Reader. Ringleader. Ruckus Rouser.
A Brief-ish History of Romance Novels
Romance novels didn’t arrive on the scene in a silk robe holding a glass of rosé. Oh no. They fought their way into our hearts — scandal by scandal, trope by trope, brooding man by brooding man.
The 1700s: A Shaky Start
In 1740, Samuel Richardson gave us Pamela, a 15-year-old servant girl who’s harassed by her boss until she marries him. Yep — a problematic workplace romance before HR was even a thing. But it had tension. It had a plot. It had… potential.
The 1800s: Literacy and Longing
By the 1800s, more women could read — and thank goodness. Enter: Jane Austen and Mr. Darcy (the original broody book boyfriend). The Brontë sisters weren’t far behind, serving up haunted mansions and emotionally repressed men. These were slow-burn novels with enough tension to snap corset strings.
The Early 1900's: Mass Market, Maximum Swoon
Romance went mainstream — and then global. Mills & Boon and Harlequin pumped out doctor-nurse dramas, cowboy fantasies, and mail-order bride tales that gave women something to dream about besides laundry and landlines.
The 1970s: Bodice Rippers & Fabio Hair
This era gave us passion, drama, and the birth of the modern romance cover — windswept hair, clinched torsos, and horses that somehow always stood still during makeouts. Still judged, still juicy, still mostly read in private.
2010s–Now: E-Readers & Erotica Go Mainstream
Enter: Fifty Shades of Grey. Suddenly, erotica was on every nightstand, and people weren’t just reading romance — they were talking about it. E-readers let us take our smut to Starbucks without anyone knowing. And just like that, spicy fiction went from guilty pleasure to cultural powerhouse.
Today: Tropes, Subgenres, and Unapologetic Pleasure
Fake dating? Yes. Grumpy sunshine? Obviously. Monster boyfriends? Honestly… why not? Romance today is smart, inclusive, wildly imaginative, and proud of it. Whether you want soft and swoony or hot enough to fog your glasses, there’s a subgenre ready to ruin you — in the best way possible.
Romance is written by women, for women, about women. It’s not a phase — it’s a literary empire.
And We. Are. So. Here. For. It.