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I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Tea and Biscuits Book Discussion: Letting Go of Favorite Authors

by | Jan 30, 2017 | Tea and Biscuits Discussions | 31 comments

This can be a hard topic for some, and I know for myself I have the hardest time even thinking about letting go of a author I have come to adore in the past but for certain reasons can’t continue to read them. Now for me, this doesn’t happen very often. In fact it is quite rare for it to happen, but it does on occasion happen where an author I grew to love and adore I have either lost interest in, or their writing has changed in a way that I am not okay with. It is one of the hardest things a reader can do. But sometimes its a necessary evil. Also I think its important for us to all remember that our reading taste change as time goes on. For me, for the most part my reading taste have slightly changed but not like some others I know. For me my reading tastes have only grown and if anything I have become pickier in some ways and not so picky in other ways. But I do want to touch base with why it can be so hard to do this. As a reader and lover of books and authors I have so much admiration and respect for these talents that inspire and take us on adventures away from reality. But there are times, when authors let us down or disappoint us or they change the style of writing to accomadate a certain “audience”. I never judge why someone reads one author and why another reader does. We all are different and unique and i try to understand that our reading taste differs from others even the most popular ones. I know there are some that may think less of me for letting go of certain authors but I won’t apologize for it. I am who I am and I am proud and not ashamed of it. Below I have listed some of those authors that even though I have let go of them, I won’t forget them and never will I lose my respect or admiration for them, but what they currently write isn’t for me anymore and so I am forced to let them go.

Tessa Dare

Tessa Dare is a author I have loved for so many years, since her beginning books in 2009. I fell in love with her characters and her captivating writing and the way she detailed her settings that felt so real and made you just want to travel back in time to experience it yourself. And over the years I have admired how her writing has developed. Her Spindle Cove series is probably the most latest books that I loved about her work. But then her most recent series “Castles Ever After” I started to have my doubts about. The biggest sign was I started to slowly lose interest in her writing. Now not all books in this series I have struggled with. However I do think her writing has changed and with the combination of how I prefer a romance being written her style of light and fluffy romance just doesn’t do it for me. The last book I read from her When A Scot Ties The Knot was especially hard for me to read. I couldn’t connect with the story at all and it wasn’t like it was poorly written. I think it was more of a clash between what I prefer to read and what she wrote.

Jade Lee

Now Jade Lee was not as difficult to let go as some of the others but I do miss what her writing used to be. I have loved her earlier works so much but her more latest releases I have really really struggled with. The writing style just doesn’t do it for me any longer, and I have had the hardest time getting into her books. But I do recommend her back listed works.

H.P. Mallory

I think this is an author that I just simply lost interest in. I really liked her Jolie Wilkins series, but her others books I haven’t been too interested in and struggled with at times. So even though I had a fun time with her unique style, I don’t think I will pick her up anytime in the near future. Mostly because there are so many other books I would rather try out but I will keep an eye out for her.

Robin D. Owens

Now this was a tough author to not pick up anymore. I am not sure if its the style of the authors writing, or if its me…but lately I have struggled getting into her books. Her earlier books I really liked. It was different fun and unique. I loved the depth of her stories and her writing just captivated me at first. But the past couple of years I have struggled with her style now, and just can’t get into her books. Which is heartbreaking for me but sadly it is reality.

Karen Marie Moning

When I first read this author, I picked up her Highlander series (which I still LOVE so much) And I have so much love for that series. Simply amazing. However her UF books I am not so sure what I think of them. And I have lost some of my respect for this author over the past couple years. I don’t agree with her personal decisions pertaining to a certain narrator and scandal. But the biggest reason I let her go is because her Fever series just didn’t work for me. I liked parts of it, I mean she knows how to write world building. But I didn’t some of the characters and the way the series has developed. Her latest series just doesn’t work for me anymore.

 

Questions For My Readers

So what about you all? Have you ever given up on a old favorite author? Which Author and why?

