I have friends, PattyKates, who write fabulous romance reviews as a team. They coined the term “raisin sex” to describe sexual activity in novels that is simply not to one’s taste, i.e. when your cookie has raisins in it, but you prefer chocolate chips. Man Candy was just such a book for me. A contemporary romance with some charm, flashes of humour, and a fairly paint by numbers story delivery, Harlow delivered raisin sex when I wanted chocolate chip sex. Raisin sex, I might add, […]
Like punching Bambi in the face
We were sent an ARC of this book. The author wrote, and I quote: Well, keep in mind, another author said “Well, this is sweet for YOU.” *grins*. Cool! How bad could it be? Patty: So, there’s this author… she loves to give her characters a HEA but not before she skins them alive, pours gasoline on them, and reaches into her pocket for a lighter. Katie: I’m not sure how, exactly, but at some point Rhys Ford added PattyKates to her list of ARC […]
Not Just Another Brick in the Wall
Patty: Serendipity, I tell ya. The fact that we are reviewing a book on Superbowl Sunday – a book where the hero is a professional football player – is prophetic. Warning: I am aware of football; I understand the general gist of what all is supposed to happen, but I am not a fan nor do I really agree with the purported logic behind the game. Katie hails from one of those states where it’s like a religion, so she might have to clarify some […]
GoT Fanfiction in Two Parts: Snark and SRSLY! OR, why we get drunk and know things
*This one needs a disclaimer and a trigger warning. In an attempt to rationalize the thought process behind the idea that a romance novel could employ the tropes that this one does (Enemies to lovers, Kidnapped, Marriage of convenience, Mistaken identity and Victim falls for rapist) and still find a welcoming readership, there may be a bit of Devil’s Advocate stances tossed about. Please note: this is strictly an exercise in disambiguation and a genuine attempt to understand how this story could be conceived, presented […]