Ten Under-read Romance Novels: Part I

This past Monday the LimeWire Music Blog posted a list of ten “unsung” country songs, songs that were not the commercial hits of a particular artist but were well worth listening to and should have been more successful. I probably would never have read the blog except for the fact that Trisha Yearwood’s version of Gretchen Peters’s “On a Bus to St. Cloud” was #1 on the list. It’s a favorite of mine, one of those songs that move me to tears every time I listen to them. Some of you know that I love lists, so it should come as no surprise that my mind moved from unsung country songs to their equivalent among romance novels. I thought about those books that get less attention than others by the author or by an author who gets less attention than her work merits but that offer the reader so much that I find it difficult to understand why more people don’t read these books and rave about them.

Jo Beverley, Forbidden Magic (Signet, 2005)

No, I don’t mean Forbidden. Forbidden is part of Beverley’s Company of Rogues series, and it gets lots of attention. Some people love its virginal hero and sexually experienced heroine. Others decry it as a ‘rape book,” but either way, it is read and talked about. Forbidden Magic is a very different book. First it is has lots of humor, more than any other Jo Bev book, I think. Then, it’s a Christmas book, always a plus for me. It also has a touch of the paranormal, not usual fare for Beverley. Finally, the Earl of Saxonhurst is an eccentric and wonderfully engaging hero. He gathers misfits around him including a misogynistic parrot and a superlatively ugly dog, he throws temper tantrums (throw being the operative word since he literally throws bric-a-brac while his servants bet on which ugly object will be destroyed next), and he falls convincingly in love with the heroine after their convenient marriage. Sax is one of my all-time favorite heroes.

Connie Brockway, My Dearest Enemy (Dell, 1998)

My Dearest Enemy is not exactly a forgotten book. After all, it won a RITA in 1999, and I know several people who share my conviction that this is Brockway’s best book. Still, when discussions of Brockway’s work comes up in RL or online conversations, As You Desire and All Through the Night, polar opposites on the angst and darkness scale, are the books most often mentioned. Don’t get me wrong, When Harry Bickered with Dizzy (AYD) is a delightful romance, one I have reread and reread, and All Through the Night is the book against which I measure all wrenchingly emotional, darkly erotic romances, but if my house were on fire and I could save only one Brockway book, I’d reach for My Dearest Enemy. First, I know of no other book that pairs a young, suffragist heroine and a nerd-become-intrepid-explorer hero. Second, it’s in part an epistolary novel, and I love epistolary novels, especially when the letters are as wonderfully witty and genuine as the letters Avery and Lily exchange. When they meet again face-to-face, the sexual tension is superbly done, and the conflicts they must overcome are deftly and credibly developed. The secondary characters are richly drawn. Bernard, the boy who is part of Lily’s unusual household, is near the top of my list of characters whose story I long to read.

Loretta Chase, The Devil’s Delilah (Fawcett, 1990)

I confess that I am a total Loretta Chase fangirl. I think Lord of Scoundrels deserves its place at the top of all-time best romances, the hope of finding another novella as good as “The Mad Earl’s Bride” keeps me reading anthologies, and the Carsingtons are in my top five fictional families. I don’t want to take one iota of praise away from any of Chase’s other books; I just want more people to read and rejoice in The Devil’s Delilah. I thought once of creating a quiz using the choice of a favorite Chase hero to reveal personality. The only problem was I couldn’t choose one favorite Chase hero myself. The best I could do was an eight-way tie. Jack Langdon, the hero of The Devil’s Delilah was among the eight. I can’t resist a bookworm hero, and when you add a pistol-toting heroine with a plan to take care of those she loves, it’s hardly surprising that I find this book a comic gem that should be relished by romance readers everywhere. Delilah’s parents are also marvelous, even more charming than the Carsington parents. From time to time, I consider writing an article on fathers in Chase’s novels. If I ever do so, “Devil” Desmond will definitely feature prominently in the discussion.

Barbara Freethy, Daniel’s Gift (Avon, 1996)

When you think of Barbara Freethy, you may think of her recent secret-filled Angel’s Bay books or one of her character-driven romantic suspense titles (I know that seems oxymoronic) such as All She Ever Wanted or Silent Run, and I’ve read and enjoyed these books. But the first book that comes to mind when I hear her name is Daniel’s Gift, her first book and a 1996 RITA winner. It’s a great example of how a great story can overcome a reader’s prejudices. DG had three strikes against my even reading it: (1) it is a secret baby book, a trope I generally dislike; (2) the hero is a married man, which offends my moral code; and (3) it has a child in jeopardy plot, something I avoid like the plague. But I bought this book back in my pre-internet days, and I chose it because the cover copy promised a reunion romance with a guardian angel, neither of which I could resist. And I loved it! I loved Jenny’s strength and her commitment to providing for her son, I loved Danny, who seemed remarkably similar in his curiosity and determination to the little boys in my life and heart, and I adored Jacob, Danny’s guardian angel. I was much slower warming up to Luke, but I came to understand him—although he remained a distant fourth in my affections. My favorite books are those that move me to both laughter and tears. Daniel’s Gift accomplishes this so well that it’s been on a keeper shelf for more than fourteen years.

Kathleen Gilles Seidel, Till the Stars Fall (Onyx, 1994)

Seidel is an extraordinary writer, and Till the Stars Fall is one of the best romances I have ever read. I’ve lost count now of how many times I’ve read it. Just a few weeks ago, I pulled it off the shelf to find a passage I wanted to use as the Monday Puzzler, a weekly feature on the Eloisa James/Julia Quinn bulletin board, and I ended up reading the full novel yet again. Seidel gives both the Minnesota mining town and the Princeton campus settings a reality that makes me feel as if I know them, although I’ve never visited either place. This book is one of the best examples I know of world building in a contemporary novel. Seidel’s world is so complete that she can include Rolling Stone articles, interviews, and other bits of the culture of the 70s and persuade me that I must have heard Dodd Hall sing the Cinnamon Girl songs. Krissa is one of my favorite heroines because she has the kind of quiet strength that holds together families and communities. She also places a high value on who she is as herself, a rare quality in romance heroine. And Quinn—a Renaissance man who is a musician, a writer, and a doctor—is an irresistible hero. Finally, there’s the wonder that is Seidel’s prose. I wish I could buy a copy of Till the Stars Fall and place it in the hands of every romance reader I know. “Please read it,” I would say, “and see all that a contemporary romance can be.”

What romances do you consider “under-read”? If you could choose one romance to place in the hands of all the romance readers you know, what would your choice be?


Next week I’ll post Part II of Ten Under-read Romance Novels, and I’ll reverse the ratio of contemporaries to historicals. I hope you’ll join me then.

