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Romance books for a demanding beginner^^

Illienne

New Member
Hi there!

I'm new here and I hope to maybe get a few suggestions for romance books from you. And I realize I have rather big expectations, but please bear with me^^

Now, the thing is, I've never liked romance books. The one exception was Pride and Predjudice, I liked that one. The few others I've read were always way too cliché and cheesy. Also, I absolutely hate those stupid missunderstandings some writers let their main characters have just so there is some drama. I also dislike stories in which the characters constantly go shopping or to parties. And there's also the matter of those incredibly inequal relationships, which usually go like: Guy is some kind of supernatural being, girl is very ordinary. So ordinary in fact, that I can't see in the slightest why he would even be interested in her. And of course he's so perfect that he's also incredibly boring *cough*Twilight*cough*. Nope, please nothing of the sort for me. I mean, there's nothing wrong with one of them being a supernatural being, as long as the other one also matters. In Twilight, for example, one could substitute Bella for just about any other female, as long as "her blood also smelled as sweet" to Edward. I hope you get what I mean.

I'm a huge fan of fantasy literature, and until recently I've read little else. Of course, there was also the occasional romance in those books, which I usually didn't mind. So I was thinking that maybe it wasn't the romance part I disliked, but rather the things surrounding it. Maybe the ones I've read until now were aimed only at a teenage audience or I simply didn't have much luck picking them.

Now, no matter, what kind of story, I like the characters to actually be intelligent and have believeable reactions and feelings (even in a very fictional setting). I like them to have faults and little quirks. I like relationships, in which the participants (and they don't necessarily have to be a guy and a girl) can both help/support the other, even if maybe in different ways.
The story doesn't have to be overly serious, it can also have comedy elements. What I don't like is tragedy. In contrary, the chance that I'd even start reading a book is exponentially higher if it has a happy ending.

Optional, but appreciated, would also be a setting which isn't in a big city, but maybe in the countryside.

Okay, those are quite the criteria... But not completely unreasonable ones, I hope.

I'm looking forward to your suggestions!

Illienne
 
Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series is a fantastic historical romance series. Intelligent characters, strong story, fantasy and reality blend
seamlessly.
 
Perhaps you are limiting yourself when you say you're looking for 'romance' books. I always think of romance books as the Harlequin Romance type and the ones with covers of bare-chested, long-haired men leering over fainting women with partially untied bodices. Personally, I've never thought of Pride and Prejudice as a romance book.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you just want a book about relationships with realistic characters that has a happy ending. Not sure if this is necessarily a romance book. Unless there needs to be a 'falling in love' aspect to it?
 
If you like magical realism, I recommend Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.
 
I would suggest Poison Study be Maria V.Snyder, the trilogy is in fact Romance but it set in a fantasy world and I was so well hidden that I didn't even know it was Romance until after I had read them! *the shock!* I to don't read romance anddm have a strong reactions to it if I do, normaly not a good one lol :).
 
Thanks a lot for your suggestions, I'll have a look at them!

Perhaps you are limiting yourself when you say you're looking for 'romance' books. I always think of romance books as the Harlequin Romance type and the ones with covers of bare-chested, long-haired men leering over fainting women with partially untied bodices. Personally, I've never thought of Pride and Prejudice as a romance book.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you just want a book about relationships with realistic characters that has a happy ending. Not sure if this is necessarily a romance book. Unless there needs to be a 'falling in love' aspect to it?

Ah, yes, you would be quite right^^ You see, I'm not a native english speaker (reader^^), so that's probably the reason I didn't quite put it right. Maybe "love story" fits better? I would describe Pride and Predjudice as a love story (among other genres). It's not really pure erotica I'm looking for. I'd rather be interested in a more gentle story.


And it doesn't have to be in a fantasy setting, or be a huge epic storyline. I'm trying to open up to new possibilities, broaden my horizont a bit^^

Thanks again for any suggestions!
 
I'll keep thinking, but you might enjoy Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon. You'll have to trust me on this, but I promise it does have a happy ending. Definitely a more contemporary story and no countryside, but I enjoyed it because the characters were quite believable and easy to relate to. It definitely kept my interest.
 
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