Every romance term you have ever wondered about. Defined here.

Romance readers have a language of their own. HEA, steam level, slow burn, book hangover. These are not just shorthand. They are a shared vocabulary for talking about the things that make a story work, the emotional mechanics that turn pages into feelings.

Below, you will find every romance term, trope, and reader convention explained. What it means, where it comes from, and what books do it best.