TOP TEN TUESDAY | My Favorite Slow-Burn Couples

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme for bloggers who like books and lists. It's awesome and is graciously hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie!  I adore a good slow-burn, long developing romance so I thought I would list out some of my favorite couples that took FOREVER to get together:0). It might be surprising that none of the books on the list could be clearly classified as a Romance but it makes sense.  Romances rarely have the leisure to let a love develop or reveal itself in its own sweet time.

One  thing I should note is that this list feels pretty spoilery because a lot of times the best slow-burn romances are so subtle you're not entirely sure of things until the moment of truth so beware, I suppose?

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1) Francis Crawford of Lymond and Philippa Somerville | The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett

This series...this SERIES.  Six books long and it takes Lymond four of them to realize his feelings for Philippa.  And the moment he does is the most stunning romantic moment I've ever read and it's totally quiet and subtle. Sigh.....

All that he was not. He looked at her. The long, brown hair; the pure skin of youth; the closed brown eyes, their lashes artfully stained; the obstinate chin; the definite nose, its nostrils curled. The lips, lightly tinted, and the corners deepened, even sleeping, with the remembrance of sardonic joy... The soft, severe lips.
And deep within him, missing its accustomed tread, his heart paused, and gave one single stroke, as if on an anvil.

2) Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy | Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

So it's not too slow on Darcy's side but it still takes these two lovebirds a good long while to come together. Perhaps the original slow-burn romance?

3) Harry Dresden and Karrin Murphy | The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

I'm on book 15 and this relationship is still up in the air - talk about slow-burn!  It's only fair to say that I am one of the few readers of this series that is actually in favor of these two getting together.

4) Snow White and Bigby Wolf | The Fables Series by Bill Willingham

In the Fables series, the Big Bad Wolf falls in love with Snow White as soon as he sets eyes on her. From that moment on. he changes into his human form and quietly helps her as she manages Fabletown until she's ready to notice him as a romantic interest.  It's super sweet.

5) Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe | Anne of Green Gables Series by L.M. Montgomery

Who doesn't love a really well done friends to lover story and Gilbert and Anne are one of the best examples of this particular kind of slow-burn romance.

6) Lucy and Nicholas | Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Harvey

This is probably my favorite YA couple I've encountered in recent times probably because it is another slow burn friends to lovers couple.  It's like Gilbert and Anne, if Gilbert were a hot teenage vampire and Anne was a spunky, sarcastic hippie girl.

7) Kate Daniels and Curran Lennart | Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews

This is definitely my favorite Urban Fantasy couple and they take three books to finally get together.  The great thing is they still work as well once they are a couple.  And yes, Curran is a were-lion.

8) Marco and Celia | The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I got so completely wrapped up in their story.  They fall into the category of star-crossed lovers. They fall in love quite quickly but can't really be with each other so it feels like a slow burn.

9) Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler | Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

If there's one thing you can say about Scarlett and Rhett it's that they are passionate.  And kind of messed up but SO glorious to read about.  In this couple, Rhett knows what he wants from the very beginning while Scarlett doesn't figure it out until too late.  Sigh.....

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I think that's all I can think of for books at the moment.  Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester might have made a good addition but I actually don't love Mr. Rochester. Please don't throw fruit.  I will distract you with a list of some of my favorite slow burn romances from television.

Mulder and Scully | The X Files

Sam and Jack | Stargate SG-1

Buffy and Angel | Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Kaylee and Simon | Firefly  (Mal and Inara are pretty great too but Kaylee was my fave...)

John Crichton and Aeryn Sun | Farscape

Aang and Katara | Avatar The Last Airbender

The Doctor and Rose Tyler | Doctor Who

I'm sure there are many more but those will do for now.  So how about you?  Who's your favorite couple that takes their time getting together?