Recommending this great blog, Sweet Savage Flame, filled with reviews of the bodice-ripper greats from the past. Check it out! I’ve posted a link on our blog page as well.
SWEET SAVAGE FLAME Bodice Rippers, Vintage Category, & Old-School Historical Romance from Avon to Zebra
My goodness! One of my favorite Austen stories. Who is playing Captain Wentworth? I hope Netflix does the new adaptation justice. For me, I think it will be hard for me to look at Dakota in such a tame role after Fifty Shades. I wonder what, “modern, witty approach to a beloved story means.” Thoughts? Comments?
It’s strange Netflix is doing the series when Searchlight is doing one as well with Sarah Snook in the role.
Dakota Johnson is set to star in Netflix’s retelling of Jane Austen’s novel “Persuasion.”
Source: Dakota Johnson to Star in Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion’ Movie at Netflix – Variety
In 1972, Avon Books published “The Flame and the Flower,” by Kathleen Woodiwiss — a hefty historical romance that traded chastity for steamy sex scenes. It arrived in the thick of the sexual revolution, and readers loved it: It was an instant bestseller that’s credited with birthing the modern romance genre.Here, a dozen people — authors, editors, agents, cover artists and one mononymous male model — recount how the modern romance industry came together and took off.
Source: Romance novels are big business. Here’s how the genre took off. – The Washington Post
Will Netflix stay close to the series of books for Season 3 and 4? Assuming they follow in order, then An Offer From a Gentleman and Romancing Mister Bridgerton should be in those seasons. Only time will tell. Will you watch? Of course, this will be years in the making probably through 2025 or later. Julia Quinn must be extremely excited to be living an author’s dream. Sending her kudos with a tinge of envy.
Fans of the smash hit have now been treated to yet more exciting news, with confirmation that the show has been commissioned for its third and fourth series.
Source: Bridgerton Season 3 and 4 confirmed plot cast release date | Tatler
Uninhibited sexual pleasure in the city of love during the 19th century could cause a 21st-century woman’s cheeks to blush. Prostitution and brothels were at their heyday, and they served a purpose to meet the needs of men both rich and poor. After all, marriage was an institution for producing children; prostitutes and mistresses were for pleasure. The brothel was a place of relaxation for men and accepted as normal practice in society.
How many prostitutes were there during this time period? Brothels or mansions of tolerance, as they were called, housed 15,000 prostitutes in 1883. Between 1871 through 1903, approximately 155,000 women were registered card-carrying ladies of pleasure. Women were required to register at the Bureau of Morals if they wished to work in the profession. Afterward, they received a huge laundry list of regulated behavior for their conduct indoors and outdoors. During that time period, 725,000 were arrested by the police for suspected prostitution because they failed to register with the Bureau.
Jobs were scarce for women and the survival of the poor difficult. Even married women participated in prostitution. There were roughly 125 Paris brothels in business during the 1870s. Brothels were considered a cleaner and more regulated system of pleasure, keeping individuals from sexual perversion by giving them an alternative to the women on the streets. Women willing to give satisfaction to the male population were rampant on every corner, and like any other morally questionable practice, it carried consequences.
We tend to romanticize all this into lovemaking in historical romance novels without penalty, except perhaps a baby or two out of wedlock. Unfortunately, all those pleasures carried risks, especially contracting syphilis. How many had the disease? You might wish to sit down. Fourteen to fifteen percent of deaths were attributed to sexually transmitted diseases. Some reports carry it as high as 17%. One-tenth of the population contracted syphilis. You may think that’s not many, but one-tenth of the population equated to four million people. Syphilis was attributed to 40,000 stillbirths yearly, when gone untreated, progressed into a dastardly end. Half of the cases were contracted between the age of 14 and 21. As one report put it, young people could not wait to dispel their chastity.
Treatment for syphilis was inadequate and understanding by the medical community of the disease somewhat lacking. There were hospitals and clinics set up to specifically treat the disease, but many found it embarrassing to seek treatment. Effective treatment really didn’t arrive until approximately 1910 with the onset of better antibiotics. Earlier, Mercury and Potassium iodide were used.
Nowadays, we’re probably a bit more sophisticated when it comes to sex and STDs. After all, we’ve evolved, right? We can insist on blood tests before we hop in bed with a man or use methods of birth control and protection. I guess social progression does have its trade-offs, but I have a sneaking suspicion with the number of historical romances sold each year women would rather fantasize in another century with handsome aristocrats and take their chances. After all, it’s just fiction and not reality.
