Love
and Romance Reviews for Valentines
Reviewed
by Jennie Hansen
Perhaps
because mid-February is the time when people, weary of
winter, begin to turn their thoughts toward spring and a hope
for new beginnings, the light-hearted holiday known as Valentine’s
Day has come to symbolize a time for hearts to turn toward new
beginnings in love and romance. That makes February a good time
to look at the romance novel.
LDS
fiction has been accused by some of being nothing more than romance
novels that are therefore beneath the notice of discerning
readers. This is a sad error.
The
romance genre is where some of the best writing has always taken
place, and this holds true in the LDS version of the genre. Unfortunately,
it is also where some of the worst writing occurs as well. Too
often general market romance novels resort to explicit sensuality
because it is easier to understand and write about than real love.
LDS romance novels also have crutches such as childish dialog,
soap opera melodrama, and overblown use of inspiration.
Because
of the emphasis the Church places on eternal marriage and the
relationships between men and women, this subject is a natural
for LDS novelists. Anyone who considers erotica and pornography
to be the definition of a romance novel doesn’t know anything
about real love and certainly nothing about the courtships of
men and women who are striving to live gospel principles. Those
who dismiss LDS romance novels as beneath their notice lack a
good grasp of what defines the genre.
Basically
a “romance novel” is one where girl meets boy and some obstacle
gets in the way of the natural progression of their relationship
(which must be resolved before they can confess their feelings
for each other). Once the crisis is dealt with, a permanent commitment
is established. Usually a hot-topic social issue enters into the
equation, and the reader becomes emotionally involved in the situation
depicted, which is played to elicit maximum empathy. This is an
over-simplification, but is the general format.
Beneath
this umbrella are many sub-genres. Most novels have some elements
of the romance. Even Louis L’Amour admitted, every novel needs
a hint of romance (even though he didn’t consider women as important
as horses in his books).
Winter
Fire by Rachel Ann Nunes is an example of the straight forward,
almost classical romance. Amanda Huntington at twenty-five has
been hurt by a relationship that didn’t work out for her and is
now leery of involvement with the opposite sex. Then she meets
Blake Simmons, who hasn’t fared well in the love department either
– having being dumped because of his low level job and his commitment
to his cousin’s two small children. Some might see Amanda, a
schoolteacher, as a bit of a snob, but others will see her as
realistic in desiring a husband who is her intellectual and academic
equal. Pride keeps Blake from admitting he is pursuing a college
degree, and he allows Amanda to believe he is content being a
repairman and working for his brother. Being a foster parent
to two neglected, possibly abused, young relatives puts limits
on Blake’s ability to socialize and provides the vehicle for Amanda
and Blake to see each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Nunes
draws on firsthand experience to paint a picture of the heart-tugging
ups and downs that accompanies caring for foster children who
may or may not have a permanent role in their caretakers’ lives.
In
this type of romance, the building relationship between the main
characters is the primary focus of the story. It is also the
type of romance millions of people all over the world, mostly
women, are looking for. It’s escapist, but isn’t most fiction?
Nunes does an exemplary job of creating a believable relationship
within the framework of LDS moral standards that leads to commitment.
Her many fans will be pleased with this offering, though some
will be disappointed because, though it is precisely what they
have come to expect from her, it lacks the brilliance of her first
novel, Ariana.
Out
of the Shadows ... is an example of romantic suspense, a sub-genre that
has established itself as the “romance of choice” for millions
of readers, men and women alike. In fact many will deny it is
even a romance because the emphasis is on the suspense. Salima
does a masterful job of drawing the reader into the suspense from
page one, when the reader learns a child has been kidnapped by
the protagonist’s ex-husband. The author skillfully draws in
the harsh realities of a Wyoming winter to add to the drama that
unfolds when a U.S. Marshal, Slade Taggart, appears on Caroline
Duncan’s doorstep during a blizzard. He informs Caroline that
federal agents are closing in on her ex-husband and the son she
hasn’t seen for three years. The plot grows complicated when
Todd Duncan and his son slip through the net and are suspected
of heading west toward the ranch. Law enforcement agents are
not the only ones in pursuit. A plane wreck, murder, hypothermia,
a Gadianton-style cult, and plenty of emotional baggage add edge-of-your-seat
twists. Still the romance is there, skillfully woven into the
various elements of the suspenseful plot.
