*****As part of our 10 year anniversary celebration, we’ll be re-posting old reviews and posts that make us cringe, laugh or sigh all over again.
Holly: I can’t even remember what book I was talking about in this post, but the sentiment remains. I hate the selfishness of historical heroines who refuse to consider the consequences of their actions.
This post was originally posted on April 16, 2010.
Here’s a little known secret about yours truly: When it comes to historical romance novels, I’m a complete prude. I can read the dirtiest of the dirty erotica, in public, and be fine. The sexual escapades and antics of modern-day heroines from contemporary romances don’t phase me a bit. But I have a higher standard for historical heroines.
I’m all about a woman acting outside of propriety, but not at the risk of complete ruin for either herself or the other characters involved. For example:
I’m current reading a historical romance novel set during the regency period. The heroine is in love with her brother’s best friend, and has been for years. She’s been out in society for 3 seasons now, but has refused all offers because she’s holding out for her one true love. The hero is resistant to marriage in general and marriage to the heroine in particular. Plus, her older brother, the hero’s best friend, has warned him off her. Which is all perfectly fine and well, but she’s decided this season that she needs to up the stakes and make him realize he really wants to be married. To her.
So she starts touching him at inappropriate times, cornering him as often as possible for kisses and even showing up in his bedchamber in the middle of the night wearing nothing but her night rail, then trying to seduce him.
I have several issues with this.
1) The heroine thinks to herself, many times, that she’s hurting her younger sisters by not accepting a marriage proposal from someone else. Neither of them are allowed to come out until she’s wed, so as not to take attention away from her. There is even an example given of a younger sister garnering more attention than the older one, so we as the reader can understand what a travesty this would be.
(As an aside, I found this fascinating. Generally in regency set historicals more than one sister is out at a time. I love that this author has taken a different approach here.)
Now, I understand the heroine wants to marry for love. I truly do. And I want her to. But her next youngest sister’s debut has already been delayed one season because of her actions. Since the hero has heretofore shown zero interest in her, I wonder at what point will she have to give it up and move on? Or will she continue to pine for him indefinitely, leaving her younger sisters to wither away as well?
2) If the heroine is compromised, she’ll be ruining her sisters’ chances as well. Any scandal that touches her touches her family, so there’s a double whammy where her sisters are concerned.
3) If there heroine is caught in a compromising position with the hero, he’ll be forced to marry her. Although it’s early in the book yet for me, I’m going to assume she doesn’t want to force him – she wants him to realize he loves her, too, and propose on his own.
Yet she doesn’t consider the consequences of her being in his bedchamber – in her house, by the way – in the middle of the night. She doesn’t think about her reputation or what the hero’s feelings will be if he’s forced into marrying her. Wouldn’t it upset all her plans to make him fall in love with her if he’s forced against his will?
Although I’m talking about a particular book above, this is something that bothers me 99% of the time in historical romances. Heroines who seduce – or are seduced by – the hero because they “love him” make me want to bash my head against the wall. I realize these novels are fiction, but what would happen to a young woman during the regency era if she were compromised? The total ruin of her reputation wouldn’t only reflect badly on her, but on her family as well. Younger siblings wouldn’t have a chance of gaining a decent marriage and the scandal could follow them for the rest of their lives. While it may sound romantic to be willing to risk all for love, the practicalities of the scenario make me want to scream.
Am I alone here?
What you’re describing doesn’t even sound like prudishness to me. It sounds like a dislike of selfishness. Most of your points touch on ways the heroine is not thinking about other people as she goes after what she wants.
And you know, that is one of my things too. I want my romance heroes and heroines to bring the self-sacrifice-in-the-name-of-love like whoa. I’m a little less impressed with the sweeping romanticism of it all when they’re throwing their families and friends under the train too.
Well, the prudish part comes into play because I don’t like the h/h to have premarital sex in historicals. Naturally there are exceptions to this, but overall my feeling is that the heroine has too much to lose to get caught with her pants down (or dress up, as the case may be).
I want my romance heroes and heroines to bring the self-sacrifice-in-the-name-of-love like whoa.
YES! Exactly!
I think I understand where you’re coming from with this. But I also think people DID fall in love during prior historical periods, and they DID do things to try to get the one they loved to marry them. There were plenty of short pregnancies, rushed weddings, mysterious trips to the countryside — because people did “risk all” for love. Or chemistry. Shouldn’t fiction be accurate in that regard?
