Why Should They Fall In Love?

Hello Lovelies,

So I may or may not have mentioned this, but I've already got the basics of the next two "How to" books roughly outlined. The books will be part of a series I plan on calling OWLS Inc. How To Kill Your Immortal will be book one in this series. I'm currently working on beefing up the story line of Jasmine and Dante. I've been cleaning up some clunky paragraphs and trying to make the dialogue as un-wasteful as possible. While doing this I've found myself adding some more dialogue here or there as well as some additional narrative. This is mainly because despite the fact that this story is meant to have elements of suspense and mystery it is still fundamentally a romance and I want that to be reflected properly. 

In the end I want my readers to see two people in love and it make sense. I don't want readers to be told Jasmine and Dante are in love, I want them to know they're in love. I want them to feel the attraction between these two people and get why each one has fallen for the other. This is not easy. I find myself going back to certain scenes and asking myself, "Why did she kiss him?", "Why does he want her?," "Why should they be together?", "Why is he on top?". I guess it's a writer's version of "what's my motivation". When I come across scenes or moments in the book where I don't feel my own questions are properly answered, then I know it's time for some work on narrative and dialogue and more often than not, the delete key.

I've read books in the past where it felt like the author was following a formula regarding her main characters. Two (or three, or four, yay erotica!) people meet, there is some sort of conflict, sparks fly, they have sex, declare their love and we as the readers are supposed to believe that because they bumped uglies or said the requisite I love yous, they're  in love. I need more than that. Have you ever read a book where the love just wasn't believable? Does it burn you as much as it burns me? Like I want to soak this book in kerosene and make a bonfire burn?

I read an erotic romance recently, which out of sheer embarrassment for the author, I will not reveal the title, but I swear I was told the hero was in love with the heroine and vice versa and given absolutely NO reason or evidence as to why. I feel like providing this info to the reader is like the proverbial reach around. Seriously help a sister out!

Now after all of the griping I'm doing here wouldn't it be just HILARIOUS if someone tells me the love between Jasmine and Dante isn't believable to them? To that I can only respond at least I tried! Argh!

Talk to you soon,
Laurel