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31 Comments

  1. Michele H

    Interesting topic. I completely understand your reasons and with SO many new books/authors out there, readers don’t have to endure writing they’re not fond of. I guess I don’t really tend to let go of authors but I do take time away from some and then pick them back up later. I get burned out if I read too much of one author at a time.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Thanks Michele. Sometimes I do get burned out if I read so much of one author at once too its why I like variety.

      Reply
  2. Sophia Rose

    I was sitting here trying to think of authors/series I’ve let go when I saw the title of your post and I know I have some. I don’t know if it counts since I only read one series and not all, but I stopped in the middle of a June Gray series, a Katie MacAlister series, and a Gerry Bartlett series. There are a ton that I tried a book or first of the series and it just didn’t click. None of these were bad writing or anything horrific, but it’s like you said, I wasn’t interested or I had moved on. There’s probably many more that I should have moved on and let loyalty guide me to give more chances.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      I can understand about Katie MacAlister, I used to read her all of the time. But then a few years ago I seemed to lose interest in her work. I think I have just put her on hold for a bit but I will probably return to her eventually. It really can be so hard to let go of authors right? I sometimes feel so guilty.

      Reply
  3. Sabrina

    I had to give up reading books by Linda Howard and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. All of the books from the last years by both authors no longer worked for me. I adore some of their older novels, but the romances in the latest ones no longer appeal to me. I will always treasure their older books, so at least I have that.

    Happy Reading!

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Thanks Sabrina!! I will have to pick up some of their older books first, I haven’t read either authors but have wanted to try them out. You will have to recommend some good ones!!! There is something about first works by authors right? I feel that sometimes they get influenced by publishers or what readers expect them to write. And I feel like years ago there was less pressure and they had more freedom to right what they loved. Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  4. AJ Sterkel

    Interesting post. My reading has changed a lot over the years. Iā€™m afraid to reread some of the books I loved as a kid because Iā€™m worried that Iā€™ll hate them.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Thanks hun. It is interesting to see how our reading taste change over the years right?

      Reply
  5. Anna@herding cats&burning soup

    I was the same on KMM. I couldn’t get past her support of that narrator. Lost a lot of respect for her. I actually just recently when down my blog index and marked the authors I no longer read/support. I was sad to see it’s actually grown to be quite a lengthy list. Usually because quality of writing declined but a number who have behaved badly and I just can’t read them anymore.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      oh yay!!! Someone who agrees with me on KMM. I struggled so badly with that issue, probably because where I grew up there was such a problem with a stigma against rape victims and I just can’t stand it. I do know she lost quite a few fans because of it. Including me. I definitely do think that how authors act play a big deal into it too.

      Reply
      • Anna@herding cats&burning soup

        No definitely not alone. It was the initial bit and then how she handled it when people questioned her over it. It was a huge turn off. I think I still have her on FB maybe but I don’t know that I could really enjoy her reads totally now. And so hard to recommend her earlier books. I love the Highlanders but now they feel a bit tainted.

        Reply
  6. Nick

    I haven’t had to let go of many authors, but CoHo is one of those that comes to mind first. I used to enjoy her books, but now they just frustrate me and I can’t help but be picky about the kinds of stories she chooses to tell. At the end of the day, I’ve decided that I just don’t like her as an author anymore nor do I like the things she has said on Facebook or Twitter, so letting go wasn’t all that hard. I’m a little sad (ok a lot) to see Tessa Dare on your list, but I can see where you are coming from. Hopefully, she will write a series that meshes more with you like her previous books did!
    Very interesting post!

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      It is really hard to let go of authors right Nick? It is so hard to do so. I think authors need to be careful especially with social media. I tend to lose my respect for certain authors that make certain choices that I just can’t support like KMM. Yeah it was pretty hard for me to let go of Tessa Dare especially since I am definitely not in the popularity vote on that one. hehe And I will always love her writing especially her first few series but I just don’t connect with her latest writing which saddens me but what can you do right? it happens. I do hope her writing will click with me in the future.

