Since I'm also an author, I read other author's blogs regularly, and I read on one that Laurell Hamilton was commenting that when she goes to the UK to promote her books, they complain that she has too much violence in them. But when she comes back to the US, she gets complaints that she puts too much sex into the books. She commented that it says more about what the countries are about, than about her books. She's right about that. And I'm the last person to say there's too much sex--in anything! My books are steamy, some would say erotic. But they're character-driven, and there's a story, along with people growing and changing together, to make a monogamous HEA by the end of the story.
I really used to enjoy Hamilton's books, because Anita Black was such a kick-ass heroine. She's a necromancer, so she can raise the dead. In the beginning, that's her job. Like if someone dies without a will, she can raise them, question them, then lay them back into the ground when the survivors have what they need. Oh, and she also fights demons and other paranormal characters.
But first she gets seduced by the ruling vampire in her city--I think by the 3rd book? They're hot together, and it's all good. Then another book or so later, she gets seduced by the local Pack leader, of the werewolves. Okay. An uneasy love-triangle, but she manages to make it work--for a while. Then every book after that brought her not just new demons to slay, but new males to lay. And somehow along the way, she "absorbs" an ancient female entity (a succubus?) that can never have enough sex. So now she has to have 5-6 males in bed with her at any given moment, or she doesn't really feel satiated. I joked to my husband that she must have the world's largest bed, in order to fit her, 5-6 males, and an emu, so that she can be satisfied. Sheesh! (I made up the emu part, unless that's been added since I stopped reading the books.)
See, I'm not really into the whole 1 woman, multiple men idea. I know a lot of authors and readers really are. But I raised 3 sons, and they wouldn't even share their toys when they were kids. Only one is married, but he'd NEVER share his wife with his brothers! And speaking as a woman, I'd be hard put to decide who to hurt first, if my husband ever cheated on me--him or her? Probably both!
The last book my husband gifted me with in the series, I scanned--all right, I was looking for the naughty bits! But what I found was the pack leader guy apologizing to Anita because he's so very huge, that no human females can accommodate him, because he rips them to shreds. That's why he's happy he can have Anita, because her paranormal status makes her more "durable." Then he proceeds to pleasure them both, in the most violent of ways.
I closed the book and said, "That's it." I told my husband to stop buying them for me, and I have no idea what's become of the series since then. But I have no interest in finding out. If I want a shot of Hamilton, I'll reread the first few books--maybe up to the 8th or 9th. But doing that will depress me, because I know the way it's heading. So I haven't done that for many years.
So that's my sad story. What about you? Have you ever stopped reading a series? Why?
To find out what other authors think, head to
www.longandshortreviews.com/miscellaneous-musings/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-for-april-29-2020/