Clean Romances discussion

Hi everyone,

I'm curious: is there a market for clean romantic suspense? No sex, no swearing, no gore/extreme violence. What books would you give as examples? I've done some searching but almost everything I've found falls into the inspirational/Christian categories. I love romantic suspense - mysteries in particular - but so much of it is too gritty or too sensual for my tastes. Love to hear what you all think! Thanks.

Well, these books are decades old, but I love the romantic suspense novels of Helen MacInnes. I know readers who discover Helen MacInnes are always wailing, “Why isn’t there more writing like this?” So that’s just anecdotal, but I would say there would be a market if it were cultivated in the right way.

Thanks, Abigail, but I was looking for something more current. It's so strange because everything in romantic suspense seems to fall in either gritty or inspirational. Is it that readers looking for clean romantic suspense are reading YA or cozies instead?

My romantic suspense series would fit that description. There are three books in the series so far.
The series is called Hill Country Secrets. Books are Finding Claire, Finding Kate, & Finding Treasure. The first book is free through the end of May.

Thanks, Pamela! I'll check them out. :)

Hi C!

Thanks for the recommendations! MHC I've read before and she is very good but isn't recent. The LIS line is also good, but it falls in the inspirational/Christian section. I was specifically looking to see if there was anyone writing/marketing clean romantic suspense that doesn't also fall in the inspirational section. I've also read Intrigues but they also don't fall into the clean reads section. Characters usually (although not always) have sex on the page.

I've looked in the Clean and Wholesome section of Amazon but can't find any romantic suspense. Lots of contemporary romance, but no romantic suspense.

You are most welcome Lynn. I also like this genre, and I know it is hard to find those that are 4-5 stars, and without the religious proselytizing and/or god-talk.

I found another on my shelf~

It's really hard for me, because I also do not want to read about some sick psychopath/stalker or serial killer, or abusive ex, or any of less than 200 pages!

Thank you, C! I didn't know about this one. It looks good. :)

I'm so glad others are writing in this genre! I would love to read more clean romantic suspense. Here's the clean romantic suspense novel I wrote which is light-hearted romance, serious plot:

Baker's Dozen


Blurb:

Twenty-three year-old investigative journalist, Andy Miller is armed with her many disguises and creativity to take down the riff-raff of Saint Louis. When her stepbrother is murdered by the mob, Andy soon discovers she’s out of her depth.
Enter Hugh Donaldson who has reasons of his own for discovering the murderer. He’ll use everything in his power to achieve that, including lying to Andy about his past. Dangerous as he is attractive, his martial arts skills and his quirky ways raise Andy’s suspicions.
Although Andy balks at his lies, Hugh’s charms, twenty-inch biceps, and electrifying blue eyes are difficult to resist. Striking out on their own, Hugh and Andy try to outwit each other as they traverse North America tracking down people connected to the case.
As clues disappear and the body count climbs, Andy and Hugh must trust each other and use their combined skills to bring the murderer to justice.

Lynn wrote: "Hi C!

Thanks for the recommendations! MHC I've read before and she is very good but isn't recent. The LIS line is also good, but it falls in the inspirational/Christian section. I was specifically..."

I posted a link below to my clean romantic suspense novel Baker's Dozen. But I agree, I've been looking for this genre too and wrote my own. You can read my reviews. I'm so glad to find other people wanting to read this genre!

I have a few authors you might want to check out:

Kathleen Bacus Kathleen Bacus writes a series, Calamity Jayne, that's clean with an ongoing romance throughout the series. The books are funny, I'm not sure if you're looking for that, but the heroine is an amateur detective and always stumbles across a new mystery.

Deborah Garner Deborah Garner has a few books in a clean series, the first is Above the Bridge, followed by The Moonglow Cafe. Again, there's a romance and a mystery in each.

I recently read Paige's Turn Paige's Turn by Jennifer Peel. While not really suspenseful, there is some mystery and some questions that aren't answered until the end. It's a very sweet romance, however.

If you'd like to check out what I've written, I have a clean, romantic suspense series, Misty Lake, with four books published to date. All are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited in case you subscribe.

I hope you find some good books...I'll be watching to see what everyone suggests!

Happy reading!

Hi Margaret, thanks for joining the discussion. However, after checking the synopsis for these books, none are actually romantic suspense, more like cozy mysteries.

Re: Amey from your book synopsis~ "As clues disappear and the body count climbs", sounds like a serial killer to me, which is not for me!

I have very particular tastes for suspense.....no abusive husbands/boyfriends/exes, no serial killer, no sick psychopaths, no kidnapping, and never any harm in any way to a child!
No detailed graphic gore or sex scenes either!

The ones I listed are perfect examples of ones without those offensive elements. :D

C. wrote: "Re: Amey from your book synopsis~ "As clues disappear and the body count climbs", sounds like a serial killer to me, which is not for me!

I have very particular tastes for suspense.....no abusive ..."

Hi C!

Thankfully, this book is modeled after the Nancy Drew from the 90's with no on-screen killing. You'll not have a bad feeling after reading this book :D Its a fun quick read.

I have just started writing clean romantic suspense switching over from romance. My first book in the series just went up yesterday. It’s not religious, but it’s clean. Breaking News by G.G. Vandagriff. As of today I am a #1 Bestselling author on Amazon. You can read the first chap of my book at http://ggvandagriff.com/work-in-progress

Hello,
I write clean romantic suspense, I released it in January this year on Amazon.



Love Is Waiting

Check it out and see if you like it.

Everyone, thank you so much for the wonderful suggestions! It's been hard to find a happy "middle" ground of romantic suspense somewhere in between gritty and Christian. You've given me some great reads to add to my TBR list!

Lynn wrote: "Everyone, thank you so much for the wonderful suggestions! It's been hard to find a happy "middle" ground of romantic suspense somewhere in between gritty and Christian. You've given me some great ..."

I know, isn't this exciting! I'm so glad this genre exists! Thank you all!

Here are some that I plan to check out~










Other than these and the very few I happen to discover along the way that meet my subject matter and other criteria, the safest bet for me seems to be in Love Inspired line.

I've written a clean romantic suspense. Although it is the third book in my Eden Falls series, it is a stand alone. Here is the link if you are interested.
https://www.amazon.com/Taste-Eden-Fal...

Hi Lynn, I write clean romantic suspense which you may enjoy. I have three stand alone ebooks out all set in Australia. Mine are family based rather than Military, police etc

The most recent is Find Her. The other two are Evidence Of Love and Empty Heart.
https://www.amazon.com/Elisabeth-Rose...

I just posted on another thread but thought I'd post here as well. I absolutely ADORE Rebecca Deel! I found her last year and I have devoured all her books at least twice! :o)

My new romantic suspense comes out on April 12 but is available for presale now. On balance it's probably more suspense than romance and is set in small town rural Australia. Older couple, too!
The Secrets That Lie Within https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781...