Sexy/Dangerous, by Beverly Jenkins
Dr. Adam Gary is the sexy African-American inventor of a fuel cell that will revolutionize the world by producing its own energy. (Is that even physically possible?) But when South African white racists attack him and try to steal his prototype, he needs protection. Enter Maxine “Max” Blake, tall and gorgeous, ex-cop, ex-Marine, current bodyguard, accompanied by her beloved rottweilers. Too bad Adam has a post-traumatic dog phobia!
This plot description is so completely up my alley that I’m sad that I didn’t actually like the book. Jenkins’ prose wavers between flat and terrible, the characters are more collections of attractive traits than believable people (and at times hilariously Mary Sue/Marty Stu), and the pacing is uneven.
I tried a different book by Jenkins, Wild Sweet Love, a while back. It also had a great premise - an African-American former outlaw starts a new life in the Wild West- but though the prose was significantly better, the story failed to grab me after a killer prologue.
Click to see on Amazon: Sexy/Dangerous
Wild Sweet Love
Jenkins seems to be not for me, but does anyone have recommendations for other African-American romance writers? I know there are many out there and I’ve looked at some websites, but the websites haven’t been that useful in terms of helping me find writers I like.
My romance likes: Tough women. Nice men. Action and adventure. A sense of humor. Totally insane elements, like mermen, time-travelers, shapeshifters, angels, psychic detective agencies, etc. Anything that could remotely be considered out of the sexual mainstream. If the main characters are of color, I’m interested in historicals; if the main characters are white, this is a neutral rather than a plus.
My romance dislikes: Anything that could conceivably be marketed as chick lit. Passive women. Domineering men. Babies.
Note: I am specifically looking for African-American authors here. If you want to give me a rec for other romance authors, click my romance tag and you'll find several general rec posts. Read the comments first to avoid duplication!
This plot description is so completely up my alley that I’m sad that I didn’t actually like the book. Jenkins’ prose wavers between flat and terrible, the characters are more collections of attractive traits than believable people (and at times hilariously Mary Sue/Marty Stu), and the pacing is uneven.
I tried a different book by Jenkins, Wild Sweet Love, a while back. It also had a great premise - an African-American former outlaw starts a new life in the Wild West- but though the prose was significantly better, the story failed to grab me after a killer prologue.
Click to see on Amazon: Sexy/Dangerous
Wild Sweet Love
Jenkins seems to be not for me, but does anyone have recommendations for other African-American romance writers? I know there are many out there and I’ve looked at some websites, but the websites haven’t been that useful in terms of helping me find writers I like.
My romance likes: Tough women. Nice men. Action and adventure. A sense of humor. Totally insane elements, like mermen, time-travelers, shapeshifters, angels, psychic detective agencies, etc. Anything that could remotely be considered out of the sexual mainstream. If the main characters are of color, I’m interested in historicals; if the main characters are white, this is a neutral rather than a plus.
My romance dislikes: Anything that could conceivably be marketed as chick lit. Passive women. Domineering men. Babies.
Note: I am specifically looking for African-American authors here. If you want to give me a rec for other romance authors, click my romance tag and you'll find several general rec posts. Read the comments first to avoid duplication!