Play Dirty...Agnes and the Hitman...Writing Romance

I just finished Play Dirty by Sandra Brown and Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. I also read the recent edition (3rd) of Writing Romance by Vanessa Grant. That puts me at 89 more books to go...

I enjoyed Play Dirty although its not Sandra's best. The plot is a bit far fetched. Griff has some significant flaws, but you still find yourself rooting for him. Laura is harder to like. She's a bit stiff and cold. It doesn't have that unexpected twist that you find in many of Sandra's books, but its good read for a quiet afternoon.

Agnes and the Hitman was a fun read. I love Jennifer Crusie's quirky characters and the unexpected crazy things that happen to them. Bob Mayer adds his own dry humor and military background to the book. If you liked Don't Look Down, you'll like Agnes and the Hitman.

There are many books on writing a romance and most cover the same sorts of things. Writing Romance is no different but it did present some concepts in a different way that has helped me in my writing. She has a section on point of view, but goes beyond defining to discuss things like when to change POV. The book also offers a bonus cd with two ebooks that are used as examples in the book, audio seminars, templates she uses to help organize and edit her work, and Internet resources.