Personally, I think the ones who take risks and go after the guy they want are appropriately the heroines of these stories — there’s nothing heroic about quietly marrying the guy your parents picked out and living a “mildly pleasant ever after.” Those are usually secondary characters, and for good reason.
That said, I agree that a character (in any setting, and of either gender) can be too selfish in their pursuit of love. When that happens, I like to see them realize it and be sorry, learning something in the process. But hey, some people are selfish by nature, and if it’s written well, I’m even okay with that. Because I get tired of perfect heroes and heroines; flaws are okay with me. Different readers have different tipping points on these issues, obviously.
You know, I had the exact same reaction to an Amanda Quick novel. The heroine plans AHEAD OF TIME that she wants to “experience passion” with the hero who’s hiring her to take photographs (late Victorian era), so she sets out to seduce him for a one-night stand.
The problem? Her photography work is all that’s supporting her family (including her elderly aunt and two young siblings) and the book mentions repeatedly how, as a woman running a business in Victorian England, the slightest whiff of scandal could ruin her business permanently.
In this case, at least your heroine is doing it with the hopes of securing marriage. The heroine in THIS novel unnecessarily jeopardizes her family’s entire financial future for a ONE NIGHT STAND. I nearly threw the book at the wall right then, let me tell ya.
Put like that, yes it would bug me a lot. The story sounds like it might have been better of having her marry the wrong guy or in the process of trying to marry him and the hero wise up and try to break up the wedding with a little old fashion bride stealing.
As with so many things, it just depends. The sex to the soundtrack of thunderstorms in The Notorious Rake (Balogh) is entirely right for the book (and it’s the first chapter) … plus she’s a widow but generally, for me an author has to be particularly skillful to weave in behaviour in an historical that does not ring true. I read too quickly and it affects my ability to remember but a recent Tessa Dare had the heroine pretty much putting the hero in a compromising position. Don’t like that — but again, no absolutes. Just don’t have 21st century mores with a wallpaper historical background. I never re-read books like that and I usually put the author on my don’t care for list. There were differences. Truly. And yes, sonomalass is correct, there were probably a lot of very healthy “pre-term” babies. But there were historical consequences. My least fave trope: “can I experience sex once before I die” … oh puhleeze!!
I enjoyed this blog!
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In traditional historical romance novels, the heroine tends to be quite young – 16 years old – at the height of emotions and not enough life experience to show any true maturity. (This is why I was drawn to LEP’s more unconventional historicals.)
So I don’t really expect a lot of maturity from them – just a whole lot of spirit and spunk and passion which also leads to whole lot of stupidity. But if the story is good, I can easily allow for almost anything – ‘cuz really, the girl’s got to learn somehow.
oops, make that Lisa Kleypas – not “LEP”.
Re-reading your post, Holly, I have o agree that if the heroine doesn’t even think about the risks she’s running, that would be a problem for me. I was thinking of a book I read recently (clearly NOT the same one), where the heroine does consider those things and then decides the risk is worth it. Which made sense in the context of her character.
I think I’ve just read too many doormat, self-sacrificing, “wait for the hero to do all the work” heroines.
Have you read Promise Me Tonight by Sara Lindsey? Very young heroine, determined to marry the man she’s loved since childhood. She takes a huge risk, and she pays the price for a big part of the book. It was an interesting take on this kind of plot.
I personally find it hard to suspend disbelief for heroines who throw their cap over the windmill for love, unless they’re shown as very young, stupid or naive, or we see them reflecting over the potential consequences and there is some reason that they take the risk after all.
I struggle with some of the hotter historicals because the writer hasn’t successfully grounded the heroine’s thoughts and reactions in the mores of the age.
Not because I don’t think the scenarios happened.
Like SonomaLass says, history is full of scandals, unmarried pregnancies, runaway brides and partner swapping. The Devonshire house set comes to mind. It basically just depends on how the author sells it.
I wouldn’t precisely call it prudish, because I struggle with the heroes who aren’t mentally grounded in the age as well – Jo Beverley is good at this – her aristocrats are autocratic, entitled, chauvinistic and sometimes toplofty. Makes them more believable.
I don’t think women were less hormonal or selfish in the Regency than they are now. And I don’t think most teenagers and young adults(then or now) are fully able to anticipate consequences for their actions.
But when a character acts like an idiot in a public setting, it absolutely does bother me. It strains my suspension of disbelief that the thrill of doing something naughty in public would overcome the horrific repercussions if they were caught.
I prefer my historical heroines to be of the spinster/widow variety. Old enough to have a strong personality and not feel like I’m watching statutory rape in progress.
I get what you mean Holly but for the most part it doesn’t bother me. I’m sure there were plenty of scandals in the Regency era – I mean, the king was mad – that was pretty scandalous! There were dukes openly living in menage relationships and the Hellfire club was operating around that time I think (Alternatively, I have been overly influenced by the books I’ve read and movies I’ve seen! – of course, according to my library, dukes were so prevalent, there was one available for everyone!). I think if you had enough money you could get away with a lot and I’m sure families brazened it out from time to time. I got the impression Byron only got turfed because he went broke; the other scandalous behaviour was a secondary to not paying his bills (of course, I could be making that up from historical novels too!).
I don’t like the idea of a heroine having no care at all for the cost her actions might have on others however, but that is more a character issue rather than a plot one.
I understand what you mean but I do like sex in my romance books so I can let things slide 😉
That said, if the couple is in the ballroom and finds one of those convenient alcoves (I mean seriously, were they everywhere) I`m always waiting for them to be discovered. In fact, many times I`m just rolling my eyes because I know they would have had to be discovered with all the moaning.
As long as the author doesn`t thumb their nose at history too much I can ride along but the ones where the heroines dress up as men or go to bordellos to meet the hero (there was a book a few years ago that everyone was taken with where the heroine did this – I was floored) – I`m working hard not to toss the book.
CindyS
@SonomaLass – You’re right, of course. People did fall in love during this time period, and scandals were abundant. But, as you mention in your second comment, it isn’t that that bothers me – risking all for love IS a noble and worth endeavor. But not thinking of anyone but yourself isn’t. I’m not suggesting the heroine of this book – or any other, for that matter – marry a man she can’t abide simply for the sake of her family (no one likes a martyr), but to at least consider the consequences of her actions isn’t too much to ask, is it?
I haven’t read Promise Me Tonight, though I do have it in my TBR pile. I’ll have to pull it out.
@AnimeJune – It’s situations like the one you describe that bother me so much. Why throw it all away for nothing?
@MPH – You make a good point. Historical heroines do tend to be quite a bit younger. I can see them leading with their emotions and not considering the consequences. Still, the selfishness bothers me.
Were you channeling SEP and LK? heh
@Buriedbybooks – I prefer widows and spinsters as well. And your statuary rape comment made me laugh, because I’ve often had the same problem.
@CindyS – I have a really hard time suspending disbelief in situations like that, too. But then, as so many have commented already, it all depends on the way the characters have been written and the context of the story. (still, the heroines dressing up as men and going to gaming hells and brothels drive me bat-shit crazy!)
Oh what a great discussion you have going on and I really agree about this too. I have read a TON of regency romance over the years and the one aspect I struggle with enjoying especially in the newer HR, is how selfish the heroines tend to be especially in how they need marriage so lets force him into him it and live happy as larks right? NO!! It bothers me so much when they sacrifice the happiness of others. Obviously its a very complex issue and I am all for marrying for love but some of the things that I see authors put in just bother me so much. Its probably why I like arranged marriage trope more than marriage of convenience in regency because these sitatuations tend to crop up way too much. But it also depends on how the author handles it too…because some others write it in a way it doesn’t bother me but other authors go to the extreme. Because like you said realistically back then if a woman was caught in a compromised position with a man….it ruined not just her but also her family as well. Some authors don’t show that at all, that just marrying someone fixes it and it doesn’t. They just like to sugarcoat the problem. So that is my biggest issue really, is when they make a HR more contemporary feeling, instead of showing what really would be the consequences for such actions.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and glad to see someone else that agrees with me on this topic!!
I remember reading a novel by someone.. Sarah MacLean? Eloisa James? ..ages ago. The hero was a Duke and there was a huge scandal when he married the heroine and they were both ostracized in society for years after. Eventually they did recover socially, but i remember being so thrilled the issues was addressed in a novel.
I’ve been on a hiatus from Historical Rom lately, but I’d like some arranged marriage recommendations if you have some.
I do love it when they address realistic issues and consequences.
I do love arranged marriages though. I am not sure if you have read any of these but I also have more listed on my book database on my site if you need more recs. But here are a few of my favorites
Texas Glory by Lorraine Heath
At The Duke’s Pleasure by Tracy Anne Warren
Never Seduce A Scot by Maya Banks
Saving Grace by Julie Garwood
The Marriage Contract by Cathy Maxwell