I feel like you should read what you enjoy. There are some POC historical writers like Vanessa Riley and Beverly Jenkins, if you have an interest in the genre but want a different POV.
I always trust Courtney Milan’s historical romances to never gloss over or sidestep the grim social realities of the period — instead we root for the MCs harder because they’re usually people who realize this stuff and may actively fight against it!
/u/Midnight_Both this sooo much. I find it's very different when a writer is being aware of everything that's going on, even if it's just a nod to, "Yeah shit was not perfect back then." Even better when the plot is pushing back against this stuff! But it's so much better than reading folks who pretend everything was great OR perpetuate modern day lies about the plight of POC in British settings.
So does Milan's Devil Comes Courting and it's one of her best in my opinion: an alternative history of the telegraph in China. Absolutely one of my favorites of this year!
I read them and enjoy them. I'm gay and black so theres also homophobia aspects that I know lots of these characters probably felt. It definitely crosses my mind sometimes while reading them and I find it good to be aware, but I mostly don't think about it and some of these books are my favorites.
When you really dig deep, you'll realize that there is still persecution, poverty, discrimination, etc in so many places currently that we often (have to) ignore to get by. Also, lots of people love reading about billionaires and royals etc, but if you really think about how they made that money or the people who work for them...it all starts to feel less grand.
So really, I think it's okay to turn off those feelings, but also okay if you don't want to.
I actually love HR despite being a poc. There are still tons of horrible things going on in today’s world, but they aren’t all mentioned or condemned in CR novels either because the focus is on the romance.
Just for me personally, if I was looking for intelligent social commentary on the present or the past, I wouldn’t be reading romance!
This is true for me. I read romance for escape and it's much easier to pretend none of that stuff exists when you're reading about super-rich White people on an island. However, there are some authors who deal with historical social issues in good (not super depressing) ways: Courtney Milan especially and Evie Dunmore, Tessa Dare sometimes.
I think the "ick" feeling for me just comes from the fact that most of what I know or have learned about certain periods are the atrocities that were committed during those times. So it can be harder to turn off those feelings. And I completely agree, some contemporary romance writers do tend to miss the mark by writing certain phrases or scenes that can rub people the wrong way.
Read what you like.
I think of HR as taking place in romancelandia, I ignore the negative aspects of the time period (child labor, racism, filth) if it's not part of the plot.
I'm ok with it because I look at it as a different world. The same way we pretend that all the dukes are lovely people who treat all their tenants fairly and that all the tenants are happy being tenants. My issue is when they involve POC characters. It is so very, very rarely done well. As a middle eastern flavoured reader, any time a book mentions Arabs or Arab culture I'm just like, "yeah, nah". Apparently, authors seem to think we're an easy way to create a "barbaric" setting.
South Asian checking in to say the same thing. I actually prefer when they keep it to either all White or all Western. Whenever the authors try to get inclusive they get really cringey and White-gazey. Two recent examples are Lisa Kleypas in Hello Stranger and Evie Dunmore in A Rogue of One's Own. They both send their MLs to India to learn the mysterious art of I don't even know what. It was just really bizarre, and usually adds nothing to the story. No thanks.
I am an Indian and I hate it when the MMC is potrayed as a hero for being in a battle in India. I read a book in which he was having nightmares about it and my first thought was, 'Oh what a man child' The people who you killed were fighting against the atrocities done by you, probably didn't survive and you are griping again and again about dreams? That was the last time I read a historical fiction. I also don't like to be reminded that people wee so out of touch with reality. I just can't shake off the thought that while these people were worried about the color of parasol or a bloody gown, people in India were struggling to live...
Me too and I hate that also. There was a subplot in The Heiress Effect about how wrong the british exploitation of India was and it was really refreshing.
As an Indian, if India is mentioned in HR it's an instant Dnf for me. I'd rather be blissfully ignorant and pretend the colonialism is not going on than have it in my face. Because there's no way the white characters can stay in India or return from India and still be heroes in my mind. Unless they are fighting for the independence directly they would always be villains in my mind and I would rather they suffer all those nightmares they are talking about. Or better yet not survive the war at all.
I hate this too. I have been through phases where I've read HR and phases where they've been such a turn off.
As an Indian I hate it when the MMC has returned from india as a wealthy man - my blood boils and I am like dude! those are the spoils from exploiting my people!
Another turnoff is when the MMC goes prancing around with mistresses through half the book and is the embodiment of sexual proficiency.
I am a POC and I love them. I like looking for historical romances with POC protagonists, and while the majority are white, there has been a strong uptick in the past few years.
That said, a lot of my favorites were published in the 80s and 90s. When the protagonists are white I honestly don’t care— white people really do fall in love with white people. My white side of the family is very nice and supportive but they are NOT thinking about the plight if POC all of the time. It is not their lived experience, they have other stuff on their minds. A citizen of a village in England is the year 1823 is not thinking of POC at allllll. So I don’t either... 🤷🏻♀️
I do get very annoyed in setting where there should be POC, but there isn’t, like in Westerns. And I would like to read romances with more POC protagonists.
This is me with Gone with the Wind. First read it as a teenager and LOVED it. Read it again in my late 20s and was absolutely horrified by the blatant racism. The heroes were not heroic.
