I got a review for DRIVING HIM WILD (officially out TODAY!!) from Romance Reader at Heart.
My past couple of books have been Top Picks on this site, and this book didn’t make it. (It still got four roses, which isn’t bad.) I love this review, though. It’s honest and personal, and the reviewer clearly usually enjoys my work.
Entering 2007, Julie Cohen offers February’s DRIVING HIM WILD from Mills & Boon Modern Extra. DRIVING HIM WILD is not my favorite Cohen release, but it features two wounded characters who really need each other to heal, nicely folded into a sensual, sexy short contemporary package.
Set in New York City and Maine, this story is only loosely connected to earlier Cohen books. Nick Giroux is a park ranger from Maine. He goes to New York City to track down his father, who abandoned him when he was young. His father sent him a letter out of the blue, and the return label was a NYC apartment. There, he meets a taxi driver/aerobics instructor named Zoe Drake. Zoe’s eccentric aunt, who owned the apartment, just passed away. Nick and Zoe’s attraction is immediate but so is their hostility. They both have barriers upon barriers because of their pasts. The plot revolves around the aunt’s personal history and the search for Nick’s father.
I enjoyed Cohen’s writing as much as ever, but to be honest, I personally didn’t connect with the characters. To some degree, I believe to love a book you have to fall for the hero and want the heroine to be your friend (or at least be able to fit in her shoes), and I didn’t in this case. I didn’t like hard-edged, rough Zoe or Nick. I felt they could make each other happy, but simply didn’t care for them! Still though, take a look. I do think it’s still a great story.
I’ll agree that Zoe is a prickly character. I was big into Battlestar Galactica when I wrote the book, and I based her looks and some of her manners on the character of Starbuck, who I think is fantastic.
She’s tough, independent, and defensive. She believes she’s a total screw-up and is unworthy of love. The only kind of man she could have is a tough, hardheaded one, like Nick.
But this type of character isn’t for everybody, and I’m glad the reviewer was honest about that. I’m even more glad that she’s willing to give the story a try and appreciate it on its own merits even though it’s not her favourite.
Thanks, Heather at RRAH!
If you’ve read the book, I’d love to know what you think…
I haven’t read this one yours yet, Julie – but I congratulate you on two things – one your honesty and courage in acknowledging a review that doesn’t just say ‘Julie Cohen is great!’ and your intelligence and conviction – and courage again – as a writer.
Why? Well, I agree with your reviewer that to really love a romance on an emotional level you have to care about the characters and *want* them to make each other happy – not just believe in it. But here’s where the intelligence, conviction and courage bit come in – it’s all to easy for a writer to stick to the tried and true/the mixture as before way of creating characters that you kow will appeal to your readers. It’s harder, takes more courage – and shows more intelligence as an author to create the characters who are right for the story , this story you are creating at this time, and take a risk that they might ot be quite so tidy a fit with your regular readign publice.
Writers grow by setting challenges to themselves. If they don’t they can stagnate – and there’s where that horrible word ‘the formula’ comes in – their books can become formulaic (for them). Not every reader likes to be challenged or to find something new in their favourite authors’ work. I’ve been there – had ti said that readers don’t know what to expect next from a Kate Walker novel. To me it was a huge compliment. From the speaker . .probably not!
So if you continue to grow as a writer, you will continue to rub up against some readers every now and then in a way they don’t specially like. It’s either that or playing it so safe you risk becoming a story conveyor belt. Knowing you, I think I can guess which – like me – you’d choose.
I can tell you that this makes me want to read DHW all the more – I love books that make people talk!
Give Elivs a hug from me – well lots of them
Love
Kate
Darn it! I swear all those typos were not in the message I originally wrote – and sent!
And of course I meant hug Elvis from me
Kate
Thank you, Kate. Isn’t it brilliant how me and my friends can change a not-great review into something to celebrate?
I agree, though: you have to write the characters that will fit the story, and that will sometimes mean that some readers won’t like them. I know that’s true when I read books, too.
I do keep on writing books with heroines who are a bit hard-edged or unusual, and this has led to some rejections and some so-so reviews…but I love those characters and there are readers who do, too.
Zoe made me cry when I was writing her story–she was so desperately tough and so desperately vulnerable, I just wanted to hug her, and knew she would never let me in a million years!
I’m glad my editor let me go with this type of story and character.
Classy and courageous post, Julie (so that’s how it’s done…) I’m pinching Kate’s words and filing them away for when my not-so-wonderful reviews come calling. Because they will.
Zoe’s story hasn’t reached Aus yet so I’ve not read it, but I’m a big fan of prickles and imperfections and frankly the review has piqued my interest. Something a little different, a little edgy. Risky.
Yes please.
Kelly
You based a heroine on Starbuck!
Cooooool
You must get back into BSG. Season 3 is just blowing my mind over and over. And Gaius Baltar is my bunnikins.
Ah, you know I think Zoe’s great. Her hard-edges make perfect sense for the person she is, and her strength and compassion shine through. Her love for her Aunt made her very sympathetic to me. She’s the sort of friend who would turn into a bulldog if you were threatened, or someone treated you bad…
And Nick… ah, Nick. Nick’s a god.
Kelly, it helps that I think this reviewer is terrific and I know she likes my stuff. I’ve had other reviews when I haven’t understood where the reviewer was coming from at all, and that’s quite difficult to deal with.
Tilly, I tried to watch BSG the other night but the baby was too fussy for me to concentrate. Plus it’s on too late. I plan to do a box set DVD thing eventually.
How did I know you’d like Gaius?! I have lots of friends who love Apollo/The Bamber but I don’t have a favourite man except maybe Halo.
Anna…you know Nick’s for you.
Well I loved the book! I will look forward to the next one
)
Hooray, thanks Shelley!
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