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Last year we had a lot of heroines whose backs were turned towards the viewer but those covers seem a little out of date this year. Instead, a number of the covers in this year’s contest feature old paintings. You either like them or you don’t. I don’t. Neither does voter Nana who summed it up beautifully in her comments for The Untamed Heiress, “Enough with the paintings already! The darn things are so pervasive now that seeing one tells you absolutely nothing about the work and sometimes not even which work you're picking up: Godspeed, the painting on the cover of Simon the Coldheart, is now also on the cover of a science fiction anthology and a CD by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. We're running out of paintings!” I wholeheartedly agree, but to be fair, many others don’t and I’ll give them room to state their opinions below!
Bethany House |
Our winner this year (and there was no doubt about it) is A Promise for Ellie. Many comments had the same words in them - beautiful, simplicity, the white dress, the way she looks, body language. The dress is really the big winner here. Many voters wrote about the dress. But Ellie’s body language also spoke strongly to the voters. Sandi M said, “Ellie is going to see to it her man keeps that promise! Just from her stance looking back at the house, you can tell she's going to make him work at it. What's she thinking? And why did she have to go so far away for that contemplation? Or perhaps he's already broken his promise and she's not sure what to do. So many possibilities!”
The prairie appealed to many voters: Malvina commented, “Ellie looks unsettled - hands on her hip and she's looking back at the lonely house over a field of high grass.” Fiona said, “The woman is romantically dressed in white lace and her casually dressed hair suggests sweetness and youthful optimism (she seems like an 'Ellie').” One voter named Paul had a very simple reason to vote for this cover. “Looks good!” I personally liked Ellie’s reason to vote for this cover: “It has my name in the title.” |
The second place winner is The Untamed Heiress. Yep. The riding crop is often mentioned as an intriguing detail in this cover. And of course the fact that it is a “real” cover and not a painting. A number of people voted for this cover just because they didn’t want an old painting to win. Let’s look at the rest of Nana’s comment: “I voted for The Untamed Heiress as much to vote against the dang "art" covers as to vote for Heiress. That being said, it's still a pretty good cover. I like the attitude of the woman on the cover, and the riding crop is a nice extra detail that's both characterizing and a little bit naughty. But still: four non-"art" covers in a field of ten? I'm about ready for that backlash now.” Cassandra said, “At least this cover intrigued me about what this woman was about to do - there's nothing that I like better than a girl who knows how to cause mischief!” The heroine intrigues us. Wild and untamed are words that pop up a number of times. Tiffany stated, “She’s looking over her shoulder as if someone just told her NO! And her look saying AS IF! She looks as if she's not afraid to use that riding crop too!" Erin thinks the same way. “The heroine is looking over her shoulder and seems like she is maybe doing something that is "not done," the riding crop makes me think she could defend herself if needed.” And Ivka said, “Love that blue dress!” Maybe cover artists should count the times that the word dress is mentioned! |
HQN |
Time Warner |
The Conquest came in third place. Again, the dress. I have no idea why we women fall for a dress but we do. There were a lot of votes for the dress! Marian’s commented, “That dress. That dress and the rustic-looking scene in the background. But mostly, that dress.” Nikki said, “I am drawn to the unusual lacing of the dress. I don't know how historically correct that style is, but it is different from the oft-used ball dress on many historical covers. And the focus is clearly on the dress--the rest of the cover is so understated.” The heroine herself also made an impact. Anna said, “Some of the other nominees have fine art covers which are nice, but this woman offers what I think must be a good sense of the heroine's character.” Tamela: “I love the "realness" of the girl.” Anne: “The woman looks thoughtful and a bit sad, as if her man troubles her somewhat, though she is very much involved with him.” Kathleen and many other voters made mention of the good use of light and shadow in this cover. |
Fourth place went to Uneasy Lies the Head. Mystery and subtlety were the two main reasons to love this cover. Donna said, “Mystery--why is she stepping on flowers at her wedding?” And Caroline wants to know, “Why are the flowers on the floor? Who is the lady who is only half in the picture? A radiant bride stepping over the roses happily?” Kate sees it completely different – she sees an almost comical cover as she looks like she is stepping on a rose that could be someone's head. Obviously voters like the fact that they can use their imagination. As Rosario said, “I look at most of the others and though they are pretty, I get the feel of models dressed up and posing in a set. With this one, I can almost believe I'm there.” Danica had a completely different reason to vote for this cover. She found it the least ugly! Estelle chose this one because of the nice contrast between the red roses and the white gown. Many other voters mentioned the roses and the shoes. |
Arrow |
Arrow |
My Lord John came in fifth place.
This cover says “Romantic” and that word is mentioned a lot in the comments. Apparently many of us dream of Ladies and their Knights in shining armor.
