Booktalked at the November 9, 2004 meeting of the MLS Readers Advisory S.I.G.

What is Romance?
Romance is a popular fiction genre, with over 50 million readers in North America. Our S.I.G. read one regency romance, and two others of various romance subgenres, such as contemporary, paranormal, historical, multicultural, time travel, and inspirational.

We found that the main characteristics of regency romances are the setting, usually England between 1811 and 1820; young, often widowed heroines; gorgeous heroes; witty conversations; and occasionally kidnappings. The goal of the protagonists is marriage that mutually benefits both families. Regency romances tend to be less sensual then other subgenres, with some notable exceptions. Georgette Heyer and Carla Kelly are favorite authors for this subgenre.

As for romance in general, a romantic relationship is the central focus of the story, and happy endings are a given, with rare exceptions. We found that we strongly prefer humorous romances, such as those by Jennifer Crusie.

More Than a Mistress, by Mary Balogh.
Jane Ingleby (actually Lady Sara Illingsworth in hiding) acts as nurse to the wild Duke of Tresham when he is injured in a duel. After his recovery, Jane becomes the Duke's mistress--until he finds out her true identity. Regency.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie PL

Forbidden, by Jo Beverley.
Book four of a series. Lady Serena Riverton is a recent widow whose greedy brothers are trying to sell her to yet another old man. When she runs away in the middle of the night during a terrible storm, Lord Francis Middlethorpe comes to her aid, even though he thinks that she must be a loose woman. They shelter in an inn, masquerading as husband and wife. Lady Serena offers herself to the kind stranger, and seduces Francis from a deep sleep. Francis refuses her offer to become his mistress, but when Serena finds herself pregnant, he feels obligated to marry her. All is not bliss at first, but eventually, the two overcome many obstacles and live happily ever after. Regency.
Lisa Korajczyk, Richton Park PL

Lady Fortescue Steps Out, by Marion Chesney (A.K.A. M.C. Beaton)
Lady Fortescue, the poor but genteel aunt of the Duke of Rowcester, is driven from the Duke's home in disgrace after being caught pilfering the silver. With only a large house remaining from her deceased husband's estate, Lady Fortescue comes up with a desperate plan: to share her home and pool resources with other poverty-stricken members of the upper classes. She quickly collects a small group of down-and-out aristocrats, and they decide to turn her home into a hotel. Beautiful Miss Harriet James, left destitute after the death of her parents, is the chef. The hotel is a success, and the Duke is mortified--but then he sees Miss James, and realizes that they have met before&This is the first book in the 'Poor Relation' series. Audience: Adult or YA. Regency.
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange PL

Bet Me, by Jennifer Crusie.
Minerva Dobbs, who enjoys stability and things that make sense, is about to have her world tossed upside-down when charming and handsome gambler Calvin pursues her. However, Min knows that the only reason he's around is because he's made a bet with her ex-boyfriend that he can get her into bed within a month. Min strings him along but eventually realizes she's falling for him. Crusie's trademark funny style, independent heroines, and steamy sex are well displayed in this contemporary romance.
Rebecca Vnuk, Elmhurst PL

Crazy for You, by Jennifer Crusie.
Dependable art teacher Quinn McKenzie gets tired of her beige life and adopts Katie, a stray dog. Her live-in boyfriend, Bill, popular high school coach, takes Katie to the pound, and Quinn decides she'd rather live with Katie than Bill. Meanwhile, Quinn's ex-brother-in-law, Nick, is looking pretty attractive. A very enjoyable read, with the reader cheering Quinn and plucky Katie on to find out what they really want in love. Laugh out loud funny, sexy.
Brenda O'Brien, Woodridge PL

Faking It, by Jennifer Crusie.
Matilda Goodnight has always been responsible for getting her somewhat quirky family out of trouble. This time the trouble could lead to the ruin of their art gallery and prison, unless she can steal back a painting that was sold by mistake. Davy Dempsey has problems of his own. His financial manager stole three million dollars of his money and gave it to an old girlfriend of Davy's-and Davy wants it back. While trying to reclaim what belongs to each of them, Matilda and Davy meet and then join forces, falling in love in the process in this humorous romance enlivened with a bit of mystery.
Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove Public Library

Legend, by Jude Deveraux.
Kady, about to be married, tries on an old wedding dress and is transported to 1870s Legend, Colorado. There she is forced for reasons of convenience to marry handsome Cole, who is really not what he appears to be. Will Kady stay in the past or return to her fianc￩?
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie Public Library

Stately Pursuits, by Katie Fforde.
Having recently lost both her boyfriend and her job, Hetty Longden agrees to housesit at a distant relative's minor stately home. To her surprise, she finds the house is due to open to the public in the spring, but a host of debts and her uncle's heir, Connor Barrabin (a.k.a. Conan the Barbarian by the locals) stand in her way. Helped by supportive town residents who don't want the property sold and turned into a theme park, Hetty readies the house for the opening while gaining confidence and falling in love.
Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove Public Library

