Competition.

Isabel Says:

Found this.



I got a chuckle out of it. It reminds me of that one episode of friends when Joey finds Rachel's romance book. "It's porn!" He giggles.

My husband doesn't care or mind that I read romance. He teases me. Like, when I was reading Beyond the Highland Mist, he saw the comment that even at half mast, Hawk is bigger than a stallion. So hubby requested he be called Hawk from now on. *rolls eyes* When I was reading Kiss of the Highlander, Hubby then asked he be called Dageus.

But if I put my book down and I happen to snuggle with my husband, he'll tell me no. Why? "Cause you are thinking of whatever hero you read about. I can't compete." At first I thought he was joking around, but no, he was serious. He admitted to me that when we were dating, he thought he couldn't live up to the romance books I read.

Now I have never compared Grimm, Derek, Vane, Drustan or any other hero I've drooled over to my husband. I admit I will ask, "Why can't you bring me a bouquet of flowers with special meanings?" a la Red Roses Mean Love. But I'm just teasing him. Just like when he asks, "Why can't you wear a little devil's outfit and talk with a British accent like Elizabeth Hurly in Bedazzled?" I know he's teasing. I'll still roll my eyes at him, but I know he's teasing.

So, why is it ok for a man to visit a strip club or watch porn and it's no big deal when they come to us. But when we get swept away in our romance movies or books, some guys will always get offended?

Holly Says:

When I first started dating MM, I was a little bit worried about how he might react to the fact that I obsess over book heroes and read a lot of romance. He's totally fine with it. He doesn't ever say anything about how he can't compete, though he does ask occassionally if I can 'test' out some of the love scenes I read about with him. *insert eye roll here*

When it comes to the strip club, I have a Three Day Rule. I tell MM, go have a great time, but you aren't coming home and getting any for three days after, because I won't have you coming to bed with me thinking about some other mostly naked woman. But Izzy brings up a good point, am I setting a double standard with that rule? I don't think so, because I don't see romance novels as Chick Porn, but I guess I could be wrong.

So you tell us, dear readers, is there a difference between our spouse/signifigant other going to a strip club or watching porn and us reading our romance novels? Or are they two totally separate issues? Does the man in your life feel like he has to compete with what you read?

That begs another questions. How about the Romance Authors themselves. Do you think their husbands have issues with jealousy or not feeling up to par with the heroes they write about?