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Hmm...I don’t think I’ve ever read a Harlequin Presents.  I must confess I’m very confused by the small books at the end of the shelf in the bookstore--they are not all white.  The titles are almost always off-putting to me.  But you have intrigued me.

I know I have read Harlequin books that do not have white covers.  In fact I have just finished a fantastic book--The Vagabond Duchess by Claire Thornton.  It involves a Duke in disguise.  Does that count?

Oh, Christina, you share my passion for those little get-aways.  When I want something that’s high on sexual tension, but none of the I-have-to-think-where-everyone-body-part-is books, I pick up a little white book.  Plus being an aspiring published writer, I get great pointers on how to make a scene steam.

Love them!  Even with them having twenty-something/nearly thirty heroines that are virgins. Strange. LOL!

It’s all about giving over control to a guy who’s got it all goin on—an important fantasy to lots of women who’ve got it all goin on in real life and wouldn’t mind someone else doing the work for a change.

What do you think? Are Harlequin Presents too simplistic for you?

Too simplistic?  You say that like it’s a bad thing. 

I think we adore these things because they are as you said, love stories with nothing getting in the way of the “arrogant bonehead hero (yes, that’s an official literary term) overwhelming the literarily misunderstood , TSTL heroine (I mean, really, what 22 year old wouldn’t marry the creepy 60 year old Greek tycoon father of the sexy Greek tycoon with whom she had an anonymous one-night affair (who doesn’t impregnate her because he’s scrupulous about the use of condoms), all because it would keep her father (who embezzeled from Daddy Tycoon’s business) out of prison, and would give them enough money for her mother’s heart transplant which, I’m assuming isn’t paid for because of some loophole in the Australian health care system, until she marries him” plot.

Michelle B. wrote:  “It’s all about giving over control to a guy who’s got it all goin on—an important fantasy to lots of women who’ve got it all goin on in real life and wouldn’t mind someone else doing the work for a change.”

Oh Michelle, that’s brilliant!  May I quote you?

No, I’ve never read one, but after that blog, you can bet that’ll change.  Your second to last paragraph is what sold me. Maybe they should give you a nice checkie for great advertising, Xtina.

But what I really like is what this blog says about you....

You shouldn’t be in any other profession than this because, deep down, you’re the consummate romance fan.  You love the genre.  I think some writers love to write in the genre, but they don’t always love to read it.

I have not read a Harlequin Presents book.  In fact, I haven’t read any of the books that are put out...I guess the term is for a specific line?  I can barely make it to the counter with my single title romances without--I’m ashamed to admit this here--being embarrassed, so I don’t really get around to looking at the books on the ends of the shelves.  I might have to now, though, because the plot lines sound right up my ally. 

But about the embarrassment thing, yeah.  I feel really bad about being embarrassed.  I feel I should be, you know, empowered enough to say, “Well, too bad for you if you think I’m reading trash.  Shows how much you know.” But I’m surrounded by friends who make tons of fun of me, so it’s kind of worked its way into my system to be embarrassed, and I can’t quite get it out.  I’ll really have to work on that because obviously I’m missing out on some really enjoyable books.

I have been reading Presents since the early seventies and still enjoy them!

Susan Napier was my first ever auto buy romance author and that hasn’t changed in the last 10 years.  Her writing is fab-u-lous, lyrical, descriptive and captivating and her characterisation is second to none.  I was reading the description of book B and recognised it as one of hers straightaway, I was about to get miffed before I realised Christina is also a fan. 

For me Harlequin presents is romance distilled to almost it’s purest form: two people meet, fall in love, have some strife, sort it out and live happily ever after, who doesn’t want that?  This reminds me of the poll from a few weeks ago about what readers want and expect from their romance novels and for me Harlequin delivers, it does exactly what it says on the tin, (or cover!!)

I used to read them all the time during my corporate life.  They are quick, satisfying reads that I could slip in between all those time consuming work projects.  I haven’t read one in several years.  Hmmmm. Might need to change that. 

I’m not sure why I like them? Maybe like PJ said, I like the satisfaction of a quick read, sometimes. I used to carry these in the diaper bag, with my magazine to Dr.’s appt. and such.
I like that they are straight forward stories, but did think the art/titles were a bit, well, you know..silly.

I dislike the titles. The few times I actually read the backcover, I think they sound goofy and unbelieveable.

I used to inhale those by the ton.  I’m sure I read both A & B at some point.  (Heck, even C sounded familiar.) I don’t read them any more, but my daughter’s reading them now.  (And I’m sure my mother’s still reading them even after all these years.) The only thing I can think of to make them so popular is they are a complete escape from everyday life.  Gotta love a book that transports you away. 

Oh, and Charlotte Lamb was one of my favorites.  =o)

I’ve read a few, and I honestly think that HP is part of the reason why romance is considered to be unworthy by writers and readers of other genres. Talk about going back in time 50 years where men dominated and women were Virgin Or Else.

I love all romance books.  I recently read a Harlequin Blaze novel by Jacquie D’Allessandro and it was great.  I tend to choose the Avon authors, I have never been disappointed by one, but now that you have given such a glowing review, I think I will try a Harlequin now and then.

I was really amused by the first part of the blog, Christina!

I was also a Charlotte Lamb fan.  I used to read Presents by the dozen, and still have a few of my favorites, all of which involve a sheik or man with an accent.

Sometimes I just want to enjoy the make-believe stuff, like when I was a little girl and I adored Cinderella.  Even at 4 or 5 years old I knew that glass shoes weren’t practical for dancing and that tiny woodland creatures would make lousy stylists.  And come on, no guy with half a brain would ever tangle with potential in-laws that were so screwed up, no matter how well you can sing in the forest.  Ahem.

In any event, you can always buy the skinny books online if you want to avoid the teenager at the checkout wearing the uber-bored-with-life-coffee-house-intellectual-glasses and a condescending “oh-you-poor-uneducated thirty-something housewife” sneer when you go to the counter.  Ahem.

And yes, I enjoy all kinds of books and I’m interested in improving myself and blah, blah, blah.  I refuse to bring my resume or transcript to get approval to buy a book, right?

Sometimes...I just want a fairy tale before going to sleep.  My husband and I joke about the things I watch/read and pretend I don’t.  General Hospital, The Bachelor - it is all fun escapism.  And, by the way, I don’t eat entire pints of Ben and Jerry’s out of the container, either.  Ahem.

C was one of their online reads for a little while. Almost to the detail. I really like the 80’s ones. They are like little episodes of Dynasty. Powerful corporate type seduces quiet innocent girl, his cold hard heart melts. He fights it. She gives up on him. He begs her forgiveness. Love that stuff.

I love those little Harlequin Presents novelettes too! lol, and it’s true, you really CAN tell what the whole story plot is from the title. :D

Yep, they’re a guilty pleasure for me, too, but I haven’t read any in a while. Hm, check day is Friday-- I think a trip to B&N is in order.
Jessie, I used to be a little embarrassed about my romance-novel habit (and occasionally I still feel a twinge), but I read various “defenses of romance novels”—by Squawkers, Jenny Crusie and other romance advocates because, heck, writing is their living, and they can say it a lot better than I can. Then I can use their arguments when the uninitiated try to denigrate romance novels and those who read them.

I’m more into Blaze then Presents.

Alice

Mulling it over some and now I’ve realized that I have auto-buy topics, too.  I love the amnesia story-lines and I love the forced marriages.  I don’t think I’ve ever read a “sheik” story, though.  I don’t mind alpha jerks in books as long as the heroine makes him COMPLETELY unglued by his love for her.  Otherwise, not so much with the too utterly alpha-jerk.

I love forced marriages in single-titles, too, even if I see it coming a mile away - I still love it. 

I also may joke, but in reality I buy and read romance novels proudly and without apology.

(sorry for posting twice - I’ve been letting this topic steep in my brain...)

Haven’t read all that many Harlequin Presents ...but I don’t actually care about ‘lines’ or labels.  I toddled through my bookshelves and I’ve kept 8, though I’ve likely read more.  (I was a Junior Forest Ranger for a summer as a teenager, and with 24 girls aged 17 in a camp 60 miles from nowhere, chopping down trees by day, Harlequins were the STAPLE entertainment! I read at least one per night, I think).

Good stories that are compelling and well-written are found all over the place...as are those that aren’t.  It doesn’t matter how ‘simple’ either - good stories don’t have to be complicated.  I have a favourite novella that I re-read constantly, and it’s almost fairytale....Mary Jo Putney, I think…
But it’s a great story and very well written. 

So I love it.

Thanks for weighing in, everyone!

Michelle Buonfiglio said...It’s all about giving over control to a guy who’s got it all goin on—an important fantasy to lots of women who’ve got it all goin on in real life and wouldn’t mind someone else doing the work for a change.”

Very wise, Michelle. I think it’s telling that I started reading HPs when my daughters were infants—I could pick them up, put them down, and get thru them before I forgot the plot. And if I did forget the plot, I could read the title and remember it.

Michelle Buonfiglio said...Too simplistic?  You say that like it’s a bad thing.

Actually, I was being ridiculous. Did you see those plots?

I personally hate them.  Sometimes I try to do the Blaze ones (because I do like my relationships a little hotter), but within the first five pages the heroine SHOOK HANDS with the hero, and she notices she has “moisture between her legs” from the contact.  WHAT?  No. 

