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I am not fully up to date in the series, but I am now five or so books in and started making notes about the series around book 3. I may post again when caught up, but here are my thoughts so far.
The super short version - I really like these books. It's an ongoing urban fantasy series set in Boston. It's obviously got DNA from some of the '00s vampire shows and book series I never got into. It's like... what if '00s vampire stuff but instead of trad wife vibes it's super gay?
The writing improves on all fronts with each book. Most of the time I read m/m reccs I find things about them off-putting and try to like soldier through, get used to it, find a way to click with them etc. For this, it was the opposite. They may not be as well written as some of the books I get recced, but it was the opposite of off-putting. They felt very cozy in themes, descriptions, aesthetic, etc. There are parts I am not wild about, but nothing felt alienating.
The main pairing does change as the books go on, but it does not pull the BS most romance series pull. In fact, the next book in the series goes back to the original pairing, so we'll have 3 books focusing them *after* they got together.
In typical romance series there is a lot of 'want to know how cliffhanger resolves? Better warm to second pairing!' or trying to sell you on the second pairing without really paying off the first. It's all about lack of payoff and trying to hook you. There is none of that in these books, both pairings and plots are paid off. If I was going to do an urban fantasy series with multiple pairings, this is how I'd structure it. You actually see the couples together for way longer than I've ever seen in either a romance novel or a genre-novel-with-romance.
The pairings are all [male human sorcerer with trauma] / [male supernatural who is taller and is capable of forming a soulbond with humans]. Characters dress like late 90s or early 00s TV characters with the tattoos and henley shirts and sleeveless hoodies, that is the vibe.
The main pairing is very grumpy necromancer and very calm vampire who keep running into each other because of how vampire and necro powers bounce off each other. At first it seemed a bit convoluted how they are stuck dealing with each other over and over, but the more I read the more the world building was really solid and made sense. Once I got into it a bit it really clicked.
Also, the setting and outside relationships are important. There is no letting the world burn. They live in the world, they like their city, they have family, favorite restaurants, etc.
I have an urge to go on at a great deal of length about all the stuff this book *doesn't* do that is so common in m/m orig fic that makes me feel alienated or just outright laugh at it. But I will resist talking about insta-lust or people popping boners more often than is possible unless they have ten dicks each or other various tropes... Or rather I will resist posting about it because I just wrote out a paragraph 3 times about how... did it again. Okay, let me say this, these books show it is possible to have characters be constantly horny for each other without it reading like a porn parody.
Anyway, what else would I saw to someone if I was reccing the books? Pros, cons, things to be aware of, etc?
* The sex scenes in the first book are comically bad, just skip
* In the first book, with the pairing I really like... it's a slow burn relationship but it's shown in media res. Slow burn and in media res do not pair well together. Flashbacks build out the slow burn, which is a choice. I love the dynamic and all that goes into it, but it's presented in a weird order.
* While it improves drastically, even 5+ books in, pacing is still the biggest issue.
* The setting is solid, thought out and cohesive, not set dressing.
* There are serious issues like substance abuse dealt with in the series and the books have author's notes about them making it clear that what is depicted are ways things can play out and it not meant to represent all journeys. I like the author's notes because they set expectations and give warnings. But I know some people in fandom HATE author's notes about stuff like this so... I am warning for the warnings I guess?
I feel like I've been complaining about certain trends, tropes, issues, etc in paranormal romance, m/m orig fic and urban fantasy for ages and these books are like the answer to my complaints. While writing this, I keep thinking about previous journal entries I've made. It's an urban fantasy series that's aware that the English weren't the first people in North America! That's a big issue in urban fantasy set in the US and why... while I love UF I just can't with so many works in the genre.
This has been a long disorganized ramble!
The super short version - I really like these books. It's an ongoing urban fantasy series set in Boston. It's obviously got DNA from some of the '00s vampire shows and book series I never got into. It's like... what if '00s vampire stuff but instead of trad wife vibes it's super gay?
