The Fatal Flame

The Fatal Flame by Lyndsay Faye is the third, and final, book in her historical mystery series set in 1840s New York City starring reluctant police detective Timothy Wilde.  I listened to the first two books in this series on audio and became obsessed.  I loved the history, I loved the vernacular slang dialogue, I loved the characters, I loved the mysteries and I loved the narrator, Steven Boyer.  When I heard that The Fatal Flame was coming I drove my audiobook buyers at work fairly nuts over it.  For months - no audio version listed anywhere.  Wendy took to stalking the Interwebs, hoping for a morsel of news, and finally!  Finally!  Audiobook version announced.  Except......

THEY SWITCHED NARRATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look, I'm sure Kirby Heyborne is a decent bloke, but he's not Steven Boyer, who at this point I began to obsess over.  But I couldn't just drop this final book - so, I ditched audio and read it like a chump.  And I loved every minute of it.

This time out, "bright young copper star" Timothy Wilde finds himself embroiled in his least favorite pastime - politics.  The odious alderman, Robert Symmes, wants Timothy's reprobate brother, Valentine, to clean up a little mess.  There's a radical suffragette, a former worker at one of Symmes' sweatshops, who is threatening to burn his various real estate holdings to the ground.  Long story short, Valentine is appalled with Symmes' potential "reward" for handling this business, and loathing the man anyway, decides to throw his hat into the upcoming election.  The Democrats are already splintered into two factions, Valentine going up against Symmes could lead to the city tearing itself apart.

When Symmes' suffragette appears to be making good on her threats, it's up to Timothy to ferret her out.  All of this complicated by his brother's campaign, and unrequited love, Mercy Underhill, turning up in New York again, having been living in London for the last couple of years. 

This book can probably be read as a stand-alone but I wouldn't recommend it.  At this point the trilogy has really built itself one on top of the other, and this installment especially shows it.  Timothy loathes Symmes for a lot of reasons (well, the man did want to kill him in the last book - so the animosity is sort of understandable), but finds himself backed into a corner helping him since he very well cannot sit idly by while an arsonist torches the city.  Also the character development has been increasingly getting deeper with each installment.  Valentine's guilt, his various romantic entanglements, Timothy's love/hate relationship with his brother, his very real fear of fire, and his completely jacked up feelings for Mercy, not to mention his relationship with Bird Daly (an orphan waif he rescued in book one) and his landlady, Elena, whom he is sharing a sexual relationship with.

There are a lot of things about this series that recommends itself to romance readers.  For one thing, the history is outstanding.  If you like historical romance but have been whining displeased with the increased amount of wallpaper, this is your kind of series.  Also, despite the unpalatable morphine addiction, Valentine is pretty much textbook rake-slash-wounded hero material.  And Timothy?  Timothy is your Beta hero with some rough Alpha edges (he can hold his own in a street fight) pining away for an unrequited love.  Really, it's fantastic.

Where this series may stumble for romance readers?  Well, it's dark.  And I mean....dark.  The first book is about sexually exploited children.  The second book is about free blacks getting kidnapped in the north and sent south, as supposed "escaped" slaves.  Compared to those previous two books, this one is almost like a Sunday walk in the park, with bitter men bemoaning working women, seamstresses working in appalling conditions, and violence against women.  While sex trafficking, and sexual assault, plays heavily in this story, all of it takes place off-page.  That said, pretty much all of Faye's conflicts have been textbook examples of why trigger warnings exist.

I'm glad I listened to the first two in this series on audio, because I'm the sort who can have a hard time with period language.  I need to get an "ear" for it.  Faye employs a lot of period slang, also known as "flash."  One of the reasons Timothy is so good as a police detective is that having been raised, in large part, by his brother - he can speak and understand "flash."  It's a different way of communicating, that's for sure - but having now been immersed in it for two previous books, this final third installment flowed for me.

I went through this entire book hoping, praying, that Faye would have a change of heart and not end this series as a trilogy.  But the epilogue kind of kills that dream.  I will say that I think she's done the right thing by giving readers closure, and while the romance reader in me was somewhat disappointed (I like pretty endings - and no I won't apologize for that), I think the author ends the series well, the way she has to end it.  She doesn't pull any punches, but she also doesn't pull anything out of left field that doesn't make sense.  Where her characters end up is where they should end up - which, at the end of the day, is all I ever want as a reader.

