February 9th, 2010 — About
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. It's free and a great way to keep up to date. Thanks for visiting! ~Keira.
It’s true. It really is all about the chase; in real life and in romance novels. In a romance, the man pursues. A heroine might take action first, hoping for results, but the action doesn’t start until the hero goes after the heroine with the intention of making her his.
In a romance, no matter what the sub-genre is, the man must be the one who initiates the romantic action and ultimately, he must end it, usually with a proposal or commitment of some type. – pg 6, A Romance by Any Other Name is Still a Romance
, Catherine Lanigan
Why is this?
I can give you five reasons.
- It’s hot. We want to be chased. Why do you think those caveman cartoons where so popular years ago? The caveman with the biggest club wins…
- It’s a competition between the hero and the losers who didn’t get the heroine. Is he alpha enough to win her and keep her?
- The heroine is the embodiment of all things inaccessible and unobtainable… like unobtainium. She is impossible to obtain. Sometimes she’s even the one who got away.
- How often do civilized
men heroes get to hunt? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Thrill of the hunt is rare indeed.
- It meets social expectations. The man is expected to take the risk of rejection; it’s not expected from the woman.
The goal of the chase:
Getting something from the heroine.
Something is defined usually as a kiss, a date, sex, or marriage. Depending on the sub-genre there could be other goals on the hero’s mind: like obtaining hired help, a nanny for his kids, information leading to the bad guy, whatever… options are endless, but the top four chase goals will always remain the same.
Edit: Quite possibly the most obvious thing he wants is her heart. Duh. 
The best part?
He won’t stop until she’s his! Perseverance and persistence—not yielding to discouragement. Yum.
Of course what makes it all work is that the hero and heroine are meant to be together. Like Bella Swan, the heroine will want to be stalked, chased, pursued to the ends of the earth and it's okay because the hero is the right guy for her.
Photo Credits: We Heart It
If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.
February 8th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, 5 Stars, Book Review, Cooking, Foster/Orphan, G-I, Historic America, Inspirational, Logging Industry, Mail Order, Nurse, Religious, Seas, Travel, United States of America, Virgin Heroine, Widow or Widower
I didn’t know I was thirsting for this type of novel until I glutted myself on it. The story itself is an inspirational set in America during the Civil War aftermath. I picked it up and read and read and read. It’s sweet and chaste, with both leads good God fearing people, which I found [...]
Continue reading → Review: A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist
February 7th, 2010 — 3.5 Stars, 4 Stars, A-C, ARC, Alien, Erotica, Great Britain, Kidnapping, Kings, Princes, Sheiks, Chiefs, Knight, Magic Users, Paranormal, Politician, Queen or Princess, Space, Stowaway, Warrior
Today I am reviewing Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry. This is my first ARC (advance review copy; official book release is September 30, 2008) and I eagerly read the whole novel in two days! Knight’s Fork is just one novel in the futuristic set series about the Great Djinn race. Knight’s Fork contains all the [...]
Continue reading → Review: Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry
February 7th, 2010 — 3 Stars, A-C, Book Review, Business, Contemporary, Cursed Lead, Divorced, United States of America
Jennifer Crusie is a staple of contemporary romance. As such I felt the need to expand my acquaintance with her. Before this, I had only read Bet Me. So you see, I really needed to fix this oversight. I got Manhunting from the library and breezed through it in just a few short days.
Kate Svenson [...]
Continue reading → Review: Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie
February 6th, 2010 — 3.5 Stars, Book Review, Comedy of Manners, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, France, Georgette Heyer, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Kidnapping, Mistaken Identity, Regency, Virgin Heroine
Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer is enchanting and will assuredly transport you to another world. Georgette Heyer, praised to be the new Jane Austen, was born in 1902 and her tales are quite old but hold the same classic feel as any one of Austen’s novels. I can picture the whole novel as a movie [...]
Continue reading → Review: Devil’s Cub by Georgette Heyer
February 6th, 2010 — 3.5 Stars, Book Review, Bride Stealing, Dukes and Earls, Friends, Great Britain, Heiress, J-L, Medical, Mistaken Identity, Regency, Runaway, Soldier, Virgin Heroine
If you’re looking for a light happy read though you will like this novel. It’s a perfect companion for a long flight or car ride and will keep you entertained.
