Romance in Books and Movies

I got my first comment! And while I appreciate it, I don't much understand it. The commenter indicated that people go to movies with someone--like a significant other, but they read books alone. My response is, "Yeah, so?"

Does that mean that a romantic movie is somehow going to inspire or rub-off on a couple seeing it together? Maybe. But is that the only reason to see the movie? Of course not. And that is not to say that movies that dabble in romance (Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, National Treasure...even Robots!) have nothing else to offer.

The same is true of a romance novel. Romance has found its way into virtually every sort of genre: suspense, mystery, historical, contemporary, paranormal, inspirational, classic literature, and more. Why? Because it's part of life; it's exciting, entertaining and fun. The relationship between the two main characters need not even be the reason you read a book classified as romance. You could be looking for humor, escapism, fantasy, or thrilling scenes. And you can find all that in a romance novel. The kicker is that you can find it in the romance portion of the story too. Two for one! Come on now, who doesn't love a bargain?

I challenge all smirking nonbelievers to just try reading a romance written in the style of your normal preference. See what you think, and if you like it, have the guts to admit it to someone.