I’ve been asked, by friend who runs a few newspapers, to write a column about what are five romances that would change haters’ opinions about the genre. Whew. Tough gig.
One way I considered is to list five misapprehensions about romance–it’s not funny, it’s too frothy, you can’t learn anything from it, the plots are simplistic, the women just want to get married and have babies, for example. If I went with that approach, I’d consider Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material, Laura Kinsale’s Flowers from the Storm, Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas, Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, and The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan for starters. I’m sure there are many more that would help knock out these stereotypes.
I could also go at it from the perspective of: If you think romance novels are trite, here are five that will blow you away.
How would you go at it? And what books would you suggest?
Thanks!
Hmm I would look for a great one from each genre of romance…
Mimi matthews should definitely be there her books are interesting, historically accurate with charming characters.
Georgette Hayer is old but if someone has never read romance is a good option.
Becky Wade and Roseanna M White are fine examples of the inspirational subgenre.
Romantic suspense I need to experience more as well as great low heat fantasy romance authors…Lynn Kurland could be.
Julie Klassen introduced me to Christian historical romance, however, being a Christian author with a calm writing style and slow romance, it might not change the image of romance from someone who hates it from the beginning and doesn’t love Jane Austen…of what On the contrary, yes, especially if the person loves Jane’s classics and does not know that is romance.
Several of yours (Boyfriend Material, Spinning Silver, Flowers from the Storm, and Countess Conspiracy) are ones I would consider.
Overall it also depends on what people read outside of romance. Kennedy Ryan is a strong pick for someone who likes fiction – Queen Move is exceptional (just awkward that it’s Book 2) and so is Reel. Similar vibes for Christina C. Jones. They embrace flawed characters in a way much of romance struggles with.
For SF/Fantasy people, I’d recommend a “strong romantic elements” crossover, like Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell, Graceling by Kristen Cashore, Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, Chalice by Robin McKinley (especially for people who like fantasy prose) or Cordelia’s Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. For spicer, you could go with Milla Vane’s books.
Carla Kelly is a great gateway for people who like historical fiction. Some of her books skew more fiction-y (ex. My Loving Vigil Keeping) and some more romance (ex. Libby’s London Merchant/One Good Turn). M.C. Beaton (Marion Chesney) may work for people who already know her as a mystery writer. Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner’s Fly Me To The Moon series could also be a good transition – a romance that’s historical but not fully leaning into “historical romance” with genre conventions.
Another general recommendation that I’ve had success with Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie.
Gateways for young adults could be Not Here To Be Liked by Michelle Quach, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, and What To Say Next by Julie Buxbaum.
But if I had to narrow this to 5?
Carla Kelly’s book, The Wedding Journey, defies a lot of stereotypes.
Venetia, by Georgette Heyer, has impressive vocabulary and complex sentences, for those who think romances have no literary value. The book also has no explicit sex scenes, which is a plus for several categories of readers — those who have principled objections to explicit sex scenes, those who are pearl-clutching performative puritans about sex scenes, and those who have various other reasons for objecting to or wanting to ignore descriptions of sexual intimacy.
I doubt there is a simple answer to this conundrum. Too many variables spring to mind: age, tastes, interests, tolerance of flaming hot sex descriptions, etc. I can only speak, therefore, to my own much loved books which certainly reflect my own tastes. To someone who identified as a “hater”, I might suggest an anthology such as those that once appeared from Signet and focused (in the main) on a particular historical setting (the Regency) and were about a specific holiday season. Of course that might not appeal to those who don’t celebrate the (in the main) Christian holidays that were covered nor to those who will not consider a particular historical timeframe. My DIK shelf includes:
A Victorian Christmas with contributions from Patricia Gaffney, Betina Krahn, Edith Layton, Mary Jo Putney and Patricia Rice
The Grand Hotel with stories from Anne Barbour, Elisabeth Fairchild, Carla Kelly, Alison Lane and Barbara Metzger
A Regency Christmas with stories from Mary Balogh, Jo Beverley, Sandra Heath, Edith Layton and Laura Matthews
Quite a few of the contributors above became auto-buys for me and the format of long short stories within anthologies allowed me, once upon a time, to sample five or more authors at a time and for a number of them, once introduced, I lapped up their back lists and they became some of my favourite writers.
Beyond that, I can’t imagine many serious readers would turn up their noses at Georgette Heyer although I am sure some would despite the beauty and sophistication of her prose and the historical world-building she produced. For me, she produced serious literature that has rarely been surpassed though often imitated.
