Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion

I think part of the problem with Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Erotica etc. etc. - it is very hard to stick a book in one category. If you are a fan of UF and come across a load of sex - you are not going to be impressed. And I think that is why people are so annoyed with Laurell K. Hamilton it started of as UF and now has taken serious in-roads into what is basically Erotica but with a lot of killing and violence.

And with crossovers so much - completely different people will be reading Erotica to other things. So needless to say the readers won't be saying nice things when they pick up something that they are not a fan of.


It must be a damn hard line for an author to walk.

Personally I prefer the UF, good PR, not as much a fan of Erotica but I have read a few things that I liked. I read the Joey W. Hill recently and I thought they were excellent. Although at times exceptionally dark.

I don't think that an author can never go too far with a story, a world, or a plot-line as long as it is consistent and believable (truth is stranger than fiction & suspension of belief). Just don't randomly bring in things, keep to certain laws of physics (if not, have them consistent).

And most importantly keep character development/reactions believable - Keri Arthur broke that cardinal rule in one of her books. The main character was raped - but once she was healed physically she was able to continue having normal sexual relations with her boyfriend. I found it insulting and demeaning to all rape victims and very anti-women also.

On the other side I always though that Charlaine Harris's character Terry Bellefleur was always excellently written as a Vietnam vet with PTSD. Another thing while on Harris - that torture scene with Sookie is straight horror, this is not something that has any place in an Erotica book for example.

I don't think there is ever a sexual overload in a book as long as it fits the type of book you are writing (with the exception of Anita Blake as that evolved). If you are writing an over 18s with full on wham, bam sex then go for it - but make it consistent.

I am not sure if I have helped or hindered your questions now. :(

I think Anne made a lot of good points. I think that while readers want to be thrilled and drawn in, they don't want to be blindsided. I like to have an idea as to what I'm getting into. On the flipside...I'm one of those who believe paranorm and sex, in many ways, go hand in hand. Wether it be vamps or demons, fae or fallen angels, that dark, alluring sensuality is just part of it. Granted, the level of sex can vary but come on...even Edward Cullen was no virgin. ;-)

Texxie,are you being sarcastic or did you really not know that Edward Cullen was Really a virgin, until him and Bella ofcourse :) Just curious.

For me I read to encounter those aspects that are used to categorize books. If science Fiction I read for space opera, future worlds, alien artifacts, advanced science, etc. In Fantasy I read for magic, sword-fighting, creatures bot good and evil. In Urban Fantasy I want magic and fantasy creatures in modern settings. In Erotica...I don't read I get enough of that from real life where as the others I get only from fiction.

I think as with most things in life a great deal of cause for this phenomenon lies in money.

Alexandria wrote: "My question is, what is sexual over-load hahaha"

I don' mind reading about sex. I love UF/PNR so most of the time, if not always, they have sex scenes in them.
However, I draw the line at sexual assaults. I know it may not be overload worthy but my mind can't process a scene like that. Especially if the woman didn't mind that she's been assaulted.

Another one is when, dialogues are not put into the scene properly. Sexual overload is literally when they don't do anything but have sex. Very minimal conversation, some books can pull it off. The whole were-not-talking-but-you-guys-totally-know-we-have-sexual-chemistry but it's very rare.

Lastly, when sex is done "anywhere". Others may get turned on and be thrilled that someone may catch them doing the "deed" but sometimes I find it tasteless. Especially if it's done in an elevator. (I don't know why)

Those are my sex overload. I hope it helps even though it's a little all over the place.

Amanda wrote: "Texxie,are you being sarcastic or did you really not know that Edward Cullen was Really a virgin, until him and Bella ofcourse :) Just curious."

teasing. lol

I agree with Anne, consistency within a series is important. I will occasionally read erotica, and I don't mind a book having sex in it. But I draw the line when it carries no real story or plot outside of the sex, even if that plot is romance, this is when it really becomes an overload. I feel like with the popularity of 50 shades a lot of authors now are struggling to add a lot sex and its starting to become an overload.

texxie wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Texxie,are you being sarcastic or did you really not know that Edward Cullen was Really a virgin, until him and Bella ofcourse :) Just curious."

teasing. lol"

OHHHHH!! i got it lol!!!forgive me sometimes im dence

@ Alexandria.

