Should I break up with romantic suspense, or give it another chance?

So, I’ve been wondering lately if it’s time to call it quits with romantic suspense. You know, have the standard “it’s not you, it’s me” conversation and go our separate ways. It’s a tough decision because we’ve had some good times, romantic suspense and I. And there’s no denying that Cynthia Eden, Shannon K. Butcher, Kaylea Cross, and Katie Reus—just to name a few—are masters who’ve provided me with hours and hours of sexy, alpha book boyfriends, feisty heroines, and scary, sicko serial killers worthy of their own guest spots on Criminal Minds. But for every great romantic suspense I’ve read from the masters, I’ve read five more that featured crap that just irked the bejesus out of me. Stuff like:

• Women who have sicko serial killers after them, but who run off on their own at the first opportunity without bothering to tell the heroes who are supposed to be protecting them, only to get captured by said sicko serial killers. I call this Bella Swan-itis and I have ZERO patience for it. Ladies, if you have a sicko serial killer after you, DON’T GO OUT BY YOURSELF. If you do, you deserve your fate and I thank you for doing your part to control the world population of stupid people. (No need to waste precious resources on such dumbasses, right?)

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• Heroines who have sicko serial killers after them, but who refuse police/FBI/bodyguard protection because they can take care of themselves, damn it. (Only they can’t and they don’t. But they stomp their feet and pout about it a lot.)

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• Heroes and heroines who stop in the middle of a desperate fight for their lives to have sex. Just...why? ​

• Villains who are cartoonishly evil and have no reasons for their actions. I prefer my villains to have interesting back stories (maybe they had a horrific childhood, or a past history of mental illness) and for the author to let me know a thing or two about their motivations, thank you very much.

• Basically any of the TSTL behaviors found on this list.

• Dead dogs. I don’t know why, but in romantic suspense, I’ve seen way too many instances where dogs were killed. There’s not ever a good reason for a dog to die in a romance novel, in my opinion. Show me how terrible the bad guy is in another way and leave the dogs alone.

• Pages and pages of inner monologue about how hot the hero/heroine is while they are literally running for their lives. If someone is shooting at me, take my word for it when I say that I don’t give a CRAP how hot anyone is. Hugh Jackman could be standing next to me at that point, and all I’d be thinking about is how NOT to get shot. (Sorry, Hugh. You’re awesome, though. Seriously. Call me!)

• Heroes that are played up to be the biggest badasses of all time, trained in every known form of combat, schooled in all manner of badassery. I’m sorry, but this feels like lazy writing to me. Everyone has a vulnerability or two. No one knows everything. As a reader, I don’t want to read about one-dimensional characters. I want to know about the hero’s vulnerabilities in a romance. It makes him more “real” to me and lets me relate to him more as a character. ​

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With all that in mind, what do y’all think? Should I break off my relationship with romantic suspense once and for all...or should I give it another chance? Let me know what you think. I can use all the help I can get to make this decision.

And while we’re on the subject, what about you? Ever considered breaking up with a genre or category? Leave a comment or drop us a line. Seriously, let’s talk.

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​Some of the BEST romantic suspense keepers