It’s fair to say that romance books and I have had an on again/off again relationship. For about a year or two, starting at age eleven, I read every category Harlequin and Barbara Cartland book I could get my hands on. I loved them.
After that I stopped reading romance. I’m not sure why. I know for most of my adult life I was horrified by the thought of romance books. I dismissed them as horribly written, pieces of nonsense and fluff for people who didn’t think very deeply. (Hmmm, stereotype much?)
In college I majored in Sociology with an emphasis on Women’s Studies. For awhile there I was a real militant feminist and romance novels definitely had no place in my life. After all, the very idea of heroes and alpha males was just an example of women propagating the idea that they need to be saved by men. Didn’t romance novels perpetuate the notion that women are nothing without relationships and that one “right” man in their life?
Fast forward a number of years. I’m still a feminist but not so militant these days. My taste in reading turned to mysteries, thrilers and suspense. However, I found myself especially liking the ones which featured a strong relationship/partnership between a man and a woman. I love reading about relationships. Especially when a man and woman work together to solve a crime, save the world, and seem to have time for some hot sex in the middle of it all.
Then one day I stumbled upon Allison Brennan and was shocked to find her books labeled as romantic suspense. I told myself this was just an errant categorization decision by her publisher, that it really wasn’t romance at all. Then I started reading more “wrongly” labled romantic suspense books and loved them. Slowly, I began to realize that I could no longer deny the fact that I was reading romance books, even if they crossed genres into suspense/thrillers. Quite frankly, I was a little embarrassed.
Then I began poking around sites like Dear Author and Smart Bitches, Trashy Books and found that a lot of smart, discerning, women read romance books. Like any genre there are horribly written romances and spectacularly good ones. I realized that, not only did I not need to be embarrassed, but that the romance publishing industry was filled with a lot of kick-ass women authors. I still like my cross-genre (suspense/romance) books the best, but I’ve been branching out. I recently read a wonderful contemporary by Victoria Dahl called Talk Me Down and really liked it.
What’s even better is that Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan of the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books website just published, Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels. A reviewer on Dear Author had this to say about the book, “It will convince your readers to shout out loud from the rooftops that they’re romance readers. Or at least to raise a suggestive eyebrow at the sneering bookstore clerk when they buy their books.” So I no longer need to defend my reading habits to myself or anyone else. I can just refer people to this nifty book.
In the end, I’ve learned that books are like wine and art. It’s all subjective. Choose what you like, enjoy it, embrace it, and don’t let anyone make you feel embarrassed about your choices.Yes, my name is Mary-Frances and I like reading romance.
(Beyond Heaving Bosoms just hit the shelves today. You can buy it online or at a bookstore near you. )
Photo Credit: Didbygraham
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
I read across genres,although mystery /suspense/ thrillers are probably most often in my TBR pile. But I’ll try about anything. Except maybe horror. Not into that.
Helen
http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com
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Helen,
It’s great that you’re so open to all the different genres. I think it’s easy for readers, including me, to stick with what we’re used to. Thanks for stopping by!
Oh, great post!! Sordid is SO not a bad thing.
I started reading romances about the same age! I remember my very first Harlequin, “Folly To Be Wise” LOL.
Smart Bitches and Dear Author have been the shot in the ass romance land needed. Having the internet sure adds to the reading experience, getting online and yacking about it is FUN.
It’s great to see more and more mainstream media interest in the genre and kudo’s for Harlequin’s success in the midst of the recession!
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RebyJ,
I feel exactly the same way about how fun it is to connect with people online. I don’t know what Romanceland was like before Smart Bitches and Dear Author but I bet less swear words were used:D. The book I remember just LOVING when I was 12 years old was The Dangerous Dandy by Barbara Cartland. I’m so glad to see you here! Thanks.
I like reading romance also. The romance genre is what peaked my interest into more mature reading. Thank you for this well written and thought out post!
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Hi Allie aka Screwed Up Texan,
Thanks! Well you know the thing is I’m a sucker for bad guys getting caught and happy endings. Always happy to have you drop by!
There was a time I was snobbish about romances, too. Then my sister-in-law dropped a shopping bag off at my place one day, filled with Harlequins. Since I can’t resist books or chocolates, I started reading them and ended up devouring them. I was hooked. Now I read across the romance genres, with some mysteries. Not so much categories, unless it’s by a friend.
I’ll check out Beyond Heaving Bosoms.
Hi Edie,
I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who went through a snobby phase and got over it. I do think it’s a really misunderstood genre. Plus, talk about an industry made up of women, geesh! I’m glad you’re going to check out Beyond Heaving Bosoms, it’s fun!
Hi Mary-Frances! I’m so glad I helped bring you to the dark side
. . . I have always read mysteries, primarily, but also a lot of epic romances, Stephen King, and even some science fiction (Ray Bradbury-type, not so much fantasy.) To me, there’s nothing like a strong suspense where two worthy people fall in love and realize that they are better together than apart. I don’t like books where the female characters act like idiots or are weepy over this and that, I like strong, independent women and the smart men who love them 
P.S. . . . I like your new site! I’ve been on deadline and not blog-hopping much . . .
