SBD -- giving up on an author

[jmc_bks]

It's Smart Bitches Day.

I don't have anything to say about the romance genre, per se. Mostly, I'm feeling a little sad about giving up on a long-time favorite author of mine: Linda Howard. I glommed her when I first started reading romances again, after college. Some of her books were extremely dated and had heroes that really pissed me off (Rome Matthews from Sarah's Child, anyone?) or completely squicked me out (the cousin-sex and incest in another book, I forget the title though). But I liked them and kept reading them anyway.

She eventually started putting more and more suspense and/or action in the books, and less and less romance. Eh, it didn't thrill me but, you know, she's the author and she should write what speaks to her rather than what readers want. I totally get that, and if suspense is where her muse is taking her, then she should follow it; that doesn't necessarily mean that I am going to follow her. The change in focus combined with hard cover prices and a couple of clunkers (for me; other readers loved them) shifted LH to the library list or to the "Wait for paperback" status.

I liked last year's paperback release To Die For, which seemed to be a bit of a return to the older style, but otherwise the last several books have been ~meh~ to me. I checked out Killing Time and Cover of Night both. DNF. So I'm giving up on LH entirely, or maybe taking a long, long hiatus from reading her books.

Comments

[eackerman.livejournal.com]

I'm still hanging in there with Ms. Howard. I very much enjoyed Cry No More 'cause I love a quiet hero who always fastens his seatbelt, never neglects to vote, and can kill you in about 30 seconds.

My biggest problem with Cover of Night was the totally improbable plot device. I felt like Scott Evil from "Austin Powers": "Just shoot him. Don't make elaborate plans, just shoot him. Wait, I've got a gun in my room, I'll go get it."

She'll have to do worse to lose me, although this one comes close. But then I remember McKenzie's Mountain and Mr. Perfect and I can forgive a great deal knowing what she's capable of.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I *wanted* to like the hero in Cry No More, but I just didn't. And I remember the MacKenzie books fondly.

The last several romantic suspense have just been blah to me -- very little romance and not much suspense. Maybe I'm just jaded and bored with RS?

[(Anonymous)]

golly, you make it sound like you're losing a friend. It's so sad.
kate r

Losing a friend?

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

NO, I'm feeling sorry for me, really. I chalk it up to change/growth of the author and change/lack of change in my reading tastes. I have the old books still on the shelf, I'm just feeling pouty because I don't look forward to LH's new releases any longer.

sbd

[(Anonymous)]

I put off reading Howard's Kiss Me While I Sleep for ages. Finally picked it up in paperback. I cried. I loved it. I'm not sure I'm going to read Cover of Night since it takes place in Idaho and as an Idahoan I get drawn out of the story if something strikes me as wrong.

Sandy

Re: sbd

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Hi, Sandy.

I have the same problems for books set in Baltimore or on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where I grew up.

I didn't get the impression that the sense of place was all that important in the book...but I only read 50~ pages, so it's location may have developed in importance later on.

Ack! "Its" not "it's"

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

n/t

[(Anonymous)]

You and me both. I stroked the cover of Cover of Night but remembered the sheer horror of reading Killing Time and managed to walk away. It's real sad when a great romance writer decides to leave the romance behind. Makes me blue.

So let's go positive - who have you added to your Auto buy list lately? I have added JR Ward, Lisa Valdez (after only one book), hmmm the author who wrote Date Me Baby One More Time although knowing her name would probably help in keeping her on the list ;)

CindyS

Positive thoughts

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Recent additions to the Auto Buy list:

JR Ward
Shari Shattuck
Julie Leto (I really liked Dirty Little Secret)
Nalini Singh

[jperceval.livejournal.com]

LH has always been hit-or-miss for me -- I still cringe when I think of Open Season in particular. But in possibly good news for you, she's giving Blair and Wyatt a sequel, so maybe you'll like that one.

Maybe

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Part of me is glad to hear that . . . but the other part is wondering why go back to them? Wasn't their story wrapped up?

Re: Maybe

[jperceval.livejournal.com]

I think she's trying on the idea of an ongoing series, kind of like Eve and Roarke or Enoch's Sam and Rick.

Re: Maybe

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

How strange -- this message just arrived by email, a day after it was posted. Hmm, must check filters.

Blair and Wyatt as an ongoing series? Hmmm. I liked them as a couple, but I'm not sure about repeated exposure to Blair -- what was cute in one book might be wearing over the course of several.

I think I'm just going to avoid LH for a while. Maybe if I come back to her fresh, I'll start enjoying her books again.