Shiny, happy people...

Is it just me?  Seems like every new romance I pick up these days involves shiny, happy people falling in love, facing a wee bit of angst and then moving happily into their lives together.  The latest example of this trend is Maya Rodale's, A Groom of One's Own.  Rodale is a new author for me and I've heard good things, so I was excited to give this one a shot.  The story involves the romantically challenged heroine, Sophie Harlow and the upright and respectable "double" Duke of Hamilton and Brandon.  Sophie is a society reporter for a London newspaper and she is assigned to cover the wedding of the Duke and his reluctant bride to be.  Sophie and the Duke have met prior to this assignment and both are struck by an immediate attraction, so most of the story involves them fighting their growing attraction while continuously thrust together for wedding preparations.  I realize I have sort of glossed over a plot recap here, but the plot really only serves as a vehicle to throw these two funny, intelligent, honorable people together and let us see how perfect they are for each other.  Although not known for my love of sweetness, I liked this book.  Rodale is a clever writer who knows how to turn a phrase.  Her dialogue moves beyond witty to laugh out loud funny at times.  Anyone looking for a sweet, sexy, well-written romance should rush out and grab this book.  That said, it left me thinking about the current state of the historical romance.

It seems that most of the books I pick up these days are historical only in the sense that the author has chosen to set them in the past.  This book could have been set in the present with very few changes.  The historical aspect of the work really had next to no effect on the rest of the story.  This book is very much part of the current trend which seems to involve merging a chick lit story with a historical time period and calling it a historical romance.  I don't really have an issue with this, publishing seems to lend itself to trends and this is obviously the latest, however it does leave me a wee bit nostalgic for a good, classic, angsty historical.  You long time romance readers know what I'm talking about.  I want an epic tale involving love, hate, separation, loss, villians, heartbreak, and enough angst to leave you with at least a few soaked hankies.

Does this kind of romance novel even exist anymore?  Is angst on the way out?  Am I the only reader who still likes the feeling of having my heart torn out? While I wait to hear your responses, I'm going to glom the other Maya Rodale titles, because really, she is a lot of fun to read.