Why Read Romance

Sun, 11/20/2016 - 1:34pm by CeliaM

Let's be honest. Romance novels tend to get a bad rap. They get dissed and dismissed by people who don't read them. But try telling the readers who make up the billion dollar a year industry that romances aren't good and you'll have a lot of angry fans on your hands. In my experience romance readers are a loyal group, ready to defend their genre and their beloved authors.

Over the years numerous authors, bloggers, and industry professionals have stood up for the genre in pieces about who reads romance and why. One of my personal favorites is an article from historical romance author Sarah MacLean. She talks about the reactions she gets when she tells people what she writes:

"'When are you going to write a real book?'

Ah, Old Reliable. This one trots out at family gatherings, cocktail parties, reunions with old coworkers, drinks with other writers, playdates with other moms. It’s the most innocuous of the three, for sure—no one who asks it means to offend—but it’s loaded with insidious meaning.

These questions and their myriad brethren used to put me right on the defensive. I’d feel required to pontificate on the value of the genre, of its long history (Pride and Prejudice was a romance, didn’t you know?), of the value of books as entertainment, of the way romance builds literacy and community among readers, and the idea that the books are powerful feminist texts—written by, for and about women. In romance, after all, the heroine plays the role of the hero. And she wins. Always." (Sarah MacLean, 2016).

I read romance for all of these reasons and more. The plots, the characters, the sheer number of dukes in regency England and cowboys in Montana. I read them for the dialogue, the tropes, the humor (intended or not), the happily ever afters.

Stay tuned for more from the romance world. Favorites, classics, brand new picks, more!

Comments

Reading this post, I think

Reading this post, I think that this sentence:
In my experience romance readers are a loyal group, ready to defeat their genre and their beloved authors.

is actually meant to read "defend their genre".

Great post and thanks for the reminder that romances can be a good read.

Please recommend some that

Please recommend some that don't contain:
* a member of royalty
* the inexperienced woman / experienced man trope
* the word "throb" or "member" (especially not together)
* references to swords
and are under 600 pages

I find those so bothersome that I cannot really try many romance books, even though I don't mind romantic movies. I even read a book featuring a widow, assuming we could skip past the usual outcome of that scene, but, nope! It was even more disgusting.

This is a serious request! I did read a few Outlander books but eventually got too exhausted from the violence (which I skipped) and eventually the time traveling got to be too much.

Hi Willow, I'd recommend The

Hi Willow, I'd recommend [http://www.aadl.org/catalog/record/1235072|The Secret History of the Pink Carnation] by Lauren Willig. The heroines can hold their own, the page count comes in at 449, and there are members of the nobility, but I don't think there are any royals and I think any throbbing is minimal and otherwise worded. I found it a creative and clever light read - hope you enjoy it!

I will check it out! Thank

I will check it out! Thank you. :D

Hi Willow: Here are a few

Hi Willow:

Here are a few that might fit the bill:

[a:Phillips, Susan Elizabeth|Susan Elizabeth Phillips]. I just finished [b:1450437|Heroes Are My Weakness]; and [b:1278797|Natural Born Charmer] is a perennial favorite. There is no danger of encountering any duke or earl, and nothing "throbs".

Other authors you might enjoy are: [a:Jio, Sarah.|Sarah Jio]; [a:Shalvis, Jill.|Jill Shalvis]; [a:Asher, Bridget.|Bridget Asher]; [a:Mansell, Jill.|Jill Mansell]; [a:Fforde, Katie.|Katie Fforde] (the last 2 are British). None of them write door-stoppers (average page count is around 350).

Booklist recently put together a list of the [http://www.booklistonline.com/Top-10-Romance-Debuts/pid=8404187|Top 10 Romance Debuts]. Though many of them admittedly have the duke/earl thing going but there are also some refreshingly new plots and settings (Western, paranormal, suspense, fantasy) and a couple of new authors to watch.

Lest not forget that men could write good romance too. [b:1461033|A Bollywood Affair] by [a:Dev, Sonali.|Sonali Dev], a contemporary romance with a (surprising) Michigan setting, and [b:1345555|Chemistry for Beginners] by [a:Strong, Anthony|Anthony Strong]. Both are award winners, and no "member" is mentioned here.

Thanks for catching my typo

Thanks for catching my typo Firehawk! Glad you enjoyed the post.

Hi Willow, Thank you for your

Hi Willow,

Thank you for your request!

I definitely second the other recommendations here, particularly Lauren Willig, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Sonali Dev. All are wonderful writers that should meet your criteria.

Another more couple for you: The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck, anything by Kristan Higgins, and Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal.

Please let us know if we can help you with any other recommendations.

I wonder how many of these authors are using their real names, how many are men/women, and more about that. Hmm.

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