So...I'm trying something new, which could be a huge mistake, but that's kind of the point of it anyway, so...IDK. We'll see how it goes.
Anyone who's read any of my "What I'm Reading" posts over on my Oberon blog (https://oberoncalifornia.blogspot.com/) knows that I'm a picky and opinionated reader. I get bugged by stupid little things--All. The. Time--while I'm reading. Which is why I'm generally perfectly okay with people reacting in similar fashion to one of my books.
I mean, sure I'd prefer everyone to love everything I write--who wouldn't? But that's not practical or possible or worth getting even slightly upset about. In fact, I get such a kick out of bad reviews that I once spent an entire week-long conference trying to convince other authors to let me tape them reading and reacting to their bad reviews.
Sadly, this did not come to pass. But I got a review this week that's really made me want to revive this idea--at least on my own. So, here goes...
The review was for Going to the Chapel which is a light and fluffy follow up story to Waiting for the Big One (which is also light and fluffy and about as low-angst as it's possible for me to be).
The main complaint had to do with Derek (the hero of both stories) having made mention of his ex (Claire) only days before his wedding to Gabby.
"I don't want to hear about how your most recent ex was "a freak between the sheets," especially when you're about to get married in a few days? Just not into that at all, sorry."
No need to be sorry, random reviewer. It's a perfectly valid point of view. The number of things that I'm "not into" while reading would fill several books.
HOWEVER, the reviewer does go on to say that she hadn't read their book and might feel different if she had--and obviously I think she's right! I think she'd feel entirely differently. lol! BUT in a perfect world, the book I REALLY wish she'd read is Let Me Count the Ways, which is Claire's book.
Claire and Derek have the most adorable relationship with each other. They're friends who no longer enjoy each other's benefits but they're so caring and sweetly protective of each other that their scenes together come close to stealing the show.
IMO YMMV
Gabby is not at all threatened by their relationship. Mike (Claire's beau) OTOH, is maybe a little tiny bit jealous of Derek. Not that he has any need to be. Because that's one of the nice things about Derek and Claire. They're intensely loyal. They have excellent boundaries.
Also, neither of them are suffering from amnesia (that's a plotline for another story in the series!) so of course they can still remember having had sex with each other. It was good. They enjoyed it. And neither of them is ashamed of it.
This is what Derek actually says/thinks (in the midst of a conversation with his brother--who's questioning why they're suddenly getting married):
"I still don't understand. Why the rush? Why now? You two have only been together, what? Three months?"
"We've only been dating for three months. But that's just because we were both with other people when we met. If things had been otherwise, we'd've been together for a lot longer than that."
"Uh-huh. Let me guess. Neither of you are cheaters, so nothing was ever gonna happen while there were other people involved. Is that it?"
"Exactly. That's how come I started calling her Gabe instead of Gabby. She was driving me crazy. I needed some way to remind myself that we weren't a couple, that we could only ever be friends."
Wyatt nodded thoughtfully. "I'd wondered. It seemed strange that you were the only one to call her that."
What I didn't tell him, what I'd never told anyone, was that it had become something else now, the name only I ever use for her. I'm pretty sure she has no idea that when I call her Gabe what I'm really saying is, I love you.
I shook my head, remembering. "It's kind of ironic. We became such good friends that, in the end, it took me months to coax her back out of the friend zone once we were both free. She didn't want to risk losing what we had." I hadn't wanted to lose it either, but I always knew we could be more. "Once we finally made the leap from friends to lovers, I guess I figured we’d already wasted enough time. Why wait any longer?"
"So, you're saying it's like that movie with Billy Crystal. Now that you've found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start now?"
"When Harry Met Sally? Yeah, pretty much." What I didn't say—though I really wanted to—was, "you've actually seen that film?" I'd have bet anything that Wyatt was strictly an action movie type of guy. Maybe he saw it on a date?
"And you swear it's got nothing to do with how pretty she is?"
"I wouldn't say it had nothing to do with it. I'm not blind. But c'mon, you know what it’s like in LA. There are beautiful women all over the place."
My last girlfriend had been a movie star. Claire Calhoun is stunning, one of the nicest people you could ever meet, and enough of a freak between the sheets to keep just about anyone satisfied. Not that Wyatt needed to know that.
"Gabby's gorgeous," I said. "But that's not why I love her. It's just... It's just her."
It was everything about her. Her heart, her mind, her soul. I still can’t explain it, but I’m happier when I’m with her than I am when I’m not. If we were really going to start quoting movie lines at each other, I'd have gone with Jerry McGuire, and said 'she completes me' but that would have been weird.
"Well, okay, then. It's your funeral."
I fixed him with a stern look. "So, you promise you're not here to cause any trouble, or to try and talk me into backing out? You're not gonna stand up in the middle of the ceremony and say, 'I object'?"
"You really think I'd pull a dick move like that?"
"If you thought I was making a mistake? I dunno. Maybe? You've done crazier things."
And this is Claire and Derek (from Let Me Count the Ways) right after Derek interrupts an argument that Claire was having with Mike:
“Claire?” Derek’s voice penetrated my thoughts.
I glanced up at him. “Hmm?”
“I said, are you all right?”
I nodded. “I think so. Maybe.” I’d overreacted. I could see that now. Flicked on the raw, I’d jumped to conclusions. Stupid. I’d been stupid. “It was just a little misunderstanding.”
“It sounded like it was a little more than that,” Derek answered dryly.
“Not really.” I shrugged. “People argue, Derek. They get upset. They say things they don’t mean.”
“We didn’t.”
“No,” I agreed. “We didn’t.” Not like that. Then again, what would we have argued about? I glanced at the clock on the wall. “I thought you had a class?”
Derek nodded. “I do. But they can wait.”
I stared at him, almost speechless with surprise. “They can what?”
He shrugged. “It’s not gonna kill them to warm up for a few extra minutes. If you need to talk, they can wait.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at the gesture. “But you should get down there. I just need to figure a few things out, that’s all.”
“Well, that’s for certain,” he said as he got to his feet. He glanced at the briefcase Mike had forgotten. “Want me to take that downstairs, leave it at the front desk?”
“No, that’s okay,” I said quickly, laying a hand on the worn leather.
Derek shook his head in disapproval. “All right. If you say so.”
“Thanks,” I repeated, continuing to smile until the door closed behind him.
My hand absently stroked the leather briefcase. Mike’s voice and the anguish in his eyes haunted me.
Why me, Claire? Was there anything about me that attracted you?
How did you answer a question like that? Why would he even ask it? I slid the case closer, turning it ‘til I could grip the handle. I imagined Mike’s hand clenched here, holding it just so... as though I could somehow intuit what he’d been thinking.
A few minutes later, a burst of applause from the studio below drew my attention. I got up and glanced through the glass. Derek was on the floor doing push-ups. One handed. While a bevy of leotard-clad women looked on, cheering and counting. It wasn’t hard to imagine what that was all about. He always exacted a penalty for lateness. No doubt his students had decided to do the same to him.
I suppose I should have felt just slightly guilty about that, but I didn’t. A couple dozen extra push-ups wouldn’t do him any harm. In fact, he was probably enjoying himself.
“Show off,” I muttered affectionately, watching until, his penance completed, he jumped to his feet. He wasn’t even out of breath.
Anyway that's it. End rant. Now I'm going to have to brainstorm having Claire show up for a cameo in the Gabby-and-Derek Christmas story that I have in the works. Hmm....
You can find links to all the books in the series here:
https://www.pgforte.com/la-love-stories
