Monsters used to be synonymous with horror and nightmares, and literature was no exception. Hideous and grotesque entities were used as the villains, while humans were their victims. Think of Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Guy Endore’s The Werewolf of Paris – the monsters in there appeared to be evil incarnate. While the monsters are still the same all this time, their perception has changed in the literary world now. What used to be terror-inducing entities have now become an indisputable part of romance novels.
This change has been gradual, as the romance genre welcomed more and more monsters. Vampires and werewolves were soon accompanied by aliens, mythical creatures, and even spiders. These works were so intriguing that a new genre was formed to contain them, called Monster Romances.
In the ‘Thick’ of Monster Romances
Monster romance stems from paranormal romance, a genre dedicated to love stories with supernatural beings and fantasy settings. While novels with monsters have similar themes, the romance between a human and a non-human is ever-present. This non-human doesn’t include vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and even shifters. Why? Simply because they can appear human or have a human form they can shift to.
With that in mind, the classic fairytale of Beauty and the Beast can be labelled as one of the first monster romances. Admittedly, he is a human, but that form doesn’t appear until the very end when the curse is broken. The entirety of the tale has him sashaying around as a Beast, essentially a monster. He looks repelling, has an intimidating aura, and looks two seconds away from flying in rage. That makes this tale tip more towards monsters than paranormal on the romance genre scale.
Naturally, the list of non-humans the protagonist can romance with has swelled to an unforeseen number. You can’t even imagine how creative the authors can get while drawing up their monster hero. In fact, they can be anyone, as long as they have a penis dangling between their legs. This then ranges from aliens and dinosaurs to cryptids, minotaurs, orcs and even zombies. The last one is an anomaly of a sort as they do appear corpse-y humans but are still brain-dead monsters.
The fantastical beings found in paranormal romances have their appearance altered to make them desirable for women. Take Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga as an example, where vampires are ridiculously beautiful, and werewolves are handsome hunks. Unlike them, however, monsters found in this genre are not romanticized at all. Minotaurs retain their bull faces, horns and tails, while krakens come with slimy tentacles.
Despite their repelling exterior, they are sentient beings – sharp, careful, and consenting, with a gentle mind. It is probably why the very much human Belle is still able to look past the distractions and find a kindred soul. Her love practically thaws the Beast, enabling him to turn into a human. It might be just an allegory for focusing on the heart instead of the body. But it also explains really well how the genre functions.
The Ever-Rising Popularity of Monster Romances
When you look from the perspective of non-fans, the genre just doesn’t make sense. Not only are the heroes actual monsters but the stories in themselves are simply wild. For example, there exists a book with the setting of a pharma company that extracts semen from minotaurs for medicinal purposes. The work is done by milking technicians, who personally need to stimulate them and collect their ejaculation. The protagonist is one of them, and she happens to fall for one minotaur that comes in every week, pun intended.
For a non-fan or even a first-time reader, C.M. Nascosta’s Morning Glory Milking Farm will come across as an eye-widening tale. But the fans of monster romance love this book, often recommending it as one of the introductory novels of the genre.
And that brings us to the biggest question everyone wants to know the answer to – why did people start loving monster romances?
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An unlikely escape:
One of the most obvious reasons happens to be the sheer escapism it offers. Some readers love the fact that monster romances offer a love story that is far removed from reality. Relationships, much like anything else, are already complicated in the real world. If you can read a romance that does everything differently, yet is easy to connect with at the basic, attraction level, you will also prefer this genre!
Then, it doesn’t even matter if the hero is not conventionally attractive. In fact, they can have tails and whiskers, unusual skin, fangs, extra limbs, and even wings for all that matter. And readers will still use them as a means to destress. It also helps that these novels are generally a quick read.
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Satisfying the horror-laced curiosity:
Readers also claim to love the fact that the genre satisfies the urge to explore the unknown. People want to learn the unknown, but their fear is bigger than their curiosity. The genre, thus, is able to satiate that very interest, without making you venture into the horror. You get to live vicariously through the heroine as she mingles intimately with the supposedly terrifying entities. Admittedly, the same formula can be applied to many fiction genres, but monster romances take the cake.
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Wild yet tame:
Another reason for its popularity is also because of the way the monsters are portrayed. They are these giant beings who are powerful enough to harm any human, including the heroine. But the author counters their dangerous physical abilities through self-consciousness and sweet personality. These monsters are protective, level-headed, and understanding. Moreover, they show amazing restraint as prioritize the woman’s safety and pleasure over anything else. This may be the bare minimum, but it’s not something you will see happening in real life.
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Smut galore:
And that brings us to the most important reason – their sexual prowess. The genre explores the anatomy of the monsters quite liberally. As a result, you will read about heroes with ridiculously big penises; knots and ovipositors; tentacles, tails and pincers. The unending list also continues to add monsters with two dicks, one dick with two heads, and even a prehensile phallus.
Very boldly, the genre steps out of the conventionalities of erotica. It urges you to forget the imposed and assumed beliefs around sex and sexuality and only focus on what feels good. Thus, the fantasy dicks accompany consent, care, and pleasure, providing a heightened sense of a satisfying experience.
In simpler words, their otherworldly charm, coupled with the most interesting anatomy, excites the readers to no bounds. This excitement has also been recognized by toy manufacturers, who now develop fantasy phalluses similar to the ones in the novels.
Final Words
Monster romances used to initially be a niche genre, catering to a specific set of readers. It probably is why you see popular books like Opal Reyne’s A Soul to Keep and Katee Robert’s A Deal with A Demon are self-published.
However, as well-known authors and publishers pick up this genre – for example, Berkeley publishing Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series – more and more readers are turning toward it. Rather eagerly!
The mainstream exposure has certainly introduced everyone to the genre’s oddly appealing quality. It’s precisely why first-time readers or even those who read it as a joke become sworn lovers of monster romances!
