By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

Romance in Christian fiction is more than a story enhancement. The thread of romance shows the blessings of love, God’s way. The also can complicate goals, influence crucial decisions, knock a career-minded man or woman into confusion, and always force a character to change and grow. It adds power to spiritual growth, character, plot, emotions, high stakes, and marketability.

Some writers balk at the idea of including romance in their novels. They don’t understand the reasons for allowing readers to experience the growing relationship of a man and woman within the pages of a story.

I’ve heard the objections:

“I’m a female writer who doesn’t want to get caught up in the lovey stuff.”

“I’m a male writer who wouldn’t be caught dead writing about huggy-bear and kissy-faced characters.”

“What’s the point?”

Here are a few stats that might cause you to add a little romance to your novels:

General market romance novel sales have steadily risen since 2021 and continue to grow exponentially as category fiction. This includes the sub-genres of romance fiction. “The Billion-Dollar Genre: Why Romance Writing Matters,” by Leslie J. Wyatt in Writer’s Digest states the power of romance novels, “In both print and digital forms, the message is clear: readers aren’t just buying romance novels—they’re devouring them.”

[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none” inject=”#Writing #Writinglife #BRMCWC”]The Value of Romance in Christian Fiction by @DiAnnMills on @BRMCWC[/tweet_box]

The above shows the popularity of romance but for the Christian writer, we have the advantage of influencing lives and values.

Christian market romance sales continue to experience remarkable growth. This too includes the sub-genres: romantic suspense, regency, and historical romance.

Romance.io lists the Best Christian Romance Books of 2025. Take a look for some of your favorite writers.

Christianity Today lists the Best-Selling Romantic-Suspense of 2025: 15 Most Popular Titles

Convinced?

Weaving romance through various genres is not difficult. The key to remember is the emotional situation between the hero and heroine will not be resolved until the climax. They don’t have time to get involved. They have a job to do. Often the job is more important than a relationship, and a sense of sacrifice occurs.

Study the genres in which the primary focus is fantasy, suspense, thriller, western, historical, science-fiction and others. Adding a thread of romance increases marketability.

Statistics indicate that 18 percent to 20 percent of books sold are romance. That’s nothing to ignore.

How and Where to Add Romance

Besides plot, romance reveals itself in other techniques: dialogue, body language, setting, emotion, and symbolism.

Dialogue

The words a character chooses when a romance is brewing are tell-tale hints of deeper feelings: kinder, gentler, more tender. Many times words ending in “ly” are conducive to a romance. Compose dialogue that is unique to the character and backstory. Readers want to hear what characters have to say, and it must be in conflict.

Body language

Body language makes up between 70 percent to 90 percent of what a character is feeling. What a character says is not what is meant, and the truth is in the power of body language.

Setting

Setting is one area where writers can create an antagonistic environment. Placing a man and woman in the same setting forces them to use their strengths to aid the other. Respect leads to admiration and admiration leads to like and like leads to love.

Emotion

How a character thinks, interprets, rationalizes, and experiences the world is unique to his/her personality. This is an opportunity for the character to fight, accept, shove aside, or embrace how he or she feels about the other. When we  ponder a situation, we are honest with ourselves—unless we’re in sad need of counseling.

Symbolism

Symbolism is an age-old method of taking a tangible item and assigning a psychological meaning that is personal and unique. Consider a hair ribbon a historical character gives to her beloved. The sword or medallion a fantasy hero gives to a fair maiden signifies his devotion. Or a scene where a man proposes and gives his beloved a ring as a sign of his love.

A thread of romance weaves the hero and heroine together in conflict that raises the stakes for them and ensures the reader turns pages.

Where can you add romance to your story?

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who invites her readers to step into stories where suspense meets adventure and romance warms the heart. Known for crafting unforgettable characters tangled in unpredictable plots, DiAnn believes every breath we take unfolds a story waiting to be told—so why not make it thrilling?