The specific “effect” Romance novels have on each person who buys them is definitely an individual experience, but, IMO, and my wife’s opinion, they aren’t selling billions of copies around the world just because of any sexual content.
It’s true that, in the past few years, the “erotic” Romance sub-genre like “50 Shades,” etc., is outselling other Romance genres, but those, like my wife, who prefer not to write in that genre, are still selling books by the millions.
My wife gets thousands of responses from women who share why her “love stories” connect with them in their lives, and, without going into it in great depth, suffice it to say, their reasons are far deeper and more complex than the obvious.
This is pretty much all I have to say on this topic, so I’ll leave it at that. The only reason I brought it up in the first place, was because the OP concerned relationships, and I thought the phenomenal success of Romance novels might provide an interesting perspective.
