Here I will keep a running list of terms & abbreviations used frequently - not only on my blog & social media but other blogs/social media pages as well. If there is any you would like to add or would like to know the definitions for, feel free to comment them below.
⚔ - When two or more males (usually in a RH or multiples relationship) have sexual relationships with each other. See Also: MM, MMF, and RH.
ACOTAR- A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas
Age Gap- Trope where there is a gap in the age of the characters. See Also: Older Man/Younger Woman and Older Woman/Younger Man, and May- December Romance
Alpha - A love interest (usually the hero, but can also be the heroine) who is in charge of their world situations. A character characterized by extreme competence. See also: Alphahole, & Beta.
Alphahole - A alpha hero who has crossed the line into toxic masculinity.
Arranged Marriage- Trope where the characters are arranged to be married to one another. Can be in Mafia Romance or MC Romance, but not necessary. (Can also be forced marriage).
Auto-buy- an author whose work you trust will always be amazing and theirfore buy without reading reviews or summaries.
ARC- Advance Reader or Advance Reviewer Copy. Books sent to reviewers or readers before they are published.
Backlist - Books which have already been published by an author or publisher.
BDSM- Bondage & Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism.
BBW- Big Beautiful Woman (curvy, or plus sized women)
BROTP/ Bromance - a friendship between guys that you adore.
Beta - A love interest secure in their own personality without the need to dominate their partner. See also: Cinnamon Roll.
Beta Reader - Early readers who give feedback to an author on their unpublished work.
Big Mis- the Big Misunderstanding, a dramatic conflict between characters which could have been easily solved if they would just talk to each other.
Binge- To read everything you can find in a short amount of time, often to the exclusion of other obligations. Can be applied to a particular author's work, or books in a particular genre or trope.
Bodyguard/Security Guard Romance- Trope of books/series where one of the characters job is to protect the other character (bodyguard/Security Guard).
Book Boyfriend/ BBF - The fictional hero you want for yourself.
Book Recs- Book Recommendations or Recs
Black Moment- The point near the end of a book when everything has gone terribly, horribly wrong and it seems all hope is lost.
Blue Collar romance- trope of books/series where one or more of the characters works in a blue collar type job (mechanic, etc)
Bodice Ripper- Historical Romances from the 1970's-80's known for misogyny, non-consensual sex, and covers that non-romance readers often see as a current stereotype of the genre. See also: Old Skool, Rapemance, Clinch Cover.
BOBH- Boys of Brayshaw High by Meagan Brandy
Book Birthday- The day your book is released.
Book Hangover- When a book leaves you emotionally drained. Often this leads to the reader not being able to jump right into another book and sometimes leads to a book slump. Usually what happens when you've been Booksmacked.
Booktok/Book Tik Tok- Tik Tok accounts/posts that talk about books & reading.
Booksmacked - What happens when you read a book so good you need to tell everyone about it.
Bookstagram- Instagram feeds that are dedicated to pictures of books.
Brother's Best Friend/ Best Friend's Brother- Trope of books/series where one of the characters is their brother's (usually twin, or older) best friend, OR trope of books/series where one of the characters is their Best Friend's brother (usually older).
Bully Romance- trope that usually takes place in a high school or college setting where one character bullies the other before entering a relationship (similar to Enemies to Lovers).
CH/Cliff Hanger/Cliffy- When the book ends suddenly or a large plot tiwst occures and is left unresolved.
Catnip- A trope you always want to read more of. See Also: Autobuy.
CG/L- Caregiver/Little
Cinnamon Roll- A hero who is sweet and possibly too good for this world.
Clean Romance- a romance which doesn't include sex or swearing. May include closed-door sex, or no more than kissing depending on interpretation. See Also: Sweet Romance.
Clinch Cover- a book cover featuring a couple clinging to one another, possibly with their clothes about to fall off, probably with Fabio. See Also: Bodice Ripper, Old Skool.
CNC- Consent Non-Consent - Prior consent to non-consensual acts (acting out rape fantasies, primal play, etc) See Also: Dubcon, Noncon, Rapemance.
Contemp- Contemporary fiction, meaning that it takes place in modern day and generally doesn't have any magical, sci-fi, or fantasy elements.
Cop Romance- trope of books/series where one or more of the characters are in law enforcement (cop, police officer, detective, etc)
Cowboy Romance- trope of books/series where one or more of the characters may be a cowboy, or work on a ranch. See Also: Southern Romance.
CW- Content Warning- a warning, or blurb on a book that may have content that may trigger readers. (May include but not limited to: Rape, Sexual Assult, Abuse, Violence, stalking, Blood Play, Child Loss, etc) See Also: Trigger Warning
Daphne- a female main character who has to be rescured all the time (in reference to Daphne from Scooby-Doo).