Take note! They are going beyond the boundaries of The Viscount Who Loved Me in the second season of Bridgerton on Netflix by deviating from the books with the introduction of new characters.
The last new cast member to be announced was Merlin star Rupert Young, who is taking on the role of Jack. Jack is the newest member of the ‘Ton with high connections and a bit of a mystery. As Jack is a brand new character created for the TV series, not based off anyone in the books, we don’t know much more about him just yet.
Source: Netflix reveals 4 new cast members to join Bridgerton for season two | SHEmazing!
I write this post from the lens of an independently published author. However, I’m sure it resonates with those who are traditionally published as well. As an avid reader of historical romance, you are on the finished side of creative work. Have you ever considered what it is like to be the creator of that story you hold? Here are some brutally honest thoughts on what it’s like to write a book, and why it consists of a lot of blood, sweat, and tears.
The Blood – The life of a book is in the blood. Authors create characters out of thin air and give them life. They’ve chosen their names, where they live, their personalities, their backgrounds, and the paths they will walk to find love. When an author pours their soul into any creative work, they bleed. A part of them becomes imprinted on the page. Woven into the creation are their thoughts, struggles, and life experiences that are hidden between chapters and in the prose.
Once created, it’s released to the public. Authors tend to bleed when a reviewer writes a snide or hateful review. Whether the work is a Nobel Prize-worthy piece of literature or a run-of-the-mill self-published Kindle creation, authors are very attached to their stories regardless of the love and hate they may receive from readers. As a result, every book produces some drops of blood during and after the creative process. Even popular authors bleed. Here is a good quote:
“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
Ernest Hemingway
The Sweat – It’s the hours writing. It’s the voices in an author’s head demanding to be heard. It’s the plotting. It’s the point of view. It’s the tense. It’s the overused words. It’s the dialogue. It’s the punctuation. It’s those grammar classes we never paid attention to in grade school coming back to bite us. It’s the hours of research, and finally, those damn typos that never seem to go away. Frankly, it’s hard work. You bleed and sweat, and your reward for the hours you took to create a story is a 35 cent royalty from a 99 cent priced book.
After a writer finishes writing and editing, there is plenty of work before release. It’s the formatting, the cover art, the copyright registration, the Library of Congress, the ISBN assignment, and working with distributors. After release, comes the expense and sweat of marketing. On top of that, you sweat worrying what people will think about it and hope you don’t have to bleed too much when the comments start rolling in. Writing a book can be stinky business as this author states:
“Sometimes the ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come. It’s a mysterious process, but I hope I never find out exactly how it works.”
J. K. Rowling
The Tears – Tears can arrive for many reasons when writing a book. They could be author tears of self-doubt. Authors are not all confident arrogant individuals. Remember this quote from the Oscars in 2014? No wonder we cry.
“The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day.”
Robert De Niro
The tears also arrive because authors are emotionally involved in their characters and story. Sometimes their character’s journey reminds them of their own hurt inside, and they cry while writing. At other moments, it raises empathy for the plight of others having to live the situations we create on paper. Emotional involvement in characters is an inevitable part of being an author. Without it, characters are dry and lifeless. Consider this quote:
“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.”
Robert Frost
Then there are tears of release when an author holds the printed book and flips through the pages. They feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in what they have created. Authors also cry when people trash their work, and shed tears of joy when people praise their stories.
Is the blood, sweat, and tears worth it all? Yes.
I first knew I wanted to write in grade school. It’s been ingrained in my brain, imprinted on my soul, and a driving force behind my fingers. It’s foolish for me to think that I’m terrific at my craft because I’m not. I’m an average Jane out in the world of thousands of books released each year. I’m continually learning how to write better. Sometimes I want to quit, but I’m afflicted, as this quote declares:
“I think all writing is a disease. You can’t stop it.”
William Carlos Williams
So the next time you pick up your Kindle or a paperback, remember you are not holding a new historical romance book — you are holding the blood, sweat, and tears of an individual who wrote the story.
In conclusion, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes about writing as explained by Winston Churchill.
“Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with it is a toy then an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then it becomes a tyrant and, in the last stage, just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public.”