Reading Georgette Heyer

This week marks the 108th anniversary of the birth of Georgette Heyer, the founding mother of the Regency romance, born August 16, 1902. Celebrations of Heyer and her books are taking place throughout the blogosphere where Heyer enthusiasts are reviewing her books and sharing stories of their discovery and continuing love affair with this author who has maintained best-selling status for more than eight decades, since the 1926 publication of These Old Shades, her fifth novel.

If you are interested in some stellar review of many of Heyer’s books, I recommend Austenprose’s month-long celebration. Comments there will also earn you a chance at winning a copy of one of Heyer’s books. If you are interested in Heyer’s own words about her writing, I refer you to Jean Mason’s 1998 “interview” with Heyer at The Romance Reader. If you’re interested in a brief online biography of Heyer, I suggest Jay Dixon’s An Appreciation of Georgette Heyer. This blog is not a review, a sampling of Heyer quotes, or a biography, but it is a result of my having read all of these things and of some thoughts they inspired concerning my own experience as a Heyer reader.

Every Heyer enthusiast I know has a story of her—or his—first Heyer read. I’m no different. In the late 60s, my favorite reading material was Gothic romances by Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, Victoria Holt, etc.; Harlequin romances by Mary Burchell, Essie Summers, Sara Seale, and others; and gentle romances recommended by my mother by writers such as Emilie Loring, D. E. Stevenson, Grace Livingston Hill, and Elizabeth Cadell. On one visit to my local bookstore, I could find nothing that I hadn’t already read by any of my favorites and was persuaded by the salesclerk to give Heyer a try. That first book was Devil’s Cub. (If you look at the cover, I think you can see why I was sold on it.) I returned to the bookstore the next day to buy These Old Shades and left not only with Avon and Leonie’s story but also with Faro’s Daughter and Friday’s Child.

I went on to read nearly everything Heyer had written. So did my mother and my sister. Part of my joy in rereading Heyer is that each reading celebrates a connection with them as well as the wonders of Heyer’s world. I can almost hear my mother’s chuckle when I come to some of her favorite scenes. Friday’s Child was her favorite. I doubt if she knew how many times she read it. I still have that first copy. It’s coverless, and some of its pages are loose, but I can’t bear to discard it.

Heyer has another significance for me as well. She is a “respectable” romance writer, the only one that I found some colleagues in academia willing to admit they read. They might call the novels “froth,” but they didn’t deny their enjoyment of her work. So during all the years when I was a closet reader of romance, Heyer was the writer that I allowed myself to admit to reading, the one whose books I felt free to stick in a brief case or a book bag along with books by Faulkner, Woolf, and Proust. I wasn’t the only one discovering Heyer with those Bantam paperback editions in the 60s. Time placed her in exalted company in a 1964 review of False Colours:

By knowing more about Regency fops, rakes, routs and blades than anyone else alive, Georgette Heyer has turned what otherwise could be dismissed as a long series of sugary historical romances into a body of work that will probably be consulted by future scholars as the most detailed and accurate portrait of Regency life anywhere. She has also become the center of a genteel reading cult that has made her for years a runaway bestseller in England and now is spreading to the U.S., proliferating vociferously at ladies' luncheons and in lending libraries. But as with the late William Faulkner, you don't buy a book, you buy a world. If it suits you, you settle down forever.

Heyer’s world suits me admirably. I never tire of the time I spend there. In fact, I’ve read Heyer so often that I have a list of Heyer superlatives.

Most Admired Heroine: Sophy Stanton Lacy, The Grand Sophy


My favorite heroines tend to fall into two categories, those that I see something of myself in and those that possess characteristics I admire but to which I could never aspire. Sophy definitely falls into the second group. She is supremely confident of her ability to manage her own life and to solve the problems of those she cares about in the process. She’s wealthy, independent, daring, and tall—all things I’d love to be. She never allows herself to be intimidated by Charles Rivenhall’s censure or bested by Eugenia Wraxton’s meanness. She even manages an unethical moneylender. One of my favorite moments occurs when Sophy, goaded by Miss Wraxton’s efforts to advise her on proper behavior for a lady of quality, drives her down St. James Street—and in a high-perch phaeton no less.

Sophy says, “Of course, I should not have dared to do it without you sitting beside me to lend me credit, but you have assured me that your reputation is unassailable, and I see that I need have no scruple in gratifying my ambition. I daresay your consequence is great enough to make it quite a fashionable drive for ladies.”

And I want to cheer every time I read those words.

Best Loved Hero: Major Hugh Darracott,

The Unknown Ajax

Georgette Heyer began what continues to be the rule in Georgian/Regency romances. The heroes are men of rank and wealth. Among Heyer’s heroes are four dukes (including one who became a king), three marquises, five earls, three viscounts, three barons, five baronets, and an assortment of heirs and second sons with aristocratic connections but no titles.

The hero I love best belongs to the last group. The Unknown Ajax is not the most popular of Heyer’s books, although it is one she herself counted among her best, but it features a beta hero I adore: Hugh Darracott, a towering (six feet, four inches), Yorkshire-born, former military man and unwelcome heir to his grandfather’s title. The Darracott family expects the “weaver’s brat” forced upon them to be a graceless bumpkin, and he gives them what they expect—complete with a thick accent. But the bumpkin is a man of honor, intelligence, and humor, who saves the family name from scandal and wins the heroine’s respect and love.

Most Courageous Heroine: Mary Challoner, Devil’s Cub and Lady Hester Theale, Sprig Muslin

The practical, independent heroine who captures the heart and hand of a bad-boy hero is the stuff of which countless romances are made, but it was fresh when Heyer used it in one of her most popular books, and it continues to delight readers more than seventy years after its publication. Mary, fully aware that the fiery young Marquis of Vidal, forced to flee England because of a duel, has no honorable intentions toward her younger sister, determines to thwart silly Sophia’s plan to runaway with the arrogant lord. She takes her sister’s place, confident that once Vidal discovers the switch, he will leave her and her sister alone.

Instead, Vidal insists one woman is much like another and Mary’s brain may prove more effective than her sister’s beauty in alleviating his boredom during his exile. When reasoning with him fails, Mary defends her virtue by shooting him, thus persuading him that she is the “devilish strait-laced” young woman he first thought her to be. Vidal, who proves to have a most inconvenient code of honor that includes not ruining a virtuous young woman, insists that Mary must marry him. Mary refuses and has the strength to withstand Vidal’s determination to marry, to end a duel at considerable risk to herself, and to remain true to her own code when her emotions and society’s convention push her in the opposite direction.

