Romance with a Twist
By Faith Blum
The next two books in my series are the most interconnected books in the series and they are also romances…kind of. Partly for research and partly because I enjoy a good romance novel once in awhile, I’ve read quite a few romance novels. Some were, ahem, too romantic and I skipped a lot of the book. Others were very good, and some were well-written and exciting, but very unrealistic.
As I tried to figure out why I had such a problem with the books I had read, I started to notice the theme in every. Single. Book! (with a very few exceptions). Each book had the same basic formula.
- Hero meets heroine.
- Heroine and/or hero fall instantly in love.
- They fight their attraction (this includes the magic sizzle whenever they accidentally touch).
- One or both have some sort of past that they have to deal with and don’t want the other person to know about.
- The past catches up with them and either a. the hero saves the day, or b. the heroine is kidnapped by the hero’s enemy and the hero saves the day.
- During the tragedy/danger, the hero and heroine suddenly realize that no matter what happened in the past, they can’t live without each other. Especially now that one of them is on death’s door.
- The person on death’s door miraculously heals and the happy couple get married.
- They live happily ever after. (Sometimes, this isn’t always the case, especially in a series when they sometimes have struggles of some sort).
*yawn* When does this usually happen in real life? When I read a romance, I like to feel what the characters feel, but I also like to know that it is possible to have some of this happen in real life. I know it is fiction, but do we really have to fictionalize every detail of the story?
This brings me to why I chose to write romance novels in my series. First, because it made sense for the storylines I came up with. Second, because I wanted to show that it is possible to write a good romance without the characters feeling an instant connection the first time they meet and/or touch. Third, I wanted to write a romance where the hero and heroine fall in love and know they are in love without some sort of kidnapping, injury, or other bad thing happening before they realize how in love they really are.
“Be Thou My Vision” and “Amazing Grace” are not only interconnected story-wise, but they are both also romances with different kinds of twists. “Be Thou My Vision” is a romance where the two characters meet, become friends, and then eventually start courting. “Amazing Grace” is a mail order bride story, but that part is also a slight twist from the normal mail order bride plots.
What do you think of my ideas of romance with a twist? Do you agree or disagree with me about how romances today are written?
Preorder link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NF3QV52
Book Blurb
The church was empty when I dragged myself out of the pew and headed out the door. As I opened the door, the corner of my eye caught a flicker of movement which I chose to ignore. I walked down the steps and was nearly bowled over by two wild boys. With arms grown strong and quick from man-handling two brothers growing up, I grabbed the two boys before they had a chance to escape me.
Anna Stuart is comfortable with her life. She may be a 30 year old spinster, but she has her routine and enjoys taking care of her father and older brother. One letter shatters all her routines, comfort, and enjoyment. After learning of her brother’s death, Anna feels like her life will never be the same again.
Then she meets two motherless boys. Did God place them in her life to lead her to a new vision of life? Can she trust God to give her the desires of her heart before she even knows what they are?
About the Author
An avid 
reader, Faith Blum started writing at an early age. Whether it was a story about the camping trip that summer or a more creative story about fictional characters, she has always enjoyed writing. When not writing, Miss Blum enjoys reading, crafting, playing piano, leading on the Holy Worlds Christian Writing Forum and playing games with her family (canasta, anyone?). As a history enthusiast who has been fascinated for years with the Old West, Faith has endeavored to create a clean, fun, and challenging Western story. Faith lives with her family on a hobby farm in the Northern Midwest, where she enjoys the many cats they have.
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Giveaway
To enter the giveaway for an Advanced Reader copy of Be Thou My Vision and an ebook copy of Aundy by Shanna Hatfield go to Faith’s blog and leave a comment to either ask her a question, or make a comment about what you think about the article.
