February 9th, 2010 — About
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
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 hand man.
His first mission back on the team is a test of his character. The dive site is the El Falcon and it’s rumored that the long lost Bombay blue diamonds are somewhere among the wreckage. He’s to ensure the safety of all treasure found, but can he resist the temptation to keep something for himself?
There’s a thief onboard the Gold Digger. Treasure found on the dive site is going missing. It’s Con’s job to find out who is responsible and stop them. He catches Lizzie Dare red-handed the first night on board, but she insists she was just trying to get documentation about the finds so that Paxton, the client behind the Bullet Catcher case and owner of the finds the diving crew bring up, can’t profit from them illegally and claim they never existed.
It’d be so easy to turn her in and call the job done, but Con decides to hold his peace for now and keep a closer eye on everyone’s, but especially Lizzie’s doings.
Roxanne St. Claire turns up the heat for Make Her Pay. The sexiest scenes, in my opinion, are when Con and Lizzie are showering together in a little cramped space on the boat. Yum. Con’s headspace was particularly fun. Poor guy.
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Make Her Pay (The Bullet Catchers)
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December 19th, 2009 — About, Defining the Genre, Poll, Super Hero, Virgin Hero
There are two male extremes in romance novels. The first is the rake, who is a ladies' man among ladies' men. The second is the untested virgin hero. Both are equally well received if given the right set of circumstances, but the rake is by far the most likely hero candidate. Why? When as Jane from Dear Author points out a rake in any other romance subgenre outside of historical romance is an indiscriminate immoral playboy? Surely by comparison a virgin hero is sexier! Let’s examine how:
A Virgin Hero is Sexy Because…
- He takes the act of sex seriously or has valid reasons to abstain like being lost in a wilderness for a decade.
- He doesn’t have a bed post filled with notches.
- He doesn’t have sexual diseases.
- He hasn’t fathered a dozen bastard children.
- He has a sex drive and chooses to wait.
- He might be a super hero or alien. Or both, just look at Clark Kent.
- His heroine will be the focus of all that pent-up sexual energy. Yum.
- He’s pure, untouched, and very likely not jaded.
- He is infinitely more remarkable because he’s uncommon.
- His heroine gets to be his first.
- He could be a virginal alpha hero or a beta hero.
- He’s usually not ignorant of the act unlike his counterpart the virgin heroine.
- His POV in the love making scene is hot enough to make you melt.
- He’s king of control. (Take that rake/playboy!)
- He’ll remember
your her name.
For a list of virgin hero romance novels head over to All About Romance. Don’t forget to check out the category of virgin hero romance here at Love Romance Passion.
Your Turn: do you like your heroes virginal or rakish?
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October 4th, 2009 — Georgette Heyer, Poll, Regency
This post is a counter post to 10 Reasons Why I Can’t Read Georgette Heyer by Zarabeth. I was surprised but not upset with Zarabeth's reaction to Georgette Heyer's writing style. It does take a little getting used to and in my opinion the hardest Heyer to read is your first. This will probably not be the case if you read a lot of historical fiction. Trust me, the pages will soon begin to fly as you read Heyer. Here are some reasons to love her:
- Georgette Heyer novels have characters that steal into your heart and mind.
- Georgette Heyer novels are stories that are worth rereading over and over.
- Georgette Heyer writes farces that make you laugh out loud and shake your head in gentle amusement.
- Everyone seems to have a favorite or two Georgette Heyers they grew up with.
- Where else can you encounter thief cant and learn words like snabble and snaffle?
- Georgette Heyer provides it all from spinsters to female gamblers, from dandy heroes to brooding alphas, and from enemies to best friends. She has a whole gamut to choose from.
- Jane Austen fix. Need I say more?
- Fairly unusual character names like Lizzie Winwood, Marquis of Alverstoke, Vidal, etc.
- Reading Heyer with those glorious new tradeback covers from Sourcebooks is an experience not to be missed. Aren’t they just gorgeous? Strokes glossy cover… yum. Which are your favorites?
- All of Heyer’s novels are filled with sweetness and chastity. Like a fairytale all HEA are sealed with a kiss!
Now if you have read a Heyer and both Zarabeth’s and mine arguments about Georgette Heyer – where do you fall?
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Photo Credits: http://weheartit.com/
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October 12th, 2008 — Covers, Fabio Search
