February 06, 2026

Love in Every Chapter: Discover the Many Faces of Romance

By Claudia S. and Peyton C.

Valentine’s season is the perfect time to celebrate stories that make our hearts race, swoon, and dream. From timeless historical tales to trending subgenres like romantasy and sci-fi love stories, romance fiction offers something for every reader. Romance is also called the genre of genres, “the juggernaut of contemporary literature,” the largest and most structurally complex modern reading genre.

Meet the newer and trending subgenres

Romance is famously modular, with a wide ecosystem of subgenres. Here are five that are especially buzzy with readers these days:

Sci‑Fi Romance: Futuristic or speculative settings with a strong romantic arc.
Epic Romantasy: Big‑scope fantasy world‑building fused with central romance.
Paranormal Romance: Vampires, witches, ghosts, and otherworldly beings entwined with love stories.
Dark Romance: A blend of sweeping love stories with shadowy, high-stakes worlds and morally complex characters.
Sports Romance: Romance centered on athletes, teams, and the culture of sport.

These categories are more than labels! They reflect how readers crave variety and fresh twists. Even as overall fiction reading declines, women, who form the majority of romance readers, continue to drive fiction readership nationwide, as mentioned in an article published by The National Endowments of the Arts.

Want to dig deeper?

Check out these resources for genre insights and trends!

Celebrate Valentine’s Day by discovering your next romance in our online catalog or by visiting the Fishers and Noblesville branches. All book recommendations below are available through HEPL’s collection; place a hold, grab a print copy, download an eBook, or listen on audio using PlayAways today.