Few things are a greater gift than an excellent best friend. To have a Charlotte, a Ron and/or a Hermione, or an Olivia, is to experience, in the words of Jane Eyre (and thus Charlotte Bronte), that “There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort.“
Romance is full of stories of friends to lovers but today I’m more interested in those of friends who are, simply, great friends. (And yes, siblings count, but I’d love some examples that are not family.) Serena Bell and Evie Dunmore write friends well although they tend to focus on groups rather than one on one friendships. Julie Anne Long’s Palace of Rogues series features a fabulous friendship between the two proprietoresses, Delilah and Angelique.
What other romances showcase a fabulous friendship that is just that?
Tom Orde and Phoebe Marlow in Georgette Heyer’s Sylvester.
Theirs is the all too rare male/female friendship without a whiff of romance.
Nora Roberts has written some great friendships; I especially liked the ladies in The Bride Quartet: Mackensie, Parker, Laurel, and Emmeline, and the trio from In the Garden: Stella, Roz, and Hayley.
There are a lot of group friendships in romance but fewer one on one ones and I’m not sure why that is.
One possible explanation for that is that the group of friends are a natural way to base a whole series upon.
Yeah, I think that’s on the money.
I love stories where the friendships become so strong, they become found family. I can’t think of any (except mine) off the top of my head, romance-wise. All my examples are non-romance. 🙂
Kate Canterbary writes some really strong female friendships, as does Serena Bell.
Paxton and Hawker in Joanna Bourne’s Spymaster’s series.
Agreed with the proprietresses of The Palace.
I don’t remember the characters’ names, but didn’t Jennifer Crusie’s BET ME feature two groups of friends? The hero and two friends from high school who were now his partners and th heroine also had two friends. They are real friends, not just decoration or set-ups for a coming book.
I can’t believe I’m the first one to say this but Penelope and Eloise in the Bridgerton books. I feel kind of betrayed by what the show did to that relationship in Season 2. They’re always there for each other and thought they would grow old as spinsters together.
I had exactly that thought when I was writing this. I thought of them but felt they’d been “tainted” by the show.
Readers know to never judge a book by its movie . . .
I think Penelope and Eloise are a great example. I’d also offer up Alyssa Locke and Jules Cassidy in Brockmann’s Troubleshooter series – although these work partners don’t get enough time together on page IMO. But they are absolutely there for each other no matter what over 10? 12? books.
The Wallflower series by Lisa Keypas is based on the friendships formed among the 4 women who bond over their unmarried status.
Yes–I like that friend group.
Penny Reid’s Knitting in the City series is based on the friendships of seven women. The only one of these titles that really stands out for me after all this time is Beauty and the Mustache, which in turn launched the Winston Brothers series. But the relationships between the women were a prominent and enjoyable aspect of each of those stories as I recall.
Oh, and the male friendships in Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series was pretty fabulous. As were several of the female friendships, as the books progressed.
It’s always groups. I wonder if there’s a sense that a best friend pulls against the power of the meant to be mate.
I think a group is just “easier”. A group = a variety of personalities and skill sets to be employed as events unfold. “Variety” is less important in a standalone novel but incredibly efficient when a series is intended (and therefore many plot points/characters are needed). A single best friend is unlikely to be fabulous at doctoring as well as lawyering as well as computer hacking as well as (fill in the blank). . . but it is easy to find/create in a group of friends.