I think as far as romance novels go you can definitely be in LUST with more then one person at a time. And if the relationships have not developed enough to be love its very hard to tell the difference between the two.

when your in the thick of it, it's a tough call.... Ive been through it myself in past relationships. Lust is nearly as addictive as love at times...

Alexandria wrote: "So how do you guys feel when the character has feeling for more than just one person?..."

I think I mostly agree with your daughter. Many authors do the love triangle and use the loving multiple people in their plots, but it is neither appealing or believable. Loving one person and being attracted to another is more likely and believable and never used as a plot device. Not to say loving two people doesn't happen, just unlikely. Love is a combination of affection, trust and respect, so when an author shows a character loving more two, I immediately assume the character's love as either untrue or not pure. You many have affection for a person, but as soon as you take your affection elsewhere, the trust and respect are no more. Not very romantic.

Don't even get me started on the cheating!!! HATE IT!

When is enough ... Enough?

For me if its written well and fits in with the story the answer is never.

Loving more than one person, violence, and damn hot love scenes bring it on but only if its all in balance.

There is nothing worse than reading a book were the story is really good but authors stick in tons of love scenes which distract from the main story, or just don't fit in with the book/scene.

Don't get me wrong I read lots of erotic books and for me I like the adult themes to my books.

It's all about bringing the characters to life and pulling in the reader. I think it all depends on what market your trying to reach.

You can't please everyone, and sometimes readers seem to forget they are reading fiction. But for me PNR & UF unless its a YA I expect it to be dark in all areas.

I think sex has a place in most romance, paranormal or otherwise. However, when it's just sex for the heck of it, or it doesn't move the story along, I don't like it.

Sydney wrote: "I think sex has a place in most romance, paranormal or otherwise. However, when it's just sex for the heck of it, or it doesn't move the story along, I don't like it."

I agree... I love it, but it doesn't always have to be there. But when I feel like I'm reading a bad 70's porn film and the *boom*chicka*Bow*wow* starts becoming the book soundtrack... there's a problem

LOL. Exactly. Or any book that contains a scene like this-
He-Hi
She-Hi
He- I like you (after knowing her for 2 min)
She- I like you too.
He- Wanna have sex?
She- sure!
Ugh.

Although that did kind of happen in which, contrary to what I thought was not as bad a book as I thought it would be.

I've always been of the opinion that sex in the book only matters if the characters have some connection. Sex for sex sake is kind of shallow, and I don't get a lot of enjoyment out of reading that. I'm by no means a prude, I just don't think the book is as interesting from a story standpoint if the relationship is strictly physical. It gets boring, and I find myself merely thinking about the verbs and adjectives the author chose to describe the act itself, and re-writing it in my head so that it doesn't sound so stilted. :)

IMO, to borrow from Hitchcock, "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." The buildup is what makes it a good book. I have to WANT the characters to have sex. If something happens before I'm at that point in the book, then it's dull and awkward. Now, once they reach that point in their relationship, I have no problems with characters doing whatever, whenever, however they want.

Sydney wrote: "LOL. Exactly. Or any book that contains a scene like this-
He-Hi
She-Hi
He- I like you (after knowing her for 2 min)
She- I like you too.
He- Wanna have sex?
She- sure!
Ugh."

Haha! I know guys that think that sort of thing works.

Oh, me too. So frustrating.

