In the world of romance novels there are at least 7 different sub-genres. We’re going to go through them and then discuss our favorites!
Sub Genres
- Contemporary Romance
- These novels take place in relatively recent time periods and focus on two main characters and their relationship. Contemporary romance novels have emotionally satisfying conclusions.
- Examples
- Historical Romance
- Historical romance is almost identical to a contemporary romance, except that it takes place in a historical setting, generally prior to 1950.
- Examples
- Romantic Suspense
- Novels in this category have a heavy emphasis on crime and mystery plots driving the romance in the story. I do not see these as often but if you’re a fan of thriller and mystery novels than this may be the romantic sub genre for you!
- Examples
- Erotic Romance
- These stories have a heavy emphasis on sexual interaction. The graphically described scenes carry forward the plot and are used to tell the story.
- Examples
- Religious/Spiritual Romance
- Sexual content is generally very light or completely removed from these novels. The emphasis is one the spiritual development or religious congruence of a relationship.
- Examples
- Paranormal/Fantasy Romance
- In a paranormal, science-fiction or fantasy romance novel, similar elements are in these stories that you can find in the others already mentioned. The defining difference is that there is either a magical element or romance between supernatural beings.
- Examples
- Young Adult Romance
- Again, these stories also have similar frameworks of your modern contemporary romance novels but the characters are usually teenagers versus adults and the sexual content is very, very light or non-existent.
- Examples
That sums up the major romance sub genres that are out there. Comment below on your favorite one to read and we can share reading suggestions!
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