What was the first romance you read?

 

Thank you for joining us on this week’s edition of Open Book Blog Hop, where we talk about everything.  This week, we’re talking about our first memories of reading or our favorite books. 

The first romance book I read was written by the fabulous LaVyrle Spencer.  I’ll admit that I first picked up her books because my maiden name is Spencer and I felt a connection in that. (I don’t believe we are related, but if I find out we are, I’m going to be through the roof happy).  

Anyway, I’m a late bloomer, I had already graduated high school and actually already had two babies before I found LaVyrle.  I had read other books before, and remember the love of falling into a different world, but this was different. I was now an adult.

I was a young woman with two babies at home and I was looking for a short escape from the day to day diapers, bottles, crying and generally feeling tired all the time. I think other mom’s will know what I’m talking about.  I walked into the grocery store one day and there was a rack of paperbacks. Ohh so pretty!  I stood there browsing admiring all the beautiful covers and there was a section of LaVyrle Spencer books. Oh, Spencer, like me. I picked up The Fulfillment. 

 
 I was hooked. I couldn’t read them fast enough, she couldn’t write them fast enough. I anxiously awaited her next book. I read other books in-between but I couldn’t wait for LaVyrle’s. She wrote about families, and real drama in families and she made me sad and happy and frustrated and happy again. But, then in 1990, she released Bittersweet.  That book, to this day, is still my favorite.  I’ve read countless authors and books over the years, but Bittersweet stuck with me.  Bittersweet is written about a woman who purchases a Bed & Breakfast in Door County, Wisconsin.  In the back of the book, she writes that she wrote the book while staying in a Bed & Breakfast, Thorpe House, in Door County.  I immediately looked it up.  It existed and still does.  My husband takes me there every couple of years or so, and I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to the various owners of Thorpe House.  LaVyrle still goes up there and stays once a year and I would love to be staying there at the same time as she is. There would be a fan girl moment to beat all moments, I can assure you of that.

We all have that one great memory (hopefully more) of our first book and the way we felt. What was yours?  Please share and let everyone else know what book that was for you and we’ll introduce other fabulous women to books they may not have read before.  Then, click on through my fellow blog hoppers and see what their first memories of books are.

Want to join us on this hop?  Click the InLinkz below to join up. 

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