Let me start by saying within the romance genre, I'm not a fan of first person point of view. I have a hard time explaining why. I just know it annoys me. I think it has to do with being limited to one character, usually the heroine. I find that in romance, especially romances with a strong alpha male who can come across as too controlling or possessive, I need to be inside the hero’s head to completely understand his motives and emotions.
My aversion to first person point of view doesn’t carry over to other genres. I love Patricia Cornwell’s early novels in the Scarpetta series which are all in first person. I enjoy the use of first person in certain literary pieces. But it usually drives me crazy in romance. It’s usually a deal breaker. More than once I’ve picked up a book in the bookstore, found the back cover blurb interesting, then opened it up to the first few pages to discover first person point of view and promptly put it down again.
That said, I just finished a contemporary romance written in first person. I read it cover to cover in one and a half days. I actually checked it out on audio book from the library, listened to the first two disks while driving, and loved it so much I couldn't wait until I had to drive somewhere else to finish it. So…I went to the bookstore and picked up a hard copy.
Here’s the thing that really blew me away though. I was through the whole first disk of the book before it registered with me that I was listening to a story in first person. It drew me in with a compelling and emotional storyline, and first person fit the story perfectly. The point of view enhanced rather than distracted.
I have a new author on my favorites list. Well, she’s not a new author, just new to me. Blue-Eyed Devil by bestselling author Lisa Kleypas goes on my keeper shelf. I’ll be picking up the other two books in her contemporary series soon, too.
I’m also reconsidering my self imposed ban on first person romances. When they’re well written, the emotion is deeper because the reader is rooted in the character’s head. The reader reads/thinks the character’s thoughts as the character thinks them. It’s deeply emotional and personal. And Blue-Eyed Devil is all about emotion as it addresses some big issues—emotional and physical spousal abuse, the road to healing, and personal growth. It’s not your typical romance novel by any means. It’s more serious. It breaks some of the typical romance genre conventions. It’s brilliant. I whole-heartedly recommend it.
The Trouble with Rylee
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