. You make a good point about a book being "all-in" with its premise, but I think the folks who wanted more coffeeshop AU in Bearista are trying to mix two separate genres. I wonder if those disappointed folks are accustomed to fanfic coffeeshop AUs, where the whole point is to have the characters in a relaxed, non-pressure atmosphere where romance -- or friendship -- can blossom in a kind of tasty bubble where the world doesn't intrude.
BUT! Bearista is part of your Bodyguard Universe; by definition, his job is to guard a particular body. Once the danger appears and he needs to do his job, it would be unprofessional to keep serving coffee and pastry while his client is running from the bad guy!
In other words, you wrote the action/true-mate/romance that the genre called for (very well, by the way) instead of a starry-eyed getting-to-know-you-over-coffee romance. The latter is a lot of fun to read, but a reader shouldn't expect that kind of vibe in an action-romance series, just because a cofffeeshop is a convenient place for the bodyguard to do his job.
And I popped right over to Amazon yesterday to buy Dancer Dragon. Working my way through Shifter Dads right now, then I'll have to catch up with the bodyguards. I like so wait until I have 3 or 4 to read in a row, so I remember who's who. But it'll sit comfortably in my Zoe Chant folder until I get around to it. <g> .
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You make a good point about a book being "all-in" with its premise, but I think the folks who wanted more coffeeshop AU in Bearista are trying to mix two separate genres. I wonder if those disappointed folks are accustomed to fanfic coffeeshop AUs, where the whole point is to have the characters in a relaxed, non-pressure atmosphere where romance -- or friendship -- can blossom in a kind of tasty bubble where the world doesn't intrude.
BUT! Bearista is part of your Bodyguard Universe; by definition, his job is to guard a particular body. Once the danger appears and he needs to do his job, it would be unprofessional to keep serving coffee and pastry while his client is running from the bad guy!
In other words, you wrote the action/true-mate/romance that the genre called for (very well, by the way) instead of a starry-eyed getting-to-know-you-over-coffee romance. The latter is a lot of fun to read, but a reader shouldn't expect that kind of vibe in an action-romance series, just because a cofffeeshop is a convenient place for the bodyguard to do his job.
And I popped right over to Amazon yesterday to buy Dancer Dragon. Working my way through Shifter Dads right now, then I'll have to catch up with the bodyguards. I like so wait until I have 3 or 4 to read in a row, so I remember who's who. But it'll sit comfortably in my Zoe Chant folder until I get around to it. <g>
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