So you say you want to give romance novels a try?

You've always wondered what all the fuss is about ro nos, right? I mean, the romance business is BOOMING. Of course you've always thought those books in the drug store were terrible and people reading them were airheads. But then you caught your boss reading something racy at lunch...and your doctor mentioned that she was tired from staying up half the night finishing a great ro no. And you're starting to wonder if everyone else knows something you don't know.

You're right. We do know something you don't know. There are some AWESOME ro nos out there in the world and you could be very happily reading them instead of watching TV, reading magazines, or sleeping (let's be honest, sometimes you just have to know what happens next). Whenever one of my lady friend shows even the most mild interest in reading a ro no, I quickly suggest my #1 go to book: Yours Until Dawn. It is great - interesting, sexy, well-written and hard to put down. If they like that, I suggest Lord of Scoundrels or the Last Hellion (probably the latter because I loved it so much I bought it and then I can just hand it over). At this point, they're likely hooked and I can steer them to the Regency post in this fine blog, or we can discuss how their tastes might diverge.

If my imaginary friend would like something modern, I suggest Bet Me. Something charming and old fashioned and sweet: The Secret. Something more sci fi/fantasy: the Fever series. If she would like something quite racy, I suggest some delicious Highlander books. Something racy AND sci fi/fantasy: the Black Dagger Brotherhood. If she wants something REALLY racy (hey, I don't judge!) I suggest Billionaire Bad Boys Club.

These are my go-tos to get people into the genre and hopefully they succeed. I love having more people to discuss ro nos with!

You can't judge a book by its cover...unless we're talking about a ro no

Back in the day before either of us read ro nos, our mother swore up and down that the cover of a romance novel was not designed to appeal because there was a hunky dude but because there was hidden imagery of genitalia. Seriously. I have not forgotten this hilarious tidbit and I often do find super special "folds" in dresses, backgrounds, and carefully arranged anatomy.

Aside from muscle-bound Fabios and suggestive folds, the cover of a ro no can give you a good idea of what to expect with respect to plot, writing quality, and sexxxxxiness. These are just my general impressions, so if your experiences run contrary, please comment!

Cover hint #1: The double cover

Kindle readers don't get to appreciate all the effort that goes into a good double cover. You've got the demure outside, likely of a pretty lady in a massive ball gown, and then the same lady half naked and getting felt up by a swarthy pirate type on the inside cover. These books will probably bring it both in plot AND in sex. This convention is primarily used in historical romance. Case in point: A Rogue By Any Other Name, by Sarah MacLean:

Cover hint #2: Headless hottie
All you see is the dimly lit torso of a man with some crazy awesome abs. These books may have good quality writing, but that is secondary to the steaminess! Also, these are often paranormals and sometimes have some violent scenes. Case in point: Lover Mine by J.R. Ward (pretty much all the covers in her Black Dagger Brotherhood series are variations on this theme).

Cover hint #3: Publisher
In general, I think the stuff published by Harlequin is terrible. Even if the sexiness is there (which it hardly is) the plots are so thin and the characters so one dimensional that it is a total snoozefest. Harlequin publishes under something like 30 different names, but the key is in the little H in a diamond on the back cover. Let's just say that unless it is in the name of research, I am NOT voluntarily reading anymore ro nos by Harlequin! I do like a lot of what Avon, Dell and Signet publish.

For more info!
In researching this blog post I stumbled across this wonderful website documenting all sorts of issues related to ro no covers. There are heated debates about covers with couples clinging to one another, and in depth reviews of the artists who paint those lovely head shots of heroines (I'm thinking of your stuff, Loretta Chase). You poor Kindle readers had no idea that there was so much cover intrigue out there!