Throwback Thursday: The Romance Novel that Started it All

I used to sneak books off of my mom's bookshelf to read, but I also knew where she kept her secret stash of romance novels. Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen was the first one I swiped. Ms. Koen's website describes the novel like so:

As opulent and passionate as the 18th century it celebrates, Through a Glass Darkly sparkles with all the extravagance and scandal of a grand and glorious era. Barbara Alderly has loved her husband, the wealthy, charming Earl of Devane, Roger Montgeoffry, since childhood. Set against a French court awash in intrigue, treachery and debauchery, Barbara must learn to navigate the dark currents of deception, scandal and betrayal. Peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters, here is the story of a great family ruled by a dowager of extraordinary power; a young woman coming of age, seeking love in the midst of a storm; her mother, the cruel and self-centered Diana; and of a man haunted by a secret that could turn all of their dreams to ashes...

I must have read this novel at least a dozen times. It was that summer of secreting away a romance novel that I fell head over heels for the genre.

What was the first romance novel you picked up?