I read my first Sandra Brown book almost 20 years ago. It was this little novel called Eloquent Silence. Ms. Brown’s writing captivated me. She has such a gift for character development and the chemistry she develops between her heroes and heroines is unbelievable. I wanted to read everything she wrote ~ I devoured her novels faster than she could write them. Fanta C, Adam's Fall, Texas Chase, Texas Sage, Texas Lucky..... ~ I read them all. And the characters all seemed to take up a tiny part of my soul. It's been years since I've read their stories, but I remember them all. To this day, I would recommend any of her romances. The woman knows how to write a story. 
Slowly, Ms. Brown's writing style started to change. Instead of romances, she started doing romantic suspense. "Okay", I thought ~ "it's still Sandra Brown, right? So, I read them. The chemistry was still there, and Ms. Brown could still write a story ~ but, I didn’t get enmeshed into the books like I used to. The stories didn't grab me like they used to ~ I didn't rush home to read, or try to find a quiet corner just to see what happened next. I read because they were Sandra Brown, but not because I wanted or needed to finish the story. 
Eventually, it seemed she took the turn from romantic suspense to just suspense. Over the next few years, Sandra Brown’s books were still my auto buy’s, but not necessarily my auto reads. In fact, her last 5 books are sitting in a drawer collecting dust. I haven’t even looked at them since I bought them ~ and who knows when I’ll eventually get to them.
A good author creates emotion in the reader that keeps the reader enthralled. Whether the emotion is happiness, anger, passion, heat, fear ~ the words seem to leap off the pages and transport the reader into the story. Ms. Brown’s books did that for me. Her stories created alternative worlds sometimes that seemed so much better than the one I was living in.
So, at Costco tonight I almost slipped. I almost picked it up because it said Sandra Brown on the cover. But seconds before I touched the cover, I caught myself and I drew back. “How many Sandra Brown books need to collect dust in my to be read pile”, I wondered. So, I turned and walked away a little sadder than I was before.
What authors used to be your auto buys and why did you stop reading them? Do you ever find yourself almost buying them again?
Labels: Sandra Brown
| Permalink |
-
At 9:42 PM,
Kristie (J) -
At 6:29 AM,
"Fanta C, Adam's Fall, Texas Chase, Texas Sage, Texas Lucky..... "
man I LOVED those! (I still reread Adam's Fall and the Texas series once a year!)
My autobuys dropped? Lindsey, Lowell, Garwood, Devereaux, and yes Brown.
Linda Howard used to be an autobuy also, now I check them out at the library. :(
(Actually all of the others I do the same. I haven't stopped reading them really, I just don't buy. Too much money for a hardback in which continually disappoints me.) -
At 6:31 AM,
-
Zeek ~ And what is the deal with the hardbacks? I buy the dark-hunter series, but I'm not paying $14.00 for a hardback. I remember when Dark Side of the Moon came out ~ I got it from the library. I'll buy the paperback when it comes out in December.
Johanna Lindsey's another one ~ I got her newest at the library this summer. I read the first chapter and returned the book. The heroine in that book is young ~ maybe all of her heroines are young and I just never noticed? I'll probably keep checking them out at the library and buy only the ones that really impress me now.
I have others I've dropped ~ Lori Copeland and Diana Palmer immediately come to mind. I'll probably do an "I Miss" post on them too.
I wrote a post on Ames' blog on my history with romances and it got me nostalgiac on the authors I used to get excited for. I also read Zeek's post at the Romance Readers Blog and I so completely understood what you were saying. -
At 8:54 AM,
-
At 8:55 AM,
-
It is highway robbery, Zeek. I love to buy books ~ I'd buy them all new, if I could afford it (and if I had the room to store them in). I'm not sure why the cost of books has gotten so outrageous, but it has. I usually only buy new books now at walmart or costco. I'm a frequent visitor at the most of the used book stores here, or I'll buy at the friends of library stand in my library (paperbacks are $0.25, hardbacks are $1.00).
-
Good question! My first Sandra Brown was...I think it was Silken Web (I'm too lazy to double check. :P). But it was about this girl who sleeps with this guy and she has his secret baby. He sees her a few years later and she's married to a guy in a wheelchair. That's the only one I've ever read.
Autobuy author-Laurell K. Hamilton. But her last couple of books were total crap. -
Devonna, I've been feeling the same way about Sandra Brown for some time. Slow Heat is still a huge favorite of mine. All the sultry heat in the south. Whew!!
I heard a couple good things about RICOCHET as being the best book she (Sandra Brown) has written in years. I picked up the HC at Costco and I'm not sorry. I did a review on it. It was a good book. However, I haven't read her last probably 4 or 5 books before it. -
Good luck with the library. I'm betting you won't have any problem getting the book.
BTW, I was born in MT (Butte of all places!) Both my parents are from there. My Dad lives in Helena from May through Oct. I used to go up for about 3-4 weeks every summer when my kids were younger. I still have lots of aunts, uncles and cousins living there.
I've been wondering for a while who the person from Billings, MT was on my map stats. Isn't the internet the coolest thing?
Autobuy authors that I dropped - there are a lot of them sadly. The first one that comes to mind is Tami Hoag. I loved her books such as Sarah's Sin and Lucky's Lady. Then she switched to RS and I still tried her for her first 3, but they just weren't the same.
Julia Quinn - too many Bridgertons. I get maxed out after 4 books in a series.
Mary Balogh - same reason as JQ
Sherrily Kenyon - same reason - too many in the series plus Ash really started to annoy me and Simi drove me up the wall.
Elizabeth Lowell - I loved her western and medival series and I also liked her Harlequin books but she lost me when she switched to RS (although now I'm reading that I'm willing to go back to her.
Sandra Brown for the reasons you stated.
OK - that's enough - now I'm started to get depressed :(
Although on a positive note :) for every previous autobuy I drop, I seem to pick up at least two new ones.