For a very young beginner who thought that romance was not for them, I would suggest a very old favourite, Mrs Mike. That one, along with Little Women, started me on a reading career longer than I care to think about.
I have Grand Hotel on my keeper shelf!
I would approach it from the genres people already read. If you love space opera, Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold. If you love Terry Pratchett, Swordheart by T. Kingfisher. If you love military adventure, The Flashpoint series by Rachel Grant. If you love grimdark fantasy, A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane.
It’s a permanent source of bemusement/annoyance that people who are perfectly y happy to read all sorts of other genres boggle at romance. My recommendations would have to include Loretta Chase’s Mr. Impossible since it was the book that got me hooked on romance. I’d also include Patricia Gaffney’s To Have and Have Not, Joanna Bourne’s The Black Hawk, Jennifer Crusie’s Bet Me, and there are too many others clamoring around in my head, demanding to be picked for the remaining spot.
I totally agree with “It’s a permanent source of bemusement/annoyance that people who are perfectly happy to read all sorts of other genres boggle at romance. ” It’s taken me awhile to say to myself, and others, that romance is a genre no different from mysteries, westerns, sci-fi, etc. and no one questions readers of those genres.
I agree with some of the others that breakiing the list into five subgenres would probably be the best way because you could interest readers by their love of mystery, fantasy, Western, contemporary, LGBTQ, historical, or other subgenre. I enjoyed Flowers from the Storm as you did, but that book wouldn’t do for someone who only reads fantasy or contemporary. So going with the consistent A+ books in five different subcategories might be the best way to go.
The problem would be deciding on the subgenres.
What would you suggest?
I’d suggest breaking it down into:
Contemporary
Mystery/Suspense
SciFi/Fantasy
Historical (US or European)
LGBTQ+
since these seem to be the ones listed as the most popular or bestselling on Google searches for top genre fiction.
Does that help? I’m sure you have your own Top 100 list from which you can pull titles. Good luck!
Yes!
I would include YA, probably in place of LGBTQ, because YA is a massive seller and queer isn’t a subgenre, it’s just a type of protagonist. I would say the final list should have both queer rep and Aoc/PoC rep, but within some of the subgenres. Ex Boyfriend Material as the contemp.
I feel as if these books should be easily accessible, all available in ebooks, and not extremely obscure.
This is a tough assignment!
I like your idea of addressing criticisms of the genre but I think the biggest misconception about romances is that the quality of the writing is bad; and that is missing from your list.
When I think about quality of the writing (not just plot and character development but great prose) and look at my highest rated romances, and then count the number of times a writer’s work appears in those lists I find very few who appear consistently/more than once but these authors do: Loretta Chase, Jennifer Crusie, Alexis Hall, Georgette Heyer, Josh Lanyon, and Sherry Thomas.
I’ve only begun reading Jeannie Lin but she might belong in this list as well?
Other thoughts:
Funny: Beard Science by Penny Reid (CR, new adult)
Too Frothy: Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale (you list this HR, but I second it)
Too Frothy: Bitter Legacy by Dal Maclean (romantic suspense, lgbt)
Too Frothy: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (CR)
Simplistic: Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation (both CR and HR)
You Can’t Learn Anything: Dark Horse by Michelle Diener (SciFi)
Women Who Only Want to Get Married: Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase (HR)
Great great way to think about this. THANK YOU!!!!
Bitter Legacy – the novel and the trilogy – is amazing; such a complex story and characters.
Does anyone know what is going on with Dal Maclean? It seems no one has heard about her since she completed the trilogy. I certainly hope she is or will write again! Her writing is excellent.
I’d add C.S. Poe’s two series, Momento Mori (for suspense/crime fans) and Magic and Steam (for sci-fi/steampunk fans) to the list for excellent wordsmithing and creative plots. I know non-romance readers can enjoy them. My husband loves both of these series because they are intelligent and well written.
For people who think romance is too frothy, Mia Vincy’s A Dangerous Kind of Lady is an excellent choice.
I would definitely find out what genre of book the person likes to read in general (that’s non-fiction) and go from there. The caveat though is sometimes you haven’t read a genre because you don’t THINK you’ll like it, and then when introduced to it with a good well written story, you decide you like it after all. I’d divide romance into its many sub-genres and then pick a few book for each. But it’s a hard ask since book A can be a winner for someone and a loser for someone else.
This is for a national news article!
For people who think romance is “just about sex,” I’d pick a Heyer book like Venetia or Faro’s Daughter for historical fiction readers.
I said below, A Dangerous Kind of Lady by Mia Vincy for people who think romance books are all fluff.
