Romance Novels

Book Review: The Fairy Tale Bride

March 25, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake 1 Comment

Okay, so a pretty cover, a good title, and an enticing blurb lured me into buying the book.

I almost stopped reading it and put it aside no fewer than three times. I convinced myself to finish reading it, not because I cared what happened to the characters (hint: I didn’t), but to make myself at least think about why this didn’t work for me.

I mean, it had *so* much catnip in it for me.

The Duke of Watterly is jeeringly referred to as “Saint Simon”. You all know my love of white knights.
A heroine who loves literature and fairy tales
A chance meeting that leads to a marriage of convenience
The ticking clock of the duke going to “die” in six months

Except, the author gives me none of it.

Simon is a saint only because the author tells me he is. He lies to the heroine repeatedly, treats her poorly, and is really just a whiny cabbage. I have no idea why she feels anything for him, and while I get his attraction to her, I am never really sold on it. I need my white knights to show me their shiny armor, not just have an author tell me it’s there. Especially when what they show me is something else entirely.

Yes, the heroine likes literature and fairy tales. Sold.

The chance meeting is…lackluster. This is usually totally catnip for me where I am turning the pages as they spend the night together, even if nothing actually happens. But the anticipation that it could…except it gets interrupted by a small child. And the villain.

Wait, what?

And the villain is so bad, not only does he literally have a handlebar mustache, but he attempts to rape the heroine more than once and is revealed, without laying any prior groundwork, to be insane in the last few chapters. *eye roll*

This is a low heat novel. Not much more than a few kisses and pets. Closed door romance can still have intensity. It didn’t.

This ticking clock is completely contrived and could be made to untick all at the duke’s whim. I get why he is all upset at not being the “legitimate” duke, but for a man so bent on that, he certainly doesn’t seem to care about the people on his lands, his duty, or those that rely on him. There should have been *WAY* more angst over this for a “saint”. Or maybe even some. And, of course, his saintly ways didn’t include denying himself the woman he loved even though he knew having her would break her heart. Yeah, real saint, this one.

The ending was so anticlimactic, I actually played some video games before finally getting around to finishing the book.

All in, it felt like the author took some of my favorite tropes, mixed them together, and forgot to turn on the oven.

Writer’s Life: When You Can’t Shut Your Brain Off

March 4, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

One of the things about being a writer that some people often overlook is how much time goes into revisions.

For me, I spend less than 25% of my writing time on the first draft. It’s probably closer to 10%.

Part of it is because I am a pantser. That means I do not do extensive plotting before I start writing. I do spend a lot of time thinking about my characters, their relationship, and their romance. But the actual progression of the story happens as I write. My characters tell it to me, and if I try to be an author-god, it gets bad quickly.

Because I am a pantser, I spend a lot of time revising. I have to go through and make sure the plot works. That characters are consistent throughout. That what happens in act three has the groundwork laid in act one.

Yes, this is a lot of work. But even though I tried again last year to plot out a novel, I made it less than ten thousand words in and was done. The story died. I did write three other first drafts during the year though. Without an outline. *sigh*

Yeah, I don’t like how my brain works either. But I have learned to accept it.

But this does make it difficult to sit back and simply enjoy other works of fiction. Whether an RPG, a movie, or a novel, that editor brain doesn’t seem to shut up.

Interestingly, I have different levels of editor brain depending on the medium.

For example, with video games, I am far more lenient. Yeah, the story is poorly written, the characters inconsistent, and the plot is hanging by a thread, but a lot of the game is the battle mechanics. If it’s a strategy game with cool characters, even inconsistent characters, I am pretty forgiving.

For books and movies, though, I am more merciless.

For example, Frozen II. if you have not watched it and are planning to, and don’t want spoilers, don’t read ahead. But I figure it’s out on DVD now, so it’s safe to talk about.

Yes, Frozen II was a visual spectacle. I give it that. The animation was amazing. The songs are still being sung in my house *grumble*. But the plot? The characters? *shakes head*

I really struggled with Elsa simply “freeing” the unknown magic simply because it called to her and might be as confused about its identity and where it belonged as she was. Throughout the story, she is a cautious character very concerned with ruling her people well.
Later, we have the trolls tell Anna to protect Elsa from the magic. It is alluring but dangerous. However, then the crux of the story is Elsa literally pushing Anna away and embracing this same magic?
Elsa literally dies at one point in the movie, and is magically resurrected. Not sure how…They did establish Olaf coming back with the water has memory, but that doesn’t explain Elsa

All in, while my family loved the movie, I had to suspend a lot of disbelief. Too much.