The romance is a little overblown and the plot devices a little too farcical. There is a whole gamut of standard plots can be found [...]
Continue reading → Review: The Runaway Duke by Julie Anne Long
February 5th, 2010 — 4 Stars, Contemporary, Guest Reviews, J-L, Sailing, Secret Agent, Suspense/Thriller
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
The great thing about a series is that the writer has the freedom to explore themes and develop characters in greater detail than in a single average sized novel. This is true of Lora Leigh’s ‘Tempting Seals Series’. Durango Team, of the Navy Seals, is working for Homeland Security trying to [...]
Continue reading → Review: Killer Secrets by Lora Leigh
February 5th, 2010 — Contests
Time for more fabulous book prizes to giveaway thanks to Sourcebooks and their fabulous authors!
First up: One set of Sharon Lathan’s three books (Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One , Loving Mr. Darcy and My Dearest Mr. Darcy ) will go to one lucky commenter. Thank you to all who commented [...]
Continue reading → Winners for Sharon Lathan and Terry Spear!
February 5th, 2010 — 4 Stars, Friends, Gambling, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, J-L, Rogues and Rakehells, Widow or Widower
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
Anthony Hamilton had always been scandalous. Even his parentage was questionable though his mother’s husband accepted him as his son. Anthony had been thrown out of school several times for gambling although he did finish Oxford in record time. His debts are sometimes rumored to be very high and at other times [...]
Continue reading → Review: A Rake’s Guide to Seduction by Caroline Linden
February 5th, 2010 — Australia/New Zealand, Guest Blogger, Lycanthrope, M-O, Paranormal
by Shelley Munro, guest blogger and author of Scarlet Woman.
Hi, my name is Shelley Munro, and I write paranormal and contemporary romance for Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. Thanks for having me to visit today to talk about my feline shapeshifter book Scarlet Woman.
Middlemarch is a small town in the South Island of New Zealand. [...]
Continue reading → Middlemarch – A Town with a Mission
February 4th, 2010 — Guest Blogger, J-L
by Fiona Jayde, guest blogger and author of Cold Victory.
I’ve been hooked on romance novels ever since my best friend in eighth grade let me borrow The Pirate and the Pagan by Virginia Henley. I never really understood what it was about romance that I liked, but I would rarely pick up a non-romance book. [...]
Continue reading → Coiling Lust
February 3rd, 2010 — 4 Stars, Architect, G-I, Great Britain, Guest Reviews, Regency
By: Marcia, guest reviewer
It is always a treat to read one of Madeline Hunter’s books. They are very well written with compelling plots and historical subplots as well as wonderful characters. Secrets of Surrender is the third book in the Rothwell Series about a family that is declining socially.
Roselyn Longworth has come down almost as [...]
Continue reading → Review: Secrets of Surrender by Madeline Hunter
February 3rd, 2010 — 4 Stars, Book Review, Contemporary, Crime and Protection, Mystery, S-U, Seas, Secret Agent, Soldier, Thief, Travel, United States of America
Roxanne St. Claire will keep you on your toes with this novel. Nobody is what they seem and that includes the hero and heroine too.
Constantine Xenakis is a former Navy Seal, one time Bullet Catcher, and thief. He wants to be a Bullet Catcher again and he wants Dan Gallagher’s job as Lucy Sharpe’s right [...]
Continue reading → Review: Make Her Pay by Roxanne St. Claire
February 2nd, 2010 — African American, Black, Defining the Genre, Ethnicity
Black romance is a blooming section of romance industry and is still growing. Officially having its start in 1980 with Entwined Destines written by Rosalind Welles, black romance has expanded and taken shape over the years. While it’s true that the genre could benefit from more authors and more books, black romance is a force [...]
Continue reading → Heart and Soul- Evolution of African American Romance
February 2nd, 2010 — 4 Stars, ARC, Convict, Friends, Gentry, Great Britain, Heiress, J-L, Ranching, Regency, Rogues and Rakehells, Soldier, Spinster, Thief, Virgin Hero, Virgin Heroine
Lessons in French is a feel-good story. It’s cute, lighthearted, and full of whimsy. It was the right novel at the right time. I needed cute, lighthearted, and whimsy. I smiled a lot when reading it and rooted for both of the main characters. They’re imperfect, but that just makes them extremely likeable.
The heroine is [...]
Continue reading → Review: Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale
