
This has happened to me a few times, usually with series books. I would love the previous books, then I'd excitedly get a copy of the new one. I'd sit in happy anticipation of an engrossing read...only to find that the muse apparently has deserted the author. Either that or a contractual obligation made her/him write "one more" to fulfill an agreement. And this one is devoid of any of the elements that made me love the other ones so much.
--Where there was romantic tension before, now it's just boring because the author doesn't know how to keep tension and excitement ramped up once the deed has been done and you know who the heroine will be boinking. Side plots with other characters never make up for it.
--Or the heroine has discovered the bliss of being with multiple men at one time, and the bed is getting crowded with guys having to take numbers, like in a deli, waiting for an opening (ahem.)
--Or it's just become too unbelievable that every man ever born thinks the heroine is the hottest thing he's ever seen, and no one can get enough of her magic vagina.
Stand-alones might suffer from the following which demand such a suspension of disbelief that I find myself yelling out loud:
--The hero has a tool that solves every possible problem the heroine could have, once she gets a ride on that magic cock.
--Speaking of tools, the hero has one so large that it defies imagination. Yet the heroine enjoys it every which way...without lube, even though she was a virgin before him. Yeah...right.
Obviously I read romance, as well as write it! I try not to read in the same genre that I write (contemporary). But I love me a good paranormal romance, some blood-suckers, some shifters, and even alien lovers. But you can keep the tentacles...and I read a horror short story recently that ensures I'll never look at zucchini or other plant protuberances with even speculative curiosity ever again! If you're interested:
http://ohgetagrip.blogspot.com/2014/04/roots.html
And of course, badly-written prose always makes me toss a book aside. I can stand a few typos--hell, I've found them in books, newspapers, etc. But when they're so pervasive they distract me from the story, forget it!
So how about you? What kinds of things throw you off when you're reading a book you've looked forward to?
To see what the other authors think, head for the next blog:
Margaret Fieland: http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/