As a rule, I tend to avoid romance novels. They have always been to me the very bottom of the literary garbage pile with their ridiculous, flat characters and eye-rolling "love" scenes. However, Outlander had a few things going for it from the start: history, a fantastical element, and the recommendations of many people whose tastes I typically trust. 
 I'm happy to say that I wasn't disappointed. Yes, it had it's fair share of ridiculousness; things fell together a little too perfectly a few too many times. In the end though, I really didn't care. The characters felt real, with real faults and real reactions. The romance is definitely the focal point, but there was enough action and adventure to keep those of us less interested in that part of the story entertained. The writing is really very good, and the pacing, for the most part, was great.