For those who want well researched settings, Stella Riley’s The Parfit Knight is a good one, and so well written. Or even one of her historicals with romantic subplots, like The Marigold Chain or The Black Madonna. I got hooked on romances after coming at it through romance-adjacent books, like romantic mysteries and suspense books with romantic subplots.
For sci-fi fans I’d recommend Shards of Honor by Lois Masters Bujold. For steampunk lovers comfortable with queer characters, I’d recommend The Engineer, the novella that starts the Magic and Steam sereis by C.S. Poe. For steampunk lovers who prefer f/m, I’d recommend The Iron Duke by Meljean Brooks.
For urban fantasy lovers I’d go with A Wolf at the Door by Charlie Adhara. It just missed an A for me, but all the rest of the sereis were A reads.
I’d recommend Madison Square Murders by C.S. Poe to anyone who enjoyed suspense and police procedurals. It’s superbly written and the romance is slow burn, so it won’t overwhelm a newbie. For a suspense lover who won’t read m/m, I’d recommend Envy by Sandra Brown.
I would also think about diversity in terms of authors/characters beyond LGBTQA+
Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date
Alyssa Cole Loyal League series (probably An Extraordinary Union)
Seconding Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient as well as Talia Hibbert’s Get a Life Chloe Brown for diversity not just in skin color but also ability.
Sonali Dev – Pride, Prejudice and other flavors
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade for comedy and size inclusivity (not to mention just a fascinating play on fandom/fan fiction ).
A while ago I made a sincere effort to diversify my reading and in found that romance was an ideal space to do so. Another great reason to read romance is that it gives you an entry into other cultures/experiences that is not focused on pain, anguish, and suffering.
I agree completely.
I agree that “romance” can be broken down into several sub-genres and that’s a logical way to approach the question. Since when I read romance, I read historical romance almost exclusively, with a few exceptions, I will confine my comments to that genre. I agree with Dabney’s recommendations of Sherry Thomas and Courtney Milan. I’d add Meredith Duran to that list as well as Joanna Shupe’s Gilded Age novels, but to me, no one tops Lisa Kleypas. IMHO, her Wallflowers series is unmatched, (“Devil in Winter” is my favorite”) with the Ravenels series (Loved “Devil’s Daughter”) and the Bow Street Runners series following closely behind. She also has several stand alones that I have re-read more than once – “Suddenly You” and “Where Dreams Begin” come to mind.I have never been disappointed in any of her books. And speaking of Lisa Kleypas – does anyone know when her next book is coming out? Her last book ,”Devil in Disguise” was released in 2021 and I’m anxiously awaiting what she comes out with next.
Oh my god yes – Flowers from the Storm. I like historicals that are reasonably embedded in the culture/history they are set in and this nails it. The issues with dissenter religions, with the development of scientific research among the wealthy educated classes, how a stroke would have been perceived and treated at the time, the actual economics of the great houses – all wrapped up in a realistic and HOT relationship. Boy oh boy the library scene.
co-sign!
To get a reader past the “trashy romance” stereotype, I think it is necessary to find out why that person condemns the genre without being familiar with it. Quite a few years ago, an acquaintance told me how uninterested they were in romance novels. It turned out this reader did not like reading lots of description, was put off by explicit sex scenes, and was more comfortable with the businesslike resolution of mysteries than the (to them, mythical and improbable) happy-ever-after ending.
That reader never was converted to romance reading. They did, however, accept arguments about romance and romance writers being disrespected, under-reviewed, stereotyped, and targeted by misogyny. They were willing to believe the genre was misunderstood, but they were never going to read much, if any, romance.
For my own reading, romance provides a consistent happy ending and soothes my tendency to worry while reinforcing my optimism. When I want to read short fiction, I read novellas or Harlequins. When I want to escape the modern world, I read Regency and Georgian romances. When I want families to be vital and supportive parts of society, I read historical romance novels in series about families or groups of friends. When I want tension, I read romantic suspense. When I want something different, I read science fiction or fantasy romance. There is a lot of reading I do that has nothing to do with romance, but pretty much all my fiction reading is romance. I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all romance that can cure all skepticism about the genre.
I’m just going to say that I specifically read Romance because it’s frothy with a happy ending. Enough going on in the world (and my life) that I don’t need every single thing I read to have a deeper message or climb the heights of a classic. People can sniff at my romance reading if I get to sniff at the hours spent watching mindless TV shows. [Which I don’t! If Friends reruns makes you happy, enjoy! I’ll be over here re-reading When She Was Naughty novella for the 200th time.]