Maria: “Rationally speaking, I know how very harsh their lives usually were, but this image just sweeps me up and makes me long for chivalry and romance.” A number of voters stated that this painting has always been their favourite and that was their reason to vote for it. Bekhy: “I love the detail and richness of this genre of paintings though it doesn't seem very original.” T.J.: “Isn't this the ultimate act of submission and nobility on a knight's part? To allow himself to be knighted by his queen? Beautiful, haunting, and evocative--and sensual at the same time.” Also the fact that the cover shows exactly what kind of romance novel is to be expected was a reason to favor this one. As Eileen said, “Evokes the period beautifully.” |
In sixth place was The Masque of the Black Tulip, and a number of “old paintings” fans voted for this cover. Nelly had a different reason. “It's pretty, romantic, and the lady on the cover looks healthily proportioned. Yum!” Liz and Helen had another reason. This cover made them curious about the book. “Makes you want to pick up the book and read the back,” Helen said. Liz added, “And that's the purpose of a good cover, after all, isn't it?” Jaime’s comment shows how important a cover can be. “It just really struck me. I've never heard of this book before, but I think I want to find it!” So does Amber’s comment. “It might actually fool me into buying a historical romance!” The wax-sealed scroll was mentioned a number of times. Justin said, “The Masque of the Black Tulip looks delightfully hip. Juxtaposing the oil painting with that sharp sans-serif font and that almost post-modern wax-sealed scroll (picture the cover of Pynchon's 'Mason & Dixon') is a really attractive effect.” Nobody mentioned the dress this time. |
NAL Trade |
Arrow |
In seventh place was Simon the Coldheart. Patti had an original reason to vote for this cover – “Brings the book to life and it has a gargoyle in it. I love gargoyles!” A number of voters agreed with Amber. “Georgette Heyer is an institution and it really works for me to mix it with these classic pictures.” Julia agreed with her, “It goes perfectly with a Georgette Heyer book.” It’s not so much the painting on the cover but the fact that it was on a Heyer that made people vote for this one. Danielle made the comment of the year - “I love how this one looks like a painting.” Louise has a print of it on her bedroom wall. And to my surprise that was a reason to vote for this cover for a number of you. |
Lord Greville's Captive came in eighth place. The three main reasons to vote for this cover found in the comments were: the look on the heroine’s face, the fact that the hero has his clothes on, and the fact that the cover and title fit perfectly. Mary Lynne said, “I like the challenge in the heroine's expression on this cover--it really corresponds with the "captive" part of the book title. You can see that she's attracted and unhappy about it at the same time.” Mo said, “Cover is bold, vibrant, alive. You can sense the tension between the two characters on the cover.” Mia fell for the look on her face as many others did. “I love the way she is looking at him... haughty, thoughtful, with a touch of longing.” Chanelle: “It's romantic enough to make me feel like I want to be in this girls place.” Donna: “Picture fits title.” And finally, Denise likes a man with his clothes on. “A hero fully dressed in doublet and shirt with no in-your-face man-titty to be seen!” |
Harlequin |
Signet |
Harlequin |
The ninth place cover was Lady Anne's Dangerous Man. By now it’s no surprise anymore. The dress! But not only that - the mystery and the lantern did the rest. Kristol said, “Beautiful dress and you can't really see her face.” K.E. commented, “…but I voted for this one because I felt plot rippling from it -- a woman in formal dress, out alone, with a lantern -- what happens next? I'd pick it up and read the back.” Brenda said, “I can't accurately put it into words, but for me it dripped history.” That was mentioned several times - the fact that the cover says History! Traci puts it all in one sentence: "It has an air of mystery--the lantern in the gloomy night, the woman looking back. Also, the colors and artwork are beautiful and evocative." But the rest of you out there fell for the dress. Admit it! |
The Rebellious Debutante came in tenth place. Let’s start with Lucy’s comment and see if it has a familiar ring to it: “Check out that dress! I love it! Not to mention that this is the rare cover where the woman seems to be in control, not the man.” But wait! This time also his uniform did the trick too: Wanda said: “Easy -- the uniform.” And Karen wants a man on the cover: “I want a guy on the cover. I really don't like those romance books with the old fashioned prints on them. And just females doesn't do it for me at all!” Jenny said, “It's a classic Regency cover and one of few that actually show a uniform in a period when there would have been lots of uniforms around. Her dress looks authentic too. I think the artist actually knows something about historic costume.” And what did I say? “Not my all time favourite but this cover says Historical Romance Novel and I think that's important.” For Susan it was not an easy choice. “This was a tough choice and I nearly took one of the beautiful Heyer covers. But I just kept coming back to this one and I know if I were browsing in the bookstore I'd pick it up. A handsome couple, fully clothed, the man in uniform as an added bonus, a romantic pose that looks natural, and a lovely glimpse of the English countryside for background. Very nice.” So you see, whatever a man looks like, we obviously want them dressed. |
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