Reviewing Romance

GBA books read to date: 25

It's interesting how so many books from different genres include some romantic relationship. And now I'm trying to "judge" what I read, it's interesting to wonder what makes that romance work. We've all read about (or watched) movies where the lead actors had no "real chemistry" between them. But what makes that elusive chemistry real, and how do we write it on the page?

1. The element of surprise: Whether it's love at first sight, or love slowly developing over time, it's going to seem more convincing if the characters don't immediately assume it's real.
2. More than skin-deep: Honeyed skin and hair and eyes can only take you so far; if we're only told how beautiful the characters look, why should we believe any love between them is more than superficial?
3. Not just physical: I guess love wasn't described in quite such physical terms in the past, but now it is. Still, I'll probably be more convinced by the feelings if I'm drawn to believe the characters, rather than drawn to imagine those responses in myself.

Some of that chemistry has seemed very real--I'm really enjoying these books. Meanwhile, one book I read a while ago (therefore can't judge in the contest) is Aubrie Dionne's Paradise 21; if you come back to my blog tomorrow you'll be able to see Aubrie's guest post on Sci-Fi's Powerhouse couples.