I’m working on a historical romance set during the Harlem Renaissance. My original idea was to write a series featuring three different couples. To be honest, I’m still strongly inclined to follow through with that plan.
However, I’m exploring the possibility of going deeper into the story of how these two characters get together. To accomplish that, I considered revealing their love story over a series of three novellas. So, I’d like to read a few romance trilogies or series that feature a single couple and that are done especially well.
Sylvia Day’s Crossfire series has been recommended by several people, so I’m putting it at the top of my list. What other series would you recommend and why?
Also, I’d love to hear your opinion on this type of series.
Do you like this deeper exploration of a love story? Or does it drive you crazy and you’d rather have the romance wrapped up in a single novel?
My “Three Worlds” series will deal with the same couple/triple throughout. There’s a wedding at the end of vol. 1 and another at the end of vol. 4 (which should come out this year), but I look at the romance continuing, even though (gasp) they’re married. We’ll have the fun of following the trials and tribulations of a marriage through the years. Despite RWA’s objections, romance should not be missing after marriage.
Gail Carriger’s “Parasol Protectorate” series has the couple married at the beginning of the second book, I believe. It’s an interesting series though its heroine grows to be a Mary Sue. In otherseries you get the heroine having two romantic male possibles following her. This can be done very well and presents teeter-totter romantic tension, though sometimes (Evanovich!) it stalls out or falls on its face. I’m hopeful that Ilona Andrews’ “Clean Sweep” series will turn into one of the successful runs of this trope.
Corrina Lawson’s first book in her “Steampunk Detectives” series has (iIrc) the heroine declare that marriage is not for her, though she does develop a romance with the hero. We’ll have to see how this goes.
Awesome recommendations, Carol. Thank you! I agree that the marriage shouldn’t signal the end of the romance. That actually goes to another thought I had regarding the one couple/series. It seems like other elements (mystery, paranormal, heroine’s/hero’s journey) would be necessary in such a series to truly make it work over three novels or novellas.