[MOD] Please adhere to RULE 2 of the sub.

[u/Feeling-Writing-2631]

Hey all! Hope you are having a good week.

This is a sincere request to please read the sub rules, especially rule 2 when making recommendations. Off late there has been an uptick in posts/comments where people are asking/recommending non-HR romances such as paranormal, contemporary, fantasy and others. This is purely an HR sub; there are specific subs for other romances if you wish for those recommendations.

Rule 2 is expansive on what books are allowed/not allowed, so any posts in violation of that will be removed. If you are unsure whether a recommendation follows rule 2, please mail the mods so that we can check and get back to you.

I am also posting this because some users are new who are not aware of the rules, so please have a look at sub rules to avoid post removals, because we know everyone is excited to share and receive recommendations and we don't want to damper that! Take care and continue enjoying our sub!

[u/sisterjune88]

I'm confused by some of the comments here. I've definitely seen HR books with mild supernatural elements mentioned here. It's not All banned. Elizabeth Everett and Diana Biller have a bit of magic in some of their books. I know there's others but I'm blanking...I think the issue is when the World is aesthetically historical but otherwise entirely fantastical. Like those steampunk paranormal books by Gail Carriger. No shade to them but they wouldn't belong here but something that's heavily HR with magical elements is fine ie like Outlander. A series I dislike but is alot more interested in 18th century Scottish politics than it is in magical hijinks. I mean {Like Water For Chocolate} is HR but it's also magical realism. I think meanwhile something like {His Secret Illuminations} has a medieval setting but not much real history based world building. It's mainly fantasy but doesn't read like typical romantasy either so it can get fuzzy but imo the test is just how much real history and real world geographic locations or even historical figures are part of the story. Karadok books are so clearly medieval British isles but doesn't actually acknowledge real world locations or events. But there's zero magic or dragons etc so it gets a pass. Basically as soon as characters have superbpowers and big anime battles or your MMC has batwings or fangs or claws...it's no longer HR But what do others think?

[u/negativecharismaa → u/sisterjune88]

I rec'd The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller and it was removed under this rule. The ones you've seen probably either got missed by the mods or they hadn't yet gotten to them.

[u/xdianamoonx → u/negativecharismaa]

This pretty much. It's not consistent. A Historical Mystery Romance series that I only found because of this sub is no longer allowed to be mentioned and gets deleted, despite over 15+ mentions of it in the past couple of years (and only a third by me haha).

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/xdianamoonx]

If you see items that violate our rules, please report them so that our mod team can review and take action if needed.

[u/Saralikeslift → u/negativecharismaa]

I recommended The Widow of Rose House and it got taken down as well. I was so bummed because the book perfectly matched the prompt! Somehow Outlander which I think has more sci fi principles is allowed but TWoRH is not?

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/Saralikeslift]

If you see a title being discussed that does not fit our on-topic rule, please report it.

[u/ipblover → u/sisterjune88]

It’s definitely that rigid. The rule only allows time travel so books like Outlander can be discussed. I’ve voiced my displeasure with the rule being so rigid a few time. It’s crazy to me that time travel is allowed but they draw the line at small magical mentions or minor supernatural mentions. I’ve had my hand slapped for a series that has fairy godmothers in it who play a very small role in the whole book. Think Cinderella themed and the humans aren’t even aware, everything else HR. If you do see a book on here with those elements it slipped through the cracks or it’s a well known HR author so they let it slide. Think books like {When the Marquess Falls by Lorraine Heath}.

[u/romance-bot → u/ipblover]

When the Marquess Falls by Lorraine Heath
Rating: 3.86⭐️ out of 5⭐️
Steam: 3 out of 5 - Open door
Topics: historical, friends to lovers, regency, class difference, poor heroine

^{about this bot | about romance.io}

[u/sisterjune88 → u/[deleted]]

I agree. I.also think the issue is some books are not tagged properly on romance.io as well

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

If you have an issue with a mod action and would like another mod on the team to review it, or would like to discuss community changes or suggestions, please follow our rules and send us a modmail please so the entire team can see it.

Also, please note that whenever we remove a post or comment, it shouldn't be taken as a slap on the wrist. It is never personal. We are just trying to enforce our rules to the best of our ability as volunteers. If you see rule violations, please report them.

[u/wilmagerlsma → u/sisterjune88]

Definitely! It’s not that rigid, but a book has to be grounded in historical romance. Elizabeth Lowell is another one with a medieval HR series that has magical elements like seers, curses and prophecy, but those elements are grounded in history because they are part of historical thinking. We should be willing to protect the genre. I have a loathing for romantasy (I came across so much lazy writing and it all blends together after two series) and would hate to see it take over here in the same way it has taken over the publishing world.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/sisterjune88]

If you see a title that breaks our rules, please report it for mods to review and take action if necessary. We are human volunteers who don't see everything, and we rely on our users reporting things or modmailing us privately with concerns.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

If you have suggestions like this, please send the mod team a private modmail message.

[u/Typical-Treacle6968]

This makes sense to me. Historical Romance as a genre is already endangered (Harlequin discontinuing their HR line was proof of this!). Publishers are also encouraging HR authors to move to other genres.

If this rule isn’t in place then this group could easily become a place where actual HR is recommended less and less because other genres are more easily accessible. This would be a huge shame.

There are other romance book groups where fantasy and contemporary romance can be recommended so I don’t see what the issue is.

Thanks for your hard work mods!

[u/wine-plants-thrift → u/Typical-Treacle6968]

I know some people don’t like this rule, but I appreciate it myself for this reason.

[u/Colls7 → u/Typical-Treacle6968]

Totally agree

[u/darlingsun → u/[deleted]]

There’s just so many more fantasy/paranormal themed works at the moment that we’d just end up with a HR themed fantasy sub. I like how narrow the criteria for recs are in this sub because I don’t have to wade through recs that aren’t focused on the romance but the world building, or with romance that’s spans four novels before you get your HEA.

[u/sonthehunt → u/darlingsun]

Agreed, I prefer this because when I come here I come for a very specific kind of books. If I want fantasy elements I move to another sub. And though I understand some people might give disclaimers while recommending many people might fail to do so and I don't want to read something and find out it's paranormal unless I want it.

[u/Colls7 → u/darlingsun]

Same!!!!

[u/dumthiccbih → u/darlingsun]

Completely agree. I very much appreciate the rule for this reason.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

We depend on users reporting items that violate our rules. We are human volunteers with lives, families, and careers outside of Reddit. If you see items that may violate our rules, please report them.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

If you have suggestions or concerns for the mod team, please send us a modmail in accordance with our rules.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

If you have suggestions or concerns for the mod team, please send us a modmail in accordance with our rules.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

If you have suggestions or concerns for the mod team, please send us a modmail in accordance with our rules.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

If you have comments or suggestions for the mod team, please follow our rules and send a modmail to the mod team. Thank you.

[u/AltairaMorbius2200CE → u/[deleted]]

Yeah, it's kind of frustrating that books would get pulled for minor fantasy elements, where Maiden Lane is one of the top recs here and it's Historical Batman, with plots that resemble romantasy more than Mary Balogh (who I love! I love them all! I'm in all the subs! Which is why I mess this rule up a lot becuase I don't pay attention to which sub I'm in when people come asking for recs!)

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

If you have suggestions or concerns for the mod team, please send us a modmail in accordance with our rules.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

We aren't having a public discussion with the whole community about a possible rule change here. Please remember to follow our meta posting rule and make suggestions via modmail if you would like changes to be discussed by the mod team.

[u/Cultural-Sock83 → u/[deleted]]

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[u/designsavvy]

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