The L Word

Wo ie ni.

Volim te.

Je t'aime.

Aloha wau ia 'oe.

Ti amo.

Kimi o ai shiteru.

Aš tave myliu.       

Ich Liebe Dich.

I love you. 

People all around the world say "love you" differently.  There are many diverse ways to profess your deepest feelings to the one you love.  Some do show it though actions, words, art, or music *cough! Incarnate! cough!*.  It's the same in books.  Authors write their characters to show affection, but how to they show it?  What makes the way one character displays is fancy different from how another character does it?  Yes, my lovelies,  in honour of St. Valentine's Day, I am writing about love.  Now, I'm not a professional, but I have read  A LOT of books.   This makes me a bit of a hopeless romantic.  

Similar to languages, books say "I love you" differently.  No two books are ever the same (Well, nowadays, maybe).  Love is one of the main reasons readers pick up a book.  Now don't go shaking your head, saying "That's not true!".  Think about it.  Yes it is.  Aside from the amazing plot, we are drawn to the romance.   We want to see what makes the characters human, and love is one of the most basic factors of humanity.   Basic, not easy.

To all my writers, how do you incorporate romance into your novels? I'd love to hear the different ways you write love into the plot. Being the hopeless slag I am, I stick it in every corner I possibly can.  Not to the point that it is suffocating, obvious and annoying, just little subtle hints.  

In Incarnate, (YES- I will always refer to this book) Ana and Sam have a beautiful relationship.  However, it is not without flaws! The two often disagree.  They both come from very divergent pasts.  Ana can be insecure at times and Sam can be so thick in the noggin, he might be classified as an Orc.  A beautiful Orc with musical talent beyond your imagination... Anyway, their love may be wonderful, but they are flawed and that makes it relatable.  

Matched by Ally Conde is another great book featuring a completely useless love-triangle.  If you haven't already noticed, I'm not a fan of such polygons.   Here we have Cassia who I instantly loved, and then slowly started to dislike.  I understand the whole, breaking away from the Society thing, but honestly, Ky?  I felt like she was just enamoured with him. Not love - just intense interest.  (I'm reviewing this book next! BE excited!) 

The Percy Jackson Series... good lord, who doesn't ship Peracbeth?  If you don't, you are not human.  Percy and Annabeth grew up together.  They met when they we twelve and their Godly parents hated each other.   THESE ARE THE MAKINGS OF A FINE RELATIONSHIP.  Then, the two slowly developed feelings for each other - and we were right there with them!  Percy refused immortality for her!  Annabeth searched the world for Percy when he went missing.  Dedication, my friends!  This is what makes this couple shine. Thank Mr. Riordan for sharing this wonderful love with us. 

In The Hunger Games, romance wasn't the main  focus of the story, but it played a part in it.  There was your typical nagging, unnecessary love-triangle.  Katniss and Peeta vs. Gale.  In this relationship, Peeta was the damsel in constant distress and Katniss was the strapping male character  that was always jumping though hoops to save him.  Wait, not right?  Ah!  Katniss was the female and Peeta was the male?  I had no clue.  Now I'm all for girl power, but this was a little ridiculous.  This was definitely a new twist on romance.  I liked it, but in book 3, it slightly irked me. 

Jane Eyre, my dream romance.  Jane, a young governess at Thornfield Hall falls for her employer, Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester (AKA The Ultimate Valentine).  This book weaves such a beautiful romance, you are instantly drawn in and obsessed.   Jane isn't pretty, she is smart and passionate.  She's got her head screwed on right, a devout Christian and opinated.  This girl is my hero.  Mr. Rochester is a brooding man with a dark past and even darker eyes that you immediately want to drown in.  Perfection.  (All McFassy fans will understand that reference and probably even read that in his voice) Now, of course we can ignore skeletons and Bertha's in the closet and just agree that he is a fantastic catch. 

Now that these examples of great and not-so-great love have been given, I want YOU to post and tell me who is your ideal couple?  What makes their love so unique? Which fictional dreamboat would YOU want for a Valentine? 
 
 

  

Kip and Lafawnduh will alway be the greatest lovers in my book!