340 Romance Writing Prompts That Will Sweep Your Readers off Their Feet

From love at first sight to love that crosses boundaries of time and space, romance is a popular fiction genre that continues to be a favorite among millions of readers. If you are struggling to get your romance story off the ground, look no further. The following 340 prompts will help you get started on your next romance writing project. We hope you enjoy reading these prompts as much as we enjoyed writing them.

This material is copyrighted by ServiceScape and is designed to be used for writing inspiration. Please feel free to use our ideas as a starting point for your next story! If you use one of our prompts as a basis for a story, you don't have to credit us, but it would be much appreciated if you do. A simple link to ServiceScape is the best way to do that. One caveat: Please do not publish our writing prompts as-is, in their entirety without attribution. This is not the intended use.

Billionaires

If you enjoy exciting romance featuring a rich and powerful love interest, you'll love the billionaires subgenre. Common tropes include a flawed, larger-than-life alpha male and a fish-out-of-water protagonist learning how to live a lavish, materialistic lifestyle.

1. Your writing career has been stagnant since you moved to the city, so when your editor comes to you with a project unlike any other, you hope this will be your big break. The assignment? An exposé on a bachelor billionaire tycoon that everyone in the city is talking about. The goal is to uncover something unseemly about his background and ruin his reputation. You feel bad about it, but if this is the price for success, you decide that you are willing to pay it. Besides, the public deserves the truth, right? But when you pose as a high-end real estate agent and manage to get some time with him, you find that he's smart, charming, and considerate. He's nothing like you expected. The more time you spend with him, the more your feelings grow until you realize you're unable to complete your assignment. But if he ever found out about your true background, your budding relationship would be doomed.
2. A reclusive billionaire without family or friends is in a wreck and develops temporary amnesia from the injuries. Without any identification, he falls in love with you, the nurse who nurses him back to health. As his memory slowly returns, he realizes that friendship and love have been missing from his life, and he has found both in you.
3. A billionaire mogul loses much of his wealth in a legal battle with your family. To your mutual surprise, what begins as hatred turns into romance as you find a way to give him back the fortune he lost.
4. "You can't go in there," you tell him, before he informs you that he owns the museum and can go anywhere he pleases. Since you're a museum guide, he asks for a tour, and you both recognize a spark happening.
5. You are a single mother who works as a waitress at a nightclub to make ends meet. The one thing you can't stand are people who get everything handed to them, like the rich, snooty patrons you have to wait on night after night. However, when a handsome and charming clubgoer becomes smitten with you, you find yourself drawn to his enigmatic way. After a few coffee dates, you wonder if this could be the one, but then you learn that he's actually the club's billionaire party boy owner—a man you've heard about and hated from afar for years. He swears he's changed and that he has fallen for you, but you're not convinced: Can you trust him to leave his partying lifestyle behind to become a family man?
6. You're a woman fleeing an abusive marriage and you meet your husband's billionaire boss. You fall in love and your husband learns the hard way that abusers don't win.
7. The son of a wealthy industrialist is in the midst of a very public and nasty divorce from his notoriously dreadful wife. You are a reporter hired to find dirt on him for a story. You are surprised to discover that he is actually a wonderful man, and you begin to fall in love with him.
8. You've worked years to get to where you are as hairstylist to the stars. It's good work that pays well and lets you help your family back home with their financial struggles. Plus, you love to the work. The only downside is that the patrons of your salon aren't exactly easy to talk to. Their priorities are so different! Vanity plagues their every move, and their cavalier attitudes drive you crazy. No one is worse than your weekly customer: a billionaire obsessed with his aging appearance. He's handsome and you know from overhearing a dozen phone calls that he's pretty charming, so you can't quite understand why he's so insecure over a few wrinkles. You tell him as much, and he's surprised to learn that you find him attractive. He asks you out and, despite the age difference, you find yourself saying yes. Over time, you help him find the confidence he needs. You discover that you share much in common, and love grows.
9. You are trapped in the elevator of your office building with a handsome executive when the power goes out in the city for a few hours. You get to know each other a little during that time, and the attraction is strong. He's evasive about what he does for the company, and it's not until power is restored and you're back at your desk that you realize he's the billionaire CEO's son…and he's emailing to ask you on a date.
10. You've had foreign language students before, but none as handsome as the son of a billionaire inheriting all of his father's wealth. When he asks you to be a translator for a trip he's about to take, you're all in.
11. You hate his materialistic ways but a billionaire's charm wins you over when, following an airplane crash, you are stranded for weeks on his family's private island.
12. A chance encounter brings you on the radar of a tortured young billionaire who can't forget the abusive past he endured at the hands of his father. You have a similar past—can you move past it together?
13. You're a teacher who loves her job and her students. However, when your contract isn't renewed due to budget cuts in your district, you find yourself at a loss. Luckily, a friend of yours knows of someone looking to hire a tutor with just your qualifications. You go to the interview and realize the job is to tutor and mentor the son of a renowned tech billionaire. The son has had behavioral problems in school and was threatened with expulsion, so the single father decided to hire a trained professional to assist in his son's issues. The more time you spend with the small family, the more you realize that the son's behavioral problems stem from his poor relationship with his father. The billionaire is smart, innovative, clever, handsome, and stubborn. He initially disagrees with your analysis, but then eventually gives way to your advice. The longer you spend in the role of caregiver to both father and son, the more you start to feel like this is where you belong.
14. Life is hard, especially for a single mother, but you've made the best of it and took a new job as the secretary for a billionaire. A terrible tragedy rocks his world and you're there as a shoulder to cry on as he heals (and falls in love with you).
15. An overweight billionaire hires you to be his fitness coach. You get his blood pumping in more ways than one and the healthier he gets, the more you're attracted to him.
16. He's a reclusive billionaire and you are a model hired to be his guest for the evening at a local charity function. He initially has nothing to say to you, but begins to admire you for who you really are inside. Romantic sparks ensue.
17. A music industry mogul hears your voice on a demo album that he receives and signs you to his label. Your troubled life and past keep him at bay for a while as his friends warn him against it, but true love can't be held back for long.
18. Your dream is to sail around the world and he has the yacht to do it. The only problem is: You're the new maid hired to keep the yacht spotless while docked.
19. You are a young girl on a student scholarship at a very high-profile British university. One day at the uni pub you meet a handsome young man with whom you feel in love at first sight. Next day, you open the newspaper only to discover you have been out with a crown prince.
20. He ran his hand through your hair, commenting on its softness, and from that moment you were hooked. You had no idea he owned a vast empire of real estate and was looking to find the perfect lady to settle down with.

Comedy

With funny, heartwarming scenes and plots such as childhood sweethearts coming back together or strangers finding one another against all odds, this subgenre is always a fan favorite.

21. The new guy you have been dating has invited you to his house for a home-cooked Italian meal. You put on your cutest outfit and head over in anticipation of some cannoli and canoodling. He invites you in and offers you a drink, and then his mother walks out of the kitchen with a tray of antipasti and a scowl.
22. You are mad at the world and he's an eternal optimist. While on a business trip, you get stranded in the same hotel room (thanks to a hurricane) and the ensuing hilarious encounters convince you to join him in romance (and optimism).
23. A couple has been dating for about three years, and the man still hasn't proposed. The woman is getting impatient, and after a drunken night out on the town, she proposes to him. He loves her—but he says no—owing to his belief that it's a man's job to propose. This awkward moment leads the pair down a path neither expected.
24. You've just moved into a fixer-upper in a quaint neighborhood. You're looking forward to the project of building and designing your nest. Everything's perfect…or would be, if it weren't for that gorgeous but obnoxious guy next door, who's also remodeling his house and who you fight with practically every day.
25. You are the maid of honor in your best friend's destination wedding, but you are single and feeling depressed about having to attend solo. Stressed and grumpy on the long flight there, you have a few too many drinks and pass out, drooling, on the shoulder of your seatmate. When you arrive at the wedding, you are mortified to discover that your handsome seatmate is the best man, and you spend the rest of the wedding weekend trying to avoid him.
26. You and he are ruthless competitors at a bank. You are both constantly trying to outdo each other and compete for the assistant manager's position. One day, you get into a heated argument in the supply closet that ends up turning into heated passion. After the encounter in the closet, the competition gets complicated.
27. You are taking a break behind the catering truck with the other extras, when the star of the movie, a major celebrity, asks you for a light. In that moment, more than a cigarette is lit up, and the whole film production goes sideways.
28. When you dreamed of becoming a television writer, you never expected you'd end up wasting your time writing for a vapid dating quiz show, but a job's a job. One night, your very charming, very single boss asks why you're working late; you mumble something about new truth-or-dare questions. "Great," he replies with a smile. "Ask me one."
29. You work in an office with a co-worker who annoys you with his political views that you disagree with. You complete a profile on a dating site and it pairs you with him. At first, you laugh at this, but realize that you are attracted to him despite his political leanings. You end up going on a date and having a lot more in common than you suspected you would.
30. You are a single parent with eight children. Eight. And he's the first person to take an interest in years. You have to deal with two grown children who think he's a creep, younger children who don't want him to replace your late partner, and your own reluctance to invest in a new relationship.
31. Your friend can't wait to introduce you to her new beau. She's been talking about him nonstop and you're actually a little nervous to meet him. When he walks through the door your jaw drops. You would know that face anywhere.
32. You and your friend are in different relationships that are unhealthy. When you get together, you are constantly sharing stories about how miserable you are. Finally, it dawns on one of you that you should be with each other because you have much more in common with each other than with your partners.
33. You fall in love with an adventurous, fun-loving mountain climber. Little does he know that you are afraid of heights and have never slept outside. He invites you on one of his expeditions, to your dismay. You really want to impress him, so you pack your hair dryer and try to make the best of it.
34. You encounter your high school sweetheart on the weekend you are set to marry another woman (who is spoiled, selfish, and cruel to others). Your best friends work earnestly to thwart the wedding and convince you that your first love is the right one for you.
35. You are a stand-up comic, and have spent most of your life making people laugh. You were on the verge of signing a major television deal to have your own prime time comedy show, when tragedy struck and you found yourself struggling to laugh again. Then you meet someone who changes everything.
36. You never learned to swim, but signed up for adult swimming lessons despite your misgivings. Your instructor is a drill sergeant-type who seems to think you're training for the Olympics, but the only other student helps lighten the mood. You begin to grow fond of the student.
37. You meet your online dating match at a craft brewery, expecting a face that looks nothing like the profile picture. But when you lock eyes it's electric and you talk for hours. You start to think he has relationship potential…but then he tells you about his extensive doll collection.
38. You are a dog walker with little interest in anyone with fewer than four feet. Your new client, the handsome owner of a goofy, flatulent French bulldog, changes all of that when you begin to bond over your loveable new charge.
39. You just scored a spot on a major competition TV show that makes its participants do the craziest things. You're partnered up with a handsome but over-confident stranger who, you decide, you instantly despise. Can you work together to win the day and the huge prize?
40. You're a single mom who works two full-time jobs to make ends meet. The new manager at your second job asks you out on a date. He's hot, kind, and perfect, but your son hates him and shows that in many humorous ways. Will love blossom or wither under his disapproving gaze?

Contemporary

The complexity of modern life and the reality of romantic pursuits take center stage in these stories. Characters and situations are grounded in everyday realism, and the female protagonist is usually no shrinking violet.

41. You're a publicist secretly in love with your famous client, but his agent thinks you should cook up a story about him and his co-star to generate buzz for their upcoming movie. This involves arranging dates and photo ops for the two of them, but you can't help but notice he seems more interested in you.
42. He's a writer who has bestsellers and movies based on those bestsellers, but he has run into horrible writer's block. You're an adventure guide and you know exactly what he needs for his inspiration to return.
43. An intriguing character across the beer garden keeps staring at you and finally walks over. "Ten euros," the stranger says, putting a freshly sketched portrait of you on the table. It's a good likeness. You wonder why the artist chose you as a subject. You reach for your wallet, saying, "Only if you stay for a drink."
44. You love them both, but they're married, to each other.
45. You're a teacher, and you get a new student in your class – a shy little girl who needs some extra help with reading. You offer to tutor her after school, and you discover that she lives with her divorced father, who is struggling to balance single fatherhood with his work as a police officer. You offer to help out where you can, and romance blooms.
46. You are a successful singer, a tabloid favorite and a judge in a national TV singing contest. An attractive and charming contestant fails badly during his performance. You want to approach him and express your feelings but you are afraid of negative attention from the press like last time. Yet you have to do something or you'll never see him again.
47. While visiting your grandmother in her nursing home, she tells you that her high school sweetheart, who broke her heart by marrying someone else before she met your grandfather, just moved into a room down the hall. One day, you meet the man's grandson, who has been told a different version of what happened between them. You compare notes over lunch, and as you fall in love, you help your grandparents rekindle their own romance.
48. You work in a corporate office in a mid-level professional position. One day, you accidentally receive an email from the VP, the son of the company's CEO, that's meant for someone else with your last name. Then, you begin an ongoing email correspondence wherein you begin to develop feelings for each other.
49. The quiet guy who lives next door to you hardly seems to notice you, but you can't help but notice him—he's gorgeous. You've given up all hope of striking up a conversation until he comes to your rescue one night after your ex shows up to your house, drunk and looking to take you back, whether you want him or not.
50. Attending preschool functions as a single dad makes you the only man in a romper room of pretty, attention-starved, flirtatious moms. Their playground games range from helpful and sweet to saucy and brazen. You must choose between your desires and what is best for your kid.
51. You are instantly attracted to the well-dressed person sharing your elevator, but could never think how to initiate a conversation. So the two of you ignore each other as the elevator pumps up New York's Chrysler building. Slowing to a stop on the 117th floor, there's a blackout!
52. You're already having the worst day ever, and a fender bender on the way to an important client meeting is the last thing you need. Even the attractive guy you hit doesn't cheer you up…until he does.
53. You were in love with him since high school but he never returned your feelings. You get happily married and get a job as a flight attendant. During one of your business trips you spot him on board, handsome and clearly impressed by the new you. He actually asks you out when landing.
54. You're an up-and-coming chef whose culinary talent is getting a lot of attention in your city. You agree to compete on a new cooking game show that will give you national exposure and possibly prize money that will help you fulfill your dream of opening your own restaurant. But you are shocked to discover that your competition isn't just any old cook, but rather a charming, cocky, talented sous-chef you might have met before. Although you try to hide it from the producers, it's obvious that you two have history and chemistry off the charts—and the competition has just gotten that much more complicated.
55. You own a flower shop, and every week for the past year, a handsome guy has come in to order a dozen roses to be sent to his girlfriend. One day, another man comes in to send a dozen roses…to the same woman. Now you are left with a dilemma: tell the first customer, or let him find out on his own.
56. You are on a blind date, and the guy turns out to be a total jerk. Increasingly uncomfortable, but too polite to get up and leave, you are grateful to be rescued by a handsome stranger who comes over and gives you an out.
57. You've given up on looking for love, burying yourself at the office as only an accountant at tax time can do. Poring over a client's receipts, an irresistible portrait emerges: scuba trips to your favorite island, charitable contributions, and other proofs of values you treasure. On paper, this person is your soulmate.
58. A recently divorced woman leaves New York to move back to her hometown. Depressed and unhappy with small-town life, she has a change of heart when she meets someone from her past – and can suddenly imagine a future again.
59. You'd never have an affair with a married man, except he promises he is divorcing his wife. When you see them together at a gallery opening you are faced with stunning realization. You look identical to her, except that you're twenty-five years younger.
60. Moving into the retirement community felt like taking a seat in heaven's waiting room. Then who should roll up in a golf cart? Under the gray hair and wrinkled skin, you recognize the twinkling eyes of your high school crush.

Fantasy Romance

These romance stories involve magical characters within a fantasy setting. The arc often revolves around an adventure that leads to romance for the protagonist. Like most fantasy stories, effective worldbuilding is essential for creating a compelling plot.

61. Growing up, there was a knock on the door every year at midnight on your birthday. With everyone sound asleep, you would always go and check who's there, only to be met with nothing. On your 20th birthday, the knock happens as usual, but this time someone is standing in front of you. It is the handsome man from your nightmare last night—a person who wielded powerful magic and saved you from a dark being during your dream. You hope that your dream was not a premonition.
62. As a child, a bluebird would leave small gifts of pebbles, flowers, feathers, and scrap metal at your window. Years later at a gallery opening, you come across a handsome and mysterious mixed media artist whose compositions featuring pebbles, flowers, feathers, and scrap metal are intriguingly familiar.
63. It is said that when the world eventually falls into darkness, there will be one who will come from the light to lead humanity out of it. You. You are the Prophecy, an angel who is the sole salvation for the human race. You have been under constant threat of destruction. Demons and dark forces hunt you endlessly. It is a battle just to survive. However, when a demon corners you and confides in you instead of attacking, you lower your weapon and listen. "You are wrong about all of this," the handsome demon states. "The Prophecy foretells that you will be the cause of humanity's downfall. All humans and demons will perish, and angels will rise in their place. What your brethren has told you has been a lie. Join me, and together we will make our own destiny together."
64. Laid off from your job, you come home early to find your fiancé sleeping with your so-called best friend. To top it off, your great-aunt has passed away. You haven't seen her since you were a child, but you receive a letter from a solicitor notifying you of her passing and that you are her sole beneficiary. To what, the letter doesn't state, only that you have to appear for the reading of the will in person. You've never been to England, but now is as good a time as any. Your great-aunt lived a full life, if not a little bit eccentrically. She left you everything, including the estate, but with a catch: For the will to be permanent, you have to find the Trinity Stones within your great-aunt's manor. The story is that the queen, jealous of her step-daughters' beauty, stole the stones and trapped the young princesses inside. Find the stones, and you free the sisters. The folklore is as old as the house. Nevertheless, you are determined to find them, and you have the help of the attractive young solicitor, who feels duty-bound to help you search for them.
65. In a world where elves rule the forests, dragons rule the skies, and giants rule the plains, humans are left to fend for themselves in mountain settlements throughout the continent. As a princess of one of these scattered settlements, you have always wanted to venture out of your homeland, but your father, the king, forbids it. When your father falls deathly ill, you are finally granted your wish as you must travel into the forest to find an elven wizard rumored to have healing powers. The journey is difficult, and you encounter troubles along the way. You find the wizard, but he is different than what you had imagined, and he has requests you must follow if he is to heal your father. The first request is a kiss.
66. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? On Earth, such a question is a game. On Planet Desalia, it's reality. Everyone gets to choose their magical power on their 18th birthday. You choose invisibility and quickly start a one-sided relationship with a love interest you follow around town. Things get awkward when your love interest chooses the power of x-ray vision and confronts you about following her.
67. On your eighteenth birthday, you notice unexplainable things happening around you. Objects seem to move if you squint at them. Faint, golden sparks seem to shoot from your fingertips. Dreams of a handsome stranger with violet eyes plague you at night. At first, you chalk it all up to your imagination, but a week after your birthday, the mysterious stranger from your dreams approaches you and reveals that you are a high-born fairy who was hidden in the human world as a baby for your protection. You are now coming into a powerful arsenal of magic and are destined to be the ruler of a fairy kingdom that will fall apart if you continue residing in the human world.
68. In your universe, the Gods are approachable beings with whom anyone can converse and interact. Following a devastating break-up, you call upon the Gods for the power to prevent tragedy in your life and are bestowed the gift of immortality and magical power, making you the first sorceress in your world. Local townsfolk are afraid of your powers, however, and you must hide from a mob hellbent on burning you at the stake. When a handsome warrior hears of your plight, he comes to your aid, protecting you from those who think that magic is inherently evil.
69. You are a royal in the 1560 Danish court and in love with a beautiful woman who rejects your feelings. You obtain a magic potion that makes the drinker love the first person he or she sees. You plan to use it on her but her sister drinks it by mistake.
70. Desperate for tuition money, you stumble upon a flyer for a drug trial. Three weeks, easy money. Most likely you will get the placebo anyway, but even if you don't, there shouldn't be any lasting effects. Unfortunately, they lied. You wake up, but you aren't you anymore. Given your new shapeshifting abilities, the scientists who administered the drug trial perform experiment after experiment to see just how far your powers can go. Desperate to escape, you enlist the help of another captive with similar abilities. You find that you can speak telepathically to her, and together you plot your escape. As you work together, you discover there is more to her than meets the eye. Her father, a magical shaman from a far-away land, is behind the development of the drug. Now you have to decide if the woman you've fallen for is to be trusted or will eventually betray you.
71. You live in a realm where magic exists alongside modern life, but everyone can't see it. You have seen it all of your life while your romantic interest thinks it's all silly and your imagination. Then he sees something he can't un-see and finally believes.
72. Your life is anything but ordinary. You are a dream walker and one of the last of your kind. Gifted with the ability to enter into the dream realm, you are hunted by both those who believe you are an unholy aberration of the Divine Right and the Shadow Terrors, who want to exploit your abilities to bestow death and destruction to all that is good. Your only hope to survive is to join forces with Ranger, a dark and dangerous wanderer who shows no allegiance to any faction and only looks out for his own personal gain. So why would he help you?
73. Raised in an orphanage, you know nothing of your magical heritage. However, when you reached the age of maturity, you discovered that you possessed the powers of both the light and the dark. You don't know how your dark powers came to be, but they could get you killed by the magical enforcers: a group sworn to remove black magic from the world. That's why you fled the orphanage in the dead of night and never looked back. You survived on the streets, using your wit and your grit as well as a little bit of your dark powers, but only when absolutely necessary. Now an adult, you still remain in the shadows, keeping to yourself. One fateful night you stumble across an attempted murder. You refuse to watch an innocent man be killed. With no choice but to use your dark powers, you save his life. Little do you know that the handsome man you saved is, in fact, a magical enforcer.
74. As a fairy, you live in a hidden kingdom deep within woods. Most of your kind grow wings when they reach puberty. However, yours never grew. Now 20 years old, you are shunned by both family and friends. You watch sadly as the rest of your generation takes flight and chooses their mates while you are left on the ground, with no one to share your heart. Dismayed, you leave the kingdom and go elsewhere, hoping to find a wingless mate who will accept you. While on your search, you find a fairy who lost one of his wings during a battle. You aren't sure how he feels, but you instantly fall for him.
75. He's been your protector for years. Having come of age, you are now expected to ascend the throne as demon Queen of the Underworld, but you want him by your side. Although you've loved him since you were a teenager, he only sees you as his charge—his duty, nothing more. In order to fully ascend and claim what's rightfully yours, you must be mated by midnight of the next equinox. You only have two months to prove to this man that what you feel is real and that he is meant to be your life mate so you can rule the Underworld together.
76. Seven years ago, your older brother disappeared during his Trials of Espial, a quest each mage who comes of age must take to receive the ordainment of their magical order. Now it's your turn. You can choose to follow the same path as your brother, or you can carve your own path. No one would fault you for moving on. Regardless of which path you choose, you are granted the accompaniment of a spirit guide. Choose your own path and you are granted Sylindra, a soft-spoken white mage who has been your best friend since you were children. Choose to follow in your brother's footsteps and you must put your trust and your life in the hands of the same handsome and enigmatic spirit guide that failed to protect him.
77. Betrayed by your own brother, you are cursed by a spell from the ancient tomes you were sworn to protect. Now branded with the mark of the Serpent, you are cast out from your clan and banished from your beloved country. As you wander the outer lands, you hear rumors of a powerful sorceress with the knowledge of the curse that lives within the caves of the Hindral Mountains. You venture there and find that the sorceress is a young and beautiful maiden. After hearing of your plight, she vows to help you remove the curse. However, the ingredients for the cure lay deep within the caves—deeper than even the sorceress has dared to venture.
78. You're from a realm where all beings have the gift of seeing others' aura. You meet a man who has no aura at all—something you've never encountered. Then you learn why and can't help but to love him for it.
79. You're a witch from a centuries-old powerful coven. Except, you have no magical powers. Or at least, no way of accessing them. Until you meet a dangerous vampire, who tells you he can help you unlock your powers…if you'll become his permanent blood-snack.
80. As a demonic angel-hunter, you do not know the difference between right and wrong. You have been raised and trained from birth to kill those in the white robes, but then one captures you before you can kill him. He makes it his mission to change you, and over time your demonic features recede. Hate and rage are replaced by kindness and understanding. Your dark red scaly skin becomes human-like in appearance. When your horns fall off, your angel captor decides to release you. Yet you refuse to go, as your love for him has blossomed during your transformation. You know that other angel-hunters will pursue him once they learn what has become of you, and you become determined to defend yourself and your love from these demonic forces.

Gothic

This subgenre includes elements of mystery and horror and is usually set in a haunted castle or old house. The stories often employ the "woman in peril" trope, while essential characters may hide dark secrets.

81. On the moors of England in the 19th century, you take a job as governess to the small children of a reclusive lord. The lord tells you the rules of the house, including that it is forbidden to enter the east wing; indeed, the door to that section of the house will always be locked. One day the children run away from you. You look for them and eventually hear them on the other side of the east wing door. Unable to open it, you ask the handsome groundskeeper for help. He uses his skeleton key to open the door, and you find only a dark corridor on the other side. The children suddenly appear behind you. You ask them where they were, and they tell you that they were playing in the kitchen. Then the groundskeeper pulls you aside and warns you that this house is not what it appears to be, and you should be wary of your surroundings. Just as he finishes his warning, the east wing door slams shut.
82. Many years ago, you were invited to stay at your uncle's castle. Although you didn't like it at first, the place grew on you and, eventually, you couldn't think of any other place that you would like to live. Today, a new guest arrives at the estate, and you are excited to see him. It has been a long time since someone has visited. His clothes are somewhat odd, yet you find him quite attractive. You began talking to him, but he just ignores you. You follow him from room to room, but he doesn't seem to care as he is busy measuring the walls. When you have had enough—you are a duchess, after all, and no one should treat you so rudely, no matter how cute they are—you confront him, cornering him in the kitchen, grabbing his shoulders, and yelling, "Can you hear me? What is your problem?!" His eyes go wide as if he's looking at a ghost.
83. As you walk through the abandoned castle, you have a strange feeling that someone is watching you. Then, up ahead, you see a painting on the wall of a fine young gentleman from the 1800's. As you look closer, you notice that the eyes of the gentleman are following your every movement. You stand there and stare at the painting, petrified with fear. Then, one of the eyes winks at you.
84. A year ago, your sister married a wealthy man who seemed a bit strange to you. After the wedding, her new husband whisked her away to his stately mansion by the sea, and you haven't seen her since. At first, she sent you letters, but gradually the communication became less and less. Now it's been a couple months with no communication from her at all, and you're worried about her. You set off to find her, bringing the handsome young man who was always your sister's best friend as your travel companion. When the two of you arrive at the location where you thought she lived, you find that the mansion has been abandoned for years.
85. Ever since you were a child, you've loved the big old house on the outskirts of town. You dreamed of living there and obsessed over every detail of the house. Your second-grade teacher was even concerned about your obsession, especially considering that every picture you drew in class was of that large house on the hill. As an adult, you come into some money, so when the house comes on the market, you quickly call up the seller and agree to buy it. It is what you always wanted, and now you can finally live there and slowly renovate it over time. The man selling the house recently inherited it from his deceased grandmother. When he gives you the keys, he tells you that the house has a funny effect on people, so he'll stop by to check on you later. You find him a little odd, but charming in a sort of endearing way. Yet that night you begin to understand what he meant when you hear a whisper coming from the hallway. You get out of bed and put your ear close to the bedroom door, but all you can make out is: "Welcome home. We missed you."
86. You are moving to a large house in the South to take care of your aging grandmother. Once there, you encounter family secrets and lies that have torn the family apart, along with your childhood sweetheart who helps keep you safe when the secrets turn deadly.
87. "Speak softly love," he whispers in your ear. But when you turn in surprise, there is nothing there but a bust of a handsome young man staring back at you. You continue walking down the dark corridor.
88. The train you're on to travel across England suddenly derails and crashes. Luckily the young man you've been sitting next to and chatting with during the entire trip saves your life, but then he vanishes. When you ask about him later, you're told there was no passenger by that name or description on the train. You return to the scene of the crash, looking for any clues about his identity, but after several unfruitful hours, you walk back toward your car, frustrated and tired. From the parking lot, you see the ruins of a castle in the distance and notice the young man standing in front of it. You rub your eyes and look again, but he is gone. You decide to investigate further.
89. You've purchased an old house that's on the historic registry and needs a lot of work. As you uncover its years of use and abuse, you find messages on the walls that appear and disappear, even though you're the only one living there. You ask a nearby handyman for help in deciphering the mystery and romance ensues.
90. You're a reporter investigating claims of violent crimes inside the ruins of an old house on the outskirts of town. Before you go, your father insists that you bring along a police officer he knows. After you begrudgingly agree, you meet up with this officer outside the house. You and the officer scale the chain link fence that surrounds the property and open the front door. The interior is surprisingly clean. There is no graffiti, no dirt, and not even a smidgeon of dust. There was just empty room after empty room with the occasional piece of furniture blanketed with a white cloth. You make it to the second floor and find an antique full-length mirror in one of the bedrooms. As you gaze at it, you notice in the reflection that the officer is walking around behind you. The guy is pretty attractive. Maybe you'll invite him for drinks after this. You look back at yourself in the mirror, but you don't see your reflection. Suddenly, a sheet that covered the bed behind you grabs the officer by the ankle and drags him under the bed. You turn around and the officer is gone.
91. A few years ago, your friend and her husband decided to buy a 300-year-old castle in Ireland to renovate it from the ground up. You thought they were crazy. "If I sold my company," you thought, "the last thing I would do with that money is make a spooky castle my home." Now their castle renovation project is complete, and they invite you to fly over and check it out. Of course, the property is stunning. It seems like they spared no expense. After looking around the first floor, your friends invite you into the basement to see their wine room and to have an impromptu wine tasting. You agree wholeheartedly, needing a break from the "look at all of the pretty things I have" tour. As you sip your first glass, you feel woozy, then suddenly collapse. You wake up and find yourself chained to the wall. On the other side of the room is a man in his 20s. "What's going on?" you ask. He responds in an Irish brogue: "I was one of the contractors they hired. They didn't want to pay my bill, so they put me in this dungeon." He points to a key close to you. "If you can reach that somehow, we can get out of here." "But why are we here?" you ask. "Because the castle feeds on our suffering."
92. They say that these old ruins are haunted. That no one should ever go there at night. Well, after your girlfriend goes missing, you go to that place. The one place that everybody said was the last place you should look for her. You hope to find your love, but you may find more than you bargained for.
93. You have been having sleepwalking episodes ever since you moved into an old fixer upper and you constantly wake up exhausted. You install a camera and try to see what you do while you are asleep. You are surprised to discover you have been going out of your bedroom and having a relationship with a mystery man that appears to live in your house. Who is he?
94. You whisper to him that he is the love of your life. He backs away, looks into your eyes, and tells you that no one has been alive here in over a hundred years.
95. You travel to England and stay in a castle that's been converted into a B&B. You enjoy your time there and find the other guests downright charming, especially the man you bumped into in at the airport who surprisingly was staying at the same B&B. One day at breakfast, one of the guests starts chatting about how he used to be a lamplighter in Bristol. "A lamplighter? You must be well over a hundred years old, or maybe electricity isn't in fashion in Bristol," you joke. All of the guests at the breakfast table suddenly stop what they are doing to stare at you. Then, the lady who runs the B&B slowly approaches and whispers in your ear: "You are upsetting my patrons." You apologize and get up to leave, but she pushes you back down into your chair. "I'm sorry, love, but leaving is not an option." The room goes black. A person from the other side of the table lights a match. It is the handsome man from the airport. You ask what is going on, but he knows as much as you do. Together you look for a way out.
96. When your great aunt from Scotland passes away, she leaves her old castle to you. As the castle in in disrepair, you plan to fix it up to sell. You aren't prepared for the ghosts of your aunt's past that you find there, or discovering her mysterious romantic history.
97. You visit a beautiful old hotel near the sea that has been rumored to be a home for ghosts searching for their unrequited love. While there, you encounter a handsome ghost hunter who is there to speak with his grandmother, who has been dead for 15 years.
98. After your fiancé up and leaves with no trace, you go through the usual process: disbelief, grief, anger, and, finally, something sort of acceptance. You return all the wedding gifts you'd already received and cancel every part of the wedding that you can, but the wedding venue—a castle that hidden in the hills of Scotland—refuses to return your money. You've paid in full to ensure that yours was the first wedding scheduled after the castle was renovated. You decide not to waste the money, wedding or no. But when you arrive at the grounds, it looks nothing like the pictures. It is decrepit and dirty, and when you venture inside, it's completely empty. The castle is straight out of a nightmare. You hear a noise. Convincing yourself it is the owner who can answer your questions, you follow the sound down a flight of stairs, then two, and then you hear the crystal-clear sound of a voice saying your name. But not any voice—it's him, your fiancé. You race after him, desperate for answers, when suddenly the door slams shut behind you and the lights go out. You scream, and from the dark corner someone begs you to be quiet. "They'll hear you," he says. You scramble away and trip over something firm. "Who?" You question. The man you still can't see lets out a shuddering breath. "The monsters that live here."
99. While you are attending an elegant soiree at an old mansion, a servant runs out of the kitchen screaming that the house is on fire. You turn to run, but you can't find a way through all the people and smoke. Just as part of a wall is about to fall on you, a handsome stranger saves your life, sacrificing his own in the process. Afterward, the stranger appears to you in your dreams and begs you to come back to what is left of the mansion.
100. During the Victorian era, a man has been falsely accused of murdering his neighbor. His wife, desperate to prove his innocence, conducts her own investigation into the crime. Venturing into the castle ruins where the murder took place, she finds both clues and assistance from the long-dead residents of the castle.

