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Last modified: 6/July/2006/
© M. Williams 1996-2006
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ROMANCE FICTION



Romance featuring Weddings, Brides and Babies

These books about weddings, brides, and babies are not necessarily romances.

For Better, For Worse (Johnson County Library, KS)
Fiction featuring a wedding. Author, title, webcat link, summary for about 55 books, from Jessica Adams' Tom, Dick and Debbie Harry to Mark Zubro's Here Comes the Corpse (gay wedding).
Spotlight On Here Comes the Bride (Montgomery County Library, MD)
List of 10 book and video titles about weddings, with author, title, publication year, summary, and webcat link for each. Fiction titles include Maeve Binchy's Silver Wedding to Dorothy West's The Wedding.
Wedding Bells (Kitchener Public Library, Ontario, Canada)
Author, title, webcat link for about 75 novels about weddings, from Robyn Amos's Wedding Bell Blues to Mark Zubro's Here Comes the Corpse.
Wedding Belles: Fictional Brides (St. Charles Public Library, IL)
Author and title only (no summaries) for over 20 works of fiction featuring brides, from Murder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews to The Wedding by Dorothy West. Compiled May 2001.
Wedding Novels (The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH)
Author and title only listed for about a dozen novels featuring weddings, including Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews, Summer Light by Luanne Rice, and As Long as She Needs Me by Nicholas Weinstock.

Diverse Romance

Interracial Romance (Christine Jeffords, Fiction-L)
Author/title for about 25 novels featuring interracial romance, from Miss One Thousand Spring Blossoms by John Ball to Lady by Thomas Tryon. Compiled May 2000.
Colors of Love (Lincoln City Libraries, NE)
Romance novels written by authors (and featuring protagonists) with an African-American background. Author, title, and webcat link for 15 titles, plus a long list of African-American romance novelists, with webcat links. Compiled 1999; updated Feb. 2005.
Mixed Singles, Doubles, Etc. (Reader's Advice)
'Stories of romance involving various combinations of races, ethnicities, and genders.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 20 titles, from James Baldwin's Another Country to E. Lynn Harris's Invisible Life trilogy.
If You Liked Zane's The Sex Chronicles ... (Gary Public Library, IN)
Author, title, summary for 9 similar novels. And another list, Spicy Romance: Erotic Stories for Adult Readers, lists same (plus cover illustration) for 11 more books.
Asian Romances (Romantic Times magazine)
Books listed, by country, with author and publisher. Not all are strictly romances (Amy Tan's books are included). No summaries. China (14), Hong Kong (5), Japan (16), Korea (2), Singapore (4), Thailand (11), Vietnam (4). Compiled April 2001.
Native American Romances (Romantic Times magazine)
About 45 books listed (30 historical - with time/setting, 15 contemporary) with author and publisher. No summaries. Compiled Nov. 1999.
Native American Romance (Reader's Advice)
'Romances that feature strong, powerful, handsome Native Americans.' Author, titles, and Amazon link for about 15 stand-alone titles and titles in 7 series, from Laura Baker's Raven to Christine Young's Dakota's Bride
At Long Last Love: Novels About Love Later in Life 2003 (Enoch Pratt Public Library)
Compiled 2003. More than 20 books listed, with titles, authors, webcat links, publication years, summaries. From Saul Bellow's The Actual to Bailey White's Quite a Year For Plums.
The Second Time Around (Lynne M. Kennedy, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY)
More than 20 "novels about widows and widowers learning to live and love again." With author, publication info, and summary of each. All published since 1990.
Second Time Around (Reader's Advice)
'Contemporary romances involving widows, divorcees, or married women who want to spruce up their marriage.' Author, titles, and Amazon link for about 20 titles, from Jennifer Archer's Body and Soul to Danielle Steel's Dating Game.
Imperfect "Perfect" Heroes (Romantic Times magazine)
Extensive list of recommended romance novels, by genre, featuring disabled characters. Lists title, author, publisher, and disability(ies). Compiled June 1996.
Beauty is in the Eye (All About Romance)
Title, author, publication year, and one-line description of about 100 "romances with characters who are homely, plain, scarred, or do not meet the standards of beauty for their time." Organised by type of romance (medieval, regency, European historicals, American/Western historicals, contemporary, and alternate reality). Updated Oct. 2004.
Less Than Perfect (All About Romance)
Title, author, publication year, and one-line description for more than 150 "romances with heroes or heroines who have physical, mental, or emotional maladies." Some links to reviews. Organised by type of romance (medieval, regency, European historicals, American/Western historicals, contemporary, and alternate reality). Updated Oct. 2004.
Plus-Sized Heroines (All About Romance)
Title, author, publication year, and one-line description for "romances with heroines who are more generously proportioned." Includes "big and tall" (about 30 books) and "curvy" (about 50 books). Some links to reviews. Organised by type of romance (medieval, regency, European historicals, American historicals, contemporary, and alternate reality). Updated Oct. 2004.
Deaf Characters in Adult Romance Novels (MyShelf)
Author and title of about 55 romances with deaf characters. Some summaries and/or descriptions of the deaf character.
Love's Labors: Romance and the Working Woman (St. Charles Public Library, IL)
Author and title only (no summaries) for about 60 romances featuring working class women, from An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa M. Alcott to Domina by Barbara Wood. Compiled April 1994.
Older Women-Younger Men: May/December Romances in Fiction (Omaha Public Library, NE)
Author and title only for almost 30 novels on this theme, from Brooke Astor's The Last Blossom on the Plum Tree to William Wharton's Last Lovers. Compiled January 2001.

