Smitten by Books

68 Replies to “Why do you read romance? Or not?”

1. I started reading romance as an 11year old. I found some books in my grandmothers spare room and havent looked back since. Obviously I still much prefer the older style of romance like the old M&B Temptation novels. I do read a lot of historical ones and the paranormal (I stick to one Author of that). I love a total page turner. Will they, wont they. Yaaaaaay they get together, how wonderful. Now Im getting older (40), I like reading about heroines my own age. They are pretty thin on the ground which is sad to say.

2. I read it to escape. Real life is sometimes boring, humdrum, or unpleasant. I can’t afford to walk into the airport and purchase a ticket to some place that serves me fruity chilled beverages on a sun drenched beach, nor can I simply pack a few things and move into a garret in Paris. But I CAN head to my library and borrow a few lovely paperbacks, and lose myself in those quite easily.
   I am 36, and for a long time I resisted reading romance, because thats what my grandmother read, and filled her bookshelves with..so the entire genre seemed rooted ( in my mind ) in something for older ladies. Silly Me. I missed out terribly.

   Thankfully, a girl named Heather loaned me a copy of a Lavyrle Spencer novel ( Morning Glory ) on a boring bus ride, and suddenly, the world opened up for me ! After that, I gingerly made my way into the romance section of the highschool library, and pretty soon I was hooked for life.

3. I started reading romance novels when I was 11 years old. I am now 49 and still loving them. I just love the love story and the HEA. I do read other kinds of books, but romance is my main read. Thanks for the giveaway Beverley!

4. I started reading romance books…. and specifically historical romance when my children were very young and I was a “stay-at-home mother”. Like a lot other young mothers who become isolated at home, I felt that something was missing. The romance books filled a gap for me. Hubby insisted that I go back to work and my life became ever so busy. Ah, no more romance novels and no more romance. For many years, I focused on my job (that soon became a career after my divorce – LOL) and the kids and the house and lawn and night school….etc. About the time that I graduated and had advanced as far as I could at work… and the kids were grown…. I remembered that there had not been any romance in my life for a very long time. I am once again an avid romance novel reader and have been for the last 10 to 15 years. I do love my books… and a bit of romance.

   I would LOVE to win AN Heir of Deception!! ;o)

5. I started reading romance novels when I was 14. My first novel that I read was “Whitney My Love”, which cemented my love for romance.

   The reason that I love romance books is that I love to be taken back to another time and place where people lived, laughed and loved and were finding their way to each other. There’s just something about this type of romance that really engages me. I love to follow the journey of the Hero and Heroine from the beginning of their story right upto their happy ever after. 🙂

   Thanks for this great opportunity Bev. 🙂

6. I remember I have always read books. I don’t remember the exact age. In 5th Grade I won a book reading competition. I read the most books and won a $25 gift card. That was in the 80’s so that was a lot of money. I remember reading Sweet Valley High in Junior High. I remember my first adult romance was Danielle Stelle. I love her stories. I then didn’t read for a couple of years and then got back into after I divorced my husband. I then found Johanna Lindsey’s Malory series and fell in love with romance all over again. Love Lisa Kleypas, Julie Quinn, Kat Martin, Johanna Lindsey, and Lynsay Sands. Love lots of others, but those are just some of my favs.

7. When I was in high school I would read my mother’s Harlequins but stopped reading romance when I went to college. After college I was more interested in best seller’s like Sidney Sheldon and those types of stories. I started reading romance again when my children were little and were at a library presentation. I was looking around and found a book by Lavryle Spencer and have been reading romances since.

8. Oh gosh! I’ve read since I could snag a book. The first 100 of the Babysitters Club, the first 50 of the Boxcar Children, first 100 Goosebumps, Fear Street, Christopher Pike (before paranormal was popular), Sweet Valley High, Anne of Green Gables, Little House series, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys… so many books and so little time. I would spend my summers absorbed in reading everything I could put my hands on. My cousins would beg me to ride bikes or go swimming and I would tell them I’d rather read a book. Life took a lull and I stopped reading for years. Until my friend got me hooked on Janet Evanovich. From there it was a small leap and jump to Sherry Thomas and Carolyn Jewel! So, my romance reading career didn’t start until 2010 and I wouldn’t give it up for all the money in the world.
   I read romance because I’ve always believed in fairy tales. Big Musical fan (Hello Dolly, My Fair Lady, Gigi, etc.) and that leads to a romantic heart. I want to believe in the happy ending, and romance books allow me to do so! Good luck on the winning ladies!