Lady Hester Theale’s courage is quieter but no less real. Unmarried at twenty-nine, with no fortune and no congenial relatives, she refuses a marriage of convenience to the eminently eligible Sir Gareth Ludlow, despite the pressure her family brings to bear. Yet when Gareth needs her, she escapes her family, throws off the bonds of convention governing acceptable behavior for a spinster, and goes to his aid. Even after all of this, she accepts Gareth’s proposal only when she is certain love rather than just affection and respect motivate him.

Most Unforgettable Rake: Lord Jasper Damerel, Venetia

Damerel is no fake rake; he’s the genuine article, a libertine whose behavior is rumored to have killed his father, whose orgies scandalize the neighborhood for years afterwards, and whose reputation is so black that he has been used to frighten naughty children. Heyer’s first description of him reinforces the common perception: “He was taller than Venetia had first supposed, rather loose-limbed, and he bore himself with a faint suggestion of swashbuckling arrogance. As he advanced upon her Venetia perceived that he was dark, his countenance lean and rather swarthy, marked with lines of dissipation. A smile was curling his lips, but Venetia though she had never seen eyes so cynically bored.” Little wonder that Venetia is diverted by the thought of the jealousy that will consume a neighbor’s Corsair-aspiring son when he is confronted by this Byronic hero.

Of course, Damerel is more than a quintessential rake. He is also a man of intelligence, humor, frustrated idealism, and the good taste to fall in love with the heroine. He proves his nobility of soul by befriending the heroine’s brother, a brilliant misfit with a physical disability, and by trying to save the virtuous heroine from the man he knows himself to be. Thank goodness Venetia is one of Heyer’s managing heroines. She, with a remarkably clear-eyed understanding of Damerel, manages her own HEA.

Best Explanation of Being in Love: Frederica and The Marquis of Alverstoke, Frederica

One of the things I like best about Heyer’s couples is that their relationship grows. Attraction may be instantaneous, and the sexual chemistry is certainly strong, perhaps strongest in Venetia, but the couples develop a friendship too. They come to know one another’s strengths and weaknesses. One of my favorite Heyer scenes and one of my favorite descriptions of what being in love is occurs near the end of Frederica. Alverstoke has proposed to Frederica, who is not persuaded he can be in love with her. He responds, “It is merely that I find I cannot live without you, my adorable Frederica.”

She then says:

“Is it like that? Being in love? You see, I never was in love, so I don’t know. And I made up my mind years and years ago that I wouldn’t marry anyone unless I was truly in love with him. . . . It has always seemed to me that if one falls in love with a gentleman one becomes instantly blind to his faults. But I am not blind to your faults, and I do not think that everything you do and say is right! Only—is it being—not very comfortable—and cross—and not quite happy, when you aren’t there?

“That, my darling,” said his lordship, taking her ruthlessly into his arms, “is exactly what it is.”

Scene That Makes Me Laugh Hardest: Closing Chapter,                The Grand Sophy

When I think of Heyer’s books, I smile. I recall the scenes that struck me as the most humorous, and my smile broadens. I remember details, and I start to laugh quietly. Soon, if I’m at home, I’m pulling the book to reread the scene and laugh aloud. Choosing a favorite funny scene from the abundance of wit, incongruity, absurdity, and situational humor is not an easy task. Freddy Standen’s conversations with his father in Cotillion, Arabella’s foisting a mutt on Beaumaris in Arabella, the rescue of Richmond scene in The Unknown Ajax, the impenetrable egoism of the “Old Gentleman” in The Masqueraders, the irrepressible Felix in Frederica, the natural daughter scene in Sprig Muslin . . .

But the scene, or rather series of scenes, that never fails to leave me laughing till the tears run down my cheeks is the final chapter of The Grand Sophy with its wild assortment of characters--the wounded Charlbury (shot by Sophy), the newlywed Marquesa and Sir Vincent, the self-centered poet, the weeping Cecilia, the outraged Miss Wraxton, the pompous Lord Bromford, and the box of yellow ducklings—all managed superbly by the ever competent Sophy until the late-arriving Charles Rivenhall proposes and whisks her away. From the Marquesa’s demand that her new husband kill chickens for her through Charles’s unique proposal, I laugh.

Every few years I do a major rereading of Heyer’s Georgian/Regency novels. My last was in 2007, so it’s about time for another. Now which one should I reread first?

Are you a Heyer enthusiast? Which novels are your favorites? Do you have Heyer superlatives?

White Christmas in August

I found a new way to cope with the worst heat wave within my memory. It’s still more than four months until Christmas, but I’m already reading Christmas books. In addition to giving me an early infusion of the holiday spirit, the books allow me to read about snow falling and people wearing sweaters and coats. For a few hours I inhabit a winter world, and in a Georgia August with the heat index regularly hitting 100 and beyond, that’s not a bad place to be.






I started reading Debbie Macomber’s Christmas books back in 1993 with A Season of Angels, the earliest adventures of Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy. I haven’t missed a Macomber Christmas book since. In fact, I often reread several during my Christmas reading ritual. But the angelic trio remains my favorite, so I was happy when they earned a mention in Macomber’s 2010 Christmas book.

Call Me Mrs. Miracle, due for a September 28 release, is a sequel to Mrs. Miracle (2005), and it is the same kind of sweet, feel-good story as its predecessor. This second book is Macomber’s take on The Miracle on 34th Street with Mrs. Miracle taking over Santa Claus’s role. It’s appropriate that Mrs. Miracle’s new mission takes her to New York City and Finley’s, the last of the Big Apple’s family-owned department stores. Although Christmas is crucial to the success of Finley’s, Jake Finley, heir to the chain of stores that bears the family name, and his grumpy father haven’t personally celebrated the holiday for many years, not since Jake’s mother and sister were killed in an accident one Christmas Eve.

Holly Larson has her own concerns about Christmas. With her parents working as medical volunteers in Haiti and her widowed brother Mickey in Afghanistan with his National Guard unit, she is the legal guardian of her young nephew Gabe, whose heart’s desire is the electronic toy Jake Finley has predicted will be the hottest toy of the season. Money is tight, and Holly worries that Santa may not deliver on Gabe’s request.

Enter Emily Merkle, better known as Mrs. Miracle. This time she’s a seasonal employee in the toy department at Finley’s rather than a housekeeper, but her uncanny knowledge of people's hearts and history and her matchmaking ways are still very much a part of the story. She gently nudges Jake and Holly and the other characters toward a happy ending that sees wounds from the past healed, lovers united, and a child’s dearest wishes granted.

I highly recommend this book for Debbie Macomber fans or for anyone who has a soft spot for sweet Christmas stories with an angelic accent. These same people will probably enjoy the Hallmark movie of Call Me Mrs. Miracle with Doris Roberts returning in the title role. It premieres in late November. I’ll be watching.





I haven’t been reading Sherryl Woods as long as I’ve been reading Debbie Macomber, But I have followed her to Charleston, the Rose Cottage at Chesapeake Bay, Serenity, and, more recently, Chesapeake Shores. I was delighted when I learned that she was writing a Christmas book about the O’Brien family.

A Chesapeake Shores Christmas , another September 28 release, is the fourth installment in Woods’s popular series of novels set in Chesapeake Shores, the Maryland town built by Mick O’Brien. While this story of Mick and Megan O’Brien finally working through all the obstacles to their remarriage can be read as a stand-alone, readers who have followed the series will take special delight in seeing Mick and Megan achieve their happiness together amid the bonds and brawls of the boisterous O’Briens.

Abby and Trace along with the twins Carrie and Caitlin (The Inn at Eagle Point), a pregnant Bree and Jake (Flowers on Main), and Kevin and Shanna with their blended family (Harbor Lights) make appearances. Second son Connor’s continued resentment of his mother and the complications in his own life are key parts of Mick and Megan’s story, and Jess, the youngest O’Brien, joins in the family plots and parties too. A Chesapeake Shores Christmas is a story of forgiveness and reconciliation and a hard-won happily ever after that is all the sweeter for being redeemed from what threatened to be a most unhappy ending to a love story. Even an occasional cynic may like something sweet at Christmas, and fans of small-town, family-centered books will be pleased with this addition to the subgenre.

Those who read and enjoyed the other O’Brien books will be happy to know that three more Chesapeake Shores books will be released in 2011: Driftwood Cottage (Connor’s story) in April, Moonlight Cove (Jess’s story) in May, and Beach Lane (cousin Susie’s story) in June.

Sometimes I want to read a romance with a sizzle factor, but I’m glad sweet romances are still around. Sometimes they are just the thing to appeal to this reader’s palate. Do you read sweet romances? Do you, like me, have a special affection for Christmas romances? What advice do you have for fighting the literal heat wave many of us in the U. S. are struggling with?

My thanks to Harlequin, publisher of both these books, and to NetGalley for providing me with free electronic advanced reading copies.

This Is Not a Music Review

I don’t do music reviews. I am not a musician, and my knowledge of music’s technical aspects is severely limited. Then, I know if I tried to write a music review, I’d inevitably compare it to the entertaining, informative music reviews that Liz Bevarly used to do on Squawk Radio. I looked forward to those reviews. They educated me in musical genres and subgenres about which I was woefully ignorant and made me feel sophisticated and au courant on those rare occasions when I knew the music she reviewed. Remembering Liz’s music blogs would give me a severe case of writer’s block. So keep in mind that what you are about to read is not a review but an appreciation, a sharing of my delight in a CD that I’ve been listening to for a couple of months now.

I know a lot of writers listen to music when they write. Some of the best ones I know, including Julia Quinn and Jenny Crusie, share the soundtracks they create for each book. I do neither of those things. But I do turn to music when I get stuck on a particular scene or when I run into a dead end in my writing and have no idea how to turn around and head in a new direction. Music often gives me the answers I’m searching for. I’ve blogged before about finding inspiration for a scene in my first manuscript, "The Long Way Home," in Keith Urban’s “You Look Good in My Shirt.” But my favorite source for inspiration is Mary Chapin Carpenter, a singer/songwriter who found her biggest success as a country artist but whose music is an amalgam of country, folk, rock, and blues. I’ve been a fan since I first heard “Quittin’ Time” back in 1989 before her big commercial success of the early 90s. Her most recent CD, The Age of Miracles, is filled with the kind of intelligent, emotional, imaginative, truth-telling lyrics I love, lyrics that renew my own creativity.

Carpenter has been called “the most literary singer-songwriter to ever grace country music.” I think that quality is evident not only in the literary allusions one sometimes finds in her lyrics but also in her careful selection of richly connotative words and poetic turns of phrase. An avid reader, Carpenter finds inspiration in what she reads. She says, "Whether or not you actually write something from some source that you've read, or it provokes a thought that you eventually take to a song, either way it's definitely one of the places that I feel songs emanate from."

Carpenter wrote all twelve songs on Miracles. One of the most memorable songs, “Mrs. Hemingway” had its genesis in her reading of A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway’s memoir about life in Paris in the 1920s. Carpenter found herself intrigued by Hadley Richardson, the first Mrs. Hemingway, of whom the reader catches only glimpses—and those always filtered through the perceptions of her husband. She wondered what happened to Hadley after Paris, after Hemingway left her for her best friend. The result of Carpenter’s wonderings and subsequent research is a lyrical portrait of the woman who found happiness and rejected bitterness while holding on to her memories. Any romance reader should appreciate the result, and the music, first only the piano and then a symphony of gorgeous strings, will capture a romantic’s heart as well.

Love is the greatest deceiver.
It hollows you out like a drum,
And
suddenly nothing is certain
As if all the clouds closed the curtains and
blocked the sun.
And friends now are strangers in this city of dangers
As cold and as cruel as they come.

Sometimes I look at old pictures
And smile at how happy we were,
How easy it was to be hungry.
It
wasn't for fame or for money;
It was for love.
Now my copper hair's gray
as the stones on the quay
In the city where magic was.

Living in
Paris, in attics and garrets,
Where the coal merchants climb every stair,
The dance hall next door is filled with sailors and whores,
And the
music floats up through the air.
There's Sancerre and oysters, and Notre
Dame's cloisters
And time with its unerring aim,
For now we can say we
were lucky most days
And throw a rose into the Seine.

Carpenter has described her songwriting as “excavation and exploration,” and while doubtless she excavates and explores her own life to find material, she also mines the culture. Her careful attention to both inner and outer worlds allows the listener myriad points of connection. “4 June 1989” is a surprising twist on the 1989 student protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The voice the listener hears is not one of the protestors but rather that of Chen Guang, then one of the armed soldiers putting down the protest, now a dissident and an artist. The final two lines are among the most poignant I ever heard.

Ah, I was seventeen that spring.
Ah, we were just obeying orders.
Ah, I
still see everything
Through the factory's yellow windows,
In the dirty
stinking river,
In the messages that find you then vanish in the ether.
They vanish in the ether:

I told them not to fear me, but history
tells the tale.
The artists and the poets fill up every jail.
Before I
held a rifle, I held an artist's brush.
Before Tiananmen, I even dreamed of
love.

If you know Carpenter only from her best-selling 1992 album, Come On, Come On, that won her the CMA female vocalist title and placed seven hits in the Top 20, including "I Feel Lucky," "Passionate Kisses," "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" and "I Take My Chances," the closest you’ll come to finding that MCC in this album is in the sounds-like-country-radio “I Put My Ring Back On,” which like many of Carpenter’s lyrics manages to be both personal and universal. The lyrics capture the ambivalence that is part of most long-term relationships.

We can't speak like the lovers we used to be.
We can't change ancient
history,
And love wounds with such simplicity.
And I threw it down, down
down down, down
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Time was, I'd be as
good as gone,
But last night I didn't want to run
'Cause here with you
is where I belong.
Last night I put my ring back on.

Carpenter’s deep alto is particularly suited for the favorite, introspective, intimate ballads, and she is backed to perfection by a talented group of musicians that includes the heart of her band: Matt Rollings (piano, B-3 organ), Russ Kunkel (drums), Duke Levine (electric and acoustic guitar), and Glenn Worf (bass).

For years now, I’ve claimed Carpenter’s “The End of My Pirate Days” as my theme song, but I think I may have found a new theme on this latest album: “ I have a need for solitude / I'll never be safe in crowded rooms. “ Listen.




Do you have favorite albums that you listen to over and over again? Or are you strictly a playlist person? What’s your theme song?

I'm Not in Orlando, But . . .

If you are a romance reader who follows blogs, visits Facebook, or reads tweets tremendous and trivial, you know that the 30th annual conference of the Romance Writers of America is being held this week in Orlando (a change of venue due to the devastating floods in Nashville in early May). I’ve never been to one of these conferences. I may never attend one. Even as the romance writer/reader part of me thinks Nationals sound wonderful, the shy, hide-in-the-corner introvert thinks how terrifying the crowd would be. I do, however, enjoy the conference vicariously, and thanks to the miracle of social media, I can indirectly participate in it from shopping for conference clothes to making the exhausting trip home.

I spent way too much time Monday reading about the number of shoes RWA attendees were packing. The record among the tweets I read was nine pairs. If I went to a conference, I’d probably pack two pairs. If I don’t count kick-around sandals and tennis shoes, I’m not sure I own nine pairs of shoes, so I was intrigued by the thought of someone who needed ten pairs for a conference lasting less than a week.

Tuesday I followed comments from the early arrivals. The conference doesn’t officially begin until Thursday morning, but many attendees make a week-long event of it. I was happy to hear that Pirates Terri and Chance from RWR and the Romance Dishes (PJ, Gannon, Buffie, and Andrea) all arrived safely, as did Vixens Maggie, Tiff and JK. Most of Tuesday’s comments centered on fun at Disney World, famous author sightings, reunions with friends, and food and drink. The excitement was so potent that it almost transcended the virtual and became palpable at times.

Wednesday’s big event was the “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing. More than 500 authors from A to Y (no Zs on the list) signed books for eager fans. The proceeds from all the books sold during the two-hour event go to ProLiteracy Worldwide. Nora Roberts’s lines are notoriously long, and Sherrilyn Kenyon gets a lot of buzz. But newer lights in the Romance Fiction Galaxy got attention too. I lost count of the number of tweets that praised Tessa Dare’s books and clothes, and I read that Susan Sey sold out of copies of Money, Honey at the signing. (Yay!) [Addendum: Be sure to check out the Smart Bitches' music video of the signing.]

I’ve never been a collector of autographs, but I do cherish my signed-by-the-author books—including a Robyn Carr and a Susan Crandall, gifts from friends attending earlier RWA literacy signings. I’d love to actually meet some of my favorite writers who will be signing, but I’d probably be so awestruck that I’d be speechless. I have been enjoying the photos of the signing and other moments that friends and strangers are sharing. You can see some of the photos too at #rwa10’s hash album. Stopping by The Romance Dish every day to read dishly updates is part of my routine, and I know I can count on PJ and the others to have great photos. I always read AAR’s daily RWA reports, and the Harlequin blog offers interesting news about some familiar names. I’ve even added a column to Tweet Deck so I can read all the #rwa10 tweets. Do I sound obsessed? Just wait.

The big event, of course, is Saturday’s RITA and Golden Hearts Awards Ceremony. I love awards shows, and I think it’s a shame this one isn’t televised. I feel much more personally connected to the RITAs than I do to the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tonys, the Grammys, etc. I'd love to see Debbie Macomber receive the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. I don’t know any of the Golden Heart finalists this year, but for the first time I have friends among the RITA finalists, writers whom I’ve watched make the journey from aspiring authors to RITA-nominated romance novelists. I’ll definitely keep an eye on Twitter for early announcement of the winners, and you may hear some loud cheers emanating from 400 miles or so northwest of the awards site.

You know those ballots for the entertainment awards you always see in magazines like TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and People? Well, I have my own ballot for the RITAs. It has all the nominees listed, the books I’ve read highlighted (38 of the 93 finalists), my personal picks starred (a never-to-be-revealed secret), and a space at the top to note the winners as they are announced. I don’t have a pick for romantic suspense since it’s the one category in which I haven’t read even one nominated book, but I have choices for most of the other categories. However, for two single-title categories--Historical Romance, in which I’ve read six of the eight nominated books (four by auto-buy authors), and Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, in which I’ve read five of the seven nominated books(also four by auto-buy authors)--I couldn’t make a choice for winner. I’ll celebrate if any of the books I love win.

I confess that looking over the list also makes me aware of books not on the list that I think belong with these that will be deemed the most excellent of 2009. Eloisa James’s A Duke of Her Own and Jennifer Ashley’s The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie are glaring omissions from my perspective. Probably every romance fiction fan has a few favorites she thinks deserved to be included.


By Sunday, my vicarious conference experience will have left me almost as tired as if I had actually spent most of the week in Orlando. :-)

What about you? Have you been following the news from Nationals? Have you ever attended a conference? Are you planning to attend one? How many of the nominated books have you read? Do you have RITA favorites? (The list of finalists is posted below. The bolded titles are the books I’ve read.) Are there books missing from the finalists that you wanted to see among them? Or are you indifferent to the whole conference topic and looking forward to Romancelandia settling into its usual routine? And how many pairs of shoes would you take to the conference?

Edited 7/31/2010 to add newly announced RITA winners.