Here's my opinion, for what it's worth. I get extremely tired of multiple long drawn out sex scenes in books. That being said, I will still read a romance if the sex scenes are easily skip-able. If there is a sex scene I will skip it, so if you have had the characters talking about stuff that is important to understanding the plot while they are having this "hot passionate sex" then I will put the book down. Who talks about important stuff during sex anyway? It also makes me happier when there are easy visual cues to the end of a sex scene (like the end of a chapter) because it makes it easier to skip. I also get tired of detailed sex scenes between people who aren't important to the plot or who aren't in a relationship. It's not a moral thing, it just interrupts my reading. Of course I am one who reads books for a story, not for sex. That is what erotica is for. Also, when I refer to a sex scene I mean more than a page of detailed sex. A paragraph or a page doesn't bother me... I guess that is because it is easy to skip. Also, since I am skipping sex scenes if more than 20-30 percent of your book is sex then I will not buy another because I am not getting my money's worth. Hope this helps in some way. I also realize I may be a prude of a reader.

I expect sex scenes in the romances I read, but I really dislike those that go on for page after page after page. Those I skim through to find the end and get back to the story-so annoying. For me it's a one page maximum for a sex scene. And I'm with Christy. I really don't want to read sex scenes between people who aren't the main characters. It's an interruption to the plot and an annoying one. It tends to feel like the author or editor decided the book needed to be "spiced up" and threw in a few random sex scenes to catch the 50 Shades market.

The only time I've really been bothered by a sex scene was in the Riley Jenson series by Keri Arthur. There was way too much of it in one book, ok...the main character has a major urge to have sex every full moon (I think) so it happened way too often and became boring. It became more annoying because she would do it at random times like as soon as they got away from danger...against a car.

Love can also get annoying in a long series. Like in the Morganville Vampires series...the couple got together in the 1st book and the same romance scenes are thrown in, too often, throughout the series.

I don't really thing it's a matter of too much sex, just like it isn't a matter of too much violence or gritty detail or fantastical ideas. It's a matter of writing. If the writing is lazy or poorly developed anything can come off as repetitious or out of character or even distracting from the plot. As has been said countless times, in America sex sells. You see it in TV, movies, advertising, as well as books. I think there is some pressure from publishers to include sex or gory violence just to get that initial reaction from readers. So, just like a bad comedian who "goes blue" because they know it will get a rise out of the audience a bad writer might throw in sensational or salacious scenes because they know the buzz it creates will mask their own ineptitude.

Whereas, a writer with genuine skill can write about anything and make it enjoyable for the reader. I don't pick books purely for sex or graphic violence, but if it's done well, is integral to the plot and true to the characters it can enhance the story rather than detracting from it.

My ideal UF book has tons of action,a good group of characters or animal sidekicks that you like,interesting or kickass heroine,maybe some good humour.I'm quite happy if there is little or no sex so I can just enjoy the plot.

There are some books where the plot has been ignored just to fit in more sex and that bugs me.ie Anita Blake!I don't mind sex in my books if it fits or adds to the plot(ie Cat and Bones),not just for the hell of it.If I wanted non stop sex I'd read erotica!This puts me off a lot of UF and PNR where the blurb makes it sound like you're about to read a sexathon!

I don't have a problem with sex scenes. My only issues with them are when they have dragged on for half the chapter or, even worse, when every single sexual encounter in the characters' lives have been described in the book. Imagine if you were talking to your best friend and told her about each and every time you and your husband/boyfriend had sex. See what I mean? For the most part, I think people only share the special encounters if it is interesting or helpful in the story line or their lives, if they share those things at all. That's just my opinion though.

I think the issue with triangles isn't so much about being able to love one person or not. To me it is more about how well a character is developed. I absolutely think someone can love two people but as triangles got popular more and more especially in young adult it became annoying to read about the topic rather than enjoying the dynamic. There are a few books that I can think of that did the triangle concept well. The rest came off as a very immature and disappointing read.

God I do believe that there is such a thing as too much sex in books!No I don't have a problem with sex in my books but there is a line and when it's crossed it really ruins the book for me! Anita Blake is an excellent example. The series started quite good and most of the plots in the books are also quite good but the sex is just too much! It's page after page of orgies! It is sometimes part of the plot but it is mostly overwhelming! I really just skiped mostly in have of the books!