Dark Romance- trope of romance that may conain dark subject matter (Rape, abuse, violence, murder, death, etc) Mafia, MC, Bully can fall under this catagory. See Also: Content Warning, Trigger Warning.
DIK- Desert Island Keeper - a book you could happily reread forever.
DNF- Did Not Finish.
Doctor Romance- Trope of books/series where one or more of the characters are in the medical field.
Dubcon- Dubious Consent. Where a character may say no,but means yes/wants/enjoys the sexual interaction OR where a character says yes under dubious circumstances where they may not say yes otherwise (may be for protection for themselves, or someone they care about). See Also: CNC, Noncon, Rapemance.
Duke of Slut- the aristocratic hero who never met a woman he wouldn't sleep with, and certainly never a woman he wanted to marry, until the heroine.
D/s - Dominant/Submissive
DD/lg- Daddy Dom/little girl
DILF/MILF - Dad I'd LIke to Fuck/ Mom I'd Like to Fuck- See Also: Single Parent.
Dystopian- Genre of books that take place in an alternate/ warped possibly futuristic world. Examples include but not limited to The Hunger Games, and Divergent.
E2L- Enemies to Lovers- Trope where the characters start as enemies or hate each other before they enter a relationship
F- Following (when posted in comments of others wanting to follow the post to get recs/ideas for themselves)
F2L- Friends to Lovers - trope where the characters starts as friends before they enter a relationship
FF- Female/Female romantic pairing. (Can also stand for Fanfiction)
FITYBI- Fake it Til You Break It by Meagan Brandy
FMC- Female Main Character. See Also: Heroine
FTB- Fade to Black- when a sex scene is implied between the characters but never goes into detail.
FWB- Friends with Benefits- Characters who are friends who have sex, but aren't in a relationship together yet.
Fake Relationship- Trope of books/series where the characters enter into a fake relationship/engagement/marriage for whatever reason, and then one or both of their feelings become real.
Fated Mates- Plot device by which two characters are destined to be together, common in Paranormal Romance. See Also: Insta-love.
Fanfic- Fanfiction (FF). Fiction wrote by fans that may or may not follow the storyline of a book/series, but includes characters from the book/series (& can cross over multiple books/series.)
Fantasy- a book/story that takes place in a fantasy/mythical world with fantasy/mythical beings like Fae/Faeries, or royalty (Examples include but not limited to: ACOTAR by Sarah J Maas)
Forbidden Romance- Trope where the themes may be forbidden or taboo.
Forced Proximity - When the main characters are "forced" into being in close proximity with each other (i.e. same bed trope, brother's best friend, step siblings, work, student/teacher, arranged marriage, etc)
Firefighter Romance- Trope of books/series where one or more of the characters may be a firefighter.
Genre- Different types of books/Storylines, examples include but not limited to: Fantasy, Romance, YA, Paranormal Romance, etc See Also: Trope
Grovel- a Grand Gesture called for when a character (often the hero) has done something very bad to their love interest and needs to make up for it. May come after the Black Moment.
Grumpy/Sunshine- Where one of the characters (usually the H, but not always) has a grumpy characteristic and the other character (usually the h, but not always) has a sunshiny/happy characteristic.
GR- Goodreads
H- Hero (male lead character)
h- heroine (female lead character)
HC- Hard Cover
HEA- Happily Ever After (Where the story wraps up nicely, and the characters are happy & can be married, pregnant, with children, etc) See Also: HFN
Heat Level- How much sex or passion is present on the page. See Also: Clean, Sweet, Spicy.
HFN- Happy For Now. An acceptable alternative to the HEA in which the characters may be together, but the ending is left more open ended, or the characters may not be married, with children or pregnant at the end of the story.
Historical- Trope of books/series that takes place in the past. (ex 1700s, 1800s,early 1900s, etc)
HP- Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
Hybrid Author- an author who has works with traditional publishing but also has some works that are indie published.
Indie- Also Indie author, Indie publishing, indiepub, Independent publishing. Authors who act as publishing entrepreneurs, coordinating editors, designers, and marketing independently rather than work for a traidtional publisher. See Also: Hybrid, Traditional.
ISO- In Search Of (Can also be DISO- Desperately In Search Of)
Inspi- Short for Inspirational, also spelled Inspy. Romance with Christian or religious themes. Probably Sweet or Clean.
Insta-Love- When one or both love interests immediately falls for the other without an emotional struggle. See Also: Insta-lust.
