# Recommend a romance novel for someone who doesn't like the genre **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 3, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240 "2005-02-03T20:17:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/41 "2005-02-10T04:29:57Z")
> [@Selkie](#): > > After the number of enthusiastic recommendations on this thread, I read **Outlander**. I greatly enjoyed it, as a historical novel (and can understand why the author objects to it being shelved with the romances) right until: Well, I won’t push it, but you do need to know there’s a lot more to both characters than that scene would have you believe. If it bothers you that much, though, you’re right to stop. Personally, I think the second in the series, Dragonfly In Amber, is the better book. ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/42 "2005-02-10T04:54:24Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > Well, I won’t push it, but you do need to know there’s a lot more to both characters than that scene would have you believe. If it bothers you that much, though, you’re right to stop. Read it to the end of the book. Definitely still bothered me. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/43 "2005-02-10T04:56:45Z")
> [@Selkie](#): > > Read it to the end of the book. Definitely still bothered me. No, what I meant is that it is the first in a series of (at the moment) 5 books. The characters do grow. But yeah, I understand something like that pushing buttons for some people. It just didn’t push mine. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/44 "2005-02-10T05:18:45Z")
I’d be very interested in your reaction to Jennifer Crusie once you’ve read her. Her books shouldn’t be hard to find, especially since many of her older ones have been reissued. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/45 "2005-02-10T06:33:44Z")
The thing to remember about romances is that they are fantasies, all of them, and written as such. But some are better than others. Now, I liked Diana Gabaldon’s series, to a point–then I got tired of it. I was dismayed by the same scene mentioned in the spoiler box but, as the author says, she’s not really writing romance. It’s history with a love story. (I agree with whoever preferred _Dragonfly in Amber_.) I do like Jennifer Crusie. Her books are well-written, and you have the illusion, while reading them, that they are about real people. They’re a lot of fun. This one may be more than ten years out but _The Boyfriend School_ takes the formula of the romance, twists it, pokes fun at it, and ends up following it. (Basically, a guy whose aunt is a romance writer applies the tricks of the trade to a woman he wants.) ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/46 "2005-02-10T14:43:09Z")
> [@Selkie](#): > > I do appreciate the recommendation, but if Jennifer Crusie doesn’t pan out, my forays into that section of the library will cease. I’ll still have gained respect for the genre compared to my previous bad opinion, but it’s looking like there’s not going to be much for me. Just wanted to reminded you (real quick) of Donati’s \*\*Into the Wilderness \*\* Series once more. I think the things you found distasteful about Gabaldon are completely absent from her books. No wife beating or lovemaking violence between the two main characters of any kind. Also, very strong and nonconforming heroine. ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/47 "2005-02-10T15:23:40Z")
> [@Hilarity N. Suze](#): > > The thing to remember about romances is that they are fantasies, all of them, and written as such. I agree - and that’s precisely what I find alarming. Some permutation of “based on a true story” hems the author into something resembling facts, and you take those as you come. Fantasies open an almost endless range of possibilities. I don’t want to overgeneralize what’s common in the book trade based on a small handful of examples, but it’s not like I’ve been able to avoid exposure through other media. Some variation of the same scenario is almost always present - to experience true happiness, a woman must find a dominant alpha male (usually lacking in education and/or social graces by comparison to her current, more refined mate) and conform her behavior to traditional submissive female gender roles. There’s frequently some degree of coercion by the man present - not role-playing between established lovers - and the woman almost always finds such coercion sexually stimulating. With a movie, or TV series, I could more easily buy the argument that men are heavily influencing the production, and that its really their fantasies we’re seeing on screen. I could also argue that such expensive productions are aiming for a lower, if not lowest, common denominator, and as such, traditional gender roles are more likely to find a wider audience. My sense of romance novels is that they’re much more likely to be produced by women for consumption by women, and still those same trappings appear. What I can’t help but wonder is whether such behavior _is_ what a large percentage of women “really want,” at least within a fantasy setting, or whether some other need is being fulfilled and the traditional gender roles are simply a price one pays to get it. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/48 "2005-02-10T15:32:02Z")
