A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Precursors include authors of literary fiction, such as Samuel Richardson, Jane Austen, and Charlotte Brontë.
Harlequin Enterprises ULC is a romance and women's fiction publisher founded in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1949. From the 1960s, it grew into the largest publisher of romance fiction in the world.
Kensington Publishing Corp. is an American, New York–based publishing house founded in 1974 by Walter Zacharius (1923–2011) and Roberta Bender Grossman (1946–1992). Kensington is known as "America's Independent Publisher". It remains a multi-generational family business, with Steven Zacharius succeeding his father as president and CEO, and Adam Zacharius as general manager.
Laura Resnick is an American fantasy writer. She was the winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction for 1993. The daughter of science fiction author Mike Resnick, she formerly wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Laura Leone.
Julie Kenner is a USA Today bestselling American author of romance and fantasy novels. She also writes with the pen names J.K. Beck and J. Kenner. In 2014, she received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award as J. Kenner for Best Erotic Romance for Claim Me.
Linda Lael Miller, is a best-selling American author of more than 100 contemporary and historical romance novels. She has also written under the pen name Lael St. James.
Ruth Glick, is a writer of cookbooks, romance and young adult novels. She has written novels under the pseudonym Rebecca York; until 1997 these were written in collaboration with Eileen Buckholtz.
Vicki Lewis Thompson is a best-selling American writer of over seventy romance novels. She has also been published under the pseudonyms Cory Kenyon and Corey Keaton with Mary Tate Engels.
Lori Foster is a best-selling American writer of over seventy romance novels. She also writes Urban Fantasy novels using her first and middle initials, L.L. Foster. Since first publishing in January 1996, Foster has become a USA Today, Publishers Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. She has published through a variety of houses, but is currently with Harlequin.
Maggie Shayne is an American author of more than 70 novels. Shayne has won numerous awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, multiple Reviewers' Choice and Career Achievement Awards, The Readers' Choice Award, and the P.E.A.R.L. Award among others. In addition to her work as a novelist, Shayne is active in the Wiccan religion.
Carrie Weaver is an American author of contemporary romance novels.
Erotic romance novels are stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an inherent part of the story, character growth, and relationship development, and could not be removed without damaging the storyline.
Niobia Bryant is an African-American novelist of both romance and mainstream fiction. She also writes urban fiction as Meesha Mink and young adult fiction as Simone Bryant.
Elle Kennedy is a Canadian bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She has published books with Harlequin Enterprises, New American Library, Berkley, and Entangled Publishing. She received her B.A. in English from York University in 2005. She has had multiple titles on the USA Today, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. Her highly popular Off-Campus series has appeared on multiple bestsellers lists and will release in over twenty countries worldwide.
Cheryl Bolen is an American author, educator and journalist. She is known for writing more than 30 historical romance and romantic suspense novels, many of them set among Regency aristocrats in early 19th century England.
Kathy (Wernly) Clark is an American bestselling author of contemporary romance novels that encompass the young adult mystery, new adult romantic suspense, erotic romance and contemporary romance genres. She has also published works under the pen names of Kris Cassidy and Bob Kat.
Delphine Dryden is an American author of contemporary romance, erotic romance and steampunk romance fiction.
Rebecca Zanetti is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of paranormal romance, contemporary romance, and romantic suspense.
Vivian Arend is a Canadian author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance novels. She has published books with Harlequin Enterprises, Berkley, Samhain Publishing, and Entangled. Arend has had multiple titles on the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists. Her Six Pack Ranch series is set in Canada and has appeared on several e-book bestseller lists.
Racism in the romance fiction industry is a recognized issue that has received scholarly attention since the 1980s. Romance novels featuring protagonists of color were not published before 1969 in the United States and did not become part of the mainstream romance fiction industry before 1980. Romance novels featuring Black protagonists were marketed differently and, as of 2021, have been frequently shelved in segregated sections. Black novelists have felt unwelcome in industry organizations and industry awards are not regularly accorded to their work.