I have loved these books.  I loved the Steven Boyer audiobooks and I loved reading this final installment (like a chump).  If you love historicals and can deal with dark these are the real deal.  I haven't been this excited about a series in a long, long time and now *sigh* it's all over. 

Final Grade = A

Librarians Blogging, Recent H&H Posts & Going Dark

I'm over at Read-A-Romance Month today talking about the "joy of romance" in the form of "emotional truth."  Or in shorthand, Why Wendy Reads and Loves the Genre.

You can also read my secret confession about actors named Chris, and enter a to chance to win a prize pack from the RWA Conference that was in New York City this past July.  Over there I call it a "mystery box," but you dear blog readers get an actual photo (see right) of the goodies to behold.  Print books, ebook download cards, swag, and an official RWA tote bag (which is super nice, a quality canvas tote bag).

The drawing is only open to US residents (because I suck) - but you should check out all the posts at RARM because oh my, lots of authors, lots of giveaways, lots o' fun.

+++++

I've been kind of lax with posting my various Heroes & Heartbreakers ramblings over here.  In case you've missed it - I still post a monthly column on Unusual Historicals.  Here is the most recent post for August.  I'm a put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is kinda gal - so yeah.  Instead of b*tching about All Regency Dukes All The Time, go out and support the different when you can.  I know, we all have budgets to live with.  Will all of these Different Historicals be winners?  Heck, are all Regency Dukes winners?  But you won't know unless you try. 

I also had a post up recently about the wondrous world of delicious sexual tension, detailing three stand-out books I've read so far this year.  A just-kisses historical, a PG-13 historical and a steamy contemporary erotic romance.  Great sexual tension can be found all over the genre, you just have to be lucky enough to find it.

And as always, if you look under the links section on the right-hand sidebar of this blog - there's a direct link to All Wendy at H&H anytime you need to catch up.

+++++

This blog will be dark pretty much all of next week as I'm going to be traveling on business.  In lieu of blogging I hope to find some good eats, some quality vino, and some time to actually, oh I don't know, read.  Being trapped on an airplane is usually how I get a lot of reading done.  So hopefully I'll have some books to chat about once I land back at Bat Cave Central next weekend.

Behave yourselves while your Auntie Wendy is away, and be kind to each other.

#TBRChallenge 2015: Beware the Ides of Impulse

I often tell TBR Challenge participants that the idea behind the challenge is "fun."  You don't need to read to the monthly theme.  You can skip months without feeling guilty.  And you can DNF.  DNFs are totally allowed.  In a bid to "practice what I preach" I thought I would detail the long, sad strange trip that this month's Impulse Read theme sent me on.  Four DNFs and, finally, a novella I managed to get through.  I'm ready to stick a fork in this theme and declare it done!

I love historical westerns, and have impulse bought a lot over the years to "support" the sub genre.  I had the epic (see left) Dorchester Leisure print edition of After the Ashes by Cheryl Howe in my TBR, but it's since been reissued self-pub by the author.

Post-Civil War the heroine leaves Kentucky to live with her baby brother in New Mexico, the only family she has left.  The hero, a bounty hunter, shows up looking for said brother thanks to a stagecoach robbery gone bad.  Heroine just knows there's some mistake, because baby brother is a precious snowflake.  Hero leaves, baby brother returns, and convinces heroine to go into town and "sweet talk" the hero into letting him be.  Yes, dear baby brother suggests the heroine whore herself out - although not in so many words, and she....goes to town.  OK, not figuratively.  They don't actually "do it."  Then her and hero return to cabin only to discover baby brother has run off with what little money heroine had to her name.  Then a deputy shows up, a man the hero doesn't like, and in full Protect The Heroine mode, he tells the guy they're married.  Another heroine who will walk through fire for a relative who doesn't deserve it, plus for someone who managed to survive living through the Civil War - she was just too naive for my tastes.  It wasn't horrible, but I wasn't engaged.  DNF'ed after about 50 pages or so.

I picked up Wicked As Sin by Jillian Hunter at RWA 2008 - which I drove to.  Not having to ship books home = Wendy takes every book not tied down.  This starts out OK, but lost steam for me and I DNF'ed after 75 pages or so.  Hero is a former soldier and gambler who wins stately manor in poker game.  Stately manor is located in the town where he grew up and developed his wicked reputation.  Heroine is next door neighbor, pleased to be a spinster thanks to a fiance' who "took advantage" of her before he left to fight Napoleon.  Thankfully he had the good sense to get himself killed and now everybody thinks she's consumed with grief over the death of her beloved fiance'.

The mix of banter and humor juxtaposed against angsty backstory didn't always gel for me.  It was like this story didn't quite know what it wanted to be.  Also, it's the eighth book in a series, and while that wasn't a problem in the early chapters, I could see it heading down the Past Couples Showing Up road and I just wasn't in the mood.  The final nail in the coffin though was that the heroine's almost-brother-in-law shows up acting all skeevy towards her, although with more subtlety than his brother.  He drives all the way out to country to say, "Hey I know what my brother did to you, he was so uncouth and lacked finesse - you should totally be MY mistress!"  Really?!  It didn't work for me.  So, moving on.

Category romance, besides historical westerns, is one area where I happily impulse read.  I'm sure I picked up The Officer's Girl by Leigh Duncan at an RWA conference, but not sure which year.  Heroine is taking temporary job assignment in Florida and has rented a house on Cocoa Beach, which the Realtor assures her NEVER gets hurricane action.  Except a hurricane is on it's way, but the heroine is just SURE it's no problem.  The barrier island is literally evacuating, but she apparently fails to see people leaving town in packed up cars or homes with storm shutters and boarded up windows - so she pulls in, unpacks her boxes and is angry that the cable guys are late in arriving.  The hero is a cop driving around making sure everyone is evacuating like good little monkeys, when he spies the heroine.  He starts telling her she needs to leave.  She's dumbfounded.  He decides to slap the handcuffs on her to get her to listen.  I mean, really - what did he expect?  There she in all polished, put-together, in her designer clothes and fancy manicure.  She's totally a "me me girl" (literally, his words). Selfish and self-absorbed.

So first impressions?  She's a moron and he's an asshole.  I couldn't DNF this one quickly enough.

Hearts Are Wild by Laura Wright was either an impulse used bookstore purchase or library book sale find.  It's amazing how dated 2002 is now.  Heroine is starting her own matchmaking business (which includes videotaping clients "My name is Sharla, I like puppy dogs and long walks on the beach...."), and in walks the hero, with his leather jacket and his motorcycle out front.  He claims to be her new roommate and he's there to pick up the keys.  Seems Dear Old Granny rented him a room before she went into assisted living.  Heroine says, I can't live with you.  He says, I signed a lease.  She says, I don't care.  He says, too bad.  Then she says, hey give me four weeks to find you the perfect woman/match and I'll give you the keys and let you stay in the house. Um, sweetie?  HE'S SIGNED A LEASE.  Frankly I'd be torn between kissing Dear Old Granny on the lips (leather jacket wearing hunky hero on a motorcycle is cliche, but hello nurse!) or smothering the old bat in her sleep.  Decisions, decisions.

I love category romance and I'll obviously read a lot of wacky plots (amnesia, secret babies, boss/secretary romances) - but this meet-cute strained considerably for me.  DNF.

 I normally like to focus on "older" books in my TBR for the Challenge, but I was desperate to not end this month with a string of DNFs.  Plus, time was running out which means....novella.  I picked up a print copy of Snapped by Christine D'Abo in the Goodie Room at RWA this year and while it wasn't a smashing success, I managed to actually finish it.  I should probably give it a resounding A for that reason alone.

Heroine is the business brains of a small interior design firm she has with her BFF (the creative talent).  They're based out of Toronto, but have gotten roped into being judges on an interior design reality show.  The heroine's "job" is to be the bitch, which is a role she knows how to play.  While in New York filming, she's also gunning for a contract that they desperately need to stay afloat.  Too bad she's getting distracted by the hero, the assistant director, and a man she had a relationship with three years ago before it imploded in spectacular fashion.

This was a quick, sexy read and the first person narration really helped me find a reading groove after four DNFs in a row.  I also like the reality show setting.  What didn't work as well for me was the business deal sub-plot (Another "smart business-minded" heroine who drops the ball?  Really?!) and the first couple of sex scenes which take place in abandoned buildings.  In New York City.  (The hero is an amateur photographer and likes to photograph abandoned buildings).  Dude.  Not sexy.  Am I the only one who thinks Abandoned Building + New York City = Rats + Squatters?  I think this first sex scene is supposed to convince me how hot the couple is for each other - but dude, really?  An abandoned building?