I am even worse with books because then there are no pretty visuals to distract me.

I try hard to turn off my brain and enjoy entertainment, but I think this difficulty is just what it’s like for a writer sometimes.

However, it also means when something is well, really well, you get that, too.

And then you try to figure out how they did it so you can do it, too.

Expectation vs Reality

March 2, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

We all have that moment where reality does NOT meet expectation.

I have been happily married for over fifteen years, but I have heard the horror stories about dating apps. I also know many people that have strong feelings about franchises *cough* Star Wars *cough* and how those may have played out in recent cinema.

While I can’t speak to dating apps or Star Wars, I play my share of video games. Rather than playing a broad base of games, I tend to play a few games very deep. Meaning, I will hours and hours of Skyrim in order to find every Daedra shrine, complete every quest, and totally have the most awesome house imaginable. With amazing armor on every armor stand.

Yeah.

My moment where reality an expectation collided was in a recent game. It forced you choose a path, and none of the paths were truly happy. You had to make choices and kill characters you may really like.

Romance reader and writer here. That isn’t my cup of tea. But, the series had done this before, and they had then released DLC (down-loadable content) that created a romance-writer-approved path.

So, when the game was released, I immediately purchased the DLC. I played all the paths presented and waited for the DLC which is when I was supposed to get the “happy path”.

Except, expectation did NOT meet reality.

I thought I was getting a unicorn with the DLC. I got a rhinoceros instead.

RhinoUnicorn — You are…cute? But not what I had in mind.

The DLC was almost half the cost of the game, so I had expectations. They released bits of extra content to keep those of us that had bought it appeased. It consisted of a few new outfits. Okay. Whatever. A few “new” battles that were really recycled from other parts of the game. Again, whatever, I bought it for the “happy path”.

I was *so* horribly disappointed.

The creators announced AFTER they released the final installment they had never planned to do a “happy path”. They did that in a prior game and didn’t want to do it again. Even though their fans really wanted it.

What did they give us instead for half the price of the game?

A handful of new characters, a storyline that made no sense and actually messed up the timeline of when certain things were revealed sooner to the main character, and horrible game mechanics.

And I mean horrible.

The designers didn;t like how gamers were playing the game or using the mechanics as they were. So they decided to “fix” them and maeke the game *way* harder. Of course this was a better idea that redoing the mechanics so they were useful and players would WANT to use them.

Sure, I beat it. That’s how I am. But it wasn’t fun. And this is a GAME I play in my free time. No point to it if it isn’t fun.

Add to this, beloved characters that featured in the DLC from the main story were flat cut-outs of themselves. I loved all three of them when I played the main game and was torn when I had to kill one. I couldn’t have cared less about them in the DLC. And this is after playing all of their paths and loving all three of them.

*sigh*

So disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high. Not sure. But I can guarantee I will never buy the DLC from this company again until it’s already been released.

Book Review: Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him

February 28, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

I don’t leave book reviews on Amazon or Goodreads as I am an author myself and think I am sometimes too critical. But I will share my thoughts here. Partially because I feel it’s only fair to give an honest review, but more for myself. It really helps me focus on what I like and don’t like in a story.

I picked up this book as the author was new-to-me and a USA Today Bestselling author. I am actively looking for new authors that transport me new worlds. If they can do that, reading them will make my own work better.

There was so much promise in this book it broke my heart it didn’t fulfill it.

First, there were missing words and so many issues with commas it made my head hurt. I eventually forced myself to stop looking at punctuation. Not a great start.

The plot was weak but there. A snowstorm traps a duke with the lady that caught his eye and he’s trying to avoid. This is standard plot fare in some Regency, so okay.

What caused me so much pain were the characters. I wanted to love and adore the three sisters, yet, I struggled to tell the difference between the main character, Lily, and her sister, Camille. They seemed like all but the same person. The third sister, Adelaide, I liked her. A lot. She had the most personality of anyone in the story but was a bit character.

