Quick reminder, today is the last day to enter ‘Tis The Season Writing Contest. Email your entries to: entries at theseasonforromance dot com.
Click here for Official Rules.
Also, Sunday October 31st is the final day to vote for your favourite October release. Click here to cast your vote.
The drawbacks of complete historical accuracy
I’m afraid, if one was to write a historical correct romance, it would not be as entertaining as the readers would want or come to expect. If we applied the social mores of the time as they were, our heroines would be quite limited in what they could say and do publicly. Like any other genre, our stories are created to entertain. In reality, would Mrs. Marple really find herself involved in quite so many murders? Would Jason Bourne’s life be quite that exciting? Can a normal man really scale a thousand foot stone faced mountain with only his bare hands?
Nope.
So as writers we take fictional liberties when it comes to our characters. Historical romance writers must or else our heroines would be shackled with enough politesse to send readers into a dead coma. Our heroes would not be the enlightened gentlemen we expect today. They’d have to be men of their times, certainly not the husbands and fathers we’d wish them to be. Okay, so we forge outside those particular boundaries when it comes to characterization and other things like what would or not be a forgivable offense and what would certainly get someone a cut direct.
However, I do expect a duchess never to be referred to as ‘My Lady’. Getting the titles correct is a MUST. Screw that up and not only have you jolted me right out of the story but I’m so far gone, I’ll more than likely put it down never to pick it up again.
Research. Research.
I also want you to get the clothing of the time correct. I should not be seeing empire waist gowns in the mid to late Victorian era story when women were wearing those cumbersome cages and a plethora of petticoats.
But then there are places I want you to fudge. Please, please fudge the facts about the hair. No pomade please, for the gentlemen or the women. Although this would be historically correct, I cringe at the though of either my hero or heroine having to plow their poor fingers through that madness.
I don’t necessarily have to know that much of London smells like horse manure and the sewer. It’s really okay if that’s left out unless it’s required for the story–you know to give it that eau de manure flavor. And despite what I know of the personal hygiene of many or most in that era, I would like it if both my hero and heroine bathed everyday. Call it a quirk of mine but if they’re not bathing, let me know it’s not for the lack of want or will.
And finally, since most British women (Western women in general) did not start shaving their legs, under their arms and their unmentionables until early in the 20th century, not mentioning hair in these areas is fine with me. I’d rather it that way than if the author somehow indicates that the heroine is in fact shaven because that will just pull me out of the story.
Okay, so those are some of the historical true life details I don’t particularly want to read in my romances. What about you? Do you have any?
And since I referenced Jason Bourne of Robert Ludlum’s Bourne series, how about I give away something similar but, of course, historical-style?
Comment and enter to win the final book in Stephanie Lauren’s The Black Cobra Quartet, THE RECKLESS BRIDE.
With 2010 coming to a close in the next two months, which books have made your Top Ten?
So far The Season Readers have picked:
January – Pregnant by the Warrior ~ Denise Lynn
February - Bound by Temptation ~ Lavinia Kent
March - The Wild Marquis ~ Miranda Neville
April – Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake ~ Sarah MacLean
May – Sweetest Little Sin ~ Christine Wells
June – Married by Morning ~ Lisa Kleypas
July – Love in the Afternoon ~ Lisa Kleypas
August – Wicked Intentions ~ Elizabeth Hoyt
September – The Devil Wears Plaid ~ Teresa Medeiros
How close are we to your personal list? Let me know.
Also, I’ve posted 6 more books on the site for giveaway. Please include your full name in the body of the email. Below are the titles and links:
LIVING NIGHTMARE – Shannon K. Butcher
REGENCY CHRISTMAS PROPOSALS - Gayle Wilson, Amanda McCabe, Carole Mortimer
SEDUCING THE DUCHESS – Ashley March
THE ACCIDENTAL WEDDING – Anne Gracie
SEVEN NIGHTS TO FOREVER – Evangeline Collins
Winners will be posted November 1st.
