Let me tell, I much prefer the Disneyfied versions of Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid to the originals.

You and me both. I haven’t seen Sleeping Beauty’s original story, but I watched the original of The Little Mermaid and was completely horrified.

That, I can agree with. A lot of those covers are just plain hokey. It’s as if romance publishers want to give the impression nothing has changed since the ’70s. But a book that looks stuck in the bad old days doesn’t inspire confidence that its themes or writing will be up to date.

I think the whole question of expanding the genre gets confounded by these issues of perception. Romance is pretty expansive already, but we see over and over that people don’t think they read romance because they don’t read Harlequins or books with clinch covers.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” just isn’t realistic. That’s what the cover’s for. I read romance; I know that great books can have terrible covers… but still, the cover influences me. Why would someone who isn’t already a romance fan pick up a book whose cover shrieks “Dated”? I’m often turned off sci fi by covers that give me that kind of reaction.

Are you sure? I’ve read a few of the popular YA lines and grew up on Dawson’s Creek and my peers and I throve on the drama and hijinks of romance and (possibly back-stabbing) friendships. Now that we’ve moved on to Grey’s Anatomy, it’s basically the melodrama of teen soaps all over again. It isn’t the HEA, it’s the images of Fabio and pirates and heaving bosoms and sexually-deprived, ignorant housewives (as a few FFF fans listed) that have stuck with us all over the past fifteen to twenty years. Just Tuesday or so on The View Sherri Shepard shared that when she wants to relax, she grabs the “trashiest romance novel” she can find. Even when Kelly Ripa had her book club it wasn’t taken seriously by what it seems was neither herself (everything was very frothy and pink!) or anyone else because she was recommending romance novels.

Trust me…it ain’t the happily-ever-after that keeps the younger readers away.

I attended school on both coasts and none of the people I know IRL and online read romance novels at all. They see them as for people of their mothers generation.

That’s what I mean. I think that perception that romances are for an older generation may come from the fact that so many books have a very strict definition of romantic happiness, love and commitment.

I like the fact that the basic precept of this genre is striving towards a committed, loving relationship.

Oh, I do too, very much so! I wouldn’t be reading so many romances if I didn’t. I just don’t think that going from the resolution of the book’s conflict to marriage immediately is the only way to arrive at a committed and loving relationship.

I bet some did but wouldn’t admit to it. That’s what I’ve found among my friends. After knowing one friend for 10 years, she tentatively mentioned a best-selling romantic suspense, then finally got brave and admitted to being a longtime romance junkie. After she “came out”, so did others.

Yes, TH&TH was my first Gaffney. I enjoyed it. I haven’t decided whether I’ll review it. Others have written interesting reviews of it already, but if I decide I have something to say, I will. Obviously I was impressed by the characters. I’m still thinking over the huge change in the middle of the book, from taunting and long-suffering to flowers and puppies and perfumes and crazy climactic court scene.

I wasn’t as keen on To Love and to Cherish, so I haven’t read the 3rd Wyckerley book. But if I review TH&TH I’m sure I’ll read Forever and Ever.

Do you mean if they read romances? I attended school on both coasts and none of the people I know IRL and online read romance novels at all. They see them as for people of their mothers generation. Granted I’m basing my opinions on my own circle of friends and acquaintances, but when I do dally around the romance aisle in bookstores for a period of time, I rarely see people my age browsing and purchasing romance novels. When I look at author websites, I rarely see writers who share my background, and the ones that do are usually writing paranormals/urban fantasy.

Like I said, I don’t mind the marriage-obsessiveness of romance novels because I didn’t come from a family where I saw marriage and I grew up in an atmosphere where marriage was not even thought about as something to desire. So even when I dislike certain tropes or find myself unable to understand why certain things exist in the genre and don’t feel that a man or woman is defined by their status as a husband or wife, I like the fact that the basic precept of this genre is striving towards a committed, loving relationship.