The writing improves on all fronts with each book. Most of the time I read m/m reccs I find things about them off-putting and try to like soldier through, get used to it, find a way to click with them etc. For this, it was the opposite. They may not be as well written as some of the books I get recced, but it was the opposite of off-putting. They felt very cozy in themes, descriptions, aesthetic, etc. There are parts I am not wild about, but nothing felt alienating.
The main pairing does change as the books go on, but it does not pull the BS most romance series pull. In fact, the next book in the series goes back to the original pairing, so we'll have 3 books focusing them *after* they got together.
In typical romance series there is a lot of 'want to know how cliffhanger resolves? Better warm to second pairing!' or trying to sell you on the second pairing without really paying off the first. It's all about lack of payoff and trying to hook you. There is none of that in these books, both pairings and plots are paid off. If I was going to do an urban fantasy series with multiple pairings, this is how I'd structure it. You actually see the couples together for way longer than I've ever seen in either a romance novel or a genre-novel-with-romance.
The pairings are all [male human sorcerer with trauma] / [male supernatural who is taller and is capable of forming a soulbond with humans]. Characters dress like late 90s or early 00s TV characters with the tattoos and henley shirts and sleeveless hoodies, that is the vibe.
The main pairing is very grumpy necromancer and very calm vampire who keep running into each other because of how vampire and necro powers bounce off each other. At first it seemed a bit convoluted how they are stuck dealing with each other over and over, but the more I read the more the world building was really solid and made sense. Once I got into it a bit it really clicked.
Also, the setting and outside relationships are important. There is no letting the world burn. They live in the world, they like their city, they have family, favorite restaurants, etc.
I have an urge to go on at a great deal of length about all the stuff this book *doesn't* do that is so common in m/m orig fic that makes me feel alienated or just outright laugh at it. But I will resist talking about insta-lust or people popping boners more often than is possible unless they have ten dicks each or other various tropes... Or rather I will resist posting about it because I just wrote out a paragraph 3 times about how... did it again. Okay, let me say this, these books show it is possible to have characters be constantly horny for each other without it reading like a porn parody.
Anyway, what else would I saw to someone if I was reccing the books? Pros, cons, things to be aware of, etc?
* The sex scenes in the first book are comically bad, just skip
* In the first book, with the pairing I really like... it's a slow burn relationship but it's shown in media res. Slow burn and in media res do not pair well together. Flashbacks build out the slow burn, which is a choice. I love the dynamic and all that goes into it, but it's presented in a weird order.
* While it improves drastically, even 5+ books in, pacing is still the biggest issue.
* The setting is solid, thought out and cohesive, not set dressing.
* There are serious issues like substance abuse dealt with in the series and the books have author's notes about them making it clear that what is depicted are ways things can play out and it not meant to represent all journeys. I like the author's notes because they set expectations and give warnings. But I know some people in fandom HATE author's notes about stuff like this so... I am warning for the warnings I guess?
I feel like I've been complaining about certain trends, tropes, issues, etc in paranormal romance, m/m orig fic and urban fantasy for ages and these books are like the answer to my complaints. While writing this, I keep thinking about previous journal entries I've made. It's an urban fantasy series that's aware that the English weren't the first people in North America! That's a big issue in urban fantasy set in the US and why... while I love UF I just can't with so many works in the genre.
This has been a long disorganized ramble!
no subject
Date: 2024-02-29 04:36 am (UTC)From:What format did you get this series in? Ebook? Paperback?
Usually I try to hit up the author's website to see where to buy (even if it's 90% Amazon), but it looks like SJ Himes' is currently "coming soon", though that may be recent. (The copyright date for the site is this year, and google previews the page with actual relevant text, but gives a 404 when trying to go to the book listing, and the site has some obvious placeholder text on the about page.)
