Genre-Bending BIPOC Romance
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Yesterday, for our Today in Books newsletter, I wrote briefly about how, previously, Muslim erotica writers were being censored in Nigeria, with some even burning their books. But now? Now the girls have found another way. They are beating religious censors by sharing their stories on WhatsApp.
A new York Times The reporter covered the story, sharing how she was invited to a WhatsApp group by Oum Hairan, an erotica author, who would post a chapter that would excite and unsettle readers (the title of the book to be published, at the time, was Chapter-by-Chapter). nymphomaniac king), then implement a paywall. And Hairen is not alone. Other Nigerian erotica and romance writers are using the app to deliver their stories to readers — stories that explore everything from queer relationships to sugar daddies to polygamy to abuse, which opens them up to a rebuke by the morality police. This is a great example of how, in a world that has long dictated women’s values and how they should react to things, the romance genre is subversive and rebellious. I can’t wait to see what the romance/erotic scene turns out to be in Northern Nigeria.
It’s partly this story and the book I’m currently reading that inspired me to make this list. Just as romance as a genre has helped non-BIPOC women think about how they want to love, it has also helped BIPOC people think about what their lives and love could look like. And, the books below show them doing so in a variety of genres – from romance, to adventure romance, to sci-fi romantic mystery.
tusk love By Thea Guanzon
This was written at the request of Jester LaVorre of the DnD web series Critical Role. This is also the book I pick up when I want something light and entertaining, but maybe also a little provocative. I’m still reading it, but I have a feeling I’ll like it eventually; It’s made my bedtime routine a lot more enjoyable.
It now follows Guinevere, the daughter of wealthy merchants, who is on her way to some important location when her camp is attacked by bandits. Her guards are killed, and her oxen are freed, and just when it seems the book will be closed on her permanently, she is rescued by a half-orc she knows as Oscar. Oscar is also going somewhere important, and he doesn’t have time to keep up with the princess and her knick-knacks. Except that she’s quite beautiful, and she appears to have good intentions…even if she’s hiding a huge secret.
a prince among pirates By Katie Abdu
To escape an arranged marriage and the House of Lords, Kit Davenport accidentally joins the crew of the Deliverance. Captain Reggie Sharp is charismatic, handsome, and a pirate. Kit must decide where she and her heart really lie in this wild adventure romance. -Courtney Rodgers
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heiress from somewhere by Stacey Lee
Step forward into a Gothic novel that has slow-burn romantic tension as well as a suspenseful mystery! Established in 1918 Washington, heiress from somewhere Tells the story of Lucy. She was found on the shore of Orcas Island as a child, and has spent her entire life working for the shipbuilder who lives there. Things change when he finds his master’s severed head on the beach. And despite rumors of the supernatural, she knows there is a killer on the loose. So when she is named heiress to the estate, Lucy realizes she could be the next victim. -Ray Rowland
Copying Known Successes By Malka Ann Older
In this science fiction murder mystery, a man goes missing at a remote outpost of a human colony on Jupiter. When explorer Mosa follows his trail, it leads him to Waldegeld, the location of the colony’s scholarly university, where his former girlfriend, Pleti, works. Pleti is an expert on Earth’s pre-collapse ecosystems. When Moosa shows up and requests his assistance in her latest investigation, the two team up to uncover the mystery. -Michelle Regalado
For more on how destructive romance can be, watch Sex work is real work, even in romance And Romance readers are experts at spotting red flags.