August is Read-a-Romance Month, an entire month dedicated to the Romance genre in literature. This month, the Book Whisperer will offer a primer on the genre as well as a recommendation each week.
Every romance novel has a central love story with a strong female lead (usually) and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Based on publishing statistics, readers are hungry for optimism. The Romance genre is second only to General Fiction in sales for adult fiction, and the profit margin continues to grow.
Two types of romance novels with differing formats are available. Do you remember your great aunt’s Harlequins? Those are called category romances and are usually no more than 200 pages long. Subscribers may have a monthly delivery of six books brought to their doorstep today, or they can be found in the book section of large box retailers. A single-title romance is a novel that is not published as part of a delineated line of books and is between 350 and 400 pages. Popular authors in this format are Colleen Hoover, Sarah J. Maas and Emily Henry.
Regardless of the format, Romance novels have six key elements.
Good character description including appearance as well as personality
Attraction grows between characters
Conflict between characters to keep the reader guessing
Realistic (and unrealistic) interests that form the couple’s relationship
Both characters exhibit strengths and weaknesses
Pacing to drive the relationship forward
Emily Henry’s Emily Henry Books recent release, Great Big Beautiful Life, is an example of a single-title romance, and her novels have been so successful due to her mastery of the six key elements. In GBBL, two writers compete for the job of biographer to a wealthy recluse. Henry takes readers on a trip down memory lane for the recluse as she builds the tension between the two writers.
Look for these recommendations and other books at Knox County Online Library or your local independent book store each week.
Linda Sullivan is an avid reader and wants to make you one, too. For more recommendations or just to talk books, reach out to her at thebookwhisperertn@gmail.com and on @thebookwhisperertn on Instagram.
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