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setting things aside
Jun. 9th, 2011 12:10 amAfter some hemming and hawing, I've set aside the book I've been reading. I liked the first third or so, even though it moved rather slowly and the plot seemed subordinate to the developing relationship between the female protag and the tall, dark & dangerous male. The book hit near the top of the NYT hardcover list, and is still in the middle of the extended list. I wanted to like it at least enough to finish it because it's categorized as "gothic suspense," which is something I would like to write, and I wanted to see how the various elements played out.
But the protag is just irking the hell out of me. She's in big trouble, researching dangerous stuff in her field of expertise, and afeared for her life. She's Powerful. Headstrong. Yet she fled England with Tall, Dark & Dangerous, then remained behind in France with his vampire mother--yes, it's a beastie book--while he returns to England to get the lay of the land and try to work things out with the various parties. All the tense stuff happens offstage while protag moons and misses TD&D and researches a completely different documents and oh hell, I just gave up.
The Amazon reviews are funny. There's a significant number, and most are 4-5 stars. But there are over a hundred 1-star reviews, and from the few I read, those readers are irked for the same reasons I am. It's a romance with a suspense plot that occasionally comes up for air, and if the lovers aren't working for you, there's no reason to keep reading.
I've moved on to a supernatural thriller by an author I've never read before. But he's an award-winner, and very well thought of. I'll see how this one goes.
Line of storms moving through, courtesy of a cold front. Tomorrow's highs will be in the 60s, a good 30 degrees lower than today's. The heat hasn't been very comfortable, but it's done the tomatoes a world of good. They've tripled in size over the last couple of days, I swear.
But the protag is just irking the hell out of me. She's in big trouble, researching dangerous stuff in her field of expertise, and afeared for her life. She's Powerful. Headstrong. Yet she fled England with Tall, Dark & Dangerous, then remained behind in France with his vampire mother--yes, it's a beastie book--while he returns to England to get the lay of the land and try to work things out with the various parties. All the tense stuff happens offstage while protag moons and misses TD&D and researches a completely different documents and oh hell, I just gave up.
The Amazon reviews are funny. There's a significant number, and most are 4-5 stars. But there are over a hundred 1-star reviews, and from the few I read, those readers are irked for the same reasons I am. It's a romance with a suspense plot that occasionally comes up for air, and if the lovers aren't working for you, there's no reason to keep reading.
I've moved on to a supernatural thriller by an author I've never read before. But he's an award-winner, and very well thought of. I'll see how this one goes.
Line of storms moving through, courtesy of a cold front. Tomorrow's highs will be in the 60s, a good 30 degrees lower than today's. The heat hasn't been very comfortable, but it's done the tomatoes a world of good. They've tripled in size over the last couple of days, I swear.
