First reaction...

So, I was perusing the top 100 free books for Kindle last night.  I was totally amazed at the number touted as 'Paranormal Romance.'  Initially, I got a bit pissed about the idea.  Typical that when one writer experiences success, others jump on the bandwagon.  I cursed the Twilight series for several minutes.  Then, the brain kicked in.  Think about it:  Dracula - paranormal romance, Frankenstein - paranormal romance, Jane Eyre - definitely paranormal romance (well, until it wasn't) and truth be told many of the Victorian Romances had a paranormal element.  Stephenie Meyer grabbed onto a mostly tried and true formula for her stories.

I am not slamming Stephenie.  I enjoyed her books for the most part.  They entertained me and mostly I felt for the characters.  Her books did leave me with a sense of unease though.  I grew up when Harlequin Romances were the thing.  What those books left me with was an expectation that I would meet a guy that would take control, could read my mind and while he might hurt me in the attempt to keep me safe, he really would care about me to a level of obsession.  WHOA!  Any wonder women are screwed up?  If this is what we've been led to believe is the ideal, it explains a lot.

I look at the 'Twilight' series and have been known to call them Harlequin for YA with vampires and werewolves.  Not so far off track there if you think about it.  My unease came from the fact that both Edward and Bella become so co-dependent that they believe they cannot really live without the other.  Then, here is Jake, he's got a thing for Bella and is for the most part (until he wolfs out) an average teenage guy.  He loves her, but she loves Edward.  Instead of showing girls that there are other fish in the sea, the books tend to say to me, it's OK to close yourself off if you've been hurt by a guy.  Hey, and be patient, he really does love you and he will come back.  Whereas the 'nice' guy, that wants only the best for you, wants your happiness sits on the sidelines as your fall-back position.  I finally got smart and married a 'nice' guy.  Guess maybe that's why I came down on the side of 'Team Jacob'.  Young girls need to know that it is OK to stick with the 'nice' guy.  He's not perfect.  He's gonna screw up.  But, he does want the best for and with you.  If he doesn't then it is time to show him the door.  There will be another guy somewhere down the road.  If there isn't, it IS OK to be alone.

Wish we could teach our young girls that instead of having them hold out for unrequited love.  Sigh...