A couple of weeks ago I was reading the second book in a series that I have been
waiting eons on to come out. Like eons. Literally, I evolved while
waiting for this to come out. So needless to say I was super excited. Now, I get
to a certain point in the book, aaaand I start getting an itch at the back of my
neck. What I like to call my WTF Itch. It’s like a sixth sense. It gives me a
head’s up when someone’s about to drop by my house uninvited so I can go hide in
the back bedroom and act like I don’t hear the doorbell. It warns me when when
the hubby is about to roll over with “that look” in his eyes so I can grab the
Excedrin for my headache…
Just kidding! I grab my inhaler. Asthma attack. Much more believable. See what I
mean? I trust my WTF Itch.
So when it started up half-way through the book, I had to heed it. I flipped to
the back of the book, and BAM! I read that the heroine cheated on the hero.
Noooooooooooooooooo!!
Wait, wait. I have a couple more “ooo’s” in me…
Noooooooooooooooooooooo!!
I was so devastated! Because I loved this heroine! Remember I’d waited an Ice
Age, for this book? Needless to say I put the book down…AKA slammed it down with
a primal scream (refer to the anguished “No” above). Because for me, cheating is
an absolute, DNF, I-want-to-drop-kick-someone-in-the-throat Deal Breaker. It is
an unforgiveable act. Kinda like one of Harry Potter’s curses. For a hero or
heroine to betray the person they’re supposed to love? There’s no coming back
from that, and there’s no excuse that could possibly make it okay—excluding a
ménage, ‘cause that’s different. In that case, ain’t no fun if the homies can’t
have some, know what I mean? Oh, it was cool when Snoop Dog said it, but not me?
So unfair.
So, what are some other deal breakers for me?
When a hero is “rapey”. Now don’t get me wrong, I love an alpha hero
as much as the next person. I mean, I even love an a-hole hero as long as he
isn’t disrespectful or abusive. But a hero who is grabby and rough in a non-BDSM
way is not sexy at all. Shoving and grabbing the back of a heroine’s neck like
he’s about to rub her face in the pile of doo she left on the rug is not a
prelude to sex. And it kills me that’s exactly what happens. Listen, if I feel
like I’m watching a Lifetime movie where the Domestic Abuse Hotline number is
going to pop up afterward as a public service announcement, then I’m not reading
it. Deal breaker!
Undisclosed serials. Picture me 70% through a book and realizing
there’s no way this book can be wrapped up in 30%. Picture me skipping forward
and reading the words, “So and So’s story continues in Blah Blah Part 2.” Now
picture me, deleting that book from my Kindle. I’m not finishing it. And it’s
just on principle. Can I get a choice about whether or not I wanted to hang in
there for Part 2 of 15? Can I get a disclaimer? I hate getting all invested only
to find out there’s no freaking ending. Nope. I’m not finishing Part 1 and won’t
be reading the rest just because I feel hoodwinked, bamboozled, led astray, run
amok… Deal breaker!
Killing off of main characters or characters I’ve become invested in.
The &#$@%$!!!! This seems to be a thing lately. I remember going to the
movies to see Deep Blue Sea because of LL Cool J and Samuel L. Jackson.
Right in the middle of this dramatic speech, this huge shark rises up and just
swallows Samuel L. WTF just happened? Did Samuel L. die?? And in the first 20
minutes of the movie?? The. Hell??? That’s how I feel about these books where
beloved characters—characters I, as the reader, has become invested in and
attached to—die. Where’s the loyalty, the consideration for the reader? And it’s
like the author gives this philosophical answer in an interview about why he/she
had to die, and I’m reading like, Bull-chicanery! I call bull-chicanery! Say it
with me. Deal. Breaker!
Okay, rant over. These are my deal breakers! What are yours?
Aiden Kent never expected to see Noelle Rana again. He’s determined to keep
his distance from the beautiful enigma wrapped in denim and leather. He can’t
trust anyone with the last name Rana. But he made a promise to his dying mother,
and it isn't long before Noelle invades his personal space. He can't stop
thinking about the exotic beauty's alluring curves.
He wants the daughter of his enemy, and he’s determined to have her…if only for
one night.
If Noelle wants to move forward with her life, she must make a deal with the
devastatingly gorgeous, broody millionaire Aiden. He made a promise years ago,
and she’s come to collect—even if it means facing down the only man who ever
broke her heart. And there's a really good chance he'll do it again.
Romance Contemporary
[Entangled Indulgence, On Sale: August 29, 2016,
e-Book, ISBN: 9781633756960 / eISBN: 9781633756960]
Naima Simone’s love of romance was first stirred by Johanna Lindsey, Sandra
Brown and Linda Howard many years ago. Well not that many. She is only
eighteen…ish. Though her first attempt at a romance novel starring Ralph
Tresvant from New Edition never saw the light of day, her love of romance,
reading and writing has endured. Published since 2009, she spends her days—and
nights—creating stories of unique men and women who experience the first bites
of desire, the dizzying heights of passion, and the tender, healing heat of
love.
She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof
equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect,
sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.
I just love this article! Thanks, Simone, for writing it! I cannot abide a liar! Lie to me and you are dead to me. (Kathleen Bylsma 5:35pm September 2, 2016)
I'm sorry, Naima! When I first saw you r name, my mind turned you into Nina Simone, an all time fab of mine. Guess that's why I rechristened you ;) (Kathleen Bylsma 5:38pm September 2, 2016)
Ha! I love this post so hard. Once I start reading a book I have to push through the end no matter what! I still hate cheating, liars, etc. If I encounter those in book 1, I will still finish reading but I maybe I wont read book 2. However if the story is compelling I will keep reading no matter what. (Stacy Reid 8:48pm September 2, 2016)
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