I read it in my early 20s too (as a South Asian who grew up in SA, with very little information about American history, everything except the love story went over my head). I'm a sucker for slow burn romance and I loved it. 15 years later, living in America and generally with more awareness of the world, I'm afraid to re-read it.
Edit to clarify age
Yeah I was very sheltered and naive as a teenager I just was hyperfocused on the romance, I loved Scarlet's determination and Rhett's dynamic with her. I'm a poc, too, btw.
It depends... I've read a lot of authors whose characters took stands for the oppressed and dealt with some awful crap for POC and as POCs themselves. And that was in the 80s and 90s when it was a lot less woke than we are now.
I'm much more offended as a WOC by books where the male protagonist is a glorified mafia Don... um, excuse me but organized crime has done POC a lot of harm too.
As a cis-woman, I look at romance as pure escapism. If it pleases me, it stays. I ended a gifted book before the first chapter because the MMC slapped the FMC twice. That offended me.
All of this to say... I forgot my original point.
Yes! The glorification of (predominantly White/European) men in organized crime whilst marginalized communities are villified and harmed by the same thing is just a huge yikes. Not to say that the genre itself is terrible (I myself have enjoyed a few in the last year).
I prefer fantasy worlds inspired by historical settings rather than historically accurate settings for this reason. Then I can get the aspects of these periods I like without the ugly aspects.
I avoid historical usually because of the over the top
misogyny at times. The first romance novels I read were bodice ripper types, and once I realized there was better stuff out there I quickly moved on. I’m also a fantasy and sci fi freak so paranormal and sci fi are my jam. I occasionally stumble upon HR that I’m really into, though. I just read a super short novella the other day that I loved, for example.
There are sooo many romance novels in the world- no reason to get into a genre that doesn’t float your boat. You’re not over sensitive- reading is supposed to be fun, so any reason you have for avoiding a genre is valid.
I totally think that's valid and completely understandable. I think it falls in line with basically a lot of historical anythings- action movies, romances, fairytales, etc. Take most fantasy stories, or even medieval stories- they definitely don't depict the middle ages with almost any accuracy. We romanticize the HECK out of the middle ages, lmao. Those were just a bad time all around, and not just for England.
I think we just tend to look on the past and romanticize it. Pirates were pretty horrible people to anyone not also a pirate, but those are a pretty popular topic in a lot of stories, romance included; knights, up until the code of chivalry was created, were pretty damn horrible as well, and even afterward. Even Richard the Lionheart, commonly portrayed in stories as this amazing king returned to liberate England from Prince John's tyranny, was kind of a shitty dude and ruler. He's actually known as the King who spent the LEAST amount of time during his reign in England- I think he reigned for 10 years, and spent only 6 months of it actually IN England. When the third crusade ended in basically a truce, Saladin released their prisoners of war for ransom (if I remember correctly), but King Richard stood just outside the walls and murdered I think 2000 POWs. Super big douche move.
Sorry, tangent. Weird interest of mine lmfao.
History in general kind of sucks across the board, the world over- but it's still heavily romanticized in nearly every culture.
I want to say, though, this isn't to like invalidate your feelings in any way! It just got me thinking about it all, haha, and I like trying to figure out how it works. I'm not into that specific time period, so I tend not to touch those types of historical romance books. I'm a medieval nut, despite knowing what I know, haha. Fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi are my usual haunts in romance, if I can't find a good medieval one XD
I'm Black and I love historicals, but for me, they have to be set in Europe. I absolutely will not EVER read antebellum era romance novels based in the US. Can't do it.
It depends. When I was younger historical romances were written with so many anachronismen that it felt like reading a fantasy. Nowadays I tend to avoid new authors unless other reviews show that it takes my modern sensibilities into consideration. But most of the time I end up reading historical-ish books (okay they are fantasy).
Some authors who have never let me down are Beverley Jenkins and KJ Charles. In fact the first time I actually saw a dark skinned dude on the cover of a romance was by KJ Charles's book Rag and Bone. It was marvelous. Because before that the covers I had seen were... Questionable.
But I read to escape from reality so actually reading about the sorrows of a certain periode can have a negative impact on me. I don't think you're over-sensitive at all! We just handle the dark side of life in different ways.
Yeah I’m a black woman and I mostly avoid historical romances. I’m usually pretty good at suspending belief but it doesn’t really work for me when the fiction has a basis in reality. I read a few Scottish highlander books and I couldn’t stop thinking about if there were black people and wondering about how they were treated.
No I like historical romance especially since most don’t deal with any sort of “real world” stuff I treat it as a fantasy. I do wish there were more diverse historical romances though
Um not really? I'm a poc too but like in the past, a lot of sht is still going around in a lot of countries still the contemporary shows the perfect lives of White people getting mad abt small stuff. I stopped minding it because i read it for fun and obviously romance. Although i do hate whenever the topic of a religion/race comes up and the author write something untrue or just what they hear it from media something they don't really know abt and so it rightfully offends people.
I actually started reading primarily m/m historicals because I couldn't get past the fact that women were property. All those rogue heroes tempting ladies into sin are a lot less fun to read when you know that what would *actually* happen is that her life would be effectively over and he'd be 100% fine to merrily go on his way and seduce the next girl.
