Posted Jul 17 2013, 7:16 pm
Welcome! And thanks for stopping by my portion of the Hot Summer Romance Hop. I won’t bore you with a lengthy blog post because I know there are sooooo many other authors and sites you want to check out. I have just one question – leave your answer, along with your email addy in the comment box for a chance to win a $10 Amazon card from me. Remember there are TWO Grand Prizes – a Kindle Fire and a $50 Amazon gift card.
Okay, ready for the question?
What’s the difference between a romance and a love story?
Remember to leave your email address. Here’s the link back to the main page and the other participating authors.
http://www.inlinkz.com/wpview.php?id=272693
Have fun *hopping*!
104 Comments
Home •• Meet Lynda •• Bookshelf •• Extras•• Privacy Policy •• Connect
© 2023 Lynda Bailey. All rights reserved.
This site contains content that might be considered offensive and/or inappropriate to some. If you are under 18, or are easily offended, please click the "exit" button.
Follow
Like
Read
Email
Feed
A love story has the whole beginning, middle and end, while a romance tells more about the relationship. The focus is on the couple and their connection.
Thanks for the opportunity to win!
daringzoey@yahoo.com
Melissa~
Great answer! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Thanks for a great post. itlnbrt @ att dot net
Short and sweet post, huh Jennifer? LOL
Thanks for *hopping* by!
I think the romance is all the hearts and flowers, box full of chocolates, falling in love part of love. A love story is everything else: all the reasons they get together, stay together, endure together. A love story spans generations.
Forgot the email addy:
Margay1122ATaolDOTcom
Gotcha Margay!
Thanks for stopping in!
So my first thought was to google this question. But then I read the other responses. My gut…romance has sex in it and a love story doesn’t. But I love both!!! So keep the great stories coming!!! Teehee, coming!
Teehee, indeed Nancy! 😉
Thanks for commenting!
I think that a love story has a traditional ‘happily ever after’ ending without sex. An example of a love story is Lynn Kurland’s “Another Chance to Dream”. The knight and his lady fight to be together and do marry. Lynn’s books do not have any sex at all, yet she constantly ranks in the bestseller list.
Romance books are love stories with sex. The bedroom action can vary from a slight peek all the way to erotic depending on the author, although I’m not including actual erotica as romance (where the sex takes up more than the rest of the story). In the end, there may be a happily ever after. Jude Deveraux’s “A Knight in Shining Armor” is an example of a romance, because the characters do have sex.
Wow, Diana! Awesome answer. Thanks for coming by.
Thanks so much for the post. and for me i do agree w/the other posters that romance stories are love stories with sex in them.
parisfan_ca@yahoo.com
Laurie~
Thanks for posting!
I agree with the others as well, I don’t think I could add anything more. I personally the mixture of both that is why I am a huge fan of romances and love stories. I love when they tug at my heart strings, make me hot and bothered and happy as well as angry. all in all I love HEA’s 🙂
vampiremistress2010(at)gmail(dot)com
Dawna~
I love HEAs too! It’s the main reason I write romance…
Thanks for stopping by!
I think of a romance just as more of the steam and fun where as a love story is the long deep connection between two people
fencingromein at hotmail dot com
Oh, Shannon! Good answer. Thanks so much for stopping by today!
I think a romance is more fun and fluff, while a love story has more pitfalls and trials to overcome.
Thanks for the giveaway!
~Krista
pinkbonanza{ AT }gmail{ DOT }com
Krista~
You so welcomed for the giveaway. 🙂 Hope you’re having fun checking out all the other authors.
A love story is something that has developed over time, years, and the people have developed a relationship based on friendship but never let it evolve into more.
A romance is something new, flirty between strangers. It develops into something more and becomes the sole purpose for living for both of them.
I forgot my email, sorry.
vmilizia (at) gmail (dot) com
Gotcha Vickie! Thanks for playing!
Wow what a question. I think they are very mush the same thing. Every romance is a love story and a good love story has romance.
Thanks for being in the hop!
grapeapril75(AT)gmail.com
April~
It’s fun to see how everyone interrupts the question, isn’t it? I, of course, have my own opinion – which I don’t intent to share until Sunday. 🙂
Enjoy the rest of the Hop!
Besides the greater emphasis on sex, I think romance is also about the courtship, the precursor to the HEA!
vitajex(At)aol(dot)com
Trix~
And every romance has to have an HEA, huh? Thanks for participating!
I think the romance is all hearts and flowers and getting to know each other. The love story is everything, even after the romance part goes away, but everyone gets caught up in their daily lives, but you still have each other. Thanks for sharing the awesome giveaways. evamillien at gmail dot com
Thanks Eva for stopping by! Hope you’re having fun with the Hop!
