Historical Cover Trends
#1 The Full-Length Embrace Never Goes Out of Style:
#2 The Woman In A Dress is Still Going Strong:
#3 But the Brightly Colored Closeup of Our Couple from the Waist Up is Gaining Strength
(this trend is what inspired this post, btw — I just realized how many of these I’ve seen lately):
#4 And if a Reprint, You Are a Blurry Woman’s Head:
I think the Karen Ranney is particularly interesting, because she went from Woman in a Dress covers, to a Blurry Man Head cover, then a Couple’s Embrace, and now this ‘newer’ closeup trend. Anyway. I like trends #2 & #3 better than #1 & #4, although #3 will definitely be on a case-by-case basis. There’s the real opportunity for some fugly slipping in there.
Remember when all historical romances had a piece of jewelry coming out of a box, or an artistic bunch of flowers on the cover? I think trend #4 (blurry heads) is going to be one of those trends that dates these covers. The Loretta Chase one is particularly icky, IMO. It already looks like a cover from the 70s to me. That can’t be good, right?
And of the couples embrace covers, I like the Kathryn Smith one, which at least is from a new angle, and they’re face to face rather than front to back.
Wow. I’m just Miss Crankypants today, aren’t I?
For everyone’s perusal, the Kathryn Smith cover:
I do like the face to face, especially since neither the hero or heroine is kneeling before the other.
I agree the blurry heads seem to date the covers. I get the feeling that it’s supposed to be romantic and timeless, like an impressionist painting, but … I don’t know, the hair doesn’t exactly help.
I actually thought they moved away from the blurry head look, until I saw the Christina Dodd reprint. Give me her three-handed cover any day, honestly.
Myself , I thought I spotted the beginning of a Lady with bare pointed foot trend.
@Maya M.: lol, yes — especially if she is pulling her skirt up to her thigh?
I don’t know, that “Taken by the Laird” cover is totally doing it for me!
The women alone holding their dresses up thing (#2) is just strange to me. If they’re alone how come the dress is always falling off? Couldn’t reach the buttons on the back by yourself?
The blurry face covers are just an epic fail for me. I agree they are probably going for “impressionist painting look” but it comes off as “I just got my Valium prescription filled” look.
Jenna Peterson is not in the correct pose. The man is in front, the woman is hidden, where with the other ones, it’s a reverse.
Is the chick in the first cover in The Care and Taming of a Rogue actually wearing the dress or just holding it up?
I’m not liking that fourth category either. Honestly, I’m a sucker for the first and third and have picked up many a novel based on those covers.
@StephS: LOL at the dress falling off. I do like the look, even though you’re right — it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
I don’t mind clinch covers (#1), and in fact prefer them over men-only covers, but I think they are also hard to get right. My recent favorite clinch is the KISMET cover by Monica Burns. Those colors just rock my world:
@ilona: Haha! I thought the same thing — and is why the pictures are all 2×2 rather than just letting them align wherever they fit. When the first three were together on one line, the similarity was crazily obvious.
@Jackie M (Literary Escapism): I wasn’t sure if she was holding it in front of herself or wearing it, either. By the line of the dress on her bare-leg side, I’m guessing that she’s naked and just covering up.
I love the ones where the couple roll around on a bed of silk or satin sheets. Very sexy.
For some reason, I really love the naked back covers. Sara Lindsey’s debut has a smoldering hot cover IMO.
http://www.saralindsey.net/wp-content/promisemetonight_200x300.jpg
Meljean,
Thank you for the compliments on Kismet’s cover. I love it too. The colors are totally rich and luscious, not to mention the fact that she’s in the position of power. SHE’s on top. *evil grin*
Personally, I have to love your Demon Forged cover. But then I love really strong, kick-ass heroines.
FWIW, I complained about the hero’s hair.
I really like the When Seducing a Duke cover except for that mullet. I’m a sucker for the bed poses too — I’ve had a couple of fairly nice ones. Not a fan of the bunched up skirt, though.
@Monica Burns: Thank you! And I agree about the woman on top
As for my own covers, the latest two just blew me away — the Guardian series was a hard one to find the right “look” for, but with the latest female-only covers, they nailed it.
@Kathryn Smith: Ha! I do have to admit to admit the one thing I always ask in my cover notes to my editor is Absolutely No Mullet, Please!
I think you’ve had some great covers, both historical and paranormal.
I love, love, love the covers for my Brotherhood of the Blood series and The Nightmare Chronicles. In fact, after the vampire covers it’s weird going back to paintings.