Jemima J, by Jane Green.
When plump Jemima Jones, household advice columnist for The Kilburn Herald takes an Internet training class at work, her life changes. Stumbling across a chat room called LA Caf￩, Jemima begins chatting with Brad from California. Online, she becomes JJ, a thin, beautiful television personality. When Brad suddenly wants to meet her, Jemima takes drastic action--she joins a gym and begins to starve herself. And what about co-worker Ben? Will he take the dream job in television and leave? Jane Green has created a modern Cinderella story filled with plenty of humor. Audience: Some strong sexual content, but suitable for older YA and adults.
Jennie Milojevic, Riverside Public Library

Watch By Moonlight, by Kate Hawkins.
This heartbreaking novel fleshes out the poem "The Highwayman." It's 1763 and Bess, an innkeeper's daughter, falls in love with Jason Quick, without knowing that he is the sought-after highway robber,"The Golden Fleecer." Jason manages to keep his identity a secret from everyone except the addle-brained stable boy, who loves Bess from afar. He turns Jason in to the authorities, who hold Bess hostage... and, if you know the poem, you know the tragic results. A well told love story guaranteed to melt the hardest heart.
Rebecca Vnuk, Elmhurst PL

Faro's Daughter, by Georgette Heyer.
Georgette Heyer is credited as the creator of the Regency romance. With a writing style reminiscent of Jane Austen, Heyer writes of fashion, the upper classes, and marriage with humor and irony. In this outing, Deborah runs the faro table at the gaming house of her aunt, Lady Bellingham. Mr. Ravenscar, a rich man worried that Deborah is going to marry his na￯ve young cousin, tries to break up what he thinks is a romance. Sparks fly between Deborah and Revenscar, but attraction is also in the air (though both deny it). The fun lies in seeing how they will get together. Audience: Adult and YA.
Nancy Bent, La Grange PL

Stargazer, by Michelle Jaffe.
Set in Renaissance Venice, this is a historical bodice-ripper with a mystery thrown in. Unconventional and brilliant Bianca wants to be a doctor like her father, but of course, is expected to be a subservient woman. When she happens across the body of a dead courtesan, she quickly becomes entangled with a wealthy lord. The pair try to track down the killer and end up falling in love. Steamy sex scenes (almost humorous in their florid description), great historical setting, and a witty heroine make this a page turner.
Rebecca Vnuk, Elmhurst PL

Night Pleasures, by Sherrilyn Kenyon.
First of Kenyon's paranormal Dark-Hunter series. The hero, Kyrian of Thrace, sold his soul to the goddess Artemis in order to revenge himself on the woman who betrayed him to his death nearly 2,000 years ago. Now he must protect mankind from the Daimons by becoming a Dark Hunter--immortal and limited to living only at night. His territory is New Orleans. One night while out on the hunt, he saves tax accountant Amanda Deveraux from being killed. Amanda just wants to live a normal life, but now that Daimons are after her that seems impossible. Kyrian and Amanda fight their strong attraction to one another, but eventually succumb. Many are the barriers they must overcome before they can realize their love. Kenyon has created a fun and fascinating world with its own rules and mythology. Be warned there is a strong sexual content and these books are not for the faint of heart.
Lisa Korajczyk, Richton Park PL

Waking the Princess, by Susan King.
When an old wall is discovered on Sir Aedan MacBride's land in Victorian Scotland, prim, beautiful antiquarian Christina Blackburn is sent by the National Museum to determine its age and historical value. To Aedan, the laird of Dundrennan and an engineer, the wall is simply an impediment to his bringing roads and progress to his region of Scotland. Christina has her own reason for wishing she could avoid the visit: Dundrennan is the current home of a scandalous picture of a legendary sleeping princess that she posed for, painted by her now-deceased husband. The handsome laird is obsessed with the painting, and when he and Christina meet there is an instant attraction. However, the family legends include a curse on the men of Dundrennan; if they marry for love, their brides will die young. Christina must use her historical skills to sort out the truth about the legend and find happiness with Aedan MacBride. Audience: Adult.
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange PL

Lord Nightingale's Debut, by Judith A. Lansdowne.
Nicholas Chastain, the Earl of Wickenshire, has just inherited several crumbling estates and no money for necessary repairs. However, if he can teach his ward Lord Nightingale to sing, he will inherit the cash he needs. Serendipity Bedford needs a job quickly as she and her young sister Delight lost their home when their father died. Teaching Lord Nightingale to sing seems the perfect job--until she finds out Lord Nightingale is a parrot. Likable characters and humor add to this Regency Romance, the first in a series of four connected novels.
Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove PL

Fallen From Grace, by Laura Leone.
When novelist Sara Diamond is dumped by her publisher and agent, she sells her San Francisco condo and moves to an apartment in a less desirable neighborhood. Sara quickly befriends her new neighbor, the younger, gorgeous Ryan Kinsmore, with whom she shares a balcony. Though he tells Sara that he is a model, in truth he has worked as a male escort, providing sex and companionship to wealthy women, since he was 'saved' from the streets as an abused teenage runaway. Ryan knows that the truth will hurt Sara, but as they become closer, the idea of giving her up becomes impossible. It takes a chance encounter with another young boy who needs help to force Ryan into a decision to change his life and embrace true love. This is a sensual contemporary story about love and redemption. Audience: Adult
Debbie Darwine, LaGrange PL