Erotic and Sexy Romance

Sweet and Savage Romances (Reader's Advice)
'Spicy and sensual stories involving sex.' Author, titles, and Amazon link for about 60 titles, from Mary Lynn Baxter's Sultry to Kathleen Woodiwiss's A Season Beyond a Kiss.
Erotica (Reader's Advice)
'Well-written stories with erotic scenes or content.' Author, title, and Amazon link for more than 90 titles, from Jane Alison's The Love Artist to Rupert Thomson's The Book of Revelation.

Historical Romance

Journey to Romance: Period Romance Fiction (Boston Public Library)
Titles listed by author, with pub. year and summaries. Also provides a few relevant links. Compiled 1997.
Historical Romance (Reader's Advice)
'A historical setting is the backdrop for the romance story.' Listed by setting/element: American South; American West/Frontier; English/Irish/Scottish; French; Medieval; Modern; Pirates; and Other. Author, title, and Amazon link for about 400 titles in total. Listed separately are Highland Romances, set in Scotland and/or involving Scots; and Native American Romances.
Regency Romance (Romantic Times magazine)
Romances set from 1800-1830. About 165 Traditional Regencies and about 50 Regency Historicals. Compiled October 1998.
A Romp Through Regency England (Lynne M. Kennedy, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY)
Lists 38 regency romance titles, with author, publication info, and summary for each title.
Regency Romance (Northbrook Public Library, IL)
Lists over 25 titles, with author and summary for each book, from Sylvia Andrew's Serena to Patricia Veryan's Feather Castles.
Regency Period Romances (Des Plaines Public Library, IL)
Title, author, and summary for about 25 regency romances, from If I Were You by Joan Aiken to Lanterns by Patricia Veryan. Compiled 2002.
Regency Romances (Reader's Advice)
'Romances set in England in the first third of the nineteenth century (i.e. 1800 - 1830).' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 80 titles, from Jane Ashford's Bride to Be to Rosemary Stevens' Beau Brummell series.
This Thing Called Love: Famous Couples in Fiction (St. Charles Public Library, IL)
Listed by couple (including Lancelot and Guinevere, Victoria and Albert, Eleanor of Acquataine and Henry II, Napoleon and Josephine, etc.), author and title of 29 novels of love. Compiled Feb. 1997.
Love in the Old West (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO)
One of Wolfner's mini-bibliographies, a list of 10 titles (a number of LaVyrle Spencer's), with author and summaries of each title.
Timeless Twosomes (St. Charles Public Library, IL)
Author, title, one-line summary for about 20 novels set in various historical periods, from Wintercombe by Pamela Belle (English Civil War) to So Worthy My Love by Kathleen Woodiwiss (Elizabethan times). Compiled Jan. 1998.
Historical Romance (Tempe Public Library, AZ)
Author/title only for over 35 historical romances, in alphabetical order by title, from Albany by Laura Black to The Wolf and the Dove by Katherine Woodiwiss.

