Pet Peeve #1: Reading Books Out of Order
There’s nothing worse than really getting into a story only to learn that it wasn’t the first book in the series. Of course, since you love it so much, you’re bound and determined to read the first book and so you buy it and it’s okay. But I’m sorry to say, it’s just not the same. Especially in romances. It stands true for me to this day. I’ve picked up book number two in a series on a number of occasions and to date I’ve loved the second more than the first.
I don’t know what it is, and maybe it’s just me, but I seem to fall in love with characters in a sequence, just the way the author intends for me to. By already reading the first set of characters in the next book, I’m already privy to the dynamic of their relationship and I think it steals the nostalgia of their first meeting. The respect for their journey seems to get lost somewhere along the way, since I already know what the end result will be.
Now, I know that a romance is a romance, and you think you know the ending already, since it’s always a HEA if done properly. But there’s always that niggling chance that the author might pull a fast one on you (C.S. Janey) and kill off the heroine’s love interest in exchange for the guy who nurses her back to happiness. That pesky fear is all that’s needed to keep me turning the pages to completion.
What’s your take on series these days?
Do you wish that authors would tell you what book number each title is? Or are you content to take your chance on a standalone story mid-series?
For the record, TWISTED is the first book in the Twisted Trilogy. You can check out this sassy, new adult romance today and get book one for only $0.99! What a deal, right?! So what are you waiting for?? http://viewBook.at/Twisted
Christa Simpson 