![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainwatersparkAction by Quinn Anderson - DNF
Honestly, I'm just really tired.
The last queer romance that I read and actually enjoyed the romance part of without reservation was the Executive Office series—and even then, the third book wasn't as great for me as the other two. Every other romance book I've read since then, I've not only not enjoyed, but extremely not enjoyed—because of either bad disability rep, acephobia/not what I want from an asexual romance, or just zero romantic chemistry between the main characters.
I got about halfway through Action before getting bored enough to quit. Pete and Kyle/Evan barely know each other for me to buy their relationship at all; it was entirely based on lust with absolutely nothing else. I had no clue what Kyle/Evan's character was other than confident and hot. That's all.
I'm really tired of genre romance books where there is sexual chemistry between the leads and nothing else that their relationship seems to be based off of. I'm tired of genre romance books in which I don't understand why the two characters even like each other beyond just for sex. This year has been an unending slog of such books for me, from Mature Content to Strong Signal to Concourse to In the Company of Shadows (really, all of Santino Hassell's books are like that for me, which is why I'll never for the life of me understand why his books are so popular) to Growing Pains by Cass Lennox to Whiteout. And a glance at the summaries for upcoming queer romance titles don't give me much hope of getting some variety any time soon.
I'm really, really tired of it.
I'm really tired of it because I'm here for interesting dynamics between characters and couples I want to be able to swoon over, only to get relationships that never progress beyond superficial talks about how hot and sexy the two characters think each other are, or even downright abusive relationship patterns. (I mean, why are some authors unable to develop conflict between the two characters without resorting to abusive speech/behavior? This shouldn't be a freaking standard in this genre.)
I'm here for couples who find solace in each other, without being codependent. I'm here for couples who learn and grow together and become better people for it. I'm here for couples whom I can picture as real-life people who would hang out with each other and talk with each other deep into the night and go on to have long-lasting, healthy relationships.
I'm not getting that from any of the romance books I've been reading recently.
And I'm very salty about that.
Honestly, I'm just really tired.
The last queer romance that I read and actually enjoyed the romance part of without reservation was the Executive Office series—and even then, the third book wasn't as great for me as the other two. Every other romance book I've read since then, I've not only not enjoyed, but extremely not enjoyed—because of either bad disability rep, acephobia/not what I want from an asexual romance, or just zero romantic chemistry between the main characters.
I got about halfway through Action before getting bored enough to quit. Pete and Kyle/Evan barely know each other for me to buy their relationship at all; it was entirely based on lust with absolutely nothing else. I had no clue what Kyle/Evan's character was other than confident and hot. That's all.
I'm really tired of genre romance books where there is sexual chemistry between the leads and nothing else that their relationship seems to be based off of. I'm tired of genre romance books in which I don't understand why the two characters even like each other beyond just for sex. This year has been an unending slog of such books for me, from Mature Content to Strong Signal to Concourse to In the Company of Shadows (really, all of Santino Hassell's books are like that for me, which is why I'll never for the life of me understand why his books are so popular) to Growing Pains by Cass Lennox to Whiteout. And a glance at the summaries for upcoming queer romance titles don't give me much hope of getting some variety any time soon.
I'm really, really tired of it.
I'm really tired of it because I'm here for interesting dynamics between characters and couples I want to be able to swoon over, only to get relationships that never progress beyond superficial talks about how hot and sexy the two characters think each other are, or even downright abusive relationship patterns. (I mean, why are some authors unable to develop conflict between the two characters without resorting to abusive speech/behavior? This shouldn't be a freaking standard in this genre.)
I'm here for couples who find solace in each other, without being codependent. I'm here for couples who learn and grow together and become better people for it. I'm here for couples whom I can picture as real-life people who would hang out with each other and talk with each other deep into the night and go on to have long-lasting, healthy relationships.
I'm not getting that from any of the romance books I've been reading recently.
And I'm very salty about that.
