A few months ago I began searching out novels that fall into the "Clean" Romance arena. If I'm going to write it, I should be studying the work of those other author's who are successful. A good friend of mine suggested I look up one of her favorite authors, Marcia Lyn McClure.
She told me all sorts of fun facts about McClure. Her sexy husban is one of the models for her books. She always has a hot, shirtless leading man, and she is known as "The Queen of Kissing."
My friend and I have briefly discussed McClure before but she'd never given me specific books to read. Last month she sent me a whole list that were on sale for 50 % off.
I was a bit reluctant to go find her work just because I don't enjoy a lot of traditional romance and McClure writes Historical, Western, and Regency. I started with Desert Fire, a story about a young woman found in the desert outside of Cortez, Colorado half dead. When her gorgeous rescuer takes her home to have his mother fix her up, the young woman discovers she doesn't remember anything about her past life including her name.
As bits and pieces of her memory come back to her, she also finds herself falling in love with her handsome...and yes shirtless rescuer.
Some of the reviews of McClure warned me about problems I may have with the story, so I started a little hesitant.
My over-critical authors mind often finds problems with the books I read because I use them as reminders of what I should not do as a writer myself. During the first chapter of Desert Fire, I found myself falling into that pattern. My girlfriend and I even discussed the book after I finished it and I could tell her what the minor issues were. The difference was...
I did not care. Marcia Lyn McClure is a fabulous story-teller. Her characters are fun, sexy, funny and fabulous. Her heroines are all very similar but her hunky, half naked heroes are so great to read about, you just don't care.
Her stories are sweet, romantic, CLEAN, and make you feel like falling in love with a cowboy when you're done.
I have gotten a hold of three more of her romances, all of them about the men in the family of the hunk in Desert Fire. I would buy more for my Kindle, but I have to feed my kids and she has more than 40 romances in her collection. I'm trying to pace myself allowing only a few every month or so, but I honestly get to the point where I just want to spend an afternoon with one of her leading men to perk up my day.
These novels aren't going to move you to tears, inspire you to write your own memoir, or leave you a more well read person. They will make you believe in the tender sweetness of love, make you want to go make-out with your husband or boyfriend, and leave you feeling happier about love and life by the end.
To find Marcia Lyn McClure go to her website marcialynmcclure.com or you can go to goodreads, smashwords, amazon.com, and on her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/marcia.l.mcclure
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Traci, if it's clean romance you want, check out Debbie Macomber. Her characters are more down-to-earth and fully clothed. There may be some kissing, but that's it. Most of her books are available from Bookshare and NLS as well as in print and other eBook formats. Happy reading.
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