These candy hearts, oddly enough, include both “romantic” messages and platonic ones (Jill Wellington / Pexels.com) It’s February once more, which means the subject of love and romance is on everyone’s minds. One big topic that’s come up in more recent years is the debate about platonic vs romantic relationships. What’s the difference between them? Can you actually tell them apart...
It’s a Fine Line: The Relationship between Horror and Romance
A lot of romance novels don't seem to realize when they're veering into horror territory. What's the line between horror and romance?
Between Here and Eternity: The Age Gap Romance
The age gap romance gets more play than anyone gives it credit for. What does it look like when we put supernatural creatures into play too?
Can We Ever Get Identity “Right”?
When everyone demands authenticity in fiction, we fall all over ourselves to "prove" our identities. Maybe we're asking the wrong questions.
Is Polyamory Queer?
Is polyamory really queer? I think we should probably consider it to be queer praxis, at least in some sense.
Why Romance Novels Are the Latest Target of Book Bans
Nora Roberts is apparently too spicy for people -- and we need to be worried about that. Book bans are coming for romance novels -- even clean ones.
Bioessentialism in Omegaverse
Art is always political, which means even tropes like omegaverse take on political bents. We should be wary of bioessentialism in omegaverse.
Why “Level-Up” Romance Sucks
Does an HEA always have to mean marriage and kids? Probably not, which is just one of the reasons the level-up romance is a problem.
Happy Ever After: BIPOC and Queer Characters in Historical Romance
Some people say they have a hard time believing queer or BIPOC characters could get to the HEA required in historical romance. That's silly.
Why I Can’t Read (Most) M/F Romance Anymore
I've been having a hard time reading m/f romance lately. While there are some good ones out there, there are a few reasons I'm struggling.