Bree Wolf's Blog - Posts Tagged "what-makes-a-great-book"

While I do not deny that past times hold a certain allure, for me, it is the people who lived then that fascinate me. Who were they? Were they happy? Did they love? What are their stories?

Since we will never know enough to truly paint a picture of who someone was deep inside (what motivated them? what broke their heart? what made them laugh?) historical fiction is a wonderful genre that makes you think about all the many possibilities.

What would happen if...? What would their story be?

Trying to find an answer, our imagination bonds with historical facts, creating a unique variation of times past.

After all, at the end of the day, we all want a great book to settle down with. The 'only' thing we disagree on is what makes a great book.

Since we would probably argue about this until the end of time, let me just tell you what to expect from mine.

What you will NOT find

- are detailed descriptions of clothes, furniture, animals and such unless they have significant importance
- is complete historical accuracy

Basically, I omit in my writing what I do not care for as a reader. I am the kind of reader who is irritated by page-long descriptions. In order to picture the scene in my mind, I usually don't need those, and to me, they merely delay the action. What can I say? It's a pet peeve!

What you WILL find

- are deep and honest emotions (even the ones we rarely admit to)
- are real people, who stand together no matter what, who conquer their greatest fear to save a loved one, who seem as real today as they did then
- is that the story takes precedence over historical accuracy

Let me be clear: I am not saying I completely ignore historical facts. Not at all. I always strive to capture the flair of the times I write about. However, I occasionally bend the rules a little to allow my characters to experience something that would otherwise be denied to them.

For example, if I need my characters to waltz, then does it truly matter if the waltz was only introduced to English society a few years later?

To me, it doesn't. After all, it is about the opportunities it creates. However, if it matters to you, then allow me to offer some friendly advice: do not read my books for you will only be disappointed.

This post is partly meant as a guide to help potential readers decide if my books would suit them, and partly as a means to satisfy my curiosity for I would love to know what you think about this. What makes a great book for you? What do you need to get completely absorbed into a story? What brings the characters to life for you?

Maybe the term historical romance is not completely accurate when talking about my books. However, I’ve been having a hard time assigning my new series to a specific category. While my setting is England in the early 19th century (or a variation thereof), I am not one to stick too closely to historical accuracy because, to me, my books are not first and foremost historical novels. I merely set my stories in a historical era like the regency period because it allows my characters to interact in ways that a modern day setting just wouldn’t. However, if need be, I’ll make small changes.

Honestly, in my opinion, the changes I make are of minor importance. However, some readers have disagreed (I suppose these readers do think of a historical romance first and foremost as a historical novel). Sorry about the confusion, everyone!

Then what is it that I put the focus on in my books?

Of course, there is the romance aspect, and, yes, we all want our hero and heroine to ride off into the sunset. We want them to meet, fall in love and live happily ever after. That sounds pretty simple.

However, my books tend to have a psychological angle. Wow, does that sound as dull to you as it does to me? Well, what I’m trying to say is that the rocky road that leads to the desired happily-ever-after is usually not rocky because of some outside interference or obstacle (of course, there are outside influences that need to be dealt with, but they are not the main focus). Instead, my stories focus on the emotional journey (at least) one of the main characters has to undertake in order to find happiness.

With regard to book 3, one reader commented as follows: “Once again, Bree uses psychology to develop the love, devotion and sometimes the evil, in her characters.”

You see, my characters usually have some kind of prejudice, fear or even trauma that they need to overcome in order to love, in order to see that there is someone right in front of them who is their perfect match. They are blind to the truth about themselves as well as others, and only their spouse’s perseverance in winning their heart ultimately saves the day.




In Forgotten & Remembered - The Duke’s Late Wife, Graham is caught in a net of insecurities, believing himself unlovable. In order to protect his heart from disappointment, he shuts himself off from the budding emotions he begins to feel toward his new wife, convinced that she could never truly love him.




In Cursed & Cherished - The Duke’s Wilful Wife, Anna allows herself to be influenced by her best friend’s negative opinion of men in general. Despite her new husband’s touching attempts to win her heart, she simply cannot see that he truly means what he says and does not have a hidden agenda.



In Despised & Desired - The Marquess’ Passionate Wife, Frederick comes home from the war, traumatized by the loss of his friend. Guilt consumes him, and he feels he does not deserve to be loved, to be happy because his friend has lost every chance for happiness.




In Abandoned & Protected - The Marquis’ Tenacious Wife, Henrietta has been traumatized in her early childhood. Her experiences with her parents have made her more than just weary of men (she is the friend who influenced Anna in book 2). Terrified to end up like her mother, she is determined to keep her husband at arm’s length.


As I said, in all of these books (as well as the ones to come), there is a devoted husband or wife, who over time manages to restore their spouse’s beliefs and hopes until they come to love each other the way they were meant to from the beginning. Its a rocky road, but it is well worth it.

So, what category would you assign this series to? Honestly, I cannot find one that’s a perfect fit, and I apologize to all those readers who expected something else from my book because of the category they found it in.

How about psychological romance? However, that leaves out the historical part, and doesn’t psychological have a negative connotation? Like psychological thriller. So, that’s not it. And historical psychological romance is just a mouth-full. Or historical romance with a psychological angle. Oh dear! It’s getting worse. I should stop! Please, if you have any suggestions, email me.

If I didn’t scare you off with my uncoordinated ramblings and you would like to have a look at my new historical romance series yourself, sign up and I’ll email you book 1.