Harlequin Mills & Boon books are like junk food

Harlequin Mills & Boon books are like junk food. I go to the library, pick out 3-5 books at random, and gulp them down in the space of a week or less. I like reading them because I like vicariously being in love, and it's a good way to learn what works and what doesn't when writing in general, not just romance and sex scenes.


To Woo A Wife by Carole Mortimer
I was struggling to read this one. All the exclamation marks made me read it in an irritating voice in my head. Not to mention the ellipses. The main character was pretty cool, but too much was made of her looks. I didn't like the guy. Really didn't like him. His brothers were WAY more interesting, as the good looking charmer and the good natured joker. The guy was an arrogant overbearing arse. No tact, and when he did show his tender side, it seemed really OOC. The story itself was intriguing, going into unhappy marriages and raising an innocent child. But the writing and the guy made it so damn hard. I was racing to get through it by the time I was a third through it.

Contracted: A Wife For The Bedroom by Carol Marinelli
Yay Aussie author! In Melbourne though. The guy was really cool, and the story, apart from the pregnancy plotline, was pretty well done. The change in perspective, not so much. If there was more of the guy, or none of the guy, it would have worked better. The main character was cute and I liked her guts, but she degenerated somewhat near the end. The sex scenes were pretty inventive with an outdoor picnic and plenty of romping in the bed.

The Desert Virgin by Sandra Morton
This one was heavy on the sexual attraction, so much that I didn't really see why they would fall in love. The guy was so hot for the girl that it didn't seem like he noticed much else about her except her body. The girl was ok though, and I liked her determination, despite it being used pretty much only in a sexual way. The story seemed to be tacked on, just a way to get the girl semi-naked and vulnerable, and the oasis palace was out of nowhere, just a place for the characters to have sex uninterrupted. The sex scenes were pretty detailed too.

The Australian's Housekeeper Bride by Lindsay Armstrong
The characters were pretty enjoyable in this one. I liked the main character, even if she did have a few inconsistent moments. The guy wasn't too bad, but whenever the girl said she felt "the brick walls" coming from him, I didn't really get much of a sense of that. That's what it comes down to in the end for this book; while the story and the characters were good, the writing was a bit lacking in style and exposition. The last couple of chapters were very rushed and only had explanation and revelation. I enjoyed the dialogue, although sometimes it sounded more like a monologue exchange rather than a proper one. There were too many characters for such a short book, which detracted from the focus of the story. The main interlude in the story was ok, but once again, length seemed to affect quality. In conclusion, it would have been better if the book was longer and shown more of the interactions between the characters.