I’ve run into this opinion before:
“Romance does not belong in any genres other than romance.”
This goes double for when it’s added to an adventure-based fantasy. Some people hate if there’s even a hint at anything more than characters simply trying to get laid. Sex is fine, but no emotional attachment that can lead to settling down. People feel that it ruins the story and draws it to the romance genre. So, they will give up soon after it’s clear that two main characters are developing ‘the feels’ for each other.
Now, I do it get because people typically pick up an action-adventure book to see fights, explosions, etc. Romance is softer and takes previous page/screen time away from what was marketed. It can be mentioned in passing or the lover isn’t part of the action, but it really sours some of the audience. I don’t want to say it’s always males who hate this since I’ve run into females who agree. They gave the author attention because they expected to be thrilled with daring-dos. Not reading about two adventurers acting like lovesick teens and playing the ‘will they-won’t they’ game. So, it can come off as a bait-and-switch.
Unfortunately, romance is one of the most common and relatable character-growth subplots out there. It’s something everyone has either experienced or wishes to experience. People who have had no luck in love may rail against the addition, but they still understand and connect to it on some level. This also works off the common desire to settle down, which adventurers have a chance to do when a love interest has been introduced. Like people in the real world, they can create a life after all of their toiling and suffering.
I wonder if another reason people hate romance being included is because it can be far too relatable. A person who knows the pain of a broken heart or losing a lover can have some fear of that happening in the story. Then, the surviving hero has to continue going on, which can lead to the rest of the adventure having a sad and depressing tone. If they aren’t affected by the loss then it comes off as wasting time, so a reader will expect a rough reaction. It doesn’t help that killing off a lover has been a story trope since the early days of fiction. So, people kind of expect it in some genres when a romance is started, especially in an action-based story.
Another potential issue is that the author may feel obligated to routinely put in ‘couple’ stuff like kissing, flirting, arguing, and talking about non-adventure stuff. This can stem from a worry that they will forget about the romance and people will see it as a plot threat that went nowhere. It might not be easy to smoothly fit this in once the action starts, but some authors try this. Other times, the characters simply helping each other in battle can cause a reader to think the romance is corrupting things. So, you have some hyperattention to the subplot by both parties instead of letting it sit organically beneath the surface.
Personally, I do like adding romantic subplots, but they aren’t necessary for every character. They help in long series where you have a cast of characters instead of a solitary hero. It feels natural that those working together in stressful situations may gain feelings for each other. The adrenaline could make it fake, so you can set up for failure and then play with the group dynamic. I do have misgivings about this though because such things make stories emotionally messy and you have to be careful in getting everything back on track. Still, people fall in love all the time, so it’s not surprising when it happens even in an adventure story. The romance can give the characters a better reason to fight than victory too because now they have a future.
So, what do other people think about romance being added to an adventure story?
Legends of Windemere 
I think essential. You want your reader to feel ALL the emotions, not just the adrenaline rush of a challenge.
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True. It will be a problem if shoehorned in, but it shouldn’t be avoided at all cost.
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Agreed!
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I don’t have a problem with romance in an adventure story, particularly if the romance is a subplot. The movie adaptations of LOTR handled Aragorn’s relationship with Arwen in a way that didn’t interfere with the journey of the fellowship. Romance had a place in sections of The Silmarillion also.
The only time romance felt tacked on to me was in The Avengers: Age of Ultron when Black Widow and Bruce Banner started a romance that seemed to come out of nowhere and disappeared after that movie.
Many YA books feature romance subplots. And long-running series like Terry Pratchett’s Discworld feature various characters who develop relationships. Vimes in the City Watch miniseries within the larger Discworld series has a romance as do other characters.
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I agree with the Avengers thing. I’ve noticed a lot of modern movies with stuff a romance in to increase female viewing. At least that’s the belief, which feels a little sexist.
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They probably do. But if it works like in Oceans Eleven, I’m in! But I’ll gladly see a movie without romance if it has a good story.
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It is!
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I think romance is okay if it is a natural happening and not forced simply because two people happen to be in the same room.
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Good point. Too many try that.
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😊
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People come up with weird ideas and mandates. Variables make our work unique. A bit or romance can really help ramp up the tension in many instances.
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I wonder about this one though. Typically, it’s men who complain about romance in a non-romance genre. Yet, they will also enjoy certain stories where this happens. I remember one guy I argued with about Aragorn/Arwen being made bigger in the movies. He didn’t want romance in his fantasy stories. His favorite trilogy was original Star Wars, which I pointed out had the Leia/Han romance. For no reason, he said that was different.
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Can’t make them all happy. Some really fun ones were romance heavy: Romancing the Stone, The Mummy, etc. while films and not novels, they sold a lot of tickets.
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When people get so upset about book content (not just romances) it feels to me like they have a problem they should be working through. They don’t get to tell authors what we can write.
It’s like with library bans. If you don’t like the book, return it and check out another one. But don’t try to prevent everyone in the world from reading it.
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Maybe. I wonder if some people think stories are their property and the author is specifically catering to them.
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Here here
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Of course, in answer to this is the growing genre of Romantasy, which is a mixture of Romance and Fantasy. I’ve recently written a Romantasy novella.
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Never heard of that. Sounds unnecessary since so many fantasy series have romantic subplots.
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Apparently it’s a thing. The mail plotline is the romance, and it, like all romances, must have a happy ending. But there is an adventure, of course.
It’s a rapidly growing sub-genre.
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