Category: Discussion

National Tell a Joke Day: Romance Jokes

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We all could use a good joke to cheer us up when we're down in the dumps. Sometimes we take life--and romance--too seriously. We know the romance genre can get a bit ridiculous at times. So it's perfect that today, August 16, is National Tell a Joke Day here in the United States. It's a great opportunity to laugh about love and relationships and romance novels. Read more “National Tell a Joke Day: Romance Jokes”
Discussion, Romance

Category Romance Authors Who Made It Big

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Many famous and popular authors of mainstream fiction got their start writing series or category romance. Category romances are a staple of the industry. The following 7 authors got their start with Silhouette, Harlequin, Loveswept, or Dell Candlelight romances. Read more “Category Romance Authors Who Made It Big”
Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Discussion, Romance

Poll: Favorite Romance Author (Contemporary or Series)

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Who is your favorite author of old-school, vintage, or retro-contemporary romances? Whether series or full-length romance, we want to hear your choice! Read more “Poll: Favorite Romance Author (Contemporary or Series)”
Authors, Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary/Category Romance Authors, Discussion, Poll, Romance

Sweet Savage Flame’s 6 Heat Levels in Romances

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In romance novels, heat levels can range from as tepid as room temperature to as hot as the sun. Sweet Savage Flame has created a list with what we think are 6 different levels of heat in romances. These range from no heat to closed and open-door love scenes to pornography. Read more “Sweet Savage Flame’s 6 Heat Levels in Romances”
Discussion, Lists, Romance

Movies Based on Romance Novels, Part II: Best-Selling Authors

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From the 1970s to the 1980s there would be a smattering of romance novels made into movies, some from Harlequin, Pocket Books, and other publishers. Here we look at four books that made it to the big screeen. Read more “Movies Based on Romance Novels, Part II: Best-Selling Authors”
Anne Mather, Discussion, Romance

Two Gay Romance Firsts: The Happily Ever After Ending and Clinch Cover

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Gordon Merrick created the legendary Peter & Charlie gay romance series. The trilogy portrayed the first mainstream love story between two men that concluded happily ever after. Another milestone in gay fiction occurred when they were reprinted in the 1980s. A young artist named Victor Gadino illustrated the iconic clinch covers. Never before had two men been pictured so intimately on romance novels. Read more “Two Gay Romance Firsts: The Happily Ever After Ending and Clinch Cover”
Avon, Bodice Ripper, Contemporary Romance, Cover Artists, Discussion, Romance, Victor Gadino, Vintage romance

Author Spotlight: Robert Vaughan

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Robert Vaughan may not be a big-name author, but he sold tens of millions of books in the 20th century under many names. His pseudonyms include Paula Fairman, K. C. McKenna, Paula Moore, Fancy DeWitt, Patricia Matthews, Jonathon Scofield, Lee Davis Willoughby, and Kit Dalton. Have you read any Robert Vaughan romances? Read more “Author Spotlight: Robert Vaughan”
Authors, Contemporary/Category Romance Authors, Discussion, Historical Romance Authors, Mixed Genre Authors, Romance

Different Books, Same Cover #2

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Have you ever noticed you own two different books with the same cover? Recycling cover art is quite common in the book industry. Publishers often re-use artwork to save money or time. Previously we mentioned the Instagram hashtag #covertwinning. This was the brainchild of biologistreadsromance, who also created the hashtag #stepbacktwinning. Read more “Different Books, Same Cover #2”
Covers, Discussion, Romance

Romance Firsts: The First Kissing Couple on a Cover

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The 1980 Mills & Boon reissue of Violet Winspear's book Lucifer's Angel is said to be the first romance (contemporary or category, anyway, not so sure about historicals) to feature a kissing couple on the cover. And what a pretty one it is. Read more “Romance Firsts: The First Kissing Couple on a Cover”
Category romance, Contemporary Romance, Covers, Discussion, Harlequin, Harlequin Romance, Mills and Boon, Romance, Vintage romance

Celebrities on Romance Book Covers

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Before they were famous, their faces were on book covers. While these celebrities appeared in various genres, we're limiting our focus to romance. It's always fun to track the career of the rich and famous to their humble beginnings, especially if they posed for clinches! Read more “Celebrities on Romance Book Covers”
Cover Models, Covers, Discussion, Romance

Romance Cover Model: Fabio Lanzoni

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Like bodice rippers and vintage romances of yesteryear, model Fabio Lanzoni has been unfairly maligned and mocked by many modern-day romance readers. There's a sentiment of contempt displayed at the old-school clinch covers, with some people going as far as declaring that Fabio represented a low point in the genre. How mean-spirited and wrong these detractors are. Read more “Romance Cover Model: Fabio Lanzoni”
Cover Models, Discussion, Romance

Romance Cover Model: Michael O’Hearn

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Romance novel enthusiasts may recognize Mike O'Hearn's form--or face--as one of the cover models for Topaz books back in the mid to late 1990s. Fabio was the most famous of them all, but even his muscular physique seems slight when compared to O' Hearn's massive proportions. Read more “Romance Cover Model: Michael O’Hearn”
Cover Models, Discussion