Mills & Boon romance novels embrace a sports theme???? What on earth!!!
By James72
@James72 (26790)
Australia
March 20, 2009 4:51am CST
So true and so very sad! lol. I was checking some news links and found this particular article just now:
http://au.sports.yahoo.com/news/article/-/5418315/rugbyromance-embraces-rugby-new-book-series
Apparently the Mills & Boon romantic novel franchise have been wanting to embrace a sports theme in their novels fro some time now, so have decided to include a rugby theme for starters! God help us all! 
I can see it now..... A manly Rugby Union forward curled up under a cherry blossom tree with tears streaming down his face as he journey's into a literary world full of head-high tackles mixed with soul stirring and heartfelt romantic interludes!
Do you find this combination as funny as I do? What's next? A Mills & Boon novel with a romatic theme centred around the yearly seal clubbing event??? How odd!
I can see it now..... A manly Rugby Union forward curled up under a cherry blossom tree with tears streaming down his face as he journey's into a literary world full of head-high tackles mixed with soul stirring and heartfelt romantic interludes!
Do you find this combination as funny as I do? What's next? A Mills & Boon novel with a romatic theme centred around the yearly seal clubbing event??? How odd!3 people like this
5 responses
@mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
20 Mar 09
On the contrary, I think its quite romantic. Its time that we came out of doctor's series and It will be extremely intriguing to discover the enigmatic rugby forward wooing and breaking into romantic interludes.
1 person likes this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
20 Mar 09
Goodness me mimpi! Well make sure you reserve your copies on Amazon then! 
At least an angle with Doctor's makes sense to a point! lol. I wish I had a massive stack of Mills & Boon novels actually. I could use them for firewood in winter! 
Thanks for my congrats on reaching 5,000 posts too by the way. Alok and yourself were the first to do so and I'm very grateful.
At least an angle with Doctor's makes sense to a point! lol. I wish I had a massive stack of Mills & Boon novels actually. I could use them for firewood in winter! Thanks for my congrats on reaching 5,000 posts too by the way. Alok and yourself were the first to do so and I'm very grateful. @mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
20 Mar 09
You reached 5000! Really! I didn't notice...
1 person likes this
@p1kef1sh (45681)
•
20 Mar 09
Do you not recall the potholing adventure James? Craggy Rupert was out with Samantha's best friend Myrtle. She took him to her hole where he got stuck. Samantha, who was jealous at the best of times, was furious that Rupert was stuck in Myrtle's hole and demanded that he get out and see to her instead. Being a solicitous sort of chap Rupert tried to oblige. But he was stuck fast. His friend KY, said that he could help, but he was a very slippery character. Instead of helping Rupert, he successfully greased himself into Samantha's hole. Whatever next. Bodice ripping? LOL.
1 person likes this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
20 Mar 09
Good God man! 
I've never felt more romantic in my life after reading such a stirring and heartfelt rendition! Thank goodness for KY, as it always saves the day in tight situations like these! 
I'm waiting in anticipation for the "mature content" tag to appear on this discussion now. May I also say that young Rupert has certainly made out like a bandit this time around! Hopefully in chapter 2, Samantha and Myrtle will move from bodice ripping to jelly wrestling! At least this would add the sports component that Mills & Boon seem to so desperately crave.....
I've never felt more romantic in my life after reading such a stirring and heartfelt rendition! Thank goodness for KY, as it always saves the day in tight situations like these! I'm waiting in anticipation for the "mature content" tag to appear on this discussion now. May I also say that young Rupert has certainly made out like a bandit this time around! Hopefully in chapter 2, Samantha and Myrtle will move from bodice ripping to jelly wrestling! At least this would add the sports component that Mills & Boon seem to so desperately crave.....
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
20 Mar 09
It does sound strange. Mills and Boon are one of the most succesfull romantic book series that have been written and have been around since ages. I really wonder what makes them want to tie up with a sporting event like rugby. The article explains it, but at the same time i would feel that it was best left the way it was. You descripton under the cherry blossom tree is funny and it's hard to imagine how they would portray the mix of the two.
