Guest Post: Expectations of love (or, Happy Valentines Day!)

Ali McNamara is the wonderful author of the romantic book, From Notting Hill, With Love ... Actually, which I read recently and loved. Ali is a British author and this is her first book. A hugely entertaining novel about one woman's expectations of love based on what she's seen in the movies.

When I started thinking about who I'd like to have guest post on my blog, I immediately thought of Ali McNamara, so I'm hugely thrilled that she agreed to take part. Over to Ali...



Valentine's Day and everyone is thinking about love...

But why do men and women’s expectations of love seem to differ so greatly and is it people like me – writers of romantic fiction - that are to blame for giving women false hope that their knight in shining armour is going to ride up on his white charger and scoop them up in his strong arms carrying them off into the sunset?

Actually if you ask the vast majority of women, the above description isn’t their ideal fantasy. Most women would be happy with a man that makes them laugh, keeps himself clean, tidy and presentable, and is a tiny bit romantic on occasions... all right perhaps a tad more than a tiny bit. And that’s the key boys, us women like a bit of romance. We like to be wooed.

Take for instance the success of rom-com movies. They have everything I’ve just mentioned above. The laughter - if they’re done well! The fairly normal looking hero – ie your Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Tom Hanks types. I’ll agree not exactly ugly, but not Adonis’ either, with rippling six packs and bulging biceps. They’re a man we could imagine ourselves with and that’s the key. And then there’s the all important romance, which of course never runs smoothly, but usually take the course of the movie to play out, and that’s what we adore. We’d love our own men to send us romantic emails in order to woo us (Tom Hanks - You’ve got Mail) Declare their love for us silently on placards (Andrew Lincoln - Love Actually) Learn our language in order to propose – (Colin Firth - Love Actually) the list goes on...

How many times have you been somewhere and listened to someone else’s tale of their own (very sensible) partner’s romantic gesture or proposal, only to see all the other woman within earshot cooing with envy that it wasn’t them on the receiving end.

Get used to it boys, romance isn’t going anywhere. Woman love it. And if you want woman to love you, then you’d better get some practice in!




Thank you very much for that Ali! To find out more about Ali or From Notting Hill With Love ... Actually, please visit Ali McNamara's website! Thanks again for this wonderful post! :)