Is A Happy Ending Too Much To Ask For?

Isn’t it strange and wonderful how a book can suck you in? I love reading a good book. The type of book that leaves you pondering it after you’ve put it down, if you can put it down at all. One that makes you laugh, out loud, no matter where you are. The kind that makes you sneak one more page of reading in when your boss isn’t looking. Or stay up into the wee hours of the morning. You know you’ll suffer the next day, but you just can’t stop yourself. I think that no one can deny the addiction reading can become. And if you do deny it, you’re neither fooling, nor kidding anyone but yourself. I can say this with such conviction because I’m currently a member of LAA (Literary Addicts Anonymous). Remember kids, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. But I didn’t gather my thoughts together today to talk about that.

I am, in no way, some fantastic literary genius. I’m simply a simple person who enjoys reading. However, there is one itty, bitty, tiny little thing that gets under my skin. I just hate it when an author goes against my wishes. I mean, who do they think they are when they take my perfect happiness and crush it with written acts of death, destruction, and disappointments. Okay, fine, call me a romantic. Is that so wrong? Am I the only one who likes to read to escape the awful, sad things of the real world? While I have read some really wonderful, heart-wrenching books, I still prefer action-packed, humorous, Sci-Fi, scary, fantasy, mystery fictions. With just a touch of romance thrown in. And while I may be a romantic, I am not a sugary-sweet paperback romance person either. So I ask again, is it so wrong?

Specifically, my beef is with a book series I’ve been reading. Good books so far. A little too much cursing going on maybe, but I can over look that, filter it out so to speak, because the story is intriguing enough. I think you’ll agree:

Books 1-3 Girl is in danger for unknown reasons. Yea! Finds lost love in process of escape. Yea! Girl dies. Crap. Sort of. Huh? So Girl loses new-found lost love. Crap. Girl finds a way around this problem. Yea! Only to discover he isn’t the person he used to be. Crap. Oh, and catches him in the act of cheating. In public. With her nemesis. That stupid piece of crap. It is okay though, she has a new love interest. Yea! The flirting is there. The good tension is there. Yea! He is someone who understands the danger she is in. Yea! A guy who is strong, smart, GOOD. Double yea! Things don’t work out. She still loves Cheater. Girl hurts and alienates Good Guy. Crap. Relationship with Cheater is considered, by boss, to be distracting her from her work. Her destiny. Duh. Cheater’s memories of her after her “death” will be removed. Huh, that works. Now Girl has neither Good Guy, nor Cheater. She is alone. Double crap.

Pretty good stuff. The next book in the series was patiently awaited for. I was lucky to have just met my future fiancé, so the time until the release date flew by. In fact, the book was already out when I thought about it again and immediately secured my copy from the library. Now here is where things get a little hairy:

Book 4 Danger is still very high. Yea! Things are tense. I bet. Good Guy and Girl still have to work together. Exciting! Then, Girl realizes that she misses, needs, loves Good Guy. Very exciting! Tells Good Guy that she was wrong. Apologizes. Loving this! Good Guy hesitates. Crap. He has been hurt. Oh crap. Needs time. Crap. Crap. Crap. Decides he wants to work it out. Yes! Is probably in love with her. Oh yes! Girl and Good Guy are together. Yes! Yes! Yes! Good Guy betrays Girl. Wait. What? Good Guy is married. Hold on a minute. He is actually a murder. What the…? Girl helps Good Guy escape death. Enter another world. To be with his wife. No! Girl’s boss thinks Good Guy is distracting her from her work. Her destiny. Good grief! Boss locks the portal so that Girl can neither enter the other world, nor can Good Guy get back. #@%* Girl dies. Again. Ugh! Sort of. **Sigh**

Thus ends book four. I tell myself that I will not read the next book. And there will be a next book. I think it is designed to be a 12 book series. Which, under other circumstances, I might be happy about. Just think of all the ways she could bring Girl and Good Guy together again! No. Get a hold of yourself. Repeat after me: I will not count the days until release. I will not stalk the author’s website to see what progress has been made. I will not send hate email, because I really, REALLY liked Good Guy. I will not.

Good thing I have the LAA hotline on speed dial