And if you want to see more rare and old romance, you can follow romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice’s new Instagram devoted to classic romance, Best Clinch Romance Novel CoversĬlose your eyes and picture a romance novel. For a fascinating look at the history of romance publisher Harlequin, check out this piece from Jezebel. This cover is basically a 19th-century painting. Cover art by Robert McGinnis, 1980. This overhead perspective isn’t used a lot on romance novel covers, making this one all the more eye catching.Ī Rose in Winterby Kathleen E. (Which is not to say that romance novels aren’t literary, but they don’t tend to win mainstream lit prizes.) I snuck it in because I’m Canadian (#Cancon) and because this cover is clearly borrowing some trends from 1970s romance covers: a classic couple pose, a half-naked woman, and clothing trailing off her body.įires of Winterby Johanna Lindsey.
This woman-meets-bear love story was not actually categorized as a romance novel-it won one of Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes. Historical romances were wildly popular starting in the ’70s, and covers like these were what led people to use the term “bodice ripper” to refer to romance novels.īearby Marian Engel. Along with Woodiwiss, Rogers was one of the first romance novelists to write actual sex scenes, basically helping to establish the genre we love today. Not to mention the fact that the hero’s name is Steve. This cover is incredible, from the vibrant purple to the naked couple embracing to the background images that seem to promise riches and adventure. My criteria was pretty much “This cover looks great!”, with additional helpful suggestions from fellow Rioters.ĭark Fires, Rosemary Rogers. Note: this is not an exhaustive history of romance novel covers. I’ve organized the list into loose categories to cover a wide range of romance book covers, with a focus on recent steamy romance covers. This list is for everyone: romance newbies, genre fanatics, and people who like cool book covers!
And just like in any other genre of fiction, there are certain established trends that many of these covers follow, both to signal to readers “Hey! I’m a romance novel, and you want to read me!” and to capture the feeling of the story you’re about to read. From classic Regency romances to Fabio eyeing heaving bosoms to the new trend of brightly illustrated covers, romance novel covers have always captured readers’ attention.Ī lot of thought and craft goes into each one. Creating a beautiful book cover is a delicate art, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the world of romance novel covers.
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