Paperback Reader

As previously noted, I have read, sometimes voraciously, romance since, well, my whole life. Yet, I managed, somehow, to avoid all of the big names of the genre. As I’ve rectified my omissions, I’ve discovered some great authors, puzzled over the success of others, and wondered what was the big deal about some. You know, the authors who are okay but not great, write nice stories but nothing that rises above the crowd, have a certain something but not enough to make you seek out more.

Thus we come to Linda Lael Miller. I won her title Daniel’s Bride through a Paperback Reader contest. Or rather, I won the privilege of reading and reviewing Daniel’s Bride through a Paperback Reader contest – my idea, which should teach me something. Hey, I thought, I like new stuff. I make macaroni and cheese with chipotle cheddar.

Long running, single protagonist series might be one of the most difficult things to pull off in fiction. On one end of the spectrum there are Robert Parker’s Spenser books where Spenser never ages, never evolves, he just keeps solving those crimes. The sameness and lack of growth quickly become frustrating. And on the other end is Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series where the characters do move forward and change and in the process loose that precious something that made the reader want more of them. Through four books in the Hollows series, Kim Harrison has neatly avoided these divergent issues with a layered heroine, Rachel Morgan, who is equal parts kick-butt and vulnerable and inhabits a universe that is strife-rich in design and richer still by Rachel’s actions.

Romance has long been accused of suffering from a general sameness: same characters, same plots, same endings. That is an arguable point, but looking at the new release table laden with vampires, werewolves, and erotica, and then more vampires, werewolves, and erotica, readers might think the effort put into the argument is wasted. The market is rather striking for its current homogeneity, so much so that titles offering the least bit of variation stand out. Jodi Thomas’ new release, Texas Rain, is immediately intriguing for that very reason. The story doesn’t have a paranormal element. Nor does it feature characters who define themselves by the quick, easy sex they have, or the quick, easy sex they want to have. In fact, there isn’t any sex, to speak of, in the book. Texas Rain is a pre-Civil War-set-Western and different enough in both approach and content that, at first blush, it seems like a revolution might be brewing on the new release table.

We long ago decided that it would be interesting for us here at PBR to pick romance novels off our respective "keeper" shelves and give them a second joint look. Inevitably, one person's keeper was another person's "never heard of it." But, that added to the fun...or so went the theory.

The idea was to engage in a little discussion about romance novels of the past. However, every now and then a title gets bandied about for one of these joint fav reviews that makes the person for whom the novel is not a fav cringe. The Outsider by Penelope Williamson falls into this category. To be fair, it is not alone in the category. Something about a Plain heroine and 500-page oldie read made one of us (HelenKay) engage in a bit of eye-rolling. Then some stalling. Even a period of denial. Now, this is not a reflection on Ms. Williamson or her book. Frankly, the eye-rolling came before the actual reading and amounted to one of those "not my thing" responses. To be fair, the other one of us (Wendy) has come up with an excuse or two to get out reviewing some "not my thing" titles she did not choose.

But, this is a partnership of sorts and we agreed, so...

The appeal of the western romance is often attributed to the rugged cowboy hero. I’ll admit he certainly doesn’t hurt matters. However the real reason this reader keeps praying for a resurgence in the sub genre is because of the heroines. Simply put, I’m less likely to get stuck with a bubble-headed heroine in a western. Their main concerns in life have nothing to do with attending some society soiree, or the fact that they spied Lord Sin at Almack’s. No, the western heroine is often concerned with such mundane matters as living in a lawless land, often miles from civilization, surviving the bitter winter months, and scratching out enough food so she and her family don’t starve to death.