As an author writing an historical, I would expect you to try and do as much research as possible. I do understand that some anachronistic mistakes may be made. There are nuances within every era that may only be known to a few people. There are ones within our own time that may only be known to a few people! I’ve seen mistakes in contemporaries. If it is a minor thing, I let it go. If it has nothing to do with the continuity of the story, cringe, then ignore it. If the author continues to write in that era, I might feel compelled to say something.

Did you know, the man who created the walkie-talkie also created the automatic garage door opener? See, there’s only a handful of people who know inane stuff like that! :-)

Love the topic you chose Julie…I cut my teeth on historicals too…love Devereaux, Lindsay’s Captive Bride, which is one of my favs, love Patrica Potter’s works as well…I am bit into Gabaldon historicals too…I could go on and on…if you haven’t read Gabaldon, anyone…check her out…they are tomes though, so make sure you don’t have books to write at the time you choose to read her, or that your lives aren’t too stressful…

In response to your question…it really doesn’t bother me if an author messes up something as simple as pants and pantaloons. However, if an author did change the time period of significant events I would never read that author again…otherwise it doesn’t matter…as long as the story is well-written and takes me to a place other than the real life place where I am at it doesn’t bother me much…

I must confess though, that when I finally got to college and learned more about Historical facts, I would tend to read books to see how accurate they were…never called anybody on any errors though…didn’t stop me from reading those books…

I am glad that I was able to comment on this one…I missed too many days already…I hope that everyone has a restful night…ttys

Peace and love,
Paula R.

Historical continuity.. should someone be addressed Lady first name or Lady last name. It doesn’t bother me. I’m not a historian and I’m reading for fun.

Do people really think that CSI is real? Or NCIS? How about Law & Order and how the court system works. It is fictional and people have to remember that.

Like everyone else, unless it is a MAJOR mistake that pulls me out of the story, I am happy to go with the flow. Romance is about the character’s emotions and all the hoops they have to jump before earning their HEA. The discovery and then devotion to each other, that is what I am reading.

Of course I’m never concerned about what fork I used at a fancy restaurant either. Life’s too short to worry about it. :feast:

However, like a few others, grammatical errors bother me. One that is almost always incorrect is the “if” clause, “If I WERE to do…”, which is usually, “If I was…”, & is frequently wrong & right on different pages within the same book. Seems very strange.

In any genre, if the characters touch me, it’s a good book.

Patricia A.