DARK VIKING by Sandra Hill ~ Sue Brandes
SEDUCING THE SUCCUBUS by Cassie Ryan ~ Tracey Dent
SELFISH IS THE HEART by Megan Hart ~ Marjana Kaly
STYX’S STORM by Lora Leigh ~ Lara Lee
TEN WAYS TO BE ADORED WHEN LANDING A LORD by Sarah MacLean ~ Barbara Bauschka
WARRIOR AVENGED by Addison Fox ~ Jennifer Langford
WICKED WONDERLAND by LuAnn McLane, Susanna Carr, Janice Maynard ~ Melissa Keith
Congratulations, ladies! If you haven’t already done so, please email your snail mail address to me at contests at theseasonforromance dot com. You have one week to collect your books.
Double Cross
Author: Carolyn Crane
Publisher: Spectra / Bantam Dell
Pub. Date: September 28, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0553592627
Retail: $7.99
Pages: 336
SOME SECRETS COME BACK TO HAUNT. OTHERS COME TO KILL.
Justine Jones lived her life as a fearful hypochondriac until she was lured into the web of a mysterious mastermind named Packard, who gifts her with extraordinary mental powers—dooming her to fight Midcity’s shadowy war on paranormal crime in order to find the peace she so desperately craves.
But now serial killers with unheard-of skills are terrorizing the most powerful beings in Midcity, including mastermind Packard and his oldest friend and worst enemy, Midcity’s new mayor, who has the ability to bend matter itself to his will.
As the body count grows, Justine faces a crisis of conscience as she tests the limits of her new powers and faces an impossible choice between two flawed but brilliant men—one on a journey of redemption, the other descending into a pit of moral depravity.
~*~*~
*Contains a few spoilers from MIND GAMES*
I didn’t think this series could get any better. MIND GAMES was fantastic, but DOUBLE CROSS completely blew me away. As I read the last twenty pages, my heart was pounding and I couldn’t believe what I was reading! Easily one of the best endings I’ve ever read in a book.
Justine is settling into her life as a Disillusionist, using her hypochondria to instill fear in the criminals of Midcity. Her relationship with Otto is coming along slowly and she hasn’t had any more romantic encounters with Packard, her sort of boss. Life isn’t exactly what she hoped it would be, but things aren’t terrible either.
A new villain is introduced. One of Otto’s imprisoned highcaps might be innocent, and Justine can’t forget that kiss with Packard. As the Disillusionists work to solve their mysteries many things are not quite what they seem and Justine has to figure out who is innocent and who is guilty. After a highcap links her dreams with Packard’s, you get to see glimpses of what Packard was like as a young boy and it helps to make him more sympathetic.
I liked that there was a time difference between MIND GAMES and DOUBLE CROSS. The characters have moved on and new things have happened. It made it easier to get sucked into the world than if we had to read the rehashing of what happened in the first book.
I love this world. The world is so well written that even though it is unique and different it still feels familiar. The book is written in first person and present tense like MIND GAMES. I’m not usually a fan of either, but I didn’t even really notice because I was so caught up in the story. There is a legitimate reason for it being written this way and by the end of the book the reader knows why.
The romance is still an important part of Justine’s story. She finds herself torn between Packard and Otto on several occasions. She is firmly with Otto, but can’t forget about Packard. There are some truly romantic moments in this book that had my heart melting. (I really wanted to post an excerpt here, but it would give too much away.)
I think what makes this book so great, besides the ending—which is OMG fantastic—are the characters. They are so flawed and neurotic. Justine, Otto, Shelby, Carter, Simon, Packard and the others have so many problems that if they were just everyday folks, they probably wouldn’t be able to leave their homes. Their neuroses make it easier to understand their motivations and to root for them even when their actions seem questionable.
DOUBLE CROSS is one of the best books I’ve read this year and I can’t wait to read the final book in this trilogy.
Rating: 10 (Perfect)
Heat-Level: 3 (Sensual)
Congratulations, Kirsten! Even though I’ve posted Miranda’s latest book, you can opt to receive one of her other two books, NEVER RESIST TEMPTATION or THE WILD MARQUIS.
Congratulations, Julie! Ladies, please email your snail mail address to me at contests at theseasonforromance dot com. You have one week to collect your books.
As a young voracious reader, I would dream of having all the books I could ever want. And even when I had more books than I could read it one entire week, I wanted more. Then my mother got a job at Harlequin and that was heaven on earth. She used to bring home a book (a big box) of books every month with every title from every line Harlequin published. This was back in the 80s when they’d just bought Silhouette.
