Suspending Disbelief

We've all been there. Watching a magic act and trying to enjoy the thrill of what you know is a trick. Or better yet, watching television commercials that try to tell you all those gorgeous women will go out with a skanky, ugly man as long as he uses a particular body wash or brand of beer.

Which brings me to my point today. I was recently reading a story in which a woman suddenly finds herself in danger. The typical romantic suspense. She's whisked away to a safehouse by two hot cops. Okay, I'm with it so far. But then, the very night she's taken into protection after nearly being killed, she succumbs to the undeniable passion between he and Detective A. And to make matters worse, the Detective B jumps in on the action. Now the heroine hasn't ever been into kinky sex, has suffered a tremendous shock and admits to a bit of attraction to this stranger, Det A, she must now put her trust in. But to have her just jump in the sack with not only him, but his partner as well?

Now, I like a good menage, but I can't suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy the story. The sex scenes were very well written, but I still can't believe a particular publisher, who will remain nameless, would release such nonsense. A good erotic romance, in my opinion, has to be about more than just the sex. So for me, this story had no magic.

And let's not forget the thirty-year-old virgin living life in the city. Come on. In this day and age, very rarely are women virgins past their teens. Now I'm not talking about a heroine who's suffered some trauma, but the perky, happy-go-lucky girl who just hasn't found the right man. That might appeal to some readers, but I have a huge problem with it unless the story is written incredibly well with subplots that maker her virginity plausible. I'm not saying there aren't older virgins out there, but then to make them puritanical nuns who have no idea what sex is all about? Gimme a break.

In order to capture my attention, no matter the genre or premise of the story, the author has to force me to believe their plot and characters as "real,"and throw myself into the story, head first.

So that's my little addition for today. Have any rants about story trends that bother you?