Since the publication of her first romance novel, Night Song, in 1994, Beverly Jenkins has become one of the genre’s most prominent authors. The prolific Jenkins has primarily focused on historical romance starring Black characters, including her latest, Wild Rain, set in the Wyoming Territory.
Source: How Romance Novelist Beverly Jenkins Brings History To Life On The Page
Lorraine Heath begins an exciting new series with a breath-taking romance about a young woman who must marry a titled gentleman to obtain her inheritance and the unsuitable man she begins to fall madly in love with…
We had the pleasure of chatting with author Lorraine Heath about her new novel Scoundrel of My Heart, writing, book recommendations, and much more!
Source: Q&A: Lorraine Heath, Author of ‘Scoundrel of My Heart’ | The Nerd Daily
This morning while surfing Amazon to check out two new books that were recommended by BuzzFeed for Spring release (The Duke of Undone and To Love and to Loathe) the page loaded with more recommendations. Each of the covers displayed the new cartoon-type artwork that seems to be a new trend being pushed by traditional publishing companies. These came from St. Martin’s Griffin (Macmillan), Berkley (Penquin), Atria Books (Simon & Shuster), and Kensington Books. (Shame on Kensington, because they used to have some of the most beautiful artwork when it came to covers.)
Is it just me disappointed with this new push? What’s behind the change from the big houses? Is it to save money? Brand themselves apart from independent authors?
What are your thoughts? Chime in on the comments.
Yea?
Nay?
Okay?
Ugh? I think it’s obvious that I’m in the “ugh” category. Give me artwork and wonderfully design covers any day.
Look at this smug eldest brother right here? As heavily foreshadowed in Season 1, the second season of “Bridgerton” will focus on the love story of Viscount Anthony Bridgerton, played by Jonathan Bailey. In the Instagram post announcing the second season, the omnipresent Lady Whistledown revealed that “Lord Anthony Bridgerton intends to dominate the social season.”
Source: ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2: Release Date, First Look, and More Details | IndieWire
I, take thee, to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.
Sounds like a fairytale, doesn’t it? Historical romance authors, if they follow the rules, end books in similar ways giving a happily-ever-after ending to readers. Who wants to read about divorce in a romance novel? However, I’m a diehard researcher that always looks at a situation from every angle, so I took the time to discover the truth about marriage and divorce.
My research regarding divorce laws in France and England reminded me of that phrase we often say, but don’t really adhere to in the 21st century – “until death us do part.” Let’s move the romance aside for a moment and take a look at the reality of 19th-century marriage and divorce. I discovered the following in my hours of researching the topic from a moral, religious, and civil law perspective.
Marriages in the Victorian era fell into three categories: (1) those contracted for convenience; (2) those produced by sympathy or love; and (3) those entered into from duty. The aristocracy put great importance on the background and nobility of the families they married into, as well as marrying for money. Though love in marriage might be ideal, it was not a practical reality, and people were told not to expect too much from marriage. If you found an ounce of happiness in your union, rejoice.
So what about unhappy marriages? Divorce was not easily obtained. Extramarital sexual relations were a normal feature of life in troubled relationships. After marriage, adultery was almost inevitable. Adultery, believe it or not, was preferred to divorce, mainly because divorce was difficult and expensive to obtain. Men had sex with their wives for children and bedded their mistresses for love and pleasure. A wife had the duty to obey her husband and produce heirs, and in return for her obedience, the husband owed her protection and security.
Divorce in England and France evolved over the years, coupled with Catholic and Anglican restrictions. A married woman in France needed two causes for divorce – adultery and physical cruelty. Adultery alone was not grounds for divorce for a woman. However, a man could divorce his wife for adultery only.
To file for divorce in France, a petition had to be brought before the president of the chambers, and there had to be two attempts before the court to reconcile the marriage. If the marriage failed to reconcile, then court proceedings would continue. Upon the divorce, the children would go to the custody of the husband. After 1886, custody was left at the discretion of the court. The wife had to take back her maiden name and was forbidden to keep her husband’s name. The husband could remarry immediately after the divorce became final, but the wife had to wait ten months after the dissolution before she was allowed to marry again.
In Victorian England, the rules were similar. “The husband could obtain a divorce for adultery, the wife could obtain a divorce for adultery coupled with cruelty or desertion for two or more years, and also for incestuous or bigamous adultery, or rape, or unnatural offenses.” (Quoted from The Encyclopedia Britannica: Volume 3, Google Books) Divorce could be a lengthy and costly process that only the rich could afford.
