09-18-2007, 10:40 PM
The book publicists have classified gothic romances as everything from mystery to romance, including romantic suspense and occasionally gothic. The spine label "gothic" was deemed the kiss of death for many publishers, due to extensive returns of unsold books from bookstores when poorly written gothic romances flooded the market, trying to capitalize on the popularity of books by Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Dorothy Eden, Daphne du Maurier, and other great gothic writers. Therefore, you will find gothic romance hiding behind many different spine labels.
The three key ingredients I would use to describe a gothic romance novel are romance, life threatening suspense, and a puzzle or mystery. Within that broader description, one finds the "classic gothic," which usually takes place in a large mansion where threats are made to the heroine's life while she tries to figure out if her potential love interest(s) is (are) good or evil. Gothic elements such as secret passages, ghosts, mazes, dungeons, etc., are often present in classic gothic romances, which can have either a contemporary or historical setting.
That's my take, anyway. What do others think?
The three key ingredients I would use to describe a gothic romance novel are romance, life threatening suspense, and a puzzle or mystery. Within that broader description, one finds the "classic gothic," which usually takes place in a large mansion where threats are made to the heroine's life while she tries to figure out if her potential love interest(s) is (are) good or evil. Gothic elements such as secret passages, ghosts, mazes, dungeons, etc., are often present in classic gothic romances, which can have either a contemporary or historical setting.
That's my take, anyway. What do others think?
