and then he kissed her by laura lee guhrke

They've happened enough in books where if the book is still well-written and entertaining, I'll still enjoy it, even if I tend to think it's a little unrealistic. You know, the Hero is gazing dispassionately across a crowded ballroom and spots the Heroine and is immediately struck by Catastrophic Upheavals of Unheard-of Emotions. That is, while they occur so often in romance that I don't automatically mark a book as bad if it has these elements, in novels where they don't occur it's a pleasant surprise. The Word: There are a few plot elements that aren't my favourite but that I've come to see as the norm in some forms of Regency romance. One Persnickety Aunt who Influences from Beyond the Grave Romance Convention ChecklistOne Lonely Spinster Marlowe: Hurrah! Ah well, might as well get married, too.

Marlowe: Good Lord! Who knew backbones could be so sexy? Know what's also sexy?Įmma: Screw chocolate and seduction! I want sex! Marlowe: Er, not for us, feel free to try other markets! - *flees*Įmma: And you're selfish, careless, and a liar! Plus, it turns out ladies actually LIKE reading my stuff so now I'm insanely successful! Marlowe: Let's see - Miss Dove, did you send the diamonds to my ex-mistress? The sapphires to my sister? The printing list to my editors? Since that betrayal, he has no intention of marrying again. The Rub: He and his family have been in disgrace ever since he spent five years petitioning Parliament to divorce his adulterous wife who ran off to America with her lover. He has instincts for what sells and what doesn't, and cannot imagine what his dull, sober secretary could possibly write that could sell.

The Dude: Viscount Harrison 'Harry' Marlowe - one of the only members of the Peerage not in debt, because he happens to be the owner of a successful publishing company.

as well as a life of dull spinsterhood living alone with her cat. The Rub: Her upbringing (by her cold father, and then later her affectionate, if rigid, aunt) has since been so strict that she has emerged with flawless manners and an encyclopedic memory for the rules of proper conduct. She makes his publishing company run smoother, buys send-off gifts for his mistresses, and can do just about anything.except get Marlowe to publish her manuscripts on etiquette. The Chick: Emma Dove, a thirty-year-old girl-bachelor who's spent five years as the incredibly efficient, meticulously proper, and woefully under appreciated secretary to wealthy publisher Viscount Marlowe.

And then he kissed her by laura lee guhrke