Bookle reading guide: Romance
⏱️ 4 min read
Think romance isn’t for you?
You might just not have found your kind of romance yet.
Romance is much more than meet-cutes, grand gestures and happily-ever-afters. There are sweeping historical love stories, funny contemporary romances, relationships complicated by murder and danger, and fantasy worlds where falling in love might be the least dangerous thing happening.
And sometimes, of course, you just want two people to fall hopelessly in love and everything to work out in the end.
Nothing wrong with that.
So let’s have a look at some of the different corners of the romance shelf.
In this guide
- Historical romance
- Contemporary romance
- Romantic suspense
- Romantasy
- Paranormal romance
- Category romance
- Romance heat levels
- Afrikaans romance
1. Historical romance
Give us corsets, country estates, impossible social rules and two people who absolutely should not fall in love.
Historical romance sets the love story against another time and place, where family expectations, social class, money and reputation can make a relationship considerably more complicated.
The setting is part of the appeal, too. A good historical romance doesn’t just give you a love story; it gives you a world to disappear into.
You might like it if: you enjoy forbidden love, slow-burning attraction, period settings and plenty of atmosphere.
Look out for: Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Diana Gabaldon, Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas and Mary Balogh.
Try:
- Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice; Sense and Sensibility
- Georgette Heyer – The Grand Sophy; Arabella
- Diana Gabaldon – Outlander
- Julia Quinn – The Duke and I; The Viscount Who Loved Me
- Lisa Kleypas – Dreaming of You; The Devil in Winter
- Mary Balogh – Slightly Married; The Proposal
2. Contemporary romance
Modern love stories, set in the world we recognise.
There are jobs, families, friendships, dating disasters, bad timing and all the other things that have a habit of getting in the way of two people who clearly belong together.
Some contemporary romances are funny and light. Others are emotional and messy. Some leave you grinning; others may require tissues.
The romance, though, stays at the heart of the story.
You might like it if: you enjoy modern relationships, relatable characters, witty dialogue and plenty of emotional chemistry.
Look out for: Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover, Nicholas Sparks, Abby Jimenez, Beth O’Leary and Graeme Simsion.
Try:
- Emily Henry – Beach Read; Book Lovers
- Colleen Hoover – It Ends With Us; Ugly Love
- Nicholas Sparks – The Notebook; A Walk to Remember
- Abby Jimenez – Part of Your World; Yours Truly
- Beth O’Leary – The Flatshare; The No-Show
- Graeme Simsion – The Rosie Project; The Best of Adam Sharp
3. Romantic suspense
What if falling in love was only the second most dangerous thing happening?
Romantic suspense combines a central love story with crime, danger, mystery or some other high-stakes problem. The relationship matters, but so does figuring out who is trying to kill, kidnap, expose or otherwise ruin everyone’s day.
It’s a good choice if you like your romance with a little more adrenaline.
You might like it if: you want romance, but also need a plot that keeps moving.
Look out for: Nora Roberts, J.D. Robb, Sandra Brown, Karen Rose, Linda Howard and Iris Johansen.
Try:
- Nora Roberts – The Witness; Carolina Moon
- J.D. Robb – Naked in Death; Glory in Death
- Sandra Brown – Envy; Smoke Screen
- Karen Rose – Don’t Tell; You Belong to Me
- Linda Howard – Mr. Perfect; Open Season
- Iris Johansen – The Face of Deception; The Killing Game
4. Romantasy
Take a love story, add magic, dangerous kingdoms, impossible quests and perhaps a dragon or two.
That’s the basic idea behind romantasy.
The fantasy world matters, but so does the romance. You get the adventure and world-building of fantasy alongside a relationship that is central to the story.
Expect high stakes, complicated destinies, enemies who may or may not become something more, and quite a lot of emotional drama.
You might like it if: you want your love story to come with magic, adventure and an entirely different world to get lost in.
Look out for: Sarah J. Maas, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Rebecca Yarros, Carissa Broadbent, Danielle L. Jensen and Holly Black.
Try:
- Sarah J. Maas – A Court of Thorns and Roses; Throne of Glass
- Jennifer L. Armentrout – From Blood and Ash; A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
- Rebecca Yarros – Fourth Wing; Iron Flame
- Carissa Broadbent – The Serpent and the Wings of Night
- Danielle L. Jensen – The Bridge Kingdom
- Holly Black – The Cruel Prince; The Wicked King
5. Paranormal romance
Vampires, witches, shapeshifters and ghosts are complicated enough on their own.
Add falling in love and things get interesting.
Paranormal romance combines a central love story with supernatural characters or worlds. The supernatural element might be dark and dangerous, mysterious and atmospheric, or surprisingly funny.
There are plenty of possibilities — from vampires and werewolves to witches, immortals and creatures you probably wouldn’t want to meet after dark.
You might like it if: you enjoy romance with supernatural characters, fantasy elements and a darker edge.
Look out for: J.R. Ward, Charlaine Harris, Nalini Singh, Kresley Cole, Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Try:
- J.R. Ward – Dark Lover; Lover Eternal
- Charlaine Harris – Dead Until Dark; Living Dead in Dallas
- Nalini Singh – Slave to Sensation; Visions of Heat
- Kresley Cole – A Hunger Like No Other
- Christine Feehan – Dark Prince; Dark Desire
- Sherrilyn Kenyon – Night Pleasures; Night Embrace
7. Category romance
Sometimes you know exactly what you want.
A relatively quick romance, familiar tropes, an easy-to-follow story and, ideally, a happy ending.
Category romance is published in established romance lines with recognisable styles and recurring themes. The books tend to be shorter and are often part of a series, making them particularly good for readers who like finding a favourite line or author and working their way through the shelves.
Think Mills & Boon, Harlequin and their Afrikaans counterparts, with plenty of romance and no need to overcomplicate things.
You might like it if: you enjoy comforting reads, familiar romance tropes, shorter books and series you can work your way through.
Look out for:
- Quick reads
- Familiar romance tropes
- Series books
- Reliable comfort reading
English:
- Mills & Boon
- Harlequin
Afrikaans:
Romance heat levels
Not every romance handles intimacy in the same way, and readers don’t all want the same thing.
If you’re particular about how much — or how little — intimacy you want on the page, these labels can give you a rough idea of what to expect.
❤️ Clean / closed door
The romance and emotional relationship take centre stage, with little or no on-page sexual intimacy.
❤️❤️ Open door / moderate
Physical intimacy appears on the page, but the romance and relationship remain the main focus.
❤️❤️❤️ Spicy / explicit
The book contains more frequent and detailed intimate scenes alongside the romantic storyline.
A small caveat: these labels aren’t an exact science. Different readers have very different ideas about what counts as “spicy”, and books don’t always fit neatly into three boxes.
Looking for Afrikaans romance?
Of course we have to mention Afrikaans romance.
South African readers have a long-standing love affair with romantic fiction, from much-loved older authors to contemporary writers. If you’re looking for a romance that feels a little closer to home, there are plenty of Afrikaans authors to explore.
Look out for:
So, what kind of romance reader are you?
Maybe you want a sweeping historical love story.
Maybe you want two people who take 300 pages to admit they are in love.
Maybe you want vampires, danger and a suspiciously attractive supernatural creature.
Or maybe you want a short, comforting romance that you know will give you the happy ending you came for.
That’s the thing about romance: there isn’t just one way to fall in love in a book.
So if you’ve ever said “I don’t really read romance”, have another look at the shelf.
You may simply not have found your kind yet.
Continue exploring
📚 Browse romance books on Bookle
Take a look through our collection of preloved romance books and see what catches your eye.
📖 Read another reading guide
Ready for something a little more magical? Explore our Bookle Reading Guide: Fantasy and find your way around the many different corners of fantasy fiction.
💬 Talk books with us
What’s your favourite romance subgenre? Or is there an author you think every romance reader should try?
Come tell us in the Bookle – Let’s Talk Books Facebook group.