But isn’t that simply because they exist, and visuals don’t? If the camera had stayed on Sansa’s face while he was grunting and she was crying, would the sounds still have been the worst part? Or even shown their bodies? As it was I was mercifully spared from having to see her body jerk as he raped her, or see her…

But...they did? She began unbuttoning her sleeves, he very briefly ripped at the back of someone’s dress and showed someone’s back - shot so that you couldn’t even tell if it was ST - and then went to sound.

Are you really going to conflate on topic engagement with a narrative with personal feelings and overreaction?

Joan is a manager. You could sit Joan down in any business environment and once she got the lay of the land, she’d excel. Peggy has worked for a decade in a much narrower field. And she has more potential in advertising than Joan has. Joan needs this. Peggy doesn’t. Peggy *likes* the corporate structure.

God, she would not. There is a creative voice/vision thing that she could never fulfill in corporate videos, yeesh.

But that isn’t her field. Why would she leave her field?

There is a difference between saying “She is unconcerned with whether or not you find her attractive” and “She is unconcerned with the way she looks.”

I was just relieved that I felt like he was telling me, no dogs for Sansa.

Except for the recent biker series (I just can’t, I tried, I can’t) I’ve read everything she’s written, including her Meg Maguire stuff, which isn’t as good, for some reason.

Considering that Bryan Cogman reacted with horror when an interviewer asked if they were going to do to Sansa all that was done to Jeyne, I think we’re safe on that front, at least.

That was my initial reaction, but then I thought, did I really want to see Sansa’s face? And no, no I didn’t.

NA = New Adult, so teens or college age, but unlike YA, there is sex.

Man, is that ever BDSM done right. Responsible, can function as a primer on consent but does it totally organically, the BDSM is organic (ie no props, sets, or costumes required), it’s between normal people, and HE IS A SWITCH, which is the hottest. A switchy service top. Be still my heart. I hate MDom, I love tops.

I can see that. Tonally it feels older than it is, because of that aspect. I also think that while she doesn’t go TOO far with the “exoticism,” does actually use the word exotic to describe his...bone structure, I think. I doubt seriously anyone would make that mistake today, and this thing was only published in 2007.…

Kelly, there are so many people commenting in these threads about wanting to get into romance and wondering where to start...might you consider a series of “So You Want To Start Reading Romance” articles that include classics in various subgenres that modern readers will love like say Lord of Scoundrels and Bet Me,…

That’s a great point, about Alphas in romance much more usually ending up with other Alphas. Maybe not in the bad bitch in leather type, but I was rereading Mine Till Midnight today, since you know the Kleypas interview meant I had to reread all her stuff, and Cam is attracted to the fact that Amelia is the alpha of…

Yes, but the underlying narrative is what keeps them from separating from other men and actually being with women. The sense that they will get to do all these things without ACTUALLY liking girls or ACTUALLY enjoying their conversation or company means girl cooties haven’t really taken them over, which is what they…

This is so odd. He strikes me as only alpha when he steps in to take care of Lizzie's family at the end. Before that I thought it was fairly obvious he's *shy*, but not allowed to simply withdraw because of his social position, so he genuinely suffers through these occasions.

I think mine was “Dreaming of You,” which...talk about your seminal historicals. After Flowers from the Storm and Lord of Scoundrels, it really made me realize what could be accomplished in historical romance.

Yeah, my first thought was “Wow, a rich playboy with no sense of responsibility, what an unlikely Kleypas hero!”