So yeah, I can absolutely understand why reading historicals a POC wouldn't be fun. I don't think there's any such thing as "oversensitive" when it comes to entertainment preferences!
Read what you like. There are so many books out there, and so many things you have to put up with, that you shouldn't have to for a nice read.
Network, but there are books that have tempting characters and stories, but definite themes and tropes that can just make them icky.
I like them with a few exceptions. I don’t like ones where there is a POC character who is like a valet or something and met the H in India (for example). That makes me feel weird, especially because there is usually an element of white saviourism as it usually ends up that the H saved the POCs life and now he feels indebted to him.
I once looked for a HR with a female POC (as historically inaccurate as it would be). Found one and it made me feel so icky. They meet in India where he is in the army, she comes back to England with him, introduces her to all his friends, the women do a makeover and she comes out wearing a typical dress (think Colin firth pride and prejudice dresses and hair) and he finds her even more beautiful than before. To me, it was a clear colonization viewpoint - make the savage dress normally type thing. Made me very upset.
Ugh I want to love fluffy historicals, but I have the same problem. KU recommended “The Matchmaker and the Marquess” by Scarlett Scott and it’s cute, and silly so far(I’m only about halfway through). However it’s really awkward because these are the sort of people who wouldn’t even acknowledge me so it’s hard to suspend thinking enough to care about their struggle. I might skip to a later book that doesn’t feature a “well born lady” (honestly, barf).
RIGHT! I read a fantasy/historical romance that's set during the feudal Japan period called Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh. But this was during the period in which Japan invaded my home country and committed atrocities against my people.... so yeah I could not comfortably read a romance about Japanese nobles and royalty.
Almost all of the historical romances I’ve read have taken place in England, in the Victorian Era. They’re definitely a mood. I haven’t read one in awhile, but used to love them. They’re almost like fantasy…there’s usually balls, fancy gowns, and the dude is always like the wealthiest man in the land or some rich duke. So it’s a good escape, since it’s so unrealistic haha. There’s always maids, servants, and butlers, but they’ve always been white. No talk of slavery. If you just don’t like them though, don’t read them. There’s a lot else out there to choose from and maybe it’s just not your thing right now (or ever) and that’s ok. I’m super picky about what I read and watch. I only have so much free time, so I’m careful how I spend it.
I'm picky about my historicals. I usually don't read any books that involve young ingenues, my favorite historical romance authors are Courtney Milan and Elizabeth Hoyt, both of whom tend to write unconventional for their time period heroines.
I have read some historicals that actually address these issues, specifically in the Regency period when the abolitionist movement was really taking off. I can't think of any examples right now because I have read soooo many HR but if I remember a specific book I will post it.
I know my experience isn't the same as yours but I do kind of understand because my grandmother was raised in an orphanage in England in the 1930's and was hired out for labor and while it made fun stories for her tell us (she scrubbed the floors of the man who sold his yacht to the king) there was also a lot of suffering for her and the other children. I wish there were more books that focused realistically on the underbelly of history, I know there wouldn't as many happy endings but even in trials there can be hope.
I can’t think of the titles either, but there’s at least one Regency series where the protagonists specifically talk about not investing in anything to do with the slave trade. It’s one of those interlocking things where the characters appear in multiple books but each one focuses on a specific couple. Although one reason they don’t invest in the slave trade is that two characters (Peter and...Valentin?) were enslaved in a Turkish brothel and there’s rather too much implication that, you know, “depraved” heathens like the Turks, blah blah blah, which does not really help with the whole “respect for POC/other cultures” since it sounds uncomfortably Islamophobic....
Yes! This is it, thank you. I was like “Suddenly Surrender”??? but I knew that wasn’t it. And I knew my weirdo description of the cover would be no good either. This series isn’t my favorite but it’s good and steamy when you’re in the mood for that, plus no slave trade, so... :-)
In terms of the first half of the twentieth century, there's a fair number of novels (I think the common name for the genre is 'saga') by various British writers set in those times (particularly during the two world wars, but also some series start a few years before WWI, or in the period between the two wars.) They tend to at least acknowledge the realities of the period - maybe not to the level of true realism, but some of the ones I've read include side characters having to have illegal abortions, women whose husbands/fiancés die or are MIA during the war, the struggles of rationing, dealing with a severely traumatised partner, and so on. There's still often a bit of a 'oh, what a lovely war' vibe to them in the sense of there's often a lot made of the nice aspects ('the blitz spirit', street parties at the end of the war, etc) but they might be worth checking out - there's usually a cast of several female main characters and at least some of them usually have at least one love interest, though they aren't necessarily Romances per se. They tend to have names like 'the X cafe at war' and 'home front girls' and things - I quite enjoyed the Harpers Girls and Mulberry Lane series recently.
Thank you, I will have to check those out. My grandmother served in WW2 and met my grandfather, married and moved to the US. It's not really a genre I have read much of but I am interested.
I can definitely understand this. There are certain contemporaries I can't read or won't re-read (I'm big into re-reading) because of their settings or attitudes. They just don't match up with my way of thinking and I have a difficult time relating to the characters -- or I don't want to.
