ABSTRACT
Even among Christians, Christian romance novels remain "overlooked or invisible in the evangelical subculture," notes Lynn S. Neal in Romancing God, the only book-length treatment of the genre. This invisibility may benefit readers, for if those religious leaders who promote traditional gender roles within marriage read the books, they might balk at the images of gender equality that are central to the happy marriages that conclude the novels. Christian romance fiction, sometimes called "inspirational fiction," is one of the bestselling subgenres of the industry. Unlike the characters in secular romances, however, heroes and heroines in Christian romances face an internal struggle of faith. Some religious leaders discourage the reading of Christian romance novels for fear that they encourage women to escape the hard work of making their real-life marriage good and instead prepare them for disappointment with their husbands.