9. I was probably WAAAAYYY too young to start reading romance novels (I think I was like 9 or 10) and my mom had a subscription to Harlequin Romance (where she would get like 4 new books a month, keep and pay for what she wanted and return the ones she didn’t). I grew up living on a very small military base in the middle of nowhere so our base library wasn’t real big, neither was the school library, so I turned to the only source of “new” reading materials I could find: my mother’s bookshelf full of Harlequins or the base thrift store and over 90% of the donated books were romances.

   Since I started reading at a young age (I was capable of independent reading prior to preschool) it did not really surprise my mom that I started reading her books because I was 4 years above grade level on reading and most books from my “age” range no longer interested me because there was no challenge to reading them. I outgrew my fascination with the Harlequins within a year and had to move on to books that had more meat to the plot than boy meets girl, boy and girl shag LOL!

   I enjoy reading romance (mostly historical, suspense, or para sub-genres) because it feels like you get a glimpse into another person’s life and the characters become real to you when the story is well written. You feel compassion, anger, betrayal, sadness, loneliness, remorse and everything else the characters feel because you become emotionally involved in their lives. A well written book is one in which you get to the end and breathe a sigh of relief or, anticipate the next part of the story if it is part of a series. A well written story is not one that leaves you feeling unfulfilled and left suspended in a void of nothingness wondering where things derailed.

   Thank you for the giveaway!

10. Well, if your only born a reader then I’m not one.. I started rather late in my life.. I was 18. Brother had an accident in wich we almost lost him. I picked up a YA book by this italian author, who is one of my favorites to this day, & read it. I just needed something to take my mind off the whole situation in her for a while.
    After that it was the classics Pride & Prejudice, Weathering Heights, Jane Eyre.. & the rest is history 🙂 Not a day goes by that I don’t read. My Hero, I suppose, in many ways is just the book itself. Of course a yummy hero IN the book helps too! LOL ; )

11. I was in high school and always having to read books assigned in class. Some were quite intersting, but others were absolutely boring. I wanted to read something just for fun and noticed a section of romance novels in my local grocery store. I decided to give one a try and liked it.

12. I didn’t really become a reader until I became a stay at home mom. Now I read like crazy! I love romances, the history, the HEA’s, the sexy men, the beautiful strong women. I didn’t really enjoy reading as a child and I read some as a teen, but not a lot…mainly Danielle Steel novels. 😉

13. I’m definitely a romance reader. Particularly Historical romances. I love the fantasy of them. Going to balls, dancing, the clothes, the gallantry of the men, even the possibility of mingling with Royalty. I love them. I read very few contemporaries. Toni Blake is the auto buy for me.
    In school I wasn’t much of a reader. I didn’t like being forced to read books that I had no interest in. But I do remember my first time wanting to read what I wanted to read. I was 16 and it was Jude Deveraux’s ETERNITY along with some Harlequin Presents. I was at my cousin’s house and she was making room on her book shelves. So, I picked what I wanted. I liked what I read, but didn’t think much about it. I didn’t really feel the need to go out and buy books. However, that all changed when I was 20. I bought SUDDENLY YOU by Lisa Kleypas and that was it. I was hooked! 11 years and more than 600 books later, Lisa remains to be one of my favorite authors and Historical my favorite genre.

    Thanks for the giveaway, Beverley!

14. I have always read anything I could get my hands on growing up. Living on a ranch in the mountains of Colorado, we had poor tv reception so for things to do we would check out books from a library and devour them page by page. I started concentrating on romance books when I was in college and a friend said I just had to read Shana by Kathleen Woodiwiss. From then on, I was hooked on this genre.

15. I’ve always loved reading.

    I started reading romance at 14 thanks to the conveniently place romance section next to the children’s section at the library. If you want to get technical, at 7 since Cinderella is a romance…is it not? Reading romance has always been about the HEAs, the memorable characters and quotable quotes. Just a few hours of escape which turn into reading binges.

