I don’t know about you, but I sometimes get annoyed by the number of “national day of” days we have. It seems there is a day for almost anything you can think of. For example, When I looked up August 18th, I found that it is National Mail Order Catalog Day. What on earth? I wonder how many more years we will celebrate that one before mail order catalogs become obsolete as online shopping becomes more prevalent. It’s also National Bad Poetry Day. Umm…
In addition to those other weird celebrations, I found that today is National Couple’s Day. As a romance lover, there’s a “day of” that I can get behind!
August has already been a bit of a celebration of my favorite movie couples. My daughter had major reconstructive surgery on her knee the second week of the month, so we’ve spent a lot of time watching movies together while she recovers. I’ve absolutely loved introducing her to some of the couples I grew up falling in love with: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett (the BBC miniseries version of course!), Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing (far more entertaining and satisfying than the Hero/Claudio relationship in my opinion), Lucy and Jack from While You Were Sleeping (which started my years-long celebrity crush on Bill Pullman)…it’s so nostalgic for me to watch them all and gratifying to see my daughter fall in love with their stories as well.
Now, if I had to pick my favorite bookish couples, I would have a super hard time doing so. Almost every time I pick up an inspirational romance book, I tend to fall in love with the characters. I feel the same when I’m writing. The couples in my books are all so different, yet I love going back to reread their stories because I love the characters so much. I thought for sure that I would have a hard time liking my hero in A Heart to Redeem since I’m not a fan of the reformed bad boy trope, but I got to know Chris so well that by the end of the book, his story actually became my favorite in the series so far since he and his heroine Brandi had to overcome so much to fall in love.
At the end of the month, all of my kiddos head back to school, and I’ll have more reading time at my leisure. I’d love it if you would share your personal favorite bookish couples so I can check them out for myself. Bonus points if they’re written by our InspyRomance authors!
Judith McNees lives in Michigan, where she enjoys spending time hiking with her kids and breaking out into random songs to annoy them. She loves to travel, and visiting all 50 states with her husband is at the top of her bucket list. She has a B.A. in English from Western Michigan University and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
Favorite. Is Anne and Captain Wentworth from Persuasion and Mr Roderick and Jane from Jane Eyre.
Hi Judith! This German Oma and retired teacher enjoys sharing National Days and months with her granddaughters. August is Family Fun Month.
While in high school (1967) Katherine Marshall (widow of Dr. Peter Marshall) published Christy a historical fiction Christian set in the fictional Appalachian village of Cutter Gap, Tennessee, in 1912. Christy was drawn to two men ; co-worker and minister David Grantland and local physician and agnostic Neill MacNeill. The book was made into a movie in the 1990s.
A decade ago, I became part of the IR family by reading Valerie Comer. In her latest release A Green and Vibrant Hope I fell in love with the characters: Mitchell Ackerman a widower with two rambunctious boys and Arleigh O’Neill with fledgling flower-growing business which takes a lethal blow when the river overflows its banks, demolishing her rented greenhouse and drowning her fields. Will Mitchell and Arleigh find some common ground and hope? Growing in love and faith is a choice.
Enjoy your weekend. Best wishes from a fellow Michigander.
Good choices! I have to go back and reread those…it’s been a while.
I’ve heard of Christy, but I don’t recall if I ever read it or just remember it from the movie. I also love Valerie Comer’s books. I was introduced to her through the Riverbend Romance series. Enjoy the rest of Family Fun Month!
I love While You Were Sleeping too, it’s one of my favourite movies!
There are so many great couples in the inspy romance novels I enjoyvatctge moment I don’t know which are my favourites.
Oh, wow, mine’s always whatever book I happen to be reading at the time!! Elizabeth Maddrey’s billionaire books are great!!! And Valerie Bodden’s books (I’ve read most, if not all of hers) are wonderful, too!!
Saaaame. I can never pick a favorite! 😂
That’s a good answer. Whatever I’m reading at the time! I’m that way, too!
I always feel the couple I’m reading about is my favorite, but then I read another book. Then my favorite couple changes.
I liked the couple in Must Love Flowers by Debbie Macomber. I am like you. I like the couple in whatever book I am currently reading and I just finished that book.
I have been reading books by Jessie gussman.my sibblings go back to school August 30th but it feels like they haven’t really had any summer as they got out June 21st .it was 106 the other day a little bit too hot for me.
I love them all, too!
Oohh, I haven’t read that one. Thanks for the recommendation!
Yikes! That’s too hot for me, too! 😅 I have read a lot of Jessie’s books, but the new series, Strawberry Beach is set in Michigan, where I live. I need to check those out.
