Romance Readers and Writers

Some of the most popular novels today, at least from a sales standpoint, are shorter novella-length ebooks and series romances like Harlequins.  I guess its a product of our fast paced up society that more people are digesting their fiction in short, bite sized portions.  Romances that are huge and span multiple decades seem to be a thing of the past.  That’s a shame.

Two of my favorite books from my late teens and early 20s were sprawling, massive books by Leona Blair.  One was called Privilege and the other, my favorite, was called A World of Difference. They both dealt with  characters that started out poor and downtrodden, only to rise up and become wealthy and powerful beyond all reckoning.  they had wounded hearts and had been kept from the one they truly loved, not by their own fault, but because of the manipulations of people close to them.  They were over-the-top and meloldramatic, but I loved them any way. Romance novels are supposed to be a little OTT anyway.

Is there a particular style of romance novel that has fallen out of favor, but that you still adore?  For me, it’s the epic, but I know people that still love a good Regency or gothic novel.  What’s your favorite?

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