Good Authors Gone Bad

I hate when good authors go bad.

When I find an author I like, I buy every book he/she has ever written. Some authors can write and write and their written world becomes more elaborate, richer. (Sherrilyn Kenyon) Other authors write a few books and then one day you realize that they're writing the same book over and over. (Karen Robards) Some authors write wonderful novels in a particular genre and then, for some reason, switch and send their work plummeting (Catherine Coulter's Wizard's Daughter). Still other authors write better and better until they reach a peak and then consistently turn out books that are, quite frankly, disappointing. I keep buying their books, hoping that they'll get over their slump.

Such is the case with Sandra Hill.

She's one of my romance authors. (And I realize that admitting I read romance is the literary equivalent to admitting I watch The Real Housewives of Orange County.) The first book I bought by her was entitled The Very Virile Viking. (Do not let your estimation of my intelligence diminish.) I had just finished reading a very well written, very, very depressing Anita Shreve novel and wanted something that would make me laugh. The title says it all. It was a funny little romp incorporating time travel, Vikings and vineyards...how much better does it get? I laughed and giggled my way through the book and immediately bought every one of her novels. All were great - some a bit more serious, but mostly just good fun. Then she started her Viking SEALS series.

The first one was okay...a little more obvious with the humor, but not unreadable. Each subsequent book got a little more silly, a little more cliche and tried so hard to be funny that they became annoying. Her little ventures into the hero's thought process started off as a good idea until the reader began to realize that the heroes were shallow and one dimensional. I kept buying, hoping she'd redeem herself. The last book I bought had potential. It dealt with the death of a spouse, the loss of a child and yet...her characters' grief was token, their healing process glossed over. The "danger" factor didn't have me sitting on the edge of the seat...rather it made me yawn, glance to see how many more pages I had left and wonder if I should even finish. *sigh*

I hate when good authors go bad.