Dear Carly Phillips

I felt as if it was a trashy romance novel kind of weekend seeing as I was piled ankle deep in snow. But I am not typically a trashy romance reading kind of girl, and since I have read a few of your novels before, I decided you were a good starting point.

Now, I do think you are a decent writer and you tell a steamy story. And you are on the NYT best seller list and you have many books so you are obviously successful at what you do. I know how hard it can be to get published in the first place, let alone get multiple books, and here you are in double digits. And you appeal to a mass audience as well and that's awesome for you. But along those same lines, all those mass appeal stories are kinda the same story. You really like the trio, and I get why, it continues a story arc and gets you multiple books. Shrewd business woman, that you are. But well, there are a few overlying trends that I am having a hard time with from my recent readings. Such as:

• That almost everyone found their one and only (o&o) true love at 17.
• That there is a o&o true love either.
• That no one moves on or lets go. Ever.
• That the same love of your life breaks up with you at 17 to save their heart or their partners heart. Have you ever met a benevolent 17 year old? Especially when it comes to sex?
• Oh and that at those same 17 year olds who are so in love have lots of amazing sex. Because being good in bed takes practice. Lots of it. If they are good, they are slutty.
  
• And then 10-15 years later after no one has moved on, those o&o 17 year olds, now older and wiser and much more open to a fair partnership, reunite and have super hot makeup/missed-you-soooo-much sex, the past hurt and pain is forgotten and everyone lives happily ever after.
• Along those lines, while I'm glad that you always make your character use and strongly advocate protection, I don't believe that only one time without it will get you instantly pregnant. Also, your women are often on the pill, which is 99% effective if taken properly. Make your heroines better at their birth control or less fertile.
• I do not believe two people can fall mutually in love with each other in a week or less. In the stories where your characters are not reunited o&o and are complete strangers at first, they always, always fall in love in a ridiculously short amount of time.
  
• The word use of her mound and his length. I'm a big girl, as are many of your readers. I can take a dirtier word here and there. And as someone who has been in some passionate positions herself, I have used much dirtier words and I was not thinking nearly as clearly or emotionally at the time as your characters do in the same situation.
• In Hot Zone series, it's mentioned Annabelle has a baby girl named Sydney. When she returns from maternity leave in the 3rd book, Sophie asked how her nephew is doing and Annabelle responds with he's at his grandparents. Then at the end of the book, they have a daughter again. I can't believe no one caught this in your arsenal of editors before the book was printed. That just bugged me, though I admit I like the Hot Zone series the best out of all the stuff I've read.
  
• And that everyone is so freaking good looking. But then, they are your characters and I wouldn't want to write a sexy novel about an ugo either. So this one, I'll just say those are my insecurities talking.

However, despite all my finger pointing, you are the one with the book deals, and I am the reader. And I will continue to read your novels on occasion. So pretty much, I'm the asshole here. Sorry 'bout that. Carry on!