Of course, civil laws did not govern church laws. Catholics could not divorce and remain in good graces with the church, and surely Anglican and other protestant branches held the same views. Holy matrimony was just that – a holy union not to be broken. The alternative of adultery to divorce was a matter of sin and one’s conscience. Even though France was predominantly Catholic, the church turned a blind eye to the infidelity of the male Frenchman.
Our modern-day divorces are much easier to obtain. Though we may utter those words “until death do us part,” they don’t really carry the serious consequences of marriages long ago. Perhaps that is why readers insist on a happily ever after as a prerequisite to a good historical romance. The reality of being chained to a marriage without love for the sake of convenience, law, or religious conscience must have been an unhappy existence. As Jane Austen would say: “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.“
While writing my award-winning novel, Dark Persuasion, I spent a fair amount of time researching Victorian courting, wedding preparations, weddings, and honeymoons. The entire process felt so romantic to me that I focused quite a bit on the wedding between my heroine and hero. Below are a few excerpts from previous blogs that I’ve written regarding that research. I hope you enjoy!
The Wedding Trousseau
The French word trousseau refers, of course, to a bride’s bundle of personal possessions amassed prior to the wedding that include undergarments and clothing. Late in the 19th and early 20th century, a collection of household wares (tablecloths, towels, linens, etc.) were also included.
Below is an excerpt from a website entitled the Vintage Connection describing a typical trousseau around 1884. It would include the following: “… a dozen chemises trimmed with embroidery or insertions, a dozen nightdresses, six well-trimmed combinations, a dozen drawers, nine trimmed petticoats, one French petticoat, nine camisoles, six vests, five flannel petticoats, two dressing gowns, three-bed jackets, a dozen pairs of fine-quality Lisle stockings, three pairs of silk stockings, two dozen handkerchiefs, a pair of French corsets, a bustle, a satin nightdress and a lace-trimmed sachet.”
The Wedding
Everything in the Victorian era seemed to be dictated by proper etiquette. Weddings were no different. There were rules about fashion, the time to wed, and the reception. Here are a few short, but interesting facts.
If the bride married in a church, a gown with a long train and a veil of the same length was the style of the era. The veil remained over the bride’s face until after the wedding ceremony. I’ve read conflicting statements regarding kissing at the altar, but I allowed a smooch anyway for my characters.
Pure white had not yet become the standard of choice in wedding dresses even though Queen Victoria started the rage. Colors varied. Bridesmaids often wore the same color of dress as the bride.
Superstitions abounded. There were rhymes about what day of the week was best to wed, the color of a bride’s dress, and, of course, the famous saying: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a lucky sixpence in your shoe.” Each item had a meaning and purpose like the sixpence, which was meant to bless the wedding with wealth and prosperity. No one married on Sunday, but the other days all had meaning:
Marry on Monday for health
Tuesday for wealth
Wednesday the best day of all
Thursday for crosses
Friday for losses
Saturday for no luck at all.
(Obtained from the website The Victorian Wedding)
After the service, the tossing of rice, grain, or birdseed was used for good luck when it came to fertility. If it were a wealthy couple, a carriage drawn by four white horses waited for the bride and groom after the service to take them to the reception. The reception was usually held at the bride’s home. Weddings took place in the morning around 11 o’clock, and the reception consisted of a wedding breakfast.
An area for a receiving line would have been set up for the bride and groom at the reception. Brides were addressed first, unless the guest only knew the groom. In that instance, the groom would introduce the bride. I must laugh when I discovered that the bride was never congratulated, as the honor of marriage was conferred upon her already for agreeing to marry the groom. (Lucky spinster finally finds a husband, I guess.)
Guests enjoyed their breakfast, but there was no entertainment at the reception. Evening receptions, with dancing, only occurred at lavish wedding affairs. After the reception, the bride changed into another dress for her honeymoon journey. Only the groom and the best man knew the location, which by tradition was a well-kept secret.
There are many websites regarding Victorian-era weddings. The link in this post has quite a bit of detail. However, the Victorian era spanned many years, as you know, so traditions changed somewhat as the years progressed.
Such is the romance of the Victorian ages.
