Following Reviewers
I started paying attention to romance book reviewers beyond simple book recommendations because some day I’m going to be asking them to review my books, and I wanted to understand that side of publishing. I now find myself captivated by several reviewers mostly for their fun and insightful content. These kindred spirits have become my invaluable go-to guides.
Right now Carmen Reads Romance is one of my faves. Call me a geek, but she posts informative clips about the history of the romance genre on IG (#romancenovelhistory). I am learning so much. Two recent posts that had me enthralled and eager to read more include her coverage of Beverly Jenkins and Jayne Anne Krantz.
Beverly Jenkins is a best selling author whose work features the African American experience in her historical romances. I was shocked to discover that African Americans did not appear as heroes and heroines in the romance genre before the 1990s. Beverly Jenkins changed that in 1994 with her book Nightsong, which featured a Kansas school teacher and a Calvary officer. Jenkins featured characters that included female doctors and prosperous entrepreneurs based on her own historical research, and she included her research as source material in her books. Check out Carmen’s clip about Jenkins here (to hear all this information in a far more concise delivery).
““Because we can’t tell others about our accomplishments if we don’t know them ourselves.””
I was also floored to discover that sci-fi and romance didn’t come together until the 1980s. Jayne Anne Krantz kicked off the sci-fi subgenre of romance with her Sweet Starfire novel in 1986 (#scifiromance). Likening these stories to historical romances set in other worlds, she also wrote historical romance under the name Amanda Quick and later she introduced paranormal romance to her repertoire and published as Jayne Castle.
Carmen has a whole slew of clips that bring the romance genre and its history and evolution into a new light for. And they are treat to listen to.
I’ve been following Romantically Inclined for a while. Kate LeBeau’s clips are super fun, and she loves sci-fi and monster romance, so naturally I love her. Recently, she’s been obsessing over Ice Planet Barbarians, which remains one of my favorite series, so right now I double adore her.
The positive energy in her work is probably one of the things that drew me to her reviews, since she only reviews books she loves, and she has a broad taste in the books she covers. I find I have to really work at figuring out where the reviewer is coming from when the review is negative, and often they can just be unnecessarily and non-productively mean. A review that bolsters an author serves everyone far better than tearing one down for sometimes suspect reasons. And a thoughtful and well-crafted review, can help a reader figure out if that’s the book for them.
To add to that, on her blog, she has posted an interesting interview series called The Secret Lives of Male Romance Readers where she features male romance fans. “Because,” according to LeBeau, “the more other men realize that men CAN AND DO read romance the less the stigma that romances are exclusively for women lives on.” Right on!
When I started reading book reviewers on Instagram, I thought I’d be finding new and interesting titles, and I have been. But I am also discovering histories, inclusive perspectives, and a new respect for book lovers committed to sharing their love of this complex and fascinating genre.