Romance book genres: Find your kind of love story
Jan 2026
If you’ve ever said, “I don’t like romance,” chances are you just read the wrong kind.
Romance isn’t one flavour. It’s a whole shelf. Romance book genres range from sweet and cosy to spicy, dramatic, chaotic, and deeply comforting — sometimes all in the same story. Lumping them together is like saying you don’t like food because you once ate a bad sandwich.
Romance is a big deal. It is the #1 bestselling book genre worldwide, accounting for more than a fifth of all genre sales and consistently dominating bestseller charts — driven by subgenres like contemporary romance, historical romance, and romantasy. See data from a 2025 global genre report.
So let’s find the kind of love story that actually works for you.
1. Historical romance: Longing, rules, and stolen glances
This one’s for you if: you love tension, restraint, and feelings that simmer forever before boiling over.
Historical romance thrives on limitation. Society says no. Circumstances say no. Reputation says absolutely not. Which makes every look, letter, and almost-touch feel loaded.
Expect corsets, carriages, slow burns, and emotional payoff that hits hard because it’s earned.
Jane Austen and Diana Gabaldon’s books are wonderful examples of historical romance. Try Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, or Voyager.
2. Contemporary romance: Messy, relatable, and heartfelt
This one’s for you if: you want romance that feels like real life — just better written.
Colleen Hoover and Graeme Simsion’s books are well-known examples of contemporary romance. Try It Ends With Us, Ugly Love, The Rosie Project, or The Best of Adam Sharp. Nicholas Sparks writes emotional, contemporary love stories for readers who want to feel everything — even if it hurts.
3. Romantic suspense: Danger meets desire
This one’s for you if: you like your love stories with high stakes, tension, and edge-of-your-seat excitement.
Romantic suspense blends danger and intrigue with a secondary romance, focusing on crime, mystery, or life-threatening stakes. The central relationship unfolds under pressure, revealing character, but the story’s momentum comes from suspense and peril rather than love. Perfect for readers who enjoy thrillers with a romantic edge.
Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb’s books are reliable choices for romantic suspense. Try The Witness, Carolina Moon, Naked in Death, or Glory in Death.
4. Romantasy: Fantasy with a heart
This one’s for you if: you want to disappear into another world and feel everything.
Romantasy blends epic world-building with intense romantic arcs. The romance is central, not a side plot. Power, destiny, loyalty, betrayal, and sacrifice — often complicated love interests — drive the story.
Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout’s books are go-to reads for romantasy. Try A Court of Thorns and Roses, Crescent City, From Blood and Ash, or Wicked.
5. Paranormal romance: Love with a supernatural twist
This one’s for you if: you want romance with a touch of the supernatural, from vampires to shapeshifters, witches to ghosts.
Expect emotional tension mixed with mystery, danger, or fantastical powers. Often overlaps with fantasy or suspense, but the paranormal element drives the setting or plot.
J.R. Ward and Charlaine Harris’s books are great examples of paranormal romance. Try Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Dead Until Dark, or Dead to the World.
6. Slow burn romance: Tension, patience, and payoff
This one’s for you if: you love tension, anticipation, and romance that develops gradually over pages — or even across a series.
The payoff is emotional and satisfying, but you’ll need patience.
Mariana Zapata and Devney Perry’s books are solid examples of slow-burn romance. Try The Wall of Winnipeg and Me, Kulti, Brooklyn Girl, or The One That Got Away.
7. Category romance: Your no-fail romance fix
Not a subgenre, but a trusted category that gives readers exactly what they’re looking for: fast, enjoyable romance with a familiar structure and style. Think Mills & Boon, Harlequin, Afrikaans’ Romanza, or similar imprints — sweet, spicy, or somewhere in between. If you’re unsure where to start, this is your go-to option.
Lynne Graham, Jennifer Taylor, and other Harlequin authors are great examples of English-language category romance, while Elsa Winckler represents Afrikaans category romance. Try The Sheikh’s Reluctant Bride, A Convenient Wife, Want Die Hart Weet, or Want Hy Praat Tjoklits, or any other titles currently available through their collections.
8. Heat levels: How hot Is your romance?
Not all romances handle intimacy the same way. Heat levels are a friendly heads-up so you know what kind of intimacy to expect. Sometimes you’ll see words like Clean, Open-door, or Spicy on covers or descriptions — here’s the scoop:
Clean / closed-door: All about feelings, connection, and tension — no on-page sex. Think slow-burn flirtation and emotional intimacy.
Open-door / moderate: Some sexual content, but it’s not the main event. Emotional and physical romance are balanced.
Spicy / explicit: Detailed, frequent, unapologetic sexual content. Romance drives both hearts and bodies.
Now you know what to expect, so you can pick the book that’s right for you.
So... What kind of romance reader are you?
If romance hasn’t worked for you before, it probably wasn’t the genre — it was the mismatch. Romance rewards knowing what you want to feel: comfort, excitement, longing, escape, healing, heat.
Once you figure that out, the genre opens up in the best possible way.
Romance isn’t one thing. And that’s exactly why so many of us keep coming back.