Welcome to Romance Raves

Hi my name is Shaleigh, and I love to read romance novels...

Is that so hard to admit? Come on, give it a try, you know you want to.

After years of being ashamed of my decidedly unintellectual reading tastes I've decided to come out of the literary closet - I'm a perfectly normal, happy young woman with a great education and a good job and I love to read romances. I read hundreds of books each year including everything from soft, weepy southern tales in the style of Nora Roberts to fast moving futuristic tales of paranormal romance like those of J.R. Ward or Sherrilyn Kenyon and while I definitely have my favourites (and not so favourites) I love the fact that there is a genre that is all about falling in love.

Now don't get me wrong, I know the difference between fantasy and reality, I know that the storybook endings and improbably fantastic sex probably aren't in the cards for most of us but I'm okay with that. I have a busy life and a bright mind and when I have time for a book I really don't feel like reading a deep weighty tome that will leave my head spinning. I want something that I can dive into, fall in love with and just lose myself in for a few hours. That's why I read romance. Before I post my thoughts on today's book I'd like to take a moment to invite you to post your thoughts on what draws you to the fastest-growing but most ridiculed and least respected genre of literature that we all (secretly) love to read.

I know at this point you're probably wondering why on earth I feel the need to start a blog like this. To be perfectly honest, I'm tired of taking my pile of books to the checkout counter at the bookstore or library and watching the censure spread across the clerk's face as they realize that I'm reading such mindless tripe (their words not mine). I want to feel free to talk about the books I've found and solicit the opinions of others without feeling the need to blush or defend my choices. Most importantly I want to make it easier for other readers to find great books and authors that might otherwise have gone unnoticed because of the secretive, hush-hush attitude most of us adopt towards our favorite books. If you read a review and it reminds you of a book you once loved or hated feel free to post your comment, with any luck it will be something new for me to pick up and read.

Okay, enough of the boring introductory stuff, let's get on to the reason you are here - the books. Most of what I read tends to fall into the contemporary or paranormal romance genres right now but I am an open-minded, voracious reader and over the years I've consumed many books in pretty much every sub-genre of romance I've found. If I'm concentrating too much on a particular genre, feel free to let me know and I'll see if I can't add a little bit of spice to the mix next time.

Thanks and happy reading!