Insta-Lust- When one or both of the love interests want the other sexually from the first meeting, though emotional connection may take longer. Does not require instant consummation. Contrast with Insta-love, Slow Burn.
IR- Interacial Romance
J/P- Jealous and Possessive.
KOQ- Kings of Quarentine- Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep series by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
KU- Kindle Unlimited
Keeper- a book or romantic partner you would like to keep around for always. See Also: DIK
Kill a Fairy First- Reading the end of a book to make sure there's a happy ending. See Also: Spoilers.
LBS- Local Book Store
LT- Love Triangle- where a character can not decide between two love interests
LBGT+- Lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender+ characters
Mary-Sue- a character who is too perfect and/or too good.
May-December Romance - a relationship spanning a large age gap.
Mafia- trope of books that deal with the mafia or characters in the mafia, and may be dark or contain CW/TW.
MC- Motorcycle Club- trope of books that deal with motorcycle clubs, or characters in a motorcycle clubs, and may be dark, or contain CW/TW. MC can also mean Main Character.
Meet Cute- The unlikely Circumstances under which romantic protagonists initially meet.
M/F- a Male-female romantic pairing
MFM- a male/female/male romantic paring, a menage a trois, relationship in which the male characters share sexual relations with the female character, but not each other.
M/M -a male-male romantic pairing
MMF- a Male/male/female romantic pairing, a menage a trois, relationship in which the male characters can share sexual relations with the female character AND each other.
MMC -Male Main Character. See Also; Hero
Military Romance- Trope of books/series where one or more of the characters are presently or were in the military.
Millionaire/Billionaire Romance- Trope of books/series where one of the characters is rich/a millionaire/billionaire.
MK- Madison Kate Series by Tate James
Monster Romance- Trope of books/series where one or more of the characters are a type of monster (demon, alien, shifter, etc)
NA- New Adult
Nanny Romance- Trope of books/series where one of the characters works as a nanny or babysitter for the other character.
NBR- Not Book Related
NCS- not a complete series, See Also: UFS
NSFW- Not Safe for Work. book or content is not safe for consumption at work because it may be too spicy/steamy.
Noncon- Non-Consensual. Where the character says no, & means no when it comes to sexual interactions. (Can include rape, sexual assult etc) See Also: CNC, Dubcon, Rapemance.
NOTP- Opposite of OTP/ couple you do NOT like together.
Old Skool- Romance novels of the 1970s and 80s, generally featuring attitudes towards sexuality and consent which are now condisered outdated and problematic. See Also: Bodice Rippers, Clinch Covers.
One Bed- Trope of books/series where the characters end up having to share one bed (usually at a hotel) before they may be willing to admit their feelings for one another.
OM- Other Man (Can include drama with an ex, or cheating, etc)
OW- Other Woman (Can include drama with an ex, or cheating, etc)
OOP- Out of Print
OMYW- Older Man/ Younger Woman
OWYM- Older Woman/Younger Man
OTP- One True Pairing (Couple you root for until the end of time), See Also: Brotp, & NOTP
PB- Paperback
PI- Pseudo-incest- romantic relationship between stepsiblings or step parent & child. No one is biologically related.
PNR- Paranormal Romance
POC- Person of Color (Can also be: BIPOC- Black, Indigenous, & Person of Color)
POV- Point of View
Pregnanc Romance- Trope of books/series where the story includes a character getting pregnate throughtout. See Also: Surprise Pregancy.
Rapemance- a story in which the heroine discovers she enjoys sex after being raped by the hero, which whom she consequently falls in love. Mainly associated with Old Skool romance of the 1970s-80s but unfortunately did not die with the 80s. See Also: CNC, Dubcon, Noncon, Old Skool.
Regency- Metanym used to refer to any historical romance set during England's Regency Era i.e between 1811-1820, but may be more broadly used for 1790s-1840s. Preceded by the Georgian Era followed by the Victorian Era. Ur-Regency authors are Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.
RH- Reverse Harem- 3+ male characters, focusing on the female main character. She does NOT choose but ends up in a romantic relationship with ALL at the end. See Also: Why Choose.
RITA- Romance Writers of America award meant to recognize excellence in published romance novels and novellas, but increasingly known for overlooking authors of color and diverse voices
Romantic Suspense-trope of books/series that are suspenseful. Doesn't always need to end in a HEA/HFN.
RomCom- Romantic Comedy- Trope of books/series that include funny, hilarious or comedic scenarios
Roommate Romance- Trope of books/series where the characters are roommates before they engage in a romantic or sexual relationship.
Rockstar/Musician Romance- Trope of books/series where one or more of the love interests are musicians or in a band.