Historical

These stories are set in an earlier time period that frames the characters and their decisions. Common tropes include feuding families, arranged marriages, enemies becoming lovers, friends becoming lovers, and stark socioeconomic differences between lovers.

101. You are a governess and you accept a position working for a Russian noble family. You have never ventured outside of your hometown in England, let alone the Russian Empire, and the head of this family is known for being a cantankerous and disagreeable baron who makes life difficult for anyone around him. It is anything but easy at first, but the young children quickly capture your heart. Over time, so does the baron.
102. It's 1692 and you have been accused of practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. You fear for your life as no one believes in your innocence except the kind, handsome deputy constable. He helps you escape, and the two of you flee through the New England wilderness with the Salem authorities in hot pursuit, falling in love along the way.
103. You have always been good at selling yourself. While others shy away from social engagement, you jump right in feet first. You never miss an opportunity to make a business connection or perhaps convince some young ingénue that you are the next best thing to John Gilbert. One day you realize that, if you can scam that Texas oilman magnate you met last week into giving you a big pile of cash, you can use that money to convince an upper-class woman that you come from old European money. Then you can marry into wealth and be set for life. You'll have to change your name and adopt an accent, of course, but that's no big deal. After a few months of joining clubs, going to the right parties, and being seen with the right people, you shoot up the New York City social ladder. But now your money is running out. If you are going to make a move, you have to do it soon. The best mark by far is the woman in the red flapper dress you bumped into last week. She is the heiress to an overseas publishing empire and took a keen interest in you during that party. After a few get-togethers, your romantic efforts are successful, and you are on the fast track to marriage. However, when you happen upon her birth certificate in a lockbox you picked, you discover that she is as common as you are. Basically, she is playing the same game as you. You should be disappointed, but somehow this makes you fall for her instead.
104. A year after the end of the American Civil War, the situation is still tense among the families in your small town along the Mason-Dixon line. Some families chose to ally themselves with the North, and others with the South. Your childhood sweetheart fought for the Confederacy at the behest of his father and came home a changed man, sullen and silent. As a staunch supporter of the abolitionist movement, you are still angry about his choices. Can you find common ground and learn to love one another again?
105. You have just been formally introduced to society through a grand debutante ball. Eligible suitors may now seek your hand in marriage. Unfortunately for your family, no one who has come to court you has caught your eye. All of the men have been distasteful, brutish, and self-occupied. You seek a confident, daring person who embraces challenge and adventure. When you find those qualities in a newly hired maid, you decide to pursue her. Even though you desire her, you know you must tread lightly. If word got out, the repercussions could permanently damage the status of both you and your family.
106. You are the daughter of a colonial governor in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of piracy. You are kidnapped by a notorious pirate captain and taken on a long sea voyage. At first, you are terrified of him, but as you spend more time on the ship, you begin fall in love. When your father sends his fleet to bring you back home, you must decide if you want to return to your old life.
107. At the turn of the 20th century, you meet a someone who is unlike anyone you've met, and not given to following the rules of Newport high society. A scandal leads you to fight to prove your love's innocence.
108. You are an herbalist in the Middle Ages, trusted by some in your village as a valued healer but reviled by others as a witch. One day, a boy rushes up to your house to tell you that a knight has been thrown from his horse and is lying in at the edge of the forest, barely alive. You bring the knight to your house and nurse him back to health. He is initially distrustful of you, but you fall in love during his convalescence.
109. It is the dawn of the Age of Electricity, and inventors and entrepreneurs from across the world are working and competing with one another. Seizing the opportunity to be at the forefront of this technological revolution, you drop out of Harvard to pioneer the development of alternating current. To continue your pursuits, you seek outside investment from wealthy individuals. One successful businessman is interested in your invention, but reconsiders after learning that your business would be competing against the likes of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. His daughter, however, still believes in you and your invention and makes a simple proposition to rectify the situation: Announce that you and she will be betrothed, and her father will have no choice but to invest in your business. After a year, you can call off the engagement. The idea makes sense, so you go along with it. Little do you know that this tactic would be the start of a true romance.
110. You've just set foot in the New World, one of the first colonists to emigrate from England. Your love was too ill to handle the trip and stayed behind. You've agreed to send letters as often as the ships can carry them. This is your love story in letters.
111. You run a Prohibition-era speakeasy, selling bootleg Canadian liquor for a powerful organized crime syndicate. One night you meet a beautiful new customer, and you are smitten at first sight—until you discover that she is the girlfriend of the local mob boss. Acting on your feelings would put both of your lives in danger, but are you willing to take a chance on love?
112. A young, handsome prince has recently been betrothed, but you, a servant in his father's castle, have always cared for him. As wedding preparations commence and the two of you grow closer, he'll have to make a choice: you, or the princess that will bring peace to both of your kingdoms.
113. The Seneca Falls Convention is next weekend, and you're all ready to go to show your support for the congregating suffragettes. But your father forbids you from going. He's against the movement and worries that, if you attend, it will fill your head with the wrong thoughts. Without your father's permission, you have no idea how you will travel to New York without any money besides pocket change. You bemoan your issue to your best friend, a man a few years older than you that you've known since you were both children. He offers a solution: He'll accompany you and pay for the train tickets and hotel room in exchange for a night out on the town with him. You didn't think he had feelings for you, and you are surprised by his ham-handed approach. What surprises you even more is your response: You say yes.
114. The Sultan singles you out from the other concubines, summoning you to dance for him. It's a terrifying honor, but your movements flow like sea grass, pleasing his highness. Back at the harem, however, his favorite mistress is raging with jealousy. Pray his majesty calls you back before she strangles you with a silk veil.
115. You are a young queen on the eve of your coronation and the first female ruler of the British monarchy. Your father passed away a week ago from a mysterious illness, leaving you grief-stricken and under the guidance of his closest adviser, who is pressuring you to marry a nobleman of his choosing. Rumor has it that the adviser had something to do with your father's death, but no one will step forward with proof. Needing an escape, you disguise yourself as a commoner and sneak into town, where you stumble into a pub and meet one of the palace guards. He doesn't recognize you, and the two of you spend the entire night deep in conversation that ends with a kiss. The next morning at your coronation, you lock gazes with the guard, and his eyes widen with recognition.
116. Traveling from Mexico to California to pick walnuts in the early 1900's, you are taken aback when the wealthy landowner catches you painting in the grove after work one evening. Art becomes your common ground, making room for friendship despite the ethnic, class, and language barriers between your two worlds.
117. You remember it like it was yesterday. When news spread throughout Nantucket that the whaleship Essex was attacked and sunk by a whale, you were absolutely devastated. You hoped and prayed that your husband was one of the survivors, but he wasn't. After several of years of mourning, you are determined to move on with your life. One day, you catch the gaze of a wealthy local banker as he pretended to be looking at a shop window. You approach the shy man and strike up a conversation. After a few months of smiles and laughter, he proposes to you, and you eagerly accept. He is nothing like your former love, but you still adore him and appreciate his warmth and kindness. On your wedding day, you look out from your widow's walk as preparations are being made downstairs. Off in the distance, you see someone jumping out of a boat and running toward your home. You watch him as he nears, and suddenly you recognize him as your former husband.
118. Your widowed mother and aunt pressure you to marry into wealth, introducing you to the most eligible suitors in Bruges society. You serve the pompous dullards moldy cheese and stale bread to express your disdain, lacking the courage to confess your heart already belongs to the poor farmhand.
119. You don't have many options since your father died. With a grieving mother and four younger siblings to take care of, you leave home to work as a maid for a wealthy nobleman who was recently widowed. On your first day, the housekeeper warns you that you must never engage with the master of the house as he likes his privacy. Determined to stay employed, you agree to follow the rules. One morning while you are dusting the parlor, the master enters the room and, before you can rush out, asks you to stay and keep him company. He is lonely and grieving, and you are young and inquisitive. As the weeks go on, your bond grows. You start to see him as more than the master of the house, and it is clear that he sees you as more than just his maid.
120. You are trapped in an old shoe factory during the Haymarket Riots, hiding from the gunfire outside. When a wounded protestor stumbles in, bleeding from a bullet wound to his shoulder, you find yourself in a situation you never imagined: nursemaid to an agitator. The more time you spend with him, desperate to keep him alive, the more you realize there's more than meets the eye—both with the riots and with the man himself. Drawn to his intensity, passion, and kindness, you can't help but wonder what will happen when the fighting ends and he can leave. Surprisingly, you find yourself hoping that he won't.

Holidays

In these stories, the festivities of the holiday season provide the backdrop for a cozy romance. With common themes such as family bonding, restoring past heartache, and returning to holiday tradition, this subgenre focuses on warm hearts and hearths.

121. It's the dreaded annual holiday party at work, complete with cheesy party games, forced fun, and a bunch of people who would rather be doing anything else. And, of course, there is a Secret Santa. Last week, you drew the name of Bob from accounting, who has the personality of a wet blanket. You really hope he likes the pens and pencils your grabbed during a quick trip to the stationery store yesterday. When it is your turn to open your Secret Santa gift, you plaster on a big fake smile and open the box. To your amazement, you find a snow globe that matches the one you had as a child but lost when you moved to college years ago. How would somebody find this? Who knows you this well? You look at the bottom of the snow globe and find a small handwritten note: "I hope you like this gift. It was difficult to find, but seeing you smile will be worth it. From your secret admirer." You look around the room, wondering who it could be but are left in the dark. You just hope that it isn't Bob.
122. On each of the 12 days of Christmas, you receive extremely thoughtful gifts from a secret admirer. You and your best friend search to find this mystery person, but you soon realize that it was your best friend the entire time.
123. Your brick-and-mortar toy story is on the brink of closing down due to competition from big box stores and e-commerce. You know that this Christmas will make or break your business, so you are willing to try anything this season to keep things afloat. When the owner of the candy shop down the road proposes a partnership, you jump at the opportunity. He has been wildly successful over the last few years, and now he is willing to let you in on a few of his business secrets while promoting your toy store to his pint-sized patrons. One day, when you catch him glancing at you for a little longer than expected, you feel there is more to this partnership than just business.
124. Your marriage ended on Christmas of last year, and this year, you've vowed not to celebrate it. A new romantic possibility changes your mind and you have the most beautiful holiday imaginable.
125. It's Christmas morning and you head out to get your family coffee and bagels for the present opening like you do every year. The new barista at the coffee shop is super cute, looking lonely and unhappy to be working on Christmas. In a moment of bravery, you invite him to Christmas dinner, thinking he'll probably have plans with his own family anyway. Well, he doesn't, and you have a Christmas date!
126. You choose your own Christmas tree from the same farm every year as part of a sacred family tradition you've followed ever since you were a kid. This year when you find the perfect tree, someone else notices it at the same time from the other side of the tree. You squabble over the tree, and the argument becomes heated. After a lot of back and forth, you finally give up and storm out of the farm, driving away in a cloud of anger and sadness. However, your feelings change the next day when the stranger shows up at your house with the tree in his pick-up truck.
127. Your flight was cancelled due to the snowstorm and now you can't spend Christmas with your family. You're wallowing, watching sappy romances on TV, and your Chinese food is on order. Who would've thought that the Chinese delivery guy would be your new holiday romance?
128. You're a contestant in a popular televised baking competition and ready to wow the judges with your amazing gingerbread Christmas cake. This year's competition includes a twist: Competitors are randomly assigned into pairs, and together you must create one winning vision to take home the top prize. Will sparks fly? Or will there be too many cooks in the kitchen?
129. Christmas is one of the most romantic times of the year, but can also be one of the loneliest. You join a dating service offering 12 blind dates in December. Will you find a date to your snobby family's Christmas Eve party, where no one ever shows up single?
130. You're shopping for Christmas decorations, so excited to have your first Christmas in your own house so you need a lot more ornaments and décor than you currently own. But, being the klutz that you are, you end up knocking over tons of ornaments and displays, causing a Christmas decoration massacre! Good thing the store manager seems more concerned with you than with the mess you've made.
131. Five Golden Rings: You receive five Christmas proposals from five equally matched suitors, although each is unique in their own way. You've been dating one of the suitors for a couple of years, so you were expecting that proposal. However, the other four are completely out of left field. Who will win your heart this holiday season and forevermore?
132. While snowed in at the airport on Christmas Eve, you and the other passengers decide to throw a makeshift holiday party. The airport shops and restaurants are closed, so you and a few others decide to raid the vending machines and grab as many snacks as possible. A very nice traveler offers the champagne that he bought from the duty-free store a few hours ago. Another passenger offers a fruit pie from his carry-on bag. One mysterious passenger who seems reluctant to join in the fun catches your eye.
133. This is the first Christmas you have celebrated since your parents' divorce made you hate the holidays. You meet someone else who has closed off his heart to Christmas, and together you find a way to rediscover the magic of the season—but you never expect what comes next.
134. When your dog goes missing on Christmas Eve, you spend hours searching the neighborhood for her, fearing what could happen if she's trapped out in the cold. Late that evening, a stranger sees the flyers you're posting near his home and tells you that he has found your dog. He invites you in and you are overjoyed to see your furry friend curled up next to his fireplace. After a pleasant conversation with the stranger, you decide to stay a bit longer to escape the cold. You end up staying all through Christmas Day as romance blooms.
135. Newly engaged and beyond happy, you are preparing to bring your fiancé home for the holidays to meet your family for the very first time. So far, the two of you have had an idyllic relationship, but the true test will come when the parents and siblings come into the picture and dredge up the past.
136. You're spending the holidays away from family this year, having recently moved overseas to Japan. Expecting your Christmas will be uneventful, you plan to hunker down in your PJs and watch your favorite holiday movies. However, you soon discover that Christmas Eve is a romantic holiday in Japan, similar to Valentine's Day, in which couples spend time together and exchange gifts (and, for some reason, eat lots of fried chicken). A new acquaintance asks you out, and you have your first ever first date on Christmas Eve.
137. You're in charge of organizing this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting. When one of the singers scheduled to perform during the show flakes out at the last minute, you scramble to find a replacement. As you work through your rolodex, finding that—not surprisingly—every singer you know is unavailable, you worry that the lighting will be a disaster. Then you find one person who says he can be there in 15 minutes and pull off an acapella performance—but only if you go on a date with him. With no other options available, you agree.
138. You're trying to get back to your fiancé for Christmas but a major snowstorm prevents you from flying. Luckily, a generous stranger offers to drive you across country in his truck. The crazy cross-country trip may be more than you two bargained for when sparks begin to fly.
139. Sometimes love at first sight means via social media, right? When you double tap the Instagram promotion for a new holiday basket company you never expected anything to come of it, let alone for the owner of the company to message you…or to spend all of Christmas Eve night chatting with handsome businessman.
140. You're boarding at a school overseas, and most students are going home for the holidays. You can't afford the trip, so you've decided to stay despite the fact that you miss your family. A charming classmate whose father is a teacher at the school invites you to join him and his family for Christmas. During the break, you relearn what Christmas, and love, are all about from a new perspective.

Inspirational

The lovers in these stories experience a spiritual journey that results in a strong bond not only to each other, but also to their religious beliefs. There are usually consequences for sinful behavior, and redemption arcs are common.

