When Worlds Collide
Tried to buy another book where the plot goes something like this: divorced (or almost divorced) parties meet up after an estrangement and then somehow mange to get back together. Picked the book up. Put it back down. See, divorce is what I do for a living. Not get them but help others to do so. Every day is filled with folks fighting over custody, over who gets the tupperware, over which family gave them the curtains, over which one of them is the bigger idiot. Fight, fight, fight. As a result, any romance that even remotely hints at a divorced couple getting back together loses me. Makes me want to throw things.
The realization that this perfectly good hook is ruined forever is a bit depressing. You’d think the idea of two people finding their way back to each other against significant odds would be a great romantic read. Problem is this storyline strikes too close to my work life. This type of reconciliation is rare out there in non-romanceland so it tends to ring as unrealistic to me. Most divorcing folks would never ever think getting back together with the dumbass on the other side of the conference room table is a good idea. Some do but not many.
I didn’t realize I was ruling out a certain subsection of romance reads, until I was looking through Linda Lael Miller’s backlist and found Used-To-Be-Lovers. The cover blurb turned me off. Since I had already read her vampire stories - a subgenre I really dislike - it seemed as if it might be time to try to the divorcing-spouses-reunifying story. Again. See if after a few years the idea now worked for me. Answer: nope. Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. But, the book didn’t work for me. Spent the most of the reading time forcing myself to plow ahead. Not really an enjoyable leisure experience.
I figure I’m not alone. That most folks have something from their personal lives that leeches over and ruins a hook or storyline. Unfortunately, when one of your favorite reads is romance and the reunification story is a problem, that rules out a great number of books.
April 29th, 2005 at 10:52 am
Hmmm, I’m on the fence about divorce romances. It isn’t that I loath them, as I do secrete baby books. It’s more that I can’t make the leap to suspend my disbelief that couples willing to dissolve their marriage would then be willing to reconcile. When there are so many choices in the field of romance, I would rather pick a story that isn’t an uphill battle to fall into.
April 29th, 2005 at 9:14 pm
I don’t really care for reunited couples stories myself. My own parents married and divorced twice, so I can’t help but equate the whole thing with dysfunction and codependence.
The real-life stories that I avoid are the ones with military heroes, and especially heroines. Most romance writers have no idea what the military, even the fringes of it (let alone the hardcore, elite units), is like.
April 29th, 2005 at 9:36 pm
I have to admit I like a military hero now and then. Since I don’t have any personal knowledge, the ones I like might not be too realistic but I wouldn’t be able to tell. If you have any recommendations of realistic ones, I’d love to read ‘em.
Divorcing couples are my biggest contemporary romance no-no but, like Wendy, the secret baby thing isn’t a fav either.
April 30th, 2005 at 4:28 pm
I’m not keen on divorced/divorcing couples at all. I prefer reunion stories when the couple was quite young or not too serious and where the break wasn’t devastating. Unless it’s suspense or paranormal where extraordinary circumstances apply. Then I willing to go with the flow.
Anyway, I should probably whisper this, but I can enjoy a secret baby story with PROPER motivation. I don’t like every single romance to have kids, but I do like some. (Kind of like parents deserve romance, too.) And secret baby can be one way to do that.
I don’t know if there are many secret babies outside of category, though. (Sorry, I’m going off on a tangent here.)