It's always kind of wild to run across complaints about Why Women Like Slash (as if het romance is some dying unicorn, lol) that still go on screeds about how these women are driven by, quelle horreur, sexual attraction to the men they write about and have no interest in catering to the tastes or habits of RL gay men in writing about their favorite sci-fi/fantasy dudes.
I'm not, personally, one of the people attracted to men, but yes, clearly, many though not all people who write m/m are in fact attracted to men, and how they write about their faves is affected by what they personally find appealing, what a shocking revelation about many people who choose to write romance.
But the thing that this extremely long-running complaint actually reminds me of the most isn't anything to do with gay men, but the way that straight romance (even when it's not genre romance, though especially when it is) often gets most hyper-scrutinized around male love interests and their plausibility As Men. It isn't just an argument that these male love interests are so defined by desirability to women that they lack plausibility as characters or as human beings—but rather, that the ultimate metric for judging a male character written by a woman is some deference to norms of masculinity that some men consider fundamental to what a man is.
The critique of male love interests in het romance so often comes down to either a) it's just wish-fulfillment, Real Men aren't like that, or b) Real Men can be like that, but this makes them worse as men and shouldn't ever be depicted as appealing, even in the most blatantly unrealistic contexts. And the critique of the male leads in slash fic not acting like Real Men (who are gay) honestly just doesn't seem that far removed from the vapors over het romance love interests not acting like Real Men (who are straight).
The slash critiques these days often even include the concession that the writers might well be queer people, given the giant Venn diagram of bisexuals, lesbians, aces, trans and other queer people who have been loud about writing slash, but that they're not gay men and don't bother writing their blorbos' relationships like "real" gay male relationships. The metric is not whether the relationships are compelling or effective or believable as relationships between two human beings, but between men based on assumptions about what is essential to being a man—any man.
This usually has absolutely zero grounding in any other particular detail about the specific characters, and in particular, zero engagement with the reality that these characters are very commonly framed as Not Like Other Girls Guys even in the source material, as special and extraordinary. They often emerge from deeply strange contexts and have deeply strange and/or horrific experiences that make them profoundly unlike "normal" people IRL—and yeah, fiction often being about unusual, extraordinary people in strange circumstances is not exactly a revelation, either. But the assumption is that the characters' maleness should be definitional to a degree that overrides what is unique or extraordinary or simply atypical about them.
I've actually been in heavily female-skewing fandoms where people were markedly deferential to any male fans who showed up and deigned to deliver pronouncements about The Fundamental Nature of Men and the plausibility of X motive or behavior for a male character (whom they rarely had any particular similarity to beyond Being A Man). Even when I liked the male fans in question, I didn't like this deference and I still think the expectation of it is reactionary, misogynistic bullshit.
There is a deeply repellent degree of gender essentialism baked into the assumption that even a very unusual, extraordinary fictional man who has been through bizarre and alien horrors can be intrinsically understood at a deeper level by normal RL men, that fans of extraordinary fictional men are under any obligation to write them in line with what's typical and ordinary for men IRL according to a small subsection of said men.
Especially funny, swoony, steamy and/or pacy reads.
I'm bisexual and enjoy reading about romantic leads of any gender combination.
What do you recommend?
Romance novels I've enjoyed lately include Nisha Sharma's Dating Dr. Dil, Tastes Like Shakkar* and Marriage and Masti, Ava Wilder's How to Fake It in Hollywood and Will They or Won't They** and Katie Cotugno's Heavy Hitter.
* Bunty has extremely bisexual vibes. Did anyone else pick up on this?
** The audiobook has dual narration. I love Kristen DiMercurio's voice acting, but the male narrator didn't work for me, so I did a library listen/read combination via the Libby app, and it was great! I've been wanting to do this for years, but have only recently been able to get back to reading books (thank you, public libraries, Libby and the OpenDyslexic font!).
In the city of Olympus, people hardly dare to say Medusa's name aloud. She is Athena's agent, the one she sends when she wants someone to disappear. Medusa owes her life to Athena, and if staining her hands with blood is the only way to repay her debt, it's a small price to pay. Until Athena sends him to find Calypso, the mistress of wealthy politician Odysseus.
Calypso has done nothing worthy of a death sentence, and her conflicting feelings only worsen when Medusa first sees the woman behind the name. Calypso is beautiful, cunning and above all ready to do anything to save her life, including seducing her potential assassin. But what begins as a ploy to escape quickly turns into a real attraction. Because Medusa is not the cold killer that rumours suggest, and Calypso is much more complex than it seems...
My Review:
So it's been a week since I first read this and these two are still stuck in my head. I just adored this interpretation of their respective myths and how well they meshed well together. We've got disaster lesbian Medusa who thinks she's a monster and no one will ever desire her paired with cool and elegant pansexual Calypso who has only ever been desired in a transactional sense paired together. My my, IS IT BEAUTIFUL!! I seriously needed a full length novel of them exploring the themes of their characters and how true it rang with their original myths. Katee really knocked it out of the park with these two.
I really enjoyed the set up for these two. Like just the hunter and the prey but when they actually meet, Calypso flips the trope on its head. There's just many instances throughout the novella where you think it's going one way and we're given something completely unexpected.
Their sex scene(s) were top tier and it really hits you in the feels which is why I gave the book a full spice rating. It just added to their love story and elevated both their characters since their backstories were a lead up to the scene.
My main complaint is that's IT'S TOO SHORT AND WE DESERVED A FLESHED OUT ENDING. That's why they've been burnt into my brain. The book's ending was a little bit of a cop out and has a very powerful God playing their ex deus machina. So I kind of felt cheated out of the girlies fighting for themselves and their happy ending. Lowkey makes me wanna write my own ending but I don't think I can pull it off to match this book's calibre.
Overall, I'd say this is my fave book of my series so far which surprised me because I did not think anyone could beat Eros and Psyche in Electric Idol! I think anyone who is into romance novels and Greek myths can appreciate this one. The way Katee interwove both Medusa and Calypso's OG myth backstories into a great modern adaptation hit really well. 10/10 would recommend and happy reading!
Welcome to my little review series of Katee Robert' Dark Olympus series! This is in lead up to the latest instalment of the series, Cruel Seduction. I also just felt like taking a trip down the Greek mythology retellings lane.
A general summary of the series: It's set in a modern day city called Olympus with mortals versions of the Greek myth characters. Their power comes in the form of being rich, famous and powerful. It's fairly political in nature and each sector of the city is ruled by The Thirteen - the main thirteen Olympians we're familiar with in the original mythology.
I think what struck me about this series is that it was a hot romance take on myths I loved growing up so much. Katee also has pretty fresh interpretations of the characters and the stories themselves while still keeping true to the beats of the original myths.
So far there are 5 books in the series (including the prequel!) I have enjoyed the first three books in the series, can't wait to reread two of them for these reviews and start on the last two leading up to Cruel Seduction.
Here's an overview and the couples of each book [I'll update this list with links to my reviews here once I post them]:
Prequel: Stone Heart [Medusa & Calypso]
In the city of Olympus, people hardly dare to say Medusa's name aloud. She is Athena's agent, the one she sends when she wants someone to disappear. Medusa owes her life to Athena, and if staining her hands with blood is the only way to repay her debt, it's a small price to pay. Until Athena sends him to find Calypso, the mistress of wealthy politician Odysseus.
Calypso has done nothing worthy of a death sentence, and her conflicting feelings only worsen when Medusa first sees the woman behind the name. Calypso is beautiful, cunning and above all ready to do anything to save her life, including seducing her potential assassin. But what begins as a ploy to escape quickly turns into a real attraction. Because Medusa is not the cold killer that rumours suggest, and Calypso is much more complex than it seems...
Book 1: Neon Gods [Hades & Persephone]
Society darling Persephone Dimitriou plans to flee the ultra-modern city of Olympus and start over far from the backstabbing politics of the Thirteen Houses. But all that’s ripped away when her mother ambushes her with an engagement to Zeus, the dangerous power behind their glittering city’s dark facade.
With no options left, Persephone flees to the forbidden undercity and makes a devil’s bargain with a man she once believed a myth... a man who awakens her to a world she never knew existed.
Hades has spent his life in the shadows, and he has no intention of stepping into the light. But when he finds that Persephone can offer a little slice of the revenge he’s spent years craving, it’s all the excuse he needs to help her—for a price. Yet every breathless night spent tangled together has given Hades a taste for Persephone, and he’ll go to war with Olympus itself to keep her close…
Book 2: Electric Idol [Psyche & Eros]
In the ultra-modern city of Olympus, there's always a price to pay. Psyche knew she'd have to face Aphrodite's ire eventually, but she never expected her literal heart to be at stake...or for Aphrodite's gorgeous son to be the one ordered to strike the killing blow.
Eros has no problem shedding blood. But when it comes time to take out his latest target, he can't do it. Confused by his reaction to Psyche, he does the only thing he can think of to keep her safe: he marries her. Psyche vows to make Eros's life a living hell until they find a way out of this mess. But as lines blur and loyalties shift, she realizes he might take her heart after all...and she's not sure she can survive the loss.
Book 3: Wicked Beauty [Helen, Patroclus & Achilles]
In Olympus, you either have the power to rule...or you are ruled. Achilles Kallis may have been born with nothing, but as a child he vowed he would claw his way into the poisonous city's inner circle. Now that a coveted role has opened to anyone with the strength to claim it, he and his partner, Patroclus Fotos, plan to compete and double their odds of winning.
Neither expect infamous beauty Helen Kasios to be part of the prize...or for the complicated fire that burns the moment she looks their way.