141. You're a famous gospel singer, spreading the word of the Lord with your God-given ability to sing. Your gift has brought you around the world and back again, but it's also brought you a busy and lonely life. One day, you are overjoyed when you accidentally bump into a member of your church hundreds of miles from home. You talk about memories of your hometown and, when he admits that he has always had a thing for you, you smile and tell him that you feel the same way. You believe this was meant to be. However, your faith and love are challenged when it is time to go to your next gig. Will you stay with your one true love or continue spreading the word?
142. You were a rebellious teenager who fell in with a bad crowd far too young to understand the consequences. After years of struggling with addiction, you leave rehab looking for a new way to go about your life. You find resolve in your faith and depend on the pastor of your church for moral support. He knows everything about your past, but still embraces you as an important part of the community. One day while helping set up a food drive, you bump into the pastor's son. You instantly fall for him. However, you believe that the pastor would never let you two get close as he knows too much about your sordid past. At first you keep your feelings to yourself, but over time things begin to blossom between you and the son. You just hope that when his father learns of your relationship, he will have enough forgiveness in his heart to let your love continue.
143. Your local church is about to close down due to a lack of attendance. Although you have fond memories of going as a child, you haven't gone in years and don't really care what happens to the church. But then your former Sunday school teacher comes knocking on your door to ask for your help in saving the church. He's much more handsome than you remember, and you agree to help him in order to get to know him more. What you don't expect is to have your faith renewed and your love for God come on as strongly as your love for the new man in your life.
144. It's been a long journey from the small town where you were raised to the big city where your burgeoning PR business is making a name for itself. But there's one complication you never could have planned for: the boy who shows up claiming to be your son. When his mother rushes in after him, you realize that, although you might leave your home, it never really leaves you. The preacher's daughter is as beautiful as she was at nineteen. You turned your back on her and her faith when you left the town ten years ago. But now, as you get to know the son you never knew you had and re-meet the woman you'd tried to forget, you realize that sometimes God's plans for you are a little more complicated than you'd ever guess.
145. A quiet stranger moves to town and joins your grief group. As a widow, you're open about your struggles and how the church has been there for you. The new man never says anything but attends every meeting and every Sunday service. Despite his stoicism, you find yourself drawn to him. God works in mysterious ways, you've learned, and there's nothing quite as mysterious as the stranger in your parish.
146. If there's one thing you know, it's that good faith models after good practice. So you do your best to always set a good example of the life you're meant to live for your family and your community. But when a betrayal comes to light and your marriage is threatened, you have to ask yourself if you are sticking with tradition and good faith or following your heart and what you believe God asks. Although you know in your heart that faith trumps family, you find yourself on the outskirts of your community when your ex-husband refutes blame and tries to sully your reputation. When it seems impossible to come back, a new parishioner sees you in a way you stopped thinking was possible long ago. With his support, and your firm belief in your mission, you learn that sometimes following faith isn't the easiest path, but it is always the right one—and that hearts can heal no matter how deep the break.
147. You've found the love of your life but he is not a Christian. Can you still follow the Bible and follow your heart?
148. A deeply religious Christian couple fails to resist temptation and engage in premarital sex. The next morning, they are unsure how to deal with their actions. The man is willing to ask God for forgiveness. The woman is devastated, and doesn't think they can continue their relationship. She feels that she has failed God, and needs to find a way to seek God's forgiveness and forgive herself.
149. You've never given faith much thought. You're not exactly atheist, but you wouldn't claim to be agnostic either. You're just uninterested. But when an accident leaves you hospitalized until you're able to heal, you meet a nurse who cares for you, holds your hand gently, and prays over you. You wonder if there's more to this universe—and yourself—than you ever knew. If there is, you think she must be the key.
150. Your co-worker at the office is a quiet, kind, and patient woman. Whenever your bosses give you a tight deadline for a report, you cuss and swear but she emails you links to useful data and documentation for your report. When the delivery guy gives you the wrong order, she shares her homemade sandwiches. One day, your co-worker hands you a box lunch that she had made just for you. Already smiling, you open the box and find a note: "God loves you, and so do I."
151. After an acrimonious divorce, you leave your hometown to work overseas as a missionary for a year. You meet another missionary who catches your eye, but he doesn't speak your language. You will have to find a way to bridge the communication gap for love to grow.
152. You're a practicing atheist, which means you avoid all churches, spectacles, and other religious nonsense that rages on around you. But when a freak storm traps you and the pastor in a cabin with nothing but a fire and conversation, you realize that things might not be as they've always seemed. Maybe, just maybe, there's something to what the woman is saying. The light of day seems too bright, and a promise to attend worship with her brings doubt, but you've got to try. You realize that a connection this deep has to count for something.
153. A handsome widower moves into town and becomes active in the church as a channel for his grief. You become friends and try to help him heal and learn to love again. Friendship quickly turns into romance; however, the widower's faith and commitment are questioned when the father of his late wife visits and learns of the budding romance. His father-in-law believes that starting a new relationship is disrespectful to his deceased daughter. You must bridge the gap between these two grief-stricken men and prove that the new love you have established is not a betrayal of the late daughter's memory.
154. After a lifetime of running from your family's traditional expectations, you find yourself in the one place you never thought you'd be: the sanctuary of a church. You've got nowhere else to go and no one to turn to—except, maybe, the one thing you've been avoiding. The handsome pastor promises to help you find your way again. You slowly realize that sometimes the road less travelled is the one you were always meant to go down. With the promise of love, faith, and happiness on the horizon, you have to ask yourself: Can this be your home now?
155. You are a successful career woman who's become a bit jaded, returning to your old hometown to try to find something you have lost along the way. You run into a high school crush who is now an unmarried pastor, and the reunion allows you to reconnect as you find that some things never change. This rekindled romance allows you to get your old self back, finding that faith and love were what you were missing all along.
156. Devout your whole life, you're dedicated to preaching and spreading the gospel. But when a new man moves to town with a dark and mysterious past—and no patience for the community you've built—you're faced with your toughest challenge yet: love and cherish a man who is against everything you stand for. With a burly exterior and matching attitude, he tries to fight against your efforts to draw him closer until suddenly you both realize there's more at stake than just a religious conversion. To be together, there's always a give and take, but can you get through to the man you're developing feelings for? Or is love not in the cards?
157. You and your fiancé have been blessed to be propelled on the path to missionary stardom after being chosen as the fresh young couple to lead your faith in educating and welcoming youths across the world. From brochures to posters to video interviews, you and your love have become a symbol of inspiration. However, the stress of public life has been a constant challenge, and your relationship with each other as well as with God has suffered as a result. How will you handle the fame and pressure that comes with spreading God's word?
158. A difficult home life has led you to make choices that have given you a bad reputation in your small town. Embracing this image, you have grown into a reckless troublemaker with a stony heart. At the town's annual fair, you hear an angelic voice singing a hymn that gives you goosebumps. You follow the voice and discover it belongs to the preacher's daughter, who you know is devoted to her faith. You are the last man she'd be interested in, but you can't ignore the attraction you feel to her. As you pursue her, she challenges you at every turn. Over time, your stony heart softens as the light of her love and faith fill your life.
159. Despite being widowed a decade earlier when your husband died of a heart attack, you're still sure of three things in your life: family, faith, and football. But when a football accident leaves your son in a coma, you lose it all in an instant. As a single parent, you spend all your time split between the hospital and work. You're angry with the coach, with the other team, with God—and with a handsome preacher who seemingly, infuriatingly, is everywhere. From the hospital hallways to the checkout line at the gas station, he's the one constant you've got in the world while your son lies unconscious in the ICU. The only problem? He wants you to forgive. As your faith dwindles, the preacher remains steadfast in his mission: to help you see God's will in your life, even when it hurts. As your son starts to heal, you realize it's not just your family and faith healing. Your heart is healing, too.
160. Your dance group rents out the church basement for practice every week, but you've rarely ventured above into the church itself. Religion has always made you uncomfortable, and you generally avoid it at all costs unless it is part of a wedding or a funeral. However, a scheduling mishap, followed by a desperate pastor looking for volunteers, leads you to help out with the church bake sale. While organizing the event, you meet a handsome parishioner who challenges your lack of faith and opens your heart to greater possibilities.

Military

In these stories, one or both of the lovers are part of the military, and their experiences in the armed forces affect who they are as characters. Military-driven situations tend to be the source of conflict and serve as the foundation for romantic interaction.

161. You receive the news every spouse dreads: Your wife is missing in action and presumed dead. The Chinook helicopter she was piloting crashed in Zabul province within the Spin Ghar mountain range. So far, no one can approach the wreckage due to adverse weather conditions, but you can feel that she's still alive, somewhere nearby that location. You are determined to find her, so you gather your mountain climbing equipment and take the next flight to Afghanistan.
162. You spent the last five years living through hell together as soldiers, with only a few brief moments apart. Now you're in your respective homes, halfway across the country and you can't help but think that what you had together might have been something more.
163. Recently returned from war, you've been told by the doctors that you might never see again. Then you meet someone who seems more broken than you are, and you unite in your shared pain to help each other find meaning in a world that doesn't make sense anymore.
164. Your boyfriend returns from war after suffering a severe head injury that impairs his memory. He doesn't remember you, despite the fact that you have been in a relationship with him for more than two years. You work with him day and night to help him regain his memories, showing him pictures and videos of his past and talking about what you have done together. Nothing works, and he begins to question everything, believing that you are some sort of spy assigned to interrogate him. His conspiracy theories become increasingly outlandish, and you start to give up hope. However, one day, he remembers something from his past. You are overjoyed when he remembers you and your love, but when the memories of war begin to terrify him, you must help him cope with a fear that, until now, was in the deep recesses of his mind.
165. When your spouse returns from Afghanistan, you are elated. You were so fearful for his safety and feel relieved that the worst is over. However, you are unprepared for how much PTSD and culture shock would isolate your loved one from everyone once he returned home. You struggle to show your love and find ways to connect.
166. You're a third-generation soldier, proudly decorated and always ready to serve your country and your people. After three tours in Afghanistan, you barely think twice before signing up for a fourth. But then you meet her. She's everything you've ever wanted and a million things you never even dreamt possible. As you prepare to ship out in a week, the woman you love promises to write. Unfortunately, when you arrive back on base, things aren't quite as they seem. You discover a conspiracy involving your commander and certain members in your regiment, and now you face your most difficult challenge yet: Do you get in line, do your work, and go to home to the one you love or do you investigate your commander and find the evidence that will expose the conspiracy? One thing is for certain: If your commander discovers your investigation, everyone in your life will be at risk, including the love of your life.
167. You've been out of the military for ten years, a civilian in all the ways that matter. But your life lacks meaning—not from your lack of service, but from the woman you left behind. She went missing on your last mission, and you've never been able to forget her. You never told her the truth, told her that you loved her, and the mistake eats at you. Even a decade later, it consumes you. One day you open your door to find her standing on the other side.
168. You are a young woman living near an American military base in Japan during the post-WWII occupation. You have met and fallen in love with a handsome GI who wants to marry you and take you to live in his hometown in Indiana when his tour ends. You love him, but you are reluctant to leave Japan and everything you have ever known. Things get even more complicated when your family threatens to disown you if you leave.
169. It's a fairy tale romance: boy soldier meets girl soldier on base, falls in love, and marries the girl. You've been with your spouse for three years now and, even though the war rages on and you're in combat, you're together. Then a run-of-the-mill raid goes sour, and your spouse is declared missing in action. Before you can get any information, you're called to the frontlines. Now you have a choice to make: follow your duties and commander or become insubordinate, abandon your post, and search for your spouse. For you, it's really no choice at all. You leave, with nothing more than a pack on your back, while two armies continue fighting to the death and you an enemy to both. Your spouse might be dead for all you know, but one thing's for certain: You're not leaving this place alone.
170. In WWI Russia, you believe your lover is going to propose marriage. Instead he suddenly departs with the army, leaving you with no plan for a future. Should you embrace the nearest friend in this war-torn world? Or wait, fanning the faint hope that your true love is alive somewhere and will return.
171. You are a prosthetist working at Walter Reed, and your newest patient is a hard case: a handsome young veteran who lost both of his legs in a roadside IED explosion. He is so depressed that he can barely even look at you during his first appointment, and he tells you that he hasn't felt like a whole man since losing his legs. As you get to know him better, you begin to develop feelings for him. You realize you want to give him more than a new set of prosthetic legs. You want to give him your heart.
172. The last thing you remember is being shot down on the battlefield. When you wake up, you are standing in the middle of a crowd of people with a bomb strapped to your body and your hand fastened to the trigger. You scream for help, but everyone thinks you are a terrorist, except for one woman, who sees the truth in your eyes. Together, you seek help.
173. You sign up at eighteen. At nineteen, you leave for special training. By twenty, you're the youngest Navy SEAL on your team. They call you baby and kid, but you don't mind because you know why you're there: do the job, protect your country, have your team members' backs. They have yours, too. But then you're sent on a CIA covert operation without them, with no one to have your back, and you start to question just how you're ever going to pull this one off. When all hope seems lost and you question whether you will even be able to complete your mission, you meet her. She's perfect—sweet, pretty, and, best of all, the daughter of the man you've been sent to kill. Perhaps she will be the ticket to get you in the same room with your target so you can complete your mission. But when you fall for her, you have to decide between your country and your love.
174. A soldier home from deployment moves into the house next door to you. He befriends your dog after experiencing a PTSD panic attack one night. He's closed off, but gradually opens up to you.
175. You receive word that your husband has been injured and is in a coma. He is a POW in a country where the Geneva Convention is an afterthought and women have limited rights. Despite all of this, you must reach him because you are a surgeon with a significant amount of experience treating his specific type of injury. You believe you and you alone can save him. Against all odds, you weave your way into the country so you can perform the surgery before it is too late.
176. You wake up in the dark. Being one of the first female soldiers to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course, you thought you were ready for anything. However, nothing has prepared you for this. You remember that you were scaling a ridge on a solo mission. Something happened, and now you can't make out anything in the darkness. As your eyes adjust, you see a man in the distance, but you have no idea if he is a friend or foe. When you hear his voice, a smile comes across your face.
177. He's a handsome, recently-returned vet dealing with PTSD and you're a nurse working at a VA hospital. You grew up watching your father struggle with his own memories of Vietnam and always regretted being unable to help him. You extend your hand in friendship, hoping you can make a difference.
178. A sniper is part of a special security mission for a US ambassador in a war zone. You're the ambassador's daughter he can't help but fall for, no matter how much distance he tries to put between you. But a dangerous situation requires him to decide to save you, or the ambassador.
179. You wake up one day, alone in the desert, with no memories, no keepsake, and no name. The heat only intensifies, and the questions follow suit, but you never find any answers. You eventually decide that it's okay to live like this, so you find a job, a house, and a name that works well enough in a village you've never even heard of before. Years pass, uneventfully. Then one day you see him, and a lifetime of memories rush back. Not all of them are good. The love for your beloved is almost as sweet as the biting pain from your time in the war. To save a child and his pregnant mother, you defied orders and became a criminal to your own country. Do you go back to that life, with a man you love but a history you'd sooner forget, or keep living the simple life you've built from the ground up? You've always believed true love conquers all. Now it's time to put that belief to the test.
180. You are the wife of a soldier who is missing in action and presumed dead. His best friend, who survived the war, offered you comfort and companionship, and over time love blossomed. A year later, you learn that your husband is alive and is coming home. Now you must confess to him that you have moved on—or have you?

Paranormal

Within these stories, there is a romantic relationship between a human and a supernatural being, such as a vampire, werewolf, demon, shapeshifter, angel, ghost, or witch. Overcoming forbidden love is a major plot device for this subgenre.