RB- Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Savior Romance- trope where one of the characters (usually the H) saves the other character (usually the h). Can be from parents/family, ex, abuse, or enemies. Can be included in Mafia romance or MC romance or Dark romance but not necessary.
Sci-fi- Science-Fiction- Genre of books that deals with science fiction (i.e robots, aliens, etc)
SF/F- Sci-fi/Fantasy
Self-Published- (selfpub) See Also: Indie
Second-Chance Romance- Where the characters take a second shot at a relationship usually years later, usually between exs, but can also be after a character is newly divorced. (Second Chance at finding love).
Secret Baby Romance- trope of books/series where one of the characters becomes pregnant/has a child but they keep it from the other character (can include miscommunication, break ups, one-night stands, or no way to contact them, or isn't ready for the H to know etc)
SA- Standalone. Can also refer to Sexual Assult.
Shadowhunters- Shadowhunters Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. Includes the Mortal Insruments series, the Infernal Devices series, the Dark Articfacts series, etc
Shipping- Advocating for a romantic relationship between two characters who may or may not have a relationship in current published work. See Also: FanFic
Single-Title Romance- Traditionally published novels not part of a category romance line which run closer to 75K words
Single Parent- when one of the characters is a single mom or single dad.
Slow-Burn- a relationship which takes a while to build up. Opposite of Insta-love, Insta-lust.
Small Town Romance- Trope of book/series taking place or characters residing in a small town
Southern Romance- trope of books/series that may take place in the south, that may include but not limited to cowboys, and ranchers. See Also: Cowboy Romance.
Spicy- Romance with sex on the page. Contrast with Sweet. Swee Also: Heat Level.
Spoilers- Also "Spoiler Alert"- Used in reviews or conversation as a warning that you are about to reveal plot points. See Also: Kill A Fairy First.
Sports Romance- Trope of books/series where one or more of the characters play sports (Ex Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, etc), usually contemporary.
Stan- Portmanteau of "Stalker" and "Fan", generally used to self-identify as a superfan of something.
Stepback- A second cover image behind the front cover, generally showing the character or couple in a slightly different pose.
Stepbrother Romance- trope of books/series where the male main character is the step sibling of the female. See Also: PI, Taboo.
Sweet Romance- a feel-good romance without sex, probably not even closed-door sex. See Also: Clean Romance, Heat Level, Inspi.
Surprise Pregnancy- Trope of books/series where the character has an unexpected or surprise pregnancy throughout the story. See Also: Pregnancy Romance.
SYS- Say You Swear by Meagan Brandy
Taboo- Something that may be considered prohibited or restricted by social norms. May include Age Gaps, step siblings/sibling romances, etc.
Traditional- Also Tradpub, Traditional Publishing. Books published by a publishing company, that arranges editing and cover design, and possibly promotional material. See Also: Indie, Hybrid.
TBR- To Be Read. Often "TBR Pile".
Touch Her & Die- Where the H is usually overprotective of the h to the point where he will harm or kill anyone who touches or harms the h. See Also: Who Did This To You.
Trope- Story elements often repeated withing a genre. Examples include but not limited to: Opposites attract, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, paranormal romance, etc. See Also: Genre
TSTL- A Character who makes repeated bad decisions, leading to the judgement that they are "Too Stupid To Live".
TL/DR- Too Long, Didn't Read
The Feels- when you were overwhelmed with emotion while reading the book, often times different emotions involved.
TW- Trigger Warning- a warning, or blurb on a book that may have content that may trigger readers. (May include but not limited to: Rape, Sexual Assult, Abuse, Violence, stalking, Blood Play, Child Loss, etc). See Also: Content Warning
UBS- Used Book Store
UFS- Unfinished Series See Also: NCS
UF- Urban Fantasy (cross between modern world with fantasy elements think fae, vampires, or werewolves in NYC)
UST- Unresolve Sexual Tension
YA- Young Adult
Wall-banger- a book so bad you'd like to throw it against a wall
Why Choose- another phrase/term for multiple partners where the main character ends up in a relationship with all partners in the end. See Also: Reverse Harem, but may also contain FF or MM.
WIP- Work in Progress
Who Did This To You- trope of books/series where one of the characters (usually the H) is over protective of the other (usually the h) & they get hurt/injured and the H demands to know who did it/how it happened, & may seek revenge on their behalf. See Also: Touch Her & Die.
Work Romance- trope of books/series that takes place in the work force, sometimes boss/employee, sometimes too employees who shouldn't be together.
Woman's Lit/Woman's Fic- Woman's Literature/Woman's Fiction- Can have romantic elements but doesn't necessarily need a HEA or HFN.
ZA- Zodiac Academy series by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
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