The Romance Fiction business is a BILLION dollar business. And Paranormal Romance continues to attract readers, consistently being among the top 5 sub-genres sold on Kindle. So what is it about Paranormal Romance that sets it apart and makes it worth every penny?
1. Settings
Because ParaRom can include elements of science fiction, lore, and fantasy, the possibilities are endless when it comes to world building. Authors can spread their wings and readers can suspend reality. Although present time and recognizable places can be used, ParaRom offers a blank canvas for authors to paint a time and place never experienced before.
2. Ultimate Fantasy
Paranormal Romance is the ultimate fantasy. This is where magic lives, soul mates exist, and love and good always prevail. Our main characters are vampires, shifters, extra-terrestrials, and magic users (to just name a few). We can travel back in time, be flung to the future, or cross into another dimension. And at the heart of every story is an amazing (and sometimes graphic) romance that sets us on fire and has us gasping for breath.
3. Variety
When it comes to Paranormal Romance, there is truly a lid for every pot. You name it, they got. Do you want a 7 ft beefcake billionaire who can turn into a bear? Got it. Do you prefer a 900 year old hunky vampire who will worship your body and soul? Got it. Are you in the mood for a neon green, dream-boat Alien with 2 penises? They even have that. And that is just the tip of the paranormal iceberg. With fantasy, nothing is off limits and everyone is welcome.
4. Alpha Males
The main ingredient in any Romance is a great hero. But Paranormal Romance hero's are on an entirely different level. They are ALPHA to the max and prove this whether they are single-handily defeating a dozen evil monsters or skillfully seducing a dozen orgasms from their lover's body. They are hot, intense, loyal and loving. The vast majority of paranormal romance's involve a "true mate" scenario. Isn't that magnificent and refreshing? When real, messy life is happening all around you, you can dive head-first into a ParaRom and not agonize about the fate of the main characters. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
5. The Series
It's so easy to get consumed in the worlds and lives created in Paranormal Romance. And it is so heartbreaking to have to say goodbye to beloved characters and communities that you have invested time and emotion in. The prevalence in "The Series" in ParaRom is a huge selling point for most readers. There's a newness in each addition that we can get excited about, while still enjoying the familiarity that captured our heart in the first place. If you fell in love with the studly, wolf-shifter hero...fear not. His brother's story is next and his cousin's is after that.
6. Guaranteed Happy Ending
When shopping for a new book and reading the description, there's generally always an addition to a Paranormal Romance blurb. And it looks something like this:
I love this about ParaRom!!! I know, no matter what, a satisfying "happily ever after" is in the forecast. Obviously, drama is good. Tension is good. Plot twists are good. These things all add to the complexity of a believable story and work extremely well in a romance novel. But when “happy endings” are so hard to find in our real lives, a ParaRomance novel can be that escape from reality that is just what the doctor ordered.
There is so much to love about a Paranormal Romance...beautiful writing, fantastic character development, imaginative settings and intriguing story lines.
But, the cherry on top is always that happy couple riding into the sunset; completely in love and ready to conquer the world together.
Do you agree? What do you love about ParaRom?
PNR reads are always fun!
Great post! That's exactly why I love paranormal romance, too :-) Also, bearshifter billionaire? Yes, please!!
I don't read them often, I get tired of all the world building, I'm lazy ;)