I like subplots.  I like subplots of subplots.  I like everything to unfold like a chess match or something complicated along those lines.  I want the characters to be played; I want to experience what feels like real growth of the characters.

J Perry Stone said..."some writers love to write in the genre, but they don’t always love to read it.”

It’s hard to turn off the internal editor, and the longer you write the harder it is. But HPs give us such huge emotions and big plots, I’m swept away. I mean, not all the time—I don’t enjoy some of the authors and some of the plot lines (did I mention Secret Babies?), but if I want an HP and can’t find a current one that appeals, I read an old one. 

Oh, Jessie. In a situation where your friends make fun of you, attack! “What do you read? Cosmo? Now there’s intelligent reading. How would you know how to tape your boobies correctly if you didn’t? And what about those covers? Could they do more to promote false body images? Do you know they air brush every one of celebrities so they can make normal-looking women look bad?” “What are you watching? Football? AGAIN??? Oh, great, a bunch of muscle-headed men bashing each other ...” Really. It works. And trust me. It’s fun.

I did read some HP a couple years ago and liked them.  But for me, they all started to run together and were pretty predictable.  So I ventured off to other Romance authors and found I love intrigue, suspense, murder, fights, twists and turns, and all that.  I also prefer books over 300 pages.

Well, I’m taking my lastest in my stack of TBR and heading to the beach for awhile.  I’ll check back in later.

Thanks Christina and Wirdald!  Next time one of my friends gives me grief, I will definitely go on the offensive.  Except not with Cosmo or football, because I subscribe to Cosmo, and during football season, I’m glued to the TV every Saturday watching UGA.  I think maybe I will just challenge them to read one and get them hooked.  It worked with one of my friends.  Except now she’s neglecting her schoolwork.  Maybe not such a good idea…

Ahhh, Susan Napier.  I love her books, I collected dozens.  And the rare occasion I manage to find one I don’t already have… bliss! 

She hasn’t been published much in recent years (in Canada, anyway).  Does anyone know what’s up?  Is she okay?  Still writing?

You know - I’m glad you’ve blogged on this because I see these all the time at Walmart and wonder if I’ll like them or not.  Yes, at times the titles seem a bit cheesey (LOL!) but I’m ok with cheesey.  OK - dumb question but what’s the differentiation between Harlequin “Presents” . . and “SuperRomance” titles (which I see in the stores).  Does anyone read the Harlequin Historicals?  And I gather from one of the comments earlier Blazes is a more sexually explicit line - at least the covers seem to suggest so, haha).  Thanks for recommending some authors to start with too!

I’m a Harlequin reader from way back.  Those little books are what got me through two winters in the North of Maine when my ex was in the AF stationed up there! 

And Christina said it best......"I think it’s telling that I started reading HPs when my daughters were infants—I could pick them up, put them down, and get thru them before I forgot the plot. And if I did forget the plot, I could read the title and remember it.” That is so right!!  I read them when my kids were young also and for the same reason. 

My favorite author was Betty Neels.  Loved her stories. 

--dorothy

my veri-word was ‘age72’....not quite but it’s not far off!!  LOL

I started out with reading Harlequin (in Holland we don’t have as many ‘genres’ as you have), but I still read them! It’s so great to relax and wonder off into the dreamworld these authors create! But the titles..LOL! But hey, who cares?! I think I’m going to read one right now...I feel inspired

ms. mary said..."I like that they are straight forward stories, but did think the art/titles were a bit, well, you know..silly.”

Like THE PRINCE KIDNAPS A BRIDE?  The titles are brilliant marketing—a reader never even has to pick up the book and read the back copy to see if she wants to buy the book.

TinaF said..."The few times I actually read the backcover, I think they sound goofy and unbelieveable.”

Tina, I don’t know what to say. I’ve never thought my books were believeable, either. Pure escapism, I hope.

besanderson said..."Gotta love a book that transports you away.”

I forgot to mention the exotic locations! That’s part of the charm for me.

Ms Hellion wrote:  “but within the first five pages the heroine SHOOK HANDS with the hero, and she notices she has “moisture between her legs” from the contact.  WHAT?  No.”

I’m just grateful that never happens to me at church when we’re standing up to greet one another!

Janelle said..."I honestly think that HP is part of the reason why romance is considered to be unworthy by writers and readers of other genres. Talk about going back in time 50 years where men dominated and women were Virgin Or Else.”

Yes, the hard, bitter, rich, experienced man saving/capturing a virgin and the virgin teaching him to love is a primal female fantasy. Female fantasies get no respect, yet look at the guy fantasies—a well-dressed, clever, debonaire spy dodges bullets, vanquishes bad guys, and seduces beautiful women while saving the world, drinking martinis shaken, not stirred, and never, ever having a meaningful relationship.

joyrop said..."C was one of their online reads for a little while. Almost to the detail.”