Zeus may have decided Helen is his to give to away, but she has her own plans. She enters into the competition as a middle finger to the meddling Thirteen rulers, effectively vying for her own hand in marriage. Unfortunately, there are those who would rather see her dead than lead the city. The only people she can trust are the ones she can't keep her hands off—Achilles and Patroclus. But can she really believe they have her best interests at heart when every stolen kiss is a battlefield?
Book 4: Radiant Sin [Cassandra & Apollo]
There's nowhere more dangerous than Olympus...and no one more captivating than its golden god: Apollo. Keeper of secrets, master of his shining realm...and the only man I am powerless to deny.
As a disgraced member of a fallen house, Cassandra Gataki has seen firsthand what comes from trusting the venomous Thirteen. But when the maddeningly gorgeous and kind Apollo asks her to go undercover as his plus-one at a week-long party hosted by a dangerous new power player…Cassandra reluctantly agrees to have his back.
On one condition: when it's all over, and Apollo has the ammunition he needs to protect Olympus, she and her sister will be allowed to leave. For good.
Apollo may be the city's official spymaster, but it's his ability to inspire others that keeps him at the top. Despite what the rest of Olympus says, there's no one he trusts more than Cassandra. Yet even as their fake relationship takes a wicked turn for the scaldingly hot, a very real danger surfaces… threatening not only Cassandra and Apollo, but the very heart of Olympus itself.
I can't wait to dig in and let you all know what I think and why yall should read this series if you love romance and Greek myths!
Finally started IAD series,,, with Book 9 aka Pleasure of A Dark Prince because Garreth the Husbandly Werewolf caught my attention the most! (Ik ik I should read in order but Garreth my beloved!!)
Thanks to Caro @mermaidsirennikita for her fabulous reactions of this series that got me curious about it and her quiz helped me decide which hero's book to start on!
Glad I started with these two - Lucia and him were pretty tame and a good foray into the series. Okay but I gotta point out three hilarious things about this book:
[Spoilers for Pleasure of A Dark Prince by Kresley Cole Under The Cut!]
1) I love that for 70% of the book Lucia and Garreth are just exploiting the hell out of the Christian Loophole (everything but penetration for those who don't know)
2) I FINALLY get this post now by the wonderful Caro ofc! These chapters were a DELIGHT when you realise Lachlain WAS PROBABLY privy to all of that but also my dude get a soundproofing "Fuck me back to sanity" dungeon room
3) LUCIA DEADASS RAPUNZELED HIS ASS BACK TO SANITY WITH HER MAGICAL TEARDROPS ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
Me reading this scene:
Oh!! Also this book cemented that OJC should DEFINITELY play a MacRieve and my pick is Garreth - solely based on a dream I had about Garreth as OJC last night that made me pick up this book and also it fits!!
I have thoughts™ on Evie Dunmore books, well mostly just to say I'm not a huge fan of her writing in general but I did think bringing down the duke was far far superior to the other two in the series and I'd rec that one but not the other two! Also since you're soliciting hr questions and recs etc have you read Elizabeth Hoyts Maiden Lane series and what are your thoughts on it and also same question but for Lorraine Heath (any series)?!
Related to this
Yes, tell me ALL The Thoughts™! Okay so I did read a preview of BDtD and also found out it was Evie Dunmore’s debut book, so no wonder it was kind of mid for most of my friends. I think she has a long way to go compared to the other seasoned authors we've all read. Also girlie needs to get her shit together and redeem herself for Book 2 - ma'am it's 2022 you can't be writing like that.
I think since a couple of yall have recced BDtD out of curiosity I will give it a shot at some point and keep you guys updated!
Okay so I am most likely going to make a list of what I've read so far because I am getting a lot of "What are your thoughts on this book?" asks and I feel bad to say that I've only just dipped my toe in HR and alot of these titles are amazing recs!
A quick list for reference though - includes HR & Contemporary Romance and is from most recently read to oldest [will make a more comprehensive list with my thoughts tomorrow]:
Mercy by Sara Cate is missing from my list for some reason even though it’s marked read on my Goodreads - so rude GR
[Did a review of the Hellions series HERE]
That being said I have been second hand reading Heath through my beloved friend Triv’s @hptriviachamp reactions and it’s been HIGH drama and I am into it. I may check out her books after I finish Wanna Bet - any favourites you’d want to recommend?
As for Hoyt, Z @jeanvanjer and her have warned me it can get heavy and while Triv has shilled the Maiden Lane series to me, I need to be mindful of my triggers mentioned in the series so she’s not high up on my list at the moment. But again will update if I get around to that series!
Thanks for sending this in, I love seeing everyone’s recs and thoughts on books and sorry I can’t give my fully formed thoughts yet but will definitely be revisiting these asks with ALL my thoughts once I read the books mentioned :D
