Today I am in love with history. As many of you know, I read lots and lots of different things. I had a conversation with Pantster this morning that got me to thinking about how much I love reading a historical romance so I went out and got myself a few. I got a western romance set during Reconstruction, a romance set in the 1940’s but flashing back to the Revolutionary War period and one set in the 1950’s. You may not think of the1950’s as a historical but it was the last millennium. I was thinking about how much I enjoy reading about other times as I made my selections. I would usually rather read about other times rather than exotic locations. I guess to me the “otherness” of a time is more interesting than of another place.
Clearly, I love a historical story of most any time period, but I was thinking that most of them are set in tumultuous times. Have you ever wondered about that? I suppose that most stories are more exciting written against the backdrop of war or some other crisis, like in the case of pirate stories robbery on the high seas, or wagon training to the Great Western Plains.
Do you read historical romances?
If so do you have a favorite time period?
If not, what turns you off about them?
I used to be a fan of historicals back in my college days but I seem to have drifted toward contemporaries lately. If I have to pick a time period, the 1890's Old West - when men were men and, well, women could ride and shoot too. I always pictured myself as the heroine on a palomino with a Winchester rifle...I have two palominos right now but hubby took the guns away - BB guns don't count. I just can't picture heroines in frilly dresses and having to comport themselves with certain manners. Give me the Wild West any day.
ReplyDeleteI love historicals, especially Regency and Medieval. Georgians and Victorians are great too. :)
ReplyDeleteI have written 3 of my own, but they will never see the light of day. ;)
Not a historical romance fan, but if you write one, I will become the #1.
ReplyDeleteI love a historical. One of my favorites is Kathrine by Anya Seton. It's about Geoffrey Chaucer's sister-in-law, who eventually married John of Gaunt. It was assigned reading for my senior Chaucer class in college but I have read it many times since then.
ReplyDeleteCheryl-I love the Old West period to. I can so see you on a Palomino shooting up a town.:-)
ReplyDeleteLynn-I love a medieval too. I like some Regency as well. Maybe you could let me read the under the bed books.
Anna-Thanks for the support. I would love to do a historical someday but Pantster cringes everytime we talk about it. In fact if I want to get her going I talk about writing a Civil War historical with a girl dressing up like a stable hand. Which has already been done but since she hates a mistaken identity book she hasn't read it. lol
I LOVE historical romance, to the point I almost never read contemporaries. Never, unless one of my fave historical writers writes one.
ReplyDeleteI love almost any time period. For some reason, I'm not too crazy about anything set after the 1930's, but I love Regencies, late 1800's and Medievals (of course, since that's what I write!)
But I did recently read a post-WWII book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and it was THE BEST! I highly recommend it.
I love historical stuff, but nothing makes me crazier than writers who don't do their research. I quit reading Ann Rice when she tried to convince me Henry VIII had been king of Scotland. Hello!
ReplyDeleteBut then, I get annoyed by contemporary writers who don't get details right too - it drives me nuts every time Charlaine Harris tries to describe Sookie Stackhouse's wardrobe.
Maybe I'm just a picky reader, but it seems to me in this day and age, with the internet at our finger tips and many, many libraries, it's not unreasonable to expect people to get basic facts straight - like who the king was (Mary of Guise, regent for Mary, Queen of Scots) and what a 27 year old woman might actually wear (not knee highs!).
Fortunately, they are on a hard drive I no longer have easy access to. :) I'm sure I have paper copies somewhere, but oh, the embarrassment. ;)
ReplyDeleteI became a convert to historicals about five years ago, and now I'm glomming Regencies. One of my current faves is Lorraine Heath and I just bought my first (I know, I'm slow) Mary Balough.
ReplyDeleteI love historicals! There's just something about losing myself in the details of another time. I have to admit that I'm partial to regency but I'll give any time period/location a chance especially if it comes highly recommended.
ReplyDeleteKira
Historical fan here!! My very first romance novel was by Barbara Cartland and I've been hooked on them since. I do love contemporary but I gotta have my Regency fix before too long. :-D
ReplyDeleteBTW- Do you think my historical muse will show up if I put on a pink frilly evening gown and get a poodle to sit in my lap? It worked for Barbara. It's just a thought. ;-D
Oh! (Raises hand high) I LOVE historicals! I was weaned on historicals, books, movies, history class, reenactments, battle fields... and lately Captain Jack Sparrow.
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine writing anything but historicals. I fear my voice and my stories are not suited to anything else. LOL!
Civil War, Westerns, Vikings, Revolutionary War, Victorian, Medieval, Native American, Georgian and Regency. I've read them all. There is nothing more satisfying than a good old fashioned Alpha male and a damnsel in distress. Or a Alpha male in distress and the damsel who soothes the savage beast.
As Lynn has said, these are the real Beauty and the Beast stories. ;)
Right now, I'm reading books by Michelle Willingham.
I am happy to read that I am not alone in my love of a historical.
ReplyDeleteMelanie-I heard that book was great I think Pantsters bookclub is going to be reading it soon.
Gwen-I agree that there is really NO excuse for writing historicals with grossly inaccurate facts. As a reader it drives me nuts.
Vickie-Better late than never. Look at it this way, you have tons of historicals to select from.
Kira-I agree that recommendations are often be best way to find something new to read.
Sherry-I absolutely think you should get a pink fluffy evening gown to write in and see if it makes you want to write Regency romance. I vote to wait a bit on the poodle.
Kathy- I KNEW you were gonna be a huge yes!
Yeah, I'll bet that was a no brainer. LOL!
ReplyDeleteSherry needs to put on those fru fru shoes with the fluffy pink boa fur on them too. ;)
I want to see Sherry floating in her pool in that getup--and her little dog too!
ReplyDelete