About Me: Slow Building Romances

Posted March 24, 2014 by Lola in Lola's Ramblings / 20 Comments

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About Me is a feature on Lola’s Review where I talk about me. Usually these posts are everything that doesn’t fall under any standard header, like blog tours, book blitzes, cover reveals or review. About Me posts usually are about books, but are more personal discussions of a certain topic. If an About Me post is about a non-book topic it gets the non-book content posts tag and will be posted on a saturday

I love romance books or any books actually with romance in it and most of the books I read contain some romance to some decree. While I love many forms of romance, my favourite kind of romance is the slow-building romance so that’s where I am talking about today. If you know a goodwild justice slow building romance book please leave the title and and author name in the comments as I am always on the look-out for new great slow building romance books.

Why I Love Slow Romances
For me insta-love just doesn’t do it, I prefer slow building romance. I especially like the really slow building ones. Those books where for quite some time you know which two character will become a couple, but it takes some time to get there. And maybe I even doubt whether they will get together because it takes so long. Slow building romances can frustrate me. I want these two characters together and sometimes it just takes so long to get there. But when the characters finally do get there, at that first kiss or that first admission they like or love each other, it just feels so much better and sweeter than when there isn’t as much build-up. I love those scenes in a book with slow building romance where the characters touch or lean forward and you think “yes finally!” and then no, nothing happens. Or they have these deep talks and you know their relationship is growing and they should be together and you know it’s worth the wait. And then when they get together you think “maybe now something happens” and those expectations and hope are what makes a slow building romance so good for me. And then when they finally do get together and their romance really grows, it’s such a beautifull moment. That makes the wait so worth it.

My own Slow Building Romance
Another reason why I love slow building romances is because they feel real to me. My own relationship started out like this as well. I know most of those around us would have seen it happening from a mile away, but we didn’t. Although while I look back I can see all those scenes and touches, where I think “uhm yes it was kinda obvious you liked each other”. I remember we went to a birthday party of a friend and then went out to take a walk, just the two of us talking. And one time where he gave me a massage when we were out swimming at a lake with some friends. Kinda obvious we liked each other, huh? And there where much more of those instances. So when I read books with slow-building romance it feels real and reminds me of my ofever serieswn romance.

How Slow Can you Go?
Slow building romance can go very slow for me. I actually don’t mind romance with a long, very long build-up. I don’t mind waiting a long time or even a few books before the couple get’s together, because I know it’s so worth it in the end. And also because I like the road to getting there, all those moments where they grow closer, but still not close enough. Yes slow building romances are frustrating, really frustrating sometimes, but yeah they are also my favourite type of romance. Ofcourse there is a limit on how slow you can go, I remember a certain series *cough* Fever series *cough* that has a romance that builds so slow that even I think the author should have brought them together a bit earlier, but still the moment they finally get together is so perfect I still forgive the author for the wait. So yeah I don’t think there is something as a too slow building romance.

Books with slow building romance
Some of the books I remember with a great slow building romance are:
The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, this one has a really really slow building romance. I have warned you. For those who have mark of the demonread this series, you know how long we had to wait for that romance to develop. Do you think it was worth the wait? I certainly do!
The Nadia Stafford series by Kelley Armstrong. Kelley Armstrong is a master at writing real and believeable slow building romances. I absolutely loved the romance in her Nadia Stafford series and while at some point I even outed my frustration on Goodreads about the slow pace, it is worth the wait. When they finally get together it’s almost perfect! The funny thing is that the romance isn’t the focus of this series, actually the romance isn’t the focus of most of the books listed here, but the romance is done so well and makes the book so much better! Kelley her Omens series also has a slow building romance so far and even her YA series have romances that build slowly.
The Vampire Academy series and the Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead. Both have perfect slow building romance where you have to wait a few books and I can assure you I don’t mind the wait at all. Now that I think about Richelle her Georgina Kincaid series also has a slow building romance. And just like Kelley Armstrong, Richelle Mead belongs firmly on my favourite author list.
The Kara Gillian series by Diana Rowland contains multiple romance and one that develops so slow that I am actually still doubting whether they will become a couple, but somehow I still believe in them and know they will get together sometimes, no matter how long they take to get there.
The Eden series by Janelle Stalder, told in a multpiple point of view this book has multiple slow building romances. It also helps that the focus isn’t on the romance, so the slow build even isn’t as obvious sometimes.

