What’s a romance? You may think you know, but…
The standard definition of a
romance has been undergoing some change lately, but the definition of romance
has always been changing.
Right now, most of us see a
romance as a love story between a man and a woman that contains a happy ending,
with the heroine going off with Mr. Right. But that wasn’t always the case.
Centuries ago, people married
for reasons other than love. They married for money, status or property, and
love was something found outside marriage. The most famous romance in our
literature, Romeo and Juliet, doesn’t
have a happy ending, unless your idea of a good HEA is uniting in heaven.
Other forms of art reflected
the belief that love was found outside marriage. Medieval troubadours traveled
from castle to castle and sang about the joys of courtly love and romantic
love. Art often depicted the clash between marriage and love, such as
Tintoretto’s Venus and Mars Surprised by
Vulcan (1545).
When did romance change, and why?
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740) by Samuel Richardson, is often mentioned as
the first romance novel. The main point, however, was not that the title
character had found love but that her persistent rejections of the so-called
hero’s attentions finally got her the prize: marriage.
A less moralistic novel, and
one that’s often cited as the best of the genre, is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813). Despite its
somewhat archaic style, it’s one of the most popular novels in English
Literature, and for very good reasons. It doesn’t preach the way Pamela does, but instead reflects the
real concerns young women had during the Regency: marrying well and marrying
for love, or at least respect. Although arranged marriages for the purpose of
uniting property or increasing wealth were still a custom in our culture, the
desirability of gaining a life with a partner founded on love rather than money
was taking hold, and is reflected in the literature of the time.
Each era has produced
literature that’s reflective of the time, and romance novels reflect their
eras, too. As the love ideal took hold, more romances were written that reflect
the joy of love rather than its discouraging end, and cautionary tales took
back seat to entertainment.
As time went on, and as mores
altered, romances became steadily more erotic. The Flame and the Flower (1972) by Kathleen Woodiwiss is viewed as
the first modern romance novel, even though it’s a sequel to Petals on the River. Both are quite racy
compared to, say, Austen, and reflect changed attitudes regarding sex before
marriage.
Our century
Perhaps the greatest changes
have occurred in the last few years. First came chick lit, in which the
heroine’s goal is not finding Mr. Right but hooking up with Mr. Right Now. Then
writers of digital romance broke the hetero barrier and started writing LGBT
romance, which doesn’t require the love story to be between a man and a woman.
I’m reliably informed that the biggest consumers of M/M romance aren’t gay guys
but hetero females. Go figure!
Rakes in Tartan
Set in 1816, my book reflects
the mores and customs of the Regency. Heirs to their clans’ lairdships, Andrew
MacReiver and Tor Kilburn must find suitable brides. As did many noblemen of
the time, they journeyed to London for the social season after attending
Oxford. They hoped to find love, but not a Nordic fairy, a dragon and a vampire
assassin.
But, being a book written in
the 21st century rather than the 19th, Rakes in Tartan ends happily.
Here’s what some reviewers
have said about the previous books in the Highland Vampires series--These are
customer reviews from Amazon.
Temptation in Tartan is the
first book I've read by Suz deMello. It won't be the last. The book is well
written, easy to follow and easy to read… I would highly recommend the book and
I hope that she plans another book to follow in this one’s stead.
Desire
in Tartan:
Five stars..."Engrossing... I was grabbed from
the start of the book..."
--S.J.
Foulkes (Amazon.com)
Five stars... "Super Read!!!... I enjoyed
it from the beginning to the end. I couldn't put it down and read it in one
day." --Becca
(Amazon.com)
Five stars..."Such a wonderful read!!!... Such
a wonderful book... Love this series!"
--Kimberly
Jaksina (Amazon.com)
Setting: London 1816
The social season promises both sex and danger for Torquil
Kilburn and Andrew
MacReiver, Highland heirs arrived in London to seek brides.
The Scotsmen must
negotiate the complicated morés of high society to woo and
win an exquisite
debutante and her passionate, unconventional mother while
keeping their vampire heritage a secret.
But evil stalks the ballroom at Almack’s, the streets of
Piccadilly, the drawing rooms of the ton. Headless bodies have been found
drained of their blood, for another vampire haunts the streets of London,
murdering noblemen. As he draws ever closer, Tor and Andrew must fight not only
for love, but for their lives.
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About the author:
Best-selling, award-winning author Suz deMello,
a.k.a Sue Swift, has written seventeen romance novels in several subgenres,
including erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal, mystery and suspense, plus a
number of short stories and non-fiction articles on writing. A freelance
editor, she’s worked for Total-E-Bound, Liquid Silver Books and Ai Press, where
she is currently Managing Editor. She also takes private clients.
Her books have been favorably reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist, won a contest or two,
attained the finals of the RITA and hit several bestseller lists.
A former trial attorney, her passion is world
travel. She’s left the US over a dozen times, including lengthy stints working
overseas. She’s now writing a vampire tale and planning her next trip.
--She tweets her reading picks @ReadThis4fun and @Suzdemello
--Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SuzATGoodreads
