You know, as much as I like a little realism in romance books, after reading Haunting Love Alley, by S.L Carpenter and Sahara Kelly , I totally changed my mind.
No, I don’t want heroes who fart, burp, and scratch themselves in their nether regions. I don’t like it in real life, I’m certainly not going to appreciate it in my romance.
Love Alley is a house in Louisiana. Cory Lavalle is a psychic who sees dead people in the house. Louis Beekman is the city slicker love interest who inherits the house, and its see-through residents.
Basically, they shag like rabbits, and try to right past wrongs, and ultimately they reunite two ghostly lovers, who were hanging around in limbo.
The premise was interesting enough, if a little on the overdone side, but unfortunately, there was just too much ‘guy’ humour in the story, and that didn’t impress me much.
Throw in nymphomaniac twins, a bimbette with a penchant for teeny-tiny bikinis, and a Mamie-type character named Zulee, how on earth could you go wrong? Erm…Easily?
I think Haunting Love Alley was meant to be a comedic romance, but if I’m honest, I spent most of the time with my mouth open in awe.
Oh yeah, and the fact that the hero was dreaming of other women whilst he was with the heroine, didn’t endear me to him either.
Nope, I’ve gone right off realism in romance!
As the book was co-written by a man, I’m willing to bet that the farts and the scratching inspiration came from him.
Nicole
December 8
2:40 am
Well, considering I married a guy who neither farts, burps, or scratches his nether regions* (and he leaves the seat down), I certainly wouldn’t want to read about a guy who did in a romance!
*at least never in front of me or other people
Desiree Erotique
December 8
4:47 am
I have a good friend who is an excellent author. But when he offered a passage where one female character farted, I just had to tell him Nope, this ain’t the type of “fantasy” I want to read.
So, by the same token, NO, I don’t want to find belching, farting, scratching heroes in the books I read either! My kids may be amused by this stuff in the books they read, lol, but not Mommy, no way!
Jennifer B.
December 8
2:08 pm
Sorry, no. Reading is escapism for me. And while I don’t like unreal situations in my books (things that just wouldn’t happen in real life), I do want and expect romance. And what is romance, if not fantasy.
Eve Vaughn
December 8
2:39 pm
I’ve had a character fart after sex, but I think the comedy in it was the heroine’s total disgust and her over the top reaction. Needless to say, the farter wasn’t the hero of the story. While I’m one of those people who take a clinical approach to gassiness (hey everyone does it, so I don’t make a big deal about it) I don’t think I’d ever have a hero or heroine do it, because it does take something away from the fantasy. You don’t want your hero letting one rip in the middle of sex or any other time.
On the other hand I could totally see myself writing a character who does that to create a foil for the hero.
I once read a book with a graphic bathroom scene, and wanted to gag, especially it describe the stool. Yuck. That scene totally took me out of the rest of the book.
Shawn
December 8
6:25 pm
Interesting. I am still trying to get over the Mamie-type character named Zulee.
Rocio
December 8
9:23 pm
I don’t enjoy either reading about people with no manners unless the character is going to overcome it.
Maybe it’s kind of silly but I want my main character inspirational ones, the ones that make you want to get better.What genre was that book Karen, romance is out of question, was it GROSS.
Anne
December 9
12:19 am
Ick. I get enough of that in real life living with the DH and two teenage boys who have friends over A LOT…. to ruin my escape and have reality close in… no thanks. I’m really grateful I didn’t buy this book. *sigh*
Kat O+
December 9
1:23 pm
If the hero’s propensity for burping, “adjusting” and passing wind are so conspicuous as to be mentionable in a novel, I’d seriously be turned off.
And on the subject of realism, how come there are so few heroines who get bad period pains?