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These are the very slow ones, some other slow building ones, that actually get resolved in the first book:
Anywhere by J Meyers has a great slow building romance and I kept wondering when they would go from friends to lovers. And trust me they certainly take their time.
The Nogiku series by SJ Pajonas. I just love Sanaa and Jiro their relationship, there is some insta attraction, but it still takes a long time before they actually get together.

I am sure I have read more books with good slow building romances, but these are the ones which I first thought of. Those I remember because of their great slow romances.

Conclusion
So after this whole post I am sure it’s obvious I love slow building romances. They have a special place in my heart and the romance build-up can’t go slow enough for me. No matter how frustrating slow building romances can be I love them! I love those little relationship building scenes and the scenes where they finally become a couple. In my opinion there is nothing better than a slow buidling romance. I even list a few of my favourite very slow building romance series and books.

Okay question time! What is your favourite type of romance? And why? Do you agree with me that slow building romances are the awesome? And what is slowest building romance you ever read about in book?
Or recommend me a good slow-building romance series! I am always looking for more slow building romance books, but it’s not like you can actually search for those, so any recommendations are welcome!

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20 responses to “About Me: Slow Building Romances

    • While there are also a lot of great faster romances I have read, I still prefer slow building romances in general.
      I also was thinking of doing a favourite fictional couples post, Sanaa and Jiro would certainly make that list as well. They are so perfect together and I can’t wait for book 3!

    • When you think of some, please let me know :). I wish there was a way to search on goodreads for slow building romances, lol, that would make it much easier.

    • Yeah the Fever series is a really good example of a slow building romance. I love the anticipation in slow building romance books.

    • Yeah I don’t mind insta-attraction so much, as long as there is still build-up in the romance. Indeed I love those eplosion moments πŸ˜€

  1. Sometimes it depends on the book whether insta love works or not. I usually prefer it not being instant, with that being said I also like a slow build but I need it to be done not at a snails pace but at least (in a Series) in the first book. I don’t like when it just happens at the end and now have to wait for another book to get into the romance.
    Great post πŸ™‚

    • Yeah there are some books in which the insta love works, but not many. I prefer slow-building romances. I don’t mind the snails pace, although it can be really frustrating. I usually do prefer when they it doesn’t happen at the end, I do want some time to enjoy their romance as well.

    • Yeah when you look back now it seems to obvious, but when it’s happening to you it isn’t. And I have read some really good faster romances as well, as long the romance is written well. But there is just something about slwo buildign romances that I love.

    • Yeah Richelle Mead is definitely a master at slow building romances and making the readers wait for it. And I really enjoyed the Georgina Kincaid series πŸ™‚ and the ending was so sweet and perfect!

  2. YES! I completely agree with this post. Slow Burn romances are teh best romances. They is just something about WAITING for two characters to FINALLY hook up that makes it THAT much more exciting. These Broken Stars is another example of one (although it’s only one book there was just so much romance development in that one like oh my god) haha
    Lily @ Lilysbookblog
    lily recently posted…Maybe, Someday: ReviewMy Profile

  3. I think it sometimes depends for me, in paranormal romances, usually, things move more quickly, and the suspension of disbelief that goes with reading that genre overlaps to the romance part too, at least for me.
    However, in contemporary romances, I don’t mind slow-moving at all! I especially enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope. People who have been friends for a long time, and who might feel attracted to each other, but they don’t really dare to act on it because the friendship is so important to them…
    Great post, Lola πŸ™‚
    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews recently posted…Up Close and (un)Conventional #1My Profile

    • I especially like the friends-to-lovers trope as well :). It really works for me and I like how the characters already know each other. And my own romance was friends-to-lovers as well, so again it seems more believeable to me.
      I don’t mind faster moving romances, but in general I prefer the slower building ones. Although it indeed does depend on the genre and author as well. Some authors can write very good faster romances.

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