REALLY? Hey, I made it up!

I’m the owner of 563 Harlequin Presents. Need I say more?

I own book A and if book B is a Susan Napier, could it be Secret Seduction? I wasn’t sure after reading the backcover and first page which I always do whenever I start a HP. Oh if yes, it’s still in my tbr and I guess I have to reshuffle a little.

Julia

MJ(2) said..."Good stories that are compelling and well-written are found all over the place...as are those that aren’t.  It doesn’t matter how ‘simple’ either - good stories don’t have to be complicated.”

For sure.

Prudence said.."I’m taking my lastest in my stack of TBR and heading to the beach for awhile.

Will try to contain my envy long enough to ask how you’re feeling?

Chris S. said..."Ahhh, Susan Napier. She hasn’t been published much in recent years (in Canada, anyway).  Does anyone know what’s up?  Is she okay?  Still writing?”

I have a fairly recent title, so she’s still writing. I forgot to mention Sophie Weston as another fav, and she only puts out a book once a year or so.

midwestgal said..."what’s the differentiation between Harlequin “Presents” . . and “SuperRomance” titles (which I see in the stores).  Does anyone read the Harlequin Historicals?”

I’m probably not the one to answer this, but I’ll give it a shot. Superromance are longer books, more reality-based and set mostly in the US (I think, tthose aren’t my preferred reading.)

Geralyn Dawson has a Harlequin Historical out right now, HER OUTLAW. Great book, a lot of fun, but then, Geralyn’s books always are.

AnneriAilin said..."My favorite author was Betty Neels.  Loved her stories. “

Yeah, Dorothy!

Julia said...”
I’m the owner of 563 Harlequin Presents....I own book A and if book B is a Susan Napier, could it be Secret Seduction?”

I don’t know. I grabbed it, refreshed my memory, used it for the synop, and put it back. I’ll never find it again, so ... you’ll have to read it to find out.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a Harlequin Presents, although I have read other Harlequin lines.  My personal romantic fantasy doesn’t quite fit into the HP books.  I like the idea of a fairy tale H/H, it’s just that the wide-eyed virginal heroine paired with the uber-worldly and worldweary hero isn’t my fairy tale.  Some women want the opposite of their own lives, i.e., they’re tired of carrying so much weight on their shoulders and dream of the hero who will lift their burden.  My dream is that heroes love and are inspired by women like me, or at least by women who are the way I want to be when I grow up:  smart women who may have been around the block a few times but are willing to laugh at life’s quirks and to share the burden.  There’s nothing wrong with either fantasy, it’s just a matter of taste.  I always think about it as the chocolate vs butterscotch choice—neither is inherently better, but some people prefer one to the other.

Does anyone know the title for book A?  Now I really want to read it and it’s going to bug me till I find it.  Some one please help!!!

And here I thought I was going to be the only one who never read a Harlequin Presents book.  I’m glad to see I’m not alone.

My TBR pile is so large now I don’t think I’ll have time to start on another collection.

Midwestgal asked what’s the difference between a Harlequin Presents and a Superromance. Basically, as Christina said, Superromance are primarily based in the US and are more reality based and deal with real life issues whilst Harlequin Presents are intensely written emotional romances steeped in fantasy.

Susan Napier’s father was diagnosed with Alzheimer a few years back and thus couldn’t write much. She had a book out last year in the UK published under the new M&B line of Modern Romance Extra (which replaced Temptation).

Sophie Weston is currently the chairperson of the Romantic Novelists’ Association (the UK version of the RWA) and in the UK works constantly in order to battle the stereotypes typically associated with romance.

I love Harlequin romances as they publish such a wide variety of stories - When I was growing up I devoured Harlequin Presents and Romance and am addicted to the Medical romance line and to the Historical line. I’m seldom disappointed in a Harlequin novel and actually find that there is a lot of room for scope and ingeniuty in these books.

Love,
Julie

Christina, there’s no need for envy, today is our 3rd day above 90, and we are in dire need of rain.  I can’t imagine how hot this summer will be.

And I’m doing better, thank you for asking. Today is day 12, post-op.  Each day I do a little more, and I’ll be happy when I can drive again.

You guys are so terrific!  I’m glad I have you.

Sorry I haven’t read all the comments so I apologize if I repeat anything already said. I personally really like Harlequin Presents for the very reasons that Xtina said and there are really really good ones out there. And you can get a romance fix in just a few short hours!

In fact, I’ve read #2 and variations on it many many times! However, I can’t touch anything that says Sheik on it. I come from a Middle Eastern background and the word Sheik is just about the un-sexiest word I can think of. It just doesn’t do it for me at all! It makes me cringe to read those particular titles!

