Let me expand a bit here, cuz I've not found any other posts with quite the same vibes as what I'm shooting for:
Firstly, I love romance in novels but rarely dig a romance-centric story (hence the word "subplot" in the title and also why I'm not posting this in r/Romancebooks or the like).
Secondly, I can dig many kinds of romance tropes as long as the characters are interesting and loveable, and the writing is engaging and mature.
Thirdly, I really just want a romance that supplements a really solid novel with something truly touching and rewarding. This means I'm not excited about instant-romance or melodrama without depth, for sure. I don't even need the characters to be of a particular age or anything (although I do lean away from young romances because YA in general is not my thing and I prefer to read about adults that can be more relatable to me), I just want them to take me on a journey that doesn't have me pulling my hair out because they're acting weird lol.
Other various deets:
- I'm totally down for sexually mature content but am not into full-blown smut.
- Also should mention I read all genres but mostly scifi or fantasy.
- My fav books include The Book of Flying by Keith Miller, Dune by Frank Hebert (the whole Frank series), Dracula by Bram Stoker, and LotR. Obviously none of these are romance-heavy but that's part of the problem: I want some more love in there!
Tbh, I can't think of any solid examples of books I've read that truly scratch this itch. I recently read the Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden and liked the romance in that, though it didn't exemplify the traits I'm seeking beyond being slow-moving in a pleasant way.
If you've ever played the Mass Effect trilogy, I'm looking for Femshep and Garrus in a novel! Lol
Tia, I appreciate y'all's thoughts
Edited to fix typo
by TheGoldenKrogan