Best First Book Finalists

One Scream Away by Kate Brady--RITA Winner
Grand Central Publishing, Forever

He Calls Her Doc by Mary Brady
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Superromance

The Gladiator by Carla Capshaw
Harlequin Enterprises, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical

Angel Vindicated by Viola Estrella
Ellora’s Cave, Cerridwen Press

The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books

Stolen Fury by Elisabeth Naughton
Dorchester Publishing, Love Spell

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh
Random House Group, Shaye Areheart Books


Contemporary Series Romance Finalists

A Not-So-Perfect Past by Beth Andrews--RITA Winner
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Superromance

From the Outside by Helen Brenna
Harlequin Enterprises, NASCAR

The Snow-Kissed Bride by Linda Goodnight
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Romance

Single Mom Seeks... by Teresa Hill
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Special Edition

Revealed: a Prince and a Pregnancy by Kelly Hunter
Harlequin Enterprises, Mills and Boon Modern Heat

The Christmas Love-Child by Jennie Lucas
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Presents Extra

One-Night Mistress...Convenient Wife by Anne McAllister
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Presents

Duty, Desire, and the Desert King by Jane Porter
Harlequin Enterprises, Mills and Boon Modern

I Still Do by Christie Ridgway
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Special Edition

Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure Finalists

Mountain Investigation by Jessica Andersen
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Intrigue

The Christmas Stranger by Beth Cornelison
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

The Soldier's Secret Daughter by Cindy Dees--RITA Winner
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

In Care of Sam Beaudry by Kathleen Eagle
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Special Edition

Silent Watch by Elle Kennedy
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

Cold Case Affair by Loreth Anne White
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

The Christmas Present by Tracy Wolff
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Superromance

Contemporary Single Title Romance Finalists

Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN

True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson
HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books

For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper
Grand Central Publishing, Forever

Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins--RITA Winner
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN

A Little Light Magic by Joy Nash
Dorchester Publishing, Leisure Fiction

Dirty Sexy Knitting by Christie Ridgway
Penguin Group USA, Berkley

Instant Attraction by Jill Shalvis
Kensington Publishing Corp., Brava

Fireside by Susan Wiggs
Harlequin Enterprises, MIRA Books

Historical Romance Finalists

Wicked All Day by Liz Carlyle
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books Romance

With Seduction in Mind by Laura Lee Guhrke
HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books

To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt
Grand Central Publishing, Forever

Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn
Harlequin Enterprises, Blaze

Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory
Grand Central Publishing, Forever

The Lone Texan by Jodi Thomas
Penguin Group USA, Berkley

Not Quite a Husband by Sherry Thomas--RITA Winner
Bantam Dell Publishing Group

Taming Her Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Historical

Inspirational Romance Finalists

The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander--RITA Winner
Thomas Nelson, Inc., Women of Faith Fiction

A Lady Like Sarah by Margaret Brownley
Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The Gladiator by Carla Capshaw
Harlequin Enterprises, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical

Entertaining Angels by Judy Duarte
Kensington Publishing Corp.

An Eye for an Eye by Irene Hannon
Baker Publishing Group, Revell Books

The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen
Bethany House Publishers

Breach of Trust by Diann Mills
Tyndale House Publishers

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo
Random House Publishing, WaterBrook Multnomah

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements Finalists

The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books

Scandal Sheet by Gemma Halliday
Dorchester Publishing

Red's Hot Honky Tonk Bar by Pamela Morsi
Harlequin Enterprises, MIRA Books

The Lost Recipe for Happiness by Barbara O'Neal--RITA Winner
Bantam Dell Publishing Group, Discovery

Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn
Harlequin Enterprises, MIRA Books

The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax
Penguin Group USA, Berkley

The Virgin's Daughters: In the Court of Elizabeth I by Jeane Westin
Penguin Group, USA, NAL Trade

Lakeshore Christmas by Susan Wiggs
Harlequin Enterprises, MIRA Books

Paranormal Romance Finalists

What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown
Sourcebooks, Inc., Casablanca

Untouchable in Deep Kiss of Winter by Kresley Cole
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole--RITA Winner
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books

My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel
Grand Central Publishing, Forever

The Fire King by Marjorie M. Liu
Dorchester Publishing, Leisure Books

For the Earl's Pleasure by Anne Mallory
HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books

Darkness Unknown by Alexis Morgan
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books, Pocket Star

Covet by J.R. Ward
Penguin Group USA, Signet

Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks
Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation

Regency Historical Romance Finalists

Surrender of a Siren by Tessa Dare
Ballantine/Bantam Dell

Scandal by Carolyn Jewel
Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation

Tempting Fate by Alissa Johnson
Dorchester Publishing, Leisure Books

A View to a Kiss by Caroline Linden
HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books

Revealed by Kate Noble
Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation

What Happens in London by Julia Quinn--RITA Winner and New RWA Hall of Fame Member
HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books

Lord Braybrook's Penniless Bride by Elizabeth Rolls
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Historical


Romance Novella Finalists

"A Little Night Magic" by Allyson James in Hot for the Holidays
Penguin Group USA, Berkley, Jove

“The Robber Bride” by Marjorie M. Liu in Huntress
St. Martin’s Press

“Annalise and the Scandalous Rake” by Deb Marlowe in The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Historical

"Charlotte and the Wicked Lord" by Amanda McCabe in The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Historical

“This Wicked Gift” by Courtney Milan in The Heart of Christmas
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN

“On a Snowy Christmas” by Brenda Novak in The Night Before Christmas
Harlequin Enterprises

“The Christmas Eve Promise” by Molly O'Keefe in The Night Before Christmas--RITA Winner
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Special Releases

Romantic Suspense Finalists

One Scream Away by Kate Brady
Grand Central Publishing, Forever

Waking the Dead by Kylie Brant
Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation

A Dark Love by Margaret Carroll
HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books

Whisper of Warning by Laura Griffin--RITA Winner
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books, Pocket Star

Stolen Fury by Elisabeth Naughton
Dorchester Publishing, Love Spell

Dark Country by Bronwyn Parry
Hachette Livre, Hachette Australia

Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
Penguin Group USA, Putnam

Kill for Me by Karen Rose
Grand Central Publishing, Vision


Young Adult Romance

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
Random House Group, Delacorte Press

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
Hyperion Books for Children

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles--RITA Winner
Walker Books for Young Readers

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books, MTV Books

The ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro
Random House Group, Delacorte Press

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

What I've Been Reading

Lady Isabella’s Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie was my top romance read of 2009. I had extraordinarily high expectations of Ashley’s second Mackenzie book. Although I don’t think Mac and Isabella’s story quite measures up to Ian’s, I still thought it was an exceptional read. Reunion stories are among my favorites, and when they show why love alone is not enough to guarantee an HEA, I think they are even better. Before the story opens, Mac has realized what he lost when Isabella left him and has reformed. LISM is the story of a second-chance courtship and of Isabella’s coming to trust the man she has never stopped loving. The presence of the other Mackenzies was an extra gift, and Ashley makes them integral to the story rather than affixing them like so many seals on an already wrapped package. I loved LISM and can’t wait for the next Mackenzie book.

All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins

I've read that laughter reduces stress and boosts the immune system. If this is true, reading Kristan Higgins is good for my health, physically and mentally. When I read Higgins, I smile, I giggle, I chortle, I even guffaw. All I Ever Wanted followed the pattern in this respect and in providing some lovely, poignant moments as well. The central love story in this one was a winner for me. I found Callie--short for Calliope--likeable and sympathetic. She celebrates her 30th birthday early in the story, the same day she is forced to realize that her dream of an HEA with Mark, her boss and the man she believes to be the LOVE OF HER LIFE, is never going to happen. Most women have a Mark in their past, the charmer who won't commit but wants to leave you still a little bit in love with him. Ian, the vet who becomes the new love interest, is Mark's opposite, a wounded hero with a curmudgeonly facade who prefers animals to people. I think Callie's lucky Ian turns out to be her hero. This is a Higgins book, so, of course, there are quirky secondary characters and a scene-stealing animal (Callie's always shedding husky, Bowie). My one quibble with the book was one of Callie’s internal mentors. Every mention of Betty Boop brought me out of the story, pausing for the "boo boo, be do."

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

I’ve read this one twice, and it was even better on the second reading. I think winding up a popular series must be an amazingly difficult task, and Kleypas does it superbly with this book. I especially appreciated the Cyrano de Bergerac touch. I’ve loved all of the Hathaways, and I’ve wondered from the beginning what Kleypas would do with Beatrix, one of the most unusual and endearing characters I’ve encountered. In Christopher, Kleypas created a hero who is a perfect mate for the eccentric Beatrix, one who comes to appreciate all that she is and the unorthodox family she comes from. Theirs is a sweet and passionate love story. One of the moments I loved most, however, was a tender one between Leo and his youngest sister: "Bending his head over hers, Leo murmured, "When I give you away at the altar, Bea, I want you to remember something. I'm not really giving you away. I'm merely allowing him the chance to love you as much as the rest of us do." I felt as if Leo were speaking not only for the family but also for the reader.

One Season of Sunshine by Julia London

I’m one of those readers who was hoping London’s next contemporary would give Wyatt Clark, the loser in the love triangle in last year’s Summer of Two Wishes, his HEA. The bad news is that One Season of Sunshine is not Wyatt’s book. The good news is that it is the same kind of emotionally intense book with characters that fully engage the reader. It is as much women’s fiction as romance with Jane Aaron’s search for her birth mother as central to the book as her relationship with widower Asher Price. Jane particularly is a fully realized character with clearly and credibly delineated strengths and weaknesses. I was uncomfortable with the pairing of the nanny and her boss initially, but the characters’ own awareness of the cliché rendered the relationship acceptable. London includes a large cast of secondary characters, but she gives dimension to them all. I loved Jane’s family, and I thought Riley, Asher’s daughter, was one of the best portrayals of an adolescent that I’ve seen in romance fiction. I worried briefly about an ick-factor ending, but that fear proved groundless. My one remaining concern is that the bipolarism of Asher’s wife is one individual’s story, not a representative picture of the disorder. I would like to have seen that information included, if not in the novel itself, then in an author’s note.

Finding Perfect by Susan Mallory

Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Golds books are shaping up to be my favorite Mallery series since the Buchanans. Finding Perfect, the third book in the series, focuses on characters introduced earlier in the series, Pia O’Brian, planner of Fool’s Gold’s year-round schedule of festivals, and Raoul Moreno, former Dallas football star and new resident of Fool’s Gold. Raoul connects this series to an earlier Mallery series, specifically Sweet Spot, the second of the Keyes sisters books. I loved seeing Raoul grownup, and I loved the cameos of Nicole and Hawk. It was also great to see the HEAs of Charity and Josh (Chasing Perfect) and Liz and Ethan (Almost Perfect) in progress. But it was the character of Pia who moved this book to the five-star category for me. First, she's a reformed "mean girl," and that reformation occurs before the story arc of the Fool's Gold books begins. Then, she chooses to have implanted the embryos left to her by her friend who died of cancer. I rejoice in these tweaks to the conventions of romance fiction. I’ve read many romances featuring heroines who gave children up for adoption and several with heroines who served as surrogates, but Pia’s situation was a new one for me. I particularly appreciated the recognition that Crystal was wrong not to tell Pia that she was leaving the embryos to her. That acknowledgement and Pia’s miscarrying one of the embryos rooted the story in reality. Pia and Raoul’s romance is sweet and sexy, if rather predictable, and Fool’s Gold with its cast of quirky, caring characters is a place I’d return to in a heartbeat. Mallery has said she’s writing stories for the Hendrix triplets, Montana, Dakota, and Nevada. I’m looking forward to their stories.

Money, Honey by Susan Sey

One of the reasons I’m selective about the romantic suspense I read is that I prefer the emphasis to fall heavily on the first part of the term. Susan Sey’s debut novel succeeds admirably in this respect. The suspense plot is present, but it never gets in the way of the relationship between Patrick O’Connor, reformed jewel thief turned successful writer, and Liz Brynn, up-tight FBI agent. Both Patrick and Liz have complicated pasts that intrude on their present. The attraction between them is powerful, but each has her/his reasons for being wary. The dialogue is lively, the sexual tension is steamy (but without the fire of a hot romance), and the secondary characters are interesting. Money, Honey reads more like the second book in a series than a debut novel. I’d love to read a prequel or a sequel that gave a bit more back story. But whatever Sey writes next, I look forward to reading it. Light but with more weight than froth is one of my favorite kinds of romances, and Sey has clearly mastered the recipe.

CaddyGirls by V.K. Sykes (historical romance novelist Vanessa Kelly and her husband Randall Sykes)

Golf bores me, tycoon heroes irritate me, and Las Vegas would be in last place among 500 cities I want to visit. Despite these prejudices, I enjoyed this novella that featured a golfer heroine, a self-made billionaire hero, and a Las Vegas setting. Both Torrey Green and Julian Grant are interesting, likeable characters with histories and baggage and passions. Given who they are, their choices to keep their secrets seemed reasonable, and ultimately they both prove they are grown-ups whose hearts are in the right places. The love scenes sizzle, and the ending satisfies a romance-loving reader. CaddyGirls is a stellar debut and a romance that offers something different from the same-old same-old. I expect more terrific reads from this husband and wife duo.

What have you been reading? What quibbles can you move beyond and still rank a book highly?

NOTE: I read free ebooks of All I Ever Wanted (HQN), Finding Perfect (HQN), and CaddyGirls (Carina Press) courtesy of NetGalley and the publishers. I won Money, Honey (Berkley Sensation) at Romance Bandits, where Sey is one of the bloggers. Parts of this blog were first posted as reviews on Goodreads. I don't think self-plagiarism is unethical or illegal.