Holiday and Seasonal Romance

See also Fiction Featuring Holidays and Seasons for books related to Valentine's Day.

SPRING and SPRING HOLIDAYS

My Shelf: Easter Romances (MyShelf.Com)
Author and title listed for about 10 Easter romances.
My Shelf: Mother's Day Romances (MyShelf.com)
Author and title only for 10 Mother's Day romances.

SUMMER AND SUMMER HOLIDAYS

My Shelf: Independence Day Romances (MyShelf.Com)
Author and title listed for about 15 Fourth of July romances.

FALL AND FALL HOLIDAYS

My Shelf: Halloween Romances (MyShelf.Com)
Author and title listed for about a dozen Halloween romances.
My Shelf: Thanksgiving Romances (MyShelf.Com)
Author and title listed for about 15 Thanksgiving romances.

WINTER AND WINTER HOLIDAYS

[Winter] Holiday Romances (Romantic Times magazine)
About 40 books listed, by holiday (Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's Day), with author and publisher. No summaries. Compiled December 1999.
My Shelf: Christmas Romance Reading Ideas (MyShelf.Com)
Extensive list. The plot of the books might be centered on the holiday or the holiday may be only in the background. Author, title, and romance series (Regency, Harlequin, etc.) provided.
My Shelf: New Year's Day Romances (MyShelf.Com)
Author and title listed for about 15 New Year's romances.

Humourous Romance

Humorous Romance (Northbrook Public Library, IL)
Lists about 20 titles, with author and summary for each book, from Susan Andersen's All Shook Up to Sherryl Woods' After Gracie.
Love & Laughter (Romantic Times magazine)
List of about 95 humourous romances, by subgenre, with title, author, publisher. No summaries. Compiled January 1999.
Romantic Comedy (Reader's Advice)
Funny romances. Author, title, and Amazon link for about 30 titles, from Susan Andersen's Baby, Don't Go to Patricia Wynn's Capturing Annie.
Humor: Sex & the Single (or Married) Person (Reader's Advice)
'Every day is a sitcom in the never-ending search for fulfillment, happiness, and/or love.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 125 titles, from Dawn Anderson's Futon Fever to Laura Zigman's Her.
Love and Laughter (Park Ridge Public Library, IL)
Author, title, publication year, and summary for about 10 novels, from Welcome to the World, Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg to Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson.

If You Like...

Rosamunde Pilcher Readalikes (Brenda O'Brien, Fiction-L)
Lists over 20 similar authors, some with titles noted. Oct. 1998.
Waiting for Danielle (St. Charles Public Library, IL)
If you enjoy Danielle Steel novels, you might enjoy one of the 15 titles listed here, from Her Sister's Keeper by Linda Barlow to Lipstick On His Collar by Elizabeth Villars.

Inspirational Romance

Inspirational Romance (Shannon Salter, Durham County Library, NC)
Author, title, paragraph-length summaries of 24 novels. Compiled September 2000.
What Should I Read Now? Christian Fiction: Gentle Reads: Romance (Tulsa City-County Library, OK)
Provides titles and webcat links for about 30 authors (with series/titles listed) of Christian romance novels, from Ginny Aiken's Bellamy’s Blossoms Series to Linda Windsor's Not Exactly Eden.