Romantic
suspense probably surpasses classic romance as the fastest growing
genre in LDS fiction, possibly because of its broader appeal to
men as well as women. Though the use of inspiration is a little
overdone, it is handled tastefully and does not detract from the
story as it might with a less skilled writer. Sister Salima has
aptly earned a position of rank among LDS romantic suspense writers
with this novel.
Wake
Me When It’s Over is an excellent example of the humorous romance, in this case the humorous
romantic suspense. Wells would quite likely insist his novel
is humor, not romance, though all the romantic elements are there,
as are the suspense elements. The greatest difference is the
writer is male and the story is told predominantly from the male
protagonist’s point of view and it’s told for maximum humor rather
than to be taken seriously. As in most good humor, the line is
very thin between tragedy and comedy. The action is heart-stopping
and the poor reader is left at times uncertain whether to laugh
or cry. It is the hilarious tale of a young college student,
Eric, who falls madly in love but is content to admire his love
from afar until circumstances force him to take action. His heart
and his faith are in the right place as he bumbles and fumbles
his way through trying to rescue Rebekah from the man who abducts
her. He is a hero with a broken wrist, wending his way through
hair-raising chase scenes, vicious kidnappers, and a mysterious
woman who seems to know who he is and where he is a little too
well. Still it is the story of a young couple who meet awkwardly
and proceed clumsily to get to know each other through unusual
circumstances and eventually discover something special in their
relationship.
Wells
is rapidly establishing himself as a writer with a gift for humor,
but in this novel he also proves he knows something of the human
heart and the part faith and fidelity to gospel principles plays
in LDS character-building and in relationships between men and
women.
Forget
Me Not is anything but a classical romance, yet it is an extraordinary
love story – a sequel to Bell’s 2003 Timeless Moments.
Paige and Dalton are married and though the relationship between
their daughter, Sky, started out positive, it has deteriorated.
As the three of them plan a trip to Vietnam in hopes of bringing
closure to the nightmare experience Dalton suffered there as a
POW and to search out Sky’s maternal family, Paige senses that
her stepdaughter doesn’t want her to be part of the journey into
the past. Though bowing out of the trip is a crushing decision
for Paige, and not what Dalton wants either, she makes the decision
out of love and respect for the two of them and their memories
of Dalton’s first wife (who was Sky’s mother). After Dalton and
Sky arrive in Vietnam, it doesn’t take long for Sky, a thoroughly
American teenager in spite of her Asian appearance, to realize
how much both she and her father need Paige’s steadying influence
to see them through their tumultuous quest in a land where being
American is not a positive attribute. When Paige joins them at
Sky’s request, they set out on a journey filled with poor accommodations,
unfamiliar customs, and both physical and emotional danger. Bell
brings a sensitivity to the relationship between Paige and Dalton
and between Paige and Sky that rings true and touches the reader’s
heart. The research behind this story is impressive.
Instead
of the falling-in-love romance, Bell once again explores aspects
of ongoing love, with warm insights into what keeps romance alive
and moves the relationship toward an enduring relationship that
goes beyond initial commitment to eternal love. She gives us
an enthralling plot, but it is the level of sacrifice and respect
the couple achieve that gives Forget Me Not an edge
over most other modern love stories.
Not
every romance appeals to every reader. Most readers develop favorite
sub-genres, but I would encourage readers, especially those who
are skeptics of the genre, to give at least one of these outstanding
novels a try. With the vital role love, or the lack of love,
plays in our lives we can’t explore the subject too much. Reading
LDS novels, including the romances, may prove to be only entertainment
for some, but for others it may also provide that moment of enlightenment
that increases faith and lends insight into our own relationships.
