Favorite Love Stories

I love romance. I freely admit it, there is no shame. I do not like shallow romance however. I enjoy reading love stories that have depth and are complex (if not downright complicated). This is probably because I prefer character driven stories so the characters whose stories I love are complex people. I prefer for the love stories I read to end well but if tragedy is necessary, I can deal with that too. It being Valentine's Day and all I decided, today of all days, it was okay to be a little cutesy and do a new favorites list, this time focusing on my favorite love stories

Gen and Irene

I said I liked complicated. These two are the very definition of complicated. They are also the very definition of wonderful. I love that their relationship isn't easy and it is obvious they work hard for it. I love the way they flirt with each other and how everyone else is oblivious as to what they are doing. I love how absolutely perfectly matched they are in intellect and skill. I love how they do not fit into any romantic trope ever written. Their love story is unique and it beautifully rendered.

Peter and Harriet
Again, complicated. Complicated characters make for complicated entanglements. Peter and Harriet are well matched too. They are both intellectual, curious, interested in mysteries and insecure in different ways. If they had met any other way it might have been easy, or as easy as something involving Peter could be, but they met in a prison where she was awaiting her second murder trial. He had to rescue her by finding the real murderer making things awkward and well, complicated. I adore the way their story unfolds, from that prison meeting (hilariously awkward proposal and all) in Strong Poison to the uncomfortable realities in Have His Carcase to the further uncomfortable realities and swoon worthy revelations in Gaudy Night to the complicated happily ever after in Busman's Honeymoon.

Ron and Hermione
I can't help this. There is just sooooo much of me and my husband in Hermione and Ron that I can't help but love them (it's actually kind of scary how many similarities there are). They just balance each other well. His lazy intelligence is a great foil for her hyper over achiever tendencies. They way they admire those things about each other but are equally annoyed by them is amusing to watch. I do have to say I would have liked to have seen the resolution of them play out differently than it did in the books, but it is them together in the end so I'm satisfied.

Elizabeth and Darcy
I don't really think I need to explain myself here.

Ella and Char
Ella Enchanted is my favorite fairy tale retelling. Besides providing answers for all those annoying little questions brought up in Cinderella it has Ella and Char. I love reading as their story unfolds and I love how most of their relationship is conducted via correspondence. The concluding glass slipper/proposal scene of the book is just so wonderful. Reading this always makes me happy.

Those are the top 5, but you can find more that I love here.

How about you? What love stories are your favorites?

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