From time to time we invite a guest columnist to the blog to speak to our readers. Today, we welcome Sara from Harlequin Junkie to the Entangled in Romance blog to share her love for category short romance!
Hi I’m Sara and I’m a Category Romance junkie!
I’m shamelessly addicted to reading Contemporary Romance; Category or Series Romance in particular are my guilty pleasure as they provide me escapism from my number crunching day job in Finance like nothing else can.
I read my very first category romance, LOVES TANGLED WEB by Mary Lyons, as a young teenager and it was the start of my lifelong love affair with Category Romance that has spanned over two decades and still going strong. I will admit that for a good part of those two decades I’ve been a closet reader of Category Romance. But no more! Writing a blog on category romance at HarlequinJunkie and tweeting book reviews has pretty much let the cat out of the bag!
I’ll be honest I have strayed over the years but have always found my way back to category romances. They are the ultimate in escapism and comfort reading. To me there is no better way to unwind after a rather stressful work day than sitting down with a good Category Romance where the focus is solely on the hero, heroine, their relationship, and a guaranteed HEA with none of the other bells and whistles. What I’m looking for is a quick hit and Category Romance does it for me time and again.
If you’ve never read a Category Romance before, there has never been a better time to take the plunge. With so many exciting new books on the shelves and so much talent on display category romances have never looked better. I mean have you looked at the covers lately? Yum! My personal favorite is THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN by Jennifer Probst. RODEO REBEL by Debra Kayn and SEDUCING CINDERELLA by Gina L. Maxwell are also winners on both counts: sexy covers + amazing hot reads that hit the spot.
‘Love, Laughter and Happily Ever Afters are my prerequisites in a romance novel and category romances deliver on them big time. I hope I have enticed you enough to give category romance a try and hopefully fall in love with them as much as I have. Happy Reading!
~Sara
About Author
Hi Sara!
I love the length of category romance – typically between 45,000 and 60,000 words. I can read them in a night, which is great since I, like most people these days, have a very busy schedule and don’t always like to commit to a long book when I’m not sure the next time I’ll be able to carve out some reading time.
I also love that category romance storylines are changing. Heroines are more contemporary and relatable. Plots and characters are more edgy and believable.
Thank you for championing the category romance.
Great post, Sara, thanks for sharing! I love category romance novels because they are short, but substantial enough to leave me satisfied. Thanks to this genre I have developed a special love for particular themes & certain types of the heroes. Love your blog. Keep up the good work!
A dedicated reader has a range of tastes and knows just what to reach for to fit a mood and reading time slot! Short category definitely fills a need. And some writers have made it an art form, delivering lots of punch and emotion in sharp, fast-paced prose. Thanks Sara for championing a romance staple that I adore!!