John Tesh said half of the books sold are romance books. First off he has that figure wrong. It's closer to 75%. But then he went on to trash romance books because one psychologist said that romance books cause most of the problems with marriages. ??? Because the relationships in romance books aren't realistic women feel their spouses aren't up to snuff.
Excuse me! Are there that many gullible people out there that they take FICTION for fact? Are we such a dumb society that we believe there are men out there that behave like the fantasy heroes we romance writers make up? Granted we do model our heroes after a male we admire or love. And I'm sure there are men like the heroes in our books. But they are few and far between.
But what also bothered me is romance writers work hard at putting obstacles between the hero and heroine in the books. That's how we build tension and make the reader wonder if the two will have a happy ever after. Shouldn't women reading romance books not compare their husbands to the heroes but see that love isn't something that magically appears and makes life happy and grand. Love is something that sparks an interest but must be tended and worked for. You can't have a relationship that is all roses. There are hard times, and if you truly love the person, you work to find a way to stay together and keep the sparks alive. Not abandon ship the minute the perfume dies on the rose.
Romance books are about building a relationship that can stand the test of time.
What are your thoughts on romance? Do you believe everything you read in a romance book or do you realize they are fiction and for your enjoyment?
