Romance Classifications

Since reading preferences are important to a reader, I thought I’d give a quick run down of some of the classifications I’m placing on the romance novels I read. This is only how I view them and others might list them differently.

Contemporary Romance: These are going to be set from around 1970 to about 2010 and can cover a wide variety of sub-genres (paranormal, suspense, etc).

Historical Romance: This is a large category. There are three sub-genres that I might further classify historical romances. Medieval romances are set in pre-1500 Europe, generally in England or France. Regency romances are set usually in England, although sometimes in western European countries, in the years ranging roughly from 1800 to 1820. Western romances are set in the American West (west of the Mississippi River) from about 1800 to 1900. Most often these are set around the years of the Civil War.

Paranormal Romance: These books can cover any time period. They are classified as paranormal due to the otherworldly content. Vampires and werewolves (or other shape-shifters) are generally the main characters in a paranormal. Magic or other unexplainable phenomena can play a part in these romances. These books are also usually a little more graphic in the violence department.

Inspirational: These are books that have a Christian theme. Often one character is not a believer or is struggling with their faith. There is usually some sort of message or lesson to be learned in these books.

Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Futuristic Romances: These are sub-genres that I don’t read much of. But, here’s a quick run down. Fantasy is usually set in a magic world. Fairies, witches, wizards, and usual creatures are often found in these books (think Harry Potter). Sci-Fi often revolves around technology and space (think Star Trek). And a Futuristic is set in the future.

While, the general classification of a book is important, when reading romances, the sexual content rating is often more important. Some people want to know exactly what happens in the bedroom while others want it all to happen behind closed doors. So, I’ve come up with three levels to categorize these stories.

Sweet: These books are going to have all sex behind closed doors. The reader will usually only witness kissing and “petting” between the main characters. You might also get a little foreplay, but the ultimate consummation of the relationship is not graphically shared.

Spicy: In a spicy novel, the reader will read a couple sex scenes. These scenes will usually be graphic, but nothing out of the ordinary will occur.

Red-Hot: These are your more erotic stories. There are more sex scenes, which are very graphic. I will also classify books that feature gay, lesbian, menages or bondage scenes in this category as a warning.

I’d like your opinions on the ratings and descriptions. Do I need to elaborate more or offer more classifications?