181. You always thought of death as just a vast nothingness, a rest that was eternal. When you actually die, however, you find that this isn't the case at all. You wake up—exhausted—and realize that you're still on Earth. You're incorporeal, and no one can see or hear you. You are a ghost. You get over the shock quickly enough, and then boredom sets in. In fact, you're absolutely out of your mind with boredom. Years and then decades pass as you roam the streets. One day, many years after you first awoke to this pitiful excuse of an afterlife, someone looks at you—not through you, but at you. Then he speaks. He can see you. You're determined to know why. As you get to know him, for the first time in ages, you feel love.
182. In a world of angels and demons, humans are a rare commodity, and any who survived The Great War are in hiding. Now, years after the war started, your little brother has gone missing. The elders forbid you from searching for him, claiming it is too dangerous, too volatile. You leave anyway, only to run face first into a handsome renegade angel, with a sword in hand and death in his eyes. He sees your desperation, your humanity, and promises you one thing: He will help you on your journey or die trying. With your brother missing and humans being sold to the highest supernatural bidder, you don't have time to be wary. It's you and one broken angel against a whole world.
183. You are a busy bank clerk with no social life but a great love for reading fiction. One day you read a book about a fairy. As you keep reading, you find yourself gradually falling in love with her. One day she flutters into your bank.
184. You are a rich merchant in medieval England and hire a servant girl to work in your shop. You fall for her and plan to propose to her but rumors are she is a practicing witch. You don't believe it until you discover strange objects such as melted wax and bird feathers under your bed.
185. You are a werewolf slayer whose duty it is to protect humanity from the Lycan hoard. However, you never anticipated that your true love would become the one thing you were trained to kill. You didn't get to her in time, and she was bitten before you could intervene. Yet the law is the law. She must be slayed before she harms others. There is no chance of her changing back. But you just can't bring yourself to do it. Now you must protect the one you were sworn to destroy.
186. You're used to a life of general monotony; after all, being a vampire for the last two hundred years has left you with a lot of downtime. You've perfected most musical instruments, read every bestseller ever, and are a pretty good woodworker now. But no amount of hobbies can ever really fill your day, and you're starting to feel the slow grind of boredom even more acutely. Then, you meet him: smart, funny, handsome, and, unfortunately, human. He captivates you in a way that no other human has in your two hundred years. You have to be careful to not let your secret slip, to not let him know the truth about you, but it's worth it for this friendship—for the energy and life that he offers you, just by existing. But when a tragic accident occurs and he is injured with no signs of recovery, you have to make an impossible decision: Do you let him die a human death and lose him forever or do you curse him to an afterlife that even you don't want just so you can keep him in your life?
187. A deep voice sings each night, a haunting song unlike any you've heard at the recording studio where you work. Each night, you listen and fall in love until one moonless night you seek its origin, finding a handsome ghost who wishes he had tasted love before death stole him away.
188. It is hard for an aspiring witch when the black cat you have loved for 10 years suddenly dies. While burying him out in the garden, a spirit approaches you, informing you that he has been trapped within the cat for the entire decade. When you look closer at him, you realize that it is your ex-boyfriend, who disappeared during high school. Everyone just assumed that he dropped out of school and ran away. He was always the rebellious type, after all. He tells you that there is a way to bring him back to life as a human, but you'll have to dabble in some black magic to make it happen.
189. Yes, you used to be in love with a vampire, but you were just seventeen and emotions were running high. You broke it off with him before you left for college and, although it was weird to go back to the real world, you knew it was the right thing to do. But then students at your college begin to go missing. Bodies are found on campus drained of blood. When your roommate disappears and then your new boyfriend, you've had enough. It's time to put on some garlic, grab a stake, and end this relationship once and for all. You just hope you can resist his irresistible charms.
190. When your fiancé is killed in a car accident, you struggle to cope with the loss. One day, in a therapy session, you do a role-playing exercise where you speak with your fiancé and talk about the future that you never got to share. After the session, he follows you home and helps you grieve until you are ready to let go.
191. You awaken handcuffed to your bed, with your wife of 10 years standing over you wearing a witch's hat. She is saying some sort of incantation as she sprinkles something over your body. You feel woozy and fall back asleep. When you wake up, it is Saturday morning, and your wife greets you with a big smile and a kiss. You have a hard time remembering what happened last night, but everything rushes back to you when you notice a witch's hat stuffed into a duffel bag in the corner of the bedroom.
192. Your elders have raised you to hunt vampires, who are the closest thing to a demon that you will ever encounter in this world. According to your elders, vampires have no morality to speak of; all they want is to feed. You are hard-wired to hate these evil creatures, until you meet one and learn the truth. They only drink the blood of those they want to mate with, marking their territory. When one of them drinks your blood, the passion instantly runs through your veins, and your life changes forever.
193. The love of your life is bitten by a werewolf and doomed to spend his life turning at every full moon each month. After consulting with a witch, your love acquires the "cure," which he drinks just before he turns. It "cures" him all right, trapping him in the werewolf's body forever.
194. Something about the new guy in school intrigues you. A loner yourself, you can't fight the magnetic draw you feel to him whenever you lock eyes. One rainy night, while driving home, lightning pierces the sky, enveloping the new guy as he stands on a hill. Worried that he may be hurt, you race up the hill to find his body crackling with electricity. He is overcome with emotion and reveals that he is a Nephilim. The reason you feel connected to him is because you have loved each other for years. His father, the God of all Gods, wiped your memory to keep you apart because it is prophesied that together you will have a powerful child who will rule the Heavens.
195. During a business conference in the Greek islands, you hear a sweet and soft song floating on the air from a distance. You walk down the beach, following the sound, and find a woman in the water beckoning you to come closer. You move closer before sitting down on the beach to listen to her voice. Days pass and you become too weak to stand. Nevertheless, you remained entranced by this creature. Suddenly her singing shifts to crying, and she tells you that, although she is the last of her kind, she cannot bear to devour another victim. You vow to help her, not knowing if the love you have for her is true or is a result of the siren's curse.
196. It's the height of the witching hour, risky for an ambush, but it's your job as a witch hunter to take risks. Suddenly, you're frozen by magic. You see a familiar face, only to hear, "I'm sorry. I do love you." The world goes black.
197. You are new in town and determined to blend in and keep a low profile. After securing a job at a local coffee shop, you manage to convince everyone that you are a normal human and not an incubus with a dark past. When a human regular at the coffee shop starts taking an interest in you, you can't help falling for her. Just when you become comfortable in your new routine, an unwelcome reminder in the form of your succubus ex struts back into your life. Before she can blow your cover, you must reveal the truth about yourself to the woman you love.
198. The night of a full moon is one that you dread every single month. After losing your fiancé to a tragic accident a year ago, you're wary of the moon and the animals that seem to prowl each time it fills. The police call you hysterical in your grief, but you know that something doesn't add up with the so-called dog attack. Something happens in the woods of your town each month, and you're determined to find answers. You're alone in the woods when you hear it: loud, vibrating howling, followed by the sound of animals running toward you. You try to run away only to trip, and then the dog is on you. It's big, huge, a wolf like none other you've ever seen. The wolf stops, a paw on your chest, staring down at you. There's something familiar about its eyes. Suddenly you understand. Contrary to what the police told you, your fiancé's body wasn't too shredded to identify because this wolf—somehow, someway—is your fiancé. As the sun rises while you sit there, staring at him, you see the wolf's body ripple and change until your fiancé is sitting naked before you. The only thing you hear before passing out is him saying your name.
199. Working as a paranormal hunter is hard enough without throwing romance into the mix, but when a fairy you recently banished starts stalking you on the job, you realize something has gone wrong. In your overworked state, you messed up the pronunciation of a single word that turned your banishing spell into a binding contract of marriage in ancient fairy lore. To break the unwanted union, you and your new spouse must travel to the fairy world, where you encounter all the fairy you banished—who now want revenge.
200. Your wife died just a year after you were married, leaving you nothing but an empty house and broken dreams. You are about to sell your house when you see your wife's reflection in the bathroom mirror. Days later, she appears again, this time as a reflection in the bedroom window. She speaks to you, saying, "I will never leave you. If you open your heart to me again, I can come back."

Regency

With their own unique plot and stylistic conventions, regency romance stories often contain intelligent, fast-paced dialogue between the protagonists. Common themes include social activities among the upper class and marriages of convenience.

201. Your father is one of many advisors to the Prince Regent and, through him, you have access to all of the upper-class gossip. You enjoy exchanging information about the latest scandal with your circle of friends. However, some are quite displeased by what you are sharing and would like nothing better than to get back at you for what you have said. When your diary goes missing, you fear that it will be found by someone you spoke against and that you and your true feelings will be exposed. Instead it is found and read by the man you have been eyeing for the last few months, and things get even more complicated than you expected.
202. You're a hopeless romantic. Although the ton can be tiring and you're not exactly pleased to be on your second season, you're trying to maintain a positive attitude. After all, your dance card is always full, and you've received two separate proposals. Thankfully, your parents agreed that neither match was advantageous enough to warrant your displeasure. But you've barely got a week left of this season, and no one has your eye. You're worried you'll be forced into a marriage that you don't want just because you're aging out. One suitor is nice enough, but there's no spark. Still, when he asks for your hand, you feel forced to say yes, deciding that perhaps a love story is just not in the cards for you. Yet during one visiting, you meet his cousin, the dashing Duke of Essex. The spark is instant—as well as the trouble you find yourself in.
203. You have no desire to wed—now or ever—but your mother has other plans. Tired of her constant matchmaking and not-so-veiled "chance meetings" with eligible ton ladies, you decide to go against her wishes and embarrass her in the process. During one of your mother's huge soirees, you propose to a quiet mousy serving girl in front of everyone your mother deems important. You have no intention of actually going through with it, but hope the shock of the fake engagement will end your mother's ridiculous attempts. You never planned on actually falling in love with the lass.
204. You are tired of the obligations that society places on you, the Duke's daughter. Although you are already betrothed, you are still expected to attend social events, which bore you to tears. You can barely contain your irritation when forced to make small talk and gossip with the other ladies of the ton, who are still trying to find their perfect matches. You are comfortable with your engagement to the affable and amenable viscount. He may not be the most urbane catch, but he is kind and will take good care of you. You do not worry that he is not a love match, like the other silly girls dream of. You have no wish to be swept off your feet with the silly feelings of romance. Then you meet the viscount's brother. As dashing as he is daring, he takes your breath away and makes you second-guess your decision to settle for comfortable.
205. Mistaken as a "lady of the night," you are accosted by an English nobleman. You are able to fight off his advances and end up knocking him out, but in the process you lose your coin purse and your footman runs off. Now you have no choice but to "borrow" some coin from the brute who attacked you to get a ride home. You tell no one about the incident, as you are not supposed to be out unaccompanied. Several weeks later, at a seasonal ball, you see none other than the brute who attacked you. Only now, you realize he is not riff-raff, but one of the wealthiest men of the town, and he's interested in your hand in marriage! How do you explain your aversion to the advances of the most eligible bachelor in town without giving away what happened? It doesn't help that his version of events is that he was attacked and robbed, and now the local authorities are looking to make an arrest.
206. You've grown up a child of old money, the second child and only daughter of a long and dwindling line of aristocrats. Your overprotective big brother keeps you away from potential suitors. However, you are smitten by his best friend, who often visits to play lawn bowling. You begin to wonder if his gaming endeavors are just an excuse to get closer to you.
207. You are a middle-class silver-fork novel author, fictionalizing aristocratic life for the masses. You often pose as an aristocrat for research purposes, getting gossip as a member of the inner circle. One day your own "secret" affair becomes the talk of the town. What will you do?
208. You have been dubbed the "Ice Princess" for your unwillingness to accept any suitor's hand in marriage—and there have been plenty. Many have been excellent matches from prominent and wealthy families, but you have not been even remotely interested in any of them. However, time is running out, and your father has finally put his foot down, demanding that you marry to secure the family's position, both financially and in society. Instead of giving you the option to choose, he has now chosen for you, and his choice is none other than your worst nightmare. This viscount has been a thorn in your side since your first coming out season. You've always found him to be quite high-handed, arrogant, and utterly distasteful despite his incredibly good looks.
209. Everything is going exactly to plan. Your three daughters are all in season and are extremely popular; their dance cards are always full, and you've been approached for several proposals. You're eager to marry them off—not because you don't love them, but because you very much do. When your husband died more than ten years ago, you learned just how terribly lonely it can be without a partner. You want your daughters to be happy. You've given up on happiness for yourself, happiness like that, but you're okay with your decision because you know your daughters will be happy. You've told yourself this so many times that you almost believe it. Then you meet him. A dashing rake with a reputation so big, it's stretched all the way over to you. You warn your daughters to stay away from him. He's older and likely uninterested, but you can never be too safe. But when you meet him, everything changes.
210. You have spent the majority of your life living in the shadow of your gorgeous and vibrant younger sister Charlotte, who is everything your parents had hoped you would be: beautiful, outgoing, graceful—society's perfect darling. You, on the other hand, are introverted and clumsy, and you prefer to have your nose in a book rather than interact with society's elite. When asked to teach literature at an all-girls boarding school in Dansbury, you jump at the chance. Out of society's eye, you are free to be yourself without worrying about what others think of you. Unfortunately, you find that there is one person's opinion you can't help but want to impress. Master William Hattenburg, the dean of the school, has captured more than just your attention. He has stolen your heart as well.
211. It's your first season in London, and you're not sure if you're more nervous or annoyed. The ton isn't exactly your scene. Despite feeling ready for marriage, you are uncertain you're ready for the season of romance. You're tired of the preening and the monotony, and you know the other girls are, too, although they hide it better. The one exception is the Duke of Essex's daughter. It's her third season, which is almost unheard of for someone so well-connected and beautiful. You find yourself drawn to her. She sees through the same boredom that you do, and you are both surprised by the instant connection. When an aristocrat offers her marriage and she considers it, you're shocked by your own jealousy. You wonder if you have found love at the ton after all, but with her—a woman.
212. When your wife and child die during childbirth, you vow to never marry again. What you had with her was real love, not a marriage of convenience. She was the love of your life. You close the manor and send away all but the minimal staff possible—you aren't able to look at any of them, watch them mourn your wife as you do. When your wife's cousin shows up in need of help, you want to turn her away—you really do—but you can't. She comes in and opens the curtains, and you hate her. You hate her because she reminds you of your wife and also because she's nothing like your wife. You keep hating her until you don't. But can any amount of feelings overcome the guilt?
213. With no family money to speak of, no title, and no longer considered of marriageable age, you are about to be cast out of the only home you've ever known. Desperation forces you to decide between options you never thought you would have to consider: either work at the brothel as a common prostitute or try to secure your place as a wealthy lord's mistress. Selling the last of your family's silver, you commission a dress for the final ball of the season—a masquerade ball. Without a formal invitation, you must sneak your way in, but you are determined to succeed as you have only this one night to secure your future.
214. You've been a risk taker and gambler all your life, only this time you've gone too far. At risk of being stripped of your title and your wealth, you must marry and rise to your position of responsibility or be cast out by the family's matriarch. A determined bachelor, you are not too keen on marrying, but you have no choice. With your back against the wall, you choose Constance Danvers, the quiet and unassuming daughter of your father's long-time business partner, mostly because you feel like she would make a good and respectable wife. She knows she is an unwanted wife, and the marriage is strained from the very beginning. Only when you face the greatest trials of your life do you realize that your feelings for Constance are deeper than you believed.
215. As a recent widower with two young children, you aren't interested in finding a new wife. Your mother, however, strongly disagrees and wants you to remarry as soon as possible, securing an even greater income for the family. From your perspective, you have retained a curtesy in all your late wife's land, so there is little need to remarry for wealth. All you want is someone to care for your two young children, who are in desperate need of a mother-like figure. When you request a nurse from the agency, expecting a dour, middle-aged, no-nonsense spinster, and are quite shocked when you get quite the opposite: a young, whimsical, and quite attractive woman. You are skeptical of her abilities and her teaching methods are a little suspect, but her credentials are impeccable, and the children seem to love her from the start. Over time, you find yourself drawn to her as well, rekindling feelings you never thought you'd have again.
216. Despising the stringent restraints that being a lady of society requires, you delight in exhibiting reckless and audacious behavior at every turn to spite your parents. You turn your nose up at the suitors who wish for your favor, as you know they do not have your best interests at heart. They only want the dowry you bring. One night at a dinner party you bump into a dashing young man who, like you, wants nothing to do with high society and openly mocks it whenever possible. Both of you decide to team up and, over time, you fall in love.
217. As the youngest of seven sisters, you are told to wait your turn for marriage, but you can't help but fall for a handsome gentleman who comes to town on business. You decide to pursue him even though your mother has been eyeing him for sister number five.
218. You are the daughter of the Earl of Devonshire, a once respected and sought-after man of wealth and stature. However, a scandal has thrown his reputation into disrepair, and you have almost given up any hope of marriage until you meet the impossibly handsome Earl of Castleberry, your father's new business partner. The Earl is not just a savior to your father's fortune and reputation; he is everything you have dreamed a gentleman can be and it looks like he has eyes only for you. However, after you marry, you discover that your Earl has secrets of his own that threaten to shatter not just your trust, but also your heart.
219. It's been years since you've travelled to the city. The last time must've been when you were socializing at the ton to support your younger sisters. You didn't find a wife in London, but that didn't really upset you much as you are never going to marry. You enjoy your quiet country life too much. Even your mother has long since stopped trying to convince you to find a bride and family. Still, you dutifully support her and your unmarried siblings, so when your sister comes to call and begs you for help, you say yes, of course. Her husband's cousin needs a place to hide from a laudanum-addled ex-suitor and requests to stay with you. Although skeptical at first, you can't turn the young girl away any easier than you could tell your sister no. After all, it's not like it's going to change your life if a woman lives with you—right?
220. Handsome, wealthy, and well-respected amongst your peers, you are one of the ton's most eligible bachelors in all of society. Known far and wide for your shrewd business deals, cunning intelligence, and irreproachable character, mothers and fathers alike throw their eligible daughters at your feet. Sure, they are all beyond beautiful and come from respectable families, but you know their "desire" for you is manufactured. Not a one strikes your fancy—that is, until you meet the delightful and mysterious Lady Midnight. She is both stunning and sassy and ignites a flame within. The only problem is, she is a courtesan.

