Romance As A Subplot

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly series hosted by Rukky at Eternity Books and Danie at Literary Lion. The full list of October topics can be found here.

This week’s topic is Romance As A Subplot.

Do you think romance subplots take away from the main story, or add to it?

Generally speaking, I am all for a romantic subplot in a story. I think anything that adds to the depth of the story, whether it’s a romantic subplot or fleshing out secondary character’s backstories for example (which is a big one for me), is a good thing.

For example, in most Laura Griffin books you can expect to see two main characters navigating their lives and relationships, along with two secondary characters navigating the same challenges. Neither relationship is the focus of the story, at least in my opinion, but it adds to the authenticity of the characters.

Do you prefer stories without any romance in them?

I don’t read many books that would be classified as romance, but it’s a plot device that I welcome in any book because I think it’s representative of real life and only serves to make the story more realistic.

In thrillers for example, characters are placed in situations that are tense, sometimes scary or life threatening; those are often the moments where strong feelings of desire hit you hard! I love that moment where the hero grabs the partner who’s been with them the entire time and makes their feelings known before that big moment where they have to face the villain or risk their life for the sake of others.

What are your thoughts on romance as a subplot? Tell me in the comments or drop a link to your post so I can check it out!