This novella is connected to an earlier release, Nailed (the BFF's romance), which I haven't read.  It's obvious this is the second book in a duet, but I had no problem keeping up and didn't feel like the story suffered because I hadn't read the first one. 

This wasn't a resounding success for me, but hey - I finished it, and I would read D'Abo again.  So Final Grade = C+

And now let us all declare the Impulse Read theme D-E-A-D dead.  Praise Jeebus.

Little Miss Crabby Pants Talks Community

I’ve been stewing on this post idea for a while and as I told a fellow blogger in an e-mail exchange recently, “I’ll only write it once I can get past the use of swear words and keep the explanation points to a minimum.” I’ve finally seem to have landed in a perfect storm however – between recent brouhahas in RomLand, a workshop proposal I’m a part of for the upcoming RT Convention about “voice” and blogging (let’s see if it gets accepted) and various Twitter conversations I’ve been unabashedly eavesdropping on, but have not participated in.

I have definite feelings about how the romance community is operating these days. I’ve talked about it at a bare minimum for reasons – most of them involving beating dead horses and coming off like the cranky granny sitting on her front porch with a shotgun telling the damn kids to get off her lawn. When you’ve been around as long as I have you’re kind of in a quandary with stuff like this, plus I’ve never been one to believe my own hype. Call it Middle Child Syndrome. I still go to conferences these days and just assume that nobody knows who the heck I am. My blog is one tiny corner of the community and I’m more than aware that not everybody 1) reads it or 2) knows I exist. Even if I do have people around me who think I’m some sort of “influencer” in the world of romance novels. Wendy thinks that Wendy isn’t that important and my feet stink just like everybody else’s. Translation: Wendy is not a special snowflake.

I have strong opinions about things that have happened in my corner of the community over the last several years. The ones I react strongest to are the ones that have me asking, “How would I feel if someone else’s snafu sucked me up in its wake and reflected badly on me – when I really didn’t do anything wrong?” Online RomLand largely exists on the (mostly) unpaid talent of the fans. And when we are paid (like I am for my H&H posts), it’s kind of the equivalent of play money (I can support my book habit, maybe pay a conference registration fee – but I’m not feeding my family on it). Which begs the question of why do we do it? I can tell you why I do it, but it’s not necessarily why everybody else does it – and it’s up to the individual reader to determine, at the end of the day, what really matters to them.

When I started blogging I didn’t do it for fame or glory – which is probably a good thing since neither has found me. OK, RWA gave me that nice Librarian of the Year honor in 2011 and My Man does call it my “National Award” – but yeah. To be fair, I haven’t done any of the hard work one needs to do to gain fame or glory, but since it’s not why I started and not why I’m still doing it 12 years after the fact I’m obviously OK with this.

I started blogging because I love to talk about books, especially romance novels, and I had no way to scratch that itch outside of listservs (remember those?) back in 2003. I didn’t want to be one of those people who “took over” on the listserv so figured blogging was a good solution. All of the Wendy Narcissism All of the Time and people could decide for themselves if they really wanted to subject themselves to that. I’ve always operated the blog using my own moral compass, but as time has marched on, and things have changed (for one thing, authors and publishers noticed that blogs were easy and cheap marketing tools), I’ve had to be a bit more firm with disclosure. Why? Because I feel like I owe it to anyone who reads my blog. Yes, dear blog reader – I OWE it to you.

Here’s the thing about this gig. You’re only as good as your word. Yes, it’s the Internet and yes, seemingly everybody lies on the Internet. Trolling is practically an Olympic sport. It’s easy to point fingers and grab your popcorn when you’re hiding behind a keyboard. I strive to be pleasant to everybody. Even when I think you’ve left the figurative bathroom with your skirt tucked up in the back of your panties. The idea of a “cut direct?” I’m from the Midwest. I’m pretty sure my DNA makes me incapable. That doesn’t mean I think Everybody Should Love Everybody. Nobody is immune to being called out – even Little Miss Crabby Pants, and I’m sure I have been called out online and in public over the years. Hey, that’s OK. You can think I’m wrong. You can also choose to not read anything I have to say….anywhere. The Internet is a wide and vast place. I think everybody should spend their time at places where they want to be – not at sites or interacting with folks on Twitter that are the equivalent of having a root canal done.