The hero was your standard brooding, unloved duke. He was literally a walking trope.

It also contained the standard love-at-first-sight trope with nothing really to back it up. The romance between the two characters is so superficial, and they are married in less than two days of knowing each other.

I wanted them to get together. I’m a romance reader. This is a given going into any book. But I never really felt anything for either character. I was never really pulling for them, but then it could be because they were all but together by page twenty.

The heroine’s mother comes off as horrible, but stupid, and makes a poor villain and no real impediment.

Despite the cover, there is really no heat at all. A few okay kisses, and one after-marriage scene at the end. Nothing for me to learn there.

The characters do get together. No, this isn’t a spoiler. It’s a romance novel. I expect it. But there is really no reason why they couldn’t be together at the half-way point in the book. I was actually surprised there were so many pages left when I hit this point. My guess is the remaining half is to round out page count as there is nothing at any point that really tests their love, and there is nothing to help them get over any emotional baggage they supposedly have.

It’s a light, easy read, but it didn’t grip me. Maybe because it is just a compilation of tropes without making any of them more. If I wouldn’t have been able to read it in one sitting, I would have put it down and never picked it back up again.

Short Story – Ice Queen’s Ball

February 26, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

For those curious, yes, this is the same Callen and Daniella from Seducing the Ice Queen. They were haunting my thoughts again, so I decided to let them tell a little more of their story. This short story takes place before the events of the book.

Ice Queen’s Ball

Lady Daniella glided across the ballroom, pausing to touch fingertips and exchange pleasantries with some of the most distinguished ladies in the realm.

She maintained her poise despite the whispers and speculation circulating around the room. Most predicted a wedding announcement was coming. Her father was the Duke of Calloway, and he was far too wealthy, too well-connected, and too powerful for his only child and heir not to be sought after.

Even if she was an ice queen.

A mask she wore out of necessity as so many watched and waited for her to make a mistake. A mask she hoped she could stop hiding behind once she was married and the gossips turned their gaze elsewhere.

Lady Daniella inclined her head to a mother and her daughter. While Daniella was the same age as the other girl, she felt so much older. Perhaps because the weight of the Calloway duchy had already been on her shoulders for more than a decade.

Her father always said that which didn’t break under pressure grew stronger.

If that were true, Lady Daniella should be stronger than tempered steel.

She swept her gaze across the room again. Henry, the Duke of Westlake’s eldest son, and the man she’d been engaged to earlier that week, still hadn’t arrived. And they had planned to announce their engagement that evening.

Odd he hadn’t arrived yet. Stranger still, her own father had disappeared from the ballroom. Had something happened? Had Henry decided to withdraw his offer?

Relief flooded her, and Daniella was ashamed by her reaction. It was an excellent match, one that would bring stability and prosperity to her lands and the Westlake lands. And with the royal family in such disarray, it made the match even more desirable.

That she didn’t love Henry was of no consequence. They would be partners.

As Daniella scanned the crowd again, she startled as a pair of strong hands brushed over her shoulders. Turning, she found herself trapped in Lord Callen Westlake’s golden gaze.

Words escaped her as the heat of him sunk through her dress.

“I understand congratulations are in order,” he murmured, his voice too soft for anyone else in the crowded ballroom to hear.

“Nothing is official.”

“Then my brother is a fool. I didn’t think you abided fools.” Mischief twinkled in Lord Callen’s tawny eyes.

“I must or I would’ve sent you away already.”

His grin widened. “As you haven’t, perhaps I can convince you to share this next dance with me.”

She knew she should tell him no and escape to the ladies’ sitting room until her father returned. But she didn’t want to escape to the ladies’ sitting room. She wanted to dance with Lord Callen. Just this once.

She arched a haughty brow, an expression she had been practicing. “Are you going to offer me your arm and escort me to the dancefloor, or perhaps you were going to remove a frog from your pocket instead?”

Surprise then delight passed over his face. He bowed to her then offered his arm.

Daniella accepted, and he swept her out onto the dance floor. While she’d had numerous dance partners during the balls she’d attended, none of them compared to his graceful elegance or the way he focused on her so completely it was like there was no one else in the room but her.

Lord Callen was warm and strong beside her, surrounding her as he guided her through the steps. The scent of him reminded her of sunlit afternoons, stolen cookies, and laughter.