16. I started reading romance novels about 15 or 16. I remember the first one I read was A Garden Folly by Candice Hern. I still love that book. I just happen to a used bookstore and looked at the romance novels and picked a book cover that wasn’t too risqué per se.
    I love reading romance novels, because they tend to have a happy ending. The stories are fun, especially the regency period ones. however, I really started reading the novels again when I was pregnant with my son in 2010. I sicker than a dog, so I figure what else am going to do. So, I dived back into romance novels.

17. I love romance for the heas. I started reading as a child and as a pre-teen, loved the books with some romance in them. Starting reading romance full time so to speak around age 30 or so. Old I know. But hadn’t read much while raising a family.

    patoct@yahoo.com

18. I can remember always having a book in my hands. Growing up, I would rather read than do almost anything else. I just started reading romance about 15 years ago. I bought a box of books at a yard sale for .25 cents. It was a box of Harlequin books and I was hooked. I love the HEAs in most all the romance books, that’s not something that always happens in real life. It’s like reading fantasy.

19. I started reading romance when I was 12. I would borrow books from my Mom & Grandma. I still read them to escape. With all the reality shows on TV its hard to find anything to as interesting to watch.

20. I have been an avid reader since my elementary school days, I can remember going to the school library nearly everyday, back then I wasn’t very discriminating I read everything but my favorites were polar opposite lol I loved every thing Judy Bloom and the Goosebump series. I was about 11-12 years old when I started reading romance. I started by picking one of my mom’s Harlequin romances when I had forgotten to go by the library. I fell in love with romance then, I finished that book the same night and from there I was hooked I started sneaking them to school and would read them inside my text books AFTER I finished my assignments, lol I was great student and genuinely loved to learn. I stuck with Harlequin romance for a few years…but soon fell in love with time travel and other paranormal romances, they satisfied my need for love and mystery. I believe my love of Historical romance evolved from the time travel books…they both make me feel as if I had been transported back in time, I love how a great book can make me feel I’m part of the story. Mostly though my love of romance stemmed from my love of happily ever afters!!!

21. I too have read from an early age and have never stopped. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed and I have definitely needed it as an escape. Although I still read all genres, I started on the gothics as a teenager and went on to Rosemary Rogers and Harold Robins but when I read Kathleen Woodiwiss, I was really hooked. My oldest daughter use to go to bed with a book instead of a stuffed animal or blanket. I could start my own library with children’s books and I think you are right about being born that way. My youngest is not as much a reader like her sister. My oldest daughter and I share some books but she hasn’t gotten hooked by the romance bug as yet but I’m working on her lol.

22. I’ve always been a reader but didn’t read romance until my mid20s when I started having children. I found Danielle Steel 🙂 As the kids grew up I grew busier and maybe read 10 books per year (general fiction/best sellers). When my baby left for college I started reading a lot more and then discovered book blogs. I started my own and quickly discovered historical romance when the publisher sent me the first of Elizabeth Hoyt’s Four Soldiers series. I was hooked! I’ve found a few contemporary authors that I love (Robyn Carr and Jodi Thomas) but historical is my favorite. I read many genres but I’ll never stop reading romance!

23. I read my first romance book when i was 12. lol I used to “borrow” from my moms stash. I got hooked on the historical romance novels and loved Elizabeth Lowells books as well as Virginia Henly and Catherine Coultier’s. Now i am addicted to all kinds of romance from historical to paranormal and everything in between. I love to read when i am depressed or in a bad mood, they always make me feel better. Calm. Romance books(along with my friends) have helped me through alot since i started reading them. If you read a book from a great author they can transport you to another world. Thats why i love them so much. <3

24. I’ve always been a reader. Hands down. I’ve always described myself as an “avid bibliophile addicted to the written word”. If it is in print, I will read it: add, books, magazines… EVERYTHING! I remember discovering some Harlequin’s under my parent’s bed when I was about 8 years old. I didn’t quite understand it then (I think I skipped the juicy parts & just read the story!). Being the nerd that I am, I threw myself into SciFi such as Isaac Asimov, Timothy Zahn and Michael A. Stackpole. Non-fiction & how-to books followed as well as anything pertaining to animals.