Romantic Suspense

The romantic suspense subgenre involves characters in peril who overcome immediate danger, falling in love at the same time. Life-threatening situations and ruthless villains create thrills and tension throughout these romantic story arcs.

221. As a nature photographer out on an assignment in the woods, you witness a man burying a body. You snap a photo and quickly turn to leave. However, you trip over a tree root, and the man hears you fall. He drops his shovel to chase you. You run from the unknown killer, going deeper into the woods. As evening comes, you find a tiny ramshackle hunter's cabin and stop to hide. The ruggedly handsome hunter who catches you breaking in offers to help you.
222. You make a great team – one is the driver, the other takes the money, and you are the lookout. The three of you have been successful bank robbers for six jobs now. As the police begin closing in, you find yourselves in conflict—one never wants to stop, the other wants out of the game, and they are both in love with you.
223. A handsome new associate in your father's crime syndicate catches your eye. You know there are rules about this sort of thing but you can't help falling for each other. When it turns out that he is actually an undercover FBI agent, you must decide between love and loyalty.
224. It has been a decade since you began working for a notorious crime boss, and now you want out of the game. When he gives you the task of acquiring a collection of rare paintings and switching them with counterfeits, you tell yourself this is your last con. Your job is to pose as an art dealer so you can get close to the owner of the paintings and make the switch before anyone notices. When you arrive at the home of the owner, you discover she is a beautiful, young widow who has inherited her husband's estate. Over several meetings, you develop feelings for her, which causes you to doubt whether you can deceive her and carry out the con.
225. As a senior detective in the special victims crimes unit, you are hunting down a serial killer who targets young college women. The clues lead you to a reclusive billionaire with a "devil-may-care" attitude. But something is off. It's just too neat when all fingers point to him. However, you can't help but question your motives as you find yourself drawn to him in ways you've never felt before. Can you put aside your own desires to find out if he's really a serial killer or will your passion get in the way of doing your job?
226. You are a white-collar criminal who has embezzled a fortune, and your secretary has accidentally downloaded evidence of the crime. You go to her house to cover your tracks, but end up falling for her instead.
227. You are working deep undercover to infiltrate a drug ring. While walking down the street with one of the traffickers you are trying to bust, you run into your ex, who greets you by your real name. The trafficker immediately assumes you are a narc and pulls his gun on you. You manage to jump out of the way and escape with your ex in tow. Now that your cover is blown, you have no choice but to keep yourself and your ex alive.
228. Your editor wants you to investigate a case that was considered closed until a recent murder bore the signature calling card of the Black Lily Killer. The problem is the Black Lily Killer is currently in prison, serving a life sentence, so the police are trying to keep this one under the radar. After securing an interview with the Black Lily Killer, you run into his daughter who is also visiting him. She is an accomplished lawyer who doesn't believe her father committed the murders he was imprisoned for and is determined to prove his innocence. When another murder takes place, the two of you join forces and set out to uncover the truth.
229. You and your neighbor have been dating for more than a year, and you have fallen in love with him. When he offers to cook you a beautiful meal at his house, you think he's going to pop the question. You are ready to commit to him. When it's finally time for dessert, you can tell the magical moment is about to happen. Then you notice the red laser lights focused on him. Confused, you point them out to him. He glances down and pulls you both out of the way just as a stream of bullets shatter the window. Under the cover of the dining table he tells you he is a contract killer and his agency is here to terminate him.
230. While hiking through some unfamiliar woods, you realize you are miserably lost. As the darkness sets in and the temperature drops, you stumble upon a cabin deep in the forest and find that it belongs to a handsome writer who lives alone. There is something electric between the two of you, and you connect on a level you have never experienced before. When someone pounds on the door the next morning, the cabin owner pushes you behind him and motions for you to stay quiet.
231. There's been a rash of break-ins at your store. The police officer they keep sending is gorgeous, funny, and kind. Everything you're looking for, but how do you make the first move? You keep tripping the alarms! Great plan, until you find out it's totally illegal, and you're about to be arrested by the handsome cop.
232. You come home after filming on set all day to discover a pool of blood on the floor of your mansion and your wife missing. The police arrest you. Once the media gets wind of the situation, you know their stories will ruin the reputations of you and your wife—both famous movie stars. You reluctantly call in a favor to your ex, who works in the DA's office. You hope she's forgiven you for cheating on her with the woman who eventually became your missing wife because she might be your only chance to prove your innocence.
233. You're a detective solving a slew of murders. Your head is throbbing from the sleepless nights. Just then a stunning woman walks through your office door. She says she has something that could change the case and your life.
234. After a nasty divorce, you begin dating again by using apps. You meet a seemingly flawless man, but after a few months of blissful dating, you have an encounter with an FBI agent who is investigating him and wants your help. The agent asks you to do some digging into your boyfriend's personal papers to determine if this is the guy the FBI has been hunting for. The more you uncover, the more suspicious you get, and you find that he may be as dangerous as the agent believes. As you do your best to help, you grow closer to the agent, finding that—despite all his flaws—he is an incredible man.
235. During your early morning jog, you find a child crouched in the bushes, half frozen. He says he is hiding from his foster family, and the last thing you want is for him to be sent back because he seems so scared. You take him home with you, but he convinces you not to call the police yet. That night, a noise wakes you up. When you get up to check on the boy, you discover that he is gone, along with most of your valuables. Your attractive next-door neighbor knocks on your door, saying he saw someone fleeing from your home. He has the first few letters of their license plate. The two of you team up to find the robbers and the boy, who you know is being used unjustly.
236. You are lost in the middle of the jungle with your clumsy and absent-minded co-worker. Under these adverse circumstances, you get closer than you ever thought you would.
237. After witnessing a mafia murder, you are accepted into the U.S. Federal Witness Protection Program and relocated to a small farming community in the Midwest. You meet a handsome local farmer, and you begin to develop feelings for each other—until he discovers that you have not been honest with him about your past. Things get even more complicated when the mafia learns of your location.
238. You are a jewel thief trying to get out of the business, but you agree to take one last job before going straight. The money seems too good to be true—enough to set you up for life—so you can't turn it down. However, there's a catch. You need to steal the jewels from an auction house where your former lover is the head of security. It's been more than ten years, but the pain of his betrayal is still very real. Your plan is to get close to him again to learn the ins and outs of the auction's security system. You didn't plan on falling back in love with him.
239. You're an ambitious investigative reporter determined to uncover who's behind a string of jewel heists in the city. You find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time one night, and a handsome detective has to come to your rescue in order to save your life. The problem is, those behind the crimes now know who you are.
240. As a recently retired detective, you are surprised to receive a call from your former captain asking you to come into the station to help question the suspects in a murder investigation connected to one of your old cases. At the station, the captain briefs you on the details: A man was killed by blunt force trauma. There is no sign of a murder weapon. There are two suspects: the man's wife and his mistress. As you interview each suspect, you are drawn to the mistress, who is beautiful and has a brilliant mind. Your bias could be affecting you, but you are sure she is innocent.

Science Fiction Romance

This subgenre places a love story within the settings and tropes of science fiction. Common themes include high-tech innovation, space exploration, living on other worlds, aliens, robots, and virtual reality.

241. After a violent android uprising, life on the space hub you call home has finally settled down. Things are different now. There are security guards around every corner and a curfew for non-biological life forms. However, it is a small price to pay for peace—or so you thought. When the android you've been best friends with for the last five years goes missing, you barely know where to begin. The police are no help, and soon you don't know who you can trust or what to do. All you know for sure is that, if you don't find him soon, you might never get the chance to tell him you're in love with him.
242. You are an advanced alien life form sent on a special mission to Earth to exterminate all humans, who have repeatedly demonstrated their negative effect on space. When your pod malfunctions and crashes, a kind human woman saves you. Now, you are conflicted between the love you feel for her and your mission to destroy her race.
243. Your life didn't work out the way you had planned. Instead of being a successful race car driver, you are now flipping burgers at a fast food joint while your social life and love life are non-existent. Your only form of enjoyment comes from playing videos games—and you are grateful for the escape. When the first virtual simulation game hits the market, you are excited for a whole new level of distraction. This simulated reality game requires you to perform tasks physically in real life to unlock achievements in the game, and you feel pain when injured. Your skills that normally go unused in real life make you a top player within the gaming world, and you draw the attention of a fellow female player who you fall for. But will your relationship be able to translate into the real world or are you doomed to experience life through a simulated reality forever?
244. Your ship crashes on a planet not found in any of the navigation charts you were given back on Earth. You wake up after the crash and venture outside only to find yourself in a spaceship graveyard, with dozens of empty, crashed ships strewn about in the wreckage. Right in the middle is a humanoid alien standing on top of a ship. The handsome alien stranger grins and calls you by name: "We've been looking for you." He holds out a hand. You hesitate, then—still unsure—place your hand in his.
245. You weren't prepared for the phone call in the early hours of the morning, especially since you've been working overtime, but your boss wants you to come in right away. When you arrive at the government research facility where you work, your boss grants you special access to an underground facility you didn't even know existed. Within a glass prison you see something that you can only assume is an alien species. You are tasked with conducting studies on the alien and reporting your findings. Over the weeks, you begin to realize that the alien is reading your mind; it is also becoming more human-like in appearance. One day you walk in and find that it has taken on the form of your recently deceased wife.
246. An alien group abducts a group of Earthlings for the purposes of experimentation. When a female alien begins to study one of the Earthling males, she begins to sympathize with him and falls in love. She plans an escape from the main ship with him to a nearby planet where they plan to carve out a new life for themselves.
247. You're one of the last surviving humans on Earth. Most others abandoned the planet soon after the final world war. After five long years of not seeing another person, you stumble upon an alien spacecraft. You try to run away, but are captured and brought back to the ship. When the mysterious alien leader sees that you're sick and alone, he takes you under his protection. You fight against it at first, but eventually realize that his intentions are pure. The more time you spend together, the more you come to respect him and his alien nation. Although it doesn't make sense, at least not at first, you feel something a bit more than respect: you start to fall in love.
248. Your uncle funds a space exploration program and convinces you to join the team of astronauts exploring a new planet. When you arrive on the planet, you realize that it's barely habitable, but there is a strain of evolved humans that somehow manage to survive there. As you learn more about this strange species, you fall in love with one of them, but the rest of your team perceives these beings as threats and wants to eliminate them once and for all.
249. A scientist captures you and your best friend while you are visiting Earth in disguise. You're not sure what the human wants from you, but it quickly becomes clear that it's nothing good. Your best friend is tortured before being taken away, and the scientist tells you he'll be back for you soon. You manage to escape, but now you find yourself alone on an unfriendly planet. You don't know who to trust or where to go. You meet a human male who offers to hide you while you figure out how to get home. You weren't expecting kindness from a human, let alone love and affection, but the heart wants what the heart wants—especially when you have three of them.
250. As a general of the Android Armies, fighting against the humans who first created and are now trying to oppress you, you're good at your job of leading your fellow androids in battle. You are known for being calculated, controlled, and unflappable. But when your soldiers find a human in your camp—the human woman you once loved—you're faced with your biggest challenge yet. She says she's here for you because she still loves you, but with the end of the war in sight and a win for the androids so close, you have to ask yourself if you trust her. Do you let yourself be with the woman you've never been able to get over or listen to your fellow androids and decree her an enemy?
251. The aliens have integrated nicely into your society, and peace has been maintained for nearly two decades. You were young when they first came and can barely remember a time before the two societies existed as one. But when protestors start to cause agitation, you realize that maybe things aren't as good for the aliens as you thought. You wonder if it's worth all the fuss, but then you see human peacekeepers attacking a defenseless alien on the street for no reason. You try to protect him, but he is ultimately arrested. The more you dig into the mistreatment of aliens in your city, the more you become convinced that an insidious underbelly exists. The only ally you find is an alien who has been an activist and agitator for many years. He's wily and furious and out of control—and right. You become unlikely close friends in a battle for alien rights.
252. You and your wife never wanted to work on the experiments, but as two of the most talented geneticists in the country, your superiors put pressure on you to conduct cross-species DNA mutation. You know that animal and human DNA shouldn't be spliced, and the unearthly screams from the mutation room torment you to no end. Your wife decides to reveal the truth about the horrible experiments to the media but dies in a freak accident before she can. Doubling down on work to distract yourself, you continue conducting the experiments. One night, you venture into the mutation room and find a creature that intrigues you. There is a sadness in its familiar eyes that speaks to you. With a jolt, you realize that this is your wife.
253. To preserve the energy aboard the space station you call home, you and two hundred volunteers are placed under cryogenic sleep for a hundred years. It is a tough choice to make, but it is the best option for your colony and the advancement of humanity. Coldness sets in. Everything grows dark. You know nothing else. Suddenly, you awaken, and everything rushes back to you all at once. Your century of sleep must have ended. You are excited to see your friends, but when you climb out of your pod, the only person you see is your girlfriend, who has a gleam in her eye as she says, "It's just you and me."
254. Incredible advancements in nanotechnology have allowed humans to protect themselves against almost any virus or disease by receiving a mandatory shot of nanoparticles once a year. While attempting to get your annual nano shot, your handsome new doctor refuses to administer it, causing government agents to surround the clinic. "You don't know what they're really doing to you," he says. Something tells you to trust him. Now on the run with the mysterious doctor, you learn about the sinister side of nanotechnology and how the government uses it to control the population.
255. You are the captain of a spaceship on a government mission to travel through space to a mysterious planet and retrieve a powerful object. Once you arrive, you realize your leaders lied to you. The planet is inhabited by a gentle alien race that doesn't believe in violence. The powerful object you must acquire is the daughter of the alien leader. Although you are now questioning your orders, she agrees to come with you quietly, and you find yourself drawn to her kind nature.
256. There is nothing in the world you dislike more than being mocked by a room full of men, except maybe the tight corset and ridiculous dress society expects you to wear. These Oxford scholars understand nothing about the steam-powered flying contraption you've created, which you plan on using to explore uncharted lands across the ocean. In order to secure Oxford College's funding, you must grin and bear their arrogant questioning and misogyny. Luckily, one handsome scholar takes you seriously and agrees to privately fund you—on the condition he can join you. Together, the two of you set out to prove those pompous scholars wrong about your innovative invention.
257. One day you wake up and find yourself on a world you've never even heard of before. Here, species of all kinds—aliens from across the galaxy—live in peace and unity. You're told that your entire planet was under siege, so a wealthy alien family brought you to their world to save your life. As an orphan with few friends, you adjust quickly to the new world, but some unanswered questions prickle at your new life. When looking around the new town, you find another human—the only other one you've seen so far. The more time you spend with him, the more you both realize that there's more than meets the eye here in the alien world you've both been brought to. Yet when presented with the option to return to Earth, you have to choose between going home and staying with the man you're starting to fall in love with.
258. One day, a mysterious object appears in the sky. Governments around the world are unable to destroy it and declare a global emergency. The mysterious object begins to glow one night. Your wife turns to you as her body shimmers in the same way and says, "It's time for me to go home. Come with me."
259. You are on an expedition to find a planet that humans can colonize. Rule number one is to not engage with any sentient life. You never thought it would be an issue; after all, living beings are rare on new planets. However, the planet you're sent to investigate is home to various creatures, many of whom are highly intelligent. When you're attacked by locals after an excursion for wildlife goes wrong, one alien risks everything to save you from his people. You never meant to disobey your orders. It was a situation you could not avoid. However, you don't think your superiors will understand if you fall in love with this alien. It is a temptation that is hard to resist.
260. Your whole life is planned out and has been set in stone for years: finish your medical residency, get a job as an attending, marry your fiancé, have two kids, and live happily ever after. With your residency ending in two months and your wedding scheduled for the third month, you're ready for the rest of your life to begin. The only hiccup occurs when you come home early from work and see your fiancé fixing his arm with a soldering gun. The love of your life has been lying to you since the beginning: He's not human at all. He's an android.

Sports

Whether it's football, baseball, basketball, or motorsports, these stories are about falling in love with a professional athlete. Usually the source of conflict stems from the athlete's lifestyle, including the fame and fortune inherent in professional sports.

