A romance or romantic novel is a type of book that focuses on the relationship and love between two people. These stories often end with a happy or satisfying conclusion. Many authors have helped shape this genre, including Samuel Richardson, Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë.

Romance novels can include different types, such as bodice ripper, fantasy, contemporary, historical romance, paranormal fiction, sapphic, and science fiction. These books often use common story patterns, like enemies becoming lovers, a second chance at love, or characters being forced to spend time together. While women have traditionally been the main readers of romance novels, a 2017 study showed that 18% of people who buy romance books are men.

The idea of romance stories existed in ancient Greece. Earlier examples can be found in books from the 18th and 19th centuries, such as Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740) and the works of Jane Austen. Austen inspired Georgette Heyer, a British author who wrote historical romance novels set during Austen’s time. Heyer’s first romance novel, The Black Moth (1921), was set in 1751.

In the 1930s, the British company Mills & Boon began publishing romance novels for women. These books were sold in North America by Harlequin Enterprises Ltd, which started directly marketing to readers and allowed stores to sell the books.

An early example of a mass-market romance novel in the United States was The Flame and the Flower (1972) by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, published by Avon Books. This was the first romance novel published as a paperback in the US. In the UK, the romance genre was long popular through the works of Georgette Heyer, who included many common story patterns in her books. Some of these patterns have been removed from newer editions of her novels.

Popular romance novels have sold well, making the genre one of the largest parts of the global book market. The genre grew a lot in the 1980s, with more subcategories and more single-title romance novels. Authors also began creating more modern characters and exploring new ideas in their stories.

Definition

According to the Romance Writers of America, the main story of a mass-market romance novel should focus on two people who fall in love and build a relationship. The conflict and climax of the story must connect to this central theme of developing a romantic relationship. Subplots may exist that do not involve the main characters’ love story. A romance novel must also have an ending that feels emotionally satisfying and hopeful.

Leslie Gelbman, president of Berkley Books, says that the romantic relationship between the hero and heroine must be the central part of the book. In general, romance novels show good characters being rewarded and bad characters facing consequences. A couple who works to keep their relationship strong is likely to be shown receiving unconditional love. Bestselling author Nora Roberts says that romance books celebrate love, emotions, and commitment—things people often value.

Most romance novels follow these rules, but some books widely considered romance novels may not. The Romance Writers of America’s definition includes a focus on a growing romantic relationship and a hopeful ending. Escapism is important in romance novels; an Avon executive noted that in these stories, problems like phone calls, babies crying, or overdue rent are avoided. Many publishers, libraries, bookstores, and critics still use the traditional definition to classify books.

There is disagreement among romance authors about what should be included in romance plots. Some believe the genre has rules, such as having the main characters meet early in the story or avoiding certain themes like infidelity. Others debate the need for a happy ending. Some readers accept stories without a happy ending if the focus is on the romantic relationship, such as Romeo and Juliet.

Romance novels can take place in any time period or location. In recent years, they have even included space settings. There are no strict rules about what can be included in a romance novel. Topics such as date rape, domestic violence, addiction, and disability are sometimes addressed. The setting, time period, and plot help classify a novel into a subgenre. Despite this variety, some people say all romance novels feel similar. Some people think all romance novels are like those by Danielle Steel, which feature wealthy, glamorous characters in exotic places. Many readers disagree, saying Steel’s books are more mainstream fiction.

Mass-market or formulaic romance novels are sometimes called "smut" or female pornography. These are the most popular forms of modern erotica for women. Some romance novels include more explicit content, while others only show characters kissing. The genre includes books across this range. Because women buy 90% of all romance novels, most are written from a woman’s perspective, using first or third person narration.

Most romance novels focus on heterosexual relationships, but some include same-sex relationships. These books are sometimes labeled F/F (female/female) or M/M (male/male) in the book industry.

While most romance novels end with happiness, some famous literary romance novels have tragic endings. Examples include Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, Atonement by Ian McEwan, and The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

History

The genre of long romantic stories existed in ancient Greece. More than twenty ancient Greek romance novels are known, but most of them have only survived in incomplete forms. Only five ancient Greek romance novels have survived nearly completely: Chareas and Callirhoe, Leucippe and Clitophon, Daphnis and Chloe, The Ephesian Tale, and The Ethiopian Tale.

A precursor to modern popular love stories is Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, written by Samuel Richardson in 1740. Pamela was the first popular novel to tell a love story from the perspective of the heroine. Unlike many other novels of that time, Pamela ended with a happy outcome. After Mr. B tries to seduce and harm Pamela multiple times, he eventually proposes a fair marriage to her because of her strong character. The book became very popular, with five editions printed in the first eleven months. Richardson originally wrote Pamela as a collection of letters. He agreed to write it only if the letters had a moral purpose. As he wrote the letters, they formed a story. Richardson created Pamela to both teach and entertain. He also wrote it as a guidebook that explained proper behavior for men, women, and servants, and as a story to provide a more morally focused reading experience for young people.

Maria Edgeworth, a romance novelist, influenced Victorian-era writing with her works, including Belinda (1801) and Helen (1834). Jane Austen, who admired Edgeworth, also shaped the romance genre with her novel Pride and Prejudice (1813), which was called "the best romance novel ever written." In the early Victorian era, the Brontë sisters, like Edgeworth and Austen, wrote stories that influenced later popular fiction. Maria Edgeworth introduced the idea of an orphaned heroine in her books Belinda and Helen. Charlotte Brontë later used this character type in Jane Eyre (1847). Brontë’s story includes elements from gothic novels and Elizabethan plays, showing how flexible the romance genre can be.

As literary romance novels continued to develop in the 20th century, a new type of fiction called genre fiction became more popular after World War I. In 1919, E. M. Hull published The Sheik, a novel set in the United Kingdom. The main character of this book was described as an "alpha male" who kidnapped the heroine and won her admiration through forceful actions. This novel introduced the bodice ripper concept, which focuses on romantic scenes involving physical elements. This theme appeared earlier in Pamela (1740). At the time, publishers believed readers would only accept premarital sex in the context of rape, as this was the common practice before the women’s rights movement challenged it. In these stories, the heroine is rarely shown to feel fear, stress, or trauma, as the authors did not consider women to have independent thoughts or rights.

The mass-market version of historical romance, which Walter Scott helped develop in the early 19th century, began in 1921 when Georgette Heyer published The Black Moth. This book is set in 1751, but many of Heyer’s novels were inspired by Jane Austen’s works and take place during the Regency period, which was later than Austen’s time. Heyer included detailed historical information to help readers understand the setting. Unlike other romance novels of her time, Heyer’s stories used the setting as an important part of the plot. Her characters often have modern attitudes, and other characters in the books comment on the heroine’s unusual choices, such as wanting to marry for love. Heyer was a very productive writer, and she published one to two historical romance novels each year until her death in 1974.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, a type of printed romantic novel called caizi jiaren ("scholar and beauty") became widely popular. These stories usually involve a love story between a talented young woman and a handsome scholar. Examples include Ping Shan Leng Yan, Haoqiu zhuan, Iu-Kiao-Li, Huatu yuan, Qiao Lian Zhu, Wu Mei Yuan, Bai Gui Zhi, Jin Yun Qiao, Ting Yue Lou, Wu Jiang Xue, Lin er bao, Ying Yun meng, Tiehua xianshi, Shuishi yuan, Jinxiang ting, Erdu mei quanzhuan, Dingqing ren, Qingmeng tuo, and Zhuchun yuan. These novels were influenced by earlier romantic stories from the Tang dynasty, such as Yingying’s Biography, The Tale of Li Wa, and Huo Xiaoyu zhuan, as well as plays from the Song and Yuan dynasties, like those by Bai Renfu, Zheng Guangzu, and Wang Shifu. These stories were most popular during the 17th century, when many were sold and shared widely.

The widespread popularity of these Chinese romance novels was famously mocked in The Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin, which criticized the repetition of these stories, saying, "There are thousands of such caizi jiaren books, and yet they are all alike!" These novels also had a lasting influence on both Eastern and Western literature.

In the 1930s, British publishers Mills & Boon began releasing hardcover romance novels. These books were sold through weekly two-penny libraries and were called "the books in brown" because of their brown covers. In the 1950s, the company started selling their books through newsagents in the United Kingdom.

A Canadian company, Harlequin Enterprises, began distributing Mills & Boon’s romance novels in North America in 1957. Mary Bonneycastle, the wife of Harlequin’s founder, and her daughter, Judy Burgess, controlled which Mills & Boon books Harlequin reprinted. They followed a "decency code" and rejected more explicit material. Richard Bonneycastle, Harlequin’s founder, later read a romance novel and discovered it was more popular than a similar, less explicit one. Harlequin’s novels were short and followed a formula, featuring heroines who were kind, pure, and innocent. Some heroines worked in traditional female roles, such as nurses, governesses, and secretaries. Romantic scenes in these books never included anything beyond a chaste kiss between the main characters.

On October 1, 1971, Harlequin bought Mills & Boon. By this time, romance novels were already widely popular in Great Britain. To copy Mills & Boon’s success in North America, Harlequin improved their distribution and marketing. They sold books in places where women shopped, such as supermarkets, and made all their books exactly 192 pages. Harlequin also started a reader service, offering books directly to customers

Critical reception

Some important writers have been praised for their romance novels. For example, Gabriel García Márquez, a Nobel Prize winner, was recognized for his romance novel Love in the Time of Cholera.

Arthur Schopenhauer believed that romance novels have been written for many years because love and relationships are important for the survival of the human species. He argued that romance is a key topic because it influences the continuation of the human race through choices about partnerships and having children.

Although romance novels have become more accepted and combined with other genres, some people still view them negatively. Some readers feel embarrassed to admit they read these books. Critics sometimes say these stories lack suspense because the hero and heroine often resolve their problems in the end. Others question whether it is helpful for women to spend time reading stories that seem overly idealized. Author Melissa Pritchard said that romance novels might give the idea that perfect love exists, which could distract readers from focusing on loving themselves.

Romance novelists explain that the negative view of the genre is partly because it is often written by women for women. Jennifer Crusie said that modern romance novels show a woman being rewarded with love only if she stays true to herself. Susan Elizabeth Phillips believes these books are popular because the heroine usually wins, even after facing big challenges.

In recent years, more academic research has been done on romance novels. Scholars are studying the importance and influence of the genre, especially from the perspectives of feminism and gender equality. The popularity of romance novels has also grown because of the success of book series like Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and Bridgerton by Julia Quinn, which were adapted into TV shows by STARZ and Netflix. In 2022, the bestselling Winston Brother series by Penny Reid was chosen for a television adaptation by Tomorrow Studios.

There is ongoing discussion about whether some books fit into the romance genre or belong to other genres. Diana Gabaldon often says her Outlander series is not a romance. However, both academic studies and conversations between Gabaldon and her publisher suggest that the topic of genre labels is more complex than it appears.

Formats

Romance novels are divided into two types: category romances, also called series romances, and single-title romances. Some authors write only one type, while others, such as Jennifer Crusie and Jayne Ann Krentz, have written both types successfully.

Category romances are short, usually no more than 200 pages or about 55,000 words. These books are published in specific lines, with a set number of books released each month in each line. Many books in a line are numbered in order. These novels are sold widely, often worldwide, and are printed in large quantities in the United States. They remain on store shelves until they are sold or until new books in the same line replace them. Writers for Harlequin/Mills & Boon, a publisher of category romances, may have their books translated into 26 languages and sold in more than 100 countries.

To write a successful category romance, authors must focus on the main parts of the story. Subplots and minor characters are often removed or placed in the background. However, each line of category romances has its own unique identity, which may include similar settings, characters, time periods, levels of sensuality, or types of conflict. Publishers provide guidelines for each line, outlining the details needed for a book to fit into that line. Publishers may start or stop lines based on market trends and reader preferences. Recently, publishers have added lines for erotic and Christian romances while ending lines for traditional Regency romances.

Single-title novels are romance books that are not part of a publisher’s category. They are longer, usually between 350 and 400 pages or 100,000 to 110,000 words. Publishers may release these books over a short time for sales and publicity, but on average, authors write 1.5 books each year and publish one per year. Single-title novels stay on store shelves based on the store’s choice.

Although they are called single-title novels, they are not always books that can be read alone. Some authors write several connected books, such as trilogies or long series, to revisit characters or worlds. These books often share similar titles, such as “Number 1 in the XXX Series,” but they are not considered series romances because they are not part of a specific line.

Subgenres

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Romance novels do not have strict rules about the types of stories, time periods, or places they can include. This has allowed the romance genre to include a wide range of stories and has led to many different subgenres. Some romance books can also be part of other genres. For example, romantic suspense novels are similar to mystery, crime, and thriller novels. Paranormal romances include elements found in science fiction and fantasy novels.

Contemporary romance is set after World War II and is often what people mean when they say "romance novel." Contemporary romance novels are the largest subgenre and are set in the time when they are written. These books usually reflect the customs and values of that time. Before 1970, heroines in contemporary romances often stopped working after marriage or having children. After 1970, heroines usually kept their jobs. As contemporary romance novels have become more complex and realistic, the line between this subgenre and the genre of women's fiction has become less clear.

Most contemporary romance novels have elements that make them seem old-fashioned. Many of them become outdated and are no longer read by modern readers. Some, like the works of Jane Austen, survive and are later classified as historical romances.

In 2004, more than half of the romantic fiction published in the United States (1,468 out of 2,285 books) were contemporary romance novels. These books have been featured twice in Kelly Ripa's Reading with Ripa book club.

Historical romance, also called a historical novel, is a type of fiction where the story takes place in the past. Walter Scott helped make this genre popular in the early 19th century with books like Rob Roy and Ivanhoe.

This subgenre includes many other types of romance, such as Regency romance. Most historical romance novels are published in mass-market format, with fewer than 15 published in hardcover each year. This is less than one-fifth of the number of contemporary romance novels published in hardcover. Because historical romances are usually published in mass-market format, their popularity is connected to trends in mass-market publishing. Booksellers and large stores now sell fewer mass-market paperbacks, which makes it harder for historical romances to be sold in some places.

In 2001, 778 mass-market historical romances were published, the highest number in ten years. By 2004, the number had dropped to 486, which was still 20% of all romance novels published. Kensington Books says they receive fewer submissions of historical novels, and some of their authors have moved to writing contemporary romance.

Romantic suspense novels involve a mystery or problem for the main characters to solve. Usually, the heroine is a victim of a crime or an attempted crime and works with the hero, who is often in a job that protects people, like a police officer, FBI agent, bodyguard, or Navy SEAL. At the end of the novel, the mystery is solved, and the hero and heroine develop a strong relationship. These novels are usually set in the present, but some authors have included historical settings as well.

Like all romance novels, romantic suspense novels must focus on the relationship between the main characters. The relationship must influence their decisions and increase the suspense in the story. At the same time, the events of the mystery must affect the relationship and move the story forward. These novels often use less emotional or intimate language than traditional romance novels. Because the mystery is an important part of the story, these novels are more about the plot than the characters.

Mary Stewart helped combine romance and mystery in a perfect way. Between 1955 and 1967, she wrote ten romantic suspense novels. She was one of the first to mix the two genres well, keeping the mystery strong while focusing on the relationship between the hero and heroine. In her books, solving the mystery helps reveal the hero's personality and helps the heroine fall in love with him.

Paranormal romance mixes the real world with the fantastic or science fiction. The supernatural elements can be part of an alternate version of our world, like in urban fantasy with vampires, werewolves, or demons. They can also be more normal supernatural elements, like humans with psychic powers, witches, or ghosts. Time travel, futuristic, and extraterrestrial romances are also part of the paranormal genre.

These novels often mix elements of other genres, like suspense or chick lit, with their supernatural themes. Some paranormal romances are set in the past and are similar to historical romance novels. Others are set in the future or on different worlds. Some include time travel, with the hero or heroine traveling to the past or future. Between 2002 and 2004, the number of paranormal romances published in the United States doubled to 170 per year. A popular title in this genre can sell over 500,000 copies.

Many paranormal romances mix elements of modern American life with the existence of supernatural or magical beings. Sometimes the world is aware of the supernatural, and sometimes it is not. Some paranormal romances focus more on the romance than on the details of their alternate worlds. Others carefully build the alternate world, combining magical systems and cultures with the real world.

Science fiction romance is a mix of three popular genres: science fiction, fantasy, and romance. These novels explore alternate worlds while also telling a complete romance story. The level of sensuality in these novels can vary from very chaste to very sexy.

Over the years, many publishers have included futuristic, fantasy, and science fiction romances in their contemporary series (like Harlequin Temptation and Harlequin Superromance). The first futuristic romance published by a mainstream romance publisher was Sweet Starfire by Jayne Ann Krentz in 1986. This book was a classic road trip romance set in a different galaxy. This genre has become more popular since 2000. Krentz says the popularity of this genre is because these novels are like classic historical romances, just set on other worlds.

Science fiction overlaps with other subgenres, like steampunk, which mixes science fiction with alternate history set during the Victorian era. Steampunk combines historical elements with technology, like in the TV show The Wild Wild West (1965–1969). Authors in this subgenre include M. K. Hobson and Gail Dayton.

Fantasy romance, also called romantic fantasy, is a type of fantasy fiction that uses many of the elements and conventions of the romance genre. These books are published by both fantasy and romance publishers. Some publishers make a distinction between "fantasy romance," which is more like a contemporary fantasy novel with romantic elements, and "romantic fantasy," which focuses more on the romance.

Time-travel romance is a version of the classic "fish out of water" story, where the hero or heroine travels to a different time period and finds love.

Tropes

A trope is a common theme or story element that appears often in books. In romance novels, tropes are used to create parts of the story that readers enjoy. Tropes, which relate to the story’s events, are sometimes mixed up with "hooks," which are details about characters or settings that interest readers, such as jobs, places, times of year, or personality traits.

According to India Holton, tropes may seem overused, but they help readers feel connected because they reflect shared experiences and common types of people or situations. They allow romance writers to attract readers by giving them something they recognize. Tropes can also be a starting point for new ideas, and authors can choose to change or challenge them in creative ways. Many tropes appear in romance novels, and some of the most common are:

• Love Triangle: Two characters try to win the love of a third person.
• Friends to Lovers: Close friends develop a romantic relationship.
• Forced Proximity: Characters are required to spend a lot of time together, leading them to fall in love. Arranged Marriage, a type of romance story, is a form of this trope.
• Enemies to Lovers: Characters who dislike each other learn to overcome their differences and fall in love.
• Forbidden Love: A relationship between characters is not allowed or considered improper, yet it happens anyway. Workplace Romances and other details about characters’ roles or relationships are often part of this trope.
• Second Chance: Characters who were once in a relationship break up but later reunite.
• Fake Relationship: Characters agree to pretend to be in a relationship, which eventually becomes real.
• Soulmates: Characters are drawn together because of a strong, unavoidable connection.

Explicit content

The presence or absence of sexual content in romance novels is important to readers. This content is often called "spice," "steam," or "heat" by readers, reviewers, and publishers. How explicit the content is depends on the amount of sexual material in the story, the type of material, and how detailed the descriptions are.

Some publishers and authors use content ratings based on their own rules. It causes disagreement to see these ratings in library catalogs. The American Library Association believes labeling is a form of censorship and thinks it suggests that all books in the catalog have been checked. However, some libraries use labels for this content in their catalogs. These labels mainly help library staff assist people and can be harder (but not impossible) for regular users to find.

Markets

The romance fiction market was not affected by the economic recession in 1982, as readers spent up to $40 a month on romance novels. That year, paperback romance novels generated $300 million in sales, with an estimated 20 million readers. A survey of 600 regular romance readers found that they had similar ages, education levels, marital status, and socioeconomic backgrounds as the general population. Over half of the women surveyed had at least some college education, and 40% were employed full-time. Sixty percent of the women read at least one romance novel every two days. These readers said they read romances to reduce stress, escape mentally, and learn about history and new careers.

By 1982, at least 25% of all paperbacks sold were romance novels. By 1991, romance novels made up 46% of all mass market paperbacks sold in the United States. This growth was partly due to readers who purchased many books, with more than half of Harlequin’s customers buying 30 novels per month. By 1991, the romance novel audience had become more educated, with 45% having college degrees, and more than half of the audience working outside the home.

By the 2000s, romance fiction became the most popular genre in modern literature. In 2008, romantic fiction generated $1.37 billion in sales, with 7,311 romance novels published. These books made up 13.5% of the consumer book market. A study by the Romance Writers of America found that 74 million people had read at least one romance novel in 2008. Nine and a half percent of romance readers identified as male, and romance readers were more likely to be married or living with a partner. According to the study, 84% of romance buyers were women, and 16% were men. Of the entire American population, 24.6% read at least one romance novel in 2008.

In 2004, 74.8 million people read an English-language romance novel. Harlequin sells more than 4 books per second, with half of these sales happening internationally. Author Heather Graham said that emotions are easy to translate, which helps explain the popularity of romance novels. In the United Kingdom, over 20% of all fiction books sold each year are romance novels.

Although romance novels are translated into over 90 languages, most authors of women’s fiction are from Great Britain or North America. In France, over 12 million romance novels are sold each year, and all of these are translations. Almost all Harlequin novels sold in Italy are also translations. Some publishing companies in Germany do not allow their romance authors to use their real names, fearing that readers might not buy a romance novel without an American pseudonym.

The Anglo-Saxon perspective in fiction is sometimes less successful in European markets. In Italy, the strongest foreign market for chick lit books from the Red Dress Ink imprint, romance readers do not prefer stories about cowboys, as this type of job is uncommon in their culture. Paranormal romance is not popular in countries like Poland and Russia, but historical romance is very successful there. Inspirational romance does not sell well in Europe, where romances featuring babies are more popular. German readers enjoy more erotic romance novels, and some German translators add or expand love scenes in English romance novels. Other translators may remove or censor these scenes.

As of 2014, romance was the most popular literary genre in Russia, chosen by 13% of respondents, especially among younger readers. In 2004, sales of romance novels in Australia increased by 28% compared to the previous year. Between 1999 and 2004, the number of new romance titles released increased by 40–50%. Harlequin received 20,000 unsolicited manuscripts each year and found that women made up 99% of romance readers.

— The New York Times, 2004
831 Stories, a company founded in 2024, began publishing covers without images or illustrations to create a kind of "IYKYK" wink and nod between readers.

Awards

The most respected and well-known awards for romance novels are the RITA Awards. These awards are given every year by the Romance Writers of America to the best novels in romantic fiction.

Another well-known award is the Romantic Novel of the Year Award (RoNA), which is presented by the Romantic Novelists' Association. The award is divided into categories:

• Contemporary Romance
• Historical Romance
• Romantic Comedy
• Fantasy Romance
• Romantic Thriller
• Romantic Saga
• Shorter Romantic Novel
• Debut Romance Novel