Steam vs. Substance — Emily Bleeker

For some of us, romance requires the Happily Ever After trope. For others, the chaste, subtle build-up to characters finally brushing fingertips (a la Jane Austen) floats our boat.Others gravitate to the steamy side of romance. Let's be honest, sometimes we just read stuff for the sex. Finally, others feel zero connection until a story drags up deep issues, challenging dilemmas, and all the honest reasons we struggle to love at all.The spectrum is HUGE. Love absolutely includes vanilla happy-ever-afters. Love includes self-love after throwing yourself 10,000% at the relationship escalator. Love is sweet. Love is sexy. Love is painful.Love is never simple. And love is always human.