Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
::SIGH:: Love is in the air…
or at least between the pages of some really great books.
Out of sheer curiosity, I asked some of our authors to weigh in on some of their all-time FAVORITE book couples and romantic storylines. I loved their answers so much that I figured you all might too! After reading their responses, do us a favor and please leave us a comment about YOUR favorite book romances – we are always in the market to read another great love story!
xoxo,
Inky
1. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy – I know, I know! It’s a total cliché! BUT I LOOOOOOVE THEM. Like looove them. She’s so snarky (for her time) and kind of rambles on when she should shut it. And he shuts it when you want to shake him and make him say something. They’re such a good balance. <3 It’s a classic for a reason…
2. Benedick and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing – Okay, so I’m going classic again… And I guess it’s not a book but a play… I’m such a rule breaker. 😉 But I seriously love this play. So much. And their romance is so hilarious and awesome. I love the quick trade of wits in Act 1.
I mean, of course they’re going to be perfect for each other. Right?! And I love how picky Beatrice says she is, when she’s so clearly totally into Benedick. She’s basically amazing, and only Benedick is a match for her.
3. Kahlan Amnel and Richard Cypher aka Richard Rahl from The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind. Switching gears for this one! Richard and Kahlan are like the ultimate power couple. Apart they’re awesome, but together?! Holy shitballs. You do not want to go up against them! I’ve reread the series a TON of times. LOVE IT SO MUCH. And a big part of the reason I love it, is becuase of Richard and Kahlan’s romance. They found love when they didn’t expect it and fought hard to keep it. Against huge odds. If you haven’t read or heard of Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth Series, but dig Game of Thrones–check it out. (Especially if GOT leaves you wanting more romance!) I like it much better than GOT. And I read GOT back when no one had ever heard of it… 😉
1. Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen) — Like real romances, which can in real life be rife with misunderstandings, Elizabeth and Darcy show that love can be messy and may not happen so suddenly. It is a complex and ever-changing relationship that builds over time. I’ve read Pride and Prejudice at least fifty times, and even though I know they are going to get together in the end -the will they/won’t they dynamic and fiery banter still keeps on the edge of my seat until the very last page!
2. Heathcliff and Cathy (Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte) — Wuthering Heights, the gothic tale of the all-consuming love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw on the Yorkshire moors, has to be one of the most romantic books EVER. I mean with dialogue like this, “Be with me always – take any form – drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!”—-you can’t go wrong!
(Editor Interjection: If you haven’t already, YOU MUST WATCH the PBS Masterpiece Classic version of Wuthering Heights with Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley. Holy. Freakin. Moley. Yeah, you can thank me later! 😏)
3. Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery) — I think L.M. Montgomery may have taken a play out of Jane Austin’s book when she created two characters that start out hating one another only to eventually fall in love. Even still, I find myself coming back to the Anne of Green Gables series again and again-just to re-experience their romance.
4. Gigi Goldstein and Perry Gillman (The Campfire Series) — Okay, so I know I am biased here, but I really have fallen in love with the slow build of Gigi and Perry’s relationship and the ongoing push and pull of their dynamic. When I am writing their dialogue or scenes, I root for them to work it out just as much as the reader does! Hopefully the series ending will be satisfying for any fans of their story.
1. Claire and Jamie Fraser from the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Jamie Fraser is my dream man, but if I can’t have him then I want him to be with Claire. An intelligent and resourceful woman who falls in love with him so completely, she’s willing to risk her life (and travel through time) to be with him again. These two are the definition of soul mates.
2. Jennifer and Royce Westmoreland from A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught. Two very strong-willed people who fall in love against the odds in the Age of Chivalry. The friction between Jennifer and Royce is electric.
3. Bella and Zsadist from Lover Awakened by J. R. Ward. It takes a special female to love a complicated guy like Zsadist, but Bella is strong, beautiful, and more than capable of taming one of the most dangerous vampire warriors in the Brotherhood. Their romance is a raw, gritty Beauty and the Beast style story that will leave you breathless.
Lola Dodge:
1. Anne & Gilbert from LM Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series. They started out so rough and became so inevitable. I love how Anne really lived her life before she realized her soul mate was right there with her.
2. Alanna & George from Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series. This was the first series I read that had a real romance and again, I loved how Alanna lived her life and did all the heroic things before realizing her soulmate was right there with her. (Is this a pattern?!)
3. Rhage & Mary from JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series. I love this series and it’s hard to pick just one couple, but I love how well Rhage and Mary mesh and couldn’t stop reading as they overcame some crazy hurdles to being together.
