I was struck by a recent article prizing, in mysteries, psychologically complex characters over novels that were essentially puzzles… with tricky plots. In suspense reading, I am the reader who enjoys the latter over the former–if I had to pick. I love dense, complex, brilliant plotting in any genre.
Anthony Doerr’s work astounds me–Cloud Cuckoo Land threads three wildly different set storylines, braiding them into a conclusion that seems as marvelous as it is inexorable. Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows has a plot both labyrinthian and beguiling–when I read her novels, I am humbled. I can’t imagine being able to pull off the immaculate finales she spins seemingly effortlessly–her talent bleeds off every page. Tana French, well, what is there to do but read and be grateful she writes?
I was talking about this distinction with Dr. Feelgood and he asked what romances have plots that wow. And, I am ashamed to say, I drew a blank. In romance, stories hew toward characterization rather than plot. I tend to read the genre for the connection the leads share rather than the machinations that surround them. I’m here for the love.
That said, after musing a bit, I named Joanna Bourne’s Spymaster series, Carolyn Crane’s The Associates series, and Bec McMasters’ The Blue Blood Conspiracy books. I’m still thinking–and could use your help.
What would you suggest? What romances have plots that amazed you in the best way possible?
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As already mentioned below, a bigger cast of characters and/or page count gives an author something to work with in terms of “dense, intricate” plot while also focusing on character development. A few more that haven’t already been mentioned:
Lauren Willig’s The Pink Carnation books
Sara Donati’s Into the Wilderness books
Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series
Sharon Kay Penman’s Here Be Dragons
Jennifer Crusie’s Agnes and the Hitman
Susanne Brockmann’s Troubleshooter books
JD Robb’s In Death books
And one that breaks the rule above re: size of cast and length of the book:
Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveller’s Wife
I adore TTTW. The book, though, only.
Many people argue that TTTW is not a romance; and many of the series mentioned above are not shelved with romances (e.g. The Pink Carnation series, Into the Wilderness series, Sharon Kay Penman). But to me they are as swoon-worthy as the others.
And I have a TV shirt that says, “Never judge a book by its movie,” which I think pretty much nails far too many adaptations. I rarely watch movies/TV adapted from books I’ve loved.
I like David Mitchell’s plots a lot, however, Anthony Doerr wrote Cloud Cuckoo Land, which I also very much enjoyed. Neal Stephenson often does the same thing with his plots. He introduces a lot of characters which then all converge toward the end of the book.
Ugh. Thank you for catching that. This is what happens when I write too fast. I actually don’t love Mitchell’s plots! I often find them too po mo for me! I have fixed my error. Again, thanks.
Initially, I was going to say that Mary Balogh’s book A Matter of Class, has a remarkable plot. But really, the book only succeeds if the reader reads it in order, without skipping ahead. The structure of the book is very interesting to me and I enjoy rereading it and analyzing the sleight-of-hand. It is a one-trick pony and the plot is not complex.
This ask has crystallied something I’ve realised I’ve been doing for a while – which is seeking out books which I’ve been calling “romance AND”. So many contemporary romances SEEM (I say that because it’s what I’m infering from many of the blurbs I read) to have pretty much no plot. They have TROPES, for sure – but no plot to speak of. Some writers are really skilled at writing what I call “quiet books” – see my recent reviews of Kelly Jensen and Con Riley; there isn’t a lot of plot in those books but somehow the authors craft interesting stories that are strongly focused on the characters and their journeys that grab me and are immensely satisfying. But those seem to be fairly few and far between these days. The best romantic suspense is to be found in m/m books these days; authors like Gregory Ashe and Nicky James come immediately to mind, and they take the time to build the central relationships while also coming up with intriguing, twisty plots and combine them with superb character development and humour. I’ve been reading and listening to more fantasy/urban fantasy – for plots. I’ve recently listened to a really good fantasy series by Meghan Maslow, four books (so far – there are more to come) which have some very relevant points to make, but also are strongly- plotted and superbly characterised – again, they’re m/m books. Jordan Castillo Price’s Psycop series delivers fantastic mystery/paranormal/romance.
As others here have said, I suppose it also depends on what kind of plot you’re talking about. I remember that I loved Caroline Linden’s Love and Other Scandals because it was basically a book that was “just” about the two leads falling in love. There is no extraneous plot as such – it’s all about a courtship and the journey the characters go on. But it seems to me that books like that one are become rarer, either because the authors (especially in historicals) feel they MUST have an external plot, or because tropes seem – in some cases – to have taken the place of that sort of well thought out internal plot.
Others have already mentioned KJ Charles. It’s especially notable in her connected books, because each stands on its own with complex characters and plots while also being a key part of the overarching story – like A Fashionable Indulgence and A Seditious Affair taking place concurrently, with the events in A Gentleman’s Position building on both. The plot twist in Any Old Diamonds is sooooo good, and while I haven’t read The Prisoner of Zenda, from what I gather her Henchmen of Zenda subverts that very nicely :)
Sherry Thomas’s plotting in her Lady Sherlock books is very clever, though I do miss her historical romances.
It depends whether you’re talking about external or internal plots. The internal plot shows the main characters’ inner journeys, and it’s the most important element of a romance novel. The external plot serves the internal one, not the other way around.
And if you’re talking about pure romance, or mystery romance, detective romance and so on.
I can see that distinction.
Georgette Heyer’s These old Shades was lovely as a plot.
Comedies in general need better plotting, I suspect. Some old SEPs had excellent plots.
