Two weeks until the release of NIGHT MAGIC! There’s a new review over at Fresh Fiction if you’re at all interested.

Now onto my question: How dark is too dark in romance? Even dark, edgy paranormal?

For me, dark works when it drives the emotional conflicts of the character. Dark backstory that tortures the hero or heroine works.  I love watching the hero end up protecting the very one he thinks he should harm or hate. That kind of dark works for me.

Killing off bad guys doesn’t bother me.

But if the hero is so tortured that he intentionally and cruelly physically  hurts the heroine , or people she cares about, that’s a little darker than I want to go. (NOT talking any kind of bondage etc. that the heroine agrees too).  No matter how the author redeems this character,  I’ve stopped believing in the romance.

So what to you all think?  Is there a line in romance where it’s just too dark for you?

My weekend was both bad, frustrating and good.

Friday, Wizard came home early and said, “Let’s go to the movies and dinner.” GOOD!

Halfway through the movies, my head was pounding viciously. BAD

By the time the move was over, I knew I sick. BAD

Wizard annoyed that I hadn’t told him sooner.  BAD

Not being able to do anything Saturday but sit around. FRUSTRATING! I had so many things I had wanted to do. I was feeling better, but not well enough to get anything done. REALLY FRUSTRATING!

Sunday, I felt much better and was thrilled to go to lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. GOOD

The same friend said I could not put our conversation on the blog. BUMMER! Because she was totally cracking me up.  (And I get “Don’t put this on your blog!” reaction a lot. LOLOL!)

Okay that was my weekend, how about yours? Good? Bad? Frustrating?

I always want to know what everyone is reading! As for me,  I’ve recently read:

Larissa Ione’s PLEASURE UNBOUND. That’s the first book in her Demonica Series. Naturally I read them out of of order and ended up reading the first one last. Why? Because that’s the way I roll, LOL! I really loved this one!

Then I read Jeaniene Frost’s THIS DIE OF THE GRAVE. These books I’m reading in order, I think. I love them all, but I don’t think this was the strongest in the series. But still totally worth reading! And one of the sex scenes caught me by surprise

After that I read Lorelei James’ LONG HARD RIDE the first in her Rough Rider Series. Caution: This book has hot sex outside of just hero and heroine. I’ve read one other of the Rough Rider books, BRANDED AS TROUBLE and am going back to the beginning of the series.

And next up is Kresley Cole’s DREAMS OF A DARK WARRIOR.

Okay, your turn! What are you reading!

Wow, it ‘s March 1st today! What happened to February? It’s like I blinked and an entire month is gone. Is it just me? Anyway…it’s so much fun when the reviews start to come in! Publisher’s Weekly says about NIGHT MAGIC:

Lyon continues the Wing Slayers series (Blood Magic, Soul Magic) with a strong installment sure to please returning readers. Ailish Donovan was tricked by her mother, Maeve, into being handfasted with a demon at age 16. Shunned by Circle Witches because of the “witch karma” that left her blind, Ailish channeled her anger into a kickboxing career. Two weeks before her 24th birthday, when she must complete the bonding, Ailish plans to break the handfast or die. Phoenix Torq, one of the Wing Slayer Hunters, might be able to help, but he can’t decide whether Ailish is good or evil. Meanwhile, Maeve and the demon Asmodeus resort to trickery, threats, and violence. Lyon peppers the love story with teasing humor and strong sexuality, though the beautiful imagery sometimes edges into purple territory. New readers face only a short learning curve and will finish the book enthused. (Apr.)

So that’s my good news for the day, what’s is your good news?