tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post8367333650393326674..comments2023-10-30T08:00:54.059-04:00Comments on Laurel's Leaves: Candles, moonlight, and...yawnLaurel Garverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-69664954805487496112017-07-20T19:56:22.252-04:002017-07-20T19:56:22.252-04:00Thanks for the recommendations! I do want to like ...Thanks for the recommendations! I do want to like the genre, so perhaps it's a matter of being picky--or seeking more crossover titles, that are women's fiction-ish or literary-lite with strong romance threads. Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-55891763018977015752017-07-20T19:54:07.956-04:002017-07-20T19:54:07.956-04:00I tend to go through phases with reading, and was ...I tend to go through phases with reading, and was really into SciFi for a period, but don't feel drawn to it much now. Funny, isn't it?<br /><br />Thanks for the recommendation! I can overlook a degree of predictability of the characters are really unique.<br /><br />And I apologize for being dreadfully slow to approve older comments. Blogger kind of hides them if they're a few weeks past the post date. Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-78666754751160638792017-07-20T10:13:04.705-04:002017-07-20T10:13:04.705-04:00Romance is a wide umbrella, so the answer to the q...Romance is a wide umbrella, so the answer to the questions above is a resounding yes. While every genre has its conventions- a mystery is going to have some sort of question or puzzle, science fiction will look at something that could be possible, fantasy something that could not, etc- within those parameters, a writer can do anything. <br /><br />Off the top of my head, as a reader and writer of mostly historical romance, Simple Jess, by Pamela Morsi, has a rural turn of the twentieth century setting, a widowed heroine with a young son, and a hero some might term mentally challenged. The Duke, by Kerrigan Byrne, has a Victorian setting, a heroine who has been through more than a few scrapes, and an amputee hero, missing a hand. <br /><br />A Bed of Spices, a medieval romance by Barbara Samuel (who also writes contemporary romance and women's fiction - honestly have never read anything by this author that was not emotionally complex and full of surprises) is set in Germany, with a Christian heroine who has a talent for medicine, and a Jewish hero, who is himself a doctor. For contemporary romance by the same author, try Jezebel's Blues or In The Midnight Rain. <br /><br />For historical fiction (sometimes with contemporary chapters) with strong romantic elements, Beatriz Williams tells some amazing early twentieth century love stories. <br /><br />No one genre is right for everybody, but Anna Carrasco Bowlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10578980454918684962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-21916668656170446892017-06-26T21:37:08.843-04:002017-06-26T21:37:08.843-04:00I cannot get into sci-fi or fantasy no matter how ...I cannot get into sci-fi or fantasy no matter how much I try. I just can't suspend disbelief enough.<br /><br />If you were ever going to enjoy a romance novel, I'd give Theresa Romain's work a try. Her heroes and heroines are exactly what you said you wished you could find. She's written a non-white hero (Secrets of a Scandalous Heiress), a disabled hero (It Takes Two to Tangle), two physically scarred heroines (A Gentleman's Game and Fortune Favors the Wicked), a blind hero (Fortune Favors the Wicked), a depressed hero (can't remember the book) and a socially anxious geek hero who is one of my favorites ever (To Charm a Naughty Countess). Yes, they're romances, and yes, they follow the formula, but I think you'd enjoy the characters.Amanda Wenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08757218391215827197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-7769753115803812072017-06-10T09:21:25.414-04:002017-06-10T09:21:25.414-04:00True--a more interesting milieu does add a lot to ...True--a more interesting milieu does add a lot to a story and will keep me sticking around longer even if I can predict how the plot will go.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-28843356550750587952017-06-02T02:08:28.799-04:002017-06-02T02:08:28.799-04:00Hi Laurel - I'm not into romance as romance .....Hi Laurel - I'm not into romance as romance ... if it's got some history attached to it I'll happily read. Less so now perhaps - but history gives the story some extras ... cheers HilaryHilary Melton-Butcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17596532480645510678noreply@blogger.com