Finally, if you did not read Elizabeth Bevarly’s “My Only Vice” which was a Blaze publication and she did promote it here - then you missed a REALLY good, hot sexy book which had the right amount of tension. In fact, I think about the hero and heroine from time to time. It was that good to me.

-- Sepi

epibo said..."I can’t touch anything that says Sheik on it. I come from a Middle Eastern background and the word Sheik is just about the un-sexiest word I can think of.”

I spent my high school years in a small town in Idaho and I hate cowboys for just that reason. Romantic? Um, no. Chewing tobacco and spitting is not romantic. Cow manure on boots is not romantic. And teenage cowboys do not remove their hats and stand up when a woman walks in the room. They make rude noises and slouch on their tailbones. Sometimes there’s trouble with knowing too much.

I have a boat-load of Harlequins and Silhouettes on my book cases and I’m proud of it!!!  I love reading them because they are usually really wonderful, and they are a quick read, so when I need a quick boost of fantasy, there they are for me!! 

BTW, you never know who is going to get their start from the Harlequin / Silhouette line.  Included in my collection is an original 1985 Harlequin Intrigue titled “Night Moves” by Nora Roberts, and a 1992 Harlequin Romance titled “My Hero” by Debbie Macomber.  But I keep them because I am a packrat and I like to re-read my books over and over and over . . . 

Okay, I’m not a HP fan. Then again, I am a very weird romance reader. I like single title contemporaries.

I’ve used the following with people who sneer at me about either reading or writing romances: The illiteracy rate in the USA is shockingly high. I would consider myself a raging success if one woman picked up a book of mine and kept reading as a result.

Of course, some days I’m just snarky and ask them why it’s any of their business.

Julie

I started reading Harlequins when I was 10 - early 1970s - and soon after started in on the Presents. I even subscribed to them for a while. I haven’t read them so much in recent years - er, decades - but will occasionally. I lay my fascination with Australia - and Dutch doctors! - squarely at the feet of Harlequin. They’ve given me tremendous pleasure over the years, although I tend to go with the longer ones now. (Yay, Betty Neels! I bought one by her not long ago. Reissue, of course; she died in 2001. :( ) I remember how bold I felt when I first started buying the Desires line.

I do still buy the categories at times. And while I don’t know if she wrote Presents, I put a vote in for Diana Palmer too - originally a Silhouettes author. Yes, she writes the same hero and heroine pretty much. But some of hers really did it for me, and one - Heart of Ice - is on my permanent favorites shelf. I will also put in a good word for the now-late Barbara Cartland. It got aggravating that her heroines couldn’t complete a full sentence without 2-3 pauses (why didn’t someone kill the ellipses capability on her typewriter??), but she wrote some fun stories with characters I connected to.

I’ve read quite a few Harlequin books. They are the books I pick up when I want to read something light.

Xtina - I was sitting reading your blog and I’ve realised...I’ve read the first Harlequin book you described. I also think I’ve read the third one or something similar Would it be bad to say they are all kind of similar? (FYI - I’m not sure if Lucy Monroe writes Harlequin Presents, but I know her books stand out for me because she has little twists that I don’t expect).

orannia

PS Susanna, my first ever romance books were by Barbara Cartland. I worked in the local library shelving books on a Friday night and I keep seeing them. I used to bring them home and read them in bed. The problem was I kept giggling, which as my mother pointed out wasn’t the most appropriate response

Christina wrote, “Sometimes there’s trouble with knowing too much.”

I agree. I can never read a book or watch a movie that has computers in it. All those weirdly glowing monitors with strange convoluted ridiculous things that are done with them. No.

Give me something I don’t know. Spy novels work very well for me. As do historicals or books set in exotic location. The Mediterranean? Back of a camel in the Arabian desert? Sure. Cowboys? Why not?

The first book (choice a) is THE SHEIKH’S CHOSEN WIFE by Michelle Reid. Choice b I didn’t take note of the title, but I loved it, too.

Julie said..."Of course, some days I’m just snarky and ask them why it’s any of their business.”

Yes, or say, “Thank you for sharing.”

Susanna, yes on Diana Palmer. She does that big, mean guy disarmed and overcome by a soft-spoken woman very well.

oriana, I think romances have types—hence my poll—but romance isn’t alone in that. Mysteries have types, too, and S-F, and thrillers. We like books that are similar to other books we have liked. I mean, thank God, because if you like one Christina Dodd book it means you’re probably going to like them all. 

I started reading Harlequin Romances in the late 60s after I had exhausted my public library’s supply of romances, and the Harlequins were all I could find in my hometown. They were a guilty pleasure, but I bought and eagerly devoured all the monthly offerings.

I loved the sweet romances. (Essie Summers was a particular favorite.) But I can remember well how exciting it was when the Presents were introduced, and sexier stories were available. It was Anne Mather who first included premarital sex in a story. You young ones can’t imagine how shocking some people thought her.

I haven’t read an HP in many years, although I do still buy certain authors who write in various category lines. Not just Liz but Janice Kay Johnson, Jean Brashear, Cheryl Reavis and Diane Gaston, Louise Allen (a recent find) and others in H Hist. Whether we read categories or not, we all need to remember the debt the genre owes to them, And just think how many of the Big Names of romance were once category authors!

I love Harlequin Presents. Sure the books are all pretty similar but you can finish them in an hr. How perfect is that?

"(I was a Junior Forest Ranger for a summer as a teenager, and with 24 girls aged 17 in a camp 60 miles from nowhere, chopping down trees by day, Harlequins were the STAPLE entertainment! I read at least one per night, I think). “

OMG!!! I was one too, although I don’t remember Harlequin’s.  I remember teaching the others to play poker - quite illicitly.  What a time.

Back to the books, yes I’ve read them!  I first read them at my grandmother’s.  Endured my father’s ridicule - and threats that he would tell the others.  Ah well, even now I am addicted to romance, while the others read more “improving” tracts.  My friend and I used to exchange bags of books (I’m talking garbage bags).  I don’t read the Harlequins anymore, but I did enjoy them.

Okay, I’ve bought two books mentioned (a Susan Napier and Elizabeth Bevarly’s My Only Vice) while I was reading this blog, so you guys should get commissions! (Or I should stop reading this blog. That would probably be my husband’s choice :->.)

I started reading Harlequins when I was 13. (I remember loving Anne Mather, Betty Neels, Charlotte Lamb...) I stopped a few years later and didn’t pick them up again until recently when I realized that some authors I really like got their start there. I love finding new authors in the single title category, and then searching the used book store for her old Harlequins/ Silhouettes. It’s such a thrill to find one. (My bookstore organizes a lot of those by number, rather than alphabetically by author, so it’s like a treasure hunt.)

And now the newer titles are available as ebooks, so there’s no embarrassment factor!

I just read May ‘07s - The Sheikh’s Virgin Wife

Just read the comments:
My fave Diana Palmers (SD) are : Rawhide Man and Love Play.

Has Anyone else read them? I went on ebay a few years ago and managed to find both.

I started reading Mills and Boons when I was 13.

I love the Presents!!  I read my first Harlequin in 7th grade, probably close to the time when the line started. 

Up until that time I had been a voracious reader, but had started to not read as much.  I credit Harlequin with reawakening me as a reader, even at that early age.  I guess I was born to be a romance reader. 

I found an old book a few years ago from the 70’s that was definitely “G” rated in comparison to what is out today.  But, I still enjoyed my re-read/reminiscence.  Yes, they just kissed, but what a build up!  HOT!!

Michelle Reid, Lucy Monroe, and Anne Mather are auto buys.  I used to love Charlotte Lamb, way back when, but after buying some oldies on e-bay, I realized that SOME of her men were just a little borderline psycho.  Control freaks.  But I still love her books. 

I think that I read that she has passed.  Can anyone confirm that? 

Carol Mortimer was also one of my early favorites.  She still has books out, but not with the frequency of the 70’s and 80’s. 

I think I’ve started a ramble again....SORRY!

HAHA! The plots are so funny, yet so HP that I can’t help but LOL.

I have to admit that I loved those back in the high school days. I remember going to the library hoping to find new ones almost every week. One of the reasons I liked them so much was because they were easy to read and faster to get through. There really isn’t a big drawn-out plot.

But since transitioning to full-length historicals, I haven’t gone back. Maybe I’ll borrow a book or two from the library again (IF I can ever find my library card again that is), but I don’t think I’ll be purchasing any. Especially since I hardly re-read.

Speaking of titles, Christina, While standing in check-out line at Borders, with your book “Tongue in Chic” a while ago, said pierced/tatoo’d/jaded college student (Male!).."Ha, I get it, ‘tongue in cheek’ etc.. hence forth a small conversation about romance (all good) for a bit.  He said male readers liked the covers (of course!) of the newer romances..ie, w/glamour poses/cosmo-type covers, and he did sell quite a few to men! (now there’s a blog for ya..)

ms. mary said..."He said male readers liked the covers (of course!) of the newer romances..ie, w/glamour poses/cosmo-type covers, and he did sell quite a few to men! (now there’s a blog for ya..)”

A blog! Never mind that! I sent your comment to my editor and I’ll bet it flies around the publishing company. Thanks, ms. mary!

Christina wrote: Michelle Buonfiglio said...Too simplistic?  You say that like it’s a bad thing.

Christina answered: Actually, I was being ridiculous. Did you see those plots?

