I always considered romance to be the boring lovey parts with kissing and cliche platitudes because I never really considered it. It occurred to me the other day that all of the relationship stuff that I lap up like an overweight teen girl is part and parcel to romance.

I don't think I could read a pure romance novel but I also can't read urban fantasy without the romance elements. The action basically serves as a back drop for the evolution of the character's relationships and without it the book is flat. Rob Thurman's absolute refusal to develop the romance aspect of her character is a huge reason why I loathe her books; thinking Cal would finally get with his lady friend is what carried book two for me and the end betrayed that.

I won't be putting it in my blog anytime soon, but I am apparently a giant whore for first person female perspective romance.


Don't tell anybody.

 

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some romance is good in a story. the reason romance is written off in novels these days as a womans thing is the massive amount of bad romance published starting back in the 80s thanks to companies like harlequin. we've nicknamed them "bodice busters" at my store because you can always spot them by their cover art. the women on them are bursting out of whatever they're wearing and if theres a guy on them hes mostly undressed and usually sporting fabio's face from 20 years ago. those books are written to satisfy unfulfilled middle aged fat women. i realize thats a generalization and not 100% accurate but the majority of the people who buy those books fit that description.

most good books, movies, anime, plays or any form of story entertainment will have some romance in it. most people are romantics who want a happy ending at heart. some men won't admit it because they grow up with the idea hammered into them that they have to be tough and stoic and cool. if you leave romance out of a story your ignoring a huge part of human interaction which means your characters are alot more likely to be two dimensional, bland and uninteresting. take kim harrisons hollows series. any of us who keep reading them, even though the last couple haven't been as good, are doing it in part because we want to know what happens with ivy and rachel. jim butchers dresden files...how many of us aren't waiting to see murphy hook up with dresden even though the series is action/mystery and nothing even close to a romance?

a guy admitting he likes some romance in his stories just means hes grown up and shed some of the childish stereotypes and ideas that he at some point feels he has to live up to if he wanted to fit in with the other cool kids. lifes too short to narrowly like and dislike things based on what we learned as kids to fit in with other stupid kids

 

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Murphy needs to marry Dresden so they can have lots of babies that will then take over the world.

 

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Agree 100%! I dated a guy ages ago who always seemed to jump out of his skin and hide the book he was reading when I walked into the room, it turned out he had discovered my Diana Gabaldon series. Lots of action, heavy romance, and some mysterious forces enabling the chick to travel back 200 years through the standing stones. He was ashamed to be caught reading it because it detracted from his manly-man image (he was a grease monkey with muscle cars etc). I told him liked the fact that he appreciated her books.. he denied reading them even though everytime he was over I'd catch him picking the book back up to read some more. Still makes me giggle that he was so ashamed of it.

Anyways, check out her books since you enjoy some romance built into the story. They are absolutely amazing!

I actually have her first book on my Nook.

I was planning on getting to it soonish.

 

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From someone that reads as much as Yos does, I can safely say that it depends on the romance happening. I like romance happening in a story if it doesn't get retardedly unrealistic like so many authors tend to do. I'm also not disappointed at all if it doesn't show up when I expect it. I don't avoid it, but I also don't buy books because I've heard the romance in it is good. Basically I'm your average reader when it comes to this, I have no real opinion other than "if it ain't bad I like it."

What made me comment in this thread though is the stereotype and subsequent defense of the stereotype that guys avoid romance because it makes them look bad. I'd have to say that, while true when it comes to harlequin romance novels, it is not true about your average "it might have romance in it" book.

a guy admitting he likes some romance in his stories just means hes grown up and shed some of the childish stereotypes and ideas that he at some point feels he has to live up to if he wanted to fit in with the other cool kids. lifes too short to narrowly like and dislike things based on what we learned as kids to fit in with other stupid kids


i like ur view

I'm somewhat the same way. I enjoy romance in a story, but I don't enjoy romance as the story. Romance gives the character life and helps develop the characters, particularly since it's a strong motivational factor for most people in the real world. However, my interest in that element isn't strong enough where I'd read a book that is solely romance, particularly not some drug store novel. It's a great thing to have in a story to humanize a character and give you something to connect with that character on and cheer for them, however as great as it is as a complimentary piece of a story, it can not carry a story for me.

 

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Double post

 

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Diana Gabaldon

Seriously, read her Outlander series.

 

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