My Favorite Husband, by Pam McCutcheon.
Kelly's husband Chaz, missing after a plane crash in the Amazon jungle, is declared dead after five years. By mistake, his memorial service is scheduled a few hours after Kelly's wedding to suave magazine editor Spencer. Chaz shows up at the memorial service, quite alive, and Kelly has to decide if she wants to stay married to elegant, dependable Spencer, or passionate, unreliable, adventurer Chaz. After an art gallery, fine shops, and expensive dinner with Spencer, and hiking and a casual Moroccan dinner with Chaz, she's confused. This book is a takeoff on "My Favorite Wife," the Cary Grant/Irene Dunne movie. The reader always knows who Kelly will choose, but it's fun to go along for the ride. Fairly steamy, fun, light read.
Brenda O'Brien, Woodridge PL

Sara's Song, by Fern Michaels.
A just-turned-40 doctor is reexamining her priorities just as a rock star charges into the emergency room with his lead guitarist, who has just had a heart attack. The doctor and the rocker bond while treating the guitarist, but multiple problems stand in the way--there's the jealous (and homicidal) backup singer; the handsome, but all-business, brother; a fatal plane crash (or is it?); and the song the rocker has written for the doctor. And did I mention all the dogs? Watching all the plotlines intertwine on the way to the altar make for a fun romp. Audience: Adult and Older YA.
Nancy Bent, LaGrange Public Library

Nobody's Baby but Mine, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
First in a series. All her life Dr. Jane Darlington has felt like an outsider and a freak because of her superior intelligence. Jane has decided that she wants to have a baby, but she wants to find a dumb man to father her child to help negate her smart DNA. She gets pregnant after seducing Cal Bonner, the quarterback of the local football team, whom Jane believes is just a dumb jock. When he finds out she used him, Cal forces Jane to marry him to give the baby a name. Supporting characters and intertwining subplots complicate this funny, tender and engaging story about two people from very different worlds who fall in love. Phillips is a local-area author.
Lisa Korajczyk, Richton Park PL

Breathing Room, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
Self-help guru Isabel Favor falls from grace when her accountant hot foots it out of the country with all of Isabel's money. Going to Tuscany to recover, she meets action movie star Lorenzo Gage when she rents a farmhouse on his ancestral property. Despite his wayward ways and her good girl morals, the two of them fall in love.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie PL

The Family Matchmaker, by Jeanne Savery.
Georgi is a petite bluestocking who secretly likes novels, and lives with her beloved grandfather. Lord Everhart finds Georgi very appealing company, but thinks she's about 16 instead of almost 20. This misunderstanding, which could have been cleared up in a minute, takes up too many lines of the story, but the characters are appealing. Georgi's cousin Cassandra is being encouraged by her mother to set her cap for Lord Everhart, while Cassandra really likes an inventor who's a connection of Lord Everhart. Regency. A pleasant romantic diversion, but not in the class of Carla Kelly or Mary Balogh. Audience: Adult or YA.
Brenda O'Brien, Woodridge PL

Twilight Hunger, Wings in the Night Series, #5, by Maggie Shayne.
Morgan, the orphaned daughter of scandalous celebrities, is hiding out in a dilapidated house in Maine, practically penniless and abandoned by all her L.A. friends. Determined to succeed in Hollywood, Morgan struggles to write a screenplay. She discovers a set of journals, yellowed and brittle,written by the house's previous owner, Dante a 19th century gypsy. The journals claim that Dante's Aunt Sarafina had saved his life by making him a vampire. Morgan becomes wildly successful with screenplays for a series of films based on the journals. She becomes obsessed with Dante, having extremely erotic dreams about him each night. She has no idea that the dreams are real and that Dante is hiding in her home. Morgan's movies have revealed his secrets to those who seek to destroy him, placing both of them in great danger from a large cast of enemies--Aunt Sarafina, secret agents, and vampire hunters. Morgan and Dante battle his enemies and her rare blood disease to find true love. Perhaps it is the author's insistence on making the female character so fragile and beset with soap opera problems that makes me laugh at this one. Other Books in this Series (which don't have to be read in order): Twilight Phantasies, Twilight Memories, Twilight Illusions, Born in Twilight, Twilight Hunger, At Twilight, Two by Twilight, and Embrace the Twilight. Audience: Adult
Jennie Milojevic, Riverside PL

Love Letters in the Sand, by Sharon Stone.
L.C. is a famous rock star. Sydney is a famous writer. When they meet, L.C. is immediately attracted to the writer, who is newly divorced and reluctant to get involved again. That both protagonists are women does not change the fact that this is a straightforward romance, full of misunderstandings, making up, and spicy sex. Audience: Adult
Nancy Bent, La Grange PL