Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on and/or purchase from some links, I make a portion of the sale. This helps keep Bitch Bookshelf running.
The first time I read a romance novel – like, a spicy, traditional “bodice ripper” historical romance novel – it was by accident.
I’m not sure how the accident happened. I think the book was on sale or a new release on Nook , almost ten years ago. The description didn’t make it clear to me that this was something I had never read before – *gasp* porn – aside from my brief foray into the 50 Shades series because, like, everyone was reading it. (And I did read some G and PG romances and “chick lit” that bordered on romance in my teen years and college.)
I was headed on vacation and downloaded the book to my ereader. While reading on the beach that December, I realized that I was reading one of those mass market paperbacks I’d always scorned in ebook form. And I was enjoying it. It was clear this was the third book in a series, and I devoured it in an afternoon before running to a place in the hotel with trusty WiFi to download the first two in the series. I had to find out how the first two couples in the series got together!
And that’s why I adore romance. It’s truly addicting. We know the outcome is a Happy Ever After, and yet we are desperate to find out how our love interests get to that ending.
So what was my first romance read? The Marrying Season by Candace Camp. I immediately downloaded the first two books in the Legend of St. Dwynwen trilogy for the remainder of my short vacation, and once I got home I devoured her Willowmere series, which remains a favorite to this day. (Oliver and Vivian from An Affair Without End, whose romance is a slow burn through the entire trilogy, helped me discover one of my favorite tropes – sort of a twist on grumpy/sunshine.) I guess I will have to revisit Candace Camp and her growing shelf in the upcoming months!
What was your first romance read?