Multiple Lists/ General Romance

Romance Novel Themes (Romantic Times magazine)
Lists of books (author, title, publisher) featuring these themes or subgenres: Military Heroes; Magic & Magical Creatures; Fairy Tale Romance; Women Warriors; Asian Romances; There's No Business Like ... Show Business; Vampires; Tropical Settings; Reincarnation; Dangerous Heroes; Plain Jane; Unusual Occupations; Highwaymen; Reconciliation; Emotionally Tortured Hero; Holiday Romances; Native Americans; Love and War; The Frontier; Runaway Brides; Medieval Knights; Mystery, Suspense & Thrillers; The Second Wife; Psychic Abilities; Virgin Heroes; Love & Laughter; Love on the Job; Childhood Sweethearts; Regency; Pretend Marriages; Gothics; Bad Girls; Romances Set in Scotland; Feuding Families; Time-Travel Romances; Mail-Order Brides; Undercover Agents; Pirates; Romances with Animals; Viking; Romances Set in Texas; Terms of the Will; May and December Romances; Beauty and the Beast; Rags to Riches/Riches to Rags; Doctors and Nurses; Revenge; Presumed Dead; Bad Boys; Twins; Secret Babies; Ghosts; Nursing Back to Health; Disguised as a Male; Imperfect Perfect Heroes; Kidnapping; Amnesia; Marriage of Convenience.
ABC Spells LOVE: A Love Story for Every Letter of the Alphabet (Lynne M. Kennedy, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY)
With author, publication info, and summary for each of the 26 titles, from Johanna Lindsey's All I Need is You to Jayne Castle's Zinnia.
Some Like it Hot! (Lynne M. Kennedy, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY)
"Stories of wealth, passion and power from the simply sensual to the sizzling." Lists about 130 novels, with author, publication info, and summary for most titles. From Kathleen Winsor's Forever Amber (1944) to Eloisa James's Enchanting Pleasures (2001).
Book to Good to Put Down: Romance (Bookbytes)
Extensive summaries/reviews of over 60 recommended romances books ('only likeable heroines with a sense of humor, and heroes with the brains to appreciate them, need apply'), from Donna Andrews' Murder with Peacocks to Susan Wilson's Beauty. Includes titles by Dallas Schulze, Karen Robards, Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Elizabeth Peters, Linda Nichols, Anne McCaffrey, Dorothea Malm, Kay Hooper, Georgette Heyer, Dorothy Gilman, Rhonda Dixon, Jennifer Cruisie, Marian Cockrell, and many others.
A Romantic Interlude (Manchester Public Library, Manchester, CT)
Author, title, and summary of about 40 romance novels, listed in alpha order by title. Updated Oct. 2004.
Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award Winners 2001 (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO)
One of Wolfner's bibliographies, a list of about 45 titles chosen by romance reviewers as their favourites (all are not romance genre, however), with author and summaries of each title, and notation as to sex, language, violence. From Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund to The Wrong Dog by Carol L. Benjamin.
Rita Award Winners 2002 (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO)
One of Wolfner's bibliographies, a list of about 45 titles presented the Rita Award by the Romance Writers of America (RWA) in 2002, with author and summaries of each title, and notation as to sex, language, violence. Includes historical romance, inspirational romance, romantic suspense. From Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath to Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell.
Love at the Library (Madison Public Library, WI)
Author, title, publication year, and summary for about 35 romance novels, in categories of contemporary novels; classic love stories in fiction, drama, verse; and nonfiction. Updated June 2004.
Romance Novels for People Who Don't Read Romance (Montgomery County Public Library, MD)
Author, title, publication year, summary for over a dozen 'romance' novels, from Laurie Colwin's Goodbye Without Leaving to Joanna Trollope's Girl from the South. Dec. 2002.
Favorite Romance Novels (Des Plaines Public Library, IL)
Title, author, and summary for 18 well-loved romance novels.
Heart-Warming Romances (Des Plaines Public Library, IL)
Title, author, and summary for over 15 heartwarmers. Compiled 2002.
Romances with Angels (Bookbug on the Web)
Listed by author, titles of romance books that involve angels. Also angel links.
Recommended Romance (Thompson-Nicola Regional District Library System, British Columbia)
In four categories: Gentle Romances (about 20 titles, includes Elizabeth Cadell, Grace Livingston Hill, Janette Oke, Rosamunde Pilcher); Regency Romances (about 20 titles, includes Georgette Heyer, Marion Chesney, Jane Aiken Hodge, Mary Balogh); Racy Romances (about 15 titles, includes Jude Deveraux, Norah Hess, Amanda Quick); and Romance MUST Reads (about 35 titles, includes Diana Palmer, Nora Roberts, Judith McNaught, Teresa Medeiros, Julie Garwood, Patricia Potter). Author and title only, no summaries.
Romance Fiction (Williamsburg Public Library, Virginia)
Just a list of popular authors of six subgenres of romance fiction: Alternative Reality, Contemporary, Historical, Inspirational, Regency, and Suspense.
Unusual Occupations in Romance NovelsAuthor, title, publisher, odd job listed for about 35 romance novels. Occupations include psychic, asylum nurse, rat catcher, fireworks maker, etc.

