New works of historical romance
If you’re a fan of inspirational romance novels, you’ve probably noticed that your TBR – “to be read” – list has suddenly gotten longer. No, you’re not imagining it. The romance category really is growing that fast – so fast, in fact, that it’s a challenge to keep up with all the new titles, imprints, and even publishing companies dedicated exclusively to inspirational romance.
That’s also not surprising. In the secular world, romance novels have long been acknowledged as escapist reads, the kind of books women turn to especially when times are tough or uncertain or scary. For Christian readers – mostly women and teenage girls – inspirational novels provide a similar respite from the world’s problems, but with a distinctive difference: Faith anchors the story, and hope always prevails. That difference also attracts a fair number of secular readers who have discovered that the overt sexuality in mainstream novels isn’t to their liking and that the hope element of inspirational novels is – as long as the faith message isn’t delivered with a heavy hand.
Faith and hope are important factors, but when it comes to inspirational romance, there’s no question that the love story takes center stage. Sure, there may also be a love-of-God theme running through the novel, but romantic love is why readers picked up the book. And the romantic plot had better be fraught with suspense and conflict and obstacles and one complication after another before the woman gets her man – or vice versa. What’s more, they’d better get each other without crossing the line when it comes to sexual purity. They can be tempted, but they’d better not give in.
The purity angle holds true regardless of a romance novel’s subgenre, one of any number of subcategories and hybrid categories in inspirational romance. You won’t find explicit sex scenes in Christian romance novels – at least, not those from traditional publishers – whether the story is set in the Wild West or a futuristic world or the inner city. Publishers know what their readers want, and Christian publishers know their readers want a wholesome love story.
For years, those love stories unfolded in the gentler communities in America – small Midwestern prairie towns and Amish communities immune to the worldly temptations of the Englishers’ society. But today, inspirational novels are set in every imaginable environment, including those that literally exist only in an author’s imagination. Here’s a quick overview of some of the other subgenres in inspirational romance, along with representative titles for each:
Historical Romance:
Pretty much any romance novel that takes place prior to the end of World War II and that doesn’t fit into any of the categories that follow. Novels set during the Civil War or Revolutionary War are often described as war romances, a subcategory of historicals. A Hope Beyond by Tracie Peterson and Judith Pella and A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin.
Regency Romance:
These books take place during the early 1800s in England (there’s a fair amount of literary license when it comes to dating the books; they don’t always conform to the true Regency Era dates). The Country House Courtship by Linore Rose Burkard and The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen.
Twin Targets: Romantic Suspense
Romantic Suspense:
This is where the hybrid subcategories really start to proliferate. You’ll find legal romantic thrillers, medical romantic suspense, FBI and police procedurals, and straight-up mysteries. Twin Targets by Marta Perry and Greater Love by Robert Whitlow.
Contemporary Romance:
Sometimes this overlaps with women’s fiction or chick lit; it all depends on how prominent the love story is in the overall context of the plot. Beneath a Southern Sky by Deborah Raney and The Big 5-OH! by Sandra D. Bricker.
Medieval Romance:
Generally set in England prior to the 1500s. Gothic novels – usually somewhat darker and scarier – may also fall into this category. Gallimore by Michelle Griep.
Western Romance:
Love stories that take place during the settling of the American West in the 1800s and very early 1900s. The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy and A Lady Like Sarah by Margaret Brownley.
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Two of the most prolific inspirational romance publishers are Summerside Press and Harlequin’s Steeple Hill division. Summerside publishes the “Love Finds You” series, which highlights love stories set in real towns across America – and themes that correspond to the towns’ names. Well-known names in Christian fiction often crop up in the series, such as that of Melody Carlson, whose “Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon” features family conflict amid a budding romance. Steeple Hill’s imprints include Love Inspired (contemporary romance), Love Inspired Suspense, and Love Inspired Historical.
Among traditional Christian publishers, Bethany House pretty much owns the prairie and Amish categories, although others publish individual titles and series in those categories as well. Most of the major Christian publishers, including Tyndale, Zondervan, and Thomas Nelson, also publish inspirational romance.
– Written by Marcia Ford, writer for FaithfulReader.com
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