Ugh.  Actually, I was going for flippant and sassy.  But often I think I’m funnier than I really am, and that my blog posts actually convey nuance of speech.  Think I’d know better by now.  Scusi!

Now I’m misspeaking, Michelle. I knew what you meant, just didn’t want people to think I meant the books were simplistic in a bad way. They’re direct, they’re emotional, they’re ... what the hell, they’re just a lot of fun to read.

I grew up in a small farming community. HP made me realize how big the world was, how different people were.  It whet my appetite for romance and travel.  I read them through JH and HS.  I went to my tiny local library weekly and hoped for new titles.  Tho I don’t read them much anymore they hold a special place in my heart.

It is only been a year since I started reading romance again, but I do remember reading Harlequin years ago and liking them.  I personally think a good book is just that, a good book.  It shouldn’t matter who puts it out, if it sounds interesting I would buy it. 

I do have to confess that even though I know I shouldn’t be, I still get embarrassed when buying a book with half dressed people on it.  However, that embarrassment does not stop me from buying them; I just have a slightly pink face when doing so.

"They’re direct, they’re emotional, they’re ... what the hell, they’re just a lot of fun to read.”

Amen Christine. 186 pages of guaranteed pick-me-up passion. I really love the drama and fantasy and high stakes and knowing there’s going to be a happy ever after but not having a clue how they’re going to get there.

And they’re just as much fun to write.  I get to sit in my office every day with the hero of my choice. What a way to go

And Chris S, Susan Napier is indeed writing again after a bit of a break and still as totally gorgeous as ever with it. Susan’s always been one of my favourites (of which I have plenty in the Presents line up and a teetering tbr pile to prove it)

Loved your blog Christina!

Trish Morey is here! How cool! Thanks for coming in, Trish! I love your books!

I love this blog, I get to meet the neatest people, readers and writers both.

Woah! Are you sure you’ve got the right Trish Morey?  Which is pretty much what I nearly said to the editor when she called to buy my first book - lol.

Thanks Christina! Michelle’s blog lured me over here. I’ve been having a ball today reading all the entries. Haven’t got much writing done but it sure feels like I’ve been busy

And you’re so right. It’s fabulous who you get to meet in cyberspace, just another wonderful part of the romance community in action. It’s a brilliant community to be part of, that’s for sure.

Cheers from Downunder!

BTW, I should perhaps point out at this stage that I have very deep-seated shelf envy after looking at that photo of your books. Definitely time I bought my stash some new bookshelves!

Please, Trish! I love creating envy! Check out all the shelves in my office!

http://www.squawkradio.com/index.php/sblog/C1/P14/

Oh my…

Envy upload now complete. 

I love love love love Harlequin Presents. To me they are like the consdensed soup of romance novels. They’ve get right to the point, are filling and very satisfying. Plus they don’t take long to read!! My auto buys are Michelle Reid and Lynne Graham. (although I subscribe to the reader service so all the books are auto buys LOL!) I do prefer the older HPs from the 90s but it seems that recentenly (see this year) the books have started to go back to that classic style.

Another reason I adore HPs is because the authors aren’t scared to push the boundaries of romance and to try different things. For example, adultury and drug addiction (a h with a heroin problem) are issues that have been raised in HPs.

OH and Trish Morey’s books are Great! I loved the recent one.

the c) plotline actually sounds like a mills & boon or something that I’ve got or seen, maybe it was a loveswept I don’ t know, sounds familiar oh no I don’t like my word

One thing I have noticed about the categories, though (and the single titles, to a lesser extent) - I’m not so sanguine about the age difference thing. When I was between the ages of about 10 and 22, the romances between an 18 year old girl and a man of 40+ (or even late 30s) seemed very exciting and cool. Such a sense of power, that someone close to my age could have an older man in her womanly power! But the older I got, the more it felt like the guys were either immature themselves or were cradle-robbers. Nowadays I’m a bit uncomfortable with any heroine between 18-22 or so who is dating someone 10 years or more older. Once you hit about 22-23, I don’t think it matters much. But 18-22 feels so young, now that I’m 45! I much prefer heroines 23+.

And I will also confess that when the mom and the daughter both have romances in the same book, I connect more with the mom than the daughter, these days .

LOL, Susanna, yes. It’s a sad thing to watch That 70s Show and recognize myself in Kitty and Red.

I love Presents--my first was a Robyn Donald--THE BRIDE AT WHANGATAPU (spelling??? something like!) It was a secret baby book (sorry Christine, I love ‘em).

And men wouldn’t dream of apologizing for the tedious repeditiveness of endless sports games (160 baseball games a year? Same # of players EVERY TIME! Same positions! Don’t you get bored?) So no need to go there!