Then we have the "almost-rape" scenes. In a lot of PNR books we see that the alpha male keeps coming on the heroine even if she says no. Yes the heroine usually in the end wants him just as much but I still think that no is no! It's like food. Maybe I'm still hungry but I say no more because I'm on a diet, is it right to keep feeding me? Sure I will most deffinitely enjoy the food but that doesn't mean that you had the right to forse-feed me!

Also I really don't like it when the heroes are in love with more than one person! I can understand lusting after multiple people but I think you can't be in love with two or more people at the same time!

But the worst thing for me in books is when we have the:
Boy meets girl.
Girl meets boy.
BOOM. Instant love. I knew he/she was the one before he/she opened his/her mouth!
This is more like elementary school puppy love between children!
Instant lust...Now that I get!;)

hmm i gotta say i kinda disagree with some of you all... i really like the anita blake series and i never think theres enough sex... that being said i do like erotica but i think UF and PNR can have as much sex as the author deems necessary...

ironically i couldnt stand the fifty shades of grey series, not because of the sex but because i thought the whole relationship was superficial and abusive

maybe im not the norm but i do love series in which there is more than one lover. maybe because to me this is fantasy and i often grow tired of the whole soul mate plot over and over again (although i do have one soul mate myself :) i thought laurell k'a merry gentry series was brilliant but i do like anita's violence

oh and while i was reading the vampire diaries i was secretly hoping that elena could end up with both brothers lol i mean come on! they all love each other whats the problem ;P

Carlybaby--I think that for many of us, the problem with Anita Blake was the total 180 that LKH did in the series. She took it from a fairly "normal" UF (where normal means kickass heroine who does an important job) and suddenly with no warning turned it into erotica. The Merry Gentry series is MUCH better accepted by most of us, since that was what she started it as. But we all feel betrayed by what she did to Anita. If she was contracted to continue the Anita books, she should have continued the series the way she started it and just gone ahead and started Merry and given it all her attention for the erotica.

Unfortunately, as a result of what she did to Anita I and many others have totally quit buying ANY of her books, under the very logical premise that LKH can't be trusted as a writer any more. (Plus her more than condescending remarks back when she first started turning Anita into the planet's Queen Slut didn't help.)

Alexandria wrote: "Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "very logical premise that LKH can't be trusted as a writer any more"

wow, really?

I try as i might to understand readers, but it continues to slip away from me, is that rea..."

I can't speak for anyone else, but as a writer, I would never publically disagree with what a reader said about one of my books. You've put something out into the public, and as such, you have to expect some sort of discussion. Privately, I might want to tell them that they were missing the point, but that's not really my place. The customer is always right.

I don't know the nature of the comments in question though, so if it was merely correcting a misunderstanding the reader had, then I have no problem with that. Half the reason to talk to fans online is to help them understand things better and to hear their views.

But to answer your question, as a reader, if the author told me off publically or offended me in some way, no, I wouldn't read her books anymore. I realize that you're supposed to separate the artist and the art, but I can't do that. If I don't like the author as a person, then I won't read the book.

really interesting thread guys. I have written a few stories where there is a 'characters meet and have sex straight away' scene but for me that's the beauty of the paranormal - you can have a believable instant lust/love/connection (at least on the part of the paranormal being)and it can be believable.

Noting the comments about length of the sex scenes, I write fairly lengthy sex scenes but I have seen just as many negative comments about scenes that are over too quickly i.e. fifty shades.

In terms of the heat level its also worth remembering that most of the time publishers specify the heat level so if you don't deliver that you aren't likely to get a contract.

To me powerful, dark, sexy, experienced paranormal creatures are going to want to have sex and its going to be hot!!!

Elizabeth wrote: "Alexandria wrote: "Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "very logical premise that LKH can't be trusted as a writer any more"

wow, really?

I try as i might to understand readers, but it continues to slip away f..."

I agree with you Elizabeth, authors need to have thick skin and some reviews people give can be harsh but I think it never pays for authors to answer back about bad reviews. I've seen this happen a few times and all it does is damage the author.

