“I don’t like THOSE kinds of stories.” Admit it. You’ve heard those words or said something similar yourself at some point. Hang around any romance site long enough and people will start talking about their favorite plots or going on about types of plots they just can’t stand. One person just can’t enjoy secret baby books while another will proclaim that marriage of convenience plots are enough to keep her from picking up a novel. When I come across these discussions, I’m more than happy to dish on plotlines that just don’t thrill me. We all have our preferences, and the fantasies that work are as different as the readers who choose them. These conversations also make me think about good writing, though. After all, even if we don’t like a particular plotline, couldn’t there be an exception to our rules in the hands of a good author?
I find myself wondering if my own preferences really are absolute. Revenge stories might make one cringe (and who really marries someone just to get revenge on them or their family anyway? Isn’t that cutting off your nose to spite your face?), but not every story is cut from the same cloth. Every time I think of a plot type I hate, I can usually come up with at least one example of an author who made it work.
For instance, revenge plots normally make me roll my eyes. I find it tedious to read about heroine X constantly trying to get at hero Y just because of some old slight against her family, or vice versa. There’s some truth to the saying, “Living well is the best revenge,” and I often find myself wishing more characters in romance would adopt that philosophy. I don’t normally pick up revenge stories on purpose unless they’re written by authors I trust or I’ve read some reviews that intrigue me. When I got Courtney Milan’s Unveiled for review, I didn’t realize ahead of time that I’d just landed a chance to review one of those plots that tends to be my personal kryptonite.
And yet it works. Sure, the hero is out for revenge and the heroine comes from the hated family, even if he doesn’t realize that at first. However, as I mentioned in the review, the story just crackles with emotion and tension. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and while the idea of revenge certainly runs through the story, it’s hardly tedious. Instead, the characters learn to examine their lives and their relationships with new eyes, and there’s a coming to terms with the past that makes this beautiful.
I’m also very much not a fan of the “forced seduction” plots that used to be fairly common in older historicals, and I was put off by more than a few in my early romance reading. However, there’s at least one book in this category that I just adored. When I picked up To Have and to Hold by Patricia Gaffney, I just wanted to continue reading a series whose first book I had enjoyed. Those who have read this novel know that both the hero and heroine have been to very dark places in their lives, and there’s definitely sexual coercion in this book. However, the author’s insight into her characters and their emotions made this an amazing read rather than an unbearably creepy one. Sebastian and Rachel are characters that readers can love at their best and have compassion for at their worst as we see them both grow through falling in love. Because it’s such a hot button topic, I think this may be one of the most difficult plots to pull off, but Patricia Gaffney is one of the very, very few who has managed to make it work for me as a reader.
What about you? Are there types of plots that don’t appeal to you as a reader? And better yet, are there authors out there who are exceptions to your rule and who have managed to succeed at writing a book you like using one of these types of plots?
– Lynn Spencer
I don’t like children in my romance.
Yes, there have been a FEW very RARE instances where the author pulled it off for me and I actualy enjoyed the children. Exceptions that come to mind are both by SEP: I actually (gasp) laughed at some of the scenes with kids in them in Match Me if You Can, and I really fell for the little boy in Dream a Little Dream. SEP has a rare gift for capturing kids on the page.
Carrie, as Sandy pointed out, the “”Bible”” quote wasn’t mine. :) But it fits so many occasions.
And YES, authors… please STOP writing “”enabler”” heroines! I want to see a heroine just DUMP her daddy, sibling, etc into debtor’s prison! Or tell them, “”NO, I am not paying your debts/mortgage/blackmailer/etc. Take care of your problems, yourself.”” I have yet to see this plot point done in a way that doesn’t make me want to BITE something.
I get tired of TSTL heroines in suspense novels who decide they HAVE to go outside and put themselves and the hero in danger, etc. This admittedly was much more common in the 80s and 90s (“”I am my own woman, so common sense has no place here!””), but it still irks me.
I’m also annoyed by heroines who protect their gambling father or their thieving sister or their embezzling cousin, etc. by allowing themselves to be blackmailed into marriage (and true love!) with the hero (?). I’m more of a “”you made your bed, now lie in it”” type of person.
Can a good author make such plots work, anyway? Yes, but I remain a little irritated no matter how well the book is written.
@JMM, thanks for the “”Romancing the Stone”” reference! :) One of my favorite movies!
@JMM “”“Oh, he shot my father, raped and murdered my sister, killed my dog and stole my Bible – but it would be wrong to bring harm upon a living human being! I’ll just let him go “”
It was the Bible that did me in…thanks for the laugh! And I agree with you!
I don’t like books which include rape or a hero who can’t accept a no from the heroine. I also get turned off by extreme jealousy, it’c creepy not romantic.
I dislike the “”heroine returns to Small Town and learns What’s Really Important by giving up her career to run knitting/embroidery/etc store and have six babies with the former Navy SEAL sheriff”” theme and so far, no book has changed my mind.
I usually despise virginal heroines, but enjoyed one or two books with such.
I’d like revenge stories more if the HEROINE was allowed to take revenge on someone instead of copping out. “”Oh, he shot my father, raped and murdered my sister, killed my dog and stole my Bible – but it would be wrong to bring harm upon a living human being! I’ll just let him go (and hope he doesn’t murder dozens of others before the hero shoots him)!””
Lol. Now I want to watch Romancing the Stone again. And I totally agree with you!
Haha that made me laugh cause I HATE those stories as well!!! And that is basically the summary of the entire book!!
What really put me off are:
1) those contemporary novels that out of the blue introduce paranormal elements. One thing is a Fantasy or Sci-Fi or Vampyric novel when you expect that, and a different thing is when you are reading a perfectly normal novel and find out something ‘magical’ that has nothing to do with the story.
Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz have done this many times and I really hate it.
2) those rakes that don’t do anything rakish and are redeemed by very boring virgins.
3) rapist or sexist heros, all those overbearing guys that say ‘your lips say no but your body say yes’. They usually find doormats that ‘surrender’.
So I think I dislike certain elements more than certain plots. Even the most trite plot (unexpected pregnancy or forced marriages) could be great in the hands of a splendid writer.
This.
I am not going to discount any plot just because. In the hands of a skilled writer, any plot, even the dreaded secret baby, and be elevated to a really good reading experience. If I ignore the book just based on that type of plot, I’ll be missing out.
The best, best, best revenge plot I’ve ever read was Silk and Shadows by Mary Jo Putney.
In the Harry Dresden series, a secret baby plot came up (an 8 year old secret baby, even!). He destroyed everything to keep her safe. The book was amazing.
So I don’t pay attention to the type of plot when choosing a book. If I’m hooked in the sample, then I’m there.
Exactly what Eggletina said: “”The writing and characterization matter more to me.”” And also: “”…if it’s an author I’ve had good luck with before and something about the writing from the beginning grabs me…”” then I’m good to go too.
Rather than certain motifs, genres are likely to have more sway with me, with historicals being the genre of choice, and just a couple of contemporary authors occasionally for a change when needed.
I don’t tend to like small town romances. It’s not that I have anything against stories set in small towns. I just hate that vibe I get from some romances that small towns are “”better”” or “”purer,”” somehow. I also don’t like the types of conflict that often go hand-in-hand with the small town setting, such as family drama But there are still a few small town romances that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.
I also don’t like rakes. As I’ve said before, “”rake”” to me sounds like a old-fashioned term for “”arrested adolescent.”” But one of m