More Special Title Lists Now Open!

Start searching through your reading records, because today we’re opening up five more Special Title Lists for updates. From today, October 16 through Sunday, October 28 at midnight we’ll be accepting submissions for the following lists: (1) Reunited, (2) Cabin and Road Romances, (3) Tortured Heroes, (4) Arranged Marriages, and (5) Shotgun Weddings. We hope you’ll recommend some of your favorite romances for these lists. Before you send in any recommendations, please take a minute to check the descriptions of each list below and then visit the page itself to check out some of the romances that are already on the lists.

Reunited: Romances in this list “have heroes and heroines who loved each other before, were separated, and are now reunited. These stories tell of their second chance at love.” This does not include one-night stands featuring strangers, after which the hero and heroine don’t see each other for years. The couple must have loved each other in the past.

Cabin and Road Romances: This list actually combines two separate but strongly related types of romances. In some cases ,a book will appear in both sections, while others fit just one or the other. Titles fitting the Road Romances section of the list “devote large sections to journeys, either by land or by sea. They are filled with adventure, danger, and excitement. Often the hero and heroine travel alone, allowing them to know one another intimately and in unique ways. Some romances are both Road Romances and Cabin Romances – for instance, a romance featuring a sea voyage where the hero and heroine are then marooned on a boat or a deserted island.”

Titles that fit the Cabin Romances section of the list “devote large sections to the isolation of the hero and heroine. Sometimes they are isolated as a result of a journey. In other instances, the hero/heroine lives alone in the wild and rescues the other from danger, the elements, or injury, forcing them be together or hide out together.”

Tortured Heroes: The definition for this list is short, but the title itself rather says it all, Romances in this list have “dark, moody tortured heroes who fight any kind of love and softer emotions.”

Arranged Marriages: Romances in this list feature “marriages that are arranged by authority figures such as parents or the king for reasons other than love (usually for political connection or financial benefit). These are almost entirely historical romances. In this type of story, normal marital relations are assumed.” The purpose for these marriages is not that the couple has been hopelessly compromised, but that the marriage has been arranged for them.

Shotgun Weddings (and Compromising Positions): This list features romances with “marriages that are brought about either because the bride is pregnant or because she has been hopelessly compromised. A third party may force the protagonists to marry (with or without weapon in hand), or the protagonists may be forced by their own sense of honor, and the knowledge that repercussions on themselves and their families would be severe if they did not marry. Marital relations are assumed since this is a regular marriage, only coerced.”

It’s been over two years since any of these lists has been updated so we’re eager to get suggestions for additions to the lists that (1) are the best of the best, (2) stand the test of time, and (3) fit the list for which they are submitted.

Do you think you have some good titles that are missing from the lists? You can find the criteria for submitting titles here and our submission form is at the bottom of that page. We can’t wait to see what good books you have in mind!

– Cindy Smith, LinnieGayl Kimmel, and Rike Horstmann