Monday, September 28, 2020

Top Five Favorite Friendships by @KaraONealAuthor #RomanceGems

While I write romance novels, I find that I love good friendships as much as I adore true love. When the hero and heroine are best friends, that's even better.

There's something about the care, humor and truth in a solid, lasting friendship. They are hard to come by and hard to discern. What makes a good friend?



You think you know, then drama ensues, and you discover you were wrong. The playground and sleepovers can teach you so much. And...so can books.

So, here are my top five friendships.

1. Anne and Marilla from Anne of Green Gables -- There's nothing like a hopeful-eyed child and a stern, older woman trying to live together. These two grabbed my heart from the beginning of the story and did NOT let go. This is an honest relationship that developed beautifully through the series.

2. Captain Woodrow Call and "Gus" McCrae from Lonesome Dove -- Talk about oil and water. One guy is so serious and the other is such an annoying prankster that you wonder how they managed to stick together. Well, they are both highly stubborn, so that probably helped. And I think they were too cranky to find the time to befriend anyone else.

3. Jo March and Beth March from Little Women -- One is adventurous and seems to know how best to live life, while the other is shy and lets the world pass her by. These two taught each other so much and it was done without arguing and without belittling the other's choice. I read this book when I was very young. I think I was seven. Beth and Jo taught me a lot.

4. William Marshal and Isabelle de Clare from The Scarlet Lion -- William and Isabelle are real people. They were married and lived during the time of Richard the Lionheart and his brother, Prince John. These two were a force. They were both fighters -- one on the battlefield and one in the grandest castle in Ireland. They shared everything. When he died, supposedly his last words were, "My bon ami." He said this to Isabelle, which translated means, essentially, "My beautiful friend." I adored their relationship.

5. Anne and Gilbert of Anne of Green Gables -- There is no better story, in my opinion, of friends who become lovers. Of course, Gilbert was always in love. Was Anne always in love? I think so, but she was so gosh-darn stubborn. Their friendship was honest, true, competitive, feisty and so very caring. They are the perfect examples of how a man and woman in love are each other's best friend. Truly beautiful.

I have others, of course, but these are the pinnacle for me.

My fifth book, The Soldier's Love, releases on October 7th. Frank and Jane are the main characters, and they are best friends. They also love each other, but her dreams and his stubborn pride pull them apart. When they find each other again, it is not easy. They fight more than I would have liked them to, but Frank turned out to be really, really stubborn. I didn't see that coming. But he comes by it honestly, because in my fourth book, The Miller Brides, we learn how hard-nosed his mother was.

Of course, Jane and Frank find their way back to each other but it's not without its trials. I loved returning them to what they had always hoped to be. I'm definitely a "happily-ever-after" girl.

I would love to hear your favorite friendships! Please share in the comments!

And be sure to pick up my next book, The Soldier's Love, which is available for pre-order!


The Soldier's Love

When Jane Lonnigan refused to marry him, Frank Dawson got the hell out of Pike’s Run and joined the army. As he took risk after risk, hoping someone would put him out of his misery, he consequently rose in ranks. Now he’s a First Lieutenant stationed at Fort Robertson, a crack shot, and the main communicator to the Chipsa tribe.

Frank broke Jane's heart when he refused to wait for her to complete her education. Still, as she embarked on her journey to becoming a teacher, she couldn't stop loving him. Her first teaching post is for the children of Riley Creek, the town Fort Robertson protects.

When Frank realizes Jane has become a fixture of the settlement he is a part of, he sets out to guard himself from being twice a fool. But as life swirls around them, Frank can't help but return to her again and again.

A mistake causes Frank to hurt Jane and make her believe all hope is lost. She runs home, needing the welcoming arms of her family. When Frank learns what he's done, he realizes he's been a fool. He races after her, intent on winning her back. Can he mend her heart and have her as his wife? Or has he ruined everything?

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27 comments:

  1. OMG i love this post!!!! I always adore books and authors who include ride-or-die friends in their books. It just makes the book richer and the situations and characters more believable! And Gilbert and Anne? THE BEST!!!!

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    1. Totally agree with you. Good friendships are hard to write, I think, but when an author does it right, it's golden.

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  2. I just want to add Diana Barry as another Anne Shirley Bosom friend. Even though Anne did get her drunk, by mistake. Great collection of books too!

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    1. Yes, Diana and Anne had a wonderful friendship as well. If I had done a list of 10, they would have been on it.

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  3. Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite things in romance. You've named several of my favorite friendships. I'm with Nora on Anne and Diana. Jo and Laurie in Little Women (don't even get me started on how that came out.) In other series from long ago, I loved Sue Barton and Kit Van Dyke, Trixie Belden and Honey Wheeler, and all the friends in the Beany Malone books. I loved this post, and the book sounds fabulous! Great cover.

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  4. Jo and Laurie ruined me! That's why I am a happily ever after girl! My heart broke when they didn't end up together. I have never heard of the Beany Malone books.

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  5. I love books that show best friends...whether H/H or sister friends or even siblings as best friends. Great post!

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  6. Great post. I love friendships in books...and I love it when the hero and heroine start out as friends and become lovers. Congrats and best wishes!

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  7. Oh...Gilbert and Anne...❤️ I also Anne and Diana, kindred spirits! I LOVE books that include friendships, whether they remain devoted friends or turn into more. Great post, Kara!

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  8. I've always valued my female friends. I have two very special ones I've known since age 5. The three of us live in different countries but when we get together it's like we were never apart. The Jo/Laurie debacle, yes I call it that, still breaks my heart. I do think he was a man of honor and the only reason Amy didnt get dumped. Relationships often come and go. Friendships are forever.

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    1. Age 5? Wow. Me, too. I have a few of those myself, and I rarely meet someone who can say the same. It's wonderful, isn't it!

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    2. Yes, it is Kara. They remember you when. For me it was as a gawky teenager with knock knees and buck teeth.

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    3. My mother in law is one of a group of 4 friends who've known each other since kindergarten. She's 96 now, and there are only two of them left. I think my longest friendship is from when I was 13.

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  9. OMG AGe 5!! they are true friends for life!

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  10. True friendships are unbreakable. I always thought Nancy Drew had a strong friendship with her boyfriend. Was it Nick? Your next book sounds wonderful.

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    1. I think it was Ned. And yes, that's another good one.

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  11. Great post! I always loved the friendship between Elizabeth and her sister Jane in Pride and Prejudice. Congratulations on the new book!

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  12. I love seeing friendship between characters in books also! My Love on the Line series has six guys who were all in the same military unit together and now are best of friends who are always there for each other.

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  13. Great post. Great friendships all.

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  14. Wonderful post, Kara. I agree with all of your examples except The Scarlet Lion which I've not read. I added it to my list. Good luck with the new book!

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    1. Oh! I hope you like it! If you don't read The Greatest Knight, you might be left a little in the dark about William Marshal's abilities, but we don't meet Isabelle until The Scarlet Lion anyway.

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