Happy New Year & New Decade!
What will you be reading this year?
I’m going to begin by enticing some of you to try a new genre.
6 reasons to fall in love with historical romance.
1) A refreshing change from email, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Historical fiction brings back the art of conversation and hand-written letters. There is no constant checking for updates on social media, no stalking friends via the internet. Words like catfish and ghosting have completely different meanings in a bygone era.
2) Lessons in history that don’t feel like the schoolroom.
Historical romance can give readers insights into the past in the same way as other categories of the history genre, even if the main theme of a book is the romance.
I’ve learnt about real historical characters, social etiquette, smuggling and the Scottish witch trials, to name just a few examples.
The Dressmaker’s Secret by Charlotte Betts,
The Kings Elite series by Virginian Heath,
The Beauchamp Betrothals by Janice Preston
and The Mermaid and The Bear by Ailish Sinclair.
3) Escapism!
Modern life is fast paced, full of stress and worry. A well-written historical romance can transport you to another era and help you to forget about the outside world for a few hours. You can join characters in London ballrooms, country houses, foreign countries, or travel by horse-drawn coach and ocean steamer. Here are a few titles that I’ve escaped with:
The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All That Jazz by June Kearns,
From Governess To Countess by Marguerite Kaye,
Secrets Of A Highland Warrior by Nicole Locke,
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough.
4) We all deserve a chance on love.
For some readers the thought of a ‘Happy Ever After’ ending will have them running for the hills. However, for others the warm fuzzy feeling that you can get when you read a romance can be as healing as a strong cup of tea with two sugars. Reading about a couple who found love after adversity can be uplifting.
5) If you find a setting that you enjoy, you can stay for the series.
Who doesn’t love a series? If I discover an author that I like, I’m thrilled when I know they’ve written a series. Many authors offer book one of a series for free or at a reduced rate, which helps me to try an unfamiliar author, and once I’m hooked by a series I like meeting characters that I fell in love with when they appear again in later books.
6) You can appreciate romantic elements in other historical works.
I read quite a lot of historical romance and one point that stands out is that it needs to be believable. It has to fit the era and the actual romance, no matter what level of heat is used, it has got to be realistic. A good piece of romance can enhance an historical novel by helping to create passionate, layered characters that the reader wants to invest their time in. The books below had romance which supported the main themes:
The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull,
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn,
Never Say Goodbye by Hilary Green
What books in the historical romance genre can you recommend to me?
If you’ve enjoyed this post, then you might also enjoy:
6 Reasons To Read Books That Feature The Paranormal
5 Reasons To Start Reading Urban Fantasy
The Wild Air
Rosie Amber 