**Selkie** , given how much that scene annoyed you, I was to re-recommend **A Bloodsmoor Romance**. It’s pretty clear that such scenes annoy Ms. Oates as well :). Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/49 "2005-02-10T15:43:19Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > **Selkie** , given how much that scene annoyed you, I was to re-recommend **A Bloodsmoor Romance**. It’s pretty clear that such scenes annoy Ms. Oates as well :). > > Daniel I’m so glad you popped in on this thread again! I forgot to mention earlier that this one was going on my reading list regardless of genre. _Because It Is Bitter, and Because It is My Heart_ is one of those books that knocked me on my tailfeathers so much that I can’t bear to re-read it in case it’s lost its impact over the years. Definitely time for more books by Ms Oates. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/50 "2005-02-10T15:58:36Z")
Oates, I think, has several different hats she wears when writing. **Because it is Bitter** is in her more standard novel mode. She’s also done horror ( **Zombie** is probably the most compelling and disturbing portrait of a serial killer I’ll ever read) and humor–which is where **Bloodsmoor** comes in. She’s one of my favorite authors. Have fun! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/51 "2005-02-10T17:59:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Barbara Metzger - if you like wordplay at all, you should read at least one of her books. Unfortunately, her style works betting in the shorter form but the latest books by her have been full length. That doesn’t make her a bad author, but you can tell she is stretching to make a full length novel, or at least I can. Her tour de force is A Loyal Companion. The use of a dog, half-shephard and half hunting hound, with his wry comments and dog-centric reactions to the events around him give Ms. Metzger’s quirky wordplay more ability to shine than in any other books I’ve read of hers Interestingly enough I just finished this exact book the other day. Thoroughly enjoyed it. One of her bests. I really enjoy **Barbara Metzger** ’s work. The men are not without flaws and the women are not perfect. Usually some very good plot lines and excellent character developements. Excellent wordplay. She loves dogs and they are featured in every story. I like that. If you can find it ( and I had to resort to ebay and shilling out a $20) and that was after I located it through the library system to show you how much I liked it. **The Early and the Heiress** by Metzger is her first book and it was excellent. Her best, IMHO. And that says alot, as I’ve read everything of hers that she has written that I can find ( I think there are only two I haven’t located yet._lady wilton’s wedding_ and something else. Not including the newer-longer ones she’s put out lately. Far and large, she is the best Regency Harlequin-ish story line person (meaning shorter stories) that I’ve found. Since I am reaching the end of my Two Year Personal Quest to Read All Her Books Hey, we all have our own pathetic little goals I am going to need to branch out again in **Regencies** , as it is my all time favorite and find a new favoritist author to stalk 🙂 **The forced sex scenes** : Y’know, I have read thousands of romance novels in all the genres: civil war, regency, viking, medievil, paranormal, futuristic, contemperary, time travel, vampire and a few others that I’m forgetting. I’ve read some excellent writers and I have endured some shitbombs. Most are pure entertainment. I think I’ve read possibly a handful of forced-sex scenes and those were, IRC, in Viking or Medieval story lines. A couple of Civil war stories too, but I am not a fan of that time period ( the glossing over of slavery, the accents, et al.) Maybe I’m blocking it out. But, really, I think it a thing of the past ( in book writing) and poo-poohed upon in todays age. I don’t know why Romance Books are so embarrassing to admit publically. It is today what buying your tampons when you were 13 was. _I hope no one I know sees me buying this…eeek_ and then when you find out that your friend or co-worker has a _Harlequin_ in her purse too…It’s like Jr. High all over again. A secret society of guilty pleasures. And just like period talk, romance book talk just makes the guys move away. Some of my favorite authors in their genre: **Fantasy** **Anne Lawrence** Books focused on Virtual reality games. ( woman gets sucked into a virtual reality game. it sounded completely and utterly stupid and I ignored it for over a year at the used book store…but it was always there and I figured for 75 cents, why not. Not a fantastic read, but captivating. I have her other books cued up in the library system. ) **Futuristic/Sci fi** **Dara Joy.** The only way to put _Knight of a trillion stars, Rejar and Mine to Take, High Energy, Ritual of Proof_ is that she is a wordsmith. Rejar is the best guy with possibly the worst female heroine matchup I’ve ever found. He is from another planet and is a shape changer. she is from Regency England. Do you really think that she can actually _absorb_ what that all means with out imploding? GAH! 🙂 Yeah, I know, _Suspension of disbelief, shirl._ YMMV. Still I can’t put it down every time I read it. All her stuff is excellent. **Justine Davis** : _Lord of the Storm & Sky Pirate._ Outfreakin’ standing. Love em. I think they are out of print now. **Time Travel** & **Ghosts/Paranormal.** **Lynn Kurland.** all her stuff is well done. (well, there is one I hated, but I will forgive her.) **Merline Lovelace:** _Somewhere in Time_. Female US military shuttle pilot crash lands in Saudi Arabia/Iraq/Iran (that area, I forget) and WOAH, she is back in Roman times. Of all the darned luck. I scoffed openly in the store at the premise of it all. I bought it only because I wanted to see just how the language gap would be covered. I ate the whole book up - and the hero - Lucius Antonious --too. For clarification, Gladiator was freshly out in the theater at the time. Wooooo. it also helped me to realize that the author use to be a USAF pilot. so she wasn’t completely full of shit and making it up as she went along. She also has contemporary books, but I’ve never read them. **Knight In Shining Armor** Is one of the best time travel books evar! w00t1 Strangley enough, this is one of my favorite genre ( never know, could happen…like getting sucked into a VR game …) and I tend to go blank on it during pivotal moments like this. I didn’t know I was going to be fookin’ tested on it… Too all three reading this, I apologize. **Regency** My favorite Genre: **Mary Jo Putney** : Lovely, tapestry-like story writing with well written characters and plots. (some convoluted, but hey, the guy is hot so who cares?) **Amanda Quick** for a formulaic poolside quickie read. **Laura Kinsale** _Flowers from the Storm_ and _My Sweet Folly_, which is in my top five books, evar. YMMV. **Julie Garwood** I don’t care for the Westerns/roses story line. But her Regency stuff I like. **Kathleen Woodiwiss** and **Johanna Lindsey** are pretty much to blame for getting me armpits deep into this genre. **Come Love A Stranger** by ?, is possibly one of the few books I’ve read where the Hero is not a pariah or out right Cad or Misunderstood or War Hero that is Jaded By It all. Naturally, he is wealthy. As all men should be. 