In defence of the slow burn
and why I want the payoff to be earned
In a bookish world where spice is highly sought after, slow burn romance stories sometimes have to work a bit harder to get visibility. Because the very nature of slow burn means the characters aren’t (mostly, anyway) getting up close and personal in the first few pages.
They have to earn those steamy moments with each other and you, my lovely reader, have to earn it alongside them.
But why is earning it so important? Look, don’t get me wrong, I love a story where sparks fly as quickly as humanly possible as much the next person. But, for me, if I can’t FEEL the connection between the characters, I’m not buying it. So it’s not impossible, but it is harder to capture me with spice straight out of the gate especially when it’s not backed up with some kind of genuine connection in the scenes that follow. Bottom line, I need the romance!
I also want you to need the romance — the actual, felt, human connection — at least when it comes to my books.
There is something about the building of emotionality between two or more characters as their world unfolds around them that is irreplaceable. When the main characters are growing in their own right, living their lives and aiming for their goals, while also developing an attachment to someone they may or may not have seen coming, this is when sparks truly start to fly.
With every sideways look, the accidental touches that turn not-so-accidental, the way someone’s skin tingles in the presence of someone else … I want all of that. I want to live it right alongside the characters and, in those moments, I want my whole reality to consist of what is happening between them.
That’s not, of course, to say that the romance should be the only thing that the story focuses on — I have read, written, and loved stories where the romance is not the main arc. I will NEVER give up on those stories, even though, as I write, I happen to be writing romance-led books (because I love that too!).
For me, falling in love is a journey in and off itself and, while the payoff is important, I want to experience it every step of the way. I want to know that when things get tough for our couples (or throuples or more!) have built a foundation that their love and physical attraction will be able to stand on.
When I boil it down, I think it’s because this is what I want to see in the world — people that respect each other, as well as want to take all their clothes off, and people that will fight for the ones they love because we KNOW they love them with every fibre of our beings.
That’s why I defend slow burn, because it takes you for the ride right alongside your favourite characters. It makes you fall in love as well. And, often, it gives a lovely example of some of the relationships the world could have more of.
I’d love to chat with you more. You can sign up to my newsletter here: https://www.laurenparkerrhodes.com/
When you’re ready for your next sloe burn romance, you’ll find it here: https://www.laurenparkerrhodes.com/books