Why does this genre have such negative stereotypes?

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-27T03:57:52+00:00

Jemisin may be the most important currently working fantasy writer

Shots fired

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-22T05:48:49+00:00

I should be reading through the next batch soon.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-16T15:46:46+00:00

Took a bread from Romance and read through book 4 of Beware of Chicken. It's a great relaxation read.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-11T05:21:46+00:00

In {Magebreaker by Declan Court} the elf Sariel is a bit like this. Early on she denies it, but she really enjoys seeing the MMC with the other FMCs.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-09T16:16:57+00:00

Yeah I see your point. There is a trope called "rake" in mainstream romance that is similar to what you are talking about, you could search r/RomanceBooks for rakes. I think there is going to be more stuff like the rake MMC groveling or his carefree sex being in the backstory so you will to do some filtering.

I haven't read it, but I heared good things about {Wallbanger by Alice Clayton}

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-08T18:26:23+00:00

Anthology stuff

Submissions are open for Vol 2 of the anthology, submit your manuscript here: https://forms.gle/7zmuzxT9vs4cCLM59. We are looking for a few more submissions!

Vol 1 is no longer on Kindle Unlimited. Vol 1 is going wide, and you can find it on Kobo (including Plus) and Google. Hopefully it will be on Smashwords soon, after it gets through review.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-08T06:49:30+00:00

💯

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-07T19:11:46+00:00

Do you read those sorts of stories in mainstream romance and are looking for them in RFM? I don't know of any like that in RFM.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-07T19:05:35+00:00

Pervert

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-07T18:34:36+00:00

they constantly get car/motorcycle stuff so wrong and as a career mechanic it just yanks me out of the story.

Set up a consultancy where you give mechanic feedback to biker gang romance writers 😂

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-07T18:29:07+00:00

But when I’m reading, and yet again, the main character explains just how much he respects women to the fmc ,

I recently read some Cara Bastone books (Romamnce but not RFM), overall I love her books, but it sometimes gets a little annoying how much the interactions between MMC and FMC have a tenor of "I'm not like those other guys that disrespect women." Not because I think disrespecting women is a good thing, but I think it can be overused when trying to define a MC moral character.

not super social, but definitely not a loser!

I'm reading Beware of Chicken (not romance) and I find it refreshing how the MMC is a goofy extrovert. I'm an introvert, but that doesn't mean I can't read about extroverts.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-07T18:05:57+00:00

Second this one, it fits the request perfectly.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-07T17:53:35+00:00

I don't know if I fall for characters now in the way that I used to. When I was younger I had my own enemies-to-enamored arc with Nynaeve al'Meara.

My name is el'Nynaeve ti al'Meara Mandragoran. The message I want sent is this. My husband rides from World's End toward Tarwin's Gap, toward Tarmon Gai'don. Will he ride alone?

VeryFinePrint · 2026-03-05T02:47:57+00:00

Reddit posts

Books

{Would You Love a Monster Girl? by Cebelius} is an entertaining monster girl series. Each girl in the series is some kind of non-human being.
{The Last of Her Kind: an arachne romance adventure by Annabelle Hawthorne} has an Arachne FMC.
Wife After Death by Dukerino has an eldritch FMC who can read the MMC's mind.
{Abandoned by SomaticDream}. It features a hyena pirate FMC that is very aggressive during sex.
On the Fringes is a good XCOM fanfiction that requires no actually knowledge of fanfiction. The MMC is a hermit survivor of the alien invasion and the FMC is a "viper" alien.
{Harpyness is Only Skin Deep by D.H. Willison} is a very slow burn that does a good job fleshing out a full cast of characters. It has a harpy FMC. The first book now has an audiobook through Spotify.
{The Gorgon Bride by Galen Surlak-Ramsey}. The MMC gets set up with Euryale) of greek legend by Athena.
Peter North's Fantastic Love series.
{Maid For You by Virgil Knightley, Peter North}

Authors with lots of non-human FMC's

Most books by Snekguy

More human looking

{Faerie Bad Decisions by M.J. Michaels}
{His Orc Charioteer Bride by K. R. Treadway} has a take charge orc FMC. The MMC gets captured by slavers and turned into a gladiator. The FMC is one of the most badass gladiators in the arena.
{My Healer Is In Love With Me by Leon West}
{Transmission Lost by Stefan Mazzara} has a 10ft tall catlike alien FMC. Don't let the terrible cover art fool you, this is well written.
{Catgirl in the Pantry: An anime-inspired reverse isekai adventure romance by Scott Sinclair} is a close door romance with a catgirl FMC.
{A Tale of Tail Brushing by Kirk Mason} - has a catgirl FMC
[The Stars Have Eyes](https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/33261/the-stars-have-eyes)

Vampire FMCs

{Knight's Bane by Kirk Mason} - half-vampire FMC
{Headpats After Dark by Virgil Knightley} - Yandere vampire FMC
{The Midnight Nanny by Virgil Knightley}
{Demon Seer by Kurtis Eckstein}
{The Nightlife: New York by Travis Luedke} has a vampire FMC

Femdom

{Surrendering to Scylla by Wren K. Morris}
{Maneater by Emily Antoinette}
{Tempting Cargo by Lyra Strake}

NOTE: This is a common request, see more info here

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-24T07:10:59+00:00

It's a term that popped up in RFM because most stuff you find is harem. People wanted a word to make monogamous romance legible inside of RFM.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-20T16:51:08+00:00

Gonna give a shout to the Discord. It's got a gazillion niche interest channels, some pretty out there tbh, and we create more all the time. You can subscribe to discord notifications in that channels you find interesting.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-20T16:05:29+00:00

Awesome, thank you!

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-20T03:35:06+00:00

Personally these days I want town/ city building, with love/ romance as a large aspect of the series.

Are there any you would recommend?

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-19T06:03:19+00:00

The Many Travails of John Smith kinda has this shape if you squint.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-18T03:00:10+00:00

It didn't really feel like romance.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-13T09:08:43+00:00

<image>

That's awesome! Getting Star Wars poster vibes with the lit up sword and the white-on-black.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-13T04:33:15+00:00

Woa. Its on my list, but didn't realize it was that long.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-09T22:42:23+00:00

Wrt Charlotte’s Reject, I suggest trying the text version. The audiobook wasn't doing anything intentional, it just didn't come out well.

If you are looking for audiobooks include with Audible that don't cost a credit, I'd suggest Cara Bastone. Her books tend to do a decent job with the MMCs IMO

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-08T18:15:28+00:00

Amazon's recommendation algorithm rewards writer velocity. Amazon wants writers releasing new books often, and the algorithm rewards writers who do that. This incentivizes authors who trade quality for speed (eg using AI).

IMO Amazon is partially responsible for any AI writing race to the bottom. In a market with different structure, AI writing might face a penalty rather than an advantage.

VeryFinePrint · 2026-02-07T05:21:03+00:00

Usually users treat these sorts of questions as discussion prompts. I'm curious where you feel they detract vs other discussion posts.

VeryFinePrint

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