love overcomes those feelings. I think I'd prefer it if it were the hero and heroine themselves who were prejudiced, but I'm interested… read more »

Classic Romance - Which One First? Judith McNaught Edition

When I was in high school, I signed a somewhat-friend's yearbook, and I noticed that her best friend had signed the inside cover with a huge paragraph wherein she'd somehow included the title of every Judith McNaught novel (this was in 1993 so there were plenty of them) because they loved those books and read them over and over. That was my introduction to McNaught, and I started with Once and Always.It was all downhill from there.

I love Once and Always for the tortured hero, even if he's a big ol' jerkface in some scenes. Also, I think that's one of the very few times I've encountered a historical hero named "Jason."