Categories, my love-hate relationship

As some of you may know, I am not a big fan of category romances. Theoretically, they sound great. A format that provides the reader with heat, romance and a HEA in a shorter, quicker read. Pressed for time? Busy professional and personal life? No problem! Pick up a category and you get all that you need in a tidy little package.

More often than not I finish one of these slim novels and feel cheated. Two dementional characters, insufficient development of emotion to connect the hero and heroine. This is not the authors fault. I often think, "If only they had the chance to turn this into a full-length novel..." So much potential, so few pages.

This is my issue. I know that. I have a very strong bias. I started to worry that it was keeping me from reading some lovely stories. To make sure that wasn't the case I decided to take a chance on a few new releases. Since I had heard some positive hubub about the Blaze line I decided to take a shot at those.

The first book was Coming Undone by Stephanie Tyler.

“I want you to start by running your tongue slowly around my ear…”

Oh no!

Surfer – make that ex-surfer – Carly Winters can’t believe she accidentally faxed an erotic letter to…a secure military line? Now Navy SEAL Jonathan “Hunt” Huntington is at her door, fax in hand, asking her how the fantasy ends.

Talk about fate…
Because Carly’s parents think Hunt is her new boyfriend, and Carly does need a wedding date ASAP. Hunt’s ready to play – only on one condition. Carly’s got to teach him to hang ten. Problem is, it’s been a while since Carly’s career-ending accident and she’s terrified of anything aqua. But with Hunt, letting go just may make her fantasy a reality!

Oh baby! HAWT! This book lives up to the Blaze idea. Hot, steamy sex with a good, solid romance. Carly and Hunt are fully developed three dementional characters. I liked them both. Really liked them. Carly's fear of the water was realistic and well written. She was tough, yet vulnerable. Hunt was simply fantastic. He didn't let Carly back down. He challenged heremotionally and sexually. There was an additional story line that gave the book even more emotional depth. If all categories were like this I would be buying them by the truck load.

Since my first foray into the Blaze line was such a success I picked up In a Bind by Stephanie Bond.

Soon to be married flight attendant Zoe Smythe is on her last flight to Australia when she opens the fantasies letter she wrote 10 years earlier. The erotic words she wrote about being bound while making love stir a dormant desire. And the hunky Aussie in first class is only too willing to make her fantasies come true…

I should have know when I read the first sentence of the backflap that I was going to have a problem. "Soon to be married..." The heroine is getting married in one month. The hero is not her fiance. DEAL BREAKER. I mentioned this in an earlier post. It is not official: this book was DNF. I just couldn't do it. I have very strong feelings about fidelity and marriage. What the characters did was cheating. I was simply unable to continue reading.

I need to be honest and say that I didn't have a problem with the writing. What I read was well written. The objection to the plot eclipsed my enjoyment of the writing. I wish that wasn't true.

So here I am, still unsure about categories. One great, one anger inducing. I think I need your help. Which categories have you read that you would recommend?