I just read two books in a row I'm not going to mention.

Yep, I'm a tease. It's just that I don't think I would recommend them, and on further thought, didn't want to mention either the authors or books in case down the road some kind of karmic revenge occurs.

Or the authors google their name and find a negative review. Either way, don't want to go there.

On the other hand, I did want to kind of work through what made me dissatisfied with those books as a way of concentrating my thoughts about writing and what makes a good book.

So both of them were paranormal romance. One vampire. One werewolf.

The vampire was a historical romance, or...er...I should probably say erotica. My main beef with the vampire book is that there was so much emphasis placed on his...er...growing need...and how that need was basically erotically tortured into him so he could be some kind of bad-vampire killer, that it totally made the book pointless to me. I didn't get a sense of the heroine, I didn't feel their relationship, I didn't get any sense of him beyond the whole..er...needy...aspect of him.

And the sex torture scenes became...tedious. I think for me, the romance aspect of the vampire rather than the outright sexual one gives the most opportunity for character development and excitement.

Don't get there too fast or too often.

On the other hand, the werewolf book was more interesting plot wise. The hero was a suspected bad werewolf, and his manly strength and habit of walking around naked at night in the forest made us all suspect him.

However, throughout the book it is said repeatedly that he was gorgeous, and the heroine, and all her friends, kept telling her he was out of her league. And what brought them together? Instantaneous molten attraction.

Never does he tell her he likes her plucky courage, or how nice she is to everyone, or anything like that. Nope, he just kisses her and the magic flows.

The relationship felt...empty. And I hate it when the man is gorgeous and popular and the girl is plain, and then there is no explanation for why or where they fall in love with eachother.

It's too fairy tale. And it makes me suspect the heroine is shallow.

So, lets sum up here. Not too much, too soon.

Yep. Leave room for suspense in the relationship, and have it based on something other than...er....need.

This has been a public serice announcement by your friendly neighborhood paranormal romance lover.