When a Romance Isn't a Romance

There is something I’ve noticed with movies and books coming out labeled as romances. Mostly, they aren’t romances. Warning: Major spoilers ahead for ‘The World to Come’.

Call me old-fashioned, but I was brought up to think that in order for something to be called a romance, it had to have a happy ending. If there wasn’t an HEA, it was a romantic tragedy, a romantic thriller, or something of the like. Why is it, then, that I was sold on a movie that claimed to be a romance and ended with a main character dying?

‘The World to Come’ is a period drama about two women finding love in the 1850’s. Yes, on most sites, it’s listed as a drama, but on the back of the DVD case (which is all that I checked) it says that it’s a romance. I trusted that it was a romance. And I felt deceived.

The women are torn apart once their love affair is unearthed and then one of the women is murdered for what she’s done. Top it off with the ending, where the living woman resolves to live her life, but to always hold on to her lover’s memory in a very unhealthy way, and this movie had me in tears.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a fantastic movie. The scenery was unbelievable and it didn’t have a large cast but was cast well. There were lines of pure poetry that had me hanging onto every word. I wanted to see how it all unfolded but, because of that little bit on the back stating that the film’s genre was romance, I was secure in the belief that they would end up to together.

I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal and maybe I’m blowing it out of proportion, but it’s been a consistent happening. I remember when the movie ‘Last Christmas’ came out, advertised as a rom-com Christmas movie but ended in similar tragedy. The entire romance community was up in arms for false advertisement, which I whole-heartedly agree that it was.

And that’s not even to mention LGBTQ+ movies. Why do they all have to be tragic? More on that in a future post, but I’d like to know your thoughts!

Romance is a genre meant to make you feel good. It’s escapism at its finest, intertwining every other genre out there to create a universe of happy stories. In a sense, our trust has been betrayed. Our safety stripped from us. This post is simply to call attention to the problem and see if anyone else agrees. As for me, I can swear to each and every reader that my books will all contain happily ever after’s or happy for now’s for my main characters.

 

Love always,

Lori Fayre

Burnout and Taking a Break

Some of you might have noticed that I was absent for the past couple of months. This is nothing new – I’ve struggled with keeping a working schedule since I became a writer. Add that to my annoyance at social media, and you have the perfect recipe for inconsistency. But, this time, it wasn’t life problems getting in the way or a massive case of writer’s block. This time, it was simply burnout.

So, I took some time. I reprioritized and I absolutely did not write anything. It was only after a month of not writing that I realized how much I missed it. I wanted to write and talk about writing and read about writing. I missed my writing community on social media (even if posting on a regular schedule is a chore).

This small blog post has been to let you know that I am back and I love writing! My next book is in the works and I’m ready to share it. Another thing to take away is that it’s okay to take a break when you’re burnt out. It doesn’t mean the journey’s over or you should give up. It simply means that you should put it on the shelf, take a rest, and if it’s what you truly love, you’ll be thrilled to get back into it when the time is write!

The Fall by Claudia Dain, A Review

Since I’m trying to be a little more present, I thought I would try something a little different today, something that I haven’t done in a while. Ladies and gentleman, it’s time for a book review!

It’s been some time since the reading bug has hit me. I’ve recently finished Jonathan Van Ness’ autobiography, Over the Top, and it was a beautiful piece that I will recommend to anyone. But, I am a romance author and this is a blog centered around romance books, so my review is not for dear Jonathan’s book.

This review is for The Fall by Claudia Dain. 

What an astounding piece of work! Here’s the blurb…

England, 1165. Juliane: they call her Lady of Frost. Though she is beautiful beyond description, she turns men cold and they wither under her gaze. She was once married, but her husband could not rise to do his manly deed, and so the marriage was annulled. She has remained unmoved and untouched since that day.

Ulrich of Caen, a knight loose upon the Earth, searching for a place upon it, searching for a home and a wife with nothing but a name for seduction to bring to the marriage bond. It is not enough to win him a wife. Unless that wife be a woman who can turn aside all seductions and render a man empty of passion.

It is upon this ground they meet, one legend against another. Romance was a game to them, a subject of wagers and taunts, and nothing could come of it. He had no land to give a woman. She had no warmth to give a man.

But in their games of seduction and mockery, Juliane fears she is close to falling in love, and falling in love is the most dangerous thing a woman can do.

 

My thoughts.

It was such a unique read! Set in a medieval time period, Claudia Dane has written it so that every sentence, every description, every word sems ripped from history. One word to describe it? Immersive. Another word? Erotic. Throughout. Sometimes, a little overly so. I mean, it is a book about erections.

In all seriousness, it was such a good read, one that I finished in two days. Ulrich could be a little overbearing, but he was a true honorable knight at heart. Juliane was a new type of heroine, one who was protected by her legend and had no reason to fear any man in a time when that was what most women did. On that note…

Trigger warning: It might be a little spoiler-y and I do apologize, but I wish there had been some sort of warning for me. Yes, I would have still read the book, but it would have been nice to know beforehand. There is a rape scene. It is a little disturbing, not overly descriptive, but there it was. And, before anyone says anything, it did contribute to the plot and wasn’t just there for shock value. And, remember, this is a romance so there’s a happy ending!

Would I recommend it?

If you like erotic romance, the slower burn and then super steamy, melting kind, then yes!