No one likes to find out their significant other has cheated
on them. Trust me, if you haven't been in the situation yourself, there aren't
many to rival it for sheer emotion. And for readers of romance, discovering the
character you've been falling for over the last so many pages has cheated or
been cheated on can be almost as emotional. You may have screamed, shouted, or
even thrown the book across the room when that happens and rightly so. Even if
the whole thing gets resolved, it's still a rotten thing for the author to do
to you!
But as a writer, I understand there are many variations of
cheating, not all of them when one main character cheats on the other. I even
used one of them in my upcoming release Hostile Takeover. So, I was pretty
worried that readers might immediately shun my book (and me) for including an instance
of cheating. So, I decided to see what readers thought in general about the
topic. I even did a poll. (Vote or just see the results).
The takeaway was that most readers didn't have a black and
white view of the issue. They all understood and even accepted some cheating
scenarios—in principal at least. It seems it's okay if one MC cheats on a
girlfriend in a gay romance, or if one MC cheats on his current lover with the
other MC before they start their own relationship. Very few readers said they
would never read a book with cheating, but nearly all commented that a lot of
it had to do with how the cheating was resolved. Personally, I'll accept a lot
if it's written well and there are no magic solutions. The cheater needs to
learn a lesson and change or I can't believe he won't do it again.
But what if cheating helped bring the two main characters
together—and not in the usual way? What
if one guy sees the other in an--ahem--intimate situation with someone other
than the current partner, and knows that relationship is doomed, and it might
be a way to win over his former flame? That's about the way it happens in
Hostile Takeover, my novel that’s coming out from Dreamspinner on Friday. Mathias
Tobler believes in love and romance and happily ever after, but when he finds
out he's being cheated on, everything he's been telling himself about that
relationship turn out to be lies. So he lashes out and cheats in retaliation, to
help him cope with the fact his current relationship has failed and he hadn't
realized it. Enter former lover Chase
Richards who thought he'd lost Mathias forever. He sees what Mathias is up to
and understands why. And while Mathias feels enormous guilt over his bad
behavior, Chase realizes Mathias might just be available again, giving him an
opportunity to win him back.
What are your thoughts on cheating? Can you believe it could
get two characters back together?
Comment for a chance to win a copy of Hostile Takeover!
Years ago, Chase Richards and Mathias Tobler fell in love
while training for the US Olympic fencing team. Afterward, they even attended
the same business school so they could be together. Then Chase left Mathias
alone and heartbroken in Italy. But all of that is ancient history by the time
Chase thunders back into Mathias’s safe, settled life with a business deal.There’s no way Mathias is going to do business with Chase. He spent nine years picking up the pieces and has moved on in life—and love. But Chase won’t give up without a fight: he concocts a scheme to manipulate the market and take over the Tobler family business. If Mathias wants to save it, he’ll have to face off against Chase over crossed sabers.
Chase has a reputation as an unscrupulous corporate raider, but the Tobler business holds little interest for him. In reality, he wants Mathias. Chase must win him back—by any means necessary—before Mathias gives his heart to someone else. But how does a cold-blooded corporate raider convince the man he loves that his heart really isn’t made of stone?
And here's a long (full chapter) excerpt to whet your appetite if the amazing Anne Cain cover hasn't already done that!
EM Lynley writes gay romance for Dreamspinner Press, Silver Publishing and more. Check out her website or visit her on Facebook
1 comment:
Great question, great post and I agree, it's devastating when it happens in real life. Hafta quickly add, that marriage is history :). No wonder I write romance!
How I react to reading cheating in a romance depends on how its used in the plot. I love the setup you just wrote - absolutely, this man is now available, and you've thrown in the titillation of some voyeurism to spice things up, as well. Sounds yummy.
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