The romance in the Outlander series isn't the typical romance and there is a large cast of characters (occasionally too large) but it can be interesting at times. And occasionally it's a bit over the top, but it's good story telling.

I read the first two one right after another, and then never picked up the next one -- I think I read them too close together. I keep meaning to pick them up - I just haven't.

Ok, and I thought I'd crossed rather a personal border when I was planning to buy Dominic West's coffee cup at his moving-out-of-Balmer sale.(He ended up going back to London without doing it, so I'm not sure if I'd give in to "OMG, he touched it!!1" or not), but if I were a teen and someone wanted my clothes, I'd think they were going to tie me up in throw me in their van. But then, as now, I was a procedural junkie, so maybe every young miss would not be thinking this.

I got to the 3rd or 4th Outlander book, and the way it ended (with Jamie making sweeping assumptions of an insane kind, such that the daughter's fiance ended up kidnapped and tortured by Indians) was such a farrago of hamhanded plotting and Stupiditis that I put it down and decided not to read any more of them.

They're possessed of more sex than expected in a standard historical novel, but they do have a lot of historical plot (even if some of the plot is Stupid Plot).

Yeah, but 'Suela, you'd be amazed at how many diehard romance fans were willing to forgive that because that's

"just how Jamie is... so ALPHA. He's protecting his people."

Ptooey.

Ptooey, indeed, Barb. Life is too short for Stupid Books.

Yeah, but Roger has some great scenes where he evens the score a bit.

I did mention I'm Roger's bitch, right?

You did. But since I stopped reading them, I guess I'll never know. ::shrugs::

Instead I'm rereading the Morgaine novels this weekend. Comfort reading, which is funny, because like most Cherryh, they're full of angst and exhaustion.

OooOOo, Cherryh.

I'm still of the firm opinion that Merchanters' Luck is a sort of sister to Firefly. I didn't read that book, I absorbed it. It's written exactly the way I think. My husband hated it, he couldn't stand the shorthanded language.

And the Russalka books, and the Chanur books, and the Faded Sun books, and, and, and. Angst and exhaustion, yes, but you know that going in. And so worth it.

I haven't read Merchanter's Luck in probably decades. I don't even have a copy anymore, which is a shame. I recall it being one of her more accessible introductions to the Alliance/Union universe.

And now: Oh noes! Poor Vanye has just been captured by the bad guys! (Again. He gets captured a lot.) And now he's all "Woe I must live because if Morgaine is dead I must continue the Quest. So no noble suicide-by-bad-guy for me!" (He does this a lot too.)

If you like the Morgaine books, Barb, there was a simply awesome novella written for Yuletide a few years ago, set after the last Morgaine book. It's all horses and interpersonal drama, with some great explosions and fight scenes, too.