Blogger Interview: Meet Arianne from Reading On the Wild Side!

It's Historical week here at TBQ's Book Palace as part of my 4 year blogoversary celebration! 

It's not just about the authors, but the readers and bloggers who love this genre as well! Today, I'm interviewing fellow blogger, Arianne, who's favorite genre is historical. I hope you enjoy!

And don't forget to stop by to enter my Week 1 giveaway for the event!

Blogger Interview

The_Book_Queen: Hi Arianne! :) Welcome to the blog, and thanks for joining my blogoversary celebration!

I hear that you are a huge fan of historical romances—my first true love, when it comes to romance novels. What book/author/series started your love for historicals?

Arianne: I don’t really remember what my first historical romance book was…unless The Other Boleyn Girl counts? That was the first book I ever read and didn’t finish it until years later. I wasn’t a book lover then, but I remember it being my first book to read.

TBQ: Why historicals? What is it about this genre that you love so much?

A: I find myself asking the same question sometimes. With historical romance, I just feel like everything is extra special – the way people fall in love, the rules of society, and most specially, the sex (lol). I feel like everything about historical romance is special because back then, people were very limited at what they can do and who they can marry. They couldn’t even marry out of love, so when I read historical romance and the two people end up together and they’re in love, I think it’s amazing. I’m also fascinated on how boring life was back then! Women spend their days sitting around and knitting or gossiping or singing to each other.

Ah, look at all
the free time they had!
Wish we had some of that...

TBQ: Are there any books that you think a potential historical romance fan HAS to read in order to truly appreciate the genre? Why?

A: Anything from DeeAnne Gist is a must-read as far as historical romance is concerned. I just feel so happy when I read her books. The determination of the leading woman is very admirable. [Oh, putting the books on my list as we speak.. :) ]

Author
DeeAnn Gist

TBQ: If your friend told you she didn't like historical romances, what book would you recommend to her to change her mind?

A: Like I said above, DeeAnne Gist. I know some people might not like the genre because some have explicit sex, but DeeAnne Gist has very clean stories and heartfelt romance.

TBQ: If you were stranded on a desert island, what 5 books would you take with you? Do you grab these books because of the stories, the covers, the hunky heroes...? All of the above? :)

A: DeeAnne Gist has 4 or 5 books I think. I sound like a fanatic but she really is my favorite. I would grab them because of the story. As far as the cover goes, the female in those dresses are very beautiful (even though you can only see the dress and not their faces). FUN FACT: The woman in the book cover below is her daughter! [That's pretty cool--and I agree, the dresses are all beautiful!]

TBQ: You are co-owner of the blog “Reading on the Wild Side”--can you tell us a little bit about the blog, what you do, and why you started reviewing?

A: Reading on the Wild Side is an adult blog where Kayla and I review romance novels from paranormal to historical to contemporary and even erotica. I am the owner of the blog named after me [Arianne Cruz blog] and I started it to highlight the things I like: beauty, books, entertainment. I partnered with Kayla because I thought it would be a great opportunity to finally explore the genre I equally love as Young Adult but don’t really review in my main blog because of my young readers. Now I have the best of both worlds. Lastly, I don’t really have a good reason why I started reviewing. I just thought it would be a good idea to let people know what I thought of a book. I found that I’ve also met amazing authors this way and became friends with them.

TBQ: Have your reading habits changed any since you started to review?

A: Good question. In a way, it did. Before, I would just read for the pure enjoyment of it. I still do, obviously, but now, I make sure to take notice of the quotes that I enjoyed in a book. That’s my signature – I always include a quote I loved from the book in my reviews. I also had to learn to remember the book I’ve read and the story so I can review it properly. [Very similar to what I do now--finding quotes to add to my list is almost as much fun as reading! lol]

TBQ: I'm always on the lookout for great historical romances (ignore the towering TBR mountain in the corner...*ahem*). What books are you looking forward to reading (new, old, or not yet released)?

A: I don’t really keep up with historical romance authors. I’m basically open to any book. Right now, though, I want to read Lila DiPasqua. I got a little sample of one of her books (Midnight Dance) and it got me so curious, I was left hanging and I want to read more. [I have one of her books, The Princess in His Bed, in my TBR pile, and I can't wait to read it! :) ]

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Arianne! :) Do you have any questions for our readers—something that will spark a good discussion?

A: Thank you for having me! This was fun! I love interviews! Sure, I have a question *wink*

Tell me in the comments:

Do you find it enticing to read about women who were held back in society because of their gender, and then find a man to love them and treat them as equals?

Also, give me some historical romance recommendations!

Where to Find Arianne

Adult Blog ~ Reading on the Wild Side

Main Blog ~ Arianne Cruz

Twitter
GoodReads
YouTube

Facebook ~ RotWS

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See what else is going on for Historical Week!

Enter the Historical Week Giveaway (US)

Enter my Blogoversary Giveaway (INT)

Enjoy!


Until Next Time,

*TBQ's Book Palace is a member of both the Amazon and Barnes and Nobles affiliates program. By using the links provided to buy products from either website, I receive a very small percentage of the order. To read my full disclosure on the matter, please see this post!