This is a short follow-up to Horst's overview essay in the same collection. As the title indicates, it focuses on J. R. Ward's Dark Lover (2005).
paranormal romance does more than simply translate old romance tropes into new terms. In this brief analysis, I want to take the opportunity to focus on two of Dark Lover’s significant departures from the standard historical romance plot of the 1970s and 1980s. This includes the scenes of Beth and Wrath’s “transitions” into vampiredom, and Wrath’s own disability. Details such as these, which follow directly from the novel’s unique vampire universe, show how paranormal romance rethinks some of the ways in which the romance genre has represented gender identities and heterosexual romantic relationships. While transformations are common in romance, with heroes often changing from a seemingly callous or threatening rival into a compassionate, respectful partner, and heroines often maturing both sexually and socially, “the transition,” as Ward calls it, from human to vampire plumbs new psychological depths. Both male and female vampires bond during the transition across species, creating a more equal distribution of physical strength and mental capability between the hero and heroine. Details such as these show how paranormal romance works from within generic conventions and reader expectations to reshape representations of masculinity and femininity. (485-486)
This is a short follow-up to Horst's overview essay in the same collection. As the title indicates, it focuses on J. R. Ward's Dark Lover (2005).