The good news is that publishers are recognizing this imbalance and working to change it.

The Romance Writers of America (RWA) diversity survey released in May showed that only 6.2% of romance novels published in 2017 were written by an author of color. Years later the heroine becomes the reluctant lawyer to the hero, her former teenage heartthrob. 2019), the protagonists are introduced when they literally run into each other. In Helena Hunting’s Meet Cute (Forever, Apr. In One Day in December by Josie Silver (Crown, Oct.), our heroine sees her perfect man through the window of a bus and tries to find him every day for a year. Romantic comedies also wouldn’t be complete without the chance encounter. A twin swap takes center stage in Teri Wilson’s The Accidental Beauty Queen (Gallery, Dec.), as a shy librarian takes her sister’s place at a pageant. In Lindsay Emory’s The Royal Runaway (Gallery, Oct.), a princess hires a spy to find out what happened to her missing groom, only to discover the secret agent is his brother. Switched or mistaken identities are another popular trope in rom-coms. 2019), the story of a woman who can’t find anyone to measure up to her childhood crush: her brother’s best friend.

Sally Thorne follows up her banter-filled The Hating Game with 99 Percent Mine (Morrow, Jan. If an author can give them that with witty banter, even better!” Expect plenty of such back-and-forth in Christina Lauren’s My Favorite Half-Night Stand (Gallery, Dec.), when a professor makes a pact to find a date via an online matchmaking service. As Cindy Hwang, vice president and editorial director at Penguin Random House’s Berkley Publishing Group, explains, “Readers aren’t as interested in a Cinderella story instead they want to see couples on an even playing field. Power dynamics are a key factor in its appeal. Upbeat romance “doesn’t seem to be stopping,” according to Jennie Conway, assistant editor at St. This year’s most talked-about genre is the romantic comedy. With so many fresh takes on the classic love story, there’s never been a better time to be a romance fan. Established names are launching new books that break from familiar fare, and debut authors are generating major buzz. Romantic comedies are being reworked for the #MeToo era, while a group of diverse writers and characters infuse much-needed perspectives into almost every subgenre. The coming months will feature new works that skillfully balance lighthearted fun with serious issues straight from the headlines. When it comes to romance, the best stories provide swoon-worthy escapism mixed with real-life problems.

The Duke's Suspicion by Susanna Craig