Contributed by Vicki Hopkins, Author
Sales of the Penguin edition of Miss Austen’s Pride and Prejudice shot up by 22 per cent last year, according to analysts Nielsen BookScan
It appears Julia Quinn has new covers for her books. Curious where these photos were sourced? If you read my recent post, “Judging a Book by the Cover,” you’ll find these at Fine Art America. The is a particular photographer based in Manchester, UK by the name of Lee Avison. It’s worth checking out the site for his fabulous period images.
Following the success of the “Bridgerton” television series, the “Bridgerton” novels are getting a revamp.
William Marrow has revealed exclusively to “Good Morning America” that it is releasing new covers for each of Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” novels.
Source: EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: New covers of the Bridgerton novels released – ABC News
They say men are stimulated visually. It’s not what they hear whispered in their ears – it’s what they see with their eyes that move them toward sex and romance. For the most part, I do think that men are wired that way. However, when it comes to reading steamy historical romance novels, women are not only moved by the story, but by the covers that give us a glimpse of the hero and heroine in a passionate embrace.
Historically, the genre bombarded readers with bare-chested, muscular males, with shirts falling off their backs, toned physiques, and six-pack abs. The heroines were women with unbuttoned or unlaced dresses in the back, overflowing breasts from low necklines, and lustful scenes of kissing in provocative poses. These scenes set the stage for the forthcoming sexual tension between the characters and build the reader’s anticipation of what is to come between the pages.
The old adage you can’t judge a book by its cover is really only a half-truth because I dare say historical romance covers set the scene, tempts us with what’s inside, and reveals the type of book we’re about to read, or at least it should. Personally, I’m drawn to the covers either positively or negatively.
Over the years, the amount of steamy covers has diminished somewhat. I believe this is due partially to the strict guidelines set by some platforms such as Facebook where authors routinely advertise their books. If the cover pose is too provocative, they will refuse to run the advertisement. Even I have had a cover rejected because a female was on top of the hero who had an unbuttoned shirt! She was fully clothed. I ended up changing the cover because I couldn’t advertise the book.
Many covers nowadays have a sole character on the front, either the hero or heroine. There is definitely a proliferation of women in flowing dresses as the norm. Men can be either fully dressed or with open shirts. You will notice a lot of similarities in covers with authors adopting stylistic features such as fonts as part of an author’s branding. Books in a series often carry the same thematic designs.
There are many talented graphic artists that produce fantastic covers in the industry. Large publishing houses can afford the best artists and highly paid models to grace their covers. One artist, in particular, is Jon Paul. You will recognize his work on many covers coming from traditional publishing houses. I have reposted one cover in the blog post created by Jon Paul with his permission.
Many indie authors and traditional publishers are also turning toward stock photography on sites such as Dreamstime, iStockPhoto, Getty Images, Shutterstock, and Adobe. Some higher-end photography sites such as Fine Art America and Trevillion are used by publishers, but usage rights are extremely expensive. There are also romance cover sites, such as Period Images, which I highly recommend, as well as Romance Novel Covers. The prices are reasonable and licensing terms are fairly straightforward. Frankly, I’ve thought for many years that photographers have a goldmine of opportunity if they would focus more on historical era shots with men and women in the fashions of the time. I’m happy to see an increase in such photographs on the market.
However, just purchasing a photograph isn’t the end of the design process. The real artistry, of course, comes when a picture is chosen, as well as a background, and then it’s turned into a cover story that is unique. There are many graphic artists who design covers for authors. Some independent authors, if they are savvy enough, do their own covers if they are professional in appearance. Poor cover art does not sell books. Authors are wise to learn the rules about license usage rights, model releases, and copyright law when dealing with photography. Better to be safe than sued for damages in a court of law for infringement.
Since Fabio’s earlier days of book cover shots, with his long hair, chiseled face, and body, it seems the standard for romance covers hasn’t changed very much until recently. We now have new models and artists on the scene and the advent of advanced design techniques not available in the past.
Last fall, however, quite a few books released by traditional publishing houses such as Berkley, Kensington, Hachette, and Zebra were bright-colored cartoon-type covers, which are not my favorite. I wondered if this was an attempt to save money during the Covid lock-down months. They remind me of contemporary books along the line of cozy mysteries rather than steamy romance. Here are the titles if you want to take a look. A Rogue of One’s Own by Evie Dunmore, Notorious by Minerva Spencer, Mr. Malcome’s List by Suzanne Allain, A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins, and A Duke, The Lady, and a Baby by Vanessa Riley. Frankly, I hope this is a short-lived trend because the joy of historical romance covers is the gorgeous works of art that inspire readers.
