There are many different aspects to a successful romance book. One is obviously the couple ending up together, along with great tropes, storytelling, and undeniably fun side characters. That last part is especially true when it comes to pets.
While pets might not always be the first subject to come to mind, they can play an important role in a romance book. Firstly, they could serve as the catalyst for the romance or as part of the title, such as Pardon My Frenchie by Farrah Rochon. Without Ashanti's book, she and Thad would never have met, which would have been sad for everyone.
Additionally, authors tend to use words associated with pets, dogs in particular. Some of those titles have included Puppy Love by Kelly Moran, A New Leash on Love by Debbie Burns, Unleashed by Rachel Lacey, and A Wedding Tail by Casey Griffin. As you can see, all of those are clearly influenced by the dog in the story or feature a pet in some capacity.
Dogs tend to be the main focus but that's not to say that other pets aren't featured in romance books as there are pets aplenty. Cats had their moment for a bit of time and while cats usually aren't in the topic of conversation with romances, they're just as important as all of the other pets.
Pets are undeniably delightful additions to romance books.
While we've talked about dogs and cats, the thing that I adore about pets in romances is how they give you a picture of the character. You truly learn so much about them from how they care for their pet, the lengths they're willing to go for them, and just how much love they show them. It's such an underutilized character trait yet it proves just how lovable a character can be. Frankly, it proves just how selfless a hero or heroine is.
Additionally, pets can play a role in a meet-cute, which is something we can all get behind. I mean that scene in 101 Dalmatians is still iconic all these years later. Seeing the dogs fall in love and their pet parents falling for each other? Forget about it. Those are the love stories we're wanting and craving, especially if you're a pet parent.
Even if you're not a pet parent, there is something about a cute puppy on a cover or the addition of a pet to break up some of the tension in the romance. If anything, you might need that, especially if it's an intense scene. Having the dog or cat come over to comfort a character just makes your heart melt, which is darling. The sad thing is that we aren't seeing as much love for pet-centric romances as we have in the past.
With that being said, we did share a post about some we're adding to our summer TBRs. In addition to that, I'd love to share some of my favorites which are The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare, Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert, I Hate You More by Lucy Gilmore and lastly, the cozy mystery series, A Tita's Rose's Kitchen Mystery by Mia P. Manansala.