Category Archives: romance novels

Mary Balogh’s TANGLED

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

At Heroes and Heartbreakers, I analyzed Mary Balogh’s Tangled as an erotic romance. I focused on the first two sections of the novel, and how the marriage of the two main characters develops and changes through their sexual relationship.

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Saddle Shoes

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

If you missed it Friday evening, I posted on “Undressing the Hero: Judith Ivory’s Untie My Heart” for Heroes and Heartbreakers. # For my birthday this year, I decided to get myself a pair of shoes. My first choice was … Continue reading →

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Academic Heroines

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

I wrote a post, “Undressing the Hero: Judith Ivory’s Untie My Heart” for Heroes and Heartbreakers that went live today. Now on to today’s topic. I don’t intend to make “unusual heroines” a weekly thing, but I do want to … Continue reading →

Posted in contemporary, genre, romance novels, women | 2 Comments

Sporty Women in Romance

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

Where are all the sporty women in romance? The female professional athletes, or the ones who played basketball in college? Is there no Title IX for romance heroines? For a romance with male athletes, I know to look up Susan … Continue reading →

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IASPR Workshops Announced

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

Workshop Summaries for this summer’s International Association for the Study of Popular Romance conference are now available. I’m attending, as an audience member–let me know if you’ll be there, and we can say hi! I’m particularly interested in these papers: … Continue reading →

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Top 3 Reasons I Love Historical Romance

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

1. The outfits. Dukes have bigger…coronets of rank. Also, the hats. Men in hats. Women in hats. People these days…not enough hats. Or gloves. There’s something about concealment beneath all those almost fetishistic garments…it makes you wonder what else they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, reading, romance novels | 2 Comments

Betty Neels, Outside of Time

Posted on January 5, 2011 by Victoria Janssen

I am not nearly the connoisseur of Betty Neels’ 134 novels as the gracious hostesses of specialist blog The Uncrushable Jersey Dress. But, having read about a half-dozen of her novels, I now venture to have some general thoughts on … Continue reading →

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Telepathy and Romance

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Telepathy and romance are two great tastes that ought to taste great together. So why is it that, so often, a telepathic heroine or hero–finds true love with the one person whose mind can’t be read?It’s part of a romance … Continue reading →

Posted in romance novels, sf/f, writing craft | 6 Comments

Heroine Doe

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

What do you look for in a romance heroine? Or the heroine of a space opera, or of a quest fantasy? What kind of heroine always makes you want to read further?Does she need to be an orphan, or have … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, reading, romance novels | 8 Comments

Types of Masculinity

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

What does it mean, to be a man? To be masculine? What does it mean to be a man who is the hero of a romance novel?Romance readers, including me, often talk about “alpha” or “beta” heroes as two generalized … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, romance novels | 2 Comments