Seriously? Sometimes they're same sex - all men or all women - and sometimes it's one person of one and the rest of the other. I have actually yet to see any with a bunch of women and one man, generally it's one woman and a ton of menfolks. Now take this for what it's worth, but in my opinion, one woman and seven men means a whole lot of slutting going on. How does this begin to be justified as romance? I do not understand.
It's in human nature to pair off, so a trio becomes awkward when that pairing occurs. I guess that with four, you can at least break off into two couples, but hell, why not have two monogamous couples, then, why the back and forth?
I don't believe that men, by their very nature, are willing to share one woman. I can see it more in a m/m relationship, because with some men it is nothing more than sex, and while they are faithful in their own way to their partners as far as their hearts are concerned, their dicks are allowed to roam cause it really doesn't mean anything. For example, Brian and Justin in Queer as Folk. They both do other people, sometimes in front of one another. But these others mean nothing, it is Brian and Justin who ultimately matter.
I don't see it, and I don't get it. This isn't romance. This is how many people and positions can I throw into a book, so I don't have the same two people doing all the pounding. That is not romance. Romance is passion and love and trust and fidelity. And when you're doing a whole slew of other people, where is that? Not to mention, sometimes these others are brothers! WTF? Do you seriously see brothers as being willing to share someone they allegedly care about?
I just don't get it. And I don't read it. I like my couples to be couples - in twos. Whether m/m or m/f. If you have an argument for more, feel free to fire away, but I don't guarantee that I'll ever be convinced.
Moving on....
Last night I went to my instant netflix queue for entertainment, and I ended up watching two disparate pieces of cinema. The first was a documentary on child killer/cannibal Albert Fish. It was very interesting, and I learned much about the man, who looked to be a harmless little old grandfather, but nothing could have been further from the truth. We'll never know how many children he did kill and/or torture. He was caught when he sent a letter to the mother of victim Grace Budd. The things he did were unbelievable, so watch this knowing that parts of it may make your squirm. There is nothing visually graphic, but the discussion does delve into uncomfortable realms. That being said, I found it interesting.
I'll probably talk Monday about the cooking stuff I'm watching, such as Master Chef, Next Network Food Star, and also the new Flipping Out.
As always, feel free to comment, ask questions, or simply say hi! I'd love to hear from you!
♥ Julie
I laughed out loud as I read the first part of your post. I have wondered the same thing about menage. And, it's not just in romance novels. I have seen it on tv and in movies and even in some (gasp) literature and mystery books. I think the two brother sharing is kind of icky. I figure, if two people are going to be aroused and naked it's because, at least in part, they want to be with each other. As far as other menages go, I think there is a part of the population that do live that way. I can't imagine two men sharing, you know, because of fist fights and all. But, it does happen. There are actually a couple of books that I really enjoyed and the menage made sense to me. First, was Rough, Raw and Ready by Lorelei James. Second, Laid Bare by Lauren Dane. I didn't even know it was a menage when I started reading it. I liked these stories because the characters actually discussed what they were thinking about doing. And there were consequences! I am not trying to change your mind just give you a couple of examples. Oh and Hi! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi Jen! Thanks for stopping by, I found your comments interesting and insightful! Have a great weekend! Don't forget to come back tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting to read the opinion of someone who doesn't like to read menages. I love them, but I'm very picky. I hate menages where two people love one person, why would you want to share? Search on for someone for yourself. What I do like, are menages where everybody loves eachother, I have to understand why they want to be with more than two, why everyone fits in the relationship. A story that really impressed me in that area is Joey W Hill with Vampire Mistress and Vampire Trinity. I understood why it was three, not two. I hate stories in which I don't understand that. The charm is...I can't name it exactly.. It's the interesting dynamics when it works, the trust. I do understand your comment about should it be four, five or more together? I think it CAN be written that I understand why all should be together, but to be honest, untill now I only read it with the idea it was for the sex or the originality of the different partners.
ReplyDeleteJust my opinion, but menages belong in the erotica section, not with the romances. I understand different strokes for different folks, and I believe that what you like to read isn't necessarily what you like to do. But I still feel that once you get past two, someone is going to be shortchanged somewhere along the line.
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