In any event, a well-designed cover does the trick. It will either entice us to purchase or not. Frankly, I remember the days when I loved to buy novels with beautiful covers and keep them on my bookshelf like works of art. Now, we enjoy them on high definition digital readers. Wherever they meet our eyes, in print or on-screen, the cover should be an enticing introduction to the story we are about to read.
As a reader, do you judge a book by the cover? Do you pass on books with poorly design covers, even though the story inside might be terrific? I’m curious to know.
The famous Fabio romance covers of the 1980s and ’90s were glorious, embarrassing, corny, sexy, or off putting, depending on whom you ask. Because of their prominence, Fabio is shorthand for a man with flowing locks, gripping a comely woman against his glossy, hairless chest in a pose known as a clinch.While Fabio may be the joke romance played on itself, the joke is also on those who can’t get past him — they’re missing out on the fun.
Source: Fabio Romance Novel Covers: A Brief History By The Numbers
The other day I picked up an older historical romance book by a well-known traditionally published author and started reading it. The book was published in 2015. When I got to page forty, the hero of the book unbuttoned his breeches and exposed himself to the heroine as a shock tactic. Frankly, she was a lot calmer than I was reading the passage, because I was horrified. I don’t consider myself a prude by any means, and have written my own fair share of steamy scenes when it comes to romance. Nevertheless, the act turned me cold as stone, and obviously, I didn’t finish the book. It’s something that I personally do not think belongs in a historical romance book. However, other readers were not as offended, by evidence of the five-star reviews.
I suppose readers of historical romance have all sorts of tolerance levels when it comes to sex scenes in a novel. You will notice that we try to indicate in our author promotions, how warm and cozy or steaming hot these scenes are by rating them as follows:
Level five, of course, is the over-the-top sex with graphic descriptions that are blazing hot, making the reader go wide-eyed, blush, and grab a fan. Some like it hot – others do not. It’s a matter of preference.
Posting these heat indexes hopefully help readers make decisions when purchasing a book. Unfortunately, we don’t get those insights on Amazon or other retailers what level of sexual activity is in the story we are about to read. Once in a while, you may see an author put a warning at the end of the synopsis if it’s close to erotica. You can usually tell, too, by comments in reviews if a reader thinks there is too much sex and not enough story.
Things have come a long way since the bodice-ripping days. The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss has its fair share of shock in the beginning of the book with rape of a virgin and subsequent captivity. Twenty years ago when The Duke and I was written by Julia Quinn, I don’t think much was said about Daphne’s ploy of having sex with drunk Simon without his consent, which would be definitely coined as rape in the eyes of many today. You can see that complaint being raised in more recent reviews.
Many of us love Jane Austen, who wrote the beautiful love stories we admire. Naturally, she’s a great example of historical romance in the kisses and hugs rating. They are proof that wonderful romances can be written without graphic sex. They are more character driven stories than sexually driven.
In historical romance, intercourse can occur out of wedlock or after the wedding vows. Morals are not a central theme in most books unless it’s a religious-based historical romance. I’ve written books with no sex and plenty of sex — it just depends on the story, characters, and theme.
There is no right or wrong answer on how cozy or steamy historical romance books need to be, but there are definitely preferences among readers. Frankly, I don’t like books with rape scenes, aggressive men who take liberties without asking first, or shocking vulgarity like the first example I gave. However, for other readers, it may not be a problem. After all, in the early bodice-ripping days, historical romance had its share of rogues who seduced women. The proliferation of such tropes gave the genre its reputation. With the increasing awareness in the twenty-first century about the importance of consent, these scenes of forced seduction may not be acceptable to some readers. But let’s be honest here. To some women, it’s a turn-on. Each to their own.
Authors, however, are listening to the masses, or at least should be, on how to write a hot steamy sex scene that doesn’t cross boundaries. There is a great article on a website named Jezebel entitled, “The Romance Novelist’s Guide to Hot Consent.” It’s worth the read, especially for authors, and delves into how some of the bestselling authors approach this delicate subject when writing sex scenes. A few authors interviewed in the article are of the historical romance genre.
So, let’s be honest.
