6 Things Every Romance Writer Should Know About Genre Expectations

I spent two years working as a literary agent, and two things I quickly discovered about emerging authors is that one, too many don’t read submission guidelines (that’s a whole other post), and two, too many don’t understand genre. In fact, a misunderstanding about genre led me to do a workshop on it to help writers better identify agents and publishers to pitch their works too.

But understanding genre isn’t just about finding an agent/publisher. It’s essential in marketing and finding the ideal reader for your books.

The issue is partly not understanding genre expectations but also in thinking that having a genre element is enough to squeak a book through as something it really isn’t. Pet Cemetary features a family, but you wouldn’t sell it as domestic fiction. Yet many authors have a love interest in their story and think they can sell it as a romance.

Romance readers are passionate, loyal, and know exactly what they want when they pick up a book labeled “romance.” If your story doesn’t deliver on those expectations, even beautifully written prose won’t save it from disappointing your audience.

In this post, we’ll walk through six key things every romance writer needs to know about genre expectations, so you can avoid the common pitfalls, write with confidence, and build lasting reader love.

1. A Central Love Story is Non-Negotiable

This seems obvious, but it’s also the concept that stumps many writers. I can’t tell you how many queries I received in which the author was telling me it was a romance when it wasn’t. A love interest doesn’t automatically make a book a romance.

So what is a romance? At its core, romance is about the emotional journey of two (or more) people falling in love and building a relationship. No matter what twists, mysteries, or battles unfold along the way, the romance—the romantic relationship between the people—must stay front and center. If the love story isn’t the driving force of the plot, the book is something else, most likely women’s fiction, fantasy, or suspense with romantic elements.

Does it matter? Yes! Remember, romance readers have expectations. A book with a romantic element is actually something else that may or may not meet those expectations.

Subplots are absolutely welcome and can even make a romance richer, adding stakes, external conflicts, or world-building layers. However, those subplots should support, not overshadow, the romantic arc. Readers come to a romance novel expecting to see characters meet, connect, struggle, and ultimately choose love, and if that emotional journey gets lost, so will their engagement.

Whether you’re writing romantic suspense, paranormal romance, rom-coms, or historical romance, the same rule applies: the love story must be the heartbeat of the book.

Here’s a test: Which of these books are technically NOT a romance? (Answers at the end)

1. Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding
2. The Hating Game – Sally Thorne
3. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchel
4. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
5. Naked in Death – JD Robb
6. The Duke and I – Julia Quinn

2. The Happy Ending (HEA or HFN) is a Must

Romance readers pick up a book with one core promise in mind: love will win. Whether it’s a Happily Ever After (HEA) (think engagement, marriage, commitment, or lifelong love) or a Happy For Now (HFN) (a satisfying resolution with hope for the future), your story needs to end on an emotionally uplifting note.

This expectation isn’t optional.

If your couple doesn’t end up together, or if the story concludes with heartbreak or loss, it’s not considered a romance. It might be romantic in theme, but it falls into a different genre. Think Nicholas Sparks’ Nights in Rodanthe or John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Both are about a couple who fall in love, but both…spoiler alert…end with one characters’ death. 

Why does this matter so much? Because it builds reader trust. Romance fans invest emotionally in the journey, and they want the payoff. If you break that trust, you risk alienating your audience, not just for one book, but long term.

On the flip side, consistently delivering satisfying, heart-happy endings helps build loyal readers who will follow you from book to book, knowing you’ll make their hearts swoon and smile by the final page. This is why authors like Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, and Abby Jimenez reach best-seller status with every book.

Exceptions…

Are there exceptions to this rule? There are some, but they’re risky. Ending on a cliffhanger risks angering readers who paid for a book expecting a full story arc.

3. Readers Expect Familiar Tropes—With a Twist

Tropes are the beloved building blocks of the romance genre. From enemies to lovers to fake dating, secret baby, grumpy/sunshine, and friends to lovers, these familiar setups deliver the emotional satisfaction readers crave. They’re popular for a reason: they work.

Romance readers often seek out specific tropes because they want a particular emotional experience (think Universal Fantasy). A forced proximity story promises tension and vulnerability. A second chance romance offers redemption and emotional healing, and my favorite, destined one true love. These tropes create reader expectations and help them quickly decide if a story is right for them.

But here’s the key: don’t just copy the trope, make it your own. Readers love tropes that feel fresh. Maybe your fake dating story takes place on a reality cooking show. Or your enemies-to-lovers couple are rival podcast hosts. This is about reimagining tropes in new, engaging ways. Many of the books that go viral do so because they’ve taken something old and made it new again.

For example, there were a ton of romances featuring football players and then someone (I don’t know who) wrote about a hockey player. And now hockey romances are the rage.

Fifty Shades of Gray is credited with being the book that created the New Adult category (now filtered in with regular romance), which are books featuring characters 18 to 26. It’s why we see many college romances alla Elle Kennedy and Hannah Grace (who also has hockey).

A few top-selling tropes to consider (you can check out Amazon’s Best Seller list to see what’s trending now).

• Enemies to lovers
• Friends to lovers
• Forced proximity
• Billionaire romance
• Small town romance
• Secret baby
• Marriage of convenience
• Opposites attract
• Best friend’s sibling
• Second Chance
• Age gap

Using tropes thoughtfully lets you meet genre expectations while still surprising your readers, which is the sweet spot where memorable romance is born.

4. Emotional Pacing Matters

In romance, how the relationship unfolds is just as important as the ending itself. Romance readers expect a gradual build-up of emotion, tension, and intimacy, not an instant love connection without any groundwork (although there is a market for insta-love). The emotional journey should feel natural, earned, and satisfying.