In my experience as a book blogger, it rarely ends well if an author pops up to disagree with what a reader has said. It's one thing to correct a factual error (something about the setting of the book, for example), but to tell a reader that her response to a book is wrong is just bad business. Once an author releases her book into the wild, she really doesn't have any control over reader responses and interpretation. She can't go to each individual reader and explain what she meant on page 96 or whatever.

As for stopping buying books if an author does something dickish, I'm all for it. I stopped reading LKH's books in part because I was dissatisfied with the writing and the stories and partly because her behavior was just downright obnoxious in my opinion. It's completely fair for a reader to respond that way and to stop buying an author's books if they dislike the author's behavior. I don't buy anything written by Orson Scott Card because I think his position and activism against gay rights is appalling, and that's my right as a consumer.

I don't think making personal attacks on an author is decent behavior, though, and I try to limit my criticisms to the work itself. But Hamilton's comments about fans who were dissatisfied rankled me, and I'm not going to support her anymore because of that. [shrugs]

I’m finding this discussion so interesting that I’m going to copy my comments to my blog. :)

The customer is always right because they’re the one paying for the book. They’re the ones who paid to be entertained, so if they have a problem with the book, then that’s on me. It doesn’t matter if their complaints are factually accurate or not, it’s their money. If the comments were in the form of a review here on Goodreads or on Amazon, I would just ignore them. If they were on a discussion board and some reply was expected of me, I would probably try to keep it short, and simply apologize that they feel that way and let the readers who liked the book make my counterarguments for me. I can’t think of anything less professional than getting into a flame war with someone over their review. Even if I agreed with the author, I’d still kind of be shocked as a reader to see someone do that.

I personally haven’t received a negative review (note: that is not self-promotion or bragging, merely a sad testament to the low percentage of people who leave comments on books they read at all), but one of my sister’s books received a very low rating once. While I completely disagree with the reader’s objections and to the personal attack, neither of us replied to it. At first, I worried that the 1 star rating would drive readers away, but surprisingly, the days after the comment was posted saw a surge in sales which I can’t explain in any other way. I think people saw the bad rating and it told them that people were actually reading the book, and that the other good ratings weren’t socks accounts, and decided to give it a try. So, in retrospect, I think the reader ended up doing her a favor. It still hurt her feelings, but it was a blessing in disguise.

If you aren’t an author, I don’t think you can understand what it’s like to anxiously check Goodreads and Amazon every day to see if a reader has left you a rating or comment. In many ways, writers work blind. We can’t watch the reader as they read it, and have no idea what parts they like or dislike unless they tell us. As such, authors are already emotionally hyped up. Add to this fact that I think most authors consider their books to be their babies, and passions can get the best of them when they think someone is criticizing their work. It can’t end well to attack a reader in response though. You really can’t argue with someone’s personal opinion of your book. I mean, what’s the counterargument to “your book was terrible”? “No, it wasn’t”? “You just don’t understand it”? “Shut up”? None of them is very persuasive, and all come off as conceited. Best to just listen to what they’re saying and see if it’s something you can work on in the future. A bad review is about the book. The worst that can happen is that someone won’t buy it as a result. If you turn it into an argument against the reader, then you’re making it about yourself, and the worst that can happen is that people won’t buy any of your books as a result, and tell their friends to do the same.

Now, if the reader forms their comments as a question to the author, then I don’t think it should be ignored. If the reader is genuinely asking for clarification or confirmation that the book has a certain theme or that a certain plot detail is what the reader thinks it is, then the author should comment in those circumstances. One of the main reasons for an author to be active online is to answer reader feedback.

I like to think that most readers are smart enough to only place stock in real reviews, and ignore ones which misconstrue the book or make personal attacks against the author though. All books have the occasional bad review (not even the Bible has a perfect rating on Amazon.) Consumers are pretty good at ignoring negativity which is clearly wrong or has an obvious ax to grind. Part of your job as an author is to accept criticism (even if it’s clearly wrong) and move on.

