originally posted on February 13, 2010
who to pick next?
For most of Ten Nights of Love, I automatically knew who the various authors were going to be. All I had to do was make sure I arranged them in chronological order to tell the story. For this last author, I kind of knew, roughly, why I was including her but wasn’t sure who to use.
You see, a couple of years ago, I actively started dipping my toe into the so-called erotic romance sub-genre. Heck, my entire foot. I call it “so-called” because I’m still not entirely convinced that all the books with that tag are labeled correctly.
Anyway, I knew this post would definitely be about a erotic romance author. However I wasn’t sure what I considered erotic romance or the author I liked the best that wrote it. Not necessarily the best writer, mind you. Just the one that makes me grin the most over this entire development, if you get my drift.
so what exactly is an erotic romance to me?
Thing is, I don’t think most people do agree on what erotic romance means. At least not from the romance perspective. There are no boundaries. There are too many boundaries. It’s all over the place. What one person tells you it is, another individual says that’s not it. What one publisher labels as erotic romance; another simply labels as hot or spicy. Which is no help at all for the average reader.
So, before I even attempted to tackle this one, I went back and reread an article from Teach Me Tonight. “Classifying Works Containing Sexual Content” always helps me clarify my own thinking about erotica and erotic romance. As well as a couple of other terms that get tossed romance novel’s way. It doesn’t necessarily help me define erotic romance, mind you. It does help me understand what I’m looking for personally here. Or not looking for, as the case may be.
Then I looked at the authors I was dithering over for this post again and I realized something very important. They have at one point or another written books that have been labeled as erotic romance – originally with e-books publishers. They’re also slowly moving into the mainstream, i.e. getting contracts with New York print publishers. Not sure that’s important but I think it possibly is.
I am female, hear me roar… literally?
All of which brings me finally to Shelly Laurenston/G.A. Aiken. The reason I ultimately chose her is the power her female characters wield. I do not mean in a supernatural way. Or really even in an erotic way, although, I suppose that enters into it in some respects. It’s just not the first aspect that comes to mind when I think of her books.
In a word, her heroines are simply downright–
Mean.
And I don’t say that as an insult, at least not from my standpoint. There’s no other way to describe them. It radiates off them in waves. Shrinking, fainting, wilting violet heroines of the past, they ain’t. Put it this way, to call them alpha would almost be a step down and totally irrelevant in many ways. Ever heard the phrase about “the hero as villain” used to describe the typical romance hero of the past? Well, these gals would eat those poor guys for lunch and then ask for desert.
Literally, in some cases.
I think I scarred my son for life
Think I’m joking? My son read one of her books. He was appalled, absolutely, totally appalled. By the fact that the heroine was basically a psychopathic (my son’s word) barbarian conqueror. Who was intent on winning back her kingdom from her brother. Granted her brother was worse. I think. But one comment my son made really caught my attention. He wondered whether her people – who wanted her help to dethrone her brother – would be any better off with her. Particularly since her “hero’s” family were dragon shifters. And would now be at her beck and call to do her bidding and massacre her enemies. Dragon shifters who make no secret of the fact that they indulge in the occasional human snack. You know when the mood or situation warrants it. Or doesn’t, I might add. So, I can’t really argue with my son’s outrage – to a point, anyway.
And it probably wouldn’t stop me from arguing with him but that’s another matter entirely.
Seriously, though, I couldn’t help wondering if she was supposed to be nicer because she was female. Or if it was the whole conqueror bit that made her seem so, er, psychotic. And if you’re curious but haven’t read the book I found a couple of reviews on Dear Author and Mrs. Giggles.
and so we finally come to “jerk” heroines?
See, I get it. Heroes, and heroines, are supposed to be, well, heroic. It’s just that we’ve been debating about heroes acting like idiots and jerks for decades. We’ve also been whining about those poor, put upon, wimpy heroines too. So, don’t mind me if I thoroughly enjoy a heroine who can give as good as she gets. In all ways.
That an almost villain romance heroine could actually be published in a mainstream print romance line makes me smile. Frankly, you have to admit, that’s a long way from where I, er, we started.
God, I love romances. All of them. 😀
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