Romance is a genre that has been beloved by readers for centuries, and it continues to evolve and expand with each passing year.
With so many different types of love stories out there, it can be hard to know where to start.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 27 romance sub-genres, each with its own distinct characteristics and themes.
Whether you’re a fan of contemporary or historical settings, prefer sweet and chaste love stories or explicit sexual content, or enjoy a healthy dose of supernatural or sci-fi elements in your romance, there’s sure to be a sub-genre that suits your tastes.
- Contemporary Romance – This sub-genre takes place in modern times and involves realistic relationships and issues.
- Historical Romance – This sub-genre takes place in a historical setting, often featuring classic tropes like arranged marriages, courting, and societal expectations.
- Paranormal Romance – This sub-genre involves supernatural elements like vampires, werewolves, witches, and ghosts.
- Fantasy Romance – This sub-genre combines romance with fantastical elements like magic, mythical creatures, and epic quests.
- Science Fiction Romance – This sub-genre takes place in a futuristic or sci-fi setting, often featuring space travel and advanced technology.
- Romantic Suspense – This sub-genre blends romance with suspense and danger, featuring characters who must overcome obstacles and threats in order to be together.
- Contemporary Sweet Romance – This sub-genre involves sweet, chaste love stories that focus on emotional connections rather than physical ones.
- Historical Sweet Romance – This sub-genre takes place in a historical setting and features sweet, chaste love stories that emphasize courtship and romance over sex.
- Erotic Romance – This sub-genre involves explicit sexual content and focuses on the sexual journey of the characters as they fall in love.
- LGBTQ+ Romance – This sub-genre features love stories between LGBTQ+ characters, exploring the unique challenges and experiences faced by these individuals.
- Christian Romance – This sub-genre involves love stories that are grounded in Christian values and beliefs.
- Multicultural Romance – This sub-genre features love stories between characters of different races or cultural backgrounds, exploring the challenges and joys of intercultural relationships.
- Romantic Comedy – This sub-genre combines romance with humour, often featuring wacky situations and larger-than-life characters.
- Time Travel Romance – This sub-genre involves characters who travel through time and fall in love with someone from a different era.
- Steampunk Romance – This sub-genre takes place in a Victorian-era inspired world with steam-powered technology and often includes adventure and romance.
- Young Adult Romance – This sub-genre features love stories between teenage characters, exploring the unique challenges and experiences of first love and coming of age.
- New Adult Romance – This sub-genre features love stories between characters in their early 20s, exploring the challenges and experiences of transitioning from adolescence to adulthood.
- Romantic Fantasy – This sub-genre combines romance with fantasy elements like magic, mythical creatures, and epic quests.
- Gothic Romance – This sub-genre takes place in a dark, mysterious setting and often features supernatural elements like ghosts and vampires.
- Military Romance – This sub-genre features love stories between military personnel, exploring the unique challenges and sacrifices of serving in the armed forces.
- Sports Romance – This sub-genre features love stories between athletes or sports enthusiasts, often involving the drama and excitement of competition.
- Holiday Romance – This sub-genre features love stories that take place during holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween.
- Western Romance – This sub-genre takes place in a western setting, often featuring cowboys, ranchers, and outlaws.
- Inspirational Romance – This sub-genre involves love stories that are grounded in faith and spirituality, often featuring characters who overcome adversity through their beliefs.
- Medical Romance – This sub-genre features love stories between medical professionals, often involving the drama and excitement of working in the healthcare industry.
- Cosy Mystery Romance – This sub-genre combines romance with mystery elements, featuring characters who solve crimes while falling in love.
- Amish Romance – (Yeah, you read that right.) This sub-genre involves love stories that take place in Amish communities, exploring the unique challenges
Many books will also mix and match these to make them fit that unique story, so the number of options grows exponentially when you consider those hybrids.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but is just intended to give you a glimpse into all the options available out there!
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