SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

I was reading a Dear Author post about Harlequin yesterday where Harlequin says a little about wanting to publish more multicultural books. In the comments though, authors disagree with this, talking about a drop in NA sales for books with an ethnic lead. Basically a very interesting discussion follows, so I was wondering, what does everyone think with either an ethnic lead and/or setting? Any favourite books?

Personally, I love "multicultural books" (Harlequin's words). Nalini Singh is an author who jumps out at me as someone who's always written brilliant characters anyway and to me, their ethnicity has made them more exotic and sexy. Shadows on the Moon and White Tiger are also ones I've really enjoyed.

I never usually notice ethnicity of characters unless it has a major bearing on the plot. A good character is a good character regardless of where he/she comes from.

I have to agree with you on that, Sandra. An interesting character in a good plot is all that really matters.

I don't always notice the ethnicity of characters either but I do notice settings, real world mythologies, and authors' names. Ilona Andrews comes to mind as she covers all bases: she's Russian, and uses different mythologies and characters of different ethnic backgrounds. I'm very keen to read more books outside of the standard British, American and Canadian ones.

The thing I'd most like to see is more ethnic characters featuring on book covers without whitewashing or obscuring (evident in The Immortal Rules cover below whose MC is Japanese) like this one:


Some multicultural/interracial books:

Sandra wrote: "I never usually notice ethnicity of characters unless it has a major bearing on the plot. A good character is a good character regardless of where he/she comes from."

Agreed. Kind of off-topic but this is why I don't read PNR as much, generally I don't feel like the author puts as much effort into the character as the looks. It's constant talk about how sexy they are instead of who they are, what they're like. Some of the best heroes (well for me) aren't even that attractive, not traditionally anyway, for example, Pritkin, Curran (he has more of a presence I think or that's talked about more anyhow), Terrible (who is first described as "ugly" - I love this).

@Ames: I didn't even think of half of those! At first I thought I hadn't really read any but as I got thinking, I realised how many there actually are that I've read.

I love Mercy and Charles, and my fave part of was finding out about Mercy's heritage.

, I think, is set in India.

Most main characters in the Psy-Changeling series are multicultural and that series is very successful so I don't think that multicultural characters means immediately a drop in sales.

Dana Marie Bell's two recent books about bear shifters are interracial with (yay) interracial covers.


I picked up a free novella which is part of the After the crash series. I'll have to pick up the first book in the series since I enjoyed the novella.

Shara Azod writes multicultural stories, whether contemp or otherwise. I'm pretty sure she is african american and that's why she does it.

Love both Dana Marie Bell & Maddy Barone series, Sandra J.

Josie, as to how sexy PNR characters look? I don't usually remember the descriptions, just enjoy the interactions and dialogue. That to me is the sexy part.

It doesn't matter to me what a character's ethnicity is but as a PoC, I admit to feeling a deeper connection with character that look like me. I started reading romance novels when I was 12 & it wasn't until I was in my late teens that I came across characters who weren't Caucasian, excluding the occasional Native American. I've grown used to the lack of PoC in PNR/HR/UF/CR/YA et cetera & I'm not bitter about it, but I am completely for & am hopeful that there will be more characters of different ethnic backgrounds portrayed in literature in the future. After all, not every female reader has blonde/red hair and coral nipples. And the milky white skin. *sigh* I do admit that it annoys me from time to time how the heroes wax poetic about how "creamy white" a heroine's skin is. I look at my own kinky hair & my chocolate skin & think, well damn, I guess the delicious, wonderful hero wouldn't look twice at me if we bumped into each other on the street.

I have a shelf dedicated to IR's, whether the hero/ine is Native American, Indian, Black, Asian, et cetera. My favorites from the ones I've read so far are:

-White Man/Black Woman
-White Man/Indian Woman
-White Man/Indian Woman
-White Man/Hispanic Woman
-Asian Man/White Woman
-Pacific Islander Man/White Woman
-White Man/Black Woman

Hey now, Lethal! You don't want a stupid hero like that, IMHO Nalini does waaayyy better heroes who have ethnic heroines and I'd rather one of her hot shifters any day. It get on my nerves too when they go on about "creamy" white skin...I wish I was described as milky/creamy etc, instead of "pasty", "a ghost" and once when I took my ill friend to the school nurse probably about 6 years ago now, the nurse gasped, told me to sit down and she'd get me a drink, tutting that I was so pale. Oh well, gee thanks!

I like the list, lots to check out, I had completely forgot all about 'Go Fetch!'. I think Shelly Laurenston has other ones as well, what about the heroine in ?

Thanks, Josie! ^_^ You are completely right! I just feel like the emphasis on "creamy white skin" is another way for the media to force their ideas on what qualifies as beauty to America. From the creamy white skin, to the size 2's, to the blonde hair and the symmetrical features. Things like that would make women who aren't even PoC feel inadequate. I just finished The Proposition yesterday and I was BEYOND happy that the heroine shared a lot of similarities with me (glasses, big butt & thighs, small breasts). Nevermind the lack of PoC portrayed in romances, I wish authors wouldn't try so hard to make their heroines perfect. The everyday woman is NOT perfect & I'm sure we don't want to have a minuscule waist and perfectly rounded breasts thrown in our faces every time we open a book. (although I AM 85 lbs & wear a size double 0. It's my fast metabolism. I wish I could gain weight & therefore gain more curves. I look like a damn child).

I haven't read AaD yet so I wouldn't know, but according to Laurenston's website, she has a number of IR romances, including that one & :

-(I read that one. The heroine is black & the hero is white)

I totally forgot to add my list! It's too bad I don't have IR shelf because I'm sure I've forgotten something:

- black man, white woman
- I think the hero is hispanic, white woman
- hispanic man, white woman
- asian woman but she's never described in the book which really pissed me off
- hispanic man, white woman

No problem, Lethal, all true ;). You're right though, no one is perfect, even supposedly beautiful people have their insecurities and bits about themselves that they would like to change (sometimes even more so). It's weird because in the end, we're more likely to connect/like them if the heroines weren't so perfect. It's funny since me and my sister were talking about how in YA, there's a lot of "I see myself as so plain and average but everyone says I'm beautiful" or "I hate my big violet eyes and my long, lush hair" or even "I'm so plain and my mother is so beautiful but everyone says I look like her..."

@D.G. I was thinking it was a shame I don't have a shelf, too. There's more than I originally thought, I'm reading - Elena's half Moroccan, Ransom and Nyree are Native American and Hispanic respectively, along with all the arcangels/angels/vamps all round the world and I didn't even really notice when I read the first two.

"I see myself as so plain and average but everyone says I'm beautiful" or "I hate my big violet eyes and my long, lush hair" or even "I'm so plain and my mother is so beautiful but everyone says I look like her..."

OMG! Isn't that annoying!

I also wish for once that heroines would self-conscious if they are not smart instead of not beautiful. I'm tired of the heroines that fold like a deck of cards because they are not physically attractive. I almost feel like yelling...you have a brain and a personality!

I loved the heroine in this book because she wasn't beautiful but she had this great personality and people liked her because of it! She wasn't crying in corners because she wasn't beautiful.

Isn't it just? Oh, I've added it D.G, having a great heroine is so important. When you have a so-so main character means, for me, a so-so book, why would I want to be in some boring girl's head even if she is pretty?
This is why I love Cassie Palmer series, her looks and what she thinks about them are barely, if at all, mentioned (too busy running from something lol). I prefer them to not mention it tbh.

The problem with that book was the hero but the heroine was amazing!

I haven't read the Cassie Palmer series...I'll have to check it out.

Oh no lol! Well, I suppose one out of two is not bad...

I'm always really worried about recommending CP because it tends to be a love/hate series. I'm obviously in the love category :)