…Unless it’s about one of my books. If you don’t like my books, then you’re clearly an idiot and I’m fully within my rights as an author to tell you so, and then utterly dismiss your delusional ramblings. ;)

I don't read reviews on books before buying a book, because sometimes reviews are longer than the actual book and give to much away on the story and I like to form my own opinion on the book. I find it easier to do a review (which is short and to the point on which I find important) on books I don't like, don't ask me why that's just the way it is.

Reviews most of the time give to much away.

But hey it's different strokes for different folks lol.

But if a author decided to try to tell me my review was wrong or correct what I thought on the book was wrong then that would tick me off.

Strangely enough I've just read a book recently that everyone else seems to love but for me the book was a let down. A friend on goodreads said it was the most heart warming book she read in the series, but for me I thought one of the characters was disloyal and the other too easy to forgive.

We all have different opinions on things, but you can't correct people's thoughts/opinions on what they think of books/movies etc.

It would be like two people having the same dinner and one person loving the meal and the other hating it. You can't tell someone just because you like it they should as well.

I don't agree on attacking authors for what they have written that is wrong, but my thoughts and opinions on books are my own.

S.J. wrote: "really interesting thread guys. I have written a few stories where there is a 'characters meet and have sex straight away' scene but for me that's the beauty of the paranormal - you can have a bel..."

I really hate books where the couple really like each other but they resist each other throughout most the book because of some reason. I'm not saying I want them to be getting together in their first encounters, but too much resisting gets on my nerves, for example fever series did not like it at all.

I really enjoy books when sometimes the female is not a action woman too, strong of mind yes. I like the damsel in distress with alpha males kicking arse and taking names. Also like it when the male meets the woman and knows straight away that the woman is the one he will have and he will do all he can to make that happen, ie Christine Feehans Dark series.

BJS wrote: "S.J. wrote: "really interesting thread guys. I have written a few stories where there is a 'characters meet and have sex straight away' scene but for me that's the beauty of the paranormal - you c..."

the will they/wont they is hard to get right - too much and its annoying but not enough and its over too quickly or its too easy. I have to say I love the whole soul mate thing - a lot of my characters have that going on!

Alexandria wrote: "S.J. wrote: "really interesting thread guys. I have written a few stories where there is a 'characters meet and have sex straight away' scene but for me that's the beauty of the paranormal - you c..."

Its what I read and write - so much more interesting and fun than normal people/events, though I do read a bit of BDSM contemp. I do wonder sometimes with readers what they thought they were getting when the cover/blurb is clear about the heat/content. But that would be the same for anything i.e. movies.

S.J. wrote: "BJS wrote: "S.J. wrote: "really interesting thread guys. I have written a few stories where there is a 'characters meet and have sex straight away' scene but for me that's the beauty of the parano..."

Yeah me too PNR is more my scene and the whole 'mine' is what I like in the Alpha males. So SJ seems your books are my cup of tea and will have to check them out;)

BJS wrote: "I don't read reviews on books before buying a book, because sometimes reviews are longer than the actual book and give to much away on the story and I like to form my own opinion on the book. I fi..."

This is such an interesting discussion, I had to put my two cents in. I review books on my blog, and I'm also in the middle of revisions for a book my agent will hopefully sell (not for awhile, but still) so I have this nagging fear that I'll get an author flying off the handle at me. I've seen it happen on other blogs, where the author has said something along the lines of "Just wait until YOUR book comes out!"

Yikes. Bad author behaviour.

On the other hand, bad READER behaviour is WAY more common than you think. LKH got tons of hate mail, and death threats over the Anita Blake series, to the point where she had body guards at one of the romance conferences she went to. That's just...wrong.

Erin wrote: "BJS wrote: "I don't read reviews on books before buying a book, because sometimes reviews are longer than the actual book and give to much away on the story and I like to form my own opinion on the..."

