Your expectations of reader opinions vs. formal reviews make perfect sense to me. I alternate between which I prefer, assuming that the opinion does include enough objective evaluation. My discomfort sometimes with the more formal review or critique (and this isn't limited to romance) is that so much of what I like or love about some of the books I've read isn't about the craftsmanship but the storytelling. And I get the feeling (more in literary fiction than in genre fiction) that the craft is more important than the storytelling to the critic.
no subject
Your expectations of reader opinions vs. formal reviews make perfect sense to me. I alternate between which I prefer, assuming that the opinion does include enough objective evaluation. My discomfort sometimes with the more formal review or critique (and this isn't limited to romance) is that so much of what I like or love about some of the books I've read isn't about the craftsmanship but the storytelling. And I get the feeling (more in literary fiction than in genre fiction) that the craft is more important than the storytelling to the critic.
Cheers,
~jmc