    I recently rediscovered romance books. We have a lot of downtime at work and spend most of it reading Several people were always reading romance novels. I would give them such a hard time for it. I think my exact words were “how can you read this? It’s nothing but sex. Where’s the story?”. To me the story is the most important part of a story is the plot, not the steamy scenes. Then I got my e-reader. My first book was a romance that was on sale.

    Needless to say, I ate my words. Not only did it have a good plot & story line, I now understood the steamy scenes! I’ll be the first to admit that I am now thoroughly addicted to Regency Romance. I love the courtship, the language, the mannerisms & rituals. And yes, I love the steamy scenes as well. It is, after all, a romance book…

    1. Hehehe. Got a kick out of this one.

25. I always loved to read. My favorite time of year at school was when there was a Book Fair at the library. I would save my money so I could buy as many books and bookmarks as possible. I loved the Sweet Valley High Series when I was younger. I also read VC Andrews. I would swipe my mom’s Harlequins after she finished them. I stopped reading for pleasure when I was in college. I simply didn’t have the time. I started reading romances again a few years ago. I read romance because of the HEA. You can send the hero and heroine on a journey through hell but I have the peace of mind to know the HEA is waiting at the end of the book.

26. I didn’t start reading until I was 16 yrs old. I was visting my sister in Jacksonville and was bored out my mind (I hate big cities so I stayed at her apartment) and my sister started reading one of her Karin Slaughter books out loud to me. I was hooked. When i got home I went to a used bookstore and got all the Karin Slaughter books I could find and a couple more authors who wrote suspenseful romance. I actually stopped reading Karin Slaughter because she she killed off my favorite character and I didn’t take it very well. At 18 I moved out on my own and stopped reading all together until I got pregnant with my son and now reading is an obsession of mine.

27. I, too, have always loved to read. One of of earliest memories is reading “Go Dog Go”. My Mom was (and still is!) always reading a book — often a romance but she reads a lot of mysteries, too. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because I find that romance and mystery are my favorite genres, too. I think that is because both of them offer a HEA — either the mystery is solved or the relationship is solidified. I like that closure!

28. I am a HEA person. If a book kills of a main character or ends leaving me hanging I am majorly disappointed and left HURT! Romance gives that to me. I read for the adventure my body won’t let me experience in real life and to feel better… to combat depression. I started with Nancy Drew when I was a kid (when I could get my hands on one). I discovered biographies in my early teen and the book mobile librarian introduced me to gothic novels, Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. From there I found Georgette Heyer and historical romance. Once I stumbled on Betrice Small I was forever hooked :-).
    Put my name in for Alexandra Ivy and Lori Wild please. glittergirl54 at ymail dot com

29. I started reading romance probably into my 30’s – I prefer suspense books but do see a few on your list that I would like to read. I did enjoy The Grey series.

30. I started reading romance when I was 11. My mom and sister in laws read romance so I would read their books. I read romances because they are a great escape and you get to follow the couple’s journey to finding their HEA.

31. I think I was in junior high or high school when I read my first romance, a Johanna Lindsey book. I was on a basketball or volleyball road trip for an away game, and I had either just finished the only book I brought along to read or I forgot to bring one altogether. Luckily, another girl had a book she was willing to share: a Malory book. There was no turning back after that. I do have my cynical phases from time to time, but they don’t last more than a couple of months.

32. I don’t think we’d be here at your site if we didn’t read romance, right? 🙂 I started at age 15 with Danielle Steele. My tastes have matured since then, and I’ve grown a strong preference for historical romance.

33. I started in middle school, slyly sneaking Silhouette Desires off the revolving rack at my local library. They were easy to devour, and devour them I did. I eventually moved onto Nora Roberts, Johanna Lindsey, Amanda Quick…and then Christine Feehan came out with her paranormals and that was it. I can’t imagine my life without them!

34. I think I was 10 or 11. And although I really love to read romance and to watch romantic movies and series, I’m convinced they messed up my mind a little bit about love in real life. The hero and heroine in the book always get their happy ending and I was so accustomed to the happy ending I stayed in a unhealthy relationship. When it was apparent it wasn’t going to work I still believed in a happy ending. My ex also told me in a cruel way I believed in fairy tales, so that’s why it waked me up.
    I love reading them because of all the emotions the hero and heroine experience, and sometimes all the hardships their love still conquers everything. Now I know it doesn’t always work that way in real life 😉 Faith is for me the most important thing and then comes love. So that’s also I love to read romance, because it’s all about the love!

35. I read romance to escape from real life for as long as the book lasts. I started reading romance as a pre-teen.

36. I started reading at an early age also, I read Judy Blume, and the Sweet Valley High books. My aunt gave me Danielle Steel’s Heartbreaker when I was a teen. But there was 2 books my mom gave me that started my live of historical romances. The first was Timeless Passions by Constance O’Day Flannery, I cried for days. The other was Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I loved it. So now I’m addicted to the historicals.

37. I started reading romance in about fourth grade. But of course, they were pretty tame and usually involved high school or college kids. Read a little bit throughout school and college, but got really hooked again about five years ago, through recommendations from co-workers. Started with Nora and Sandra Brown and mushroomed from there. I keep three ring binders so I can remember what books I’ve read and to keep track of series books. And of course new authors are always recommeneded by authors I follow, so my lists get bigger. But it’s great fun, keeps my mind working and sometimes influences the bedroom.

38. Aren’t we all way to young to be reading romances when we first picked one up? =)
    I was like you, as a kid I would read anything I could get my hands on (Nancy Drew, and then the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede). Then as I grew older I discovered The Lord of the Rings in my Dad’s book collection. From there on out I wanted the deeper, scarier, more thought provoking books. I was hooked on fantasy, still am. Though it was a couple years later (yup still too young to be reading what I was) I was snooping through my aunts book shelves and discovered romance. Historical romance to be precise, and it has become my favorite genre to read right behind fantasy. Why? Romance calls to me like a mad pied piper and I am helpless to resist!

39. I don’t remember how old I was when I read my first romance with the sex scenes it, but my sister was 8 years older than me so I had to read everything she did. I followed her and read her Nancy Drew’s (mysteries), the Victoria Holt’s, the Dorothy Eden’s (both tame romances/mysteries) and everything else she had. I do remember I was 13 when Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss came out and my sister told me I couldn’t read it. I definitely had to get my hands on it after that, and that was my first racy romance, and I’ve never looked back. I read other genres from time to time but, I can’t stay away from romance for long.

40. escape way too young

41. I love reading, even though I couldn’t comprehend certain words as a kid. But I started reading romance novels when I was 15. I needed a book to read for English class and just picked out a book from the book self at the store that sparked my interest (Stephaine Laurens’s “What Price Love?”) and I was soon hooked. I have always been very interested in romance novels and was totally in love with their (racy) covers that I had to try one. I’ll say it wasn’t the best book choice to read for an English class (not to say but to also have a male teacher) and expected to write summaries about each chapter; I loved it. I loved their plots (historical, Regency Era), story lines, and especially the characters. Love the heroes (so hot!). But most of all it helps me with my helpless imaginations and fantasies.

42. I ran across some Georgette Heyer books in the library as a teen, and it was love at first read. I read all her books that the library had, and then read any other romances I could find. I love romance because even though there might be unpleasant things going on in the story, you know there’s always hope – no matter what difficulties the characters have, there’s always a happy ending. I know I can always use that sort of thing in my life, so I’ll never stop reading romance.

43. I started reading when I was about 12 or 13. I picked up a Hannah Howell highlander book and got hooked. I have been reading them since.

44. I enjoy these books for the happy endings and to read about a couple’s journey to happiness.

45. I start reading them in my early teens. They were so much more exciting than my own life.

46. I didn’t read romances until in the last few years. After a run of really depressing YA books, I HAD to find some books with guaranteed HEAs so romances were it. Although I started learning to read when I was about 3 or 4, I didn’t grow up with romances; the few that I did read made no sense to me (I was about 8 at the time and reading everything I could get my hands on). I read lots of mysteries and sci-fi/fantasy growing up, some had romantic elements but not many were romances.

    I love that MY LORD VAMPIRE cover with Paul Marron!

