Recent years have seen a surge in contemporary romance novels with ace-spectrum main characters who, despite not experiencing sexual attraction, still yearn for romantic and emotional connection and their happily ever after (HEA). They must navigate as outsiders an allosexual (non-asexual) world where sexual attraction is deemed normal, and where ace-individuals are pitied, assumed to be unwell, or suspected of having survived sexual abuse.
This corpus study of sixty-five novels explores four approaches adopted by ace characters when negotiating romantic space in an allosexual world: an open relationship with an allosexual; a closed relationship with an allosexual; a polyamorous relationship with two (or more) allosexuals; or pairing up with another ace-spectrum character. Except for ace-ace relationships, these novels therefore tread unfamiliar territory in romance fiction because the sexual desires of the main characters are not aligned. In allosexual romance novels, a libido mismatch signifies an underlying physical or emotional problem to be overcome by one or more characters. However, in asexual romance fiction, non-aligned libidos are the norm and the characters must work together to understand each other’s sexual and romantic desires, and to co-create a new space in which all can thrive.
In analyzing how ace romance fiction achieves HEA and how this can inform the lenses through which allosexual romance fiction is read, I look at several factors, including the co-occurrence of other queer orientations and identities; the authors’ orientation, especially those who identify as #ownvoices; how characters with different sexual desires handle consent; and discourses of romance versus intimacy.
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My corpus contains sixty-five English-language romance novels and novellas, all with at least one ace-spectrum main character and published before mid-2018. While most are contemporary, their subgenres span historical, paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi, romantic suspense, young adult/new adult (YA/NA) and even erotic with BDSM elements. I found titles through general and ace-specific blogs and book-related websites. While trying to be exhaustive, I will have missed some novels that deserve to be included so cannot be certain that this sample is truly representative of the genre. Nonetheless, ARF is a niche.
Here's the abstract:
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