Tier Ranking Popular Historical Romance Tropes

Dear Amanda, Well, it’s April. And according to Chaucer, that’s when we’re supposed to think about two things: love and hierarchies. Since my last few posts have been heavy on the history, I thought I’d do something more fun. Namely, I thought I’d find a list of popular (historical) romance tropes and tier rank them

Scoundrels, Rogues, and Other Bad Boys

Dear Amanda, After my post on Sad Boys went up, you texted me saying that you were enjoying my “taxonomy of male romance leads” and requested I do scoundrels next. It was a good suggestion – after all, there are plenty of romances with “scoundrel” or “rogue” in the title, so there must be a

Sad Boys

Dear Amanda, I was quite surprised that my clip about whether or not Anthony Bridgerton was a Sad BoyTM made it onto Twitter. We were talking about the topic while recording PosPop, but the full conversation didn’t make the final cut; so, I thought I’d take some time to explore it in more detail here.

Rakes

Dear Amanda, The other day, we were talking with our friends on PosPop about the stock character of the rake, and I wanted to delve a little more into the topic than our conversation had time for. Rakes are everywhere in romance. You’ve probably seen countless titles with the word “rake” in them, from Sarah

What Refractory Period?

“This is supposed to go away after […] But it doesn’t. Not with you, wife.“ Kerrigan Byrne, The Highwayman Dear Amanda, This will be a short(er) one, I promise. Have you every read a romance novel and the male hero climaxes not once, but twice or more within the span of a few minutes? For

That’s Not How Hymens Work

Unable to hold back any longer, Neil pushed past the barrier and, using all the discipline he had, held still. Olivia wasn’t sure she cared for this part; he was big, he felt foreign, and the push that had taken him past her virginity hurt. Beverly Jenkins, Something Like Love Dear Amanda, Why don’t people

Sexy War Wounds or Diverse Representation? Disabled Veterans in Regency England

Dear Amanda, Have you ever read a romance novel where the hero is disabled? Maybe he’s blind (as in Theresa Romain’s Fortune Favors the Wicked). Maybe he has an old war wound – likely in his leg – that requires him to use a cane (as in Rose Lerner’s Sweet Disorder). Maybe he even has

Is Scottish Culture Fetishized in Highlander Romances?

His burr was thick and his appearance far more primitive than any man she’d ever seen, English or otherwise. A Highlander. Paula Quinn, Ravished By a Highlander Dear Amanda, This post requires a bit of a story. I used to work as the editorial assistant for a medieval studies journal, and part of my job