47. I was 8 years old when I decided I wanted to be a writer when I “grew up.” Combined with being a day dreamer and a hopeless romantic, I automatically gravitated towards love stories. As a teen I would spend most weekends in the library, reading anything interesting enough to catch my eye, this eventually lead to romance. To be honest as a teen most of romance novel covers embarrassed me. I didn’t want to be seen with a trashy book cover- lol! Although in my opinion the more provocative the cover the worse the story. Therefore I started off as a closet romance novel reader but over the years I’ve come to realize the genre has remarkable stories which consist of character studies, plenty of passion and HEA’s (the best combination). To this day my favorite authors stick with me, some of the greatest authors in romance novel history, like Judith McNaught, Nora Roberts, Jude Deveraux and Dana Fuller Ross. I read the genre because through the difficult times, the lonely years of marriage, the heartache of neglect and the sometimes overwhelming burden of responsibility. The stories I’ve read have kept hope alive, they remind me that love always perseveres in the end. Its been a wonderful distraction and a true companion.

48. I started reading romance shortly after my son was diagnosed with autism. I found myself unable to cope with uncertainty in books — life was already so uncertain — and absolutely needed that guaranteed HEA.

    As he has grown older and his future seems less terrifying, I no longer feel that need so strongly. But now I’m hooked. 🙂

49. Gone With the Wind is what got me started reading romance back when I was about 13 and I have been reading it ever since. I read to escape the real world for awhile. I travel the world in romance books and its a great way to travel.

50. The first books I read were Nancy Drew books too, I got them out of the library when I was in school. Then at around the age of 16 I picked up a Harlequin Presents book and boy was I hooked on them! I pretty much stuck to Harlequins till years later when I started branching out on different types of books. But I still love the Harlequin books. 🙂

    This was an interesting topic, I enjoyed reading everyones replies!

51. I’ve read a lot of different genres — but I’ve never experienced the same kind of delight and satisfaction as I do when I finish reading a romance novel.

    Reading romance novels is a magical moment for me — it’s escapist but there’s also a bit that can be applied to real life: our interaction with different people, how we react to certain situations, etc.

    Lastly, I love how the HEA reminds us that Love Conquers All. (In the original Virgil: Omnia vincit amor; et nos cedamus amori. – quote copied from Wiki)

52. I believe you can become a reader and not necessarily being born one. I know several people who got into reading as full grown-ups trying to find a pleasant escape from reality into an engaging story.

    I spent most of my teen years reading European classics, which is not so strange being Italian and growing up when YA and children literature did not offer as much a choice as it does today. Besides 18th- and 19th-century literature was – and still is – perfectly in accord with my tastes and sensibilities.

    I started reading romance novels in my twenties and I still do because I found them marvellously entertaining and optimistic. That being said, I do read a lot of different genres.

53. I was a stay at home mom, in my early 30’s, when I became hooked on reading romances. I first picked up a LaVyrle Spencer book at a pool while vacationing in Florida. I also found several novels in Good Housekeeping which I started subscribing to in 1986. I also visited our local library. I loved Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Joan Honl, Linda Lael Miller, Jayne Ann Krenz, Cathy Maxwell and Elizabeth Lowell. I craved the happy endings. I agree it was a magical escape from my everyday life. I also read them while I excersized on our Nordic trak machine. Time flew by.

    Thanks for the chance to win two of the books including yours!

    johns lake at usa dot com

54. I started reading “romance” when The Flame and the Flower came out. Before that I would read Ed McBain and Margaret Truman. Currently I read everything but Paranormal,

55. I started reading romance when I was in my early to mid twenties. I was a nice way to relax when my kids were taking there naps. I love to read different genres. It is nice to have many differents things to pick from depending on your mood. Thanks for the great giveaway.

56. reading romance transports me another era and realm as well as gives me pleasure and enjoyment. I started reading romance many years ago. Many thanks for this lovely giveaway.

