August is romance awareness month so move over February and Valentines day because romance celebration is here!

Caro, Trisy and I have teamed up for a series of collab posts to guide you through all that is romance!

Today we give you our Top Reasons Why You Should Read Romance!

The romance genre is often looked down on and thought to be full of Mummy Porn or Bodice Rippers (thanks for that term Sophie!) But you know what, so what if it is?! I like what I like so let us tell you why (and why you should read it too!)

Caroline’s reasons

Escapism – get lost, figuratively!
When you’ve finished a hard days work, battled through traffic, made food, washed up, put the washing on and put the kids to bed, you can lose yourself in a dramatic and romantic read!

It means I can escape the humdrum of normal life and get lost in someone’s else’s! Experience things that would never happen in my life in probably a million years….but I can escape and read it for others!

Different types of love. 
M/F, M/M, F/F, menage, harem, historical, dark, paranormal, billionaires, motorcycle clubs, step brothers, enemies to lovers, werewolves, people with secret powers…..I could go on and on but it’s all out there and the best thing…….everyone falls in love!

Spice up your life!
Borrowing that term from the Spice Girls, we can’t leave this post without mentioning ‘sexy times’ can we?! My friend (and yes, not me, my actual friend!) gets, ermm, ideas to spice things up in the bedroom from romance books which thankfully have never led to any hospitalisations!

My reasons

I need HEA! And in romance you always get the HEA. Life is hard enough and with bumps and hole so let me dream of a happy ever after.

It’s better than prozac and cheaper.

Romance is cathartic! I get to cry, snicker and swoon with the best excuse : “Sorry! It’s the book! It’s so sad/funny/romantic …”

I feel way better after I have read “the end” and that’s not thanks to a pricey shrink!

Romance is sneaky! Under the pretense of a light read because it’s “only” romance, you can learn tons of new things! And not only the best moves between the sheets like Caro said above (even if, yes, that’s something you can always get inspired by ;-)) but you can learn about mind manipulation (dark romance); old cooking recipe (historical romance); what being gay/bi/trans etc really entails (LGBTQ) ; PTSD (military romance or) etc. Depending on the author’s choice of sub topic you will be even more educated.

It’s an ice breaker! Romance is the genre making the most money, thriller being a close second. That means that there are tons of romance readers around the world and that it must be easy to find other like minded people to talk about your favorite books! At worst, you’ll have people looking at you funny and condescendingly and you’ll be able to unleash your inner beast to put them in their place and you’ll feel way better after! Again, without medication or costly health professionals!

I came to the conclusion that it’s not “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” but “a romance a day keeps the doctor away”. 

Trisy’s reasons

Hey y’all! This is Trisy and here’s 5 reasons why I read romance (and why you should give it a chance too!)

1. I LOVE…LOVE! Ok, I realize this sounds hokey or cheeky but honestly, this my #1 reason to read romance! We’re all human and most people, whether they be man or woman, old or young, yearn for…long for love. That fleeting touch from another person, the basic need to be acknowledged, to be hugged, to be understood, to be respected…the CONNECTION that you make with someone else. I adore reading about that!

2. The Happily Ever After! I’m sure Caro and Sophie and every other romance reader would agree that having that happy ending is so darn satisfying. Like having a present all wrapped up in a big, fat bow!

3. The Giddy Tingle! I’m 45 and I got married to Mr. A. 25 years ago but I still remember the rush I felt, the butterflies in the pit of my belly when I met and then fell in love. Romance allows me to capture that feeling time and time again!

4. The Daydream! I may be 45 but I’m not dead! When I read a romance novel, in my mind, I can become the heroine or the hero. I can be the nurse who falls for a smart doctor or a princess who falls for a thief. I can be tall, short, blonde, redheaded, young, old and I can be romanced by a tattooed biker, a regal king, a stalwart lawyer…the possibilities are endless!

5. Cheap Therapy! Call it escapism or whatever but I’ll tell you that after my hubby passed, I spent 3 full months buried in romance books. I turned to my favorite authors and titles and re-read entire series. Reading about the characters and their various escapades was like talking to old and dear friends. It gave me hope, it gave me comfort and I’m not sure that I can get “all the feels” from any other genre! 

Do you recognize some of your reasons above?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie