Wednesday, May 13, 2009

I love...


Historical romance.

Yeah. I said it. I love historical romance. It has to be good though. I remember one about this young woman, passably pretty and everything, who recently graduated from some sort of Governess training school. For some reason I cannot at all remember, she decided to pass herself off as this elderly woman--probably so she can be taken seriously as a governess.

Upon meeting her love interest, he finds that he is secretly attracted to this 'hag' and he cannot understand why. She has wrinkles and dry, cracked skin, stringy hair and not to mention a very surly, no nonsense disposition. I was so excited to read this book, turning the page and watching the very unlikely attraction grow between them. The love interest was a bit of a 'rake' (yeah, they use that word alot in regency era romances) and a 'libertine' (another one used quite a bit) and he tried to use his charms to make this 'old' woman like him. At the same time, he couldn't figure out why he wanted her to like him.

He finally found out that she was actually young and pretty hot when it rained and some her 'face' started to peel off. By this time, he is desperately attracted to her and he thinks there is something wrong with him for wanting this 'old' woman the way that he does.

I haven't read this book in YEARS but it's one that stands out in my mind. I have read some seriously crappy 'bodice ripping' 'throbbing manhood' type stuff too...but I can't get enough of it, I don't know why.

At one point, I seriously considered writing historical romance. I even found a few African American Historical Romances fairly recently, and it blew my mind away. But historical romances and even contemporary onces follow a very strict formula that if you stray away from it too much, it couldn't be considered 'romance'.

The novel I'm writing now, while there is a 'romance' going on between two characters, Charlie(yeah, it's a girl) and Lucas--because of Charlie's mother's shadey past, they find out that they may actually be brother and sister, which obviously...isn't really sexy at all. *laughing*

I like to create unconventional conflict and yeah, I kind of do like shocking people and wrenching out emotions and as much as I absolutely ADORE historical romance...that's never happened to me. I've laughed and really rooted for the characters and have been excited to curl up with a really good HR when I got home...I've never read anything that moved me to that point.


But I love it, and I don't think I'll ever get enough of it.

3 comments:

SP said...

They do have a certain flare, guile, staunch and playfullness. The fencing of wit is sick!!! LOL I may have to get a good read list from you. =)

Everything you read will inspire you to create the masterpiece you are looking for. ^_~

Peace,
-SP

Josie said...

Oooohhh...I agree! There's nothing that completely draws you in and takes you away from the everyday dull drums like a good historical romance.

I used to read strictly Civil War Romance type stuff but have recently found Philippa Gregory and her novels of the romances of Henry the VIII and such...good stuff.

Good luck to you on your current project (though I don't know how you can write while pregnant...mine drained all the creativity right out of me!) Good for you!

Johanna

Alicia Evans said...

I love Phillpa Gregory. I read The Constant Princess back in 2007 and I absolutely loved it. I've been trying to get my hands on a few more of her books ever since. That was some of the first historical fiction I had ever read. When The Tudors had its debut on Show Time I had already read the book and it was so cool to see how what I read be implemented into the series.