Love, Love, Love

Since Valentine's just passed, I thought I'd talk about love. The curious emotion that inspires people to do crazy things in life and in books.

Whether we have insta-love or I-hate-you-then-can't-live-without-you love, romance and those oh-so-hot crushes help steam up a book and entice the reader. Why? Even in action films or horror books, there's a trickle of love. Some person loves another person and we can insta-connect.

We all want to be loved and we all hope to find someone to love. So how do we write it in a believable way? Realize that there are a million and one ways to fall in love or show love. Love isn't always love at first. It might be friendship that turns into something more.

I think of real life examples. Either from my own life or news stories. Love is out there! We all go goo-goo eyes over show of affection and thoughtfulness. At the same time, we've all had our hearts broken by the crush that didn't crush back. And some people really do experience insta-love or insta-crush. It is real!

Recently, I've read a couple of books (all YA fantasy cause it's my fav!) that have great examples of the different ways an author can go about creating that swoon worthy romance that turns into real commitment. Or not.

The first book, is Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It was a strange kind of connection between a ghost killer and a ghost and done oh so well. The love was drawn from compassion, which lead to an I'd-die-for-you kind of relationship. Very swoon worthy!

Then I read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Super sneaky love there. The kind I love best. All mixed up with romance, longing, and loneliness. I got all excited trying to figure out who's going to end up with who. It was the kind of tension that kept me turning pages!

And then there's the I-hate-you and you-hate-me but we can't get enough of each other but we'll never tell each other. That was in Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout and I thought it was very well done. The characters sparked and the dialogue was top notch. I felt like I was there watching all the drama and crushing go down. I'm totally hooked on the series now.

So what about you? What kind of romance or sprinkles of love do you like most in books? Do you have a happy ending? Or are you okay if the amazing couple breaks up?