🙂 **contemporary** **Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Series.** Start with the first one. They are all numbered and I am too lazy to amazon it for you. You will be hooked and laughing and lusting after Ranger & Morelli like the rest of us…ooooooooh. Two, two two hot guys at once…::::::::::;droool::::::::::: ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/52 "2005-02-10T18:06:43Z")
I would like to say thanks for allowing me to show my inner tigerbeat gal fan spazticness over such superfulous shit as this\* and for allowing me the opportunity to officially kill this thread. - I mean, _really_ in the grand scheme of the universe, this shit doesn’t matter but OG DAMN it is so much fun. I’ll shut up now. This thread will be dead in 3…2…1…------------------------------------- ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240/53 "2005-02-10T18:27:09Z")
I did a vanity search on this very subject and wellll… > [@](#): > > I have been out of the closet for so long with reading Romance Novels (nearly any genre) that I feel that there should be some kind of Cheezy Book Lover Rights Parade. Right down the Center of NYC, dangit. > > Romance novels account for over 50% of the books sold in the world. A romance novel is sold every second of every day. Stats like that could make literary snobs just weep in their tweed jackets. The facts remain, we need escapism. I make no apologies for my dull as ditch water existance. > Yes, some of the books ( possibly 80 %) are just dungbombs that some how get published. But when a really outstanding author comes along and makes either the characters leap off the page or make you laugh out loud, it is truly a keeper. > > I have said this before and I will say it again, I have learned more about history (and ten dollar words) because, frankly, history is more interesting when their is some kind of hot, man oozing sex , power and gobs of money having his wits driven nuts by a perky little sex-vixen just-out-of-the-school-room-heroine. Beats the hell out of " Can any one tell me what the Hawly-Smoot Tariff Act was? Anyone, Bueller?" method of teaching that we all grew up with. > Besides, If I want a book that makes me think ( gasp) I’ll try to decifer this weeks freekin’ TV guide programming chart. Aye Yi Yi. > > I usually [ahem] blow by the torrid sex scenes because, well, they really are superfluous to the plot. Give me character developement and (this is rogue thinking, showing my true BlueStocking Traits) something that the hero and heroine have in common . Make me care or even like them. > That said, here are some of my favorite authors and or books. Grab a pen, girls. > Dara Joy Time travel/futuristic . She is a genius. > Knight of a Trillion Stars > Mine to Keep > Rejar (whooo boy! the best of the above series and they were all really good.) > High Intensity and a sequel to it that were fun reads. > > Laura Kinsale Regency with sex and a darker side. > Flowers from The Storm. > My Sweet Folly ( my favorite of hers) > > Lynn Kurland Ghost/Time Travel/Medieval/Modern (usually all wrapped up in one and a series, but can be read alone independantly of the other stories.) > > This is all I ask > The More I See You > A dance through Time > Stardust of Yesterday > Another Chance To Dream > > Kelsey Michaels > The Secrets of the Heart \*\* Retold version of the Scarlet Pimpernel in Regency time. Delightful. > > Mary Jo Putney Regency. (She has two contemperary books out, but they pale (read: near suck) in comparisons to her Regency books.) If you tire of the Harlequin stories that are good but not in depth enough and want something with more weight, try Putney’s Fallen Angel Series It is like a fine tapestry of mental imagining, espeically the one in this mentioned series about the painter ( can’t remember title, but the hero is named Kenneth.) It is layer upon layer of character development and plot. > > The Rake Outstanding. If you read any of her books, this should be the first one. ( It is a loose fitting sequel to the Diabolical Baron which is not necessary to read but gives a glimpse (possibly a scene or two) of the Hero of The Rake . > > Fallen Angel Series: > Thunder and Roses > Petals in the Storm > Dancing in the Wind > Angel Rogue > Shattered Rainbows > River of Fire > One Perfect Rose > > Connie Brockway > All Through The Night. (Regency-to-catch-a theif story line. Gave a perspective of thoughts: What she says, what he thinks. That was a fresh new approach. My favorite of hers so far.) > > Resources for other books, in 1998, RWA (Romance Writer’s of America) polled it’s members what their favorite books were of all time. The list is re done every year. It has been a great source for slogging through the waste pile of this genre. > > It’s link: [http://www.likesbooks.com/top100y2k.html](http://www.likesbooks.com/top100y2k.html) > In conclusion - is anyone still reading this? - the problem with reading a truly great book is that it is guaranteed that the next ten books you pick up will just suck > > As with any review, my enjoyment of these particular works is not indicative of possible future entainment that you may possibly receive. YMMV. No Salesperson will call. This Message will Kill This Thread in Five seconds. I wrote it better over two years ago and…I am still a spaz. Go Me! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romance-novel-for-someone-who-doesnt-like-the-genre/288240.md?page=2)