So many good answers – I always thought they were kind of the same in books, but I like the idea of a romance being just a portion of it, where the love story is beginning middle and end, but then you have romantic love stories. That’s a hard question. Harder than it sounds. In real life, love story would be my whole relationship with my husband while romance would be something he never bothers to do any more. 🙂
Thank you!
heather1974 at gmail dot com
Heather~
It is kinda a tough question, isn’t it? (Not my intention, I swear!)
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
What’s the difference between a romance and a love story?
Love is for a lifetime. Romance is usually short periods of time. When you have both with the same person you are the luckiest person alive.
Beth~
You really are lucky when you have both a love story and a romance with the same person…m:)
Thanks for commenting!
Romance is usually in the early stages of a relationship while a love story is more the whole aspect of the relationship.
bituin76 at hotmail dot com
Nicely said, JanD! Thanks for *hopping* by! 😉
I think the love story is a more comprehensive relationship story while the romance is only a piece of that. I wish I had a graphic organizer to show you what is in my head right now. Could be the teacher in me.
jess820[at]gmail[dot]com
No need for a Power Point presentation, Jessi – LOL! I totally get what you’re saying. Thanks for commenting!
I think a love story is a story of a young innocent love where a Romance to me is about passion desire & experience
I never really thought of it that way, Carly. Thanks for sharing!
I think romance is more physical relationship – it can spring fast and stop fast as well, even without the love love story – it’s the story – of love 🙂
swordlily_girl(at)yahoo(dot)com
Well said, Karina. Thanks for stopping by!
I labeled the first short story I epubbed: “A love story, not a romance.” The protagonist is a parrot named Jack. 😉 You can write–and live–a love story that doesn’t involve courtship, desire and romance. People who have read this story loved it but all complained that it was too short. I was dumbfounded–did I mention the hero is a parrot? I guess love prevails!
Happy hopping!
Debra at debrasalonen dot com
What an awesome story, Deb! Goes to show a good story is a good story, even if the hero’s a parrot.
Thanks for sharing!
A love story is the whole shebang from beginning to end, romance is the more intimate aspects and can occur anytime 🙂
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
dixiedukegurl2 AT yahoo DOT com
Thanks for *hopping* by, Cassandra! 🙂
First thought is there isn’t much difference…
I hope that, like mine, other peoples love story is still a romance 5, 10, 50 years down the road….
Thanks!
staceyprice(AT)gmail.com
Stacey~
It’s can be hard to see the difference between a romance and a love story, if you see one at all. 🙂 Guess it just depends on your perspective.
Thanks for sharing!
I think a romance could be a hot steamy fling where they like each other and go on romantic fun dates maybe, but don’t necessarily do the whole happily ever after thing. Love stories normally contain some form of the happily ever after. What an awesome giveaway/hop! Thanks! kamclauc AT gmail DOT com
Kyla~
Glad you’re having fun with the hop! There are some amazing authors, huh?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on romance v. love story!
I don’t think there is a difference between the two. Romance is what one does when in love.
susanmplatt AT Hotmail DOT com
Ohhhhh, Susan! Great answer! Love how your minds works.
Thanks for sharing!
The rating and the length. I expect a love story to go into the happy every after and talk about the couple’s ongoing love, but a romance wouldn’t necessarily do so.
dancingcelt at gmail dot com
Mer~
Great answer! Thanks for playing!
I agree that there isn’t a difference. You can’t have a love story without romance 🙂
jaidahsmommy(at)comcast(dot)net
Tiffany~
And you can’t have a romance without a love story… 😉
Thanks for sharing!
I truly believe this..so here it goes.
Romance equals flings, hot flings, but not the one night stands..dinners, overnights.. etc.. flowers.. the thoughtful guy but NOT the guy.
Love story well thats totally two people in sync.. bound.
vals_hemi at yahoo dot com
Valeria~
Nicely said. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Lynda…A romance is a relationship that grows and develops between a man and a woman. There are varying degrees of intimacy from no sex to flaming hot sex… depending on what appeals to the reader. But a romance always has a “happily ever after” [HEA] ending. Obstacles between the H/H are over come and love truimphs. Books written by Julie Garwood, Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann, Cindy Gerard, Dee Davis and Laura Griffin (to name a few) are romantic suspenses that have HEA endings.
A love story is a relationship between a man and a woman but it doesn’t always end in a satisfying HEA ending. Example….Bridges of Madison County, Love Story, Gone with the Wind,
Linda~
You nailed it! 😉 Thanks for sharing.
Romance is having a relationship with someone that is not that serious. Love story is wanting to be with them forever.
Thanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
You’re welcomed, Natasha! Good luck with the giveaway!
Romance is the special intimacies shared between the couple. Love story is the entire product of their relationship. Thanks for having a giveaway!
ahui89(at)hotmail(dot)com
Well put, Ada. Hope you had fun with the Hop!
Romance to me is like dating, the stage where you try to do everything to show that person just how much you care. Romance is flowers, opening doors, handwritten love notes and all the special intimate moments in between.
