The question in my mind would be, would you even notice if, after 20 books, Eve had cooked the steaks and lit the candles 18 times while Roarke had only done it twice? And that’s a genuine question, not a snark.

I think in these particular books, the way the personal relationship is written, that yes, you would notice if Eve had been the one cooking the steaks and not Roarke.

Mostly because they are both damaged people who have no reference for good, intimate relationships; they are fumbling their way through. So each personal scene between them has impact on the series. There is not a lot of sex and romance and mushy stuff in each book – maybe 2-3 scenes per, so it shows who is doing for who.

I will agree to disagree and put away my irritation with the name thing. I guess for me, it is just not an issue to point out that you have said my name incorrectly, every single time. Though I have been known to purposly ignore someone who does it consistantly especially when I know that they know better.

The question in my mind would be, would you even notice if, after 20 books, Eve had cooked the steaks and lit the candles 18 times while Roarke had only done it twice? And that’s a genuine question, not a snark.

But at what point in a relationship do you just smile graciously and accept that in certain situations (such as a social obligation for Roarke’s company) you will be called by your partner’s name and just move on, without needing to correct the other person?

RfP – I don’t think that this series was ever intended to be a romance; it was always intended to be romantic suspense. Given that Nora Roberts used a pen name so as to have them published away from her romance persona, I think that is a given.

I think my point about Eve becoming stagnant has more to do with her personal relationship with Roarke. I want to see her make an effort to make the marriage a partnership, rather than Roarke doing the majority of the work. I don’t think her cop persona should change, I just want to see a softening in her attitude towards the wifey parts of marriage and a relationship. I personally think it would make her a more well rounded character, if we the readers were given the opportunity to see more than one aspect of her personality. I am not sure the character as written will ever mold herself into a traditional societal role as “wife” – I wouldn’t want her too. Part of Eve’s appeal is the struggle she has to reconcile having people who care about her in her life and learning how to deal with them.

if someone mistakenly refers to her as Mrs. Roarke, she gets very defensive and corrects them.

When I see a woman react to a minor gaffe about a name, I generally assume she’s had some bad experiences. There are people who deliberately use the wrong name to put a woman on the defensive or indicate disapproval.

I see growth in Roarke, I see growth in Peabody and in McNabb, but Eve seems to be a bit stagnant. I would like to see a softer side, a more traditional side to her more often especially as it pertains to Roarke.

I agree that Eve seems a bit static, but IMO so does the entire relationship at this point. The series is truly not romance now, but a light mystery series involving a well-established couple. They’re not like Ann Maxwell’s Fiona and Fiddler, who break up and reconcile multiple times during the series. In a stable Eve/Roarke situation, I’m not sure whether, as Jessica said, “there is a way for Eve to grow that does NOT involve turning her into every other heroine?”

It bothers me to think that “growth” means toward a “more traditional” role. Perhaps it’s inevitable that since Eve is cast as a non-”traditional” woman, the reader wants a tonic resolution in which Eve is fully reconciled with self and society. I just don’t like the thought that she has to reconcile primarily with societal expectations rather than with self.

I think there are at least two parts to this.

(1) Most people aren’t very pleased when someone gets their name wrong. If you’re called Lissa, and someone decided to address you as Elizabeth, wouldn’t it bother you a little? It certainly makes me feel a bit strange when someone calls me Lara instead of Laura. Being called by the wrong surname is similar. Being called by a name that isn’t your own feels odd.

(2) When it comes to surnames, it tends to be the wife who’s assumed to have taken the husband’s name, and not the other way around. There are certain gender issues involved in the taking of the name, or in someone else imposing a husband’s surname on a wife who hasn’t taken her husband’s surname.

I’d guess that Eve takes someone addressing her by her husband’s surname as an indication that the person calling her that (a) hasn’t taken the time to find out what her real name is or (b) hasn’t got the courtesy to call her by her real name.

Jessica – I think it is really just a matter of Eve showing more care towards Roarke, more aknowledgement of his needs and feelings within the marriage. In the 20 books I have re-read, she has only taken the time to set up a romantic dinner or get away twice – while Roarke does it countless times. Even the sex scenes (which I don’t need much at this point in the series) seem to be more about Roarke doing to Eve, than both of them doing each other. (Sorry about the wording, I was trying to get the point across without being crude). The relationship just seems to be a bit one sided.

I don’t remember noticing this the first time I read the series, but then again, I read them as they came out, not all at once. I really like the series and think that Ms. Roberts has done a wonderful job with it. I tend to not read series that are more than 3 books since I think they tend to get lost after that – but this one stays fresh and interesting. I think for me the reason for that is because of the small number of core characters. When a series gets long and new couples/characters are introduced in each book, I get lost and forget who is whom and who they belong too/with. With this one, the core couple reads realistically (with a few minor flaws) to me and the secondary characters are interesting and add to the story as a whole.

All in all, I would recommend the series to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense.

Well, if she didn’t change her name when she got married (I don’t know if she did or not, as I haven’t read the series), I can imagine it would be irritating for her to be called by a name that isn’t hers.

I guess my point is that reading the books back to back over an extended period points out how one-dimensional Eve is at times. I see growth in Roarke, I see growth in Peabody and in McNabb, but Eve seems to be a bit stagnant. I would like to see a softer side, a more traditional side to her more often especially as it pertains to Roarke.

Lissa, I know that Tessa is aware of this concern, which many readers share with you. She mentioned it during the Q&A.

I wonder if there is a way for Eve to grow that does NOT involve turning her into every other heroine?

Mostly it has to do with her lack of “wifely” feelings towards Roarke. I get that in the beginning this was not her comfort zone. I get that this is not an area of her life that she has knowledge of, or feels adequate in. I understand that and it reads as true to me. What has been bothering me mostly is her lack of effort. These are not areas that are in Roarke’s comfort zone either (not the wifely part – but the domestic/caring parts) but he makes an effort. He makes an effort to change his schedule so that she doesn’t sleep alone as often, he makes an effort to see that she eats and sleeps as needed, he makes an effort to see that she has gloves, or a coat. Eve does none of that.

In the beginning it played well – it made sense. But after nearly two years together the fact that she hasn’t learned to make the effort and in fact does everything she can to get out of playing the role of “Roarke’s Wife” when he asks her too doesn’t look good on her part. It shows a lack of respect for his work, for what he does. The continued digs such as “go buy another planet” show a lack of respect for the fact that he has built this huge company that employs thousands of people and provides income and food for thousands of families.

I understand that her work is hard and not on a schedule, but the longer I read the series, the more it seems she is using it as a crutch rather than making the effort to be the wife that Roarke deserves.

As a whole, I like the series. I like the writing. I like that it reads as one continual story, but that each book is whole in and of itself. I like the small cast of core characters, who grow and change and come together as a kind of family as the story progresses. I like that Eve is not magically healed of her childhood because Roarke loves her – that all plays true for me. What I am finding to be lacking is her growth as a woman, as a wife. Even her instance on not being called “Mrs. Roarke” is troubling to me at times. Sure while she is on a case, it should be Lt. Dallas, but if someone refers to her as Mrs. Roarke otherwise, why is that something to be upset about?

I guess my point is that reading the books back to back over an extended period points out how one-dimensional Eve is at times. I see growth in Roarke, I see growth in Peabody and in McNabb, but Eve seems to be a bit stagnant. I would like to see a softer side, a more traditional side to her more often especially as it pertains to Roarke.