I enjoy the web site smartbitchestrashybooks.com, so when I heard they had a book out I picked it up. Beyond Heaving Bosoms, by Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan is the result. It's the same tone and information as the blogs, with a bit more structure and historical perspective. They talk about what makes a romance, who reads them (a lot of people), the changes over the years (less rape, more varied sex), and why they like them.
I'm a late convert to romance books; like many people I thought they were all the same and anyway they were dumb. Then I found some I liked, so now it's one of the genres I read, and yes, many of them are dumb, but I also read SF and fantasy and chick lit and kidlit, so since when has that kept me out of a genre? The blog is fun and amusing, and so was the book. I liked the attitude that romances are fun to read, and that there are good ones and bad ones, but the message did get a bit repetitive. Still, I picked up some good author recommendations, so it was time well spent. B+.
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