261. Your big brother invites you to his favorite baseball team's season opener. While the two of you talk in the stands, the people around you jump out of their seats. You look up just as a fly ball hits you square on the head. You're taken to the hospital to ensure that you don't have a concussion—which you do—and the batter himself visits you in the hospital. He asks if he can do anything and, in your half-dazed state, you stammer "how about a date?" When he says yes and smiles, you are not sure if he is really interested in you or is just trying to make you feel better. When he comes to your apartment a month later dressed to the nines with a bouquet of flowers in hand, you realize that it is not some sort of benign gesture.
262. You are a sports psychologist on staff with a professional basketball team. You are passionate about your job, but have very strict rules about never getting personally involved. Your resolve is threatened when you meet someone who makes you question everything, and you have a decision to make.
263. Being an NFL cheerleader is not nearly the glamorous job everyone thinks, but you love the sport and the athleticism of cheering, plus it gives you some part-time income that you desperately need. What you don't love is the objectification and occasional disrespect you receive from both fans and players. When a loudmouth fan throws his hot dog at you during one of your dance routines, a rookie quarterback comes to your defense and gets the fan ejected from the stadium. After the game, the player comes over to introduce himself. You thank him for the help and exchange numbers. The following week, he texts you to ask you out. Dating football players is frowned upon in the NFL, but you say yes anyways.
264. You're just getting out of an abusive relationship and decide to reclaim your life. Your brother puts you in touch with an old friend at a boxing gym, a former professional fighter who will help teach you how to defend yourself. You're wary of your trainer at first, but despite his tattoos and edgy appearance, he's kind and gentle, and you can't help but fall for him. However, he is not ready for a new relationship, especially as he was just dumped by a woman in love with the famous boxer and not the man he truly is. Things get even more complicated when you see your ex outside your apartment building and fear that he may be stalking you.
265. When you wake up one morning to find 100 text messages and several missed calls on your phone, you know something bad has happened. In fact, bad is an understatement. It turns out your star NBA player fiancé was caught making out with numerous women in a club last night. Now facing a PR disaster as your face is splashed across every tabloid magazine in the country, you're not sure if your life will ever return to normal. Somehow, you get through the toughest weeks of your life, but just when you feel like you are in a good place, your cheating ex shows up on your doorstep.
266. You are a personal chef hired by the coach to cook exclusively for a star NFL player, who turns out to be an extremely picky eater. Basically, what he ate as a child is the only things he eats as an adult. What starts out as a trying working relationship quickly leads to fun in the kitchen and romance.
267. You pull the head off the heavy mascot costume, sighing as a cool breeze from a fan chills your flushed cheeks. As you step out of the rest of the costume, you notice one of the basketball players standing behind you. Number 4. "I didn't realize you were a girl," he says. "Or pretty."
268. You're the daughter of the head coach of an NFL team. You dad's rules are clear: no relationships between you and any of the players. You have never wanted to challenge the rule—until the guy you tutored in college and had a huge crush on gets drafted to your father's team.
269. You're in charge of a sports publicist firm that represents a baseball team in need of serious PR spin when a bad-boy rookie flips his SUV after a night of partying. He's trouble with a capital T, but after spending some time with him, you realize what really happened during the accident and discover he's not such a bad boy after all. You are drawn to him and start a secret romance while worrying that word about your relationship might get out, which would put your reputation and career in jeopardy. You try to keep things on the downlow, but this baseball player is anything but low-key.
270. One night while walking home, you're attacked by a person hiding in an alleyway. A mystery man comes to your rescue. You later learn that he is a prominent MMA fighter. Your would-be attacker learns this as well and plays up his injuries to press charges against the fighter. As an up-and-coming attorney, you take on the fighter's case, defending him just as he defended you. Little do you know that this will be the start of a true romance.
271. You're the personal assistant for a famous professional baseball player, and you finally admit that you've fallen head over heels in love with him. However, he doesn't notice your affection and treats you like an employee. After a whirlwind romance with a local reporter, he decides to marry her after only a few months of dating. You don't like her one bit. When he asks you to buy the engagement ring, you grudgingly agree, but while trying to figure out her preferences you discover that she has been cheating on him. You decide to find hard evidence and expose her for what she truly is.
272. When you were young, you were friends with a neighborhood boy who liked the same things as you. Both of you were dirt poor, but it didn't seem to matter; as long as you had each other, there was always a make-believe adventure right around the corner. He grew up to be a star basketball player and, now that he's wealthy beyond imagination, seems to have forgotten where he came from. You haven't talked to him in years, but a death in the family brings him back to the old neighborhood, where you reconnect and reintroduce him to the life he left behind.
273. After your divorce from a star NFL quarterback, you've sworn off relationships with athletes. In fact, you've sworn off relationships altogether. Then you meet the quarterback for the biggest rival of your ex's team at a local bookstore, where he is signing copies of his new memoir. He recognizes you from various industry events, and you discover he's everything your ex never was.
274. There used to be only three things you need in life to be happy: money, baseball, and your freedom. Now that you're playing pro, you have everything you ever wanted—but feel that something is still missing. Could your gorgeous new physical therapist be the key to your happiness?
275. He is formidable in the rink and, when he is out of it, he is surrounded by a flock of adoring female fans. As the star hockey player of the decade, you are certain he has an ego, but when he walks into the bar where you work, you are surprised by how down-to-earth he is. As the night goes on and he starts buying you drinks, the electric connection between you is undeniable. When a drunken kiss between you is photographed, you are not prepared for the media storm that hits.
276. How do you start small talk on a date with a famous footballer? Do you admit that you have about a million posters and jerseys at home or pretend you've never watched a game in your life? No more time to think—your date has just arrived.
277. Your kid sister is getting bullied at school and asks to take karate lessons so she can learn how to defend herself. You don't want her fighting, but you do want to empower her, so you enroll her in some basic classes at the gym. The sensei is a gorgeous semi-pro fighter, and he's so sweet with the kids that you can't fight off your attraction to him. You decide to sign up for private lessons with him, hoping to get to know him better.
278. It's tough being taken seriously as a female soccer player, but as the star of the team, you are determined to win the world championship series. When your coach of several years passes away suddenly and a new younger coach is assigned to train your team, you must fight your growing feelings for him because he is exactly the kind of distraction you don't need at the most important point in your professional career.
279. You promised your high school sweetheart that you'd support him throughout his pro football career, and now, seven years later, he is the poster child for the NFL. You are doing your best to remain by his side, but you are also forging your own path as a personal trainer. As the two of you start to drift apart, will your relationship survive the pressure or will fame get to him?
280. You're an orthopedic surgeon assigned to help a star basketball player get back on his feet after a sidelining injury. He's not exactly your favorite patient, but over time, you realize there's more to him than the arrogant front he shows the media.

Time Travel

Made popular by such titles as Outlander, this subgenre focuses on encounters and conflicts between lovers when one (or both) have time traveled to be together. The love interest often has to make a decision about whether to return to his/her own time period.

281. You should have known it was too good to be true when the caretaker dropped the price of rent in half, but after your disastrous relationship fallout you need a fresh start and the tiny town of Adare in Ireland sounds perfect. The village is straight out of a fairy tale, and you quickly fall in love with the spirit of the people and the land. As you explore the town and its hidden treasures, you stumble across castle ruins that hum with life. In the basement, you find a cheval mirror covered in dust. It has odd looking Celtic runes on the sides. You know a few of the runes and speak them aloud. As you do, the mirror begins to ripple like water, and you are transported through time. You are immediately captured as a spy and taken to the king, who is as ruthless as he is handsome. You have to convince him to spare your life so you can try to make it back home, but at what price? And with the heat that flares between you and the king, you may have to decide where home may truly be.
282. One day during your travels as a knight-errant, you come upon an old woman being threatened by a pack of wolves. You rescue her and escort her back to her village. While riding away, you are thrown from your horse—and through time. You wake up hundreds of years in the future, in a world unlike any that you could have imagined. You have no friends or allies… until you meet her. She's unlike any woman you've ever known, and you soon realize that you've never known true happiness without her. One night, you hear a sound and go to investigate. You see the same old woman from the village. She tells you that, because you saved her life, she has given you the gift of being with your one true love. However, since you had to travel through time to find her, the old woman is unsure how long this spell can last.
283. You're just enjoying your day off from work, thinking about maybe watching that new movie that people keep talking about, when the literal air splits around you and a man appears out of nowhere. He's tall and handsome, and he tells you that he's been sent from the future to protect you. You think he's crazy—except you did see him come from nowhere. When he grabs your hand, you feel a spark. This man is here to save your life—and change it forever.
284. You are desperate for money to pay your rent, so you sign up to take part in a clinical trial, despite it being a little vague on the details. You're not complaining because the money is great! But when they strap you to a machine with a dozen different wires, you start to worry. It's too late to back out now. After a flash, the room fades. You wake up in an alleyway, confused and disoriented. When a car flies overhead, you know something has gone wrong. Somehow, you have ended up in the future. Panicked, you find the nearest floating police station, but the officers laugh you out. One of the officers believes your story and offers to help you. As the two of you grow closer while trying to unravel the mystery of what happened to you, your feelings for her grow too.
285. If you get assigned to the fryolator one more time, you are going to lose it. You hate your manager, and you hate working at Burger Hut, but most of all you hate the smell of French fries cooking in a rancid vat of oil. You clock in, tie on an apron, and—surprise, surprise—Ken has you on fry duty again. Jerk. You go into the walk-in freezer to grab a bag of frozen fries, but when you turn around, the freezer is gone. In fact, the entire Burger Hut is gone. So is the year 2020! You discover that are on a potato farm in rural Ireland in 1545. You don't know what to do, until it dawns on you that no one here knows how to make a French fry. With your advanced knowledge on the subject, you could make a ton of money and become a lord or something. You knock on the potato farmer's door, introduce yourself, and discuss your business plan. After a minute, he slams the door in your face. You begin to lose hope, but when the farmer's beautiful daughter approaches you and expresses her interest in your food invention, you think you have found your business partner—and perhaps something much more.
286. It's been ten years since you woke up in the 1980s. Born in 1605, it was a hell of a culture shock to wake up in a world you never could have imagined in your deepest dreams. You've created an okay life, and you've even managed to get a job working in a local bakery, using the skills you learned as a young boy. You're in love with the cashier at the bakery—a beautiful woman who is smart, kind, and so unlike any other person you've ever met. She doesn't know the truth, but how could she? How could anyone? You're going to propose so you can live happily ever after together. But then the night you're headed to the restaurant, ring in hand, you slip and fall back into time, waking up in the 1600s once again. You don't have any more answers than you did the first time you time travelled, but you do have a clearer plan: This time, you've got to get back so you can find your way back home to the love of your life.
287. It has been a week since your wife died, leaving you feeling hollow and alone. She was the missing piece in your life, and you would give anything to have her back. While visiting her grave, a mysterious man appears and informs you he can grant you the ability to travel through time and save your wife. The catch? Every hour you spend in a different time shaves a year off your own life.
288. A handsome stranger moves to your small town, and all the single women are desperate to impress him. As a shy bookworm, you spend your time working at the local library and reading the classics. You are surprised when the newcomer frequents the library daily, reading old journals. The two of you bond over your love of books, and there is something different about him that makes you fall for him. One day after he leaves, you chance upon one of the books he has been reading, which details the town's history. You are shocked when you look at a picture of the town's founders and see someone who looks identical to the newcomer.
289. Your life was uneventful until New Year's Eve, 2019, when a strange portal opened in the air in front of you and a panicked figure ran out, claiming to be from the future. She said she wanted to save you from government agents from her time, who were about to travel here to kill you. She explained that, sometime in the future, you will create a technology rendering all other energy sources useless. You laughed, telling her you are a broke college student who eats ramen three times a day. Before you could convince her she had the wrong person, another portal materialized.
290. Your wealthy brother takes you on vacation to Morocco, but when the plane lands and you exit the airport, you realize it is the Morocco of ancient times. You turn around to talk to your brother, but he and the airport are gone. When you yell for help, you are picked up by a handsome horseman, who takes you to his tribe. Communication is difficult, but the language of love crosses all boundaries—even those of time.
291. You are a time traveler and on your latest journey you meet and fall in love with a beautiful but mysterious woman. When your lover suddenly vanishes before your eyes, you realize that she is a time traveler as well. You move through time again and again in an effort to find her.
292. Your lover leaves you for somebody else, but you can't live without her. You find a way to travel back in time to discover what you did wrong and figure out how you can make things right. You can control time. But can you control free will?
293. You're not a fan of time travel. It's expensive, it's dangerous, and the regulations don't allow you to alter the timeline anyway, so why bother? Besides, you spend your days and most of your nights working on the tech to keep the machines running, which doesn't leave you with much spare time. But one day, as you're fixing a minor issue in the data mainframe, a woman comes storming in with a gun and demands you go with her—to 1854. She takes your key card, which is the only way to activate the machine, and off you go. You don't know anything about that time period, but you don't have a choice in the matter. Yet the further the adventure goes and the longer you're with her, the more intrigued you become. This woman is on a mission and, as mysterious as she is, you find that you can't help but believe her. You're also starting to think there's more between you than just happenstance—that she chose you for a reason.
294. You have no idea where you are or what's going on. You woke up in the middle of a forest, surrounded by men in old fashioned army uniforms and guns. You screamed, but they were unimpressed, refusing to break character. You think it's a game, a joke, until a man in a different colored uniform jumps out from behind a tree and shoots one of your captors dead in the chest. You scream again and pass out, but when you wake up, you're still there. Despite being born in the 1990s, you realize you're now in the middle of the American Civil War. Your only ally is the handsome, mysterious soldier that puts you on his horse and protects you from the other men there. But can you really trust him? Can you trust anyone, especially with a secret like this? You have no idea how to proceed, but as the gruff but kind soldier continues to keep you safe—both from others and this new, dangerous world you find yourself in—you think maybe there's more to this mysterious man than you originally thought.
295. You and your husband are inventors who finally discover the secret to time travel. You agree that this year's vacation will be to New York in the 1960s. Unfortunately, something goes terribly wrong, and you both end up in separate eras, lost in time. How will you find your way back to one another?
296. Life in the Scottish Highlands in the early 1600s isn't always easy. Luckily, you work for a good lord, who is always kind and considerate to his workers. Although the kitchen is hot and the work is tiring, you are happy with your life. But one night, as you're readying for bed, a strange man appears out of nowhere. He tells you that there will be a fire and he is here to save you. He grabs your hand and before you can say anything, you're somewhere new. He tells you that you're in the twenty-first century. You call him a liar, a witch, but he explains that he is a time traveler who has brought you to his time to protect you. You don't believe him, but you also don't know how to explain what you are seeing around you. You bide your time to survive, all the while learning that there's more than meets the eye with the handsome, mysterious captor.
297. You've been lost for nearly as long as you can remember—jumping from year to year, from time to time. You never stay for long, and you cannot control when or where you land. One day, after being thrown from ancient Greece to the Roaring 20s in America, you find yourself stuck. You're unsure what's changed or how long this reprieve will last. Then, you meet him. He's handsome and charming. Weeks turn into months. He tells you that he loves you, and you realize that, for the first time, you are in love. This must be why you've been lost in time: You were looking for him all along. You tell him as much. You fall asleep in his arms. When you wake up, you are in 1670 Russia. You don't know how, but you know you must make it back to your love, whatever the cost.
298. When you wake up one morning to find that your wife has aged by fifty years, you wonder if you had one too many tequila shots the night before. Your geriatric wife manages to tell you she is not from this time, but a traveler from the past who has been trapped here for years. As a result of this, the aging process of her body isn't working properly, and she needs to return to her own time to survive. The problem is her rapidly deteriorating memory means she can't remember where she hid the device that allows her to travel in time.
299. You usually try to ignore your eccentric aunt when she calls, but after receiving an urgent voicemail from her, you decide to make sure she's okay. It turns out she's been busy inventing a device that enables you to travel through time and she wants you to test it out. Thinking this is some new crazy game of hers, you play along—and get transported to the 1980s with no way to get back to your own time. As your grim reality sets in, you head to the nearest bar to get a strong drink to calm your nerves. The bartender is witty and captivating, and you begin to feel something for him, but what happens when you find out he's someone you know in your present?
300. You're walking through the forest when you find an antique locket on the ground. You open it and recognize the face of your fiancé in the yellowed photograph inside. The other side of the locket is inscribed with a date from the 1800s.

Western Romance

If you like reading stories set in the Wild West or the contemporary American West, where the love interest is a rough and rugged individual, you'll love this subgenre. Common plot elements include ranching, wagon train journeys, bank robberies, land wars, and gunfights.

