I was recently reading a post on The Big Hair Diaries about the romance of books and reading -- in other words, the magic of imagination and transportation that comes from losing yourself in a story. And that got me thinking about my two favorite genres: romance and mystery. Or, more specifically, romcoms and cozies. Sure, these gentler subgenres are softened by comedy. But they still center around sex and violence. Which makes me wonder how such turmoil can be comforting, not just to me, but to countless readers. Yet maybe it's not the turmoil that's soothing. Maybe it's the resolution of the turmoil, and with it, the reaffirmation of love and life.
Or maybe there's no deep explanation at all. Maybe people are just animals.
Either way, when I find a romance with mystery or a mystery with romance, I know I've hit the genre jackpot. Which is the case with most of the books I read, including Christina Lauren's Dating You/Hating You and Lee Hollis's Death of a Bacon Heiress.
Because office romance burns hotter when sparked by a scheme, and finding out whodunit is more fun with flirtation.