Yep I'm afraid there will always be idiots that take things to the extreme, it's a book for crying out loud. That behaviour is never acceptable in anything.

But normal people readers reviews are what they are, that's their opinion on the book, but for authors to answer back on bad reviews never goes well or looks good on them.

I have to admit that I never read what an authors have to say out of their books. I find that it makes me prejudiced against their work and to be quite honest I really don't care about their lives, this goes for actors as well. I really think that in order to be fair you should just examine their work.

If you go digging you are bound to be displeased by something at some point because at the end of the day authors are just humans. They are certain to be dissapointed, sad, pissed if someones insults their creations. Yes I totally agree that they should acknowledge the fact that by publishing the book you give the readers the right to scrutiny and they should accept all opinions without losing it but I really don't expect them to be perfect.

When I mentioned the Anita Blake books I didn't have anything against LKH. I don't know her and I have no idea how she handled the negative reviews on her books. I liked the series in general. It was just the fact that Anita went from "almost virgin" with "only with marital blessings" sex ideas to an orgy every ten pages that I disliked.

Alexandria wrote: "Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "very logical premise that LKH can't be trusted as a writer any more"

wow, really?
"

I was interested in this because I think I know where she was coming from with the statement. I also dropped LKH as an author after the 180 that Anita did. As I did with Chloe Neill after Hard Bitten, Sookie Stackhouse, Harry Potter (yes, I did just admit to dropping Harry Potter after the 5th book) etc.

As readers, we look at the back of a cover and we decide if we want to become involved with a writer's world. If that world receives a bump, alteration or a total change then the author takes a chance in losing the people that he/she gained with that original book or books as the world they knew is no longer intact. On the otherside authors also have the chance to gain readers because of that change.

I know personally the times I have stopped reading a series is because I did not like the way the author was taking the story that was initially started. I am not sure it would be looked at as a lack of trust. Although if I drop a series, I don't think I have ever gone back to any of the authors other work. I think it's more of an acknowledgement that the author will not produce the type of format that fits the that personal readers wants. The reason I never go back is, if an author starts a series one way and ends it another then I know he/she will do it again as that is their writing style unless it is a truly exceptional writer.

I tend to stay away from any books with cliffhangers (yes, I specifically read reviews to find out if there is one unless it's an author that is on my automatic buy list), triangles mostly because they have been overdone and im tired of the angst or any books/series that never have resolution. IE the heroine never finds her hero or the hero changes from one dude to that other dude wait there is 4 more in the wings, it just keeps going and going and going.. You get my point.

In the end it is about the reader and what they want to read because a writer is not an author without a following. However, there is billions of readers in this world and if one doesn't like your book then 10 others might.

BJS wrote: "I don't read reviews on books before buying a book, because sometimes reviews are longer than the actual book and give to much away on the story and I like to form my own opinion on the book."

Reading any book is a subjective experience. Like you, I don't let reviewers make up my mind for me, although if I see something that sounds interesting that's also gotten 5 stars, I'll definitely give it a go. But I read a lot on Kindle which has a great 'try a sample' introduction to any story. I download large numbers of these. Sadly, most of them don't live up to the advance billing. I'm very seldom impressed enough to buy the actual novel. But I do think tools such as this and reader reviews are very useful in helping to make a decision. Books aren't cheap - or not in the number I read them - and I don't want to waste my money. I wouldn't be put off trying something that sounded good if it had bad reviews; as you say, personal taste counts for a lot. But I'd definitely want to try before I buy in that case.

I don't think individual authors should be too discouraged by one bad review. I certainly don't think they should take it personally. As long as other people like it, it's just an individual opinion. I hated everything Dan Brown ever wrote, yet he was hugely popular. Ditto those dreadful 'Shades of Grey' books.

