Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly theme hosted by The Broke & the Bookish. Feel free to join in.
Welcome to this week's top ten. Yes I know I missed last week. I really didn't have time to figure out what I wanted to include in the topic for last week, so I skipped it.
This week, love is in the air. Valentine's Day is on Saturday and so this Top Ten is about romance. What I like or don't like or a combination of both.
So here is my list of the things I like in a romance novel. In no order whatsoever.
1. A Swoon-worthy Hero - You know, those heroes that just cause us girls to swoon.
2. A "fluffiness" factor. - That's something means it's typically not going to make me think while I read the book.
3. A plot - A lot of romances don't have a specific plot. But I like mine to have plots. I'm ok even with the plot taking over the story and the romance taking the backseat.
4. The hero to be a gentleman - I don't mean a gentleman like the actual English gentlemen, but rather I mean a hero who has manners (opens doors for a lady, etc).
5. A strong heroine. - I like the heroines to have strength. A strength of character. A showing that she has survived and can make it on her own if need be.
6. Time period - I'm not too picky on this one, though my personal preference is historical. But I've read some pretty good contemporaries.
7. The relationship being built over time. - I'm not a fan of the love-at-first sight romances, unless they are fairy tales. But I like to read the ones where the relationships take some time to develop.
8. Clean - Yes I do read some secular romances. There is a BIG difference though in the secular romances that are clean and those that aren't. I do try to avoid the ones that aren't.
9. A appealing cover - The cover of the book will capture my attention long before I pick it up to read the back cover copy.
10. The characters are flawed, but redeemable. - I don't like too perfect heroes/heroines. I want to get a sense that they are real people, with real struggles and flaws.
I'm sure if I thought of it more, I could actually come up with a few books that fit each category. But I'm not going to think that far today.
This is a wonderful list! I agreed with all your picks from 1 to 10! It's important for me, as well, that the romance is clean and pure, and I, too, like a strong heroine and a swoon-worthy hero! Btw, I'm often drawn to beautiful book covers, too! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. My big thing with romances (and I read a lot of secular romances) is that sometimes there isn't a balance between the love scenes and the story. Or there is no story if you remove those scenes. Even the clean ones sometimes come across as prudish.
DeleteGood list. I agree on all points, but especially number 7. That's the fun thing about romances. Watching them develop over time.
ReplyDelete*happy sign* A swoon-worthy hero? Yes, please!
ReplyDeleteAlso, an appealing cover is a big thing! I confess to being drawn to them often. Makes for a good "attraction" and we hope the inside is as nice. :)