1 person likes this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
20 Mar 09
I agree that it's strange! We are so used to seeing these Mills & Boon book covers with some woman being embraced by a bare chested man with bulging biceps and long flowing hair..... What's it going to be now? The same thing but he'll be wearing headgear as well??? I wonder if these new directions will be successful or not? I never liked these novels in the first place, so adding a sports twist is certainly not going to entice me personally in any way. I can see it now:
"She ran her fingers lightly across his bare rippling chest. His skin was smooth and glistening and she deftly found the scar from the game last year where he was sprigged by a half-back during a scrum. She sighed deeply and raised her face to meet his gaze..... But he had drifted off to sleep due to the punishing training session he had just endured earlier that evening. Alas, a night of passion was not to be and she must once again wait for the off-season. At least for now she felt safe in his presence and her heart fluttered as she came to the realization that he was hers, forever."
God help us all!
I wonder if these new directions will be successful or not? I never liked these novels in the first place, so adding a sports twist is certainly not going to entice me personally in any way. I can see it now:
"She ran her fingers lightly across his bare rippling chest. His skin was smooth and glistening and she deftly found the scar from the game last year where he was sprigged by a half-back during a scrum. She sighed deeply and raised her face to meet his gaze..... But he had drifted off to sleep due to the punishing training session he had just endured earlier that evening. Alas, a night of passion was not to be and she must once again wait for the off-season. At least for now she felt safe in his presence and her heart fluttered as she came to the realization that he was hers, forever."
God help us all! 1 person likes this
@wayz12 (2059)
• United States
20 Mar 09
To be honest, I don't see what is wrong with the idea. With a little imagination, some good conflict, and witty writing, sports figures or athletes make great romantic hero material for books.
One of my favorite contemporary romance series is by Elizabeth Phillip's Chicago Stars which centers around football the game. Her heroes include a coach, a quarterback, a sports agent, etc. She writes with wit, humor and great emotions.
So a serial publisher like Mills & Boon would not go wrong with such a theme, as long as their writers can deliver what their readers usually expect, a romance story, complete with the expected happy ending.
Hey, if vampires and werewolves can be heroes, how much more an athletic, dashing rugby player?
@wayz12 (2059)
• United States
20 Mar 09
LOL..I didn't take offense...and I thought your comment was tongue-in-cheek humor. But still on behalf of us much maligned-bunch of romance readers, I can't help but speak out.
Most people scoff at romance as a genre, considering it to be too low-brow, and few will admit to reading them, even though it is one of the most profit-driven books out there. After all, happy endings do sell..LOL..
1 person likes this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
20 Mar 09
I was confident that you hadn't taken offence and just have what you'd call a diplomatic nature! lol. Yes, I do recognize how well these novels sell and have to admit that I've even read one or two of them in the past myself; but they're just not my cup of tea I'm afraid. You mentioning Vampires and Werewolves kind of pricked my ears up a bit though!
My Grandmother used to love them and would check new ones out of the library every week. It's escapism at it's best for many women too I guess. I remember my Grandmother sitting in her chair with these contented smiles on her face as she clutched the books to her chest. She'd been without my Grandfather for many years and I suppose these stories helped her to re-live many aspects of their life together in a sense as well. Or at least combined with her active imagination it did!
My Grandmother used to love them and would check new ones out of the library every week. It's escapism at it's best for many women too I guess. I remember my Grandmother sitting in her chair with these contented smiles on her face as she clutched the books to her chest. She'd been without my Grandfather for many years and I suppose these stories helped her to re-live many aspects of their life together in a sense as well. Or at least combined with her active imagination it did! @James72 (26790)
• Australia
20 Mar 09
I guess it all comes down to whether you're a person that's into romantic fiction or not. If you are, then a change in setting like this would be most enjoyable you would think. So on that front, I'd have to agree with you that it may be a very smart move by Mills & Boon here. As you've rightfully shared, it's all about the writers delivering a proven formula with their storytelling and the settings in which this can be done are practically endless. But I'm NOT a romantic fiction afficianado, so you'll have to forgive my humour at such a thing!
@SaintAnne (5453)
• United States
21 Mar 09
For a second there, I thought you would start describing Fabio with his legs entwined with a bosomy rugby fan. Visual there!
And the seal clubbing event holds a lot of opportunities for wet t-shirts.
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
21 Mar 09
I think ANYTHING with Fabio presents one heck of a visual and it doesn't really matter what the setting is. The question is whether it's a good or bad visual! I have my own answer to that anyways. I never considered the wet t-shirt angle at seal clubbing events either. The weather's cold too, so there'll be plenty of "high-beam" action! Perfect, just perfect! Shame about the seal part though. 
I never considered the wet t-shirt angle at seal clubbing events either. The weather's cold too, so there'll be plenty of "high-beam" action! Perfect, just perfect! Shame about the seal part though. 