Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers discussion
INTRODUCTIONS
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MEMBER INTRODUCTIONS
This is so cool! When this group was running its anniversary celebration on Facebook, I offered to give away one of my Native American historicals as a prize. That's how I met the man who runs The Secret Writer blog out of England. We got to chatting about electronic publishing mostly via Amazon's Kindle and he invited me to do a blog about what I've done with my backlist. Today he put the blog up at http://www.thesecretwriterblog.blogsp... Calum did such a wonderful job!
Mod
Great post Vella! I agree that Calum's blog is wonderful!
My name is Mary Beth Borden and I am very happy to have found this forum. My first and greatest book love has always been the historical fiction genre. When I was a young teenager, I read Mary Renault's Bull from the Sea and The King Must Die and I LOVED them and became very passionate about Greek history. Then, in high school, after a year spent in a Belgium school, I was able to actually visit Greece and I think that trip cemented my addiction to history. Historical events and battles hold my interest, but the real draw for my is the introduction to peoples' lives that historical fiction provides the reader. I am currently reading Elizabeth Chadwick's Lady of the English. I adore this author because her stories have such a 'you are there' feeling to them. Well enough, I have rambled on...again great to be here and I look forward to learning the ends and outs of goodreads and this forum!
Mod
Welcome Mary Beth! I hope you'll find some new and unexpected treasures on our book shelves!
Just saying a quick hello here. I'm excited to have found the group! I write historical romance but love historical fiction (and history in general). I especially love anything set in the middle ages and stories about Richard III. I love Sharon Kay Penman, Tracy Chevalier, Margaret George, to name a few. I'm also a fiction editor, so because of the amount of time I spend at the computer I tend to be a lurker and do a lot of skimming, but I'm interested to see what people are recommending.
Laure wrote: "Hi there! Great to meet you all. I've always loved history and romance, and like nothing better than a great book combining the two.I'm an illustration major in school. Hard to believe I'm i..."
Hi Laure,
Have you read Parke Godwin's Robin Hood books. The first is titled Sherwood and its sequel is Robin and the King. Both good books I thought. Godwin places his story in the time period after 1066 with William still being the king.
Meb wrote: "Laure wrote: "Hi there! Great to meet you all. I've always loved history and romance, and like nothing better than a great book combining the two.I'm an illustration major in school. Hard to b..."
I have only read Godwin's Lord of Sunset, sort of a prequel to Sherwood following Harold leading up to the battle at Hastings. I have Sherwood and Robin & the King on my shelf awaiting their turn. It's a good time period to place the legends with so much built in drama and battle lines clearly drawn. I look forward to reading them.
Hi! I found this group by chance and I am glad because I've been looking for books of this type. Brilliant!! I haven't read much books of historical fiction with romance so I am really looking forward to see what comes up in discussions!
Mod
Hi Roshio-
Please take some time to peruse our fabulous book shelf and read some of our members reviews. We have a great selection of over 300 RHF books!
@ Laure and Meb, I haven't read Godwin's Robin Hood books, although I intend to. Lord of Sunset didn't really rock my world (not fond of alternating firsst person narratives), but I very much enjoyed his A Memory of Lions.@ Laure, you might want to take a look at Chadwick's Lords of the White Castle. Could her main character have been the source of the Robin Hood legends and the disputes with King John?
Hello everyone! I love historical romances. One of my favorite authors is Lauren Willig and her Pink Carnation series. The books have just enough romance and just enough historical intrigue. Plus I love the history mixed with modern. I wish the flower spies were actual historical figures.
I've been wanting to read that series. I have book 1
Lords of the White Castle is actually next on my list to read. I could see the Robin Hood connection from the blurb, so I'm looking forward to it. Just have to finish Forever Queen (feels like it will never end sometimes) or Tuck, which I will hate to see end.I actually liked the way Godwin alternated the first person narrative in Lords of Sunset. I hadn't read many like that, so it was novel and I enjoyed seeing the differing points of view. There were a lot of them to keep track of though.
Laure wrote: "Lords of the White Castle is actually next on my list to read. I could see the Robin Hood connection from the blurb, so I'm looking forward to it. Just have to finish Forever Queen (feels like it..."
I love almost all of Chadwick's books, this one is one of her best. The Robin Hood connection is one of the most probable I have ever read.
I love almost all of Chadwick's books, this one is one of her best. The Robin Hood connection is one of the most probable I have ever read.
Hello & Welcome to all new members I have missed!
Hi everyone! I am a historical romance author and am new to Goodreads. I am so excited to be a part of this website! I can't wait to hear more about what everyone loves to read about! Kim Reynolds
Welcome to the group Kim!:)
Hello All, I am new to goodreads, and to the group. I look forward to reading more Historical Fiction. Was on a para-normal kick and am looking forward to broadening my horizons, so to speak. I am still not sure how to use this site to it's fullest potential and will be checking in periodically. My daughter and I are leaving this afternoon for a 3 week tour of Europe, but am hoping to get in some good reading, while away. Any must reads for a new-be?