This is where emotional pacing comes in. Key emotional beats help guide the reader through the ups and downs of the love story:

• Meet Cute: The first encounter by the characters in the book, whether awkward, electric, or adversarial, sparks interest.
• Deepening Connection: Characters get to know each other, revealing vulnerabilities, hopes, and flaws.
• Conflict: Internal fears or external circumstances threaten their budding relationship.
• Climax: A pivotal moment forces a choice: fight for love or let it slip away.
• Resolution: Emotional and romantic closure involving one or both characters making themselves vulnerable to other in revealing their true feelings, rewarding readers with a satisfying, hopeful ending.

If these beats are rushed, skipped, or crammed together, readers can feel cheated or disconnected.

Give each emotional stage enough time to breathe and grow. Slow down the moments where characters open up, clash, or change. Build longing, tension, and anticipation to keep readers hooked.

Tip: Use your chapter structure and scene breaks to mirror the emotional arc. Higher emotional intensity should lead to more dramatic scenes, while softer moments give readers, and characters, a chance to reflect and deepen their bond. Check out the WWH Beat Sheet for help.

Mastering emotional pacing ensures your readers aren’t just rooting for your characters, they’re feeling every step of the journey right along with them.

5. Heat Level Should Be Clear and Consistent

One of the fastest ways to lose reader trust in romance is to mislead them about the heat level of your story. Whether your romance is sweet and closed-door or steamy and explicit, readers expect transparency about the level of intimacy, and they expect that tone to stay consistent from beginning to end.

From sweet to steamy, all heat levels are valid and loved, but mismatched expectations can lead to disappointment, bad reviews, and lost readers.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Does sweet meet nothing, not even kissing or hand holding? What’s the difference between a spice level of 4 and 5? Just like review ratings, we all have different ideas about each heat level means. (You can see my suggested heat level scale here).

With that said, if there is no sensuality or spice, you’re pretty safe with “sweet” or “cozy.” You can bet readers looking for a 5-spice want long, hot, sweaty, details.

Here’s how to clearly signal your heat level:

• Blurb: Use language that hints at the tone. Words like “sweet,” “clean,” “heartwarming,” or “cozy” suggest low heat; words like “steamy,” “passionate,” or “spicy” signal higher heat.
• Cover Design: Light, whimsical covers with illustrated couples often suggest sweet to medium heat, although these days, that’s changing. Darker, sultrier, or more sensual covers typically hint at higher spice levels.
• First Chapters: Set the tone early. A cozy, character-focused opening leans sweet, while high sexual tension or physical attraction signals more heat to come.

Consistency is key. If you advertise a sweet romance but include a graphic sex scene halfway through, readers will feel blindsided. If you market a steamy, spicy romance but fade to black at every intimate moment, your target audience will feel equally let down.

Tip: Always match your heat level to your intended audience and be proud of the lane you’re writing in. Romance readers love every flavor of love story, as long as you deliver what you promised.

6. Genre Blending is Okay—But Romance Rules Still Apply

Romance is one of the most flexible genres out there. Right now on my TBR I have romance involving the four horsemen of the apocalypse, a thruple between a woman and two aliens, a couple in regency times, a couple who steal (heist), a woman kidnapped by a mafia don, a couple needing to solve a murder, a couple running from bad guys, the remaining ACOTAR books, several rom-coms, and more.

It’s common, and often very successful, for writers to blend romance with other genres like mystery, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, or even horror. These cross-genre stories open up exciting new worlds and high-stakes plots, while still delivering the emotional payoff romance readers love.

But no matter what other genres you weave in, the romance must remain the central story (re-read #1). Readers will happily follow characters through magical realms, murder investigations, epic battles, or time travel, but they still expect the emotional core to be the love story, and they still expect that story to end with a satisfying HEA (Happily Ever After) or HFN (Happy For Now).

Key expectations when blending genres:

• Tone: Make sure the tone supports the romance. If the other genre elements are very dark, gritty, or violent, balance them carefully so the emotional bond between characters still feels real and hopeful.
• Setting: Whether it’s a small town, a futuristic planet, or a Victorian estate, the setting should enrich the love story, not overshadow it.
• Genre Conventions: Respect the major rules of both genres. If you’re writing romantic suspense, readers want both a compelling love story and a satisfying suspense payoff. In paranormal romance, they expect believable world-building and strong romantic chemistry. With that said, the romance is first and foremost, so you’ll want to insure you hit those beats, and mix in the secondary genre beats with the romance.

When writing romance, it’s important to remember that the key element of the story needs to be the couple (or group) and the relationship that grows into a commitment. Without that, your story is something else with a romance element.

Answers to number 1:

Note that all these books include a romance and many end in an HEA, but they’re not all technically a romance.

1. Bridget Jones’ Diary – Helen Fielding: Technically not a romance. This is more accurately women’s fiction about Bridget coming into her own. (While considered the first domestic romance author, I’d classify Jane Austen, whose Pride and Prejudice inspired Bridget Jones, as women’s fiction. But I love Mr. Darcy and Captain Wentworth!)
2. The Hating Game – Sally Thorne: This is a romance as it focuses on the relationship between Lucy and Joshua who are rivals at work in this enemies to lovers book.
3. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchel: Not a romance. For one, it ends with Rhett leaving Scarlett (although we know she’ll win him back, right?).
4. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte: While we all ship Rochester and Jane, this book is technically more women’s fiction as it’s all about Jane and her coming into her own from a difficult childhood, challenges with Mr. Rochester, forging a life alone, and eventually coming back to Rochester.
5. Naked in Death – JD Robb: I love Eve and Roarke, but these books are police procedurals (crime fiction), not romance.
6. The Duke and I – Julia Quinn: Y’all know this is a romance!