Contemplating Contemporary Romance

Contemplating Contemporary Romance
By
N. J. Walters

The hue and cry has gone out over the past few years and many readers are complaining there just aren’t enough contemporary romances being written anymore. Everything is paranormal or historical, or a combination of both. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good paranormal book and historical isn’t too far behind. And I’ve even been known to read a book, or three, that combines them both. But, like a lot of readers, I enjoy a good contemporary romance too.

I guess that’s why I’ve written my fair share of them. There are a lot of interesting subjects you can delve into within the covers of a contemporary novel. My Jamesville Series, from Samhain Publishing, has allowed me to indulge my love of this genre.

Discovering Dani was actually the first book I ever wrote. It’s a story of a woman’s struggle to raise her younger brothers while keeping a roof over their heads. Enter an arrogant, rich businessman and the sparks fly. The next book in the series took a turn even farther towards family. The Way Home features a marriage of convenience in order to give an orphaned child a home. The problem is the heroine is in love with the hero and has been for years, while he’s never seen her as more than a friend.

Several years passed before I attempted the next book in the series—The Return of Patrick O’Rourke. This is a much darker and spicier tale. The heroine is a victim of abuse, while the hero, a cop shot in the line of duty, has to figure out what he truly wants to do with his life. Both are wounded souls who find one another.

The Seduction of Shamus O’Rourke might be my personal favorite in the series. Shamus is the type of man any woman can love. He’s handsome and loyal and an all-around good guy. He’s not perfect by any means, because that wouldn’t be any fun. He has a stubborn streak a mile wide and when he wants something he’ll do anything in his power to get it. This is a story of coming home and having to face the past and put it to bed once and for all. That’s exactly what the heroine does. What she doesn’t expect is to find love and have her life in danger at the same time. Redeeming a former villain from an earlier book was fun. It made me realize that things aren’t always what they seem to be with some people. Everyone has secrets.

A Legal Affair is a short, very sexy romp. Small town lawyer, Alicia Flint, has a one-night fling only to discover that she now has to work with her mystery man. By the Book is more of a mystery, a woman in jeopardy story. When Amanda Barrington moves to Jamesville to start her new rare book business the last thing she expects is for her life to be in danger. And the series ends with Past Promises and Linda Fletcher, a woman dealing with an overbearing family while trying to figure out who she really is and what she wants out of life. Who can’t relate to that?

I think that’s what readers find so attractive about contemporary romance—they can relate to the characters and the situations they find themselves in. The heroines are women they might be friends with. They come from all walks of life but, like most of us, they are trying to get by in life and find happiness. Then there are the secondary characters that populate these books. Readers usually don’t want to let them go without their stories being told. I know I don’t want to let them go either.

So, there you have it. Writers are still penning contemporary romances because they offer so many opportunities and are simply wonderful stories. I love Lori Foster and Sharon Sala contemporary romance books.

How about you? Who are some of your favorite contemporary authors?


N.J. has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Check out all my books at http://www.njwalters.com/
http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awakeningdesires/ (newsletter group)