An aside–did you hear that Harlequin doing away with the Silhouette name and replacing the Silhouette name with Harlequin in the Desire, Special Edition and Romantic Suspense lines? I’m kind of surprised it took them this long but I do have a fondness for the Silhouette name and will miss it. It will certainly take some getting used to.
Anywho, as I was saying, I never thought I could ever have enough books. I so loved a teetering TBR pile. It meant I’d always have something to read. Well right now I have books aplenty all over my dining room table and the task of even sticking the cover on a blog post to give it away is too much. So I came up with a way I could give more away by doing less than 1/5 of the work. I’ve posted the logo on the right with all the books I’m currently giving away. The drawing for all will be held Monday, October 25th. Just click the respective titles below and it will take you to the entry page.
WARRIOR AVENGED – Addison Fox
DARK VIKING – Sandra Hill
SEDUCING THE SUCCUBUS – Cassie Ryan
STYX’S STORM – Lora Leigh
TEN WAYS TO BE ADORED WHEN LANDING A LORD - Sarah MacLean
WICKED WONDERLAND – LuAnn McLane, Susanna Carr, Janice Maynard
SELFISH IS THE HEART – Megan Hart
In other news, voting is still open for Readers’ October Top Pick! Don’t forget to stop by and vote.
In ‘Tis The Season Writing Contest news, tomorrow I will start accepting entries. I’ve created a special board on the The Season Forum if you’d like to chat about the entries, the contest, the voting, writing, whatever. If you’re not registered, it’s a quick and easy sign-up. Since I do get a ton of spam on this site, your registration will have to be approved by me.
That’s all for now in A Little Bit of This and That News. 
I’ll be back in about a week with more.
Tomorrow I will begin accepting entries for the writing contest. If you are submitting, please email your entry or entries to me at:
entries at theseasonforromance dot com
Please use standard manuscript guidelines (double spaced, 1 inch margins) and submit in Word (.doc or .docx) or rtf format. Please do not underline for emphasis; italics are preferred. At the top of the first page please include your name, title, genre and word count. Your 100 word (max) blurb should precede your entry. Your entry must be between 1200 – 1600 words. The blurb word count is NOT included in the word count of your entry.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email at contact at theseasonforromance dot com.
Remember, the final day to submit your entry is October 29th at 11:59 PM EST.
The November issue is up on The Season website. We have some great Top Picks so make sure you check them and let me know what you think. Voting is still going on for Readers’ October Top Pick so vote now and vote often–seriously kidding. LOL.
I’ll be back later today–towards the evening-ish–with another post. I’m slowly weeding my way through 3 stacks of books I need to give away. This year I’m getting excited about Christmas. Are you?
Congratulations, Joyce! Please email your snail mail address to me at contests at theseasonforromance dot com. You have one week to collect your books.
Are you hiding under the covers?
I'm not embarrassed because I read romance. I don't have a Kindle becaus...
Are you hiding under the covers?
I read both e-books and paperbacks.
I use a book cover (I made it m...
Are you hiding under the covers?
Love romance books, my kindle has become my best friend. Although I do s...
5 - Perfect! - Goes on keeper shelf forever.
4.5 - Excellent - Sooo close to perfection, it hurts.
4 - Very Good - Highly recommend
3.5 - Good - Solid read. Would recommend.
3 - Satisfactory - Okay. Would recommend with caveats.
2.5 - Fair – Wouldn’t recommend.
2 – Fatally Flawed
1 Poor (1 being one of the worst books I've ever read) - Didn't find much in it to like.
DNF - Did Not Finish (Yes, it was that bad)
Heat Level
6 - Erotic – Extremely explicit language and lovemaking scenes. This includes BDSM, ménage a trios.
5 – Scorching – Explicit lovemaking scenes and language.
4 – Hot – Very hot lovemaking scenes. This includes oral sex but no more.
3 – Sensual – Lovemaking scenes are hot but not as detailed or long as Heat Level 4
2 – Mild – Lovemaking scenes are short. Very little detail.
1 – Inspy – Lovemaking scenes are practically non-existent. Kissing but definite closed door policy.
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