When it comes to romance in cozy mysteries, readers range in their preferences from, “I’m more about the mystery,” to “Gimme all the romance.” While writing my cozy mystery, A Nutcracker Nightmare, I toyed with how much romance to include. In the end, I kept it on the lighter side for twin sister sleuths, Alex and Hanna, in the second book in the Killer Chocolate Mysteries. Most cozy mystery fans are very adamant about what they want or don’t want in their books. No graphic sex or violence, but a hint of romance is okay. Many readers do have a consensus on one thing. No. Love. Triangles. Let’s examine a few cozy mystery series I enjoy that run the gamut from tepid to torrid in the romance element and dare to include those dreaded love triangles.
If you’re looking for a long running series with a bit more romance, almost torrid for a cozy, then try Ellie Alexander’s, Bakeshop Mysteries. Her sleuth, Juliet, nicknamed Jules, (named after Shakespeare’s Juliet: so you know there HAS to be some romance in this series), and her husband, Carlos, start the series with a fairly serious hiccup in their relationship. Juliet actually leaves Carlos on the cruise ship they’d been working on and heads back to her Ashland, Oregon home allowing for a slow start. Eventually, Carlos comes after her and the romance factor kicks up several notches. There are multiple bumps along the way for Jules and Carlos, but the romance is still going strong with book twenty in the works.
At the opposite end of the spectrum we have Elizabeth Spann Craig’s Myrtle Clover Mysteries. Myrtle is a widowed octogenarian who is more interested in solving crimes than courting beaus. Myrtle has a no nonsense attitude that keeps you amused, but doesn’t cater to midnight trysts other than those related to her insomnia. There are lots of family relationships in the book, but romance is definitely limited. Her senior sidekick, Miles, occasionally finds himself in the crosshairs of a middle-aged matron, but has thus far eluded attempts to ensnare him in any serious romantic entanglements.
It seems many cozy mystery fans like just a hint of romance mixed in with their clues and red herrings. Those fans will enjoy the slow start to the romance in J.C. Eaton’s Sophie Kimball Mystery series. Sophie “Phee” Kimball is a divorced, middle-aged mom who is lured from her job in Minnesota to the hot Arizona desert by her retired and meddlesome mother. Phee’s love life with her old crush, Marshall, doesn’t really kick off until book three when he moves to town. Phee is a practical gal so you won’t find any Shakespearean love quotes sprinkled throughout, lots of humor, but not too much mushy stuff in this series. We also see some romance among the quirky side characters throughout the series, but those subplots are more likely to have you chuckling than swooning.
Do you like a series with doomed relationships? Then M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin Mysteries are for you. Middle-aged, feisty, and never politically correct, Agatha is always on the hunt for an attractive man. Unfortunately, she seems destined to be disappointed. The former PR guru turned private eye in the Cotswolds does have an on again off again relationship for multiple books in the series with James Lacey, a retired military man turned author, who does a credible job as one of her sidekicks. Unfortunately, Agatha seems destined to be forever looking for love and never finding it. In the background is another sidekick, playboy Charlie, an aristocrat in need of an injection of cash to keep his estate going. Agatha is forever falling desperately in love with someone new, but this series has more humor than serious romance.
If you’re looking for a light dose of romance in a Christmas cozy Jacqueline Frost’s Christmas Tree Farm Mysteries is great for providing festive yuletide spirit. (The fourth installment came out October 17, 2023.) In the first book amateur sleuth, Holly, who has returned to her hometown of Mistletoe, Maine, after an aborted engagement soon runs into her future love interest. Sparks fly immediately between the protagonist and the big city transplant, Sheriff Evan Gray. Even though you can feel the romantic tension between the characters most of the mushy stuff happens in the off-season between books.
That brings us to the dreaded love triangle. If I had to guess, I’d say the most famous love triangle in cozy mysteries is in Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen Mysteries. I’m not sure there’s a hardcore cozy mystery buff around who doesn’t have an opinion on the long-running love triangle between Hannah, Norman, and Mike. Did this love triangle go on a smidge too long? (Something along the lines of 17 books.) I think most readers would give a resounding cry of yes to this. Did the love triangle in this series perhaps color readers’ opinions on love triangles in general? Another yes seems probable. And yet, the love triangle trope is not dead, even though there are some readers that wish it were.
Libby Klein’s Poppy McAllister Mysteries is a humorous series following the antics of a forty-something, widowed bed and breakfast owner. In book one Poppy returns to her hometown of Cape May and to her eccentric Aunt Ginny. Hilarity ensues and Poppy soon meets the super-sexy coffee shop owner, Gia. Poppy is also reintroduced to her former high school sweetheart, Tim. This funny sleuth is pursued by both men in the first several installments of the series before finally making a decision and committing to just one of them. Many a review has lamented the love triangle in the series, but in my opinion it was resolved in just the right amount of time. We had a chance to get to know the two rivals and could join either team Gia or team Tim. I waffled early on before jumping on team Gia. In case you plan to read this series, I won’t spoil things by revealing Poppy’s choice.
Another series that sports a bit of a love triangle, initially, is Korina Moss’s Cheese Shop Mysteries. We have two potential love interests, Roman, the charming playboy and meadery owner, and the far more serious Detective Heath. By the end of the third book our love triangle seems to be resolved. Book four, A Case of the Bleus, just came out so we’ll have to see where the romance takes us.
These series are sure to help readers find a match for the degree of romance they prefer in a cozy mystery. But remember, the genre eschews anything too graphic, including romantic scenes; so hardcore romance fans will need to stick to romantic suspense or the actual romance genre for anything steamier than a chaste kiss.
*