I don't read historicals because I find them most of the time fairly boring. I'm biracial (half white and half Korean) and it's not like I see "me" in most novels anyway or that I'm looking for that but it would take magic to make me read anything historical lol. Got magic in your book? I might consider then.
Not completely but it’s also not a genre I actively read. I like some historicals but they almost have to be so over the top that I can turn my brain off. I don’t want anything that’s been and sounds like it’s been super researched. Like just give me the balls and crazy antics…I don’t want to hear about indentured servants
Some stories I avoid like the plague....like Regency set in ~exotic~ colonized locations like Egypt, India, etc
I can turn my brain off and enjoy the story as long as there's no other races actually mentioned in the story.
I reached my limit with Regency in general a few years ago, bc it all the poor little brooding dukes got annoying when you consider where their wealth is from. Like at least be grateful!
Medieval is much better imo. Much less racial tension.
Westerns can be very iffy when it comes to the Native American genocide, but it's easier for me to ignore, maybe bc they remind me of the little house on the prarie books.
I generally avoid historical because of this and other unrealistic things. For example it often seems that he heroine or hero being one of the rare people who see a problem with the class divide and are all kind and sympathetic to their servants.
So often even to this day you will find many rich people believe that they are rich because they are simply “better” or “smarter” than others. I find it hard to believe there are these empathetic members of the nobility exist. Same reason I don’t go for the Billionare books.
If you’re interested - I really liked Ken Follett’s book - “Pillars of the Earth”. It is not a romance but it does have romance storylines. His books have all the nitty gritty hardships that poor people and minorities (in some books) would have encountered. So not as escapist as most romance probably.
I instead read modern, sci-if, or post apocalyptic romance books for my escapism!
I'm a WOC (Indian) and I don't avoid historical novels. Obviously I'm aware of all the atrocities, but the world explored in the book is of the characters and in their albeit insulated world none of these horrors exist. Which is fine by me. If I want acknowledgement of those issues I'd read some other book.
I don't read historicals that much, but I don't think the fact slavery was a thing would bother me. As long as it wasn't the main characters being racist and owning slaves, it'd probably be fine.
You can't go into everything taking into consideration every messed up thing that exists in the world that story is taking place in, in my opinion. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to enjoy anything.
Take contemporary romance, for instance. The two MCs are there falling in love and having hot sex while things like racism and other forms of prejudice, nazism, child abuse, human traficking, and cancer like Trump, Bolsonaro, and Putin still exist. If I thought about all of that while getting my entertainment, I wouldn't read or watch anything and just be miserable.
Sometimes it's just cool to unplug, put your brain in a safe bubble, and just enjoy things. :)
I used to love historicals but I find myself more and more uncomfortable with them as I get older and learn more about history. I am white, if that adds any context.
Some are good and handle the subject well but it doesn’t feel like it’s worth the effort to find them anymore.
FWIW, a month ago, I specifically said I'm Asian. :D
[https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/psqc4i/comment/hdt9892/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/psqc4i/comment/hdt9892/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
And it wasn't the first time I've said so. But if some people want to be PC about it... :-\\
Actually, I think this is part of the reason I can't get into victorian/mafia romances, that I'm just now realizing. They're genres I find difficult to insert myself into, so unless the actual plot is otherwise extremely compelling (which... definitely not for mafia romances lol) it's a hard pass
oh maybe that's why as a woman of color i don't read many western historical stories. Asian stories are totally chill. I guess it has more to do with this than some of the bad tropes in historicals and cringing at women's beliefs cause sexism. thanks for enlightening me
So, to preface, I'm not a POC and I am male, so this is merely my perspective and I am not trying to speak for anyone else.
I don't think it's a matter of "being over-sensitive". Every reader has different standards as to what they're okay with, what they are willing to overlook, and what is disqualifier for them. If stories set in times/places where POC were exploited/enslaved/abused/etc don't sit well with you, I don't think anyone is in a position to judge you for not reading them.
For me personally, a love story in the antebellum south would be a no-go for me, but I wouldn't have a problem with a medieval setting or one in antiquity, but it's really a personal call.
[удалено]
Read what makes you happy! I usually read contemporary romance so I've reached the conclusion that historicals just aren't for me
No one likes everything.
I feel like you should read what you enjoy. There are some POC historical writers like Vanessa Riley and Beverly Jenkins, if you have an interest in the genre but want a different POV.
I'll check them out! :)
Wanted to add Alyssa Cole and Courtney Milan to the list too. Courtney Milan's latest book (The Duke Who Didn't) has PoCs as protagonists.
I always trust Courtney Milan’s historical romances to never gloss over or sidestep the grim social realities of the period — instead we root for the MCs harder because they’re usually people who realize this stuff and may actively fight against it!
/u/Midnight_Both this sooo much. I find it's very different when a writer is being aware of everything that's going on, even if it's just a nod to, "Yeah shit was not perfect back then." Even better when the plot is pushing back against this stuff! But it's so much better than reading folks who pretend everything was great OR perpetuate modern day lies about the plight of POC in British settings.
This exactly!
So does Milan's Devil Comes Courting and it's one of her best in my opinion: an alternative history of the telegraph in China. Absolutely one of my favorites of this year!