Romantic Suspense and Gothics

Romance: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller (Romantic Times magazine)
Multi-page listing (with intro. essay) of books and series that are suspenseful romances (or romantic suspenses). Summaries of 12 series; and listings of author, title, sleuth, time/setting for about 125 mystery series with female protagonists. Compiled May 1999.
Novels of Romantic Suspense (Manchester Public Library, Manchester, CT)
Classic, historical, gothic, and contemporary romantic suspense. Author, title, and brief summary for about 45 novels. Updated Oct. 2004.
Love and Danger: Gothics (Lincoln City Libraries, NE)
Classic and modern gothic romance and romantic suspense. List of hundreds of titles by about 130 authors, many with webcat links, from Joan Aiken to Helen York. Compiled Feb. 1993; updated Jan. 2006.
Gothic Romance (Reader's Advice)
'Naive young heroines; isolated houses; dark, brooding men who are strangely attractive; secrets from the past; hints of the supernatural; these are the elements of the Gothic Romance.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 140 titles, from Joan Aiken's Castle Barebane to Phyllis Whitney's Woman Without a Past.
Romantic Suspense (Reader's Advice)
'Novels which might fall into the thriller or mystery genres, if the romance element had not taken priority.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 300 titles, from Joan Aiken's Castle Barebane to Karen Young's Kiss and Kill.
Romantic Suspense (Madison Public Library, WI)
Author, title, publication year for about 100 books of romantic suspense (no summaries or links). From Cherry Adair's Kiss and Tell to Joan Wolf's Golden Girl.
Vampire Romances (Transylvania Press, Inc.)
Bibliography excerpted from Vampire Literature: 1746 to 1995 by Robert Eighteen-Bisang. In order by author, lists titles, publication info, sometimes summary. About 100 titles, with authors from C(loyce) Dean Andersson to Rebecca York.
Paranormal Romances (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO)
One of Wolfner's bibliographies, featuring romances with elements of "angels, fairies, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, wizards, or reincarnation." A list of more than 20 titles with author, summaries, and notation concerning sex, language, violence, etc., for each title, from Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts to Wilderness by Dennis Danvers. Compiled March 2006.
Modern Masters of the Gothic Novel (Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, IN)
Lists author and titles, with links to webcatalog. Books by about 40 authors listed, from Joan Aiken to Phyllis Whitney. Many are romance writers.
Romantic Suspense Booklist (Vivian St. John, Riverton Library, Salt Lake County Library System, UT)
List of 19 books by twelve authors, with summary for each. Compiled May 2001.
Romantic Suspense (Des Plaines Public Library, IL)
Title, author, and summary for over 15 "selected novels of love and danger."
Gothics (Romantic Times magazine)
Listing of about 75 books, by time period and setting, with author and publisher. Compiled August 1998.
Romantic Suspense (Northbrook Public Library, IL)
Lists over 45 titles, with author and summary for each book, from Cherry Adair's Kiss and Tell to Ruth Wind's In the Midnight Rain.
If You Like Romantic Suspense (Hennepin County Library, MN)
About 25 authors listed, most with several titles, no summaries, from Sandra Brown to Phyllis Whitney.
Dangerous Love/Deadly Obsessions (Lisa Mills, Fiction-L)
Author/title for 18 books on the subject; some are more horror or mystery than romance. Compiled Jan. 2001.
Romantic Suspense (Bay County Library System, MI)
Author and title only for about 35 romantic suspense novels, from Elizabeth Adler's The Secret of the Villa Mimosa to Barbara Victor's Coriander.
Romances with Ghosts (Bookbug on the Web)
Listed by author, titles of romance books that involve ghosts. Also ghost links.

