Because one of the characters has a name similar to a loved one. Like one of your kids?  Sigh.  I started Two Men and a Lady last night.  A menage anthology.  1st story was really good. 2nd story was good but I had a hard time with it because the heroine's name was Brenna-which is the name of a litle girl I babsat full time for 5 yrs.  Kind of ruined it for me.  So I kind of skim that one.  Then I start the 3rd story and that heroine has the same name as my daughter.  Now I can't bring myself to read it.  Am I the only one with this problem?

I had a similar problem with another book one time. I can't remember the name of it but the heroine had the same name as my sister as well as the same color hair and eyes. 

Yeah, I've had that problem before.  I usually make up a new name for the character and every time I see the character's name I just insert the new name I made up.  Makes it seem not so bad.  Or, I'll pronounce the name differently in my mind so it sounds different to me.

What really throws me is if a character has my name.  It just jars me out of the story every time.

nope I don't have any problems at all. I don't find many books with my name and even rarer to find hubby or my daughter's but it never bothers me.

It only bothers me with erotica.  I guess I just can't block out the image of the person I know with that name. 

I haven't come across many heroines named Mary.  "Mary" is usually the maid or servent girl in the historicals. 

My Son's name is Gabriel and his name pops up alot in Historicals. As far as Erotica hmm I think the only book I have read that is along the same lines is Gabriel's Woman by Robin Schone. Unless the character is named Gabriel and is fair and redheaded with a speech impediment(wow he sounds a little dorky doesn't he lol <he is only 5> ) it doesn't wierd me out at all. I have read some historicals where the Heroine was Madelyn (my Daughter) but it just doesn't phase me.* shrugs*

I couldn't get into Nauti Boy because the H's name was the same as a co-worker.  I skimmed it and quickly swapped it!

Yes.  I once attempted to read a book with Lawrence as the male lead....my father in law's name.  I couldn't do it.

It used to wig me out, but my son's name is so common I've just gotten used to it.  Though I rarely read actual erotica and that might bother me a lot more than traditional romance.

When I first started reading romance after being a Heyer fan for decades, I would feel irritated whenever one of her character names was used. But there are only so many plausible names for the Regency period, so it just stopped bothering me after a while.

I've never had a problem because of the names.   DS's name isn't all that popular but I'm pretty sure if I come across it in a book as long as the book held my interest i'd be able to finish it.

Never had that happen to me with erotica...but my LAST name has popped up in a couple of romance novels....which surprised me because my last name isn't that common.  Naturally, every time the name does pop up, it has to be the hero in the book... which makes me think of my male relatives and it totally wigs me out! :P  I just can't finish the book.

I had a bedtime storybook for lovers I was going to read to my husband. The first story featured "Dalton," a good friend's 16 year-old son. 
We could barely finish the story. Then we started laughing and couldn't stop. We can't look Dalton in the eye anymore without thinking about the story and chuckling. Kinda ruined the whole point of the book.

Yeah, I've had that problem before.  I usually make up a new name for the character and every time I see the character's name I just insert the new name I made up.  Makes it seem not so bad.  Or, I'll pronounce the name differently in my mind so it sounds different to me.

i also use this trick when the character has a crazy name I've no idea how to pronounce, which happens every few weeks or so.  I once came upon a character named something like... Marialbnesope - I called him Marty :)  

I've had relatives names pop up now and again, but never in erotic romance.  (Thank heavens!!!!!)  I guess our names are too ordinary.  My uncle was a cop and stopped a guy for speeding - they had the same name - even the middle name was the same.  My uncle let him go rather than take the greif from his fellow cops.  I've had several aunts and cousins crop up - but those never bothered me.

What's worse?  My bother married a woman with my name (spelled differently) so we ended being called A and B - which were our middle initials. 

I do the 'Marty' trick too. :-)  If I had a daughter named Emily, I'd have to stop reading romance,