Mod
Hi Leslie!! Here's a big warm welcome to you!
We have over 300 fabulous books on our group shelves all catagorized by sub-genre and era. All of our titles have two things in common- strong historical detail and romantic elements. My recommendation is to start with your favorite era and peruse those shelves. Also take a look at our members reviews to give you a better idea. Anyone can nominate a title as long as it meets our criteria and reviews are strongly encouraged to help guide others in their reading selection. Enjoy!!
(And have a great trip!!)
Hello, everyone. I'm brand new to Goodreads, and in the middle of adding books. I am a voracious reader, average 4 to 5 books a week. I am lucky/unlucky to be a very fast reader, which means I spend a lot of money on books, and I love thick historicals because they take me two to three days to finish. If a book isn't at least 400 pages long, I can't stand paying for it.I am a HUGE Elizabeth Chadwick fan, so I am swooning that she posts here. I've read all of her most recent published works that are available on kindle -- the William Marshal books & the Bigod books. I am also a huge Penman fan, although I haven't read her first trilogy that ends with Devils Brood. I have borrowed them all from a friend, but they are big & heavy & made out of real paper, so I am ignoring them.
In addition to historicals, I enjoy plain old cheesy romance, YA, paranormal, certain types of NF, Jane Austen & other classics, & fantasy. The thicker the book, the happier I am, which is probably why I read almost exclusively on my kindle. Those 1000 page books are heavy, and they hurt when I fall asleep reading & drop them onto my nose.
I saw that Misfit posts here. I am a secret fan of yours on Amazon, Misfit, and have found your reviews to be well written & entertaining.
Mod
Hi Christine! A big, warm welcome to you. Have you read many of the classics? I recently added several titles by Sir Walter Scott to the group shelves and these are all big reads that are (even better) free e-book downloads. I might also suggest Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles if you have not already read them. Lastly, I hope you will explore our shelves where you will be certain to find some real gems.
Mod
Emery wrote: "@ Misfit- I am in perpetual awe of your celebrity! :D"So am I :D
Just kidding.
@ Christine, hi and thanks for the kind words. You must be one of my 60 something Amazon fans. Glad someone reads them :)
Emery: I do read classics -- this year so far I've read the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Mayor of Casterbridge. I have Ivanhoe on my kindle, which I downloaded for free, but I haven't delved into it yet. I also have the first of the Lymond Chronicles on my kindle, but again, I haven't started it. I will probably never actually read every kindle book I own, but that sure doesn't stop me from buying more! Right now I am working my way through the Outlander series -- I downloaded the first one as a freebie about two years ago. I was very snooty about it, and figured that I would never read it . . . time travel. . . .Scottish highlanders . . . no way. I am not sure why exactly I decided to give it ago after all this time, but I did, got sucked in, fell madly, wildly in love with Jamie Fraser (lucky for my husband, he's a fictional character), & am now reading Drums of Autumn, having gulped down the first three in about ten days.
Has anyone read Sarah Donati's Into the Wilderness? It keeps popping up as a suggestion & I can't decide if I will give it a try or not.
@Christine. Lol, almost everyone (but not all) end up falling in love with Jamie. I haven't got around to Donati yet, but I've heard nothing but good things. There's a medieval group here that Penman pop in on when they have time, I'll send you an invite.@Jill. I am so glad you did and glad I invited you over to Goodreads. I'm fairly positive you've been having a good old time of it.
Christine wrote: "Emery: I do read classics -- this year so far I've read the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Mayor of Casterbridge. I have Ivanhoe on my kindle, which I downloaded for free, but I haven't delved into it..."I loved Into the Wilderness. But didn't care for book 2. I didn't try the rest of the series. I love all the oulander books! :)
@Jill. I can see that. I'm reading Drums of Autumn right now. Voyager about killed me. I couldn't believe the last 200 pages of action-packed craziness. Diana Gabaldon is totally awesomely insane. Things have calmed down a bit, although I'm only 14% in.
Hi Everyone,My name is Georgie Lee and I write historical and contemporary novels for Ellora's Cave, Avalon Books and Carina Press. I'm looking forward to meeting you all. Hope everyone is having a great week!
Best,
Georgie
Hello everyone, I just joined today and I'm so excited to be in the group. I've loved Historical Romance since I started sneaking my mom's Bertrice Small and Jo Beverly books out of her room when I was 10. Now 11 years later and I still love the genre. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone :)
Hey, I love reading and Historical Fiction/Romance is my favorite genre. Glad a found this group and can't wait to get more book suggestions.
Mod
Hi Leea!
Welcome! And please consider joining our Facebook book club as well. We will be having live book chats with authors and giveaways. Our first meeting is July 8th 8PM EST. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=g...
