The Nora Theory

,

A Glossary of Romance Terms

Olivia Smith Goulet
2–4 minutes

It has been brought to my attention that some of the terms I use liberally in my reviews need some explanation. The universe of romance novels involves all kinds of acronyms and jargon that may be confusing to those who don’t spend their entire lives immersed in the genre.

After having to explain to my aunt what an MFMM romance was over the phone, I decided it might be prudent to have a glossary of romance terms to clear things up.

Dark Romance:

A dark romance is as it sounds, a romance with dark themes. This often encompasses mafia romances, romances with BDSM content, or general romances where the hero behaves in ways that would probably be deeply problematic in real life. As such, this is one of the more popular romance categories. We all love a morally grey book boyfriend.

BDSM:

This is an umbrella term that covers all kinds of kink dynamics. The acronym stands for bondage and discipline, sadism and masochism, dominance and submission. If you see this in a book description or a review, expect lots of kink.

Contemporary Romance:

A contemporary romance is a story that takes place during the modern present. It does not necessarily have to be set in a real place that actually exists, but it is some kind of recognizable modern world without fantasy elements.

Historical Romance:

This one is pretty self-explanatory. It’s a romance that takes place in the real world but at some point in the past.

Romantasy:

A romantasy story is one that takes place in a world that is built of complete fantasy. This is your dragon stories, your fairy stories, and some vampire stories, although these can sometimes cross over into contemporary categories.

Why Choose:

Why Choose is any romance in which the heroine does not have to choose between her love interests. The main character can end up with anywhere from three to six partners by the end of the book (or maybe more, but six is the most I’ve encountered thus far).

RH:

Short for reverse harem, see ‘why choose’. This used to be the predominant term for the subgenre, but now most authors and reviewers opt for the more politically correct why choose option.

Slow Burn:

A story in which the sexual and/or romantic relationship builds slowly over time with lots of sexual tension.

Standalone:

If a love story is entirely contained in one book, with the ending leaving no loose ends, it’s a standalone romance.

FMC:

Female main character.

MMC:

Male main character.

HEA:

Happily Ever After. A necessity in the romance genre.

HFN:

Happily For Now. Not as common as the happily ever after. This kind of ending might be found in a series that the author is planning to continue with down the line.

MF:

Romance between a man and a woman.

MM:

Romance between two men.

FF:

Romance between two women, also known as a sapphic romance.

FFM:

Romance between two women and a man.

MMF:

Romance between two men and a woman.

MFMM:

A romance involving a man and a woman, who also has a romance with two other men, who also have a romance with each other.

Sword Crossing:

A more colorful way to describe male-on-male content in a romance novel.

OWD:

Other woman drama. If a book description has other woman drama, it usually means the male main character cheats. This is super rare in the genre because women don’t like rooting for a man who cheats.

Note: this glossary will be updated as necessary.

15 responses to “A Glossary of Romance Terms”

  1. Midnight Ruin: A Stunning New Installment in the Dark Olympus Series – The Nora Theory

    […] never acted on it, there is a simmering sexual tension there that is what this scorching MMF romance opens […]

    Reply
  2. Romance Retellings for When You Need a Familiar Story with A Sexy Twist – The Nora Theory

    […] spicy read that will keep you turning pages. My personal favorite in the series is The Beast, an MMF romance where Beast and Gaston battle for Belle’s affections, and each other’s. If you like a […]

    Reply
  3. Legacy of Gods Series: Classic Dark Romance Turned to Ten – The Nora Theory

    […] Malice, is immediately so dark and edgy. The final book that’s out so far, God of Fury, is an MM romance and the most emotionally powerful of all the books. While the others were wild rides and fun reads, […]

    Reply
  4. Ward Willing: A Contemporary Romance for the Good Girls – The Nora Theory

    […] this romance features a significant age-gap relationship, with a BDSM element. It’s told from both Zoe’s and Liam’s perspectives, and the dual POV is something […]

    Reply
  5. The Familiar is A Genre Bending Masterpiece – The Nora Theory

    […] fantasy, is one of my all-time favorites, so I knew this book was going right to the top of my To-Be-Read list. What I found was a spectacular fantasy with impactful themes and a historical world that hits […]

    Reply
  6. Keres: A Review – The Nora Theory

    […] is an MMF romance that’s cathartic, intense, and oh-so spicy. Keres is a classic badass heroine who has been […]

    Reply
  7. ‘Dirty Heirs’ by Jillian Frost is Short, Sweet, and Spicy – The Nora Theory

    […] it and recalled all sorts of fun salacious details about this why choose group. Dirty Heirs is an MMF spin-off story following the original heroine’s twin brother, so it can be read without prior […]

    Reply
  8. Best MMF Romances – The Nora Theory

    […] MMF romance stands for “male male female” and is a romance in which there are three people involved, two men and a woman, and the men are just as involved with each other as they are with the woman in their relationship. It’s different than a why choose romance, in which there is a whole group, and often times the men are only platonic. It’s among my favorite subgenres of romance because the tension supplied by three people, not to mention the spice, makes for an incredible read. […]

    Reply
  9. September Reading Rundown – The Nora Theory

    […] Rays hockey team, the horniest hockey team that anyone has ever dreamt of. The romance is MMF, with a strong, accomplished heroine and two hockey players, a playboy and a lover boy, who fall […]

    Reply
  10. ‘Pucking Sweet’ by Emily Rath Proves that Hockey Romance Stays Winning – The Nora Theory

    […] Rays hockey team, the horniest hockey team that anyone has ever dreamt of. The romance is MMF, with a strong, accomplished heroine and two hockey players, a playboy and a lover boy, who fall […]

    Reply
  11. The Nora Theory’s Best Books of 2024 – The Nora Theory

    […] younger ward, Zoe. Naturally, this romance features a significant age-gap relationship, with a BDSM element. I fell in love with this book from the first page. Not even the first page of the story, but the […]

    Reply
  12. ‘Kiss the Villain’ by Rina Kent Might Be The Best ‘Legacy of Gods’ Book Yet – The Nora Theory

    […] is the much-anticipated continuation of Rina Kent’s Legacy of Gods series. It is a dark MM romance featuring characters that fans of the series will recognize from previous books. While the two male […]

    Reply
  13. Discover the Dark Obsession in Katelyn Taylor's Graves

    […] title had me intrigued, so I went straight to Kindle Unlimited to grab this book. Graves is a dark MFM romance featuring a bartender with demons and two deviant twins who are happy to slay them for […]

    Reply
  14. A Reader’s Guide: Eight of the Best MMF Romances – The Nora Theory

    […] MMF romance stands for “male male female” and is a romance in which there are three people involved, two men and a woman, and the men are just as involved with each other as they are with the woman in their relationship. It’s different than a why choose romance, in which there is a whole group, and often times the men are only platonic. It’s among my favorite subgenres of romance because the tension supplied by three people, not to mention the spice, makes for an incredible read. […]

    Reply
  15. Top MM Romance Novels: Emotional Journeys and Steamy Tales

    […] much-anticipated continuation of Rina Kent’s Legacy of Gods series. It is a dark MM romance featuring characters that fans of the series will recognize from previous books. While the two […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Romance Retellings for When You Need a Familiar Story with A Sexy Twist – The Nora TheoryCancel reply

Trending

Discover more from The Nora Theory

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading