tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post2163620738814906117..comments2024-03-28T03:26:57.183-04:00Comments on Romance Around the Corner: The Wanderer and The Newcomer: A Robyn Carr Twofer and a Couple of Thoughts on Small-Town Cotemporaries and BrandingRomance Around the Cornerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11204919057662563713noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post-15467311144308596712013-07-25T20:44:53.486-04:002013-07-25T20:44:53.486-04:00I actually quite enjoyed the first book, Brie :) T...I actually quite enjoyed the first book, Brie :) Thought the Wanderer was different enough from VR... However, after the second, it became a little bit too familiar. I think what we need is Ms Carr changing completely setting...nathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02626894830238717124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post-37428832479675972102013-07-25T20:43:03.991-04:002013-07-25T20:43:03.991-04:00The particularity of Nora Roberts I find is that s...The particularity of Nora Roberts I find is that she's willing to research a topic really well for the backdrop of her books. For example, search and rescue for The Search, the jumpers for Catching Fire, negotiations for High Noon, etc. So while the romance feels formulaic, there is something new and different about her books at the same time.<br /><br />One thing that I feel also help is not binging on a series or an author's books... <br /><br />I guess it's hard not to fall into a pattern, considering that the end must be a HEA one. In addition, I feel like us readers are also part of the problem. We expect certain things...nathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02626894830238717124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post-81296065154211361102013-07-25T15:10:46.292-04:002013-07-25T15:10:46.292-04:00Nice post, Brie. I'm trying to make sure I rea...Nice post, Brie. I'm trying to make sure I read more in general and now I want to try Carr's stuff if only to check out what exactly you describe in this post. You also mention somethings that I think a writer should pay attention to when building their brand. It's good to know/think about what kinds of stories you want to be known for. Rebekahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01974040722134662851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post-25402124825808344092013-07-24T13:37:55.007-04:002013-07-24T13:37:55.007-04:00I found this book to be a real chore to finish. I ...I found this book to be a real chore to finish. I like some small town contemporaries, like Fool's Gold series by Susan Mallery. But I completely agree with you that they can begin to be a bit of a snooze. Nothing really changes and the stories aren't all that unique. I especially didn't like this series by Carr. BORING! Thanks for your review.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725599267985540096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post-43589261883084709532013-07-24T08:11:52.379-04:002013-07-24T08:11:52.379-04:00All authors have a certain formula and it’s easier...All authors have a certain formula and it’s easier to see and identify it when the author happens to be prolific. Genre fiction and Romance in particular makes it harder because it also has its own formula (I guess Science Fiction has it a bit easier in that regard). I’ve always found Nora Roberts incredibly formulaic, but it helps that she mostly writes standalones and that her series are usually trilogies (I didn’t like the first In Death book enough to keep going, so I can’t speak for those). But I think that Roberts’ brand is more general that what we are seeing with other authors who do seem to be writing the same book over and over. I guess my problem and worry is that we’re equaling brand with series, which is incredibly limiting, especially since we know from experience how fleeting popular trends are; maybe some type of series and sub-genres are popular now, but who knows how long it will last (remember when Contemporary Romance was almost dead?).<br /><br />To be fair to Robyn Carr (and to further illustrate my point) the best Virgin River books happened later in the series when she introduced new characters that had nothing to do with the town. Those book still had her distinct voice and quirks, but they were refreshing and new. <br />Briehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01694232807189281284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post-87746477772046405632013-07-24T00:34:56.519-04:002013-07-24T00:34:56.519-04:00Your points about branding are excellent. I kind o...Your points about branding are excellent. I kind of wonder if it's possible for an author to be as prolific as Carr is without a kind of "template" (to use a polite word). Stephanie Laurens, Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz and aliases--I've read enough of all of them to see the common threads of their work. (You could probably say the same thing about, say, Agatha Christie). But there's definitely a tipping point for every reader from "yay, more of that good stuff!" to "I feel like I've read this before/she's phoning it in." That's a downside of branding, I think; it doesn't encourage authors to branch out. It helps if, like Roberts and Krentz, they write across different subgenres. But I can still see the tics and common themes/character types.Liz Mc2https://www.blogger.com/profile/06791468134387620449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post-35991485188845520582013-07-23T15:56:52.497-04:002013-07-23T15:56:52.497-04:00Book one is a good place to start, especially beca...Book one is a good place to start, especially because her other series is super long and it can be a bit daunting. If you enjoy it and like Carr's style and voice, then you probably will like the Virgin River books as well. Briehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01694232807189281284noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4861127753744077469.post-75766803149707418262013-07-23T15:24:47.728-04:002013-07-23T15:24:47.728-04:00Interesting...this sounds like a great series and ...Interesting...this sounds like a great series and since I've never read anything by Robyn Carr, I'm sure I wouldn't feel exactly the same way you do without any previous experiences with her writings. With that being said, I love to find an author that I like and read all of their work...that is where I become a little apprehensive about picking up this series. However, I might give book 1 a try since I do enjoy the sound of the story lines and then go from there. :-) Thanks for your review and honest observations!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com