Time Travel Romance

Time Travel Romance (Cheryl Hassler, Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO)
One of Wolfner's bibliographies, a list of 15 titles (several each by Diana Gabaldon and Linda Lael Miller), with author, summary, and notation concerning sex, language, and violence for each title. Compiled Jan. 2002.
Somewhere in Time (Lincoln City Libraries, NE)
Author, title, webcat link for about 85 novels, from Victoria Alexander's Yesterday and Forever to Rebecca Winters' A Man For All Time. Compiled 1998.
If you liked ... The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Hennepin County Library, MN)
Author, title, publication year, cover image, summary, and webcat link for a dozen books featuring time travel, and/or books that are "clever contemporary love stor[ies] or full-blown heart-breaker[s]." From Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights to Anita Shreve's The Last Time They Met. Updated Sept. 2004.
Time-Travel Romance (Bay County Library System, MI)
Author and title only for about 20 romance novels featuring time travel, from Laura Baker's Laura Stargazer to Janet Wellington's Forever Rose.
Time Travel Romance (Addison Public Library, IL)
Title, author, setting, and webcatalog link for a total of 11 books by Suzanne Franks, Jude Deveraux, Linda Lael Miller, Diane Gabaldon, Jack Finney, Jude Deveraux, Constance O'Day-Flannery. Compiled Sept. 2000.

Travel and Regional Settings in Romance

Destination Romance (Manchester Public Library, Manchester, CT)
Author and title only for 18 romance novels, listed by setting: Austria, China, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Scotland, and Spain. Updated May 2004.
Romantic Novels Set in Egypt (MiddleEast Booklover)
Author, title, publication date, and summary for romance novels set in Egypt by 4 authors.
Romance in Tropical Settings (Romantic Times magazine)
About 40 books listed, with author and publisher. No summaries. Compiled January 2001.
Romances Set in Scotland (Romantic Times magazine)
About 150 books and series listed, by subgenre, with author and publisher. Compiled June 1998.
Scottish and Irish Romances (Cheryl Hassler, Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO)
One of Wolfner's bibliographies, featuring "Irish or Scottish characters or settings." Lists about 25 titles with author, summary, and notation concerning sex, language, and violence for each title. From Legacy of Secrets by Elizabeth Adler to The Island Harp by Jeanne Williams. Compiled Nov. 2003.
Romance Fiction Set in Texas (San Antonio Public Library, TX)
Author, title, summary, and publication year for 33 books set in Texas, from Mary Lynn Baxter's Hot Texas Nights to Jodie Thomas's To Wed in Texas.
Romances Set in Texas (Romantic Times magazine)
About 90 books listed, with author and publisher. Compiled Sept. 1997.
Illinois Romance and Romance Authors (Northbrook Public Library, IL)
Lists about 20 titles, with author and summary, for romance novels set in Illinois or written by Illinois authors. From Julie Beard's The Maiden’s Heart to Susan Wiggs' The Firebrand.
Love in the Old West (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO)
One of Wolfner's mini-bibliographies, a list of 10 titles (a number of LaVyrle Spencer's), with author and summaries of each title.