Looks like I can get some of the paperbacks shipped by a local-ish store, but it's unclear what the reading order is, since the author's site is nonexistent at the moment, ha. And did the author switch pennames partway through the series?
(I am stalled out about two-thirds into a free book-one-of-a-romance-series that I downloaded at the beginning of the year, and I can TELL it is setting up exactly that "if you want to find out what happens, you better get hype to read a romance about the ~side characters~!" thing, and I have unfortunately discovered that I deeply do not like any of them well enough to read a book about 'em. Hate that formula!)
no subject
Date: 2024-02-29 12:54 pm (UTC)From:They did go from S J Himes to Sheena Jolie, but Amazon has the later books as Sheena Jolie Himes so it's less confusing there. Also, both Beacon Hill Sorcerer and Infinite Arcana are used to refer to the series. Hopefully, they get their website together soon.
The Beacon Hill Books go The Necromancer's Dance The Necromancer's Dilemma, The Necromancer's Reckoning, Mastering The Flames, Love Springs Eternal, Blood Omen for the books that are out. The two upcoming books are The Necromancer's War and The Edge of Fate, in that order. A History of Trouble is a series of short stories that take place between books 2 and 4. Wolfsbane is a werewolf book not in the same series, but same setting.
If you get them, I hope you like them and aren't left wondering about my taste :)
(yeah, I hate it as just a painfully transparent marketing thing. The disdain I see for showing characters actually together, how I see books saying that's doing it wrong... just arg. But I guess I am a 'genre with romance' fan not a romance fan.)
no subject
Date: 2024-03-02 02:16 am (UTC)From:I'll probably at the very least grab the first one on kindle. My ability to read ebooks is hit or miss (even when I enjoy a book, it's out of sight, out of mind once I set my phone down, and I forget about it), but I'm trying to get better at reading them!
And lol, I know the feeling. "If I recc this and you don't like it, are you going to sideeye me forever?" lol.
But UGH. I understand that an awful lot of romance readers are in it for the "get together" part of the relationship, and that can certainly be fun. But I hate the apparent "conventional wisdom" that relationships aren't worth focusing on once the characters are together/if the relationship is an established one. I enjoy the get-together, but I love watching characters IN the relationship, too!
I see a lot of places act like showing the characters in a relationship is a failure, and it's certainly an annoying problem in things like... mainstream TV. If the characters being together and staying together is boring, that's a skill issue!
And yeah, if you're trying to cash in on the 'get-together' desire from readers, always leading into a new romance featuring side characters, or the next brother in the family, or the next employee of the improbably sexy workplace, or whatever is an easy way to tie a series together... but trying to make it feel like a cliffhanger to find out more feels like a cheap way to drum up interest, rather than making interesting side characters that I WANT to read a book about. I don't mind focusing on different characters, or having stories that are loosely tied together via setting or cameos. But this particular thing is EXTREMELY transparent, and I don't care for it.
Buuuuut apparently I'm with you. As much as I love and want strong romantic relationships between characters in a lot of the media I enjoy, it turns out I do usually prefer genre-with-romance as opposed to romance-as-genre.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-02 09:08 am (UTC)From:The get-together is fun, but it feels so empty on it's own. If romance is basically... that, just the get together over and over book to book, there needs to be a new damn word for romance focused books that are not that.
Like I am still annoyed that there was a big thing that went through fandom that was all 'you guys think you hate romance books, but isn't most slashfic about romance?' I tried a bunch of reccs and hated every single one. I get why now. Romance-the-genre and romance are not the same. Fanfic often is romance focused, but it rarely follows the rules of Romance-the-genre. Romance and romance-the-genre are not the same. Calling the genre just romance is honestly a bit confusing and can lead to bad faith takes. It also leads to me being very confused when people are all 'this is what romance is'.
It really is a skill issue to having being together being boring. First time fics are fun, but established relationship stuff is also big in fic. It's like TV execs are still stuck on what a big hit Moonlighting was.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-04 03:33 am (UTC)From:But right? I like the get-together part, but... what I really love about a relationship I'm invested in is seeing those characters together.