Hi Allison,
It’s great to see you here, thanks for hopping over! I’m not surprised to hear you’re on a deadline. I think you have at least two new series coming out soon! Your new FBI series looks great and Sudden Death is on my Kindle waiting to be read! Yes, it was your books that made realize romance was okay. I agree with you completely–I like smart, independent woman and the men who love them.
Hi,
I would like to complain (and very loudly) about your opinion regarding romance novels. It seems you pride yourself in the sneering and then suffering a revelation . The word sordid for all you backpeddling is still insulting.
I wish you much luck on your amazon affiliate account. That money she be aflowing with the derisive statement.
Though it impacts my modest noir cred, I read romance, or specifically romantic suspense too. And like you, I just find myself picking up books by great authors and realizing after the fact, “Ah, so this is a romance.”
I get a little tripped up at times by genre categorization. On the the one hand, I understand why it can be valuable — it helps readers find what they’re looking for.
But on the other, well, genrefication has a capacity for ghettoizing a lot of fine work. Categories are used as a pejorative by too many, and I wish it didn’t have to be that way.
Hi Liza,
Wow, I’m really sorry if I offended you. That was not my intention. My hope was to show more how misguided and judgmental I’d been–which I think I was. My use of the word sordid was actually meant to be funny not offensive. I think a lot of people judge romance books without really knowing what they’re talking about. I put myself in that category. That’s why I recommended the book Beyond Heaving Bosoms because I think it address a lot of this.
Also, for the record: I don’t have an Amazon affiliate account so I’m not making any money from this blog. I just link to books I mention in case people are interested. I think I linked one book to Amazon in this post but the rest are to Barnes and Noble.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Bill,
Always good to get your perspective. Usually after your comments I just want to say, “What he said!” Thanks.
MF,
I think a lot of women have followed the same path as you have. I started reading Kathleen Woodiwiss very early on, I think I was probably 12 or 13. I fell in love with historical novels and didn’t stop reading them. However, in college, I became embarrassed by the covers so I would do my best to hide them. I never stopped reading though and now, I embrace the covers good, bad, or cheesy! (admittedly they’ve gotten somewhat better over the years)
I have friends who swear up and down they don’t read romance but then they name their fave authors as JoAnn Ross, Brenda Novak, Barbara Delinsky, Linda Howard. I just smile and let them think whatever they want…
Mel Francis’s last blog post..another busy day
Mel,
I love the part about your friends who swear they don’t read romance. How very wise of you not to burst their bubble. Actually, I think for consumers it can be confusing. For instance, I know at my local B&N Sandra Brown is shelved in the straight fiction section–so why would anyone think it was romantic suspense.
The thing that actually gets to me is that if romance, in any form, cross genre etc., was a male dominated industry, would the attitude towards it be different. I think the answer is yes.
Always good to have another MFer share their perspective, so thanks.
I read Shanna, by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, one long summer night in high school, and was hooked on romances ever since. I come from a long line of readers and feminists. The classics, history, and intellectual “true” literature were the only genres in my house. Romance was considered to perpetuate the stereotype of the submissive female – not allowed in my home! I finally gave up hiding my “trashy” (my mom’s word – not mine!) “bodice-rippers” (my dad’s favorite term – not mine!), but had to suffer endless teasing by my dad if he caught me with a novel bearing a cover of two people in a compromising position. I never did like the romances where the women submitted to the men, but, much to my parent’s disbelief, that isn’t what all romances are about. Give me a smart, kick-ass woman paired with a smart, kick-ass man, and I’m all over that book!
Great post – and glad to know another feminist who reads romance!
I liked reading Victoria Holt when I was a young teen. What’s funny is that my mother thought that those were trash and that I shouldn’t make a habit of reading them. But she was happy with me reading Alastair Maclean and Mario Puzo instead. Go figure.
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Elle,
Oh, thanks for sharing this. It reminded me of an old show called Family Ties. The parents were pacifist, green, anti-corporation types, while their son Alex was a Regeanite. I’m amazed that you kept reading romance in spite of the teasing.
I agree with you. The stories that work the best for me are about true partnerships between men and woman. I know the term feminist can stir up controversy sometimes, but I’m proud to be one and gland you are too!
Wow…I really loved this post. I could identify all the way through. Still a little embarrassed, but that’s okay. Then I saw 19 comments. You really hit a sweet spot with people.
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Thanks so much for pointing me to this post. I kept saying, “yes! yes! yes!” under my breath as I was reading.
To me, romance novels were what my mom read. I read a few when I was young, but I preferred F/SF. A friend turned me on to J.R. Ward’s books, and I am now hooked on paranormal romance. I’m branching out a little to other romance, but paranormals are my great love.
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I have to say that I was never a true romance snob.
No, it was worse. I was a closet romance reader. I’d let on that I was above that kind of drivel and would only read it for a bit of fluff between my ‘real’ reading. Funny, though, there never was all that much ‘real’ reading. Unless maybe romantic suspense counts?
In any case, my friends, being good friends, have yet to call me out on it.
The only time it has come up recently is when joining a writing community online. Ack! What will other writers think?
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