Readers' Advisory: There Seem to be More SEALs in Romance Fiction than in the US Navy, and if so, Why Does it Matter?

Mary K. Chelton

Abstract


Few of us are lucky enough to write about what we love. In particular, what we love to read and why it’s so popular. But, Mary K. Chelton was able to do just that. We, the readers of this column are able to dive right into this article and read Chelton’s thoughts on a book genre dear to her: Navy SEALs. Why we do love our military men? What is it with the strong, handsome type that often need “fixing” by intelligent, beautiful ladies in need of love that has our readers so transfixed? Chelton provides excellent insight into a genre that she, too, loves to read. In her own words, Chelton states that this article suggests reasons for popularity of military romance, from the type of hero and appeal factors to familiar story lines and authors. Whether you’re a readers’ advisor familiar with this reading trend, or new to the genre, this article is a great introduction or “go to” resource in your everyday RA world.—Editor

Full Text:

HTML PDF

References


Victoria Janssen, “Sexy Soldiers: Top Five Military Heroes in Contemporary Romance,” Heroes and Heartbreakers (blog), 2011, www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2011/05/top-five

-military-heroes-in-contemporary-romance.

Paul Highgate and John Hopton, “War, Militarism, and Masculinities” in Handbook of Studies on Men & Masculities, edited by Michael S. Kimmel et al., 432–49 (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2005).

“We Love a Man In Uniform! 2015,” Harlequin, accessed on August 20, 2015, www.harlequin.com/store.html?cid=622677.

Jayne Ann Krentz, “Trying to Tame the Romance: Critics and Correctness,” in Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance, edited by Jayne Ann Krentz (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992).

Sarah Wendall and Cindy Tan, Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels (New York: Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 2009).

Sarah Frantz, “Byronic Alpha Males,” Popular Romance Project, May 15, 2014, http://popularromanceproject.org/?s=Byronic+Alpha+Males.

Lindsay McKenna, Down Range (Toronto: Harlequin, 2013).

Tina Wainscott, “About the Author,” in Way of the Warrior, (Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2015).

Maya Rodale, “The Surprising Qualities Women Want in a Hero,” Huffington Post Books (blog), 2014, www.huffington

post.com/maya-rodale/the-surprising-qualities-_b_4567994

.html.

Belinda Luscombe, “Veteran Affairs: For Romance Readers, a Hardy Man is Good to Find,” Time 178 no. 122 (2011): 76, 78.

“Why We’d Love to Date a Navy SEAL,” 2011, Cosmopolitan Magazine, www.cosmopolitan.com/sexlove/advice/a3505/

why-we-love-navy-seals.

Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990).

Carolyn Zerbe Enns, “Archetypes and Gender: Goddesses, Warriors and Psychological Health,” Journal of Counseling and Development 73 (November/December, 1994): 127–33.

“Krentz on Archtypes,” Popular Romance Project, 2012, http://popularromanceproject.org/krentz-archetypes.

Suzanne Brockmann, 2013, “The Tall, Dark and Dangerous Series: Note from Suz,” www.suzannebrockmann.com/books/tall-dark-dangerous/.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips, “The Romance and the Empowerment of Women,” in Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women: Romance Writers on the Appeal of Romance, edited by Jayne Ann Krentz. 53–59 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992).

Pam Regis, In Defense of the Romance Novel, A Natural History of the Romance Novel (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003).

Rosaline Gill and Elena Herdieckerhoff, “Rewriting the Romance: New Femininities in Chick Lit?” Feminist Media Studies 6, no. 4 (2006): 487–504.

Jodie T. Allen, Nilanthi Samaranayake, and James Albrittain, “Iraq and Vietnam: A Crucial Difference in Opinion,” Pew Research Center, 2007, accessed August 20, 2015, www.pew

research.org/2007/03/22/iraq-and-vietnam-a-crucial-difference

-in-opinion/.

Mark Gerzon, A Choice of Heroes: The Changing Face of American Manhood (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1982).

Julie Naughton, “In Love and War: Romance Books, 2013,” Publisher’s Weekly 260, no. 45 (November 11, 2013): 31–39.

“Public Esteem for Military Still High,” Pew Research, Religion and Public Life Project, July 11, 2013, www.pewforum

.org/2013/07/11/public-esteem-for-military-still-high.

J. W. Gibson, Warrior Dreams: Paramilitary Culture in Post-Vietnam America (New York: Hill & Wang 1994).

Raph Koster, “Damsels in Distress,” Raph Koster’s Website, 2014 www.raphkoster.com/2013/03/12/damsels-in-distress.

J. Sevick, “Romantic vs. Problematic Tropes,” Ramblings of a Wannabe Writer (blog), 2014, http://jsevick.com.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.55n1.21

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


ALA Privacy Policy

© 2023 RUSA