Dangerous Hero Addict Support Group discussion

It's probably no surprise that I have been in a protracted reading slump. It's a combination of being overwhelmed with life responsibilities, having some health problems, and not being inspired to read much lately. I would love fall back in love with reading.

Which books give you that first love feeling again?

I got back to re-reading favorites, those comfort reads, where you love the characters and know what is going to happen, but don't care, because you love them!

It’s hard finding good books nowadays. I miss those times, back in the day, when a book grabbed me from the first page and it was hard for me to put down.

For a while now, I have been wanting to and will start in 2023, giving myself a challenge of going back to old favorites and reading them. Visiting old heroes. I will be staring with Sweet Liar by Jude Deveraux. Michael Taggert.

Lol, who knew that heroes has caught my attention, before my baby Sam Starrett.

Darcy wrote: "I got back to re-reading favorites, those comfort reads, where you love the characters and know what is going to happen, but don't care, because you love them!"

I think that's a great way to fall back in love with reading. I need to do something in 2023 to inspire me. I want to read more, but I just don't have the time or energy.

Arch wrote: "It’s hard finding good books nowadays. I miss those times, back in the day, when a book grabbed me from the first page and it was hard for me to put down.

For a while now, I have been wanting to ..."

Sweet Liar is an old favorite of mine as well, Arch.

I need to find a story to just get lost in. I love the Spy Master Series… and All The Pretty Monster Séries.

The Cat and Mouse Duet.

This weekend, started Friday and ended Saturday, I’ve revisited Suzanne Brockmann’s Dark Of Night Book. It’s Dave And Sophia’s story. I didn’t reread the whole book, I just wanted to read Dave and Sophia’s part and of course, Sam and Alyssa’s parts. Sam and Alyssa is my favorite interracial couple, number 1 couple in Suzanne Brockmann’s book, followed by Dave and Sophia. Sam is my baby, followed by Dave from Suzanne’s books.

Nerds, dorks, geeks tends to catch my attention. Dave wasn’t an alpha male and I’m glad that he wasn’t, but he was still a hero. Yes, he worked with navy seals, but what would they have done without him. He brought a lot to the table. I loved how he was not afraid to speak his mind to anyone of those navy seal guys that tried to be tough with him. He may have been an ex CIA agent and someone a lot of people would have looked down on, who probably would have found him to be weak, but he wasn’t. He knew how to hold his own, even if it meant him getting beat up.

My version of Dave Malkoff is my baby Speed from CSI Miami. Speed was the reason why I’ve watched CSI Miami. When I did check out Criminal Minds, it was because of Dr. Spencer. Sweets and Jack caught my eyes on Bones.

I loved Dave and Sophia’s story. It was tense, but I always knew they were going to be together.

Arch wrote: "This weekend, started Friday and ended Saturday, I’ve revisited Suzanne Brockmann’s Dark Of Night Book. It’s Dave And Sophia’s story. I didn’t reread the whole book, I just wanted to read Dave and ..."

It's always nice to go back to those characters that you bonded with to reignite the reading warm and fuzzies.

Alice wrote: "I need to find a story to just get lost in. I love the Spy Master Series… and All The Pretty Monster Séries."

Who wrote these books, Alice?

It’s usually exciting paranormal-romance novels which make me fall back in love with reading. Those novels with a charismatic hero and a good storyline!

I used to pride myself in not ever having reading slumps, while those around me would fall to the wayside, not reading as much as I did. I didn't think I would ever hit a book slump. (What a snob I used to be about it, after reading non-stop for almost 15 years.)

And then I did. I just stopped. I went a whole day without reading. And then, another.

And then, I went through a period where I didn't know what to do. What book to look at next. It felt so . . . disorientating.

I spent some time leaning into the non-reading. I turned the television on. Netflix. Youtube. Whatever.

Eventually I returned to reading. It took about a two weeks or so. I tried not to pressure myself, about book challenges and book lists and things that I felt that I had to read before the deadline. I deliberately read a book that wasn't on any GR list, or GR group BOTM. And it felt good. And I continued from there.

I haven't read about any Dangerous Heroes in a long time. Perhaps it's time to hit up an good ol' PNR and dark heroes.

I am glad that I am a writer and I write stories that I like to read. I love tension and no I am not talking about sex. I love to see the romance between the hero and heroine. What is making them fall in love with one another. I want to them to be real, although it’s fiction.

