Romance Novels - The Most Popular GenreRomance Novels - The Most Popular Genre of Literature Today

While many would find fault with the above title, the claim that romance novels are a form of literature, the fact remains that more romances are read than any other genre in North America. This has been the case since 2004 when fifty five percent of all paperback books sold were in the romance category.  The world loves love stories!

That's an incredible amount of books, and surely a vast array of people reading them. But here again, there seems to be an unwillingness to accept that facts. Why? Because many like to claim that only women who are single, desperately unhappy or just desperate, and let's not forget uneducated, are the only people who read romances in any form. And this is despite reams of data that disputes these claims.

So, what does the data show? That women and men from all walks of life, from the poverty stricken to the wealthy, from the uneducated to the over educated, from single people and those involved in fulfilling, long term relationships, from the unemployed to those who are top grade professionals, read romances.

Romance novels are also looked upon with a degree of derision. Many say, and I will admit that in some cases there is a degree of true in this, that these types of books simply follow a formula. That if you've read one, you've read them all. But that can be said for many mainstream, New York Times bestsellers as well. There are mainstream authors that I refuse to read anymore, because the plot is exactly the same in each and every one of their novels.

But for those who like to read a good romance for whatever the reason, the good news is that there is an endless stream of them available. And there is something to fulfill every taste. Romantic suspense, romantic comedy, western romances and so on. The sub-genres of the romance category are many and varied.

So, do you like to read romances?

If so, you can find free romance ebooks and free romance stories at our two sites.

Twilight Saga Eclipse!

By Davis Brown

Twilight series (written by Stephenie Mayer) mainly revolves around romance between a human girl (Bella Swan) and a blood thirst vampire (Edward Cullen) and the problems faced by them as the move forward into a dark romantic world of immortals.

After the happy ending of the depressing episode in the book "New Moon" when Edwards returns to his Bella Swan and promises to let her join the dark but magical world of vampires after marrying her. The book start with a note to Bella from her werewolf best friend Jacob Black telling her he can no longer be friend with her. Jacob Black is a werewolf, an arch enemy of all vampires so he especially hates Bella's vampire boyfriend Edward Cullen. Bella who really loves Jacob as a brother is heart broken an tries to meet him in La-Push (a small reservation near Forks) despite the strong disapproval from Edward. As soon as Bella meets Jacob, Jacob confesses his love for her and tells her to choose him over Edward.

While all this drama is happening, nearby in Seattle a female vampire Victoria is building an army of new born vampires to take out the Cullens family. Victoria holds a grudge against Edward for killing her mate James (this happens in the first book "Twilight") and as a revenge she has decided to kill Edward's mate Bella (we find this out in the second book "New Moon"). With the army of new born vampires she can distract the Cullens while she gets hold of Bella Swan.

In the End Bella chooses Edward over Jacob and Victoria army is taken down by combined team work of the Cullens (vampire) and the Quileute werewolves. Victoria is Killed by Edward and some Volturi guards pay a visit to remind the Cullens of there promise (made in New Moon).

Overall the book is very good, with alot of drama but with very little action. Stephenie Mayer did a wonderful job in creating this beautiful world of Twilight and after reading this you will certainly wish for the next Twilight edition "Breaking Dawn" the final installation of Twilight series.

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The Time Traveler's Wife - Book Review

By Carrie A Stiles

The book The Time Travelers Wife, which is written by Audrey Niffenegger is a book about time traveling and love. The book is about Claire and Henry who meet in her field when she is young. The difference between Claire and Henry is that Henry can time travel and Claire cannot go back in time. Henry has been time traveling since the age of five when he was in an accident with his mom who dies in the accident. Claire waits for Henry and accepts that Henry travels through time and they get married.

Claire's love for Henry is very strong in this book because she is always going about doing her everyday business and waiting for Henry to come back from his time traveling. The couple eventually have a child whose name is Alba. Alba can time travel too like her father and this is an advantage that Alba has over Claire because she can see her father when she time travels unlike her mom who cannot do this.

The time traveling that Henry does finally take a toll on him. Henry eventually has to have his legs amputated because he gets frostbite on his feet. He eventually dies from being shot when he goes back in time. Claire is thirteen years old when Henry is shot by deer hunters because he cannot run. Claire is 38 years old when Henry dies. Claire, Alba, family and friends are there when Henry dies on the floor in Claire and Alba's house.

This is a book that is told in journal form by Henry and Claire which has plots that are tight and the story is told in a way that makes it very interesting to read. Love and science fiction are blended in the book. I did not think I would like this book because of the way the book is told in journal form by Claire and Henry but I was surprised. The book engaged me all the way through while reading it.

This book is a very engaging, good book and a book that makes you feel like you are right there with Claire and Henry as you read the book. Niffenegger's book weaves together fiction and love between two people that can withstand time. Be prepared to have a tissue at the end of the book because the end of the book is a tear jerker.

Carrie loves to read and loves writing reviews on books that she reads. She enjoys reading different varieties of genres.

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Word Up

Word of the Day

Dactylonomy
Dac`tyl·on'o·my • (n.)
The art of numbering or counting by the fingers.

But what if I have to use my toes as well? Is there a word for that too?

Addition by Toni Jordan, A Book Review - Women's Fiction With an Edge

By Joanne P

Quirky. In her debut novel Addition, author Toni Jordan presents enjoyable women's fiction melded with an exploration of obsession and compulsion.

Narrator and protagonist Grace Lisa Vandenburg is a single woman in her thirties who has a peculiar appreciation of numbers. She believes it is numbers that hold the world together and that if she stops counting, her world and the worlds of the people she loves will fall apart. Her obsessive compulsive behaviour is to such an extreme that she counts the number of bristles on her toothbrush and has a formula for the number of bites she must take when eating a piece of food. The reader is introduced to Grace at a point in her life when her obsession has become debilitating in the eyes of the broader community, leaving her unable to hold down a job and living as a recluse.

Where is the enjoyable women's fiction read amongst this sad state of affairs you might ask? First of all, Grace herself does not believe she is the one that has a problem and she is forthright in expressing her confidence in the value of her beliefs. Then, enter from stage left the quintessential love interest Seamus Joseph O'Reilly. What ensues is a battle of sorts in the mind of Grace - a battle between her love of numbers and her love for Seamus.

This novel does not necessarily fit in the dark humour genre, but as a reader I was at times thrown off guard by the humour gained from the protagonist's thoughts and behaviour that were fuelled by her obsessive compulsive disorder. But I enjoy a novel that keeps me on my toes, and that certainly made it an enjoyable audio book to listen to (narration by Caroline Lee). Jordan has boldly presented a different slant on mental illness and poses the question, at what point does uniqueness become an illness? At the same time, this dark exploration is wrapped up in what is essentially a very sweet love story that explores the classic questions of how much must one compromise ones individuality to form a lasting relationship and can the benefits of a relationship outweigh the independence lost?

The Author:

Australian author Toni Jordan came to writing later in life. Jordan first gained a Bachelor's Degree in Science and worked as a research assistant, molecular biologist and quality control chemist before at the age of 38 changing her career path and beginning to study professional writing full time in 2004. Her first novel Addition has been published in Australia, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. She has also written articles for newspapers The Guardian, The Courier-Mail and The Age.

This review, along with many others, appears on my Booklover Book Reviews website (http://www.bookloverbookreviews.com). I read a wide range of fiction genre, from literature and the classics, through to mystery thrillers and chick lit. My reviews convey my honest and frank opinions and do not contain spoilers.

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