Dealbreaker?

So I'm in the process of reading this book, and I'm having a little trouble getting into the story.  I usually keep plugging away, as I'm reluctant to give up on a book (and in this case, I've been reading this series for for-ev-er, and I don't want to skip ahead because I'm afraid something pivotal will happen in this book and then I'll be lost in future books.  But I digress...).

I decided to check out the reviews on Goodreads, as I was curious to find if I was the only one who had trouble engaging with this story.  Maybe everyone else loves it and I'm just the odd one out?  It's happened before.

Imagine my surprise when I find that the heroine of this book dies.  Dies as in is dead, gone, lost forever to the hero.  No coming back as a ghost or spirit to keep him company, no raised from the afterlife to carry on the relationship.  Nope.  She's out of the picture, do not pass Go, no happy ending for you.

Normally, this kind of thing wouldn't bother me.  I've read plenty of books where a main character dies.  But I feel like there is one inviolate rule when it comes to romance books: the story must end with a happily ever after for the hero and heroine.  Kind of hard to pull that off when one half of the couple is dead.

Maybe I'm just being sensitive, but I think if you market your book as a romance, it needs to adhere to the genre rules.  As a reader, I pick up a romance novel when I want that emotionally satisfying story.  If that doesn't happen, I feel cheated.  As it is, I still haven't decided if I want to finish the book.  I'm more than halfway through, but I have lost all enthusiasm for the story since I know how it will end.

What do you all think?  Do you want your books to adhere to genre rules too, or am I just being grumpy?

Ode to pumpkins...

I love fall.  The crisp, refreshing air, filled with the earthy scents of wood smoke and wet leaves.  The trees changing to glorious shades of yellow, orange, and red, looking like living flames against grayish skies.  It's such a beautiful season.

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But you know what irks me?  Pumpkin.

Fall is the time of year when everyone goes nuts for pumpkin, and they put it in EVERYTHING.  Pumpkin coffee creamer, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin yogurt--the list goes on and on.  Let's not forget the ubiquitous pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. <shudder>

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I do not see the appeal. Don't get me wrong--I like to look at pumpkins.  They come in all sorts of interesting shapes and colors.  I even like roasted pumpkin seeds.  But the pumpkin itself?  Disgusting.

Now, I know what you're thinking.  If you hate pumpkin so much, don't eat those things.  Trust me, I don't.  But I can't get away from the SMELL.  And every once in a while, someone slips pumpkin past my radar, and I'm left with a mouthful of grossness.  If this is a social setting, I'm forced to pretend that yes, your homemade spice bread _is_ delicious.  Did you add pumpkin?  Lovely.  Meanwhile, my taste buds are rebelling, threatening to shut down out of a desperate sense of self-preservation while I paste a smile on my face that I'm sure is all sorts of awkward.  It's exhausting, I tell you.

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I have no illusions that this fall obsession with pumpkins will ever fade. I think it's too ingrained in our culture at this point, and moreover, I think there are actually people out there who enjoy pumpkin stuff.  I don't understand them, but they do exist.  That probably makes fall their favorite season as well.

So here's my question to you: are you one of those people who likes pumpkin-flavored stuff, or do you prefer to stay away from pumpkins? What's the strangest pumpkin-flavored thing you've ever seen?