Covers of the Week #53

Theme: Kitty Cats on Romance Covers

Stately, kindly, lordly friend,
Condescend
Here to sit by me, and turn
Glorious eyes that smile and burn,
Golden eyes, love’s lustrous meed,
On the golden page I read.

To a Cat, Algernon Charles Swinburne

Two lovers wrapped in a passionate embrace is the most common element of romance covers.

Besides the clinch, another common aspect is the animals seen on the covers. From a rearing horse to wild wolves to fluttering butterflies, they’re a delight to see.

Sometimes they’re so outrageous, they make us smile. What would romance be without the whimsy?

As a cat lover, I adore it when a book has a little kitty or ferocious leopard. It’s common to see a big cat lurking in the background of a clinch or featured prominently in a stepback.

Bodice rippers and regular historical romances tend to the exotic felines.

However, Regency romance covers are the most likely place to find little cats, as well as contemporaries.

The Covers

This week every day is Caturday! For Monday, April 11, 2022, to Sunday, April 17, 2022, here are some adorable romance covers with sweet little kitty cats.

One More Cat Cover

Ok, ok, we can’t get enough of cats on romance covers. 😸

Here’s an extra cover with a tabby for good measure!

meant for each other jh cats on romance covers
Meant For Each Other, Mary Burchell, Harlequin, 1966,
“jH” cover art
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About Jacqueline Diaz

Old-School, retro, and vintage romance reads are my jam, baby! The good, the bad, the cheesy, and the sleazy! I have no shame about it; I love ’em! An auto-didact, amateur historian, and reader of romance novels since 1990, I hope to offer a unique perspective on the genre. As a blogger, you may know me by several names; here, I’m Jacqueline Diaz. I’m also the aspiring author of two works-in-progress, historical romances, The Savage Noble and What She Says with Her Eyes, which hopefully will be released in 2023.

3 thoughts on “Covers of the Week #53

  1. Iris

    I love covers with animals–wild or domesticated. I’ve always found it interesting that vintage M&B covers have significantly fewer animals then the vintage Harlequin.

    Reply
    1. jacquelinediaz

      Hello Iris.

      That tidbit doesn’t surprise me. We American seems be prone to kitsch than our English cousins.😁 The Mils and Boon covers are sophisticated. Harleys aim to catch the eye in any cheesy way possible. Babies, kittens, puppies, rainbows, all huge on American covers! Especially in the 1990s.

      Cheers,
      Jacqueline

      Reply
      1. Iris

        So true. Many a time I’ve picked up the M&B version of a book and expected sophistication based on the cover then the story turns out to be hokey. Conversely I’m always slightly shocked when a vintage Harlequin Romance cover leads me to expect sweet and then it’s unusually toxic–you know–anything by Lilian Peake for example.

        Reply

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