how to choose?
When it comes to figuring out which titles to pursue, this selection of romance novels might have been the one that came with the most previous knowledge, for me. Why? Because within the past couple of years, the genre seems to have undergone some kind of fan renaissance, at least online. I've been hearing the name "Tessa Dare" kicked around enough to know that she was one to look out for in this category, and "Julia Quinn" was more of the same. Needlessly to say, those two were immediately placed at the top of my library checkout list.
size doesn't matter... but does format?
While Tessa Dare seems to have quite the fan base at my local library - being that almost all of her books are available in not only print format, but also large font, as well as multiple ebook copies available for checkout - I wasn't having much luck finding Quinn. Thankfully, Book Outlet came to my rescue, and I was able to pick up two for about $2.50 apiece.
Unfortunately, that left me with some uneven reading experiences. Let me tell you: I have never quite lived through the reading high that came with taking my trusty Kindle various places, and knowing that what I was really enjoying, out in broad daylight, was actually a risque romance novel. Obviously, trying to find ways to read the Julia Quinn paperback was a little more difficult. I'm new to this, and definitely not brave enough to whip out these kinds of covers just anywhere.
At least with the vintage romances, they looked somewhat fashionably ironic, and it was easily to hide behind my deceptive and chic Kindle cover, and read it all stealth-like.
And honestly, due to the sort of blockish, unweildly status of the mass market paperback measurements, reading romance novels becomes sort of clumsy.
what I read
Romancing the Duke, Castles Ever After #1, Tessa Dare
Isolde Ophelia Goodnight isn't the little girl made famous by her author father's famous stories... but she is the one still dealing with the fallout from his untimely death. Thankfully, a fortuitous bequeathment of a castle from a distant relative keeps her from being thrust out into the world on her own; instead, she now has to deal with the angsty and glowering hunk who was completely unaware that his castle had been for sale in the first place. Can the two cohabitate peacefully until their legal grievances are sorted out? Or will Izzy find herself in the middle of her own sort of fairy tale?- The love interest from this one was a little different. Not that he wasn't a somewhat entitled, angsty MAN, but that he was a little more emotionally - and physically - wounded than the other novels I've read so far. Kind of like a Rochester figure, but from the end of Jane Eyre.
- There's a significant plot presence of Izzy's appreciation-slash-resentment for the various dedicated followers of her father's writing, who enjoy talking to her about character motivations, dressing up as people from the stories, and otherwise giving her unwanted presents. In a way, it kind of felt like a bit of a take-on of fandom culture. Not sure how historically accurate that makes it, but it was definitely damn funny.
- So far, in comparison to the past two vintage romances I read, this was definitely a little more trope-heavy, which made things far easier to predict. Not that that's a bad thing...
Say Yes to the Marquess, Castles Ever After #2, Tessa Dare
Clio Whitmore was raised to be the perfect bride: charming, intelligent, and fully capable of running a household. However, after 8 years of engaged waiting, she still finds herself short one groom. The Marquess of Granville, her betrothed, remains abroad, while Clio waits at home in England. When she's bequeathed her own castle, Clio can't help but jump at the opportunity to break off the match... something that absolutely cannot come to pass, if the groom's brother has anything to say about it. Can Rafe Brandon convince Clio that the wedding will be worth it after all? Or is he in danger of falling in love himself?- Clio has a unique entrepreneurial spirit, while Rafe is a successful touring prizefighter... and for some reason, both of these job prospects seemed almost a little anachronistic with the supposed time period this was set in.
- The amount of sexual escapades seemed a little tamer in this book... but that being said, it also felt like there was a whole lot more of it. While these two Tessa Dare novels are still heads above the vintage romances I read by way of intensity of button-popping and shirt-rending - which is QUITE the feat, I must say - this one dialed it back a bit, leaving some of the sexier scenes until the very end of the book.
Because of Miss Bridgerton, Rokesbys #1, Julia Quinn
Billie Bridgerton was always the girl known for jumping hedges and climbing trees... which explains why our story begins with her trapped on the roof of a barn. Unfortunately for her, the one who comes to her rescue is George Rokesby, her staid and serious neighbor, eldest of the Rokesby boys. While she loves them all like brothers - and always thought she'd end up marrying army-soldier Edward or navy-man Andrew - she has never managed to get along with George... so why is she suddenly so concerned with what he thinks of her?- I'm so glad I decided to read more than one author for this challenge, because there is such a significant difference between Julia Quinn and Tessa Dare, and I wouldn't have gotten as accurate a read on the greater population if my sample selection hadn't branched out a little farther than I'd originally thought.
- So much more of a traditional, social-rule-adhering novel than others I've read. As in, when Billie and George make a reference to how if anyone knew they'd been alone together for a certain amount of time, they'd have to get married to save reputation, I actually laughed out loud... then had to take pause. Yeah, that's exactly what would actually have had to happen. Which kind of flies in the face of the other books I've been reading.
- There was so little sex. That's not an issue, and so far, there have been differing levels of intensity and number as to what I had originally thought would be obvious and widespread, rampant sexcapades in each of the books I've been reading... but by far, BY FAR, the Quinn has been the most prudent, with only one important sex scene occuring at the tail end of the book, with little efforts to descend into the carnal depictions present in the Dare books.
some more random reading takeaways
- How many times am I going to have to hear the word "virile"?
- Every book must have a beloved pet: vicious ermine, old and slobbery bulldog, angry cat, favorite horse. For some reason, each needs to hit that specific animal character quotient.
- There are way too many descriptions of men seemingly taking up a ton of space, like "filling the whole doorway" or whatever. I get what you're insinuating. Don't make it so repetitive.
- Deus Ex Machina forever. The resolutions to these novels are consistently unexpected and nowhere near comprehensive in what plot points they try to haphazardly cover. But when it all ends in a wedding, do we really need any more closure than that?
- But also sometimes Deus Sex Machina? There have been too many couple conflicts solved by a quick make out session or getting busy on a table or something. Just talk to each other!
- Thank goodness, the ages have increased... rather than the fresh-out-of-college Mac and 17-year-old Portia of the vintage romances I read, both Izzy and Clio were 26 and 25, respectively, with emphasis placed on the fact that they had been available to marry for some time, but had not. Even Billie was 23, I think.
Naturally, I was thinking a lot about the differences and similarities between the Vintage Romances of June, and the Recently-Written Historical Romances of July.
Most notably, the more recent books have more sexual content and have plots that are a little more outlandish, while the vintage novels seemed to pay more attention to serving as genuine sources of reading material, which high quality diction, historical accuracy, and rigorous sub-plotting. Perhaps its the decision to lean in to the stereotypes that romance novels are already known for in this day and age, or maybe it's just a quirk of the authors I chose, or the genre.
However, one thing they definitely have in common: a fierce, stubborn heroine who knows what she wants, and a dominating, masculine love interest who is inevitably won over by her devotion and charm. I don't know what it means to have those identities so significantly ingrained within the construction of the genre, but maybe if I keep reading, I'll get there eventually.
where to next?
This August, I'm looking forward to reading contemporary romance novels... or at least, I think I'm looking forward to them. The question is, where should I start? I have at least one title I'm reading for sure - recently released New Adult romance The Simple Wild, by K. A. Tucker - but besides that, I'm stumped. Do I go full trashy romance, with the Beautiful Bastard series? Or do I keep things semi-appropriate, with Nicholas Sparks? Should I widen my original criteria, and read a YA romance after all?
Do you have any reading recommendations for recent romance? Let me know, in the comments below!
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