Let’s begin with Jane Austen. Especially Pride & Prejudice. Those of us who love Austen will never forget the first time we read it, and how we were captivated by the lively Elizabeth Bennet and arrogant Mr. Darcy. Oh, how foolish they both were! But it worked out in the end. 🙂 And forgive me, please, any Janeites who cringe at the thought of Pride and Prejudice being called a romance.
Another classic: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. I’ve been less enamored of Ms. Bronte since I discovered her snarky comments about Jane Austen, but I can’t deny what a powerful hold Jane Eyre has always had on me. I read it the summer I was fourteen, and many times after that. Jane has spunk and spirit, and she’s not afraid of anything Mr. Rochester dishes out. Oh, until that one thing.
If tragic love stories appeal to you, then Atonement should be on your list. Celia and Robbie’s love, rocked first by betrayal and then by war, is only part of the story. Ultimately, it’s more about redemption than love.
And talk about heartbreaking–I have loved Me Before You more than any book I’ve read in years. Here’s my review .
Among teen novels, Graceling is a compelling romance. Katsa resists love, believes she can’t find love without losing herself, and then falls headlong into it.
More Jane Austen. Persuasion is on my list, because of Captain Wentworth’s letter to Anne. It pierces my heart. 🙂
I love Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels, and my favorite of them all is The Viscount Who Loved Me. Kate, so fiercely protective of her sister, trying to prevent her from marrying Anthony Bridgerton, then falling for him herself. And who could ever forget The Mallet of Death?
The Rarest Blooms novels, by Madeline Hunter, are also favorites. Provocative in Pearls is my top pick, because of the letter Hawkeswell writes to Verity. I guess I have a thing about letters. He bares his soul to her, and what woman can resist that?
Let’s talk a little Georgette Heyer, to round out the list: I love The Nonesuch, because once Sir Waldo falls for Ancilla Trent, he is so charmingly devoted to her. He handles everybody and everything so masterfully–except for Miss Trent. After showing a great deal of interest in him, she backs away, and he doesn’t understand why. Silly man, it’s so obvious.
And then there’s Sylvester. He and Phoebe fight a la Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, “willfully misunderstanding” each other. They each have their own vulnerabilities, which is what makes them so appealing. There are many other Heyer novels I adore, but I’ll stick with these two for now.
What are your favorites? Which romances make you swoon?
I love the romance in North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, as well as that in Wives and Daughters. Dorothea Brooke and Will Ladislaw as well as Mary Garth and Fred Vincy in Middlemarch, and, of course, Anne SHirley and Gilbert Blythe in L.M. Montgomery’s Anne books, and Laura and Almanzo in These Happy Golden Years.
Oh, those are all good ones! I especially love North and South.
I love the Jane Austen books you mentioned and Jane Eyre. Have not read the others. As a beautiful, though sad, love story, I would have to mention Romeo and Juliet. Robin Maxwell has an excellent retelling in O Juliet. Mary Balogh writes wonderful regency romances. Her Simply series, with my favorite being Simply Love, and Slightly series are great.
Hi Betty–For some reason, I didn’t see your comment. I apologize for taking so long to reply. I have enjoyed Mary Balogh’s books over the years–I think Slightly Dangerous is very much an Elizabeth/Mr. Darcy kind of story. I’m not familiar with Robin Maxwell but will look her up. Thanks for writing.