Many contemporary romances, and frequently romantic suspense novels, lack a key component of a great romance story. A reason for these two people to fall in love. In suspense novels, they are on the run, facing danger, and come together in a time of stress. Then—bam!—at the end of the book, they’re in love and plan to live happily ever after. And I’m left with the question: Why?
Cherry Adair always delivers an edge-of-your-seat suspense plot. But in Riptide, she also beautifully balances the action with the developing romance between Nick and Bria.
The parallels between Nick and Bria work very well: They both have emotional issues surrounding relationships; Bria because her parents were murdered and she was taken away and raised by her bodyguard. Nick because his father cheated continuously and took him and his brothers away from their mother before she died. Bria has a long lost brother she’d like to be closer to. Nick has just discovered he’s got a half-brother he wants nothing to do with.
Revenge plots in romances never fail to deliver incredibly emotional reads. The hero or heroine’s raison d’être is inherently fueled by passion: Passion for justice, steeped in fury and righteous wrath with all these huge emotions already in play on page one, often before the protagonists even meet.
Food nowadays is about convenience. How much time do we have to plan and cook and clean up? Meals are just another task in increasingly busy days. Food is fuel. And it seems as if we aren’t supposed to enjoy the food we prepare.
I have a friend who doesn’t “get” shape-shifter romances. That’s because she sees the romance only on the surface of animal/human interaction. She isn’t able to look beneath the overt differences to the qualities that make shifter romances appealing. Community, overwhelming passion, and a lifetime of fidelity are what readers find compelling about these stories.