I think the negativity is just sexism & repression with women getting put down for doing something they enjoy because it doesn’t involve catering to someone else. If we can be made to feel bad about taking time to do something that gives us pleasure, then there’s that much more time for us to pay attention to others. 

That’s why its so important to empower ourselves, to support each other, and to reassure our loved ones that yes, we love them, but really, we too are entitled to take some time to ourselves!

I linked to this and Michelle Buonfiglio’s Presents post in my blog where I was posting about re-reading DANGEROUS MEN, ADVENTUROUS WOMEN, a collection of essays by romance writers edited by Jayne Ann Krentz that has some nice material on the appeal of the Alpha Male. It’s all connected!

Thank you nearhere! 

You guys have made my week. If you’re ever anywhere near here <g>, do drop in.

That’s a great book, Isabel. High time I picked it up for a reread too.

I have been enjoying it! Here’s a nice bit from Elizabeth Lowell’s essay: “Only in romances is an enduring, constructive bond--love--between a man and a woman celebrated.... And it is the bleak, powerful hero who puts love’s transforming power to the ultimate test.”

Great quote.

I love it that romance does celebrate love. It’s an emotion definitely worthy of celebration.

And it sure beats the alternative!

This is Malle, from Harlequin—one of my activities is to manage our I Heart Presents blog. (http://www.iheartpresents.com)

Thank you, Christina, for your excellent quiz and explanation for your passionate response to the world of Presents. Passionate antagonism, high drama, glamour and the knowledge that this hero and heroine must end up together (if they don’t, you know they will fade away in proper melodramatic fashion). The fact that we (Harlequin) have this series that draws in both incredibly loyal fans (8 books a month, world-wide bestseller, bestselling titles in eBooks) and complete confusion from other readers is why we decided to create a blog for those who are fans and want to talk about the series, share their love and learn more!

To expand on the Harlequin Presents works around the world and in many formats concept, ie. eBooks. readers should check out my entry from May 2—it captures an eBook bestseller list with the George Tenet CIA book at spot #3 surrounded by 7 Harlequin Presents titles!

Christina, I am going to link to your quiz from the http://www.iheartpresent.com blog.

Thanks!

Thanks for coming to visit, Isabelle and Malle. It’s great to have you here, and I appreciate the info about the lists and the website. Come back anytime!

Can anybody tell me what the title for C is please thanx

I wish I had the time to read everyones’ comments. I just wanted to say, Charlotte Lamb was my very first romance at the tender age of 10. I read Pagan Encounter and was hooked. I would only read Harlequin, Mills and Boons, and other novella type books for years. It wasn’t until I hit my teen years tdid I branch into other romance writers. To this day, Charlotte Lamb is one of my favourites! I honestly didn’t think anyone else had heard of her besides me. How about Anne Mather? she was another Harlequin classic

Christina thanks for starting off the great discussion - I think you made a fantastic point by showing how, simply described as the way you gave the plots, the books can sound totally ridiculous. Once into the story though it’s up to the author to communicate that emotional (there’s that word again) impetus to make it work - or not . . .

I’ve loved reading all the points - both for and against. It’s great to be involved in a part of popular culture that causes so much interest - and rarely results in indifference.

Hi Trish!
“They’re direct, they’re emotional, they’re ... what the hell, they’re just a lot of fun to read.”
“guaranteed pick-me-up passion. I really love the drama and fantasy and high stakes and knowing there’s going to be a happy ever after but not having a clue how they’re going to get there.”
I so agree – as the eds say: What’s selling? Emotion, emotion, emotion.

Kate

PS

Oh and Michelle, as the author who wrote that book ain’t it fascinating how differently we can come at the same story For me, the heroine was being forced into marrying the hero’s 50+ father to help save her mother’s life – because for such a sick woman the strain of having her husband go to prison would kill her before the heart op she needed and which – yep – would be paid for on the NHS here in the UK which is where I am not Aus. So I saw her as setting out to do something to try to help – to save her pa from jail so he could care for his wife - but determined to have her night of freedom first - rather than TSTL. But we all read things so differently – it’d be boring if we were all the same.

Kate

Christina,
At first I thought you were poking fun at HPs.  I choked on my water reading the summaries—they were hilarious.

I love HPs.  I’ve been reading them since the 70’s.  I don’t read as many as I used to—but HPs are still my favorite.

There are certain story lines that don’t appeal to me—but hey, that’s OK.  Not everything will appeal to everyone.  I have my favorite authors and once in awhile they’ll write a book where for one reason or another either the H or the plot just don’t “work” for me.  That does not prevent me from continuing to read their books.

Lidia

Ha. This whole post made me laugh because I am an avid reader of HP. To answer your questions…
I love to hate alpha-male jerks… but still love them despite the hate.
Presents= too simplistic? No way.
I think the main appeal of HP books are the heroes.