Romance was always part of the Gothic genre, dating from Walpole’s 1764 work, The Castle of Otranto. There’s a strong thread of romance in works such as Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights and even an element of romance in works like Dracula. However, whereas the romantic component is often present in Gothic works, it now plays more of a central role in a large subsection of the genre.
Hence why Gothic Romance has become its own subcategory.
What is it? Well, the short answer is that it’s romance wrapped in a Gothic-style story. But the long answer is more complex than that.
Romance – Graphic or Otherwise
These stories come in two basic types: love stories, with or without some sexual content, or those that adhere more closely to the “romance” genre (ie. heavily and explicitly sexual). So though the term “Gothic Romance” might automatically conjure up certain ideas out the explicit content contained therein, that’s not necessarily the case.
There are even “clean” Gothic Romance stories – those that are really just love stories with a Gothic ambiance, but without any sexually explicit material. If you’re interested in only one or the other, you can usually tell which books fall in which category fairly easily.
![Chosen By The Dragon: A Dragon Shifter Paranormal Romance (The Dragon Realm Book 1) by [Selena Scott]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JuS0S-+CL.jpg)
For example, the Dragon Realm series by Selena Scott is very clearly a romance novel (aka: explicit). The title suggests it and the cover art and book’s description clearly portray it.
“The morally questionable King of the Dragon Realm is searching for a cure to a disease that affects all the offspring in his bloodline, making each generation physically weaker than the last. Desperate for an heir who will be able to protect the throne, Lucy looks to be the perfect candidate to provide the King’s offspring. The Chosen One, lost in a realm of lust, evil, and a power-hungry King – she needs to escape.
Torn between a loyalty to all he has ever known and a growing desire for Lucy; can Amos find a way through this? Will the consequence for them be too much to risk, and what would it mean for the entire Dragon Realm?” – Amazon (emphasis added)
![Amnesty: Sweet & Clean Contemporary Gothic Romance by [Jo Noelle]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51eNplh3HIL.jpg)
Whereas those books that are “clean” (devoid of the explicit content) will usually specify this quite clearly in the book’s description.
Amnesty is a young adult book by the mother-daughter writing team of Jo Noelle, about a girl who is trying to earn amnesty into heaven…with the help of a handsome angel.
If you look it up on Goodreads or Amazon, they’ve specified very clearly in the title: “Amnesty: Sweet & Clean Contemporary Gothic Romance” and also in the description “Clean Romance” that this is not a typical, graphic romance novel.
You know what to expect.
Of course there are others in the middle. I consider these to be like most novels – Gothic or otherwise. They often have some sexual content, but it’s not the main entreé. It’s just a side dish that appears on occasion and may or may not be terribly graphic. What makes them part of the Gothic Romance subgenre though is that the romance – the love story – is the main point of the book.
Gothic Tropes
This is the Gothic in Gothic Romance and it’s almost exclusively focused on the traditional (or more contemporary) versions of Gothic tropes. Haunted houses, family secrets, the paranormal. Without these, we would call these books simply Romance novels.
Haunted Houses & The Paranormal
Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone falls squarely in the paranormal category. It’s a story about a girl and her brother who arrive at a haunted estate, knowing the stories about the man who lives there – a reputed monster who killed his family.
But when she falls for him, she discovers that he is bound to a death god who controls the dark waters of the lake. In order to save both of them she must confront her own dark past and her own connection to the dark lord.
Paranormal Alternate Worlds
Keri Lake’s book, Nightshade, features a paranormal world – a sort of purgatory in which angels and demons are tangible.
“[Nightshade] is where I first met the cold and callous recluse living in a decaying cliffside cathedral. Jericho Van Croix is the epitome of everything I’ve been told to fear. A raven-winged harbinger who wears intrigue like a warm black cloak. An enigma that I’m determined to unravel – even if it means getting closer than I should.
One touch is forbidden. Even so much as a kiss would be my demise. But the sin on his lips burns me up like a wild flame, and his growing infatuation weakens my resolve.
Giving him what he wants, though, will mean no chance for redemption, or escape. What’s worse is, the signs I’ve followed yet failed to see all these years begin to unmask a terrifying reality:
That falling may be my only saving grace.” – Amazon
Magic
Janella Angeles’s highly-acclaimed young adult Kingdom duology begins with this book, Where Dreams Descend. Some have called it a Phantom of the Opera-inspired book filled with dark beauty.
“In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.
As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.” Amazon
Isolation, Hidden Passages & A Family Estate
Camille Oster borrowed from some of the classic Gothic tropes – isolation, a family estate and hidden passages – to craft her Gothic Romance, The North Sea House.
“Inheriting a fine house is a blessing, even a house along the wild and unruly coast of the North Sea. Along with her brother, Vivienne Harcourt joins their friend Archibald to take possession of the wind-swept property, seemingly at the ends of the earth.
Also attending the house party is the mysterious and withdrawn Lord Routledge, whose detached presence makes Vivienne both unsettled and curious. Under the watchful gaze of the previous owner’s portrait, the dour Miss Trubright, the house’s isolation frays nerves and tests friendships, and true characters emerge.” Goodreads
But Are They Gothic??
They’re love stories. And they use Gothic tropes. But does that make them Gothic novels. As a disclaimer, I can’t say that I’ve read many Gothic Romances (I’m not usually a Romance person), but I suspect that the answer is sometimes yes, but more-often-than-not, no.
From the number of books I’ve seen that are labelled as Gothic Romance, few seem to suggest any sort of irrational theme, the types of themes that contradict the dominant line of thinking developed during the Age of Reason. Instead, I see a lot of love stories with Gothic tropes.
Of course, that’s not to say that these aren’t still enjoyable, well-written books. If you like romance and you like Gothic tropes, especially a darker ambiance, a dose of intrigue, or the paranormal, give some of these a try. Just don’t dig too deeply for the Gothic themes, which may or may not be there.
And, as always, let me know what you find. I’d love to hear about Gothic Romance novels that do have underlying Gothic themes, or those that are simply so well-constructed that we should check them out!
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