RomanceEverAfter

Historical Romance Column

Kaye Hatfield

Why do you enjoy reading romance?

I enjoy reading romance because I can choose from a wide range of time periods and types of characters. I have now read enough that I can fit the book to my mood.

I find I like to read two or three books that delve into a particular time period such as the Civil War, England and the Cromwell period. I may feel like having some fun and reading a modern day romance such as It Had to Be You or Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Wouldn’t we all like a Bobby Tom Denton in our life for just a little while? I may want to go back in time to Scotland and visit a Laird and his new wife so I read a Julie Garwood book. 

I might want to adventure from London to the American Colonies and join James Mallory and George, his "cabin boy" in Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey. Some days I just want to ride in a barge on the Thames and be wooed by King Henry of Navarre like Maude in The Emerald Swan by Jane Feather.

Not only do these books entertain me, they intrigue me to pull out my Encyclopedia Britannica CD and find out more about where and when I have escaped to. Sometimes I go to our Civil War books and read a little more about General Robert E. Lee or General James Longstreet. I do find occasionally I enjoy the research as much as the book. I also know the next time I read a similar book, I will understand more about the time period and why the characters are so different from people today.

I had never read books on pirates or Vikings. I never even gave a thought to reading a book which took place in London in the early 1800s. Most of all, I absolutely had no interest in Civil War history – American or English. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. I expanded my author base and kept a list of what I had read. Since my mid-twenties, I have always had a book or magazine close at hand. This genre has captured me as though it were a pirate bringing me on board his ship for an indefinite period of time, and I am really enjoying the trip.

About eighteen months ago I was working at a charity function with several co-workers. One of the women was reading A Season Beyond a Kiss by Kathleen Woodiwiss. We discussed the story, the author, and the fact that it was the second book in a series of three. I decided to read The Flame and The Flower, the first in the series, and then A Season Beyond a Kiss. The third in the series was The Elusive Flame. I think of those books as opening the door to what has become a daily part of my life.

Why do you think women enjoy reading romance?

I think we read romance because of the exploration of the depth of feelings and personalities portrayed by the characters in the books. So many romance books are part of a series which not only allows us to know the hero and heroine, but we learn about their family and how each person fits in and is influenced by the others.

One of my favorite family series is written by Julie Garwood and starts out with For the Roses. In the first fifty pages, we get a wonderful knowledge of each of the boys, how they came to be where they are, what they want for their future, and how they will fit into and contribute to the family they are about to create.

I expanded my horizons and was intrigued by what I was reading. I wanted to know more about the time periods and events I was reading about. I wanted to know if the characters really existed. I started research both on the computer and other non-fiction books to expand my knowledge on wars, royalty, geography, major events in history, and how they may have effected our lives today.

Reading historical romance, I can relate to events such as the Civil War, Revolutionary War and the importance of the events I have explored in Williamsburg, Virginia. Now not only can I relate to these events and time periods, but I can go further and ask questions and explore in more detail what I am seeing and hearing.  

I have also enjoyed viewing the King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I video series, and Gettysburg, Cromwell and Beckett.

This question is difficult for me because I think spontaneity is a large part of romance.  It is giving to or getting from a friend, lover or spouse a thought, a gift, or sharing a feeling that goes beyond the necessities of every day life.  

Return to Historical Romance Column

Return to
Heaven Texas