# Romance Novels - How Many Subgenres? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887 "2005-06-11T19:54:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2005, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/21 "2005-06-12T23:12:06Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > There’s also never sex in Regency, but at least the clothing is cool. Pssst, [Eloisa James](http://www.eloisajames.com/) (a.k.a. Mary Bly, prof. Eng. Lit at Fordham) writes very smart Regencies with some good sex scenes. I particularly liked “Your Wicked Ways.” ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/22 "2005-06-13T04:50:35Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > There’s also never sex in Regency, but at least the clothing is cool. The no sex rule doesn’t apply to Roberta Gellis’ Heiress series, which is set during the Napoleonic War (which is the war normally covered in Regency Novels). Her books are very well researched and wonderfully entertaining. The Heiress books are: English Heiress Cornish Heiress Kent Heiress Fortune’s Bride A Woman’s Estate ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/23 "2005-06-13T05:17:39Z")
> [@Hello Again](#): > > A little history for the ignant among you. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss single-handedly invented the modern Historical Romance with her novel “The Flame and the Flower,” the orignial bodice-ripper. Read my interview: > [http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=woodiwiss](http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=woodiwiss). I would have thought that [Georgette Heyer](http://www.georgette-heyer.com/) should be credited with inventing the Historical Romance, and the Regency sub-genre? ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/24 "2005-06-13T09:30:28Z")
Heyer wrote what I might call classic Regency, she was the grande dame of the genre. But Woodwiss’ novels got sexually explicit, describing in great detail, for example, the “deflowering” of an unwilling virgin(The Flame and the Flower). Instead of having people clothed for a ball on the cover(Heyer), Woodwiss novels would have those heaving bosomed, women, with their half off gowns, being accosted by big burly barbarian guys. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/25 "2005-06-13T15:26:01Z")
psst, **Northern Piper** see my post #18. **Terminus Est** read my interview with Jayne Ann Krentz… we discuss the nerd as “the new face of American hunkdom.” I _so_ called it! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/26 "2005-06-13T15:55:58Z")
Yesterday’s NYT Sunday Magazine had an article on Gay themed Romance novels. I would call that a sub-genre. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/27 "2005-06-13T17:28:29Z")
> [@Hello Again](#): > > A little history for the ignant among you. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss single-handedly invented the modern Historical Romance with her novel “The Flame and the Flower,” the orignial bodice-ripper. Read my interview: > [http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=woodiwiss](http://www.bordersstores.com/features/feature.jsp?file=woodiwiss) I _loved_ that book! I read it when I was 11 or 12, in the early 80s. At the time I thought it was a fabulous book. I sould reread it to see what I think of it as an adult. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/28 "2005-06-13T18:53:46Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Psst, **twickster** and **Shirley**. > > My sister is a passionate reader of Regencies who decided to trim her library by dumping most of her books on me before she left the state. I’d be happy to send some to anyone interested. A generous offer…which comes after I have sworn off Big People Books for the time being. :smack: Thanks for the offer. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887/29 "2005-06-13T19:14:39Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > A generous offer…which comes after I have sworn off Big People Books for the time being. > > :smack: > Thanks for the offer. Good – all the more for meeeeeeeeeee! 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/romance-novels-how-many-subgenres/307887.md?page=1)