      Reply
  7. Lily B

    I actually really liked the Fever series, I didn’t read it all, other stuff got in the way. But I am not sure what happened with her and what the scandal was? Maybe I should look it up. I just discovered Dare and so far I like her, but I only read one book XD

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      I liked some parts of the Fever series but I struggled with certain aspects of how KMM wrote it. Its probably why I enjoyed her highlander series more. If you want to know about the scandal—it had to deal with her support of a narrator she used for the Fever series, he had admitted to raping a girl and KMM supported him and said some not so good things about the girl. And so I lost my respect for her last year I think is when it happened. I know she lost quite a few fans too because of it. I don’t hate her or anything, I do love her earlier books but I don’t plan on reading her anymore.

      Reply
  8. Quinn's Book Nook

    I understand what you mean. I’m sad to see that Tessa Dare doesn’t do it for you, but I understand. I loved Romancing the Duke by TD but the other books in the series weren’t my favorite. That said I LOVED Do You Want to Start a Scandal. I contemplated giving up JQ a few years ago. I just hated The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever so much. I didn’t read those two Dukes books because I was sure I wouldn’t like them. But then I did read What Happens in London, and thank goodness I did, because it is not an all time favorite.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Yeah I have been tempted to read Do You Want To Start A Scandal, but since I adored the Spindle Cove series I am just afraid it will ruin the series for me and I SO don’t want that to happen. I am picky about certain type of writing and I feel like she has gotten too fluffy and modern for HR (that is just my personal opinion, I am definitely not in the popular vote on that one, but its just what I prefer when reading HR but I understand why so many love her work now too. It just doesn’t work for me anymore and it breaks my heart since she was a auto buy author for me). I also have stopped with Julia Quinn as well. I really haven’t loved her since the Bridgerton series. I feel like after those books I started to slowly lose interest in her more recent books. It can be such a trial to be a reader sometimes especially when you feel the need to give up on a author you used to love.

      Reply
  9. LilyElement

    I think you did really well explaining these <3 I've had a few authors either change their writing style or I just grew out of liking that style.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Thank you hun. It wasn’t an easy topic that is for sure. It can be hard when you lose interest in a old favorite right?

      Reply
  10. Lola

    I have quite a few of those authors as well. Sometimes I made a conscious decision to stop reading their books, but most times I just sort lose enthusiasm for their books and forget about it. Or I have no urge to pick up the next book and then don’t pick any future. There are also authors from whom I read one book or one series and then never read them again. But like you said I often do keep fond memories of the books I did read. Like Jk Rowling for example, I loved Harry Potter, but never had any intention to pick up the books she wrote under a pen name. And JA Huss for example I really enjoyed the Rook and Ronin series, but after that her writing took a turn I wasn’t sure I liked and I stopped reading her books. I might get back to her books at some point, but at this time I don’t plan to.

    I only read Karen Marie Moning her Fever series and always thought the Highlander series sounded very different from that and I figure she probably must have slightly different audiences for both. I however stopped reading the series after Iced as I just lost interest. I have been reading some reviews of later books and so far I am content to just hear from others what happened, but I don’t plan to read them anytime soon if ever. And sometimes personal scandal can also put a damper on an author their books.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one Lola!! I hear ya about JK Rowling, I love her HP series. but get so nervous trying anything more she writes. The highlander series is more romance novel based. It has good world building but written more like PNR, happy endings and all that. The fever series is very different from it. Which may be why I struggled with it so much. I didn’t hate it, I read the first five books and I think what kept me with it was the world building. But I just lost interest and then the whole thing with her and the narrator scandal definitely put me off of her. But I do love her highlander series and always will. They were such a blast to read.