A love story is the life a couple creates and shares together. The story spans generations for it gets told to there children and on from there.
I am happily living in my own love story.
Thanks for the giveaway
sbfugate@bellsouth.net
Silvia~
And I’m living my happily ever after, too! Thanks for sharing!
Hmmm, seems like everyone’s said what I was thinking. Romance is the beginnings of the relationship, love story is your HEA!
thebigbluewall77 at gmail dot com
Thanks for stopping by, Anita!
Romance someone with all the special words and actions, feelings to get them to love you
thanks for the contest
wandad1961@yahoo.com
Thanks for playing, Wanda!
I don’t think that romance is the sex part. You can have love without romance, yes. Romance is a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love. This could be something as simple as giveing a rose to help someone think more fondly of you or doing sweet/beautiful thing to lead up to the mood of the big night. Romance is courting, wooing. Love is an intense feeling of deep unconditional affection for someone. I don’t think we ever stop loving someone but may not be able to alway be at their side.
strawberryrose@earthlink.net
Great answer, Judy! Thanks for sharing!
Well, I think that the difference between romance and a love story is the happy ever after. There are so many love stories, sometimes people have more than one in their life, but a romance ends with the people happy and together.
At least, that is my opinion anyway. 😉
Thank you for the wonderful giveaway.
trb0917 at gmail dot com
I like your opinion, Tina! 😉 Hope you had fun with the hop!
romance is the sweet good part
love story is all of it the fighting and the making up
meandi09@yahoo.com
Wow, Jennifer… I never thought of it quite like that…
Romance is the *sweet* stuff while love story is the *fighting/making up* stuff. Good answer!
Thanks for hopping by!
A love story might not have a HEA, whereas, a romance is expected to have a HEA. Thanks for the giveaway!
marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com
Well put, Marlene – and you’re very welcomed for the giveaway. 😉
romance = beginning, love story beginning middle and end
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Daniel!
I think romance has a bit fantasy and perfection that can’t possibly be achieved in real life. A love story has more realism.
blueshedevil32 at gmail dot com
I like your answer, Sebella…one is *make believe* while the other is *reality.* Nicely put. 🙂
One has an HEA
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Thanks for stopping by!
A love story signify that there is an ending to the story but not whether it’s good or bad, while a romance can continue on with no end.
huntress023(at)hotmail(dot)com
Good answer, Christina! Thanks for sharing!
Romance sounds short term where as a love story looks forever. I’d like romance in the love story 🙂
Thanks!
Janhvi
justjanhvi at gmail dot com
Janhvi~
And I like a little love story in my romance… 😉
Thanks for stopping by!
I think romance is more realistic, and a love story sounds very poetic. Also, a romance can have a happy ending more often.
Thank you for the chance!
spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com
Good luck with the giveaway, Dovile! Thanks for hopping by!
A love story is just that a story, it goes through everything that the people go through from beginning to end. A romance deals more with the feelings of the people.
dragon5174 at gmail dot com
Great answer, Rachel! Thanks so much for popping in!
To me romance is about the passion and the intensity whereas love is about the long term devotion, compassion and understanding. Thank you so much for being a part of this hop and for giving me the opportunity to win! usmcwifey1(at)live(dot)com
And thank you, Jessica, for *hopping* along… 😉 Hope you had fun!
To me, romance is passion, lust, actions to keep your significant other happy. Love, its love. You do whatever necessary to help your other half. You understand one another, are there for each other, through the good and the bad. Love is finding the other half of your soul you cant live without. Thank you for the fun hop and giveaway! 🙂
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
Great answer, Shadow! Thanks for sharing!!
In a genre romance, a HEA is mandatory, in a romance it’s not.
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
In a genre romance, a HEA is mandatory, in a love story it’s not.
Thanks for the amazing giveaway!
elizabeth @ bookattict . com
short, sweet and to the point! Thanks for stopping by!
Romance in my mind is just tamer. It is sweet and filled with little romantic gestures. While love stories are about the path that two people take so they can be together in the end.
Great answer, Veronica! Thanks for sharing.
Romance is the lust and physical actions that can accompany love built on trust and the desire to be with someone despite their faults.
Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
Nice way of putting it, Mel. Thanks for *hopping* by!
It’s been said so well already, but I think romances are more about the heat, while a love story is more about everything that goes into a relationship, the good and the bad.
snhoveln (at) gmail (dot) com
I agree, Stephanie, there have been a TON of great responses!
Thanks to everyone who *hopped* with me on the Hot Summer Romance Giveaway Hop. I’ll announced the winner of $10 Amazon gift card later today, once I’ve notified the winner.
😉
Thanks for sharing the great excerpt, Sounds like a really good book. Thanks for sharing the hop and the giveaway. Eva Millien evamillien at gmail dot com Facebook – yes; Reader; US