Abortion in Romance

Reading is political and it always has been

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💃 Abortion in Romance Recommendations

a purple background decorated with a border of flowers with a mansion and a portrait of a black woman and a brown man in the middle

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke

A Black/Latina woman runs an underground women’s clinic in 1889 Paris. Aurora is happy to take risks with her career, but never with her heart until new Duke of Annan Apollo steps into her clinic. One of my most anticipated romances of 2025!

a man kisses the cheek of an asian woman with long dark hair

Not Another Family Wedding

Natalie’s never wanted to have children, and when she gets pregnant she ends it and the relationship. Now that she has to attend a wedding, she enlists her friend Conner for emotional support. The Ultimate Pi Day Party and Pregnant by the Playboy also feature people who have had abortions.

The Summer I First Saw You

Snarky and mischievous Daisy has ran back to California to spend the summer with her mom and blackmails her uncle’s best friend Harrison into letting her crash at his beach house for the summer. There’s an off page abortion.

Xeni

Xeni must marry before claiming her aunt’s estate—and her aunt had the perfect groom picked out. Plus-size Scotman Mason agrees to a marriage of convenience. They’re both bisexual and they talk about miscarriage and abortion.

a man in a suit stands holding a soccer ball in front of a stadium

Meeting Her Match

Soccer star Lauren has never gotten over her ex-coach Pete and she’s ready to make the Olympics so she can prove him wrong. Lauren lives in a state where abortion isn’t legal and must travel out of state to get one.

two people lay under purple covers and both wear socks

Business or Pleasure

A ghostwriter and a struggling actor connect over an awkward hookup—and reconnect when Chandler has to ghostwrite Finn’s memoir. When he learns that their night together was mediocre, she starts teaching him about the art of satisfaction.

a shirtless man with his white shirt slung over his shoulder

Fearless at Heart

January Howe is temporary raising her niece and nephew while running the family business. Her high school boyfriend Seth’s kept his distance from her for 20 years but can’t help offering her a hand. Now, she must decide if she wants the man who once held her after her abortion back in her life.

a man and a woman stand on a road together

Bright Midnight

Shay’s only has one more country to see in Europe: Norway. She’s just not ready to see her Norwegian ex-boyfriend Anders, who broke her heart. There’s a reference to abortion in the past.

a shirtless tattooed man looks down at his abs

What Kind of Fool

Sheenah’s sworn off sex and dating as she works through her senior year of college. She’s too busy putting her life back together after an abusive relationship to be distracted by the tattoo artist living above her. There’s an off page historical abortion.

 🎉 Romance Releases

Contemporary

If Only in Our Dreams by Fae Quin

The Forgotten One by Catherine Bybee

Rani Choudhury Must Die by Adiba Jaigirdar

Fantasy

A Soul to Embrace by Opal Reyne

Skyshade by Alex Aster

Kings and Bones by Juliette Cross

Historical

The Duke Who Despised Christmas by Scarlett Scott

More Than This by Krystal Marquis

Time and Tide by J.M. Frey

💌 Romancelandia News

  • People are unfollowing and blocking Booktokers who support Trump. Reading has always been inherently political (especially when it comes to reading romance). If that makes you uncomfortable, sit with that feeling.

  • There’s still not a ton of romances featuring abortions. This 2011 paper exploring the depiction of sex in romance is interesting as is this episode from Fated Mates and this interview with the first author to feature condom use.

  • Poppy Jacobson, MT Addams, and Jo Brenner are organizing a dark romance anthology to raise reproductive justice funds.

  • There’s a list floating around of authors who voted one way or another. Lists like these are full of misinformation and many romance authors are also lawyers. Don’t share or use them.

💾 Romancelandia Jobs

A few new opportunities on the Romancelandia Job Board this week:

  • Custom Sprayed Edges needs artists for 2025 projects

  • Steamy Lit needs a full-time assistant manager

  • Michelle Rossa needs a graphic designer for a dark romance

I’m also considering opening a talent directory for people who offer services to those who work in romance. Just respond yes in this quick survey if you’re interested.

🥰 Free Books

I include affiliate links to Bookshop.org and Amazon in these editions and can make a commission off your purchases.

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