A romantic story, or love story, on the other hand is a different animal. Wutherington Heights, The Notebook, Love Story, Romeo & Juliet, are all very moving, romantic stories. But they’re not romances. jmo. I have no problem with romantica/erotica, but if you tell me I’m going to get a ‘romance’ then that’s what I want.

I think the real problem might be the definition of HEA? I can understand stretching the boundaries beyond the ‘oldschool expectations’. Personally, I just want to see some sort of commitment to the relationship/future and an acknowledgement of love. It’s not necessary for marriage/babies. But other readers will feel cheated if ‘I dos’ & impending pitter-patter of little feet isn’t promised bye *The End*. I haven’t read an Aphrodisia book yet, (there are several in the tbr pile) but it almost sounds like the H/h can go their separate way at the end of the book. Is this the case? If it is, then, imo, these are not romances, erotic content aside.

Now, I don’t write for Aphrodisia, so I won’t pretend to be an expert. And, seems to me the editor of the imprint knows what she’s talking about and doesn’t need me chiming in. I will say that many of the authors I’ve chatted with who write for the Aphrodisia imprint insist that they are writing romance and do not appreciate suggestions to the contrary. In fact, one published Aphrodisia author in the audience at the RWA Kensington chat raised her hand and said: “I write romance so should I be released through Brava rather than Aphrodisia?” An Aphrodisia author! Yeah, we’re all a little confused.

I’m thinking the confusion arises out of a few different areas:
(1) if Brava is romance and Aphrodisia is romance – what separates them, if anything, other than the guarantee of a satisfying/HEA ending, especially if many Aphrodisia novels have a satisfying/HEA ending;
(2) Aphrodisia is new and expanding and finding its way with many of its writers coming from ebook romance – it’s a bit of a work in progress and is doing really well, so whatever Sares is doing is working;
(3) there is a general discomfort with the term “erotic” both in relation to marketing and also in feelings experienced by some readers and authors in that many view “erotic” as porn and readers and authors don’t want to be associated with porn; and
(4) I still believe the blending between erotica, erotic romance, hot/steamy romance and all of these descriptions and labels do us all a disservice. I sat on an author panel recently where the discussion was these “hot” romances. All of us write them, but the level of sexuality differed in our work. And, the frustrating part is that we didn’t agree on the definitions. No one seems to agree, so that we’re left with a mess that probably is helpful in terms of getting books on the shelves but, as Jane points out, feels as if it lacks veracity on some level.

I am off to never speak of this topic again…

If is says Romance it needs a HEA.

I am online. I know what is being said about this line – that some don’t have an HEA and so I am very careful about what I buy from Aphrodisia. The majority of romance readers, apparently, are not. They go to the romance section and they expect to see romance. And for a publisher to blithely say “Oh, this was just a marketing technique because we didn’t want to be relegated to the self help section were Red Sage and the Penthouse Letters can be found because this would affect our sales” smacks of deceit, no matter how you color it.

This may be an unpopular opinion and I am not attacking Ms. Sares as I am sure that it was a group decision as to marketing but it is LYING to the readers when you promise an HEA by saying this is a romance and don’t deliver it. It really makes me angry. Kensington wants to have its cake and eat it too, at the reader’s expense.