Books--Romance

Books I’ve Read

As I said two weeks ago, I read about thirty books while in Georgia, mainly as a stress valve. Many, I found at my mom’s. They were mostly older works, some writers I was unfamiliar with, some popular. I’ll write about them in categories.

Romance

I found six romances from Judith McNaught from the eighties. Tender Triumph—just what you’d expect from a romance title, isn’t it?—was set in the contemporary world, though the main character, typically, was a virgin who just hadn’t found the right guy. Had the usual bones of the romance—girl meets boy, conflicts ensue, are resolved, and they end up together. The ending was a bit anticlimactic after the buildup throughout the book. Nevertheless, a quick read that held my interest.

Double Standards, also written in the early eighties, was a bit dated but Judith McNaught has the writing skill to make it entertaining. This one was also set in the contemporary world. Once and Always—typical title for a period piece—was better than her contemporary novels. Her characters tend to have similar traits in each book, but in this one, the ending better fit the novel’s buildup. Almost Heaven (I read these in the chronological order Judith McNaught published them) showed better skill at building and resolving conflict. Another period piece, character traits still similar book to book, but the plots are very different. I have two more of hers I look forward to reading.

I’ve read Lavyrle Spencer before, though I can’t remember what. Vows is a historical romance, more realistic than Judith McNaught’s, which is more escapist reading, but both know how to bring the reader on a fun ride. Spencer gave an interesting look into the Midwest of the 1800’s and more realistic traits to characters and conflicts between characters you could imagine as being real people.

A Love of Her Own by Maggie Brendon was engaging despite a slow beginning. Christian romance, it avoided being overly preachy. A potentially important conflict between the main character and her parents (she fell in love with someone they wouldn’t have approved of) was thrown away in an ending that felt as though she suddenly felt that the book had become too long and she had to rush to finish it. Not that the rest of the plot was all that realistic, but the ending jolted.