So here is my question for readers. How do you feel about scenes revisiting characters from previous books in a series? Particularly if their story may not be completely finished. Or do you resent any time spent away from the main characters of the current book?
The Sweet Series, for me, has been a continuing story of a group of friends. All of them, even though each story features a new hero and heroine. In these books while each set of characters achieve their happily ever after, things are not always perfect. That’s not the point of this series. It’s about two people who love each other and are committed to working out their issues and problems because they want to stay together and have a life together. The series isn’t about perfect people who once they make their declaration of love, they have perfect lives forevermore and ride off into the sunset.
Faith and Gray, who kicked off the series, have been featured in each of the subsequent books and they still have obstacles to overcome, but they love each other and so they work it out. Damon and Serena had a tumultous relationship and their happily ever after wasn’t quite complete at the end of their book although they loved each other and were very committed to doing whatever it took to make their relationship work.
With each book, the relationships progress and I’ve had a lot of fun showing that progression. But how do readers feel about it?
I’ve been thinking about this because I’m currently working on Sweet Possession, and last night I wrote an emotional scene between Micah and Angelina, the hero and heroine from Sweet Temptation. For those of you who’ve read Sweet Temptation, you know that these two had a very volatile, passionate relationship and that it got off to a rocky start.
So I’m wondering if you as a reader are interested in seeing scenes that further Micah and Angelina’s relationship in a book that isn’t their own. They certainly aren’t the focus of Sweet Possession, but as this is a series about a very tight knit group of friends, it only makes sense that you see them in each of the books.
I agree with everyone else…..you get attached and want to hear how they are doing. Can’t wait to read more about Micah and Angelina..especially about the sweet baby :)
i loved micah and angeline so i would love to hear more about them…
I think it is kind of a good thing because you are always thinking about the other characters in the book and you wonder what has happened to them at least I do . So thank you for doing that!!
I love it as I always wonder what happened next especially when it isn’t a perfect HEA..
I would love to hear more about the other couples. It is almost like a movie in your head if you can understand that. I love this series anyway.
Well yeah I wanna hear more about the other characters. Just because they are living the HEA doesn’t mean I don’t love them anymore. ;)
So enjoy the continued connections between all the couples from the previous books. The continuity gives each succeeding book a richer history. Please keep adding more to each previous couple as you build on the next couples lives. Love the series.
I love connected stories. I like how we get a glimpse of their life after their story is told, especially, as you’ve said, they are such a close group of friends.
I always loved revisiting characters from other books. I think it’s great that you show that the happily ever after takes some work. It’s not all sunshine and roses.
And it’s always fun to see them again, since you can’t always do a full follow up with all the characters, it’s a great bonus to see them again in other books.
Valerie
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One of my most favorite things in this series is that you do revisit the previous couples. I agree…just because they have fallen in love and decided to be together doesn’t mean their story is complete. I absolutely love hearing about all the couples even though the focus is on a new couple. Thanks for a great series!
~Leagh
I love the fact you keep adding depth to each person in this series.Keep adding because it makes the characters more like part of a family.Can’t wait for Connor’s story.
I love to revisit earlier characters with them as secondary characters. That is the whole reason I read a series. You get to know the people, and then you get the “and then what happened??” in every new book. :)
I enjoy when previous characters make an appearance…I always like to know how things are going for them ( like there real ;) haha ) when I get to the end of the book I don’t want it to end.
I love revisiting old characters! Readers bond with them just like the authors do when creating them. They become a part of your fantasy/reader world. I’m a huge fan of re-introducing them; it creates a familiarity while reading a new book with new characters.
Have a fabulous day!! T.
I always loved the continuation of characters in subsequent novels. One of my favorite series is the Black Dagger Brotherhood, which, after 8 different novels, is becoming one long continuous story. Which is, is it not, what you actually want in a great story…for it to never end. You become invested in the characters and their situations and it becomes a more enjoyable read!
i love reading about the old characters from the other books.
For me, when I become invested in the characters, I always LOVE going back to them and knowing what has happened in their lives since their story. Kids, wedding, new house, new adventures, etc. They become a sort of family. One of the reasons I loved JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood so much is that you continually read about the past characters and what is going on with their lives. For me, hearing about all of the characters keeps me coming back to a series.
