"I want to take care of you, help you find your father, help you redo the yard, ..etc"
"But do you love me?"
"No."
He can't say the words, and god, what is she - 12? This trope in romance novels is so annoying. Honestly, sociopaths and narcissists are very good at saying those words, bringing flowers, and romanticizing women, so are serial killers.
Add to this? This woman had the father of her child ask to take her with his wife, to provide for her - turned him down only to fly off to the US, leaving her child behind, and lie about the child's existence, and spend all her time whinging about it and whinging about the fact that he doesn't love her. She's a mail order bride. He's kind. Love builds over time. Plus he obviously has a disability - but she's so self-absorbed and needy for validation - that she doesn't appear to even notice it.
It's a common trope in contemporary romances (also historicals - but not quite as bad). In contemporaries, it's annoying.
This is made worse by some jarring plot items at the 74% mark. The deal was she marry him, or go home at the end of the summer. She doesn't have a green card - she has a temporary visa. Yet, she's able with her scant earnings from the restaurant to find an apartment in LA on the fly. With no clothes but what she's wearing? And without her sponsor knowing? It threw me out of the story.
This romance is not working for me at all. And I'm pissed off at the line editor for not tweaking and fixing it. It would have been easy to do.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2022-07-18 12:25 pm (UTC)This is my difficulty with the book:
"I love you, do you love me?"
"I want to take care of you, help you find your father, help you redo the yard, ..etc"
"But do you love me?"
"No."
He can't say the words, and god, what is she - 12? This trope in romance novels is so annoying. Honestly, sociopaths and narcissists are very good at saying those words, bringing flowers, and romanticizing women, so are serial killers.
Add to this? This woman had the father of her child ask to take her with his wife, to provide for her - turned him down only to fly off to the US, leaving her child behind, and lie about the child's existence, and spend all her time whinging about it and whinging about the fact that he doesn't love her. She's a mail order bride. He's kind. Love builds over time. Plus he obviously has a disability - but she's so self-absorbed and needy for validation - that she doesn't appear to even notice it.
It's a common trope in contemporary romances (also historicals - but not quite as bad). In contemporaries, it's annoying.
This is made worse by some jarring plot items at the 74% mark. The deal was she marry him, or go home at the end of the summer. She doesn't have a green card - she has a temporary visa. Yet, she's able with her scant earnings from the restaurant to find an apartment in LA on the fly. With no clothes but what she's wearing? And without her sponsor knowing? It threw me out of the story.
This romance is not working for me at all. And I'm pissed off at the line editor for not tweaking and fixing it. It would have been easy to do.