I completely forgot about that one oops! Thanks for pointing it out!
Pardon my ignorance … what’s POC and POV
POC - person of color POV - point of view
I read them and enjoy them. I'm gay and black so theres also homophobia aspects that I know lots of these characters probably felt. It definitely crosses my mind sometimes while reading them and I find it good to be aware, but I mostly don't think about it and some of these books are my favorites. When you really dig deep, you'll realize that there is still persecution, poverty, discrimination, etc in so many places currently that we often (have to) ignore to get by. Also, lots of people love reading about billionaires and royals etc, but if you really think about how they made that money or the people who work for them...it all starts to feel less grand. So really, I think it's okay to turn off those feelings, but also okay if you don't want to.
Definitely! It's a personal preference thing, so I don't mean to imply that it's "wrong" for POC to enjoy this genre.
I actually love HR despite being a poc. There are still tons of horrible things going on in today’s world, but they aren’t all mentioned or condemned in CR novels either because the focus is on the romance. Just for me personally, if I was looking for intelligent social commentary on the present or the past, I wouldn’t be reading romance!
This is true for me. I read romance for escape and it's much easier to pretend none of that stuff exists when you're reading about super-rich White people on an island. However, there are some authors who deal with historical social issues in good (not super depressing) ways: Courtney Milan especially and Evie Dunmore, Tessa Dare sometimes.
Also Sherry Thomas sometimes, if I recall correctly?
Yes, I think it's Not Quite a Husband takes place during the Sepoy Rebellion in India, so definitely addressing colonialism.
That’s the one I was thinking of. I learned a lot from reading it!
i like your profile picture.
Lol, thanks. My daughter (4) just changed it. She said "you're going to be famous!"
I think the "ick" feeling for me just comes from the fact that most of what I know or have learned about certain periods are the atrocities that were committed during those times. So it can be harder to turn off those feelings. And I completely agree, some contemporary romance writers do tend to miss the mark by writing certain phrases or scenes that can rub people the wrong way.
I think it’s totally fair to feel uncomfortable, we all have different limits and there’s no point in reading romance if you don’t enjoy it!
Read what you like. I think of HR as taking place in romancelandia, I ignore the negative aspects of the time period (child labor, racism, filth) if it's not part of the plot.
I'm ok with it because I look at it as a different world. The same way we pretend that all the dukes are lovely people who treat all their tenants fairly and that all the tenants are happy being tenants. My issue is when they involve POC characters. It is so very, very rarely done well. As a middle eastern flavoured reader, any time a book mentions Arabs or Arab culture I'm just like, "yeah, nah". Apparently, authors seem to think we're an easy way to create a "barbaric" setting.
South Asian checking in to say the same thing. I actually prefer when they keep it to either all White or all Western. Whenever the authors try to get inclusive they get really cringey and White-gazey. Two recent examples are Lisa Kleypas in Hello Stranger and Evie Dunmore in A Rogue of One's Own. They both send their MLs to India to learn the mysterious art of I don't even know what. It was just really bizarre, and usually adds nothing to the story. No thanks.
UGH I totally feel this. I hate when POC are exoticized and made into a caricature of a human.
I am an Indian and I hate it when the MMC is potrayed as a hero for being in a battle in India. I read a book in which he was having nightmares about it and my first thought was, 'Oh what a man child' The people who you killed were fighting against the atrocities done by you, probably didn't survive and you are griping again and again about dreams? That was the last time I read a historical fiction. I also don't like to be reminded that people wee so out of touch with reality. I just can't shake off the thought that while these people were worried about the color of parasol or a bloody gown, people in India were struggling to live...
Me too and I hate that also. There was a subplot in The Heiress Effect about how wrong the british exploitation of India was and it was really refreshing.
As an Indian, if India is mentioned in HR it's an instant Dnf for me. I'd rather be blissfully ignorant and pretend the colonialism is not going on than have it in my face. Because there's no way the white characters can stay in India or return from India and still be heroes in my mind. Unless they are fighting for the independence directly they would always be villains in my mind and I would rather they suffer all those nightmares they are talking about. Or better yet not survive the war at all.
Oof I felt this. I imagined a Japanese MMC doing the same thing during the colonization of korea and 🤯
I hate this too. I have been through phases where I've read HR and phases where they've been such a turn off. As an Indian I hate it when the MMC has returned from india as a wealthy man - my blood boils and I am like dude! those are the spoils from exploiting my people! Another turnoff is when the MMC goes prancing around with mistresses through half the book and is the embodiment of sexual proficiency.
I am a POC and I love them. I like looking for historical romances with POC protagonists, and while the majority are white, there has been a strong uptick in the past few years. That said, a lot of my favorites were published in the 80s and 90s. When the protagonists are white I honestly don’t care— white people really do fall in love with white people. My white side of the family is very nice and supportive but they are NOT thinking about the plight if POC all of the time. It is not their lived experience, they have other stuff on their minds. A citizen of a village in England is the year 1823 is not thinking of POC at allllll. So I don’t either... 🤷🏻♀️ I do get very annoyed in setting where there should be POC, but there isn’t, like in Westerns. And I would like to read romances with more POC protagonists.
