Romance & Relationship in this book

Use this forum to discuss the December 2019 Book of the month, "E-M-P Honeymoon", by Dorothy May Mercer
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ciecheesemeister
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Re: Romance & Relationship in this book

Post by ciecheesemeister »

nicole-adrianne wrote: 07 Dec 2019, 14:09 Tom and Kelly barely had a relationship, and I found the way Steve treated Sharon repulsive. For example, shortly after meeting, there's a line that reads "Steve shoved her cute little butt." Talk about the objectification of women!
I so agree with you. I likened this book to a 1970s made-for-tv movie. Descriptions like that belong to a different era. I had to check my calendar to make sure I hadn't slipped back to the '70s! :tiphat:
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Post by ciecheesemeister »

AntonelaMaria wrote: 01 Dec 2019, 11:11 How do you feel about romance and relationships in this book? Would you categorize this book as a romance novel? What relationship was the most interesting one?

I wouldn't put this book in a romance genre. Maybe suspense/action. There was hardly any romance in it. Except for Kelly and Tom being married, and the possible relationship between Sharon and Steve. Speaking of Tom and Kelly's marriage I didn't feel the connection between them. I did love the relationship Kelly had with her brother Mike. I think that was my favorite relationship in the book.
I think this author writes sibling relationships better than romantic ones. I preferred Cynthia's friendship with her brother Glenn far more than her romantic entanglements with Dan and Sky in the author's previous book (Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War) as well. :tiphat:
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Post by Erin Dydek »

I liked that there were small moments where they showed concern for each other, but overall, the book was more focused on taking down the terrorists than the romance. Honeymoon just ended up in the title because Kelly and Tom discovered the plot while on their honeymoon. I tend to think of romance novels as the meet and fall in love portion of a couple’s story but in this book, Tom and Kelly are already together. After reading Cyber War, I thought this story was going to be about Sky and Cynthia’s honeymoon until I saw it was about Tom and Kelly. I liked seeing Sky and Cynthia in this is book. I felt like they had matured and settled down since the last book but were still affectionate towards each other.
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Post by AntonelaMaria »

ciecheesemeister wrote: 10 Dec 2019, 09:12
AntonelaMaria wrote: 01 Dec 2019, 11:11 How do you feel about romance and relationships in this book? Would you categorize this book as a romance novel? What relationship was the most interesting one?

I wouldn't put this book in a romance genre. Maybe suspense/action. There was hardly any romance in it. Except for Kelly and Tom being married, and the possible relationship between Sharon and Steve. Speaking of Tom and Kelly's marriage I didn't feel the connection between them. I did love the relationship Kelly had with her brother Mike. I think that was my favorite relationship in the book.
I think this author writes sibling relationships better than romantic ones. I preferred Cynthia's friendship with her brother Glenn far more than her romantic entanglements with Dan and Sky in the author's previous book (Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War) as well. :tiphat:
I obviously agree. I didn't like Cythia / Dan/ Sky situation either. Brother - sister bond is done so much better.
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Post by babcockar »

I think it's really hard to tackle romance in a book with so much else going on, so I think I can understand why the romances in the book felt very flat.
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Post by Reynaa »

ciecheesemeister wrote: 10 Dec 2019, 09:12
AntonelaMaria wrote: 01 Dec 2019, 11:11 How do you feel about romance and relationships in this book? Would you categorize this book as a romance novel? What relationship was the most interesting one?

I wouldn't put this book in a romance genre. Maybe suspense/action. There was hardly any romance in it. Except for Kelly and Tom being married, and the possible relationship between Sharon and Steve. Speaking of Tom and Kelly's marriage I didn't feel the connection between them. I did love the relationship Kelly had with her brother Mike. I think that was my favorite relationship in the book.
I think this author writes sibling relationships better than romantic ones. I preferred Cynthia's friendship with her brother Glenn far more than her romantic entanglements with Dan and Sky in the author's previous book (Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War) as well. :tiphat:
I hadn't realized that it's the same author! The book covers do look similar now that I think about it. I'm interested to read Cyber War and compare it to EMP Honeymoon.
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Post by amihughson »

I'm not through all of it, but I definitely agree this doesn't seem like a romance book to me. Kelly and Tom fall flat and the Sharon/Steve subplot feels forced and cliched.
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Post by AntonelaMaria »

Reynaa wrote: 10 Dec 2019, 13:18
ciecheesemeister wrote: 10 Dec 2019, 09:12
AntonelaMaria wrote: 01 Dec 2019, 11:11 How do you feel about romance and relationships in this book? Would you categorize this book as a romance novel? What relationship was the most interesting one?

I wouldn't put this book in a romance genre. Maybe suspense/action. There was hardly any romance in it. Except for Kelly and Tom being married, and the possible relationship between Sharon and Steve. Speaking of Tom and Kelly's marriage I didn't feel the connection between them. I did love the relationship Kelly had with her brother Mike. I think that was my favorite relationship in the book.
I think this author writes sibling relationships better than romantic ones. I preferred Cynthia's friendship with her brother Glenn far more than her romantic entanglements with Dan and Sky in the author's previous book (Cynthia and Dan: Cyber War) as well. :tiphat:
I hadn't realized that it's the same author! The book covers do look similar now that I think about it. I'm interested to read Cyber War and compare it to EMP Honeymoon.
I hope you enjoy it better than me. Let me know how did it go.
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Post by DC Brown »

AntonelaMaria wrote: 01 Dec 2019, 11:11 How do you feel about romance and relationships in this book? Would you categorize this book as a romance novel? What relationship was the most interesting one?

I wouldn't put this book in a romance genre. Maybe suspense/action. There was hardly any romance in it. Except for Kelly and Tom being married, and the possible relationship between Sharon and Steve. Speaking of Tom and Kelly's marriage I didn't feel the connection between them. I did love the relationship Kelly had with her brother Mike. I think that was my favorite relationship in the book.
I'd put this book under cozy mystery if that category was available here. I don't think there is any benefit to delving too deeply into plot and characters as I think it was written as an easy read, like brain candy.
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Post by Adedayo+23 »

Stephanie Elizabeth wrote: 01 Dec 2019, 19:00 It seems that we are all on the same wavelength concerning Kelly and Tom's romance--or lack of.
It certainly looks that way. I guess it was quite apparent to everyone.
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Post by Katherine Smith »

I think that with this type of genre that author focused more on the action and less on the intimate moments of the story. This can sometimes work in the author's favor, but more often than not it is seen as a glaring omission in the story. I like that sibling bond between Kelly and Mike. I also liked to see the relationship between Steve and Sharon, but the married couple didn't seem as connected to one another.
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Post by winecellarlibrary »

I think books of this nature are difficult to classify, and sometimes they get pigeon-holed into a genre that may not exactly be appropriate but is the most likely to attract readers.
There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
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Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
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Post by Urbashi Basu »

This book should not be categorised as romance. Action thriller with a dash of romance is more like it. Romance between Kelly and Tom is non-existent. I like Cynthia's relationship with her assistants the best.
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Post by Clorinda Donovan »

The lack of romance is terrible because it always helps personalize a story. Besides, I suspect the author meant for a more romantic setting.
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Post by AntonelaMaria »

Clorinda Donovan wrote: 13 Dec 2019, 10:12 The lack of romance is terrible because it always helps personalize a story. Besides, I suspect the author meant for a more romantic setting.
I think so too. Otherwise why would this be in romance genre if author didn't feel like it represent it enough?!
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