Men in Romance

Since we were in Los Angeles for the L.A. Times Festival of Books, my Best Friend suggested a visit to The Ripped Bodice, the new romance-specific bookstore in Culver City.

In addition to meeting proprietors Bea and Leah, I got a kick out of seeing a friend from the Festival already at work in the store.

This guy gets how sweet it is to be a man in romance, even without the refresher read of Beyond Heaving Bosoms:  The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance. 

Even as a pre-published writer, I can't imagine more rewarding work. I'm pleased that my stories not only entertain, but promise readers that despite the challenges my characters face, in the end Love Wins!

In a world that can be as cold, cruel, and dangerous as ours, I think this sort of joyful hope appeals to both women and men.

Christmas Story Perfect for Valentine’s Day

Before anyone asks, I’ll answer the question first – yes, I know Suzanne Brockmann’s book All Through the Night is made up.  Just being make believe doesn’t diminish the powerful emotional honesty of this romance.  In some ways, the fact that this story of love is a work of fiction makes it more compelling.  And even though the plot centers on a Christmas-time wedding, I suggest this book is the perfect read for Valentine’s Day. 

One reason this book resonates so strongly is that the issue of marriage equality and same sex weddings is in the news again, courtesy of the recent Appeals Court decision upholding an earlier federal court ruling finding California’s Proposition 8 unconstitutional.  That decision would no doubt hearten Jules Cassidy and Robin Chadwick, the male protagonists of Brockmann’s book, because it should allow other couples just like them to have their passionate and caring relationships publicly affirmed by the state.  

An important strength of Brockmann’s work is that these two characters are so well developed, a reader easily identifies with their desire for legal acceptance.  Brockmann presents on the page two men with strengths and flaws as compelling as any encountered in fiction.  And yet the love they have, the sense of mutual sharing, trust, and respect they strive for with each other, inspired me to be a better man in my own relationship before I’d even finished the book. 

This, I think, is a great representation of one of most powerful tools of fiction in our society – we can begin to create a better world if we only imagine we can.  I sincerely hope you’ll read All Through the Night.  And then, I hope it inspires you to promote positive changes in our law and culture so we all have the chance to celebrate more couples like Jules and Robin experiencing happily ever after. 

Happy Valentine’s Day! 

Intimate Strangers - A Sensual Delight

Intimate Strangers, by acclaimed romance and mystery writer Laura Taylor, is a sensual delight for the appreciative reader.  With beautifully rendered prose, Taylor takes the reader inside body, mind and heart of her main characters as they at first resist, and then ultimately succumb, to the intense attraction each feels for the other.  In passages sizzling with heat, the reader is happily swept up in the passion connecting protagonist Hannah Cassidy to her apparent antagonist and reluctant admirer Nicholas Benteen.  In this short novel, Taylor demonstrates her mastery of the most satisfying elements of romantic fiction. 

This story’s great strength is the concentrated focus on the relationship between Hannah and Nicholas.  From the moment Hannah appears on Nicholas’s remote Nevada property, it is clear that she is woman not easily prevented from achieving her goals.  What she doesn’t understand is that her success on this particular mission threatens the fragile sanctuary Nicholas has created, not just for himself, but for wounded comrades-in-arms he shelters on his property.    

Taylor puts her considerable talent on display as the interaction between Hannah and Nicholas reveals ever more compelling layers of character.  The initial antagonism between the two warms into grudging respect, followed by unacknowledged attraction, before finally erupting into fully-heated passion.   Taylor employs her writing skill so the reader experiences all of the sensory stimulation of the main characters, whether that is Hannah surrendering herself to Nicholas despite her inexperience and modesty, or Nicholas struggling to restrain his surging desire for her.  The richly rendered love scenes serve the overall story by demonstrating in vibrant language the true nature of Hannah, Nicholas and the love that bonds them. 

A compelling theme of contemporary romance is that love conquers all.  Taylor tests this thesis in her story by weaving the plot around the question as to how two very different and very strong-willed characters can both get what they most want.    The uplifting conclusion delivers on the implicit romance reader-writer bargain as Taylor ends her book with a wonderful scene of intimacy entirely consistent with the characters she has created and shared.     

Intimate Strangers is available as a free downloadable eBook for Kindle . A free pdf can be found on Taylor's website.  The nook version is available for purchase here.

Laura Taylor will be at the Southern California Writers Conference beginning next Friday in San Diego.  She is an Advance Submission reader, will be leading workshops during the conference, and serving as facilitator of a Friday evening rogue read and critique.