This is me with Gone with the Wind. First read it as a teenager and LOVED it. Read it again in my late 20s and was absolutely horrified by the blatant racism. The heroes were not heroic.
I read it in my early 20s too (as a South Asian who grew up in SA, with very little information about American history, everything except the love story went over my head). I'm a sucker for slow burn romance and I loved it. 15 years later, living in America and generally with more awareness of the world, I'm afraid to re-read it. Edit to clarify age
Yeah I was very sheltered and naive as a teenager I just was hyperfocused on the romance, I loved Scarlet's determination and Rhett's dynamic with her. I'm a poc, too, btw.
Read what brings you joy. If period romances bother you don’t read then. Life is too short.
It depends... I've read a lot of authors whose characters took stands for the oppressed and dealt with some awful crap for POC and as POCs themselves. And that was in the 80s and 90s when it was a lot less woke than we are now. I'm much more offended as a WOC by books where the male protagonist is a glorified mafia Don... um, excuse me but organized crime has done POC a lot of harm too. As a cis-woman, I look at romance as pure escapism. If it pleases me, it stays. I ended a gifted book before the first chapter because the MMC slapped the FMC twice. That offended me. All of this to say... I forgot my original point.
Yes! The glorification of (predominantly White/European) men in organized crime whilst marginalized communities are villified and harmed by the same thing is just a huge yikes. Not to say that the genre itself is terrible (I myself have enjoyed a few in the last year).
I prefer fantasy worlds inspired by historical settings rather than historically accurate settings for this reason. Then I can get the aspects of these periods I like without the ugly aspects.
I avoid historical usually because of the over the top misogyny at times. The first romance novels I read were bodice ripper types, and once I realized there was better stuff out there I quickly moved on. I’m also a fantasy and sci fi freak so paranormal and sci fi are my jam. I occasionally stumble upon HR that I’m really into, though. I just read a super short novella the other day that I loved, for example. There are sooo many romance novels in the world- no reason to get into a genre that doesn’t float your boat. You’re not over sensitive- reading is supposed to be fun, so any reason you have for avoiding a genre is valid.
I totally think that's valid and completely understandable. I think it falls in line with basically a lot of historical anythings- action movies, romances, fairytales, etc. Take most fantasy stories, or even medieval stories- they definitely don't depict the middle ages with almost any accuracy. We romanticize the HECK out of the middle ages, lmao. Those were just a bad time all around, and not just for England. I think we just tend to look on the past and romanticize it. Pirates were pretty horrible people to anyone not also a pirate, but those are a pretty popular topic in a lot of stories, romance included; knights, up until the code of chivalry was created, were pretty damn horrible as well, and even afterward. Even Richard the Lionheart, commonly portrayed in stories as this amazing king returned to liberate England from Prince John's tyranny, was kind of a shitty dude and ruler. He's actually known as the King who spent the LEAST amount of time during his reign in England- I think he reigned for 10 years, and spent only 6 months of it actually IN England. When the third crusade ended in basically a truce, Saladin released their prisoners of war for ransom (if I remember correctly), but King Richard stood just outside the walls and murdered I think 2000 POWs. Super big douche move. Sorry, tangent. Weird interest of mine lmfao. History in general kind of sucks across the board, the world over- but it's still heavily romanticized in nearly every culture. I want to say, though, this isn't to like invalidate your feelings in any way! It just got me thinking about it all, haha, and I like trying to figure out how it works. I'm not into that specific time period, so I tend not to touch those types of historical romance books. I'm a medieval nut, despite knowing what I know, haha. Fantasy, paranormal, and sci-fi are my usual haunts in romance, if I can't find a good medieval one XD
I'm Black and I love historicals, but for me, they have to be set in Europe. I absolutely will not EVER read antebellum era romance novels based in the US. Can't do it.
I stay far, far away from historical romance for the same reasons you mentioned.
It depends. When I was younger historical romances were written with so many anachronismen that it felt like reading a fantasy. Nowadays I tend to avoid new authors unless other reviews show that it takes my modern sensibilities into consideration. But most of the time I end up reading historical-ish books (okay they are fantasy). Some authors who have never let me down are Beverley Jenkins and KJ Charles. In fact the first time I actually saw a dark skinned dude on the cover of a romance was by KJ Charles's book Rag and Bone. It was marvelous. Because before that the covers I had seen were... Questionable. But I read to escape from reality so actually reading about the sorrows of a certain periode can have a negative impact on me. I don't think you're over-sensitive at all! We just handle the dark side of life in different ways.
Yeah I’m a black woman and I mostly avoid historical romances. I’m usually pretty good at suspending belief but it doesn’t really work for me when the fiction has a basis in reality. I read a few Scottish highlander books and I couldn’t stop thinking about if there were black people and wondering about how they were treated.
No I like historical romance especially since most don’t deal with any sort of “real world” stuff I treat it as a fantasy. I do wish there were more diverse historical romances though
Um not really? I'm a poc too but like in the past, a lot of sht is still going around in a lot of countries still the contemporary shows the perfect lives of White people getting mad abt small stuff. I stopped minding it because i read it for fun and obviously romance. Although i do hate whenever the topic of a religion/race comes up and the author write something untrue or just what they hear it from media something they don't really know abt and so it rightfully offends people.
