Chick Lit Author Blog Hop 2012 - The Love Triangle

Even in Chick Lit, two-timing is practically a four letter word. But a love triangle, ah, now that's just good, juicy dessert for the brain! I believe my addiction to this concept started about a decade ago when I got hooked on the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. JE makes the love triangle a treat I simply can't deny myself (solidly team Ranger here). I've been giving a lot of thought to why I enjoy this scenario so much and have come to a startling conclusion. (Okay, it's not exactly earth shattering, but it's pretty good.) There is no such thing as the perfect man. Nope, he simply doesn't exist. There is only perfection in the eye of the beholder... hence, the love triangle.

When two men are fighting (knowingly, or more often, unknowingly) for the affection of a woman, it gives us a chance to reflect on not so much the ideal, but what we can live with for the rest of our lives. Do we want a strong, handsome brute who will drag us to his cave and have his way with us? (Yes, please). Or is that quiet, shy, cerebrally sexy nerd who woos us with emotions and depth the man we want? (Oh, yeah, a little of that, too).

So the love triangle gives us a glimpse into two distinctly different versions of maleness while challenging us with making a choice of what's really important. There has been much discussion lately over the phenomenon of 50 Shades of Grey (and, really, if you're looking for an adult fantasy read after Twilight, I'd personally recommend An Unexpected Obsession ;-) *end of shameless plug*) and the idea of mommy porn. I know, you're thinking, "What does this have to do with Chick Lit and Love Triangles?" I'm getting there...

A few fabulously snarky and dead-on commentators have pointed out that true mommy porn is watching your significant other *insert most despised chore here*. For me, it's the laundry. If my hubs would ever deign to do one load from start to finish I would surely be transported to a tantric state of wanting non-stop sex for the next decade. But I don't want to read about it.

Nix the true mommy porn and we're back to the delicious dis-dat-deli (I'll take a little bit of dis with a large side of dat). Great Chick Lit transports us into the life of the heroine and allows us to judge her choices and options from that lovely 30,000 foot viewpoint. (And, oh how I love to judge these fictional others from the privacy of my own snarky mind). What would we do in her shoes given our personal life experiences? (you know you have an opinion). If we had the chance, would we go back and risk forever with the bad boy who made our heart race as fast and loud as the engine on his Harley? Or, do we wish we would have forgone the dangerous path and chosen the slow and steady beau who made our heart pitter-patter with his talk of family and white picket fences?

Sometimes the choice isn't always so extreme, but the excitement and nail-biting of the decision still makes us fly through the pages to see what the outcome will be. Chick Lit is the wonderful outlet for these fantasies where our heroines don't need to have bodacious ta-tas and be able to cook a gourmet meal after working a twenty hour day at the law office where she makes a seven-figure salary and yet still caters to every whimsical fantasy of her man. Not just no, but HELL NO.

In Chick Lit we get to meet women who we relate to in fun, frustrating, quirky and fantastical ways - Where dating two (or more? hmmm) men isn't taboo but a necessary evil along the road to bliss. Hopefully the love triangle will never go away because reading about them is just too much fun!

So, how do you feel about a love triangle? Ever had the uncomfortable pleasure of experiencing one for yourself? In fiction, do you always root for the boy-next-door or the boy-your-mama-warned-you-about? Leave a comment below with your name and email address and you'll be entered to win a copy of my e-book, Flirting with Death, where Kayla is stuck between wanting the man her conscience tells her she should and the dangerous criminal her heart can't forget.

BOOK BLURB:

Is there a twelve-step program for recovering assassins?

Kayla McKenna is a covert assassin—and she likes it. After her father was murdered by terrorists, she was consumed by the need for retribution. But landing her dream job as a CIA assassin turns out to be merely a stepping stone in her plot to avenge the heartaches of the past... and present. One botched mission earns Kayla a burn notice, a bullet hole and a one-way ticket back to suburbia. Banished to her childhood stomping grounds with a meddling, shopping-addicted mother intent on grandkids, three overprotective cop brothers, a sexy criminal who can’t decide whether he wants to shoot her or date her, and a new boyfriend even her family loves, Kayla may finally get the chance to find out what really matters in life.

That is, if living a "normal" life doesn’t kill her first.

With a delicious combination of mystery, suspense, romance, edgy chick-lit, and a dash of paranormal, the first installment of the new Assassins Anonymous series is a wickedly fun treat.

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For a chance to win the Chick Lit Author Blog Hop Grand Prize of a $150 Sephora gift card, simply do the following:

1) Collect all 34 of the secret words (you will find a secret word in each of the blog posts on the hop.)  The word will be italicized, so it will be easy to locate.

2) Submit your list of 34 secret words to CLABlogHop@aol.com before midnight on Sunday, May 20th and you will be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing! 

The Grand Prize winner will be announced on Monday, May 21st, and the $150 Sephora gift card can be redeemed online, or at any Sephora store in the US.

*Chick Lit Author Blog Hop contests are open to residents of the United States only.
 Please see the top of the sidebar to the right of this post (beneath the Chick Lit Authors Blog Hop 2012 badge) for a Linky list with all 34 participating authors/blogs. You will have an opportunity to win a different e-book at each blog hop stop. Good luck and happy reading!