And yeah, I think there's a lot of conflation of romance as an aspect of a story and romance as a *genre* of story. There are aspects of romance as genre that I do like - I like the relationship being narratively important, and I'm also someone who generally wants a happy ending for the couple I'm into. But those things aren't UNIQUE to romance-as-genre, and having those things happen as an aspect of a story that has other interesting things going on is more satisfying to me than something that was ONLY focused on getting them together.
But ugh, right? UST is one great way to build stuff up between your characters, but either drawing things out into an infinite will-they/won't-they because you don't want to commit, or just treating the get-together as the end of the interest? Bleh.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-04 08:42 am (UTC)From:Yeah, I hate it when it feels like the story is just hitting the reset button. It's all hunger so satisfaction, no comfort.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-06 05:04 am (UTC)From:It's definitely not just you! I feel a little resentful of the ways in which romance-as-genre took over the conversation about romance as a whole... not because I hate romance-the-genre, but because it DID cause a lot of confusion even with my own work as I was trying to figure out my own approaches to creative writing.
I did unfortunately come away with the idea that unless my stuff did conform to the GENRE expectations, then the stories wouldn't be recognized as romance/romantic at all. That's something I'm still working to unpack a bit.
But yeah. I hate how common it is to have a series that hinges on that sort of reset on every single book. It is no satisfaction or comfort! It doesn't allow for any of the progression to feel like it matters... and that's the most insulting thing you can do, imo, in a genre that's supposed to be built on making me care about the characters and their relationships! How dare you not let the things they do matter!
no subject
Date: 2024-03-06 10:42 pm (UTC)From:There is an ongoing thirst for that formula over and over again, but also I am just not interested it. It's just not what I am trying to do at all or the audience I'd like to build.
Yeah, I don't like resets even outside of romance. That sort of storytelling or series-building just annoys me. I honestly don't know why so many people put up with it, honestly it feels more like they've been sold on it being 'needed' or 'how stories work' than actually like it a bunch of the time
no subject
Date: 2024-03-07 05:15 am (UTC)From:I realize that the formula is a winner for a lot of people. And that's great, and as with many things, I can't fault any individual writer for wanting to cater to it as something they know has an audience. And for the readers who love it, it's lucky for them that their taste runs along popular lines.
But I hate that just that ONE arc, with only minor variation, has become the ONLY formula that's allowed, and deviating from it is treated like a failure. Don't tell me my pie is a failed cake! I wasn't making cake!
That's a good point. It's sort of the same thing as like... long-running shonen anime. Or long-running series like Supernatural, to an extent. On the surface, each season/arc is supposed to be bigger, badder, more threatening... but for the characters, it just sort of forces them back to their starting position over and over. "Yeah, we saved the world from the worst apocalyptic threat imaginable last season and barely made it... but now there's a newer WORSE threat, so we have to prepare ALL OVER AGAIN!" It makes the earlier conflicts feel retroactively meaningless.
I guess maybe some people like that sort of pattern, and I know that formulae in general can be something people enjoy in a comforting/meeting expectations way. I enjoy having my expectations met, too! But I think you're also right... I think a lot of people have bought into the idea that there is One True Arc for certain genres, even if they don't particularly care for it.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-07 06:38 pm (UTC)From:The pattern can work and some people do like it, just treat plot like a merry-go-round. But when it's not planned and it's not part of the themes from the start it's just a mess than some long running canons fall into.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-09 03:52 am (UTC)From:That is definitely true of what Supernatural seemed to be for fandom. I know some people were legitimately into it the whole run, but the unstoppable fandom juggernaut aspect was really more about it just being the scaffold that fandom was building on.
A lot of long-running canons definitely hit that point, either because it was only planned to go so far/the ending was planned but then they renewed it so never mind/whoops, no one wants to risk losing the audience by changing anything.