It's not sentimental words, it's the daring words.
This is my second book, and I still haven't managed to break through my own limits. The lack of follow-up readership means no promotion, and so here I am, putting it on the shelf like this.
There's a bit of reluctance, sure, but mostly it's a sigh of relief.
Waiting for the data to come in every day, looking at reader feedback, revising the plot outline, setting the pace... and then every Friday, waiting hopefully for a recommendation. It's really anxiety-inducing, so I just went ahead and released it.
Summarizing the readers' comments, there are thoughts on the pacing being too slow, not enough thrilling moments, the plot dragging, suspicions of masochistic tendencies, an overly long revenge arc, unclear romantic developments, and a world view that isn't captivating enough. There are even some blaming the author for being too handsome...
To be honest, if I took the comments too seriously, I really couldn't write at all...