#RomBkLove Day 10: What Did I Just Read? OTT & WTF
#RomBkLove Day 12: In Uniform

#RomBkLove Day 11: Cross-Class Romances

Day11 #RomBkLoveContemporary or Historicals cross-class romances are a staple of the genre. The Princess falls for the gardener's boy, the Millionaire for the clerk, but there is a lot to overcome when love crosses classes. From Cinderella retellings, rescue fantasies or unexpected reversals, what romances get it right? 

I recently read Band Sinister by KJ Charles that while it was not strictly a cross-class romance, one of the leads was a lord while the other a country gentleman. There was a huge gap between their financial positions and privilege. I loved how Charles had that be a pivotal part of the plot and something that she expressly address in the HEA, rather than something glossed over.

In Priscilla Oliveras's Her Perfect Affair both the Rosa and Jeremy struggle in different ways with fitting in with Jeremy's prominent and wealthy family. There is a scene early in the novel with Rosa, Latina, middle-class and pregnant feels so very out-classed by Jeremy's WASPy ex-girlfriend, who grew up with him and know all the same people his parents do. The subtle insider/outsider subtexts of the scene were perfectly portrayed.

Alisha Rai's Hurts to Love You is another contemporary that doesn't shy away from portraying class differences in modern day America.  Gabriel grew up the son of cook, while Eve is the sheltered heiress.  They both have a lot of baggage associated with the way they grew up and have to unpack it in order to fight for something together.

What romances capture how the cross-class divides impact romances?

 

 An Archive of all the Day's tweets

A link to all the prompts and to a list of all the posts so far.

comments powered by Disqus