      Reply
  11. Carole's Random Life

    I have given up on authors before but I always seem to want to give them another chance. I love Karen Marie Moning’s highlander series but I also loved the fever series. The first 5 books in that series are books that I could read over and over. I have read them 3 times so far. Then Iced (the 6th book) happened. I haven’t read any more of them. I don’t want to read another bad book in this series. I agree that her behavior is another reason that I haven’t wanted to pick up her work.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      Oh I know. I always want to give them chances too, and maybe one day I will return to some of these authors but you never know. There are so many good books to read. Good to know you loved the highlander series as well. I liked that series more than the fever series. It just suited my interests more, although the world building in Fever was amazing. But her behavior last year has put me off. Just not something I am okay with. Glad someone else agrees too.

      Reply
  12. Adria @ Adria's Romance Review

    Awww yeah this is a hard thing to do. I actually do agree with you on Tessa Dare. I thought it was just me when I started the first book in the Castles Ever After series and it didn’t automatically sweep me off my feet. I just LOVED her Spindle Cover series and was expecting some kind of difficulty letting go. Glad to see I wasn’t the only one. I do recommend (If you haven’t already read it) DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL which is technically a Spindle Cove novel (Charlotte Highwood).

    I will say that I have a few authors on a list that I no longer read either due to their style changing or bad behavior but I don’t have that list right now and I can’t remember them off the top of my head.

    Reply
    • Lover Of Romance

      It really is such a trial right Adria? And can I just say I thought I was the only one that didn’t like Tessa dare’s writing anymore? So glad to see someone else that agrees. The Castle Ever After series was okay but I just lost my interest in her writing and it became too modern and fluffy for a HR, at least for me. I have been tempted to pick up Do You Want To Start A Scandal but kinda nervous it will be one I won’t like especially since I adore the spindle cove series so much.

      Reply
      • Adria @ Adria's Romance Review

        I wanted to try again with the Castles Ever After series as part of a challenge but I started the second book and nope, put it down after about 30% so that’s not going to work. Do You Want to Start a Scandal was definitely better. I’m hopeful about her new series though, I’m being optimistic since every author has a series that isn’t as awesome as others. If you do get to read the last Spindle Cove book I’ll be on the look out for your review to see what you thought!

        Reply
  13. Wickedly Delicious

    Yes breaking up with an author is the worst feeling for me. I have been broken up with one author for a few years. But I still kept all her pb books I just could not part with them. I kept them just in case she would win me back. This way I would still have my original cherished copies. Most of them have been rereads for me and have been through all my ups and downs. They were definitely my comfort reads. Author has not won me back and needed to really clean out my stuff. Last year I finally got rid of them. It was hard at first but shortly after I did feel less clutter. It does help on fire I can borrow from library.

    Reply
  14. Zeee @ I Heart Romance & YA

    I absolutely agree! Kudos to you for sharing a list of your previous favorite authors…I wrote a post about author interactions on social media and it is loosely related to this post.

    I have given up on Sarah MacLean and Jess Michaels (she used to write under Jenna Petersen). Sarah MacLean because her new series just didn’t capture my interest. Jess Michaels because her writing style has changed A LOT. She writes erotica now and although I like some of her books, lately it was too formulaic and very repetitive.

    Reply
  15. Blodeuedd

    Sadly it happens šŸ™ Mostly I have felt it with different series lately

    Reply
  16. Karen

    I used to have a really hard time with this but honestly, I have too much to read so it’s getting easier. I don’t even plan on letting go entirely as much as I put their books on the back burner then forget to buy or read them after awhile.

    I’ll give one or two books a pass but if I’m just buying out of loyalty and not for enjoyment I move on now.

    Karen @For What It’s Worth

    Reply
  17. Lola

    I have had this happen a few times, where one of my favorite author changed things or I somehow lost interest in their writing. There are also some authors who were among my favorites and while I might pick their books up now or am not really against their books, they also aren’t my favorite anymore. It’s kinda sad when that happens. And often when I read a book i don’t enjoy as much from an author whose previous books I really enjoyed I am less enthusiastic to pick up their next book and become more hesitant. I also feel that my reading tastes sometimes change over the year and what’s why some authors don’t work as well for me anymore. Or like you said when an author’s writing goes in a different direction that doesn’t work as well for you.

    Reply

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