I provided a comment about the first romance I ever read, and it’s appearing in a blog post today. Kimber Chin is gathering similar stories for NightOwl Romance, and the blog post is here.
And once you find out what my first romance novel was, pop back here and tell me what your first romance was. It’s only fair!
I’m Deborah and I love writing romance novels that blend emotion, humor, and happily-every-after. I’ve been publishing my stories since 1992 and have written as Claire Delacroix (historical and fantasy romance), Claire Cross (time travel romance and romantic comedy) and myself (paranormal romance and contemporary romance). My goal is to keep you turning the pages, no matter which sub-genre you prefer.
Visit Claire’s website
Deborah Cooke: Author 
5 responses to “First Romance Novel Read”
I read a lot of stories growing up that had some romantic elements particularly Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart and of course Jane Austen. I read The Wolf and the Dove when it came out and while I really enjoyed it, the book which “hooked” me on romance was Roberta Gellis “Bond of Blood”.
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Wow, that’s a hard question. The first one I think I ever read would have been “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier…although that is more of a gothic romance. If memory serves I didn’t like it that much because I got frustrated at the heroine not standing up to the housekeeper and her husband’s lack of support…but then it’s been a very long time since I read it and might have the story confused. I pilfered quite a few of my mum’s harlequins in the early 80’s.
What I would consider my first, (at least the one that started me purchasing them on my own) would be Johanna Lindsey’s “Defy Not the Heart”.
I loved how strong her heroine’s were and have gravitated to books like that ever since.
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Victoria Holt and Johanna Lindsay were definitely two favourites of mine, as well.
I think you are talking about REBECCA, Corinne, which I’d consider to be more a story with romantic elements than a romance. DuMaurier – like Patricia Highgate – did like to leave uncertainties or explore darker issues in her works than is typical in romance.
d
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I have no idea what my first romance book was. I know I read a LOT of Barbara Cartland during my teenage years. Then there was The Flame and the Flower and The Wolf and the Dove.
But I can’t name names. Waaayyyy too long ago and too many books in between.
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You know, I don’t think I’ve ever read Barbara Cartland. Strange but true. The books I stole from my mother’s shelf were all the small Harlequin Romances – Violet Winspear and Charlotte Lamb are two authors whose names I remember. They were so sweet that I don’t really think of them as romances – I’d read maybe four pages out of each one! – the big historicals, though, were the ones that really caught my imagination.
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