Connect with us

Culture

Romance Glossary: An A-Z Guide of Tropes and Themes to Find Your Next Book

Published

1 hour ago

on

Romance Glossary: An A-Z Guide of Tropes and Themes to Find Your Next Book

From cinnamon rolls to stern brunch daddies, here are 101 terms you
should know to understand the popular literary genre.

illustration of a red sleeping maskillustration of an envelope sealed with a heartillustration of a besomillustration of a red bootillustration of a pink braillustration of a hand fanillustration of a pink hockey stick

By Jennifer Harlan Illustrations by Millie von Platen

Jennifer Harlan spent years reading hundred of romance novels to prepare for this story. Ask her anything.

Apron tugger. Shadow daddy. Wallflower. Fae. Sometimes it can feel as if romance novels come with their own special language — one you must learn in order to achieve maximum swoon. If you’re a dedicated reader, this terminology can help you pinpoint exactly which books will be your speed; if you’re new to the game, they can overwhelm you like so much overdressed word salad.

Whether you’re a superfan or a casual reader, if you’re genre-curious or you just want to understand why people keep talking about “spice” at the bookstore, here are 101 terms you should know. If you see something that strikes your fancy, we’ve got recommendations for books that show off these terms at their best. With any luck, you’ll find something to fall in love with — which, after all, is the whole point.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Related Topics:
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *