Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
What’s your view on billionaire romance?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
Personally I find them hard to believe. While there are self made billionaires there are not as many as these books make out there are. Which makes me not believe it as much. Multi millionaire I can believe more. I may have read one or two but couldn’t connect with the hero. I think it depends how they made their money and how they act but over all I am not a fan.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group. Remember all comments go into the monthly drawer for a gift voucher.
I’m with you, Jenny. It’s not a genre I can fully buy into. It’s a bit like regencies with all these hot available Christian dukes. Um, read your history books, peoples. (It’s why I only wrote one duke hero)
true. I actually googled it there are more in the world than I thought but many of the lower ones are sports stars, TV stars or influences (think Kim Kardashian). I know we are not meant to think so deeply when reading but my mind does. It doesn’t help one I tried to read starts with a billionaire who use to do medial work to get through college before becoming so rich due to a tech company and now thinks it is way beneath him and an insult to be asked to do this sort of work. I am sure he improves but it turned me off. It reminded me of a time my mum helped the then Mayor and his wife who were friends in the kitchen when the then treasurer (John Howard) and local member were attending a afternoon tea hosted by the Mayor. Mum was serving the guests and many who she knew looked down on her (Mr Howard was nice and thanked her and treated her nicely) and then the local member excused himself saying he wanted to chat to someone in the kitchen. (This really raised eyes and shocked these women). His father had owned the farm dad worked on and knew mum well. He came in to talk to her asking about family (my brother more than me due to me being so young when we left) and chatted a good 10 mins. He may not had done the work but he didn’t think it beneath him to come into the kitchen. So a humble billionaire I can handle I don’t like entitled.
Yes! The number of Christian authors who wrote about dukes make me cringe. Can’t we just have a rich dude? Mr. Darcy didn’t have a title and no one cares.
Billionaire romance wasn’t a genre I previously picked up until a friend began writing and publishing them (and obviously having a great deal of fun writing them). So of course I read her books and do enjoy them.
Being totally unfamiliar with a billionaire lifestyle (it’s doubtful I’ve ever known a real-life billionaire) I can’t comment on whether the characters are realistic or not. Whether realistic or over-the-top I can enjoy them anyway in the same way I enjoy Agatha Christie’s larger-than-life quirky English characters, some of whom I can’t imagine existing in real life. The billionaire world itself may be fanciful and possibly unrealistic (or not) but as long as the characters are well-developed and the storyline gripping, I can enjoy the ride.
Like you Jenny, I care about how the money is earned and what they do with it. I like to see the development of integrity and generosity in the characters.
Thanks for commenting. I think I needed to start with a different book. I know with millionaires they can often be the person next door who still drives an older car and lives within their means and you would have no clue. (I actually found out someone I know has millions and has property, investments etc, I wouldn’t know if not for someone hadn’t told me not to be worried about them, as they were so frugal and would almost cry poverty and make people feel sorry for them while at the time they were a multi millionaire). I am sure some of the Billionaires are similar living modest life and using the money for good.
Hi Jenny, Great question! Billionaire romance is not my favourite trope, and I don’t necessarily go looking for billionaire romances. That said, it all depends on the characters and the story set up. One of my favourite billionaire romances is The Billionaire’s Nanny by Elizabeth Maddrey. The billionaire hero is down to earth and I loved the story. 😊
thanks for the comment and recommendation.
Hi Jenny
Good question. I’m not a fan of the billionaire genre – it’s very unrealistic and I’m not sure of why it would be a thing. Are billionaires supposed to be better men than non-billionaires? Are women supposed to be drawn to them just because they’ve got a lot of money? Just not sure of the reasoning behind it all.
That being said, I’m sure there are some nice books in this genre; just not my thing.
I think there is a audience for them and some are probably really good. I think its like Regency there were only so many titled people, but it has a huge appeal. I am not sure if there are billionaire heroines. I think many of the books the hero is a billionaire but is like the royalty books where no one knows they are rich or royal.
It can be fun, but it depends on how it’s written. I prefer comedy if they are rich. Make me laugh, and I’ll probably read it. So I don’t look for it, but if I like the blurb , I’ll give it a go.
Although, I started reading the comments and realised I was picturing a millionaire not necessarily a billionaire. Not sure if I’ve read one of those.
True the blurb has to grab me. I too was thinking millionaire to start. There are so many living among us often you wouldn’t know cos they don’t flaunt it. A Billionaire would be so much harder to hide. It adds a whole new layer of issues.