As for LKH, I loved her Anita Blake series when it started. Feels soooo long ago now lol. And I still do look for her stories when they come out, both the Anita ones and the Merry Gentry ones. The idea of a harem of luscious men has its attractions ... but the 5 pages of wild sex in every second chapter does get very tiresome. Anita especially seemed to go suddenly from 'more or less a virgin' in the first 4 books to sleeping with every new guy who made an appearance. LKH provided an explanation in the form of the 'ardeur' but I never found it entirely convincing. Since she was already hugely popular by then, I can't help wondering if it was her publishers who wanted to ramp up the sexiness. It hasn't stopped me reading what she writes - I love some of the characters, especially Asher in the AB series and Frost in the MG series - but I wouldn't give her 5 stars in a review any more. I'm certainly not a prude, but I'd rather have a little less sex and a bit more story.

I can totally understand why fans of the Anita Blake series are angry. They started out loving one thing, and it got turned into something VERY different.

I think its my right as a reader to go and leave a terrible one star review and say why I don't like the book.

I DON'T think it's my right as a reader to trash talk the actual author, or write hate mail and send it to her. Honestly, that puzzles me.

Nor would I go on twitter or my blog and rail on about how horrible the author is. Some fans of George R.R Martin for example, or angry at him for "taking too long" with his next book. I think they need to back off.

Once you've bought the book, it's yours to review/trash/critique. You spent the money. The author is different though. As a reader, the author does not owe me anything.

Very interesting thread. I dropped LKH when it became just one sex scene after another with the plots getting really thin. But I've been in SFA-RWA for nearly 20 years and authors (except for the inspirational authors) there said they were being pushed by editors to go more erotic. I am so low on the totem pole that I can write what I want. I love characters, story, and sexual tension, in that order. But then, I'm old. I was really happy to see Ann Stuart's Ice Blue book up for a RITA. I think she won, didn't she? That book was a big shift for her.

Oops - addendum. Ann's book was up for a RITA in 2008 - when National was in San Francisco and our chapter all went because it was on home turf. How time does fly . . .

Not to keep bashing LKH and Anita Blake, but I think I can pin down more of the reason behind some of the backlash. LKH made such a big deal about how her character regretted giving up her virginity to a man who betrayed her, and how sex was important to her because it meant something, and how she wanted love and a commitment and whatever the zombie/vampire/death version of a white-picket-fence life would be before she got all sexy with someone again.

The equation of sex to commitment was intended to tell us something about Anita's personality. Underneath the merciless killer was a penguin loving gal who just wanted that one special person to go home to at night. It was meant to soften her, and to make her character one that can be related to, even as she shoots the crap out of things. See? She's a little like you. You go to work at the CPA office and log onto eHarmony.com; she goes to raise the dead and wonders if this new guy's the one. Filling this hole (especially in such a plentiful way) took all this away. Forgive the pun.

Originally writing Anita as valuing sex and commitment also gave her a vacancy in her life, and opened up her character to options. Will she or won't she; him, him, or him? Now, there's a no vacancy sign, and the answer to him, him, or him is always "all of the above." This takes away from the sexual tension and gives no area to build suspense.

Anita Blake was also an aspirational heroine. Hey, my life/job/world sucks, and picking up a rocket launcher because my boss is surely an evil werewolf sounds so good some days. Back in the day, many of us wanted to grow up and be Anita. Now, not so much. She's no longer a character to admire, but more of a traffic wreck drivers can't help to slow down and watch.

All in all, it's really a series in need of an ending.

And, soapbox.

Alexandria wrote: "S.J. wrote: "BJS wrote: "S.J. wrote: I have to say I love the whole soul mate thing - a lot of my characters have that going on!
"

Me too, because it is soooo hard to find that in true life"

Well I can say it does happen in real life lol, I met my husband when I was sixteen and I knew he was the one for me, been together now 19 years and still going strong. But just not with the scenting thing, although he did have a awesome smelling after shave on lol

Jen wrote: "Not to keep bashing LKH and Anita Blake, but I think I can pin down more of the reason behind some of the backlash. LKH made such a big deal about how her character regretted giving up her virginit..."

That's SO strange. I really wonder if the author had intended it to go that way, or it just morphed into something hairy and terrible (excuse the werewolf pun).