My parting thoughts are that I only wish that authors would be more proactive and add the heat level at the end of their synopsis of the book itself. It would help readers immensely in choosing the level of sexual content in a book they purchase. If it’s not listed in the “Sweet Romance Category,” it’s pretty hard to determine how hot it gets between the pages. You can sometimes make a determination based on the heat level of the cover, but that still doesn’t tell you how far the lovers will take it with or without consent between the sheets.
Do you have a preference? Feel free to chime in on the subject. You are always welcome to express opinions.
Julie Pottinger, whose pen name is Julia Quinn, quit medical school to focus on writing.
Source: Seattle based ‘Bridgerton’ author Julia Quinn blazes new trails for her genre | king5.com
The Dashwood Sisters. Could there be anything more entertaining than these two women? They are as different as night and day and both on a pursuit for husbands. Elinor bears everything with quiet decorum and sense. Marianne is outspoken and seeks the thrills of romantic fellowship with no sense at all.
Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite Austen works. It was her first novel written in 1795 at the age of 19 and was accepted by a publisher and put into print in 1811 (at her own expense, I might add for all you indies out there). Though I’m not an Austen expert by any means, I’m thankful for the many resources available online about her life and works from people who are. I have had the good fortune of seeing part of her manuscript for Persuasion at the London Library penned in her own hand with the name of Captain Wentworth on the page.
I’m not quite sure what it is about this story. Perhaps it’s the yearning for love and silent pining inside the hearts of women that draws me so strongly to their characters. As females, we probably all have a bit of Elinor and Marianne in each of us.
Elinor, who loves the steady, kindhearted, humble man in the form of Edward Ferrars, is the sensible sister of the two. She bears her love and disappointment with quiet restraint while dealing with her sister’s outward and passionate emotions regarding Willoughby.
Though I’ve never had a sister, the fact that they are so different as night and day is entertaining to me. Austen does a wonderful job with each of them telling the other about their own exasperation over the other’s personality. Hear how Marianne scolds her sister.
“I do not attempt to deny,” said she, “that I think very highly of him—that I greatly esteem, that I like him.” Marianne here burst forth with indignation. “Esteem him! Like him! Cold-hearted Elinor! Oh! worse than cold-hearted! Ashamed of being otherwise. Use those words again, and I will leave the room this moment.”
Then there is Marianne — brokenhearted Marianne whose life nearly ends because she cannot have the man she loves. Marianne, of course, is undoubtedly the romantic at heart in this story compared to her sister Elinor who keeps everything hidden for the sake of propriety. Marianne lost all good sense when it came to her infatuation with Willoughby. Gregarious, passionate, and handsome Willoughby fits perfectly into her idealist qualifications of what a gentleman should be. “Mama, the more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much! He must have all Edward’s virtues, and his person and manners must ornament his goodness with every possible charm.”
Though Marianne is happy for her sister’s budding relationship with Edward, she clearly expresses her thoughts of the deficits of his personality in her eyes. “Oh! mama, how spiritless, how tame was Edward’s manner in reading to us last night! I felt for my sister most severely. Yet she bore it with so much composure, she seemed scarcely to notice it. I could hardly keep my seat. To hear those beautiful lines which have frequently almost driven me wild, pronounced with such impenetrable calmness, such dreadful indifference!”
For me, Marianne represents all of the girlish and hopeful feelings we possess at 16 years of age regarding love. Our hearts are filled with romantic notions of being swept off our feet by the most amiable of men, who can recite to us poetry with heartfelt enunciation that brings tears to our eyes. They rescue us when in distress, are attentive, offer flowers, cut locks of our hair to keep with them, and promise to adore us for all eternity.
Elinor, on the other hand, is the more mature young woman who sees the wonder of what love can be but also recognizes the cruel hurt and devastation it can bring to a female’s heart. She not only sees the terrible effects of a broken heart nearly bringing her dearest sister to death’s door, but she also bears the heartache of love lost to another.
As far as modern adaptations on screen, we have been blessed with two beautiful renditions of Sense and Sensibility in film and television. The 1995 movie version with Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson is a wonderful condensed version. My favorite, however, probably because it is much longer is the 2008 BBC version starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield. The choice of characters for Edward and Colonel Brandon excited me a bit more, as well as the cinematography.
Do you relate to Elinor or Marianne? Are you the sensible sister or the whimsical sister? In historical romance, I love to examine characters, and Jane Austen gives us wonderful ones to enjoy.
| 1995 Movie | 2008 BBC TV | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||
|
|
| 1995 Movie | 2008 BBC TV | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
