Compare and Contrast: Romantic Suspense and Romantic Mystery Novels

Romantic Suspense and Romantic Mystery are both subgenres of romance fiction that incorporate elements of suspense or mystery into the romantic plot. To learn the main differences and similarities of these subgenres, keep reading.

Genre Differences

Romantic Suspense novels typically feature a romantic relationship between the main characters that is threatened by a crime or other dangerous events, such as a murder or kidnapping. The suspenseful plot often involves the characters working together to solve the crime or escape danger, while also developing their romantic relationship.

Romantic Mystery novels, on the other hand, typically focus on a mystery or crime that the main characters are trying to solve, with the romantic relationship being a secondary aspect of the plot. These novels often feature an amateur detective, who is typically one of the romantic partners, who is trying to solve a crime or uncover a secret.

Genre Similarities

So what do these two genres have in common? Both genres have the following common elements:

1. Romance: Both genres feature a romantic relationship between the main characters, which is an important aspect of the plot.
2. Suspense or Mystery: Both genres involve elements of suspense or mystery, which add tension and excitement to the story.
3. Character development: Both genres focus on the development of the characters, particularly the romantic relationship between the main characters.
4. Emotional engagement: Both genres are designed to emotionally engage the readers, drawing them into the story and making them care about the characters and their fates.
5. Plot-driven: Both genres have a strong emphasis on plot, with the romantic and suspenseful/mysterious elements driving the story forward.
6. Happy ending: Both genres usually have a happy ending where the romantic couple end up together and the mystery or crime is solved.
7. Combination of genres: Both genres are a combination of romance and mystery/suspense genres and are designed to appeal to readers who enjoy both.

Conclusion

The two sub-genres are so similar it can be hard to distinguish between them. In romantic suspense, the mystery is secondary to the romance, whereas with romantic mystery, the love interest is secondary. So according to this research, my first romance novel, Suspicious Minds, and my Style and Profiles series novels are in the romantic suspense genre whereas my latest published novel, For the Love of Money, is a romantic mystery.

Photo by Asad Photo Maldives: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-and-woman-holding-hands-walking-on-seashore-during-sunrise-1024960/

ALL THIS TIME

SUSPICIOUS MINDS

FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY

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Review: “Laurel’s Quest” (The Cornwall Adventures, Book 1) by Nancy M. Bell

About The Author

Nancy Marie Bell is a proud Albertan and lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters.  She is a member of The Writers Union of Canada and the Writers Guild of Alberta. Nancy has numerous writing credits to her name, having three novels published and her work has been published in various magazines. She has also had her work recognized and honoured with various awards, and most recently, a silver medal in the Creative Writing category of the Alberta 55 Plus Summer Games in 2013.  Nancy has presented at the Surrey International Writers Conference in 2012 and 2013, and at the Writers Guild of Alberta Conference in 2014. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction.

Please visit her webpage  http://www.nancymbell.ca

You can find her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/NancyMBell

Follow on twitter: @emilypikkasso

About The Book

A trip to England sounds like a grand adventure, but Laurel Rowan can’t escape from her true reality. Her mother is terminally ill, and her father needs her to go so he can spend his time at the hospital. On a train to Penzance, Laurel meets a new friend, Coll. On the property of her host, she stumbles upon a magical spring. There she meets the White Lady, who offers her a chance at gaining her heart’s true desire, if only she can solve a riddle.

My Review

Filled With Mystical Wonder

Although Laurel is shipped off to stay with a friend of the family who she doesn’t really know, during a time when she feels she should be at home with her terminally ill mother, she adapts. She finds fast and true friends who help her in a quest that she hopes will save her mother’s life.

Ms. Bell is an artist with words and the computer screen is her canvas. She creates beautiful descriptions of the Cornwall countryside. The legends and mythology are spell bounding. As I read, I found myself wanting to look up the different places Laurel and her friends traveled.

Overall, I found the story enjoyable and filled with mystical wonder.

Get Laurel’s Quest (Book 1 of The Cornwall Adventures) at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012U4YMQ6/ 

Next Five books and short stories on my reading list are:
A Port in the Storm FREE (Only at Amber Quill Press) Short Story by Elizabeth Delisi
Murder at Cold Creek College by Christa Nardi
The Ruins on Stone Hill (Heroes of Ravenford Book 1) by F. P. Spirit
What’s In A Name? Tales from the Lost Horizon by Michael Eging
Finding Kate by Harmony Kent

Fantasy Authors Unplugged Featuring Daniel Adorno & Thy Kingdom Come

Archer's Aim

This is continuing feature on Archer’s Aim – Fantasy Authors Unplugged. I hope to frequently share an interview with a fantasy author. If you have authors to suggest and/or questions you’d like to see answered then leave a comment or send me an email. If you are a fantasy author and would like an interview please let me know and we’ll plan one that fits your schedule. Today, I welcome back Daniel Adorno who’s sharing his newest title due out on 8/5. Take it away, Daniel!

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Q. Your latest book is a departure from your previous work with fantasy. How did you come to write a post-apocalyptic science fiction?

A. Originally, I planned to write a scifi novella in three months, but then it snowballed into something greater. I wanted to tackle three personal writing challenges: a new genre, a shorter work of…

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What Makes a Novel a Bestseller?

brittanyekrueger

When you ask a writer how successful they want their novel to be, most will answer they want it to be a bestseller. But what makes a book a bestseller? Are there rules that can be followed to increase a book’s chance of becoming a hit?

Not all bestsellers are well written. Not all bestsellers are recommendable.

Many fantastic stories are forgotten, never heard of, or flop when they hit the shelves.

So what makes a bestseller?

The truth is we really don’t know. We can try to identify commonalities between bestsellers, but at the end of the day Paper Towns is very different from The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and both those novels are nothing like Fifty Shades of Grey.

But, aren’t there at least a few rules we can glean from bestsellers, even if they are unalike?

“There are three rules for writing. Unfortunately, no…

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