The Evolution of Harlequin romances. Chris Lambie at saltwire.com addresses “How Harlequin Romances Got Spicier.” A study of 500 books found the covers and books got sexier as time passed. Still, younger readers view them as books grandma would read, despite their changes.
The Millionaire’s Mistress by Miranda Lee is a passionate modern category romance that explores the complex dynamics between a wealthy man and a woman in need of financial help. 3.5 Stars
It’s hard to believe this vintage romance blog is only a month old, as it’s taken up so much of my time trying to put it together. Besides researching authors, publishing houses, and cover artists, I’ve been reviewing books and tweaking the site to make it more user-friendly with plenty of links and additions to the menu.
Washington Post journalist Angela Haupt spoke with a dozen major players in the romance novel industry to write this engaging article about the evolution of the romance genre:
Found the name of an artist whose romance covers I’ve admired, Ed Tadiello, at this great blog
In Different Worlds by Elaine K. Stirling, can an American and a Canadian who meet and fall in love in Costa Rica have a long distance romance? 4 stars
Harlequin Presents #256 Beware of the Stranger Janet Dailey A stranger arrives demanding Samantha see her father immediately, then kidnaps her! 2 1/2 stars
Harlequin Romance #1318 Palace of the Peacocks by Violet Winspear A British woman works for a one-eyed Dutchman in Java in order to earn money to travel home. 3 1/2 stars
Every few weeks, we’ll highlight institutions or people I’ve archived. So let’s begin at the beginning with the originators of the paperback movement, Pocket Books.
I’ve added a bit more to the site: more book reviews, more cover artists, and more information regarding publishing houses, author biographies, and backlists. Plus I’ve expanded the scope of the site to include other genres of romance that were published in the post-Flame and the Flower era up until the turn of the millennium. I really want this site to be a valuable source of historical information for romance bibliophiles.