She wanted the dance to last forever.

But nothing good ever lasted, a bitter lesson she’d learned all too well.

As the final chords drifted to an end, Lord Callen smiled down at her. “Would you…go for a walk in the gardens with me? They’re well lit, lots of chaperones, but…I…wanted to ask you something.”

She had never seen Callen blush before, never seen him so uncertain of himself. In an uncharacteristic expression of friendship, she touched his hand. “Of course. Is something troubling you?”

“No…well, maybe…Let’s walk.”

She inclined her head and laid her hand on his sleeve. As he turned to lead her out into the gardens, Daniella glimpsed her father striding towards her. He no more than inclined his head to the myriad of people that whispered something to him as he passed.

Lady Daniella forced her face to remain impassive even as her stomach tightened. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

Perhaps the Duke of Westlake had called off the engagement.

Her stomach unclenched, and a whisper of hope bloomed in her chest. That would free her, allow her to… Allow her to what? Be sold off to the next promising young man?

She glanced up at Callen tall and strong beside her. Unless…

Lord Callen bowed to the Duke of Calloway. “Your Grace.”

“Thank you for protecting my daughter. The wolves are out tonight.”

Lord Callen stiffened under her fingers, though his ready smile never faltered. “My pleasure, Your Grace.”

“If you will pardon us, I need to speak with my daughter a moment.”

“Of course, Your Grace.” Lord Callen bowed to the duke then placed Lady Daniella’s hand on her father’s sleeve.

Before she could say another word to him, Callen disappeared into the crush of the ballroom. She turned back to her father. “What’s happened?”

“Not here.” The Duke of Calloway laid his other hand over hers and led her out of the ballroom.

Few tried to engage the duke in even the merest of pleasantries as he escorted her to a small room deep in the house. The music of the ball was a distant echo, and she could hear the croak of the frogs. The sound almost coaxed a smile from her.

Despite his years, her father was still tall and broad. His hair, as pale as hers, showed no grey or white, but the softening at his middle and the lines around his eyes belied his years. He’d never looked as old as he did when he turned to face.

Burying her fear, Daniella kept her voice neutral. “Father, what’s happened?”

“You will not be marrying Lord Henry, next Duke of Westlake.”

Daniella didn’t allow her relief to show. “We may not have suited all that well anyway. Perhaps-”

“Not because he called it off.”

She paused, the dread in her stomach blooming and threatening to choke her. “Then why, Father?”

“Prince Eli Dracasan has offered for you.”

Her eyes widened. “No!” The word escaped her before she could stop it, and Daniella pressed her trembling fingers to her lips.

“I cannot refuse.”

Daniella sank to a chair, the world spinning around her. This couldn’t be happening.

Prince Eli.

Cold. Ruthless. Amoral Prince Eli.

He would trample anyone beneath his boot in his quest for the throne, including the gods themselves. Every day with him would be a battle. And she would have to…produce an heir with him. She pressed a hand to her stomach.

“I am sorry, Daniella.”

She thought of her dance with Callen, of her promise to walk with him in the gardens. It nearly brought her to tears. But tears solved nothing. She was a Calloway. She would do her duty to her family, to the people that depended on her, and to Tamryn.

Even if it meant marrying Prince Eli.

Standing, she straightened her spine. “I’m certain you will negotiate the best possible marriage contract. We should make our rounds through the ballroom, then I would like to retire. I’m certain His Highness will have his own plans to announce our marriage.”

Her father looked relieved. “Thank you for understanding.”

“Of course.” Lady Daniella rose with cool grace, her ice queen mask never wavering even though she wanted to cry, to scream, to weep.

How she wished her mother were still alive or her sister, someone who would hug her and share her pain. But she was alone, as she had always been.

As she would always be.

Micro Fiction -Prelude to an Ice Queen 8

February 25, 2020 by Elizabeth Drake

Daniella looked resplendent in her pale blue silk with the blue diamonds her father had given her hanging from her ears.

An early wedding present.

They would announce her marriage to Henry, the Duke of Westlake’s oldest son and heir that night.

Every young lady would envy her.

Every young lady but Daniella.

For those curious, yes, this is the same Callen and Daniella from Seducing the Ice Queen. They were haunting my thoughts again, so I decided to let them tell a little more of their story.