Torn between two lovers, yawn.

[pbray]

Being sick over the weekend paid off a dividend as I finished Wraith by Phaedra Weldon. Which I thoroughly enjoyed, right up until the ending.

Part of the book's appeal for me was that the heroine had a single love interest. It's now a cliche in urban fantasy that the heroine is torn between at least two competing love/sex interests, usually one tied to the paranormal world and the other part of her mundane existence. Sometimes it's a good boy/bad boy split, other times they are both equally worthy (or flawed).

I tried to think of a recent urban fantasy with a female protagonist that didn't fit this pattern and came up blank. Can anyone else come up with one?

ETA: libwitch for the win by being the first to come up with an example and reminding me of suricattus's Retrievers series.

Comments

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

well, I think Patricia Briggs character in her series (the shapechanger) is torn between two Supers, neither really better then the other....

And then of course there is Anita Blake, who apparently is no longer torn between anyone, because she simply sleeps with them all anyway.

Ummmm....Viki Petersons Zodiac series - no real love backstory there at all. And there is the Retreivers series, where she is quite solidly with one guy (Sergei)....And the Kitty series, who is very much with Billy, a werewolf/lawyer.

I think I need to stop reading from this genre.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

*head thunk* I totally forgot about suricattus's Retrievers series. You rule.

[lagilman]

she does, indeed. :-)

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

My god, I think I am going to have create a new customs friends group - authors. Cuz this one is going on my friends list.

You can't try to keep them all straight - I only do it because I keep three journals of books (here, goodreads.com, and a written one). You have to write them too! I don't do that at least.

And now I know your new series won't contain a love triangle...

[pbray.livejournal.com]

The only triangle will be means, motive & opportunity :-)

[rhonawestbrook.livejournal.com]

I am writing one right now!

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Because you are a cool person who thinks outside the box!

[jlawrenceperry.livejournal.com]

You neglected to tell us what "right up until the ending" means. It implies the ending sucked.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I thought the ending was rushed, and didn't care for the romantic/sexual complication at the end. But I liked the book enough that I'll give the sequel a try.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Mine! :) ABADDON (http://www.cerridwenpress.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=9781419911224) features a female protagonist with a life partner and a male best friend, but there is no romance between her and her friend whatsoever. Love triangles are fun to an extent, but should not be the sole purpose for the story, particularly in urban fantasy.

(The first book in the series, NOCTURNAL URGES, did fit this pattern, but the second is more of a political thriller and star-crossed romance without the triangle aspect.)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Cool, sounds interesting.

[lagilman]

well, um, mine?

(Wren and Sergei have problems, but they're committed to each other and to working it out, book one to series end...)

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Well yes, because I am a complete moron. I even have BRING IT ON sitting right on my coffee table.

P.S. I edited the original post to include a reference to the Retrievers. You'll be pleased to note that the first commenter on this thread (a bookseller, no less) also mentioned your series.

[lagilman]

heh. I wish I had more suggestions to make, but I find it hard to read the same genre I'm writing in...

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I'm that way too--if not-so-secret project sells, I'll be back to reading epic fantasy again :-)

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

I don't think Jo's got a real paranormal-side interest in the Walker Papers...

[pbray.livejournal.com]

I was probably thinking of COYOTE DREAMS when I wrote the post, where you had Joanne dealing with her feelings for her boss Michael while being involved with Mark. But overall in the series, it's definitely a case of Joanne having potential romantic interests, rather than the stereotypical love triangle.

[kelly-swails.livejournal.com]

All I can think of off the top of my head is Kelley Armstrong's books. I haven't read them all, but I'm pretty sure Bitten and Industrial Magic didn't have any of that triangle nonsense. The angst is more internal conflict and less "Oh, gee, whomever will I choose?"

[pbray.livejournal.com]

You know I bought the first book of hers and never read it. Is it worth digging out of the stack?

[kelly-swails.livejournal.com]

I dunno. I've only read the two. I know I really liked Bitten. It had a lot of identity angst and cool werewolf-y stuff. I'd say give it a shot.

[mistri.livejournal.com]

eeep, I think I am somewhat guilty of doing this in my current wip. Perhaps it isn't too late to change it...

Though at the moment the paranormalish one is merely a good friend and that's all he's intended to be. But because of this cliche you mention, I think people will perceive it differently.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

It's a very successful cliche that works well for many authors. So it's not necessarily a bad thing, just something to be aware of.

When I'm writing I love to take genre cliches, shake them up, twist them sideways and then use them in ways that will surprise the reader.

[kelly-swails.livejournal.com]

I think people will perceive it differently

Ah, but you can't worry about that. If you try to bend your story to how people will interpret it, you'll never win. You're not a mind reader, you're a writer. Don't try to be both. :)

[difrancis.livejournal.com]

Jeaniene Frost's Halfway to the Grave? I think. Dog Days by John Levitt.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I'll have to take a look at Halfway to the Grave.

DOG DAYS is inching forward to the top of the stack, and I'm looking forward to it simply because it's a male protagonist, as a change of pace.

[libwitch.livejournal.com]

Dog Days is cute.....I posted a review up in my journal about it - you can use the Good Readds link in my sidebar at the bottom to find it.

And that reminds me of some other series, both with male leads -- one is still newer....Unshapely Things by Mark De Franco (I think), but only one book out so far.

The Dresden Files books of course. Dresden can't keep a love interest for any length of time, much less capable of getting a triangle going.

And the series by Rob Thurman (Moonlight or Moonshine was the first one) - one brother has a vampire love interest, but no triangle; and the second brother has a love interest that is not quite off the ground.

But, yeah all male protagonists - I wonder if that is why there isn't a triangle?

[(Anonymous)]

I don't recall that many triangles with male protags, so I think the cliche is on the female protag side of the fence.

And thanks for the Dog Days review--that book is definitely going in the read on plane stack.

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Err that was me.