Romantic Suspense combines the blood pumping action of crime novels with the appeals of romance. Please come prepared to discuss how your selections balanced romance versus suspense. All romance has conflict which the lead characters must overcome. Let us know if the conflict in your novel comes from entirely external or internal and external sources.
Nota Bene: Some of these authors started writing Romantic Suspense and moved to straight Suspense. Be sure to pick a title that has Romance as well as Suspense! Some authors also write straight Romance, so be sure to pick ones that have Suspense as well!
- Authors are noted as being:
- Historical versus Contemporary,
- Heat Level (Gentle — Warm/Modern Average — Hot — Scorching).
Try to pick two books that are different in at least two metrics.
- Jackie Ashenden (Nine Circles series) — Contemporary, Scorching
- Suzanne Brockmann (Troubleshooter series most popular) – Early Troubleshooters have Historical Romantic Suspense subplot too, Warm
- Alyssa Cole (Loyal League series) — Historical, Warm
- Catherine Coulter — Historical, but best known for Contemporary (FBI — don’t start w/ 1st — & Brit in the FBI series), Warm
- Sonali Dev – One with “Heart” in title – Contemporary, Warm
- Marie Force — Contemporary, Warm
- Irene Hannon — Contemporary, Gentle/Inspirational
- Dee Henderson — Contemporary, Gentle/Inspirational
- Jayne Anne Krentz — Contemporary, Warm
AKA Amanda Quick — Historical, Warm
(Don’t pick her Paranormal. Those are next time!)
- Stephanie Laurens — Historical, Warm
- Lora Leigh (Tempting Seals, Elite Ops, Brute Force series) — Contemporary, Some ménage, Sorching
(Not her Shifter series. That’s next time.)
- Kat Martin – Contemporary, Warm to Hot
- Dani Pettrey — Contemporary, Gentle/Inspirational
- Karen Rose – Contemporary, Hot
- D. Robb — Mildly Futuristic (Romance + Police Procedural), Warm
AKA Nora Roberts — Contemporary, Suspense w/o Procedural-ness, Warm
- Kit Rocha (Beyond series) — Futuristic/Dystopian, Some LGBT, Some ménage (or more), all Scorching
- Katie Ruggle – Contemporary, Hot
- Julie Ann Walker (Black Knights Inc series, Local Author) — Contemporary, Hot
See also:
Lamda list has some romance on it.