I am in my 40s, have a loving husband and two beautiful teenagers
and I do not have any qualm about admitting that I enjoy reading romantic
novels.
I am a voracious reader and I tend to spread my romance
reading in between psychological thrillers, murder novels and historical
fiction. Switching around gives me a break between genres. A Romantic novel is
like the dessert at the end of a meal.
Romance sneaked its way into my life during my teenage years,
when I first met the ‘tall, dark and handsome’ hero in the Mills & Boon
books. The hero became my constant companion. These books were an integral part
of my growing up days - a friend during the summer vacations. Every time I
would see a new M & B at the local library in my neighborhood, my heart would
race and I would issue the book immediately.
You know that age; the one where you read all those illicit and
steamy romances under the covers because you are curious and you also don't
want your parents to catch you. During school days not wanting to let my
parents know I would hide M&B in my textbooks and pretend to be studying. However,
during my college years I could read them openly but the fun of reading them
secretly was more exciting.
Every M & B book had a fixed formula. A hero who is
aggressive and rich; the heroine, a damsel in distress doing secondary jobs is
a beautiful virgin and submissive to the hero in every way. What really caught
my fancy was the witty repartees between the two. Though the plots are
repetitive, I enjoyed the ‘happily ever after’ and the simplicity of the
writing style.
The raddi shops in my neighborhood have been my best source
of supply of these books. They had amazing collection. You can either buy the book
second-hand or read and return it back to the shop for a nominal fee.
Over the years many romantic novels have been written and
read but the M&B would still be very special for me.
To sum it up my point of view is that romance has no age.
The desire to escape into an illusionary state of happiness is pure enjoyment.
After all, enjoying a bit of escapism isn't harmful to any of us, right!!!
@Swati M
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