What is the most romantic thing anybody has done for you?

August is National Romance Awareness Month, touted as a time to reinvigorate your relationship. You may think that February is the month of romance, but August gets a nod because of the summer-time opportunities for vacations, fun and new experiences (at least in my hemisphere!)

August is almost over, but you can always celebrate your romance. The focus of this month is on simple gestures and ways to share your love and appreciation: say, “I love you”, cook a favorite food, wash your spouse’s car, or write a love note.

I don’t know what this says about me, but when I think of Romance, my first thought is Romance books and all the genres of romance. Ok, my first thought really is Tiffany, and then I think of books. Rom Com, and chick lit, are my favorites I the romance world, but there is a range of romance- from Amish romance to Erotic Romance.

Seventy-eight per cent of us consider romance in a relationship very important, a statistic that may explain the extraordinary success of romance novels. According to the Romance Writers of America, romance novels account for well over 50 percent of mass-market paperback fiction sold in the United States.

Many of you know there is a formula and pattern for a book to qualify as a romance novel. According to the RWA, the plot must revolve about two people as they develop romantic love for each other and work to build a relationship. This developing relationship is the main plot. A romance novel must also have an “emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending”, the “Happy Ever After”.

Not too long ago, I was browsing to find a movie to stream and I chose Under the Greenwood Tree, which had been on BBC. I was attracted to the promise of romance in the English countryside.  The show was based on the book by Thomas Hardy. He published Under the Greenwood Tree: A Rural Painting of the Dutch School anonymously in 1872. This was his second novel.

romance…150 years ago

The plot concerns the inhabitants of the Mellstock parish and the arrival of the new schoolmistress, Fancy Day. Young Dick, a poor tradesman, falls head over heels for Fancy, but soon the new vicar and a rich farmer also vie to be her suitor. Fancy must sort it all out. And she does, in time for a happy ending wedding.

Under the Greenwood Tree- a romance novel?

“What do we have here, Thomas Hardy?” I said at the charming conclusion. “Why, we have a Romance Novel, milord! Written almost 150 years ago!”

Many of you are ready to chime in and tell me that Jane Austen also wrote romance novels. Jane Austen certainly wrote in the Romantic Period and her books have happy endings, but the love story in her books may not always be central. Others say that romance-type stories can be found in the works of the ancient Greeks. I’m sure we can agree that love and romance have always been popular!

Happy Romance Awareness Month! Take a moment to plan a “meet-cute” with your true love, browse the Tiffany website, or read a romance novel.

Let’s talk about romance.

We’ll start with…what’s your favorite romance novel, or Jane Austen book? Any Thomas Hardy fans?