8 romance genres authors can explore this year

The romance genre is the most popular book category. All romance stories have 2 things in common:
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1) The romance between the main characters comprises the central focus of the story. Romance stories narrate the emotional journey between these two people and how they overcome external obstacles and internal doubts to be together at the end of the story. 

2) A happily ever after. All romance stories need to have an emotionally satisfying and rewarding happy ending (or happy for now.) If the romance story doesn’t have a happy ending, then it is not a romance story.

The romance genre is a very broad fiction category and can be divided into many subgenres. This blog article explains 8 romance subgenres that authors can explore this year.



The blog article explains the following romance subgenres:
Contemporary romance
YA romance
Romantic suspense
Paranormal romance
Fantasy romance
Romantasy
Historical romance
Science fiction romance
Conclusion
Further reading

Contemporary romance
Contemporary romance is the largest subgenre of the romance genre and involves stories set from the 1950s to the present.

Contemporary romance stories usually include a diverse cast of relatable characters with different beliefs and backgrounds. The characters come from small towns or big cities with different cultures and traditions.

Contemporary romance stories deal with current social and cultural issues such as career goals, family conflicts and friendships.

Readers are specifically drawn to this genre because they read about characters from different places that overcome the issues that keep them back from finding love and they  emotionally grow and change throughout the story and have their own happily ever after!  

YA romance
Young adult romance shows the lives of young people, usually teenagers from 13 to 18 years old.

Young adult novels usually include diverse characters that face the external obstacles and the emotional conflicts of growing up while also being romantically attracted to someone (maybe for the first time).

Young adult novels deal with themes of identity, adventure, emotional exploration, school, family, friendship and technology.

Romantic suspense
Romantic suspense is a subgenre of romance genre that blends romance, action, thriller, mystery and suspense elements.

The two main characters are tasked to solve a crime or uncover a deadly secret together. Usually, in romantic suspense stories, one of the main characters needs to protect the other from some kind of danger. While the main characters are working together to eliminate the threat, they come closer to each other emotionally and they fall in love.

Romantic suspense stories have a diverse cast of characters and include themes of murder, kidnapping, drugs, and abuse.

Paranormal romance
Paranormal romance is a subgenre of romance genre that contains otherworldly characters such as vampires, wolves, witches, demons, angels, zombies, dragons, ghosts or humans with psychic abilities.

Paranormal romance stories include themes of science fiction, fantasy or time travel and blend elements of suspense, mystery and horror. 

Paranormal romance stories require extensive worldbuilding since they can take place on other magical or technological planets.

Fantasy romance
Fantasy romance stories focus on political, social and romantic relationships and the fantasy aspect of the story takes the central stage rather than the romance.

The main plot of fantasy romance stories includes battles, quests, political relations, mystery, or magic, while romance plays a secondary role.

Fantasy romance stories include a diverse cast of characters such as witches, kings, princes, dragons, elves, fairies and other fantasy races that live alongside humans.

Fantasy romance stories require extensive worldbuilding since they can take place in the past or an alternative version of our world.

Romantasy
Romantasy is another popular subgenre of the romance genre. Romantasy is a combination of the words “romance” and “fantasy” and it blends elements from these two genres.

The difference between the fantasy romance and romantasy subgenres is that in romantasy the romance between the main characters takes center stage of the story and the fantasy elements (setting, creatures) exist to serve and elevate the romance story.

Romantasy stories include fantasy races and require rich worldbuilding.

Historical romance
Historical romance stories are set before the 1950s. Historical romance stories highlight the cultural and social issues of the era in which the story takes place.

The author needs to research the time and the place their romance story takes place to give their story realistic settings and in-depth characters faithful to the particular era of the story. Historical romance readers usually have deep knowledge of history and they will notice egregious mistakes.

Science fiction romance
Science fiction romance combines elements from the science fiction and the romance genre. 

Science fiction romance stories include elements of adventure, suspense, mystery, fantasy, horror, and a variety of romance tropes blended in.

They feature a diverse set of characters such as humans, aliens, and robots and can take place on other planets, in dystopian/utopian societies or in parallel or futuristic worlds.

Conclusion
The romance genre is the most popular genre of fiction. Readers look forward to reading romance stories that feature captivating characters and can transport them to other places and times.

Romance readers embark on an emotional journey to discover how the main characters overcome the obstacles that keep them from finding love and how they grow and change throughout the story and have their happily ever after. 

What is your favourite romance genre to read and write? Comment below!
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Further reading
What is developmental editing vs other kinds of editing
How to write the genre and main characters of a romance novel
How to write a romance novel using the 3-act structure
How to create a consistent writing routine
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About the author

​Maria Georgiou is a professional developmental editor for romance authors. She specialises in editing contemporary romance, YA romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance and romantasy. She is a member of the EFA and ClubEdFreelancers. 
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