Gemini Rising

A look at paranormal romance

I thought I'd take a look at paranormal romance today. Paranormal romance is a very popular subgenre of romantic fiction. It finds its roots in gothic fiction. (Victoria Holt, anyone?) (Side note: I think I'll do a Victoria Holt day coming up. That sounds like fun. But I digress)

Elements of gothic fiction include spooky castles or mansions, secrets, and events that, while appear supernatural, have very natural causes. (that's the gothic twist!) In a paranormal romance, however, events occur that are outside the range of natural explanations, thus allowing for the supernatural.

Common the paranormal genre are those entities of a "fantastic" or "otherworldly" nature – vampires, witches, shape shifters, and werewolves. Stories that feature characters with psychic abilities such as telekinesis or telepathy are also included in the paranormal.

Time travel romance also falls under paranormal since it is still beyond scientific explanation. What makes a time travel successful is their ability to have the characters react logically to their experiences.

Paranormal stories also tend to organically blend elements of the suspense and mystery genres due to their fantastic plots allowing for a wide variety within the genre itself.

What are some of your favorite paranormal stories?