Historical Romance Books by Red Brick Media

Find out what's behind the name of Red Brick Media?  There's a story about why I have a thing for bricks.  Follow the links below for further detail behind to podcast or visit the link to the original post to see more.

Prostitution and brothels were at their heyday, and they served a  purpose to meet the needs of men both rich and poor. After all, marriage was an institution for producing children; prostitutes and mistresses were for pleasure. The brothel was a place of relaxation for men and accepted as normal practice in society.

As an avid reader of historical romance, you are on the finished side of  creative work. Have you ever considered what it is like to be the creator of that story you hold?  Here are some brutally honest thoughts on what it’s like to write a book, and why it consists of a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. 

Book reviews are important to authors. From accolades to one star they serve a purpose beyond feedback of a story. Reviews are an essential means by which authors can promote their books.  Without them, they are lost in a digital sea of ebooks.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://historical-romances.com/2021/03/31/reviews-important-authors/

What is it with this new trend from big house traditional publishers of cartoon-type covers?  Frankly, I cringe at the sight of them and wonder why they are pushing this change?  What are your thoughts?  Cartoons for historical romance or beautifully designed artwork with cover models?  

Here are examples:

The Duke of Undone - Amazon https://amzn.to/3vY5WOi

To Love and to Loathe - Amazon https://amzn.to/31lYX3D

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://historical-romances.com/2021/03/25/cover-trends/

Historical romance authors, if they follow the rules, end books in  similar ways giving a happily-ever-after ending to readers.  Who wants  to read about divorce in a romance novel?  However, I’m a diehard researcher that always looks at a situation from every angle, so I took  the time to discover the truth about marriage and divorce.

Everything in the Victorian era seemed to be dictated by proper etiquette. Weddings were no different. There were rules about fashion, the time to wed, and the reception. Here are a few short, but interesting facts.

Do you judge a book by its cover?  Historical romance covers have been works of art in decades past, but new trends are emerging among publishers.  Let's take a look at what makes a great cover, how they are designed, and what influences readers to purchase a book.

We rate our author promotions with heat level indexes to help readers choose a book.  Some like kisses and hugs.  Some like it much hotter.  However, the topic of consent is huge these days.  Long gone are the bodice-rippers who don't ask beforehand.  Authors are becoming more aware of the need to write sex scenes with care.

For historical romance readers, we now have the chance to travel back in time to find romance and love between the pages.  How we get there can be as interesting as the stories themselves -- time machines, portals, fast cars, telephone booths, jumping off a bridge, rowboats, or touching monolith-looking stones in Scotland.  Whatever the transport medium, we experience a rush, finding ourselves in another world that leaves behind our cell phones, computers, modern-day problems, but perhaps we still hold onto our Kindles as we dream about being there.

Marriage was big business, and both parties had much to lose if one broke the engagement. Losses did not involve mere matters of the heart but the promise of fortunes gained and lost.  What did men and women often do when the other party broke the engagement?  Well, they sued one another for breach of promise of marriage.

The Dashwood Sisters.  Could there be anything more entertaining than these two women?  They are as different as night and day and both on a  pursuit for husbands. Elinor bears everything with quiet decorum and sense. Marianne is outspoken and seeks the thrills of romantic fellowship with no sense at all.  Oh, how I love Jane Austen's characters!

“An English lady without her piano, or her pencil, or her fancy work, or her favorite French authors and German poets, is an object of wonder, and perhaps of pity.”

Chapter Six is another fascinating look into life in 1872 as penned by someone who lived during the time period.  In order to be a member of good society, young ladies should possess other skills besides dancing.

What does it take to be considered an accomplished woman?  Listen and find out.

Reader complaints abound.  Why are historical romance books in the top one-hundred bestseller list of historical fiction? The same can be said about the bestseller historical romance category. Why are family sagas, paranormal, and other historical fiction books on that list?  How can readers find what they are looking for?  It's a problem of category choice.

This is Vicki Hopkins, your host of historical romance books. Well, it’s really not me because this post is being voiced by the computer at Anchor Podcasts owned by Spotify. Her name is Remy. I’m not exactly the most articulate individual when it comes to speaking, so I’m using this great feature.

The quote above comes from my favorite discovery, which is a book entitled, "The Habits of Good Society: A Handbook for Ladies and Gentlemen" by an unknown author, originally published in 1872.

It appears the sun never sets on the British Empire of historical romance.  Setting books outside of England can be risky business, and as the best-selling books on Amazon indicate, most historical romances remain on English soil.

I enjoy watching period dramas with romantic scenes of waltzes. Some of my favorites are from The Young Victoria, War & Peace, Cinderella the movie, and Crimson Peak. They look so romantic with women in gorgeous gowns being swung around the ballroom by handsome men.  The Habits of Good Society, written by an unknown author in 1872, has much to say about the subject.  Have you read any historical romance books lately with a ballroom scene?

Welcome to a historical tidbit!  Historical romance books often go beyond the reality of the times.  What was it like being a woman in the Victorian Era?  Frankly, it was difficult and often unromantic, as I discovered in Joan Perkin's book entitled, "Victorian Women."

Why are we so critical of heroines? What is it about women who are harsh on other women – even if it’s just a make-believe character with no flesh, bones, or soul?  Is it because women relate more closely with their gender than they do with men?  

A genre is a category of artistic composition such as writing.  Historical romance is a popular genre that has been the mainstream of romance novels for many years.

There is a dark side to the historical romance genre.  It’s Gothic romance, which doesn’t always give the reader a happily-ever-after ending. Born centuries ago, the genre flourished in late 18th and 19th  century England. They were dark tales, often with a supernatural backdrop, set in creepy houses, castles, or ruins.

Let’s face it, ladies.  We are drowning in dukes!  Is there a hidden code that only best-selling romance novels must be duke-focused?  Is this the only peerage that can sweep us away into the fantasy land of romance?

The perfect hero in historical romance. Is there one? What fantasy do readers want? In reality, as much as we are filled with fanciful and romantic thoughts, there probably isn’t a perfect man.

First Published in December of 2017, I asked myself this question.  If you ever get to know me personally, you will soon find out that I  love to analyze just about anything.  My question for the day is what makes a great historical romance book? To answer that question, I turned toward one-star reviews left on books written by famous historical romance authors to discover the biggest complaints.