Steamroller by Mary Calmes

[lightreads]

Steamroller by Mary Calmes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It's kind of confusing how hit and miss Mary Calmes is for me, considering that everything she writes is fundamentally the same. It doesn't matter whether she's writing contemporary or urban fantasy or whatever, I could pick a Calmes out of an anonymous lineup after ten pages. It'll be the one with the serious desire kink—where every other guy desperately wants the protagonist – and possessive behavior on the part of whichever muscle-bound Neanderthal is the central love interest of this one, who will win the protagonist after somewhat strenuous pursuit. It's a formula. She really, really, really likes it. And it seems to be working for her, so hey, carry on.

I keep reading them because her protagonists have a range and vividness I'm not used to seeing in this genre. These guys get to be real and flawed and complicated in ways that ring true (though don't expect the same treatment for the love interests. Like . . . at all.) And she has a nice touch with the friends and community. (Though as a side note, I can't tell if I'm perturbed or entertained to see that the gay romance genre substitutes "douchebag straight friend" for the "sassy gay friend" of your standard het romance.)

This one was a total miss because it wanted to be a novel, but she didn't let it be one. Dunno why, but this novella is missing about 40,000 words. Prickly overworked poor college kid is wildly pursued by wealthy adored football star on the way to the draft, see above re desire kink. Cut so many emotional corners it lost all tension and interest, and didn't live up to the promise of the protagonist.




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Comments

[templemarker]

Which of hers have you liked, if I may?

[lightgetsin]

I am terrible with the titles of romances, so let's see if I can keep these straight. So to speak.

I liked Acrobat -- divertingly fuzzy romance starring a middle-aged professor and the young mob enforcer who lives across the hall. There are a lot of silly or strange things about it, but it hit enough pleasing buttons that I didn't care. A good example of her usual nice touch with the friends and family (the professor has an ex-wife and a kid, the mob enforcer has a teenaged nephew, all these people are charming and central to the story).

There's another series that was more up and down, but it did make me laugh and keep me going. I cannot remember the title of the first to save my life, but I think the second is called Bulletproof. It kind of takes her 'everyone loves the protagonist' thing to the point of absurdity, but the protagonist is a genuinely charming social butterfly. And trouble magnet, natch. contemporary romances/occasional mysteries. I feel like this series is her writing at its most . . . herness, if you know what I mean.

I decidedly did not like the ones with the werepanthers. The first was trashily entertaining -- Change of Heart? something like that -- but I would warn you off the rest for some really weird persecution/violence fetish and general stupidity. She invents a magical reason for everyone to love the protagonist, and it goes weird/not good in ways she understands and also ways she doesn't.

She also has a lengthy urban fantasy series that I've picked up and put down multiple times. I think it's one of those where each book is a pairing, and I just haven't hit the right one yet, but so far they haven't interested me. I think they're called The Wardens? Warders? something like that.

I'm trying to be better about reviewing these. I tend not to think of them as "books," and classify them mentally as fanfic. Trying to be better about that, because clearly people want to know!

[templemarker]

Thank you! "Werepanther" is a word that never looks or sounds right no matter how often I see were-references.

I know what you mean about thinking of them like fanfiction--I mark them in my goodreads but tend not to make them viewable in my reviews--and they are damnably addictive. Like brain fluff, before I hit the harder stuff.

[lightreads]

Yeah, they tend to come in waves for me. I'll go months without even thinking to pick one up, then read ten in a weekend. It's one of those things.

[templemarker]

Exactly so.

Have you read "American Love Songs"?
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9912820-american-love-songs

I enjoyed that one a great deal, enough to want to re-read it.

[lightreads]

I haven't, thanks. Recs really are the only way to pick these books. Or as a friend of mine succinctly puts it, "you don't get that shit on the corner."