That's exactly what I like too, which is why I tend to like romantic SFF much more than the romance genre itself. I like a romantic sub-plot, but I also like a relationship between equals and I don't find that much in romance. Also, SFF is much more open to "unconventional" relationships. I'm also sick of the alpha jerk hero, the too stupid to live heroine, and so many other romance cliches. Most of the romance novels I love feature beta heroes, scarred or disabled heroes, smart heroines, and even sexually inexperience heroes because I'm also sick of the "Duke of Slut."
I think there's still a lot of the icky reaction and girl cooties. A lot of the criticism I've read of authors like Asaro and Bujold stems from their romantic elements. People are embarrassed that a "romance novel" won the Nebula, even though it was written by a Harvard educated chemical physicist. And there's a lot of prudish reaction to Bujold's new book precisely because it features a female character discovering a healthy sexuality with her husband! I've even seen arguments online that science fiction belongs to men and women should stop reading and writing it, especially since they are polluting the waters with their sappy romance elements. There was also a blog post somewhere about why science fiction sales have fallen. The theory was that since more women read and buy books and there's so little SF out there that appeals to women, they are instead flocking to paranormal romance because that gives them what they want.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-07-17 06:45 pm (UTC)I think there's still a lot of the icky reaction and girl cooties. A lot of the criticism I've read of authors like Asaro and Bujold stems from their romantic elements. People are embarrassed that a "romance novel" won the Nebula, even though it was written by a Harvard educated chemical physicist. And there's a lot of prudish reaction to Bujold's new book precisely because it features a female character discovering a healthy sexuality with her husband! I've even seen arguments online that science fiction belongs to men and women should stop reading and writing it, especially since they are polluting the waters with their sappy romance elements. There was also a blog post somewhere about why science fiction sales have fallen. The theory was that since more women read and buy books and there's so little SF out there that appeals to women, they are instead flocking to paranormal romance because that gives them what they want.