It might still be spooky season but Library Journal has their Romance Genre Preview up this month for all to read and use to prepare our collections and RA service for the coming months. Like all genre previews, this list looks at the books coming out in the next 6 months and the author uses their knowledge of the genre to use these pre-pub lists to talk about overall trends.
Yes these previews are chocked full of titles, but even if you do not order for your collections, these previews give you an overall sense of where the genre and its readers are at this exact moment in time.
This is how I approach my annual Horror Genre preview for LJ, and I know it is how the author of this Romance Preview does as well because she is someone I have known personally and professionally for over a decade. From her bio line: Katie Dunneback is a romance reader of over 35 years, writes romance under a pen name, and works at a federal library.
From the introduction of Katie's article:
Swoon-worthy Stories: Romance Preview, Library Journalby Katie DunnebackDark romance, paranormal, and romantasy are the season’s key trends, while Westerns, cozies, and sports titles also delight.
As quickly changing as the publishing world can seem, the romance genre is holding steady, leaning into trends from 2025, with popular subgenres and tropes from last year further expanding their influence in the genre. In particular, dark romance and romantasy continue to dominate and are still counterbalanced by cozies. Sports romance remains a fan favorite, and Westerns have entrenched themselves even more strongly, with a growing popularity of cowboys as characters and ranches as settings. Historical romance is still in noticeably short supply, and literary references (a trend across genres) are still popping up in many new romances. This year, paranormal romances are making their way to the top of readers’ lists, and the perennial favorite second-chance-at-love stories are once again in demand.
For more Romance coverage from LJ including articles, display ideas, sure bets, reviews, and more, click here.
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