Hello, everyone. I just stumbled upon this group and think I've hit the jackpot! I love historical romance/fiction. I always aced History in school. I am in awe that Elizabeth Chadwick is a member here. I love her books about William Marshall, etc. I read all my books on a Kindle which means sometimes I have to wait for them to be available (or wait for a good price -- I balk at having to pay more for a Kindle book than a regular pocket book.) It's not just that I'm cheap; it's because I have arthritis and holding up a book or even turning a page is getting awkward now. Also, my eyesight isn't what it used to be so being able to enlarge the type on the Kindle is really quite a boon. Looking forward to being part of this group!
Mod
Welcome to the family Marilyn!
Hi Everyone, My name is Kelley. I love reading historical romance. Medieval European history being my favorite genre. My first novel was Katherine by Anya Seton...this was decades ago, I've been hooked ever since!
Mod
Hi Kelley! Welcome! You definitely need to peruse our group book shelves. I guarantee you'll find some fabulous titles and this is a great group to discuss them with -including a number of HF authors.
Hi everyone.I can't believe it's taken me so long to find this group! This is EXACTLY the sort of group I've been wanting to hang out in ever since I joined GR. While I enjoy some historical romances, I've found many to be lacking lately. I think I just need more - more history, more plot, more intrigue. I LOVE historical books with a dose of romance. My absolute favourite is Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond series. Alas Ms. Dunnett is with us no more. I also adore Deanna Raybourn. I'll be stalking this group to find more recs.
I also write in a genre I call historical romantic adventures.
I know I'm late but yeah... Haha. Hey, I'm Fira (how Greece of me) and I'm in college. Usually read historical romance, ancient history facts and stories and biography books. :) I've written a few personal short stories on historical romance but yeah, too afraid to published them. First book to ever love: The Crown of Dalemark by Diana Wynne Jones (R.I.P)
First historical romance read: The Wicked Games of A Gentleman by Jillian Hunter
By far most favorite author - there's too many of them but I'll do this - goes to Lisa Kleypas!
There you go, I'm not sure if anyone of you will even be interested in this. Take care! :)
Mod
Welcome Fira!
Mod
The name's Danielle, and I'm what you'd call a newbie. I joined this site yesterday, so I'm still getting the hang of it. I'm completely obsessed with reading, and Historical Romance..."
Hi Danielle-
If you love history mixed with romance, this is the place for you. Welcome.
C.J. wrote: "Hi everyone.I can't believe it's taken me so long to find this group! This is EXACTLY the sort of group I've been wanting to hang out in ever since I joined GR. While I enjoy some historical roma..."
Another Dunnett fan here. I loved the Lymond chronicles.
I agree, I love a good romance but much of the stuff coming out these days is just so *meh*. Empty. Void of life. Wall paper.
Hello everyone, I am not new to goodreads but have been holding off on joining another group until I saw this one and couldn't resist. This is probably my favorite genre. My other groups are "Jane Austen" "Reading the Chunksters" and "Modern Mommies." I look forward to "getting to know you."
Hey ya all! I am so happy to be apart of this group. I adore Historical Romances. The intriguing covers, the character names, the passion and language... all of it! I look forward to futured discussions with people who enjoy the same genre as I do. You should have seen the faces in my book club when I requested the next book (after reading The Help)be The Reluctant Suitor :/
Misfit wrote: "Another Dunnett fan here. I loved the Lymond chronicles.I agree, I love a good romance but much of the stuff coming out these days is just so *meh*. Empty. Void of life. Wall paper. "
You and I are definitely on the same page, Misfit.
What is "wall paper?" Just curious.
Christine wrote: "What is "wall paper?" Just curious."For me it's a book in a historical setting, but with no care taken by the author to learn about her period, the customs and the mindsets. Look at all those medievals with well-bred ladies running around with hair loose and unattended, plus stamping their feet and demanding to marry whom they choose.
One classic for me was one set in 1849 San Francisco. First the female character arrives via wagon train - said wagon train coming straight to San Francisco with nary a far-thee-well at Sutter's Fort. She hooks up with the male lead and he's determined to "buy her a ticket back east", despite the fact that ships would be sitting abandoned in the harbor (her family was in Iowa or something so even a ship back east wouldn't quite be the answer anyway), and since it's late September there wouldn't be any wagon trains heading east even if wagon trains were heading east.
Same thing if you decided to write a novel set in the 1970's and had your characters sending text messages. Wouldn't happen.
Mod
Gaile, that's so interesting about Paul Revere! I had no idea he was deaf (I also don't write about the American Revolution, so I hope that can be forgiven...) And I agree with you. It is so frustrating for fans of historical fiction to delve into a novel about a favorite time period only to realize they probably know more about that period than the author. There is definitely an added responsibility that falls on historical fiction authors. (It's also why we don't tend to publish as prolifically as contemporary counterparts. Research is fun, but it is time-consuming...)
Mod
Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer is an excellent book on Paul Revere and the start of the American Revolution.
Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
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The Slave (other topics)
Burning Embers (other topics)
Eye of the Needle (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Dorothy Dunnett (other topics)Rafael Sabatini (other topics)
Jeffery Farnol (other topics)
Deanna Raybourn (other topics)
Courtney Milan (other topics)
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You are welcome!