Back in 1999, when I first started reading romance novels, I read only historicals. It was what my sisters read and since those were the only books around my house, it’s what I read. I fell in love with the Duke of this and the Earl of that. I loved the lifestyles of the Duchess of this land and I wanted to be like the Marchioness of that land. Their lives were so different from my life that it was interesting to read things that I didn’t know anything about.
My imagination went crazy with the glamorous lives of those people in the ton. I loved the descriptions of the balls, the dresses that the women wore and I loved the rules and the scandals. All of these things combined with the journey to true love between the hero and the heroine made me love historicals like I had never loved anything before.
The first book that I ever read was Something Wonderful by Judith McNaught and I was so in love with Jordan Townsende that I thought about him long after I finished the book. I remember thinking that that was the kind of man that I wanted to marry. Someone who was strong, strappling and stubborn. Someone who would protect me from harm and cuddle me close at night. Someone who wasn’t perfect but perfect for me. I remember I loved Jordan so much that I would sit in Church and replay certain scenes from his book over and over in my head. The day him and Alex had their mock fight in the glade, the night he begged Alex not to die on him, the speech he gave her when he thought she was dying at the end…those are the things I thought about in Church and it was historical novels that got me so addicted to romance novels in the first place.
I remember, reading my first contemporary, Paradise by Judith McNaught and thinking, wow this was another great book. Matt Farrell was so hot damn yummy that I wanted to eat him up. I remember liking contemporaries enough to try another and another but my first love remained with the historical romances.
I guess you could say that as much as I liked contemporaries, I was a contemporary snob. If given the choice to read a contemporary or a historical, I would always without second thought go for the historical. I loved getting lost in a world that would totally be in my head and totally be whatever I made of it since I didn’t know first hand what these places looked like. I loved the language and the protectiveness of the men back in the day. With heroes like Royce from The Prize by Julie Garwood doing swoonworthy sweet things for their heroines (like the black queen thing *sigh*) it was no wonder why I loved historicals.
But then things changed.
I found myself reading sub genres I never would have read when I first started reading. It was like historicals was sooo last season and I had moved on to bigger and better things. Me, Rowena, reading a paranormal? Never that. Rowena, reading chick lit? Oh heck to the no. But that’s what happened. I started reading romantic suspense and my love of historicals started to slowly diminish until years had passed and I had only read a total of 2 historicals.
When did my taste change?
I’m not sure.
But these days, I have to be in the mood to read historicals and even then, it’s only a fleeting feeling I’ll get to read a historical and I know that I’m missing on some really good books by not reading historicals but I can’t help it. I’m into sub genres I never would have read when I first started reading and some of the authors I loved before, I’m not so wild about anymore. I used to jump at the chance to read Julie Garwood, she was one of my ultimate favorites but I haven’t even read her latest book because I’ve heard so many bad things about it and even though I say that I’m still going to read it because it’s a Julie Garwood book, every time I pick it up at the bookstore (and I’ve counted back in my head, there have been a total of 3 times that I have picked this book up at the bookstore in the last couple of months) and when I get to the register, I always put this book back.
I just can’t be bothered to read it anymore, I’m not excited about it anymore and it’s a JG, that never would have happened to me had this been 2000.
So my question is this, Your preference in genres..has it changed from when you first started reading romance? Are they the same? What authors did you used to love and just don’t anymore? Are there any?
My taste in genre’s is ever changing. It used to be that I wouldn’t touch a contemporary novel if you paid me, but now, sometimes I really just want to read something thats more true to life than the lives of Dukes and Damsels and so on. I’m trying to get into some basic fiction but I really find it hard to do unless it has some element of romance in it. What can I say, I love.. love.
As far as authors that I once loved but don’t anymore, the only one that comes to mind is Sherrilyn Kenyon. What happened to her? Now I wonder if it was her writing that changed, or just my opinion. I feel like I have read so many good writers since I first started that maybe it just shows how good she isn’t. I still will pick up her historicals, but the Dark Hunters, Dream Hunters and Were Hunters (the last two of which are just stupid to me), I can’t bring myself to do very often.
Poor Rowena! I know exactly what you mean. Back in the day, I was a Johanna Lindsay fiend. I had every single one of them and adored them all. Then the owner of the UBS I visited at least once a week started educating me (aka pushing book crack at me, the fiend!)
My tastes have changed, and I’ve grown as a reader. While I still have all my Julie Garwood historicals, and the Judith McNaughts, and… well, the list is long, I have long since stopped reading Johanna Lindsay, Jude Deverauxh, Julie Garwood’s contemporaries (or the new historical), Christine Feehan, and many others.
I would feel really sad if it weren’t for the fact that, like you, I am reading many other authors and genres–and subgenres–that I didn’t even know existed.
I’ve found that over the years I add to my favorite authors. I still enjoy my long time favorites like Nora Roberts and Johanna Lyndsey but I’ve added in some newer people like Kim Harrison, Laurel K. Hamilton, and Christine Feehan. I enjoy the paranormal / fantasy stories but I’m not willing to give up the contemporary and historicals.
Definitely my tastes have changed. Kenyon lost me when she went on to other series and it took so long for one of her Dark-Hunter books to come out. I haven’t read the last few, and now I don’t know if I will.
I used to read historicals or contemporaries, that was it. Then I discovered romantic suspense (Brockmann) and some paranormals and erotic romance, then I won’t read a historical for months. I haven’t read a Blaze for ages. Eventually it circles around, but there are so many choices out there, so many authors willing to push the envelope and to explore new territory. I’ve learned to never say never, because you just never know.
Unlike all of you, I started with paranormals and urban fantasy, which I still love, but I’m expanding toward fantasy and lately, historicals. It’s like this fabulous undiscovered territory!
In fact, all you historical readers, I’d be very grateful for any favorite historical recommendations.
Oh, and I meant to ask, Rowena, is The Prize one of your favorites?
Even though I have branched out in my reading preferences, I always seem to come back to historical romances.
There is just something about those corsets and settees and imagining being ravished on the settee in only my corset.
Hey, thanks Rowena. I will check back.
I haven’t changed 😛 I still prefer contemporaries the most 🙂 I read historicals because there aren’t that many good contemporaries out there. As for authors, sometimes, they do change… other times, I think I just overdose on it.
Sarah,
I totally know what you mean because that’s how I started really getting into contemporaries. I used to just want something light, fluffy and something that’s real to me…so I’d catch my fix with contemporaries and I just fell in love with those Corporate types and those Navy SEALs, haha.
Azteclady,
You’re right…I think it’s more of a fact that I’ve evolved as a reader and am finding out that there are other things that I like more so it’s all good in the hood.
I used to be such a huge JG fan but I’m so scared to read her new book because then it might solidify that I have given up on her and then I’ll for real let go of all of the authors who have started me on this wonderful reading journey.
*sigh*
Jessica,
I don’t think there’s been a book by Nora Roberts that I haven’t atleast liked, so I don’t think that I’d stop liking her. And you’re right, I think it’s just a matter of me finding more authors to love. That’s a good way to look at things. =)
I don’t think I’ve welcomed you here to Book Binge, It’s been so long since I’ve actually woken up early enough in the morning to actually comment on the blog that I miss all the new readers but thanks for stopping by. =)
Stacy,
Hey sweetie! =) Being blocked at work really sucks because I can’t even see anyone’s blogs anymore…*sigh* But, yeah SK has totally gone from high on my must read list to teetering at the very end of it, haha. Oh well, sometimes it’s just like that, huh?
Carolyn Jean,
Some very good historicals for me have been by Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, Julia Quinn, Johanna Lindsey (her older stuff) hmmm, I’ll have to put my thinking cap on this one but I will compile a list for you sweetie, so check back and I’ll hook you up with some titles…but anything by Judith McNaught is really good, especially Something Wonderful and Almost Heaven. *sigh*
And yes, The Prize is one of my favorites by JG.
Katiebabs,
I have found myself reading more and more historicals lately so I just might be joining you in the always coming back, it may have taken me some time (okay some years) but I think I have hit a historical high right now. =)
I still read the same genres; contemp, historical, RS, and westerns, but I do tend to burn out on authors once I glom them. I find they all have a formula that I can predict everything that will happen in their books eventually. So far the only one that hasn’t happened with is Linda Howard, but I think I just haven’t read enough of her books. And I haven’t read NR, so I couldn’t say if that would happen with her.
I’ve branched out a bit into paranormals, but only very loosely.