I’d forgotten that. Lucy Monroe’s Blackmailed Into Marriage (the vaginismus story) was one of the romances discussed in a 2007 Macleans article. Which prompted some discussion on sexual health in romances and some assertions that such topics are more common in romance than other literature

Oh, thank you for that link!

@ Catherine:
thank you Catherine!

ReacherFan wrote:

Day one of my period was always a gory murder mystery or one of those brainless thrillers where the hero is never wrong about who needs to be killed and we have a high body count of evil doers to keep my bloodlust at bay. I usually reserved books about serial killers or other suitably gruesome murders for ‘those’ days.

The symbolism! And yes, the new math is at fault for most social ills.

Kaetrin wrote:

Oh ewwwww Jessica! Thanks so much (not!) for the mental images of “tampon sucking”. Oh gross!

As for “Endless Love” – does this have anything to do with the Brooke Shields/Christopher Atkins movie in the 80’s?

I thought it was like cooties — if I gave the image to you, my brain would be wiped clean of it.

But yes, that’s the movie based on the well reviewed book of the same name by Scott Spencer, which made a huge impression on me. It was told from David’s perspective. Today, when I realize Jade was 15 and David only 17, I can’t believe some of those sex scenes.

JennyME wrote:

I can’t think of a single romance I’ve read in which the period has an emotional affect on the heroine, although several come to mind when the main character is made weepy and emotional during a pregnancy.

Thanks Jenny! And I agree with your sense of things.

EAP wrote:

Good in some ways, terrifying in others. I learned quickly to always have on hand a spare hot water bottle and enough ibuprofen to knock out a horse.

Thank you for the discussion of Improper English! And I just learned, having been for my annual checkup (and mammogram, ugh), that the two Advils I take are considered near-placebo doses. I said, “But that’s the recommended dosage on the label!” and my doc looked at me like I was daft. I was told to take at least 3 and 4 if I really needed it. Who knew?

Tumperkin wrote:

It’s true, however, that I’ve read very few in which The Curse is shown in all its dreadful splendour. And that’s fine with me. It’s a bore in real life and I’ve no wish to read about it in fiction -unless it’s advancing the story.

“Dreadful splendour”, good one. I think that’s where I come down on the issue, too.

The hero doesn’t get out the heating pad/hot water bottle, but he does trot out the line, “I don’t mind if you don’t”. *ahem*

Before that statement leads to any serious emotional scarring, I should quickly add that the scene that follows didn’t take me into the same traumatic period pr0n territory as the links above – although the hero did manage to get the heroine’s endorphines to kick in quite nicely.

Whether it fits into the category where periods are mentioned in the context of not being pregnant, or even whether the period drives the plot could be debated. I’d say at least some of her behaviour in the days before could be attributed to PMT, but the book doesn’t state this, and it’s hard to call, given the “wacky, sassy” tendancies of the average KMcA heroine.

BTW, I remember in this much detail because I just finished reading this book last night. Synchronicity is indeed a wonderful thing. Speaking of which, regarding Laura V’s theory – I don’t know if there’s any scientific explanation for it, but whenever I’ve lived with menstruating women for a while (about 2-3 months usually), it does seem that we all begin to start closer and closer together (except for women who are on the pill). Good in some ways, terrifying in others. I learned quickly to always have on hand a spare hot water bottle and enough ibuprofen to knock out a horse.

I seem to recall it being a plot point in a few older historicals, but I can’t remember titles. Something along the lines of “Don’t bother knocking on the door between our bedrooms tonight; I’m indisposed” and the heroine feeling she’d bought herself a few days’ respite from the dreaded husband.

I can’t think of a single romance I’ve read in which the period has an emotional affect on the heroine, although several come to mind when the main character is made weepy and emotional during a pregnancy.

As for “Endless Love” – does this have anything to do with the Brooke Shields/Christopher Atkins movie in the 80’s?

@ RfP – I really enjoyed the Blackmailed into Marriage story by Lucy Monroe too actually. (I don’t think her full length novels are as good but I usually pick up her categories).

The Mr Perfect scenes are great. Especially when she gets caught in the lie.

I must admit, I commented on several book reviews about intelligent males being unable to count to 28 and realize when they have not be ‘inconvenienced’ by the arrival of the woman’s period. I noticed in the old Amanda Quick books, the hero often knew his wife was preggers before she did by the changes in her body – and the fact that those males apparently still could count to 28. Must be the fault of all that new math stuff.

Wow, I am surprised to see of in a Regency! Thanks for the reference.

Well, I think the rags had already been washed and were drying by the fire when they were referred to or shown. But still, it was daring. Dedication was surprising for a regency in a number of ways.

The Gift by Julie Garwood

Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard (she was lying to the hero about it though)

Heart of Fire by Linda Howard

One of Lucy Monroe’s category romances

I’d forgotten that. Lucy Monroe’s Blackmailed Into Marriage (the vaginismus story) was one of the romances discussed in a 2007 Macleans article. Which prompted some discussion on sexual health in romances and some assertions that such topics are more common in romance than other literature