Defining the Genre

Review: Everything I Know about Love I Learned from Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell

by Keira 10.30.2011

Genre: Non-Fiction look at Romance Novels Who is Sarah Wendell? She’s one of two romance bloggers behind Smart Bitches <3 Trashy Books. She knows her stuff. You should listen to her. She’s funny too! Who Should Read This Book? Non-romance readers wanting to know what’s the big deal about this genre. Who’s in the Book? [...]

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My Favorite Tropes: Secret Baby!

by Carla F. 10.23.2011

Guest post by Carla F. Secret Baby! The phrase just screams for capitalization and an exclamation point. Of course, this plot is when a couple goes their separate ways without the hero knowing that the heroine is pregnant. (Sometimes the heroine doesn’t even know.) The couple could have been separated by war, controlling parents, a [...]

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My Favorite Tropes: Marriage of Convenience

by Carla F. 10.15.2011

Guest blog by Carla F. Merriam-Webster defines a trope as “a common or overused theme or device”. However, it seems to me that it can only be “overused” if it brings nothing new to distinguish itself from all the others. The one thing more satisfying than reading a romance is reading one that has your [...]

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Defining the Genre: Gothic Romance

by Keira 09.26.2011

Gothic romance is a genre you can’t find all too easily today. It was a popular genre a few decades ago and lovers of this romance sub-genre will have to troll secondhand bookstores to find titles. Classics of this genre are novels such as Wuthering Heights and Scarlet Letter. Well known authors of Gothic romance/horror [...]

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Pirate Romance: Separating Myth from Truth

by Keira 06.27.2011

What is pirate, privateer, or buccaneer romance? While pirate romance seems pretty self explanatory the truth of the matter is that modern romantic notions of pirates are far from fact. When we think of a pirate, I am sure many of you will conjure up an image of the deliciously sexy and adventurous Jack Sparrow [...]

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Sheik Romance and the Passion of Arabian Nights

by Keira 05.12.2011

There are many fictional desert kingdoms in Sheik romance. In these desert romances the handsome and enigmatic sheik or prince finds love with the white woman for her sass and zeal of life. She is usually American or English. Powerful and very masculine he domineers her despite her Western background. Did you know the term [...]

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Regency Romance versus Historical Romance

by Keira 05.07.2011

What is regency romance and how does it differ from historical romance? You may well recognize Jane Austen as a regency romance writer. She is best known for works such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. So what makes an authentic regency romance? Well if you look at Pride and Prejudice you can [...]

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Defining the Genre: Highlander Romance

by Keira 04.07.2011

What is highlander romance? Highlander romance is a subgenre of historical romance. Not to be confused with the show, highlander romance is all about those sexy warrior men. The setting for these romances usually takes place in Scotland or Wales. You may be familiar with the 2008 movie Made of Honor; it was a movie [...]