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Romance Categories: 
The Different Kinds of Romance

One of the benefits of reading books in the romance genre is the wide variety of characters, time periods, and plots that are available to the voracious reader.   For those who are new to the genre, it can be overwhelming to peruse the wide range of authors, series, and publishers to find the exact book you are seeking.

What is a Romance?

One element that readers will always discover in a romance novel is that the developing relationship between the hero and heroine is the primary focus of the story.  The plot, secondary characters, locale, and history may weave the story into a compelling tapestry of fiction, but the hero and heroine are at the heart of the design.

How do you know what type of romance story you may enjoy reading?  Discovering the authors, publishers, and lines you are eager to indulge is like having access to a long lost treasure!  The rubies, sapphires, and pearls of talented authors and exciting stories are for those who endeavor to discover them.

How Many Types of Romances are There?

There are two types of romances that are available to readers:  Category romances and Single-Title romances.

Category romances:  Category romances are those that are released monthly by the publisher.  These are shorter works of romance fiction and run a maximum of about 185 pages.  Category romances can also be referred to as "series" romances.  

There are several publishers that produce series romances, the most well-known being Harlequin-Silhouette.  

Single-Title romances.  The single-title romances are the longer works of romance fiction, which can run from 350-400 pages to 500 pages or more.  

Depending on the interests of the reader, some thoroughly enjoy category romance because the books are shorter and provide a quick read.  Other readers delve into a single-title romance and like the multitude of characters, historical or geographical backdrops, and more complex plot development.

We recommend a sampling of both types of romances.  Each meets a reading need and offer their own unique flavor and format.

What is a Sub-Genre?

Sub-Genre can be defined as a type or subcategory within a specific genre.  As it relates to this discussion, "romance" is the genre and sub-genre is the type of fiction within romance.  An example of a sub-genre is historical romance.  

The sub-genre selections have grown exponentially over the years.  Nearly every time period, geographical location, and places in space and sphere have been made available in romance fiction.  Historical romance alone has a wide range of time periods including Gothic, Indian, Medieval, Regency, Scottish and Westerns.

Other sub-genres include Inspirational, Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary and Time Travel.

Romance fiction provides a broad scope for authors to create the stories we love to read.  Certainly, with thousands of new books published each year, the romance genre continues to thrive.

If You Are A New Romance Reader

If you are a new reader to the romance genre and don't know where to begin, stop by your local bookshop.  Visit the help desk and ask for the bookseller who is familiar with the romance section.  She should be able to assist you.

Another option is to link to the web-sites of Romantic Times or EHarlequin.com.  These sites will provide information about the authors and books available in the categories, single-titles, and sub-genres of interest.

Happy reading!

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