Check out this excellent piece from the Mad Genius’ Club, readers!
Alma T. C. Boykin
So, having failed to learn my lesson, today’s topic is romance as a genre. That is, keeping in mind that genre is about marketing. Romance as a term goes back to before romance as a genre, and romances used to be adventure stories that might or might not include a romantic-love element. Today, the kissing is the goal of the story. (Not the Glasgow Kiss, either*.)
At the basic level, a romance story is one where boy meets girl, emotional sparks fly, there’s probably kissing, and love ensues. There might or might not be sex, depending on how sweet or steamy the story is. Romance readers tend to have strong preferences, and it is a genre where knowing the beats is critical to sales for most subgenres and categories. Some authors can blur things, but the beats are still more important than in some other genres.
A Song of Joy by Caroline Furlong 