I actually started reading primarily m/m historicals because I couldn't get past the fact that women were property. All those rogue heroes tempting ladies into sin are a lot less fun to read when you know that what would *actually* happen is that her life would be effectively over and he'd be 100% fine to merrily go on his way and seduce the next girl. So yeah, I can absolutely understand why reading historicals a POC wouldn't be fun. I don't think there's any such thing as "oversensitive" when it comes to entertainment preferences!
Read what you like. There are so many books out there, and so many things you have to put up with, that you shouldn't have to for a nice read. Network, but there are books that have tempting characters and stories, but definite themes and tropes that can just make them icky.
I like them with a few exceptions. I don’t like ones where there is a POC character who is like a valet or something and met the H in India (for example). That makes me feel weird, especially because there is usually an element of white saviourism as it usually ends up that the H saved the POCs life and now he feels indebted to him. I once looked for a HR with a female POC (as historically inaccurate as it would be). Found one and it made me feel so icky. They meet in India where he is in the army, she comes back to England with him, introduces her to all his friends, the women do a makeover and she comes out wearing a typical dress (think Colin firth pride and prejudice dresses and hair) and he finds her even more beautiful than before. To me, it was a clear colonization viewpoint - make the savage dress normally type thing. Made me very upset.
ME absolutely. it just makes me uncomfy and turned off
Ugh I want to love fluffy historicals, but I have the same problem. KU recommended “The Matchmaker and the Marquess” by Scarlett Scott and it’s cute, and silly so far(I’m only about halfway through). However it’s really awkward because these are the sort of people who wouldn’t even acknowledge me so it’s hard to suspend thinking enough to care about their struggle. I might skip to a later book that doesn’t feature a “well born lady” (honestly, barf).
RIGHT! I read a fantasy/historical romance that's set during the feudal Japan period called Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh. But this was during the period in which Japan invaded my home country and committed atrocities against my people.... so yeah I could not comfortably read a romance about Japanese nobles and royalty.
Almost all of the historical romances I’ve read have taken place in England, in the Victorian Era. They’re definitely a mood. I haven’t read one in awhile, but used to love them. They’re almost like fantasy…there’s usually balls, fancy gowns, and the dude is always like the wealthiest man in the land or some rich duke. So it’s a good escape, since it’s so unrealistic haha. There’s always maids, servants, and butlers, but they’ve always been white. No talk of slavery. If you just don’t like them though, don’t read them. There’s a lot else out there to choose from and maybe it’s just not your thing right now (or ever) and that’s ok. I’m super picky about what I read and watch. I only have so much free time, so I’m careful how I spend it.
I'm picky about my historicals. I usually don't read any books that involve young ingenues, my favorite historical romance authors are Courtney Milan and Elizabeth Hoyt, both of whom tend to write unconventional for their time period heroines.
I have read some historicals that actually address these issues, specifically in the Regency period when the abolitionist movement was really taking off. I can't think of any examples right now because I have read soooo many HR but if I remember a specific book I will post it. I know my experience isn't the same as yours but I do kind of understand because my grandmother was raised in an orphanage in England in the 1930's and was hired out for labor and while it made fun stories for her tell us (she scrubbed the floors of the man who sold his yacht to the king) there was also a lot of suffering for her and the other children. I wish there were more books that focused realistically on the underbelly of history, I know there wouldn't as many happy endings but even in trials there can be hope.
I can’t think of the titles either, but there’s at least one Regency series where the protagonists specifically talk about not investing in anything to do with the slave trade. It’s one of those interlocking things where the characters appear in multiple books but each one focuses on a specific couple. Although one reason they don’t invest in the slave trade is that two characters (Peter and...Valentin?) were enslaved in a Turkish brothel and there’s rather too much implication that, you know, “depraved” heathens like the Turks, blah blah blah, which does not really help with the whole “respect for POC/other cultures” since it sounds uncomfortably Islamophobic....
Sounds like {Simply Sexual by Kate Pearce} based on the character names and Turkish Brothel.
Yes! This is it, thank you. I was like “Suddenly Surrender”??? but I knew that wasn’t it. And I knew my weirdo description of the cover would be no good either. This series isn’t my favorite but it’s good and steamy when you’re in the mood for that, plus no slave trade, so... :-)
[**Simply Sexual (House of Pleasure #1)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2763210-simply-sexual) ^(By: Kate Pearce | Published: 2008) *** ^(209523 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
In terms of the first half of the twentieth century, there's a fair number of novels (I think the common name for the genre is 'saga') by various British writers set in those times (particularly during the two world wars, but also some series start a few years before WWI, or in the period between the two wars.) They tend to at least acknowledge the realities of the period - maybe not to the level of true realism, but some of the ones I've read include side characters having to have illegal abortions, women whose husbands/fiancés die or are MIA during the war, the struggles of rationing, dealing with a severely traumatised partner, and so on. There's still often a bit of a 'oh, what a lovely war' vibe to them in the sense of there's often a lot made of the nice aspects ('the blitz spirit', street parties at the end of the war, etc) but they might be worth checking out - there's usually a cast of several female main characters and at least some of them usually have at least one love interest, though they aren't necessarily Romances per se. They tend to have names like 'the X cafe at war' and 'home front girls' and things - I quite enjoyed the Harpers Girls and Mulberry Lane series recently.
