What book started it all…

Recently I was asked what book introduced me to romance, and what do I remember about it?

Long story, actually.  I grew up as the only non-athlete in my family. I was little, scrawny, and completely uncoordinated. I was a wallflower, and the only thing that made me come to life was a book. The town library was my favorite place in the entire world. It sat directly between school and home — the perfect place to lose myself for hours. 

This being in the days before cell phones and internet, I really have no idea what my mom thought I was doing all afternoon. Her only rule was, be home before the street lights came on. Fine by me. I’d sneak into the very back of the library where there were big, comfy bean bag chairs, and uncategorized romance novels on racks and racks. I’d open a Chem book, or whatever that day’s homework was, and then stick one of the naughty historicals from the racks right inside my school book. I started with Kathleen Woodiwiss The Flame And the Flower and then promptly inhaled everything she wrote and moved onto Judith McNaught.

I’d found my world, reading about juicy, forbidden love affairs between deliciously alpha heroes and the heroines I could only pretend to be. I got way more out of those books than I ever got out of Sex Ed class. A girl can’t get a better education than a good old fashioned historical romance.

How about you? What book started it all, introduced you to romance? And what do you remember about it?