Historical Romances 1811, 1958, and 2010

I'm currently reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Venetia by Georgette Heyer, and recently finished The Duke's Redemption by Carla Capshaw. It's been interesting noting the contrasts. Being a dyslexic, Jane Austen's is the most difficult to read because the words are not as familiar and are frequently arranged differently than that to which I am accustomed. Georgette Heyer and Carla Capshaw both use many of the same words as Jane Austen, but the syntax is more familiar, so easier to follow. It has been entertaining.

It's easy to understand the draw to Jane Austen. I recognize so many of the characters. They're people I know, now! It's very everydayish with the drama provided by the personalities. Who doesn't know the Princess? The Drama Queen? Mr. Nice Guy? The Playboy? The Whatever is Best for Me? The Manipulator? Her stories can easily be transcribed to more modern times and still fit, though it is truly interesting to peek into the culture of 200 years ago.

Georgette Heyer is also considered one of the great romance writers, setting the standard for those who would follow. Her descriptions are vividly painted. Her dialogue entertaining. She was a Jane Austen fan, and endeavored to follow many of her guidelines, to excellent effect. Her characters are clear cut and recognizable.

To compare apples with apples, I included Carla Capshaw, who writes inspirational historical romances. Any other type of HR would go beyond the bedroom door, which the two previous writers did not. Of the three, Carla is my favorite. Carla Capshaw and Georgette Heyer needed to do research that Jane Austen did not, but the work they put in for the details are noticeable and add richness and depth to the tales.

But always, the central focus is the relationships and the inevitable Happily Ever After. That's why one reads a romance. And all three writers deliver. It isn't often that one is able to compare three different events, over a 200-year time span, and see so many similarities while they maintain their individuality, but this is one. There's a comforting pleasure in knowing that romance, at its heart, remains the same, desirable, not easy, and worth fighting for.