Romance Sub Genres

There are four main book categories:

Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction and Drama.

In this blog, we're going to zoom in on Fiction.

Fiction can be split into two categories:

Popular Fiction - Plot-driven fiction written with a particular audience in mind. It normally fits into a specific genre and can already have a firm fan base.

Literary Fiction - Character-driven writing, which is valued for its complex form, language or style.

We are going to zoom in on Popular Fiction which has five main genres:

Romance, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Thriller & Suspense, and Mystery & Crime.

Perhaps the biggest selling of these genres is Romance. And it is the sub-genres of Romance that we will focus on in this blog.

"If you can take the love interest out, and it's still a story. It's not a romance."

Jayne Ann Krentz.

Chick Lit - Often humorous, romantic adventures geared towards single woman in their 20s and 30s. A great example of this is Bridget joneses Diary by Helen Fielding.

Christian - Romances in which both hero and heroine are devout Christians; typically focused on a chaste courtship with sex mentioned only after marriage.

Contemporary - A romance using modern characters and true to life settings.

Erotica - A very sexual romance, focusing in on the sex. Such as Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James.

Glitz and Glamour - Focused on the jet-set elite and celebratory life characters.

Historical - A romance taking place in a recognisable historical period. An example of this is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

Paranormal - Involving some supernatural element, ranging from Sci-Fi or Fantasy.

Romantic Comedy - A romance focused on humour.

Romantic Suspense - A novel in which an admirable heroine is pitted against some evil force.

Young Adult - Written with the teenage audience in mind, with lower levels of sexual content.

Multicultural - A romance centred on non-caucasian characters.

Sensual - Based on the sensual tension between hero and heroine, including sizzling sex scenes.

Spicy - A romance in which a married couple work to resolve their problems.

Sweet - A romance centred on a virgin heroine, with a storyline containing little or no sex.

I hope you found a new genre to read, or discovered the subcategory of your book!

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Sources Kristen Martin - Determining the genre of your book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3ZfSAzaGUc

Writers Digest - Sub Genre Descriptions https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/genredefinitions