On Gray: A Review of Sweet Surrender by Maya Banks

One of the things I wanted to review more of this year is erotica. With the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey, it's something that's getting more attention, both negative and positive. It would be too easy to dismiss the lot of it as dumb porn for women, not deserving of criticism, but when we do that the critics of genre fiction win. So here we have Sweet Surrender, from the popular and prolific author Maya Banks.

This review is 18 and over, folks. Please click to read at your own discretion.

Misc. Monday: Redefining The Romance Novel

When you hear someone say "I like to read romance," it conjures the mental image of a very particular sort of book. It's the book with the shirtless guy and the lady that manages to make a giant ballgown look revealing, and they are very into each other. Like, "Oooh, mmm, Yeah baby, grab my man boobs!" Into each other. This book promises passion, fun, and lots of sex. Lots. And, to be clear, if that's all your romance novels ever deliver on, that's okay. But if this was all that romance novels ever were, I don't think they would be as loved by as many people as they so clearly are.

The most basic definition of a romance novel is any book in which a romantic relationship between two (occasionally three) people is at the core of the story, and the plot involves or revolves around that relationship developing in some way. Under that umbrella, we find a lot more variation than the non-initiated imagine when they think of romance novels.

The variation level of romance novels is evident when you examine the number of sub-genres and how radically different they are from one another. Romantic suspense is radically different from Regency era Historical romance in the same way that an oatmeal raisin cookie is different from gingerbread. Some readers like all of the flavors, and some are more particular.

Then there what we call "novels with romantic elements", by which we mean novels that have romance as a subplot instead of the central storyline. What distinguishes these from Romance Novels ( the capital R is important), is that you could potentially remove the romance from the book and still have a viable story with a full plot. A good example would by Jacqueline Carey's Phedre series. Most readers remember the relationship development between Phedre and Joscelin, but you could take that out of the story and still have a long tale about a courtesan/spy who stops wars and the like.  It's no surprise to me that I'm seeing more and more of these on the market. They have the potential to satisfy a lot of different readers with it's crossover appeal.

Romance is a vast genre and it spills into other genres all over the place, in ways that you probably don't even notice. So even if horrendous pink fuchsia font and man titty isn't your thing, you might still find that your a romance reader at heart.

Ten Things Every Heroine Should be Thankful For

10. Hair Worthy of a Shampoo Ad

9. A Kick Ass Wardrobe

8. Those Little Supernatural Beauty Enhancements

7. Traveling to Exotic Locations

6. Access to POWER!

5. Intriguing Job Opportunities

4. Really, really big...Swords

3. Animal Sidekicks

2. Loving Families

And Finally, the #1 Thing Every Heroine Is Thankful For....Her Hero!

 

Crazy Covers: Wardrobe Edition

There's a growing problem in the romance world (and no, I don't mean the hero's "growing problem"). I'm referring to the ongoing epidemic of shirtlessness. It seems these poor, defenseless, highly muscled men are tragically unable to find proper clothing. Whether this crisis is a result of cotton shortages or the revenge of disgruntled laundry women, this problem must be stopped. Let's take a look at some of the shocking evidence.

Go ahead and look up the premise of this book. Erotica is so ridiculous.

Right there, we have a shirt theft in progress! And the poor guy is so distracted by the random blue crap in her hair that he's paralyzed! Wake up dude! Fight back!

What, the Lord of the Abyss can't afford a shirt?

WHY? WHY would you put on a cape without a freaking shirt? This is the second time I've seen this! Maybe there's a club. The Shirtless Cape Wearing Club. I can only assume it's boys only...

Oh great, a present I can't return for store credit.

I can just imagine the focus group that came up with this cover. "Ok, what festive item can we use to cover his penis? Candy cane? Too small...Christmas tree? Too big...Jaunty red ribbon? Perfect!"

Good effort, dude, but a kitchen towel does not count as a shirt.

I think this book is about a pastry chef. Pretty sure shirtless cooking is against health code. But I guess kitchens get hot and...stuff happens. What if that was acceptable in any job? Suppose they started making covers with shirtless doctors? Who wouldn't want to be treated by a model wearing a lab coat...and nothing else?

That's a pretty big gun...Think he's over-compensating?

Yet another job where going shirtless makes no real sense. As a SEAL or a special ops person or whatever he is, shouldn't he be in a Kevlar? I guess Kevlar isn't sexy. You know what else in not sexy...BULLET WOUNDS! Just a thought.

All kidding aside, dear cover artists, please lay off the shirtless dudes, ok? I can't carry these books around without attracting "looks". Let the poor men wear some clothes.

On Mates: A Review of Amber Eyes by Maya Banks

This is a bit different from what I usually read and review. Not only is it erotica, which I tend to avoid reviewing, but it's a ménage a trois story. It was a quick enjoyable read, but also surprisingly emotional, so I decided it was worth commenting on.

Kaya is a shape-shifter, and having been left behind by her family she's spent most of her life as a cougar in the wild. She's been watching Jericho and Hunter, two men who live in an isolated cabin, and they have been watching her. When she is hurt, she allows them to help her--and they discover that their wild cougar companion is in fact a beautiful woman. They both form an attachment to her, and are reluctant to leave her even when their work calls them away.

I liked that the plot was slow and mellow. It has a quiet, isolated feel that I found relaxing. It isn't an adventure story, and the paranormal element is uncomplicated and matter-of-fact. That simplicity really fit the story and set the tone.

While reading this story, I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how the author intended to characterize each of her protagonists. Kaya comes across as a bit weak and helpless, but then you have to bare in mind that she hasn't had much human contact. Still, I feel like the author could have spent a little time establishing that Kaya does have some innate strength, and isn't totally dependent on her men to provide for her. Hunter is portrayed as the more closed off, emotionally isolated of the two men. Why that is is never fully explained. I can't really get a handle on Jericho's personality at all, other than that he's a bit more open than Hunter. Both men are, of course, insanely protective and intent on caring for Kaya. I think part of the problem at work here is page limitation. It's a short book, so there is only a limited amount of time to establish everyone's personality and allow them to develop.

My other "complaint" is the sunny, slightly sugar coated ending. Everyone is accepting of Kaya and her relationship with two men. Nobody comments or thinks it's odd. Everybody is just part of a big happy family. That's a bit unrealistic. But then, this book has shape-shifting so I guess I shouldn't demand realism.

All told, for a novella you can read in one day, this is worthwhile. It has steam, emotion, and a fairly satisfying happy ending. 3.5 stars.