I am finding it hard to find books to read. Back in the day, it was not hard for me to find a book. Old school writers are up there in age now. One of my favorite authors died, Julie Garwood. The old school writers knew how to write a story that left you wanting more.

These days so many books are about how good the hero is supposed to be in bed. Heroes were once virgins too. I don’t care about a hero’s sex life or even his built. I want to know is he’s a good person and the right person for the heroine. I hate when a hero and heroine is throw together and there’s no chemistry between them. They are together just because they are the hero and heroine.

A lot of stories don’t make sense.

I really miss the old writing.

I am always down for a reread of Jude Deveraux or LaVyrle Spencer. All of the newer stuff I read, while mostly enjoyable, just makes me nostalgic for the romance authors I used to read. So when I reread them, it gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling again.

Tanai wrote: "I am always down for a reread of Jude Deveraux or LaVyrle Spencer. All of the newer stuff I read, while mostly enjoyable, just makes me nostalgic for the romance authors I used to read. So when I r..."

Jude and her Taggert and Montgomery. I haven’t read a Jude Deveraux book in a while, but when I do, I want to reread Sweet Liar. I want to revisit Mike and Samantha.

Sweet Liar was very good. I was always partial to the Fire/Ice twins, and The Princess. In fact, I feel like I need a Jude-a-thon very soon!

Every writer with whose works I fall in love, no matter their age or genre, somehow stop writing as soon as I find them.
A couple of years ago, when I was in a very bad slump, I tentatively started reading t.a.white, i started with her pathfinder series, and honestly it took a while for me to get into her writing but then I started her dragon series which was intriguing (even though the later books were kind of all over the place and became cartoonish) but by the time I reached her vampire series and her space opera, I was a solid fan. And now it’s been almost a year and no new book releases on schedule. Loretta Chase who since Georgette Heyer is one of, if not THE best historical fiction writer doesn’t write any more. My all time favourite people and writers whom I adore, Ilona Andrews, write very, very slowly and I like them as people so much that I can’t even bring myself to complain. Kresley Cole whose immortals after dark series was one of my first forays into PNR and which I enjoyed a loooot, stopped writing for good. Meljean Brooks who wrote very fun steam punks and had created an amazing world and characters, has again stopped writing. I can go on. At this point, I think it’s a me thing, for sure.

It’s hard to find a good book to read today and I don’t think it’s me. Back in the day writers knew how to grab and keep your attention, well at least they did to me. It was hard for me to put a very good book down. They left me wanting more. These days so many stories are about how good the hero is in bed. I don’t care about that, because a hero was once a virgin. I can skip over love scene. I don’t read erotic stories. I love tension. Show me the hero and heroine are in love.

Arch wrote: "It’s hard to find a good book to read today and I don’t think it’s me. Back in the day writers knew how to grab and keep your attention, well at least they did to me. It was hard for me to put a ve..."

Because they either dispense with character and world building or mistake filler for creating characters and the world they live in, but most important of all, I think 90 percent of the time, they don’t get pacing right.
Also, there are so many writers who don’t do any research at all. I remember John Grisham thrillers, which were exciting mostly because of his in depth knowledge of anything to do with law.
And if you should read any of Ilona Andrews’ fight scenes they would put you in a thrall even if you hate fighting in general (like me).
(If anyone here hasn’t read their books I can’t recommend them enough but it comes with a warning tag that when you finish their work you’ll have to wait with the rest of us for them to write again and also I’m so jealous of you)
My point is writing in the true sense of the word is a craft, but many people who are doing it nowadays think putting pen to paper is enough. Also I cannot stress the importance of a good editor. Lack of which is evident in a lot of said books.
Anyways, i totally forgot my answer to the question posed here, a book that was fun for me to reread and brought me out of my slump was “Repeat” by Kylie Scott. But if you like historicals, some of Loretta chaser’s works are wonderful, and of course I think we have all read “these old shades”, right?

I'm in a strange mental place, and I haven't been drawn to true romance books lately. I still love romance stories in general, but I need to have other stuff going on in my stories. Lately, I've really been drawn to fantasy with romance. I hope I can get back into reading romance. I feel like I will never stop loving historical and paranormal romance. For me, contemporary romance just doesn't get my interest.