Old Mary Jo Putney (her series Fallen Angels) had a few excellent plots.
Elsie Lee’s contemporaries are generally excellently plotted.
However, all these are old books, and some of the devices and behaviors work much less well today. So while I appreciate the plots, I cannot wholeheartedly stand behind these books anymore.
Maybe plotting really is old-fashioned in romance?
The recent books I loved for plots were fantasies, or mystery, but not romances.
Maybe I will get more ideas when I think some more – great question, it makes me look and think about books I read differently, I enjoy that, thank you!
As I love reading and rereading older historicals my first thought was Mary Jo Putney too.
Oh, and Loretta Chase – Lord of Scoundrels is such a favorite reread. because the plot is pitch perfect to me ( except the child & villain part at the end where I always feel that something is off with the pacing just the tiniest bit, I cannot put my fingers on it, but the whole virtuoso piece just stalls very slightly at the end – which I noticed on my n-th reread, so really minor – I only mention since we discuss”brilliant”).
A few others of hers are absolutely stunning that way.
I am so curious how she will plot her way out of the 3rd Duke setup. The hints given in the first two books (oh so carefully! Not revealing too much, yet not lying, i can smell her care) are really hard to parse. It must be a monster of a plot to fit into those spaces she has left really well…
Like others, I mostly read romance AND currently. Or m/m for the feels.
Stella Riley’s Roundheads and Cavalier series fits this. They are complex plots with careful research into the history, but they also have a lot of in depth character development, especially as you follow several of the characters over several books. A Splendid Defiance isn’t part of the series, but is definitely connected and it’s wonderful. There is a romance in each book that is well done.
One of the reasons I enjoy romantic suspense is that you have the possibility of getting an intricate plot with a decent romance. it doesn’t always happen but when it does it’s wonderful. Historical romance, like Riley’s books and K.J. Charles, also have a lot of room for great storytelling. One of my favorite books is An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer. A little light on romance, but what an incredible look at the Battle of Waterloo that is riveting instead of boring.
I agree with WendyF that K.J. Charles is a good example of not sacrificing complex plotting for easy storytelling.
C.S. Poe’s Magic and Steam series has a strong central romance, but also a intricately developed storyline and excellent worldbuilding. The books are set in alternate Victorian America and Poe’s research into the setting is excellent.
My favorite Alex Beecroft book is False Colors. Set in 1762, it’s a well-researched (and gritty) look at life on a British Naval ship at the time. The book deals with the realities of life (like the Naval elites knowing the mission this ship is on is futile) and the realities of being attracted to men when it could get you hung. Great story, and great characters.
Oh yes, Stella Riley’s two series are fantastic on every level!
Having a large cast of characters makes Stella Riley’s complex plots possible. When I read my first Riley book, I felt like I was getting into a Russian novel where I needed a cheat sheet to track who’s who. Maybe part of the problem with romances in general at this time is that writers using character-driven tropes are concentrating on a small cast. With my preference for shorter books, I think simpler plots come with the territory.
When I first read Riley’s books, sometimes I was impatient because I wanted the romance to move along, but Riley was busy setting up the characters for events that were many chapters into my future. A longer book can accommodate more subplots, however, which can make the central plot less straightforward—more like billiards and less like bowling, perhaps?
I see your point, but her storytelling is so fascinating that I can hardly put her books down once I jump in. I do admit that I have to sometime force myself to start the books, knowing it will be a long rabbit tunnel, not just a hole! I’m still side-eying the 20+ hour audiobook of The King’s Falcon I have on my phone, but haven’t started! :-)
Her nonseries book, The Marigold Chain has less of what you’re describing since we aren’t being introduced to a large extra cast that will populate later books. I loved it.
I came to Stella Riley’s books as someone who read mostly classic lit (Trollope, Dickens etc.) and historical fiction, and who was also slowly working my way through whatever Heyers I could find – they weren’t all in print or in paperback back in the early 80s! So I never found that busy-ness off-putting or problematic. SR’s first half-dozen published books were written in the 80s and early 90s (The Marigold Chain, A Splendid Defiance, The Black Madonna, Garland of Straw and the first two Rockliffe books) so they perhaps reflect a stylistic difference that has become more pronounced since then in the move towards less plot. I can’t cite figures or sources, but there certainly seem to be fewer authors around who can carry off that sort of clever combination of plot and character development in the romance genre as a whole. That said, maybe that’s what romance readers want. Personally, I’m looking for more than a set of tropes stuck together these days.
When it comes to mysteries, I definitely prefer puzzle plots to psychologically complete characters, which generally seems to mean thoroughly unpleasant characters. In fact, I want a story in any book I read.
Unfortunately I have read so many romances lately that seem to have no plot at all that I was beginning to think that plots had fallen out of fashion. So I was cleaning out my bookcase the other day and started reading an oldie, Julie Anne Long’s Beauty and the Spy, which has a nice, complicated plot that ends up with all the threads neatly tied up while still leaving a path to the next book in the series. And yes, Joanna Bourne did a wonderful job of tying complex plot threads together.
I miss plots.
Me too!
KJ Charles’ plots are usually strong, but she surpasses herself with the plot of A Seditious Affair, which features The Cato Street Conspiracy of 1820. The central romance is between a government official and a revolutionary seditionist and is an absoutely terrific read.
That’s still the only book to which I’ve given an A+. It’s perfection.
That’s the first book I thought of when I read the question for this thread. The romance has psychologically complex characters as well; it’s a true meeting of minds as Silas and Dominic debate big ideas and try to change each other’s minds.