57. I didn’t really start reading Romance till I was in my early 30’s. Raising 7 kids as a single parent left me no time to read. But once they were grown and started having their own families I had a little more time and Nora Roberts was my first read. Then I moved on and read everything but Horror. I love being taken to another time and seeing the HEA come while the characters take us with them on their journey.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

58. I became hooked on romance books when I was in college. I loved Barbara Cartland stories. From there, I moved on to the more explicit romances with Kathleen Woodiwess, Rosemary Rogers, and other writers. My favorite genre is historical, but I also read contemporaries. I read romances because they provide escapism from real life, take you to different locations you only dream about, and for the pure enjoyment they provide. I am a romantic at heart, and don’t read anything besides romance stories. My husband of 39 years laughs and calls them my smut books, but I disagree with him. Lol!

59. I started reading romance novels when i found my mom’s stash when i was about 12. I love reading romance because it gives me a place to escape to and i’m a real hopeless romantic 🙂 oh and it doesn’t help that i work at a library.

60. I also read romance before I was “supposed” to. I love the whole idea of happily ever after. No chores, no messy sex, no whiny kids…I could go on and on 🙂

61. I started reading romance as an adult, only about three years ago. After years of reading non-fiction, then mysteries and thrillers, I picked up a few romantic suspense books then broadened my choices from there. I enjoy the HEA and the diversion reading for pleasure provides. I read most romance genres, except for erotica and YA. Thanks for the contest.

62. As a young person, I read folktales, science-related books, classics, and poetry. I read “Pride and Prejudice” every year starting as a teen and I read “Forever Amber” back then, too. Mostly, I read philosophy and non-fiction for years. In my 30’s and 40’s, I added mysteries. In my 50’s I started volunteering at our fabulous library in West Bloomfield, MI and discovered romances. This coincided with my retiring from teaching after thirty-three years. I could read morning, noon, and night and, mostly, I read romances. I discovered historical romances and they took me to places where there were wars, espionage, wretched conditions, uncaring parents, and yet, at least the hero and heroine had their HEA by the end of the book. It has been wonderful! For nearly ten years I read a book every day or two. I’ve slowed down a little due to increased responsibilities and the cost of books. Here in FL, the library doesn’t have every book my heart desires, so I buy most of my books. I still love reading them. I think in real life many people don’t live happily-ever-after, so I love reading about people who do. 🙂

63. I didn’t start reading romance novels until I was about 50. I was curious, but the bodice ripper covers put me off. I finally found some of Julie Garwood’s historicals with covers that had jeweled broaches on them. I read the book blurbs and after reading the first one (THE PRIZE) bought them all. I rely more on the blurb than I do on the cover when I select books, but a cover can still stop me from checking out or getting a book.

    I read the romances because I know everything will work out in the end, no matter how difficult it may be to get to that HEA. I think a well written story at the core is most important. Just because it is a romance doesn’t guarantee it will be good. Many of my friends do not read romance and refuse to try it. For some they don’t consider it serious or well written enough. For others it is the constant reference to nice butts and breasts and having couples jumping into bed by page 20. For the most part. they haven’t even tried a romance novel, they are making assumptions. Many of them read romantic suspense and don’t realize it considered romance. There are some interesting books there, two of which are on my Wish List,

    Thanks for the giveaway. Nice selection of books.

64. I started reading romance novels about the same age as you, Bev – 12 or 13 or so. I don’t remember why I originally started reading them. At the time, I read a lot of fantasy novels, and I think I was attracted to the princesses/noblewomen in the front covers of the historical romances. I ended up loving historical romance and I have read them ever since. I didn’t start reading very many other types of romance until I got older and knew more about relationships, but I enjoy them now. I think, for me, it has to do with the HEA – I read all the time, and I read lots of different kinds of books. I read fantasy and sci-fi, thrillers, horror novels, all kinds of stuff, but sometimes (a lot of the time), I just want to know that the story is going to end HAPPILY, and since I am reading for pleasure, why shouldn’t I make sure I read something that ends happily every once in a while?

65. I started reading my romance while I was in middle school. I read it because I love the HEA endings found in romance novels. I read in a lot of other genres, like historical fiction, YA and paranormal. I tend to read a romance book and then read a book outside the genre, then go back to romance.

66. I must have been about 10. I read romance, because of the HEA.

67. I truly don’t remember when I started reading romance. I do remember starting out reading mysteries at a young age. I really enjoy most genres, but romance gets me because of the happily ever after. These days I mix my romance with suspense, thrillers, and mystery and I’ve found that there’s usually some romance in all of them.

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