One of the things I love the most about book series is the fact that we get to revisit other characters from the previous books. I like to know hoe their doing and what’s been going on in their lives since I finished their stories. I mean if previous characters aren’t revisited then when make them a series…they should just be individual books. So in closing yes please revisit old characters.
OK I absolutely love it when, in a series of books, any previous character/characters are mentioned in another, giving me an insight to either what happened to them after their story was told or a peek into what their story will be about in a future book..:)
I love, love, love hearing about all of the past couples. It makes there stories never ending.
Personally I enjoy touching base with favorite characters from previous books. Its great to see how they are progressing … kind of like following along with them even though the current story is basically about someone else. It was great to see how Faith and Gray ended up getting married and worked through their first blow up. Also seeing how Serena realized here relationship with Damon was so much more intense when she worked past here “time-limit” constraints. It actually adds to the story and keeps everyone in touch.
Maya, I know that have had this converison before and I have made this comment, but you bringing back the previous people who have had their own books is this series is what I love about it so much. Someone mentioned seeing a bit of Angelina in this one and it would make sense; Conner befreiended her. I makes sense. I am hoping that we get to see what everyone is up too in Sweet Possession. That is one of the real fun things about this series. Everyone blends together so well and they all are a part of each others lives. I love it!! Hope that we also see lots of Cole too!
Maya!! For sure!! I love to revisit old characters. To be honest, its one of the biggest draws for me when I’m reading a series. I get invested in ALL the characters and I NEED to hear about how they are doing. I love how intertwined they are. For me, its kind of a ‘must’. In the case of Micah and Angelina, I am glad to hear more is coming. They came together pretty quickly in the end; quite beautifully and emotionally. But I definitely want to hear more about them and how they are doing.
I enjoying catching up with old friends from previous stories. I don’t think it takes anything away from the H/H of the story. Like in Sweet Temptation I really like when Nathan and Julie go back to her place and you see how much they love each other. I can’t put it into words but I loved it. Plus you see like real people they have relationships that aren’t perfect, but with love they work on it and through it. So I say keep it coming I enjoy it very much.
Rachel
I would love to hear about former characters! I’ve read all your books and love the characters! I don’t feel that it takes anything away from the new story line… if anything, it only enhances it. Real life relationships aren’t perfect, so why should your characters be any different? Keep writing good stories with good characters and I’ll keep reading!!
One of the reasons I love the Sweet series so much is for that very reason. I love to see how everyone is doing, and I feel like I’m catching up with some good friends. When Faith thought Gray was cheating on her, and when Serena finally realized she wanted to marry Damon, I was just as hooked as when I read their original stories. Life keeps going after the HEA, and I love to get the updates!
I think the other characters add something extra, perhaps dimension, to the world you are giving us a sneak peak into. All the characters and their interactions are extension of what you are trying to draw us into. It makes it more like life and in some cases just as messy. I love to see snippets of what is happening with characters who have already had their HEA. Just like the previews we get of characters yet to have their HEA. I want to know them and revisiting them feels like catching up with old friends. I am glad you love your books since I do too.
I’ve always loved hearing about old characters. Like someone said you become attached to them and want to make sure they’re still doing alright..lol
i love the stories all being tired together. i think its great to hear how other couples are doing and whats going on in their lives, i dont believe it takes away from the current story im reading at all.
I haven’t finished reading the Sweet series yet, but I always enjoy revisiting characters. Especially if I enjoy a series and the characters. I want to know what they’re up to. I think a for series where there are a group of characters that are close, it makes the story better, having the characters reappearing.
I’d love to read more about all the characters in the series!!!!
I love seeing previous characters show up.. Its what holds a series together for me.. a family in a sorts.. Like in real..friends travel with you in life…
This is actually one of the reasons I love the Sweet series. Sydney Croft has done the same thing in their ACRO series and I love it when authors do that. One of the reasons I like reading series is to see continuations of the stories of the original characters. But usually it’s just a mention here or there or maybe a brief interaction. I think it adds so much more depth to the story when an author acutally interjects sections from previous characters and threads them in to the new story, like you’ve been doing in the Sweet stories. It also keeps the readers more invested in the series. Please keep it going!
I love ALL the charactors of the “Sweet” series. The fact that they all continue on to the next book is a major part of the appeal. Serena and Damon are my favorites but still love hearing about Julie & Nathan, Grey & Faith, now Micah and Angel. Cant wait to see who Conner and Cole end up with. . . btw do we get to see Julie and Nathans wedding too??