301. You know absolutely nothing about modern cowboy life other than what you see in movies and TV shows. You've never even seen a horse up close. But that's not what your fiancé thinks. You have been telling him for years that you know a thing or two about horses. It's not like you've been lying, just pretending that you know more. However, when he asks you to visit his family's ranch, you have to either come clean or do a crash course in riding 101. You choose the latter and hire an honest-to-God ranch hand with cowboy boots and a Stetson to teach you the basics before your trip. He's ridiculous, but also kind and handsome, and soon you find yourself looking forward to your secret lessons with him. As your lessons draw to an end, you find yourself sadder than you expected. You express this to him, and he gets serious, telling you that he's in love with you. You're shocked—not only at his admission, but also at your own feelings about it. Do you stay with the man you already agreed to marry or follow your heart to this cowboy?
302. You've been travelling west for months. The wagon journey has been tiresome, and you've grown increasingly weary of what waits for you when you reach your destination: a husband you've never even met. Your family has sent you off to a wealthy man on the other side of America and—knowing what's waiting for you—you hope the journey takes the longest time possible. Then the unthinkable happens: Outlaws raid your wagon train, and one outlaw even threatens to shoot you. A tall, handsome outlaw knocks the threatening man away and keeps you safe. You grab at the handsome outlaw's arm and beg him to take you away with him. Baffled, he agrees. You climb atop his horse, and he gallops away with you. When the adrenaline wears off, you still don't regret your impulsiveness. You and the man agree that, when you reach the next town, he'll give you a bit of coin and you'll be on your own, a new woman. But the days are long and you find yourself drawn to him—and he to you. You start to wonder if you really want to leave him at all.
303. A handsome cowboy is injured while tending to a wild horse he's rescued miles from town. You're on the run, and can't afford to stop on your way to Mexico – but you can't ignore the wounded man when you see him, and decide to help him despite the personal risk.
304. When your father is transferred west to open a bank in a newly settled area, it's a much rougher life than you had in the big, bustling city. Luckily, you love every minute of it. The local sheriff teaches you how to shoot a gun, and the bank is doing great business. Then the small town is rocked by a devastating attack from some local bandits. You manage to shoot one of them in the leg and, as the others flee, disarm the injured bandit only to discover that she's a young woman. You grow to love her as she recovers and tells you about the hard life she has led.
305. You're a down-on-your-luck lawman looking for a new job in the Wild West. Since being fired from your last position after refusing to charge an innocent man, you have been unable to find steady work. When a wealthy railroad tycoon overhears you telling your woes to a bartender, he offers you a job: Bring the person who killed his son to justice and receive a sizeable reward. You never thought of yourself as bounty hunter, but you can't decline the opportunity. A month later, you track down the killer only to discover that it is a woman who killed the son in self-defense. She's been on the run ever since. After hearing her story, you decide not to fulfill your contract and instead protect her from the tycoon hell-bent on revenge. You know that someday he will send more men to finish what you have started. You stay with her to make sure that this never happens, growing closer with each passing day.
306. You're an overworked accountant with little time for a love life. Desperate for a break, you join your girlfriends on vacation at a dude ranch. The handsome ranch owner is rough around the edges, and so are his books. He's about to lose the ranch and everything he's worked for. Will you extend your stay to help him out?
307. You own the best saloon for a hundred miles. You're no nonsense and good at your job: The saloon is clean, the barmaids are treated well, and the patrons are happy. But when an outlaw bursts in with guns blazing, your happy little saloon is at risk. A brawl breaks out, and one of your barmaids gets hit across the face. You pull your own gun from behind the counter to get everyone to stop. The outlaw points his gun at you, and you balk. This isn't just any outlaw; this is the famed bank robber, wanted dead or alive by every sheriff in the west. More importantly, he is your ex—the first and only man you've ever loved. The outlaw recognizes you at the same time as you do him.
308. When you receive word that your friend needs help with a cattle drive, you don't think twice about agreeing. You're not needed on your family's ranch right now, not with all your brothers to pick up the slack, so you pack a bag and head over first thing. When you arrive, though, it's clear that this is a tougher challenge than you expected as just yourself, your friend, and his cousin have to complete a difficult journey—not to mention how irritating this cousin is. He scoffs at the fact that you are a woman and proclaims that cowboys are "boys" for a reason. He's smarmy and conceited and, yes, the handsomest man this side of the Mississippi. You resent your attraction to him and how seemingly unimpressed he is with you. But when a camping mishap has you injured and him racing to your rescue, you see a different side of him: caring, attentive, and generous. He risks everything to take care of you. As you realize the depth of your feelings, you wonder if you two can find love together.
309. You're a city slicker now, but you'll always be a country girl at heart. A family illness calls you back to the ranch. You run into your old friend from childhood, who's now all grown up and a handsome cowboy. Your reunion isn't exactly sweet, since he thinks you haven't been true to your roots.
310. You're in line to deposit your monthly earnings at the bank when a man comes up behind you with a gun to your back. "Sorry, ma'am," he says with a southern drawl you can't quite place, "but I'm gonna need your help." He takes you hostage as his partner robs the bank. You're held in the back safe while he stuffs his bag and apologizes. You don't understand why until he pulls you up by the arm and says that you're going with them. You scream, but no one can help you as the bank robber throws you on top of his horse and gallops away with you. You're stuck with him as you ride out of town and into the unknown. He promises not to hurt you. You have no reason to believe him, but you do. There's something about this outlaw that you can't put your finger on, but you're drawn to him. Will your instincts be right, or are you crazy for trusting a bank robber?
311. Horses are your life—so much so that you run a ranch that rescues neglected horses. You're getting too many to take care of yourself, so you put out a call for some help. You end up hiring two men: one a little older with lots of ranch experience and one in graduate school who is working to become a veterinarian. As you see their passion for the horses, you begin to develop feelings for both of them.
312. During a road trip through Montana, your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, you find a nearby ranch where the owner reluctantly agrees to let you stay. The ranch owner is standoffish and rude, and you can't wait until your car is repaired. However, as you get to know him, sparks fly, and you can't help thinking this was meant to be. Of course, you've been living in the big city for so long that you must decide whether you can live a rancher's life or give up the man you love.
313. The Wild West is no place for a woman to be alone with her children, but when your husband dies on the journey, you don't have a choice. You're all the three younglings have. You're building a life for your family when a bandit comes to your small home to rob you. Seeing you there all alone and defenseless, he has a change of heart. He says he might be a scoundrel, but he's still a gentleman. Months later, you find the same man in town—this time with a noose around his neck because he stole a horse. You beg the sheriff to let the bandit go, but the sheriff refuses to listen to your pleas. Frantic, you lie and say that the bandit was at your home the night the horse went missing, adding that you are about to be wed. The sheriff believes you and places the man in your custody. After all, who would make up such a story to save a convicted horse thief? But you don't know what to do now. The bandit has to stay with your family for a while or you run the risk of going to jail as well. As you spend more time with him, you find yourself more drawn to him. There's something captivating about the mysterious bandit, and you begin to fall in love.
314. When your husband was on his deathbed three years ago, you promised him that you would keep his ranch business up and running since it has been in his family for generations. Yet despite your best efforts, you've barely been scraping by. Your ranch and your home have fallen into disrepair, and you are about to lose everything to the bank when a mysterious man comes into town and offers to help. This former rancher has been travelling for a while and is now looking for a place to settle for a bit. With more than a decade of ranching experience, he believes he can help you keep your ranch afloat. You agree eagerly, despite the warnings from your friends that he might be dangerous. There's something about him, beyond his captivating mystery, that is kind albeit broken—the same as you. Seeing him as a kindred spirit, you invite him into your life.
315. You like your cowboys rugged and a little rough around the edges, so the second he saunters into your saloon, you know you're a goner. It doesn't take long before the two of you fall hopelessly in love and get married. One day, a bounty hunter walks into your saloon in search of a man with a large bounty on his head. When he shows you the wanted poster for the man, you realize it is your husband.
316. You're the greatest barrel racer the Women's Professional Rodeo Association has ever seen. You've set record after record and constantly sell out every rodeo you go to. When a hotshot newcomer starts to steal headlines and win races, you're annoyed. She's basically a kid just out of high school, and she's all show, no finesse. Still, when the press asks if you'll race against her, you try to be a good sport. Then you hear her scoff and ask "would it even be a race?" Your blood boils. Who is this nobody cowgirl? You go to confront her and are surprised by the way you react to her: still hot blooded but it's not quite anger you're feeling. She's conceited and confident as well as snarky and smart as a whip. You become tongue-tied as you realize your interest in her. You walk away, humiliated. You're upset with yourself. You absolutely, irrevocably cannot have feelings for your worst enemy.
317. Seeking respite from the horrors of war, a soldier arrives for a long visit on his uncle's ranch. You are the town's only veterinarian, and when you make his acquaintance when you go over to check on one of the animals, you realize the soldier needs some TLC, too.
318. Tired of your life working in a textile mill in a congested East Coast city, you want to see the American frontier, which you have only read about in magazines. You are also getting a little too close to spinsterhood for comfort. You've always had a sense of adventure, so you decide to answer an advertisement placed by a California prospector seeking a mail-order bride in a local newspaper. Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?
319. You are a bull rider, and riding is the only thing you've ever loved. When your legs are shattered in a serious accident, your career is over, and you feel as if your life is over as well. The only bright spot in your days is your beautiful physical therapist, who gives you hope that you will walk again. You hope that you might even get back on the bull. She also stirs feelings inside of you that you never even thought possible.
320. You own the most successful and lucrative ranch this side of the country. It's taken generations of hard work, and you're proud of the property, but when your estranged cousin comes to town—lawyer in tow—everything you've worked for is threatened. The lawyer tells you that a clause in your grandfather's will indicates that the ranch actually belongs to your cousin. Baffled, you tell them that you will fight them in court. As the court cases starts, the lawyer and your cousin take up residence at the B&B on the property over. The legal battle rages on, and you find yourself taken with the lawyer trying to take everything from you. The lawyer is hard, unwavering, and uncomfortable with the ranch life that she is suddenly thrust into, and you find her exterior melting the more you show her how good a slow, happy life on the ranch can be. With the judge's decision only days away, you decide you're going to tell the lawyer how you feel—after all, what's the point of winning if you're alone at the end of the day?

Young Adult

This subgenre is geared toward younger audiences and features a protagonist between the ages of 15 and 25. The story usually contains youth-oriented tropes, such as coming of age, missing or neglectful parents, and star-crossed lovers.

321. The two of you are best friends in college. You ask him to fix you up with some of his single friends. He secretly likes you and decides to hook you up with friends that he knows won't work out. During the last disastrous date you go on, your date reveals the plan to you. At first, you're angry, but then you realize the lengths your best friend is willing to go through and you decide to try going out with him.
322. Being the new girl is always hard. You are shy and introverted, and you would much rather be surrounded by books than people. But now you're a senior in high school, and you want this year to be different. Tired of being the nerd and the wallflower, you decide to be someone else. Before you know it, you've caught the attention of the "in-crowd" as well as the most popular boy in school. As the school year and your crush progress, you worry that you can't keep up the façade forever. If you show your true self to him, will he still like you?
323. You've been having vivid dreams recently about a beautiful girl. This morning in class your teacher announces the arrival of a new transfer student. It's the girl from your dreams. She drops a folded piece of paper on your desk as she walks past you to her seat.
324. A year ago, your father was convicted of embezzling millions from his clients. You didn't just lose your father, but also your home, your social standing, and all your family's wealth. Forced to move halfway across the country to a small Podunk town with your mother to live near your grandparents, you hate everything about your new life. Then you meet him. He isn't the type of boy you are used to. He's a farmer's son who couldn't care less about social status. You think he's perfect, but your mother doesn't approve. She has lost everything as well, but she still clings to her old life and decides that he will never be good enough for you.
325. You are an 18-year-old girl who is in a hospital after receiving a heart transplant. You hear sniffling and glance into the hallway outside your room to see a handsome young man about your age wiping away tears. You feel inexplicably drawn to him and ask a nurse who he is. She tells you that he is grieving his girlfriend, who was killed in a car accident…and that you have received her transplanted heart.
326. Spending your summer at an all-girls camp was never your idea of fun. You'd much rather be hanging out with your friends, flirting with boys, and thinking about prom next year. Unfortunately, your parents had other ideas. You are determined to hate everything about it, but your cabin mate is unlike anyone you've ever met, and you find yourself drawn to her in ways you never imagined. You never felt this way about any of the boys you've dated. Is this just an experimental phase, or could this be what love really feels like?
327. You just found out that your girlfriend cheated on you over the summer. Heartbroken, you are convinced you will never love again. But then a new girl arrives in school, and you are asked to show her around. You play it chill at first, but her kind and bubbly personality thaws you and you can't help falling for her. However, she pushes you away, telling you that she is the last person you should fall in love with.
328. You are a recent college graduate who is backpacking through Europe. You just ended a difficult relationship and have vowed to spend the summer on your own. On a hiking trip in the Italian Alps, you meet a guide who has you thinking twice about that decision.
329. You hate your high school. All the other students are either dumb jocks or superficial airheads. You still have three years of surviving this small town, but you are counting down the days until you can go somewhere and meet some people you actually like—not these high school stereotypes. The worst is the police chief's daughter, an irritating cheerleader you really can't stand. But one day on your walk home you see her ex attacking her, and you jump in to fight him off. She's distraught and crying, so you calm her down and take her home. The more time you spend with her, the more she feels protected, and you realize that there's more than meets the eye with this girl.
330. You are in love with your best friend, but she has no clue. You have suffered in silence as you have watched her fall for the wrong guys over and over again. Graduation is coming up, and you are running out of time to tell her how you feel. Will she finally see that it should have been you all along, or will she break your heart forever?
331. He's a gamer and so are you. In fact, you're both so good at it, you reach top rankings in international competitions, and that's how you notice each other. But romance is more than a game—or is it?
332. A handsome working-class student at an Ivy League school is treated like an outsider by his classmates from wealthy families – except for you, who sees something in him that they don't. Can you overcome the obstacles of your very different backgrounds?
333. It's not much, but the little apartment you've got is all you need. You were emancipated from your parents a year ago after you discovered that they were taking out loans in your name to pay for their drug and gambling debts. You think that there's nothing life can throw at you that you can't handle. Then you meet her: fierce, unflappable, and kind. You are attracted to her instantly, but you are hesitant about pursuing a relationship. You are wary of getting close to others; you are simply not ready to trust people again. However, she's determined to show you that there's a greater amount of good in the world than there is bad.
334. You are a junior in high school dating the senior of your dreams. He is kind and sweet, but his wealthy parents look down on you because of your middle-class status. His snobby younger brother doesn't seem to like you either. After a tense dinner at your boyfriend's house, you run out in tears, running into his brother. The two of you get into a heated argument and, out of nowhere, he kisses you passionately. Afterwards, he tells you he doesn't hate you. In fact, he has liked you for years. Now you can't stop thinking about him or that kiss.
335. The boy with the glasses is all you can think about. He moved to your town over the summer and, now that school has started, you keep hoping you'll run into him. But he keeps to himself, never socializing or participating in anything except what the teachers ask of him. You don't know what it is about him that draws you in, but you can't fight it. When you're paired together for a school project, you think this is your chance. But he's more than just quiet—he's got secrets that you can't even begin to imagine.
336. After a car accident nearly took your life, you wake up from a coma. In the six months since the accident, everything has changed. Your best friend, who was behind the wheel when you crashed, is dead. All of your other friends have graduated and gone off to college without you. Meanwhile, your mom is busy working three jobs to pay your medical bills. You sit in your room in the rehab facility feeling a deep loneliness and depression that you never could have expected. One day you meet a new patient on the ward: a handsome football player who shattered his leg and thinks his life is over, too. The two of you work through the healing process together, growing closer each day.
337. Two camp counselors have been working at the same summer camp for four years. This summer is different—it's their last year at camp and their feelings for each other are changing. What will they do when the summer ends?
338. Tired of the pressure of college, you take a summer job at the beach to recenter yourself. It's the perfect place to unwind, decompress, and figure out who you are. You have a difficult time making friends, but there's one girl who's different than most. She's bookish and quirky, and not at all cool. But that's the best part about her. The social scene at college can be so cutthroat, and you like that she's not trying to one-up or sabotage you. You quickly become best friends, but by the end of the summer, you are so much more.
339. When you came out of a bad relationship, your friend was right there for you. She took you out for pizza and let you talk for hours. The experience has brought you closer, and you start to realize that you might have feelings for her. The only problem is that this friend is the same gender, and you've only ever been in straight relationships.
340. Excited to finally be starting college after taking a year off to work following high school, you're immediately overwhelmed by the workload and all of the new people. Always a bookworm, you seek the quiet and peace of the library, where you find an adorable nerdy boy with his head stuck in a book by your favorite author. You strike up a conversation with him and, even though he's not your usual type, you find yourself falling for him quickly. The two of you become inseparable—until he loses his scholarship.

Well, there you have it! We hope that these prompts have helped to inspire your writing. Thank you so much to all of the writers who helped create this romance prompt post. We couldn't have done it without you!

• Emma Canady
• GrammarMaven
• Lauren Meikle
• Nicole d'Entremont
• ShannonSays
• shaysieg
• Karishma Petersen