I love Jamie and Claire from Outlander. And yes, I agree with you about all the National Days of all the different things. Have a great weekend.
Thanks for the recommendation! You have a great weekend too!
I love all the different “National Day of” days…but that’s probably because my husband loves to get me a treat on his way home from work & always looks up the day & tells me it’s for National Day of whatever 😆🥰
My favorite book couple tends to be whatever I’m reading at the time, though I do have a few long-standing favorites….
Currently I’m reading Dreaming of Her Cowboy’s Kiss by Jessie Gussman
& I’m loving Ethan & Ruby.
Some of my all-time favorites are Carleigh & Trey from Love in the Headlines by Penny Zeller, Callan & Clay from Heart of Clay by Shanna Hatfield, Allison & Tony from A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher, and Bree & Kade from the Rock Harbor series by Colleen Coble.
Life already feels like a bit of a blur, so I rarely notice anymore when there are so many. #2023 Back-to-School
Hi Judith, nice to meet you. :) Some bookish reads I’d recommend would be Sarah Monzon’s Molly, Tara Grace Ericson’s firefighter series as well as her romantic suspense one (so good!), Mandi Blake’s Blackwater Ranch series, Emily Dana Botrous’ A Second Chance for Sugarplums (the rest of her series is on my TBR), anything by Jessie Gussman (though one of my favorites from her is “Dreaming of His Convenient Kiss”), Joanna Alonzo’s Prodigal Once series, Rose Fresquez’ Romance In The Rockies series, and anything by Liwen Ho (recent favorites are Saving the CEO and Sealed with a Kiss.)
Awww. I love that! Your husband sounds like a sweetie! I haven’t read any of the books you mentioned, though I did have Love in the Headlines on my tbr. I’ll have to check them out. Thanks for the recommendations!
I agree. So much to do and not enough hours in the day. I think I can get behind ice cream day though. 😂
Nice to meet you as well, Priscila! I have read a few of those (I adored Molly), but I haven’t read the firefighter series yet. I’ll check that one out for sure!
Definitely do! They’re some of my favorite authors!
Not sure if I have a favourite it often tends to be the book I am reading. (I was and never will be a mr darcy fan).
Elizabeth and Wynn from When Calls the Heart (the first book series) are special. I think I have more from historical books than contemporary.
Its interesting about the national days of ….
The other day was international cat day that I can appreciate. Oh and of lefthanders.
I always make sure to point it out to my family when it is lefty day since one stepson, one “birth” kid, and two of my adopted kids are all left handed! One of my grandpas and my father-in-law were also left handed!
Darcy and Elizabeth
I really enjoyed reading Memories of the Heart by Valerie M. Bodden. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.
Like many others, my favorite couple tends to be whichever one I’m currently reading.
LOL, I agree, I get annoyed too
He’s so adorably awkward!
Thank you for stopping by! ❤️
That seems to be the most common answer. Glad to hear I’m not alone!
There’s a day for EVERYTHING! 🤣 I think it makes then less special when there really is something worth celebrating.
My daughter is back and my son will be back on Monday. My personal favorites are Elizabeth and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.
I really liked Gemma and Karson from Hero Debut by Angela Ruth Strong.
Love them too!
I haven’t read that one yet, but it’s on my list!
Brielle and Tomori from Toni Shiloh’s book In Search of a Prince are a favorite couple of mine. Also, Gabe and Anissa from Lynn H. Blackburn’s book One Final Breath are awesome.
I’ve started ISOAP, but I haven’t met Tomori yet! I’m excited to find time to finish it.
Ohhh, I don’t think that I have a favorite couple. They tend to change as I read different books
One of my favorite bookish couples is MacGyver Spark and Amy McCormick from Liwen Y. Ho’s book, Romanced by the Hero. Amy is fun and funny, spunky, and legally-blind Romance book blogger who has sworn off men after a bad experience. Mac is finally healing after a devastating loss, but he takes it upon himself to show Amy how she should be treated. =swoon!=
I love that! I’ll have to check that one out for sure. I’ve read a few of that series but not that one in particular. Thanks for the recommendation!
Kelsey Scott and Trace Bently in the book Expired Vows by Lisa Phillips.
I don’t have a favorite couple. I love them all. My favorite in your series is definitely Chris and Brandi. I love how they grew into love despite the obstacles in their lives. One book I highly recommend is Where The Crawdads Sing.
My favorite day is Red Head day!
My favorite couple from my series is Chris and Brandi too! Thanks for stopping by!
I haven’t read that one yet. I’ll have to add it to the list! Thanks for the recommendation!
I’m the same way!