Yes, we want you to revisit previous couples. Connected books are a favorite of mine. I like to see how characters progress. I truly enjoy your books and the characters are awesome. I always read the previously released books again right before I buy the new one so I can get in sync with the characters. You are doing a great job! Thanks for introducing me to new concepts in erotic/suspenseful romance. Can’t wait for your new series as well.
I think that all of the characters are an integral part of each story. While they may not focus on past characters they support the stories and like other comments I agree that as a reader I like to catch up with the other characters and follow the progression of their relationships. I have enjoyed more than my share of your books and especially the different series books it always gives you something to look forward to.
I LOVE when authors bring back characters from previous books in a series. It makes me feel as if they are real and we are seeing there lives continue on with there trial and tribulations to make relationships work.
So, please continue and no I don’t resent it taking from the main characters of the story. I always feels it adds layers to the story and the peoples live that are entwined with present and past characters. That’s one of the reasons I tend to buy more series book, I like the continuation of the story and the characters lives as they enfold.
When I a reading a series I can’t wait to here how the past characters are doing. I really fall in love with the characters and hate to see them go. So it doesn’t take away from the present story when information about them is added. Actually it is really annoying when authors don’t let you know how the earlier characters are doing. I really hope you continue letting us know how the earlier characters relationships are progressing.
Visiting Old Characters – Yes, please.
Gives me a feeling of satisfaction. Always like to keep up with the older characters, especially Micah and Damon; very complex relationships, issues yet to be resolved.
Beside this subject? Cole’s story, please. Crossing fingers.
yes mary I agree with you I would love to read coles story!!!
I love love to hear about past characters…. I fall in love with them and it is good to catch up with them in the stories… I love Damon, Micah,all the characters…
I love when they bring other characters back in the current story. OH my Nathan and Julie…soo love them and now Cole is going to get a chick…can’t wait….
I love it. It makes a series more interconnected for me. I find sudden POV shifts, i.e. hero or heroine for most of the book and then suddenly a new POV out of the blue in the last third, very jarring. I do think it’s more effective when the secondary characters get more than one scene and they are spaced throughout the book if they are to have their own POV. Otherwise I like to hear about them relative to the main characters sticking with the hero or heroine’s POV.
I personally love it when I get to see what’s going on with my favorite characters from past books. It makes the whole series more real as well as the characters when you can see what is happening now.
I love when stories are connected and you revisit the character from other stories…sometimes you feel the story maybe needs a little bit more and a page or two in the next book does not hurt to it in only adds.
I have just discovered your books a couple weeks ago and have now downloaded and read 13 of them on my Nook in just a couple weeks. I love the Sweet series so much that I just finished Sweet Temptation and had to find out if you were doing a book for Conner and Cole. I’m so glad I found out your are. My favorite books are ones that are series that the previous couples show back up in. Thanks for continuing to do it and you are now my FAVORITE AUTHOR. Now off to start at the beginning of the KGI Series :)
I agree that as a reader I like to read updates about characters from previous books, as long as it is an update, I don’t care to spend several chapters rehashing their story. I think that when writer’s do this it is meant for those people who have not read the previous books in a series, but if you give a short reminder of their story and an update, or just an update then the reader is likely to go back and look for the book/s they missed. An update doesn’t really have to be short – I just don’t like half my book to be a story I have already read. That said though updates on characters from previous stories are great – kind of like seeing what your old friends are up to now!
I absolutely love hearing about the characters of previous books; considering the hard time Micah gave Angelina he deserves being kept on his toes;-))
I agree with others, Michah and Angelina is my favorite story. I love seeing old characters again to see how they are doing. Keep on bringing old characters back
OMG I LOVE LOVE THIS SERIES!! I could spend all day reading about these characters. I wish you’d write another 6 books about them! Please Please DO!!
I LOVE how you wrote the SWEET series!! I wish more people wrote like you do. Im happy to hear from the other characters in the other books. I have read all of the series twice and when I get into them I feel like I am right there with them. When you add something from the other characters in the book it just shows how they all are growing and changing. It makes them more human! Please write more books like this where you still get to hear from the characters that you already fell in love with and continue with ones that you want to learn more about!!!