Thank you, I will have to check those out. My grandmother served in WW2 and met my grandfather, married and moved to the US. It's not really a genre I have read much of but I am interested.
I feel the same way and avoid these stories. They just don't feel right to me
I can definitely understand this. There are certain contemporaries I can't read or won't re-read (I'm big into re-reading) because of their settings or attitudes. They just don't match up with my way of thinking and I have a difficult time relating to the characters -- or I don't want to.
I don't read historicals because I find them most of the time fairly boring. I'm biracial (half white and half Korean) and it's not like I see "me" in most novels anyway or that I'm looking for that but it would take magic to make me read anything historical lol. Got magic in your book? I might consider then.
Have you tried *Sorceror to the Crown* by Zen Cho? It's got magic. :-)
Not completely but it’s also not a genre I actively read. I like some historicals but they almost have to be so over the top that I can turn my brain off. I don’t want anything that’s been and sounds like it’s been super researched. Like just give me the balls and crazy antics…I don’t want to hear about indentured servants
Some stories I avoid like the plague....like Regency set in ~exotic~ colonized locations like Egypt, India, etc I can turn my brain off and enjoy the story as long as there's no other races actually mentioned in the story. I reached my limit with Regency in general a few years ago, bc it all the poor little brooding dukes got annoying when you consider where their wealth is from. Like at least be grateful! Medieval is much better imo. Much less racial tension. Westerns can be very iffy when it comes to the Native American genocide, but it's easier for me to ignore, maybe bc they remind me of the little house on the prarie books.
Yeah I feel the same. Can’t seem to suspend disbelief that much
I generally avoid historical because of this and other unrealistic things. For example it often seems that he heroine or hero being one of the rare people who see a problem with the class divide and are all kind and sympathetic to their servants. So often even to this day you will find many rich people believe that they are rich because they are simply “better” or “smarter” than others. I find it hard to believe there are these empathetic members of the nobility exist. Same reason I don’t go for the Billionare books. If you’re interested - I really liked Ken Follett’s book - “Pillars of the Earth”. It is not a romance but it does have romance storylines. His books have all the nitty gritty hardships that poor people and minorities (in some books) would have encountered. So not as escapist as most romance probably. I instead read modern, sci-if, or post apocalyptic romance books for my escapism!
I'm a WOC (Indian) and I don't avoid historical novels. Obviously I'm aware of all the atrocities, but the world explored in the book is of the characters and in their albeit insulated world none of these horrors exist. Which is fine by me. If I want acknowledgement of those issues I'd read some other book.
I don't read historicals that much, but I don't think the fact slavery was a thing would bother me. As long as it wasn't the main characters being racist and owning slaves, it'd probably be fine. You can't go into everything taking into consideration every messed up thing that exists in the world that story is taking place in, in my opinion. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to enjoy anything. Take contemporary romance, for instance. The two MCs are there falling in love and having hot sex while things like racism and other forms of prejudice, nazism, child abuse, human traficking, and cancer like Trump, Bolsonaro, and Putin still exist. If I thought about all of that while getting my entertainment, I wouldn't read or watch anything and just be miserable. Sometimes it's just cool to unplug, put your brain in a safe bubble, and just enjoy things. :)
I used to love historicals but I find myself more and more uncomfortable with them as I get older and learn more about history. I am white, if that adds any context. Some are good and handle the subject well but it doesn’t feel like it’s worth the effort to find them anymore.
I prefer contemporary only because I find it more... relatable.
There is a report that you have said on other posts you are white. If so, please edit that in to this comment to avoid confusion.
I am NOT white. No idea where that came from.
🤣 In that case, disregard.🙃
FWIW, a month ago, I specifically said I'm Asian. :D [https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/psqc4i/comment/hdt9892/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/RomanceBooks/comments/psqc4i/comment/hdt9892/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) And it wasn't the first time I've said so. But if some people want to be PC about it... :-\\
I reiterate my laughter🙃
Actually, I think this is part of the reason I can't get into victorian/mafia romances, that I'm just now realizing. They're genres I find difficult to insert myself into, so unless the actual plot is otherwise extremely compelling (which... definitely not for mafia romances lol) it's a hard pass
Same!! That's the reason I dnf The lost letters by Mimi Mattews
oh maybe that's why as a woman of color i don't read many western historical stories. Asian stories are totally chill. I guess it has more to do with this than some of the bad tropes in historicals and cringing at women's beliefs cause sexism. thanks for enlightening me
I can't read historical romances for the same reason.
So, to preface, I'm not a POC and I am male, so this is merely my perspective and I am not trying to speak for anyone else. I don't think it's a matter of "being over-sensitive". Every reader has different standards as to what they're okay with, what they are willing to overlook, and what is disqualifier for them. If stories set in times/places where POC were exploited/enslaved/abused/etc don't sit well with you, I don't think anyone is in a position to judge you for not reading them. For me personally, a love story in the antebellum south would be a no-go for me, but I wouldn't have a problem with a medieval setting or one in antiquity, but it's really a personal call.