What is Romance Fiction?: Romance Fiction Subgenres

All romances have a central love story and an emotionally satisfying ending. Beyond that, romance novels can be set in any time or place, include any number of plot elements, or convey moods from light and humorous to dark and suspenseful. The genre of romance can be classified into various sub-genres depending on their setting and plot elements. Those sub-genres include:

Contemporary Romance
Live, laugh, and love with stories that have contemporary settings and issues. Contemporary romances are everything readers want them be, from funny, witty, and entertaining to deep, meaningful stories.

Historical Romance
Escape to a time gone by. Historical romance novels take place in any time period prior to 1945 and feature cowboys, knights, and highlanders as heroes. Let these heroes take you on an adventure.

Inspirational Romance
These stories about faith and love will inspire you. Inspirational romance novels place religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religion or spiritual belief system) as a major part of the romantic relationship.

Novels with Strong Romantic Elements
In these novels, romance plays a significant part, but other themes or elements take the plot beyond the traditional romance boundaries. If you like books by Danielle Steel, Nicholas Sparks, and James Patterson, try selecting books from this category, you may find a new favorite author.

Paranormal Romance
Get carried away to a fantasy world where vampires, ghosts, and werewolves all exist and anything can happen. Paranormal romances take place in other worlds, or include paranormal happenings such as magic or time-traveling. In a paranormal romance, anything is possible.

Romantic Suspense
Looking for some romance to go with your intrigue? Romantic suspense novels will satisfy any reader looking for suspense, mystery, or a thriller to keep them on the edge of their seat.

Young Adult Romance
Books for the next generation of romance readers. YA novels feature a strong romantic theme and focus on issues facing young adult readers.