Romance Is My Day Job: A Memoir of Finding Love at Last

by Patience Bloom Narrated by Patience Bloom

Overview

Haven't we all wondered why real-life romance isn't more like fiction?

Harlequin editor Patience Bloom certainly did, many times over. As a teen she fell in love with Harlequin novels and imagined her life would turn out just like the heroines' on the page: That shy guy she had a crush on wouldn't just take her out-he'd sweep her off her feet with witty banter, quiet charm, and a secret life as a rock star. Not exactly her reality, but Patience kept reading books that fed her dreams.

Years later she moved to New York City and found her dream job, editing romances for Harlequin. Every day, her romantic fantasies came true-on the page. Patience was an expert when it came to fictional love stories-editing amazing books, she learned everything she could about the romance business. But her dating life remained uninspired. She nearly gave up on love.

Then one day a real-life chance at romance made her wonder if what she'd been writing and editing all those years might be true. A Facebook message from a high school friend, Sam, sparked a relationship with more promise than she'd had in years. But Sam lived thousands of miles away-they hadn't seen each other in more than two decades. Was it worth the risk?

Could love and romance conquer all? As with the novels Patience edited for years, listeners will have to wait until the very end to find out.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

11/25/2013
As an editor at Harlequin, Bloom’s life was filled with romance—brooding, chiseled heroes and beautiful, headstrong, virginal heroines “realizing they’re destined for each other.” She’s familiar with the formula, but wasn’t able to apply it to her own dating life—she jumps from one short-lived relationship to another. As Bloom describes in this mostly lighthearted memoir, when she reaches her 40s, fresh out of another unfulfilling relationship, she finally concludes that “romance doesn’t exist.” Then, via Facebook, Bloom reconnects with Sam, a high school acquaintance with whom she shared one dance at a winter formal back in 1984. Bloom and Sam, who’s now divorced and living in Israel, are soon swapping instant messages and making regular Skype dates. As their long-distance relationship blossoms and they make plans to meet up in person, Bloom realizes that this love story isn’t much like the ones in her beloved harlequins—in most ways, it’s better. Throughout her memoir, Bloom riffs on dozens of romance novel tropes with a practiced hand, and her painstaking analysis of the differences between romantic fiction and real life is undeniably poignant. Unfortunately, the real love story picks up far too late in the book, after numerous digressions that range from pedestrian to tonally erratic. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

"What makes Romance is my Day Job unique and charming is the author's arc: a quirky combination of professional, survivor, romance genre fan, and Desperately Seeking Single...And since she shows us her best and her worst while becoming a heroine worthy of her real hero, we like her, and find her pretty brave."—Bobbi Dumas, NPR.org

“The beautiful irony of the title says it all—erudite romance editor by day, lonely girl by night. Bloom (editor, Harlequin) offers the American, real, and highly relatable version of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones…that’s bound to be consumed in great gulps. Highly recommended for romantics of all stripes."—Library Journal, starred review

"In the end, it's not romance but something more elusive that Bloom finds: intimacy. Romance may wane as the quotidian details of cohabitation intrude on hearts and flowers, but that's when true love begins."—Kirkus Reviews

"Bloom's lively memoir is sure to captivate those engrossed in the worlds of romance fictional and real."—Booklist

"Ultimately, Patience's hero'sm lies in her extraordinary optimism about the male sex despite the abundance of evidence she encounters to the contrary."—Bookreporter.com

"An absolute delight. Funny, charming and totally honest. I was transported. Patience Bloom will make you believe in the power of a great happily-ever-after!"—Susan Mallery, New York Times bestselling author of Three Little Words
 
“This book is fantastic! Patience Bloom has written a real-life fairy tale.  Romance is My Day Job is for romance readers and memoir readers alike.”—Tracey Garvis Graves, New York Times bestselling author of On the Island and Covet

“I love everything about this book. Prepare to have your heart stolen and your faith renewed."—Marie Ferrarella, USA Today bestselling author of A Small Fortune

“Beautifully written, laugh out loud funny and poignant.”—Mary Burton, USA Today bestselling author of The Seventh Victim

Library Journal - Audio

02/15/2015
Bloom, an editor for Harlequin romance novels, here chronicles her personal journey toward love, beginning in high school and ending when she marries. Throughout the memoir, Bloom equates her love interests and friends to typical characters found in romance works. At times this can be confusing but does lead to people in her life surprising her by busting out of their assigned roles. Bloom's passion for and knowledge of romances can't be denied, and her dogged pursuit to find out the ending to her own love story is commendable. Bloom narrates herself, and her droll reading is interrupted by sudden moments of overdramatics; a professional narrator would have been a better choice. VERDICT Die-hard romance fans may enjoy. Others need not bother. ["Highly recommended for romantics of all stripes," countered the starred review of the Dutton hc, LJ 2/1/14.]—Samantha Matush, Clara B. Mounce P.L., Bryan, TX

OCTOBER 2014 - AudioFile

Harlequin Books editor Patience Bloom narrates her own story of finding love in the real world. Bloom’s humorous story follows her rocky road to romance from her teenage years until she finds true love more than 20 years later. Her reading doesn’t have all the vocal variation of an outstanding narrator, but her delivery of all of the lines, especially the more humorous moments of her story, is spot-on. Being read by the author gives this memoir a more intimate feel as Bloom compares her experiences to those of a variety of characters from romance novels and popular media. E.N. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2013-11-26
A veteran editor of romance novels at Harlequin delivers a witty memoir of her history with romance. Unlike the novels she edits, her real-life relationships have been messy and the happy endings elusive. Bloom's story begins at a private high school in Connecticut, when she invited "Harlequin-hero gorgeous" Kent to a formal dance only to be ditched, then rescued by the popular, "fiendishly cute" Sam, who swirls her around the dance floor and insisted they have their picture taken. The photo becomes an important factor later in the story. From high school to college to teaching to a successful editing career, readers follow the author's quest for Mr. Right. She cleverly juxtaposes the conventions of romantic novels and movies with the challenges of maintaining a real relationship, avoiding maudlin territory. She chronicles her series of at-first-exciting but ultimately deficient boyfriends, and her encounters inspire a humorous contrast of romantic archetypes--"The Secretive Hero (Who May Be Hiding Something Really Bad)," "Dangerous and Sexy Alpha Male Heroes That Are Supposed to Have a Heart of Gold," "The Beta Hero (Who Cooks and Isn't a Tool)"--to their real-life counterparts. This is classic girls'-night-out dishing. Though the men in her memoir, with the exception of one, are more typecast than fully formed, the deeper thread here is the idea of self-evaluation and betterment. "This is the part of any romance novel that is never included, the mundane details, the forging ahead, the suffering that doesn't involve pining for a boy," she writes. Despite insecurities, Bloom, a survivor of a violent crime, reveals an inner strength and resolve to carry on. In the end, it's not romance but something more elusive that Bloom finds: intimacy. Romance may wane as the quotidian details of cohabitation intrude on hearts and flowers, but that's when true love begins.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172261015
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	02/06/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Prelude to a Romance
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Romance Is My Day Job"
by .
Copyright © 2015 Patience Bloom.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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