Test Your Lit IQ (Romancelandia Edition)

Several weeks ago, going through a box that’s been sitting unpacked in my closet since I moved more than two years ago, I came across a tiny book entitled Test Your Literature IQ. It has 200 questions divided into three sections: one for Dabblers, one for Smarter-Than-Mosts and one for Geniuses. The first section, as one would expect, asks easy questions such as “Who wrote The Color Purple?” and “What is the pen name of Samuel Clemens?” Section 2 is a bit more challenging, asking the test-taker to identify quotations such as “I saw the best minds of my generation, starving hysterical naked” and “There are no second acts in American life.” (I knew the first—Allen Ginsberg, Howl--but missed the second—F. Scott Fitzgerald in notes for his unfinished novel, The Last Tycoon). The Genius section is a rather strange mix of fun challenges and tests of esoteric knowledge. I enjoyed matching the imaginary places (Utopia, Erewhon, Wessex, Shangri-La, Serendip) with their creators (Sir Thomas More, Samuel Butler, Thomas Hardy, James Hilton, Horace Walpole), but, except for Plath, I was at a loss when asked which of five authors (Susanna Kaysen, Eugene O’Neill, Norman Mailler, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sylvia Plath) did not spend time in a psychiatric facility. (Fitzgerald did not.) My 172 correct answers qualify me as a “James Joyce Scholar,” a misnomer, I assure you. I never even finished Finnegans Wake.

Since I am a lover of such tests and a lover of romance fiction, it was a logical move from the rediscovered book to thinking what fun a Romancelandia edition of the test would be. Tuesday afternoon I couldn’t summon the energy to (1) clean house, which I must do before a Grands birthday party this weekend; (2) rewrite a section of TLWH, a task mandated by a late-stage epiphany; (3) read in order to reduce the size of my TBR mountain. But I did have a great time creating an abbreviated version (20 questions rather than 200) of Test Your Literature IQ especially for readers of romance.

Are you a Dabbler? A Smarter-Than-Most? A Genius? Read on and find out.



Questions for Dabblers

1. Who is the author of Lord of Scoundrels?
2. During what period is Bet Me set?
3. Who is Phoebe Somerville?
4. What is the name of the kidnapper turned hero in Devil in Winter?
5. For which work did Julia Quinn win her first Rita in 2007?

a. The Duke and I
b. Minx
c. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
d. The Lost Duke of Wyndham
e. On the Way to the Wedding

6. Who is Kit Butler’s love interest in Mary Balogh’s A Summer to Remember?
7. Which of these is not a book by Connie Brockway?

a. As You Desire
b. The Bridal Season
c. The Charmer
d. Skinny Dipping
e. My Dearest Enemy

Questions for the Smarter-than-Mosts
1. Which author doesn’t belong in the list?

a. Nora Roberts
b. Christina Dodd
c. J. R. Ward
d. Julie James
e. Sherrilyn Kenyon

2. Who wrote this line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife”?
3. What is the pseudonym of Mary Bly, Shakespeare professor and daughter of a renowned poet?
4. Who wrote a lengthy Georgian-set series featuring an aristocratic family with Medieval names and a head of family known as l'eminence noire?
5. Match these famous heroes with their creators:

a. Roarke
b. Derek Craven
c. Mr. Rochester
d. Reginald Davenport
e. Matthew Farrell

Charlotte Bronte
Judith McNaught
Nora Roberts
Lisa Kleypas
Mary Jo Putney

6. How many books have been published in Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series as of July 2010?
7. Which of the following authors has never published a category romance?

a. Nora Roberts
b. Rachel Gibson
c. Jayne Ann Krentz
d. Judith McNaught
e. Linda Howard

Questions for Geniuses

1. Who is the most prolific romance writer of all time?
2. Match the romance author with the blog:

a. Teresa Medeiros
b. Jayne Ann Krentz
c. Anne Gracie
d. Debra Dixon
e. Anna Campbell
f. Julia London

The Goddess Blogs
Word Wenches
Squawk Radio
Romance Bandits
Riding with the Top Down
Running with Quills

3. Who is Harold Lowry?
4. In 1999, a group of Southern writers, most of whom had published romance fiction, started their own small press with an emphasis on the work of Southern storytellers. What is the name of the press?
5. Name any five of the thirteen members of the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame.
6. Sherry Thomas is to Meredith Duran as Tessa Dare is to

a. Sara Lindsey
b. Kris Kennedy
c. Jennifer Haymore
d. Courtney Milan
e. Maggie Robinson

How did you do? Comment please. Pose your own questions, query mine, or question the sanity of such quizzes. Tell us how many you think you know. But please do NOT post your answers to the quiz. Next Wednesday (July 21), I’ll post the answers and a Romance Fiction IQ decoder, and the Randomizer will select one poster to win a free book.

Answers:

Dabblers
1. Loretta Chase
2. 21st century/contemporary
3. The heroine of SEP’s first Chicago Stars book, It Had to Be You
4. Sebastian, Lord St. Vincent
5. On the Way to the Wedding
6. Lauren Edgeworth
7. The Charmer (by Madeline Hunter)

Smarter-Than-Most
1. Julie James (who has never published a paranormal romance)
2. Jane Austen (the justifiably famous first line of Pride and Prejudice)
3. Eloisa James
4. Jo Beverley (the Mallorens and Rothgar)
5. Heroes

a. Roarke—Nora Roberts, In Death series
b. Derek Craven—Lisa Kleypas, Dreaming of You
c. Mr. Rochester—Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
d. Reginald Davenport—Mary Jo Putney, The Rake and the Reformer & The Rake
e. Matthew Farrell—Judith McNaught, Paradise

6. 10 novels plus 2 novellas
7. Rachel Gibson

Genius
1. Barbara Cartland
2. Romance Blogs

a. Teresa Medeiros--Squawk Radio
b. Jayne Ann Krentz--Running with Quills
c. Anne Gracie—Word Wenches
d. Debra Dixon—Riding with the Top Down
e. Anna Campbell—Romance Bandits
f. Julia London—The Goddess Blogs

3. Leigh Greenwood, author of 40+ romance novels, mostly Westerns
4. Belle Books
5. RWA Hall of Famers: Justine Dare, Jennifer Greene, Francine Rivers, Cheryl Zach, Nora Roberts (three times), Kathleen Korbel (Eileen Dreyer), Jo Beverley, LaVyrle Spencer, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jodi Thomas, Kathleen Crighton
6. Courtney Milan (CPs—critique partners)

The winner of the free book is Vi. Please send me your contact info at JangaRho at gmail dot com, and I'll send you your book ASAP.