Although it is not quite Valentine’s Day it seemed appropriate to share with you some of the romance books I have read and enjoyed.  Romance is a difficult genre, often over looked and disparaged as not “good enough,” in much the same way that fantasy or science fiction were previously. But new authors and a change in climate where fans of books like Fifty Shades of Gray are no longer ashamed to claim and enjoy them in droves has given the genre new life.

Romance as a genre has many sub categories now from fantasy romance, or vampire romance or the more traditional period romance or sexy “bodice-ripper” romance  or more recently, gay or poly-amorous romance books. There are even “Fifty Shades wanna-be” series that are actually quite good and need something to binge on! So if you haven’t checked out some of these new categories you have a lot of catching up to do!

Susanna Kearsley has almost single handedly carved out a new kind of literary romance category for herself which she calls “modern gothic” that blends the past with romance and suspenseful spookiness.  She is a great writer who creates interesting and diverse characters and places them in well researched settings.  In The Shadowy Horses, Verity Gray is invited to Scotland to add her expertise to a archeological dig of a Roman ruin. She is intrigued by the educational value and the honor of working with other renowned archaeologists at the dig, but one of them, David Fortune, is making it difficult for her to feel welcome or fit in. Soon however, the ghostly appearances of a Roman sentinel, and the dire warnings overwhelm any discomfort Verity may feel as she tries to figure out who these messages are for and what role David has in these events. Similarly in The Rose Garden Eva returns to the old house in Cornwall where she spent time as a child.  With her famous sister now gone, Eva feels rudderless, and in need of this place where she feels grounded.  But soon she is hearing voices in the room next to hers and and feels a haunting male presence that is both intriguing and eerie. As Eva stays longer in Cornwall and confronts the presence in her room, she soon realizes that he is a man from a different time and soon she must decide where she belongs.

Elin Hilderbrand has taken the romance genre, shaken it up and given it a good dose of reality. Wisely, she has realized that romance is not only for the young and her characters are usually older, modern women, who have children, been married for awhile or are divorced. In The Rumor, two long time girlfriends face enormous challenges to their perfect lives one summer on Nantucket Island, when rumors begin to fly about a possible affair, a broken romance, and an illicit side business. Hilderbrand deftly relates this story of small town gossip, the difficulty of keeping up appearances and the strains of modern life, all while giving us believable characters who struggle with loyalty to their families and to their long friendship.

Sabrina Jeffries is one of several historical romance writes who have breathed some much needed new life into the period romance category. In The Art of Sinning, the first book in her Sinful Suitors Series , (Try saying that three times!) the members of St George’s Club bemoan the fact that among them they are the guardians of several young women of marriageable age and decide to band together to help each other guard their charges from the clutches of sinful suitors. But that proves to be easier said than done and when Lady Yvette Barlow enlists the aid of Jeremy Keane, an artist her brother has hired to paint her portrait, in order to gain entry into a notorious brothel, the lines of propriety are irretrievably crossed. Jeffries takes the old formulaic Georgian period romance and finds new and interesting characters, unusual situations and creates interest and suspense that makes these books truly binge worthy.

As you can see the romance genre has something for just about everyone and I hope this has given you some new books and new authors to try!  I hope you will share with me your favorites as well!

All books were read in ebook format!