At the end of the day you are your own barometer. How folks carry themselves online, how they run their blogs, how they run their sites, how they interact with publishers/authors/publicists? These are things you need to decide for yourself. If something bothers you – how are you going to proceed? Will you stop reading that blog or taking recommendations from that person on Twitter? Or will the benefits outweigh the squirkiness for you? You need to find your line in the sand. Over the years I’ve found mine – over and over again. I don’t publicly spout off what they are on this blog, because frankly I don’t think anyone really cares that much. Also there’s the very really perception that Wendy Is Just Blogging About This To Beat Dead Horses and Raise Blog Traffic. But for the sake of transparency, here are things I have done over the years:

1) I’ve stopped reading some blogs. As in, deleted out of my feed reader because I could not be bothered anymore. In most cases they were blogs I largely lurked at anyway so it wasn't a major bloodletting.

2) One author so offended me that I weeded every single one of her books that I owned. Both TBR and books in the keeper stash. I bought them all brand new, so she already got my money – but, done. I’m out. I donated them to a library. Hopefully the Friends of the Library raised some money for “good.”

3) There’s a certain publisher I won’t buy books from or promote on this blog. This sucks because I like some of the authors they publish. Oh well.

4) I still read some blogs (mostly because of specific features I like) but no longer link to them (hence, no promo from me) and no longer comment.

5) There are some folks I will not take book recommendations from any longer. If I was planning on reading the book anyway? Fine. Will they sway me to buy/try a book?  That ship has sailed.

At the end of the day does any of this really matter? No. I’m sure the blogs don’t miss me and to be perfectly frank – my sphere of influence is such that I can’t believe either the author or publisher are wringing their hands over me not being in their camp. But it does matter to me. It also matters to me that readers of this blog know what they’re going to get when they get here. This is why I have the disclosure page. This is why I disclose before some reviews by certain authors. You can make the argument I shouldn’t have formed some of these relationships to begin with – and that’s your right. But I like these relationships and I don’t want to quit them. This means – disclosure. And you, dear blog reader, with making up your own mind.

I don’t think we need personal manifestos of Who I Trust and What Blogs I Read, and that probably includes me writing this post. But at the end of the day you can only control you. Find your line in the sand and draw it. Some people will be on the other side of that line, and that’s OK. The Internet is a lot of things – big is one of them.

Reminder: #TBRChallenge for August

For those of you participating in the 2015 TBR Challenge, this is a reminder that your commentary is "due" on Wednesday, August 19.  This month's theme is Impulse Read.  The book you bought because of the cover or the book you bought on impulse or the book you cannot remember why you bought in the first place!  However, maybe you make book shopping lists and are strict about sticking to them so the idea that you ever would "impulsively" buy any book is just bizarre to you.  Hey, no problem!  Remember - the themes are totally optional and are not required.  It's not about the themes but reading something (anything!) out of your TBR.

For more information, or just to follow along with all the participants - check out the 2015 TBR Challenge Information Page.

Digital Review: Tempted

Last year I had my skirt blown up by Seduced by Molly O'Keefe, her self-published foray into historical western romance.  This was two-fold: 1) Holy crap, O'Keefe has written a WESTERN!!!, and 2) Holy crap, it's really frickin' good!!!! It also was the closest any author has come to filling the cavernous hole in the Earth that Maggie Osborne left behind when she retired.  I finished that book and immediately wanted the sequel, of which I knew there would have to be one.  The heroine's sister plays too prominent of a role in Seduced for there not to be a sequel.

A year later, Tempted is finally here and, as promised, it's the story of Anne "Annie" Denoe and Steven Baywood, the man she saved from death after he was shot by her no-good brother-in-law.  When we left Anne in Seduced she had made the decision to move to Denver, which is where she is at the start of Tempted.  She owns a boardinghouse and one of the strays she rescues is Dr. James Madison, who is addicted to chloroform.  Technically Anne is his nurse/assistant, although the reality is closer to her enabling the good doctor.  When he's too addled to perform his duties he tells Anne what needs to be done and she does it.  Anne is desperate to continue working in medicine, something she did with her father (a doctor), during the war, and nursing Steven back to health.  She freely chose to come to Denver "for reasons," but finds herself lonely.  Madison, when he's sober, is desperately charming and has proposed.  The fly in the ointment?  She's in love with Steven, a man she knows in her heart is unavailable "for reasons."  But when Steven rides back into town?  It doesn't stop her foolish heart from springing back to life.

Steven loves Anne, but doesn't really know what to do about it.  The War changed a lot of people, and really changed Steven, who spent time in Andersonville.  Needless to say, Steven has issues, most of them resulting in the fact that he literally cannot deal with anyone touching him.  He also finds that his uh, "equipment" doesn't necessarily respond the way it did prior to being a prisoner-of-war.  So while he loves Anne, he's also not foolish enough to think that loving her will be enough.  How can he be any sort of husband to this amazing woman when he feels like less of a man?

What I've loved about O'Keefe's foray into westerns (thus far) is that you never quite know where she's going with them.  Seduced opened up with a heroine already married.  Tempted brings in the added complication of Dr. Madison.  For readers who loathe love triangles (I would be one of those, by the way), that's not what we get here.  Anne contemplates Madison's proposal for a minute, before discarding it almost immediately for two very important reasons: 1) The guy is a drug addict and 2) She loves Steven.  But that doesn't mean she doesn't think about it.  She's lonely and wants a family.  Is pining away for an unavailable man really going to get her closer to her goal?  Not really.

"What would you and your sister talk about?" he asked. "Besides cotton."
"Boys. Boys were always a popular topic."
"I might have guessed."
"My sister was a terrible flirt."
"And you?"
"I was too serious to flirt."
"Hasn't stopped you lately."  He arched a golden eyebrow at her.
"I have been quite scandalous haven't I?"
"Totally shameless. It makes me doubt this picture you paint of yourself before the war.  The shy wallflower. I don't credit it."
"No one saw me."
"I see you."

 As Anne once helped Steven, stuff happens that lead to Steven helping Anne in this story.  The latter half of the story is the detailing of how the friends become lovers, and navigate their way through a sexual relationship given Steven's PTSD.  It's truly heartbreaking, portrayed with a sensitivity that, frankly, you don't always see with Alpha heroes in romance novels.  While undoubtedly some readers will likely grouse at the fact that this is a novella, I felt the length of the story was just right and we leave our couple in a really good spot by the end.

The door is open (huzzah!) for more westerns, with the next book reported to feature Dr. Madison as hero.  The author also introduces a local madam, and I was pretty much ready to marry Delilah by the end of the story.  Here's hoping we haven't seen the last of her.

While I didn't love this quite as much as Seduced, I really enjoyed it immensely.  I think, in it's favor, Seduced had the element of surprise going for it.  Going in I had the question: "Can O'Keefe pull off a historical western?"  Now knowing the answer to that question (a resounding yes!), Tempted didn't have quite the same level of reader anticipatory anxiety attached to it, for me at least.  That said, it's still frickin' good.  Start reading these now, says Wendy.

Final Grade = B+

Look Within Yourself Little Miss Crabby Pants

It's getting to the point where Little Miss Crabby Pants can set her watch by the annual RWA conference.  The conference happens.  Sunshine, happiness, good vibes permeate for that week.  Everybody loves everybody.  Then we all get home and Romancelandia explodes with some new outrage.  This week's outrage is over a book that was nominated for not one, but two, RITA awards that is a story of a Jewish heroine in a concentration camp falling in love with an SS officer who rescues her believing that she's not Jewish because she has blonde hair and blue eyes.  I'll direct you to a letter that Sarah Wendell wrote to the RWA Board for more background.  Or just, you know, spend five minutes on Twitter.

To be abundantly clear, I think the outrage is justified.  I'm not going to argue the book's right to exist.  Look at the title of this blog.  I'm a librarian.  I'm a librarian with an extensive background in collection development.  I often tell librarians if you're not routinely buying books everyday that you'd rather drive nails up your arms than read/endorse/whatever than you're not doing your job.  I can't tell you the number of books I've bought for work over the years written by authors who are deplorable sacks of human garbage and books I find downright offensive. So while I personally find the idea of this book repugnant, I'm not going to say it needs to be wiped off the face of the Earth.  I'm not sure why this outrage waited to erupt into a firestorm post-RWA when the nominations came out in March - but whatever.  Here we are now.

How the book even got nominated is the question many people are asking and one I cannot answer. RWA has a special membership class for booksellers/librarians, and that's where I reside - which means I'm not eligible to judge the RITAs.  For the record, while this example is probably the most egregious WTF on the judging process, it's not like we haven't been down this road before.  People seem to have forgotten already, but there was a time in the not-so-distant past that books with "erotic content" had a hard time cracking into any of the categories.  Hence why I always supported an Erotic Romance category in the RITAs, while others argued that those books should be considered under their broader classifications (Contemporary, Historical, Paranormal etc.).  It was apparent that erotic romance was not going to get a fair-shake any other way.  Finally, no longer able to ignore the sub genre in a post-Fifty Shades (::shudder::) world, we got one.  Then there was 2014 when we had 30 bazillion nominees in Historical and Contemporary, but Inspirational saw two and Erotic Romance saw three.  Then you have the lack of inclusion of Authors Of Colors and LGBTQ writers.  So yeah, it's not like the RITA judging and nomination process has been infallible up to this point.

Here's the thing I keep coming back to.  While we're all outraged and upset over this particular book getting nominated in two categories (it didn't win either, praise Jeebus), everyone is happily ignoring the elephant in the room.  The elephant we shall call Power Dynamics.  When discussing this particular book everyone is, rightly so, bringing up the completely imbalanced power dynamic that smacks of Stockholm Syndrome.  The heroine falling in love with a "hero" who is essentially her captor.  A "hero" who is responsible for the slaughter of millions of people (Read up on the SS sometime and watch your hair curl. Seriously.)  So while we're happily pointing out that this book is repugnant because of that skewered power dynamic (among other issues) we are completely ignoring the fact that the genre has a pretty screwed up history with power dynamics in general, and how these imbalanced power dynamics are all over some of the most popular areas of this genre right now.  Yes. Right. Now.

Let's look at some of the darker edges floating around the genre, shall we?  Motorcycle clubs. A subculture traditionally not known for their forward thinking views on women.  Never mind the criminal activity.  The downtrodden, naive heroine who aligns herself with the powerful billionaire hero because she literally has no other options.  New Adult, where you can routinely find young, traumatized heroines falling for "bad boys" who aren't exactly pure as the driven snow.  "Dark Romance" which features stories like the "hero" kidnapping the "heroine" and raping her until she falls in love with him.

It's easy to point the finger when it's a book on the outside.  A book you may not read.  It's much harder to point a finger and analyze books you personally may have enjoyed and recognize that they are problematic as hell.  Dear members of the romance community, it's time to look within.  We can point the finger at Jewish heroines falling in love with SS officers who run concentration camps all day long.  In baseball terms, we call that a bloop single.  It's like shooting a target that's standing right in front of you.  It's much harder to view your own reading through the same lens.

And lest you think Little Miss Crabby Pants is putting herself above the fray?  I admittedly like Boss/Secretary stories.  If that isn't a big heaping pile of WTFBBQSAUCE Power Dynamic mess, well nothing is.  We hold ourselves above this fray and cloak it in ways we find more palatable.  This would be why we constantly hear "escapism" bandied about within the genre.

At the end of the day I think the genre (all genre fiction actually) is a representative of the time it was produced in.  Look no further than all those espionage novels that came out during the Cold War.  Romance is no different.  It's a genre that needs to be viewed through the lens of social history.  The Bodice Ripper Era tells you a lot about the 1970s/1980s for example.  The rise of the paranormal and dystopian romance in a post-9/11 world?  Someone start working on an academic paper on that subject.  Issues of consent.  Issues of power dynamics.  These have always existed in the genre.  They still exist today.  It's just we're starting to see them come into play a bit more in our brave new digital publishing world.  I'd argue these books are in a response to something in our broader culture.  What that is?  I have theories, but time will ultimately tell.

So yes, while this particular inspirational romance is messed up and Little Miss Crabby Pants is no way endorsing it and wondering how the hell it got nominated?  She also recognizes that the genre, and it's readers, as a whole should take a long hard look in the mirror.  Look within yourself and start admitting some hard truths.  I'll be over here doing the same.