Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion

I apologize if this has been addressed; I couldn't find it, but I was the kid who got grounded for never finding things right in front of me, and I'm pretty sure that's just transferred to the internet! In any case, I hope some of you who've read Laurann Dohner's New Species series can/will help me. If you haven't read the series through at least book 4, there may be SPOILERS.

I've just finished reading the 4th book in the series, Justice, and I'm hesitant to go forward. I've mostly enjoyed the books, but something is bothering me, perhaps more noticeable because I read the 2nd and 3rd books yesterday and this one today, so everything's pretty clear in my mind (I think...)

Okay, so 4 books in, and this is what I've learned about women in this generally sexy world: in order for New Species men to like you, you must be a petit 5'4" with fair skin, blue eyes and blonde hair (okay, 1 redhead), and ultimately submissive to male desires, like allowing them to fire you from your job for being a small female and you will be happy about it... Then the men will like you and want to protect you. If you are tall and tanned and strong and animalistic (you know, the way the NS women are usually described, except Gift Females), then you only want sex, are not feminine, not as pretty, and you can pretty much protect yourself --the men will have no problem putting you right next to them in the line of fire, unlike all those tiny adorable perfect humans they want to keep safe, what?

So my question is this: does this pretty much describe the heroines in the rest of the series? Do we get past the 'You're too fragile for me even though I know four other couples with human females who haven't broken them' bit? I have really enjoyed this series so far, but I do not want to read another 6 or 7 books about the same tiny women who are better than NS women and all other human women (is there even any other kind of human woman in this world?!). This might have been the standard in the past, but recently I've found more series with more diversity in both heroines and heroes, and maybe I'm spoiled now, but I liked picking up a book and reading about a totally different character, not the same character with a different name. I also do not want to discover down the line that all these tiny women have secret NS DNA that keeps them tiny and explains the overwhelming attraction NS men have for them.

So, do I keep reading, or not? And thank you for your help!!

I liked these books well enough to keep reading them, but I really feel like all the characters are sort of interchangeable. Even the males are pretty much the same character with just a different skin on him.

I don't actually remember if any of the women are all that tough, though now that I think about it (view spoiler)[ the one with Beauty, the gift female, has her kicking butt pretty good (hide spoiler)]

The issue isn't really unique to this series, I've read so many series where you could really just swap the names of the characters because they are pretty much the same.

Doesn't mean I won't read them and enjoy them. :)

Not all the female love interests are humans. I recall one human female being overweight. I don't think I spoiled anything for you since you were specific in the gals, right?

The last one is really good. The girl is not a cute little thing. She's a shrink and she know what she wants !

Oh Isis I love you. Finally some one to rant and rave with!!!
#View spoiler #
Never mind all that you mentioned because thats all true , its been bugging me that Laurann hasn't bothered to change the basic story line. The first two I thought ok its close together storyline wise but come on ! Then comes Valiant and you think this will be the last frail female. But no not really.
Having asked already if two species ever get together I'm trying to read the rest of the series with my brains kinda switch off till I get to that one. Because I suppose I'm a glutton for non brain stimuli where this series is concerned . And live in hope of it changing. I mean if Breeze can easily adapt to human thought processes and Tiger can keep having fun at the expense of the others ( it seems to me his story wouldn't have half the same angst and poor view of female humans and we both know he just has to be paired with one ) there must be hope
Just about to start
Heres hoping

Having read all the available books and enjoyed them I can honestly say they are pretty formulaic. Except for Moon's book which I thought was very different from the others and my favorite. I loved Tiger's book because it was nice to see him fall since he makes a habit of joking with the bonded males.

I wouldn't really consider the human females to be weak...I mean some are portrayed that way but not all of them and as for petite....I am 5 feet tall so I guess height is all relative. Some of the women are average height but to New Species who are 6'3" to 6'6" I guess they would seem petite.

I think a lot of it depends on if you have connected with the characters throughout the books. There are still certain characters I want to read about so I continue with the series.

We seem to be meeting up a lot ;-)

I know I seemed harsh but I do get involved with the characters. I'm too much of a softy to just read and not feel anything.
Besides the author has managed to make me get lost while reading and Wanting to read the next book. I want to see Tiger get his comeuppance and want a few other things happen. Its just afterwards that it strikes me that it is very formulaic!

Jute wrote: "I liked these books well enough to keep reading them, but I really feel like all the characters are sort of interchangeable. Even the males are pretty much the same character with just a different..."

Haha I usually can read and enjoy them too, but sometimes a particular series just gets my goat. Whatever that means. : )

Michelle wrote: "Oh Isis I love you. Finally some one to rant and rave with!!!
#View spoiler #
Never mind all that you mentioned because thats all true , its been bugging me that Laurann hasn't bothered to change ..."

To ranting and raving!

This best part of goodreads!!

Thank you all for your input! I think I may pick up a couple-few more based off what you've all said: Moon, whatever the last one is, and if there's really one if an overweight female (I do remember Slade joking that what's her name needed a diet, but I don't think she was actually overweight), then that one! Maybe Tiger; I do enjoy him as a character. I'll think about that one. : )

Oh just say it. You're reading the whole series :-)

Michelle(Chelle) aka Nightshade - Cake Whisperer wrote: "Having read all the available books and enjoyed them I can honestly say they are pretty formulaic. Except for Moon's book which I thought was very different from the others and my favorite. I loved..."

I don't tend to mind the formulaic story so much; I can usually work with that. It's nice if it gets changed up, but hey, if people keep reading, what's the author's incentive to change what works? : )

Sometimes I feel like a contradiction though. I don't mind petit heroines as a matter of course. But if the author makes a very specific point that Every. Single. Heroine. is exactly 5 feet 4 inches tall and it's a point that get's brought up a lot in each book, especially if they are also all pretty much given the same physical attributes, I personally start to get bothered because (sorry my inner anthropologist is about to come out. Danger Will Robinson!) it's a trope in romance that starts to play into very embedded stereotypes about standards of beauty, femininity, blah blah. I don't think authors do it on purpose, but that's part of what I find problematic. If all the heroines are petit but don't look the same, it becomes much less of an issue for me. This problem is true of hero stereotypes too--this is why men from online dating sites lie about their height (just kidding...sort of...) (^_^)

However, if you are telling me that there is a book (books?) where the author specifies a height other than 5'4" or they don't look exactly the same as the first four, then I can has happy times.

One thing I will say I like is that so far, while her female leads sometimes piss me off and flip back and forth in the same scene from strong to weak willed, I haven't thought any of them were dumb so far, and I find that absolutely lovely! Anytime I can avoid TSTL (stupid or stubborn, however you want to put it), I have little hearts in my eyes!

Amen sister !!!

Its almost like the author has a height problem herself that keeps coming through. I'm all for describing the physical attributes but if you are writing a series change it up a bit We get that species male are tall and that the average human female would be short.
Get over it and move on