This July, the Mills & Boon team are on the hunt for romance novels by debut writers in underrepresented communities that could be published in our Modern, Love Always or Medical romance series. You can find the full competition details here.
We’ll be looking for submissions that are clearly targeted to one of these three series and fit within the series guidelines. You may be wondering, which series is right for my voice? Fear not, we’re here to help! We’ve pulled together some key information on each series to help you decide.
Mills & Boon Love Always
The Love Always series is all about the sheer rush of falling in love! Think emotional, feel-good romantic escapes with gorgeous international settings, plenty of aspirational glamour, and deeply desirable characters. This series is pure romantic escapism!
Though Love Always stories have an overall uplifting tone, they don’t shy away from emotional intensity. The internal conflicts and emotions of the protagonists drive the tension and relationship development, rather than external plot.
Glamour is key to this series. To sweep readers into a world of glittering luxury, it’s important that at least one of your protagonists is wealthy and successful, while still being emotionally accessible. Your other protagonist should be relatable and down to earth; someone readers can believe in and root for!
Word Count: 50,000 words (Top tip: With a shorter word length it’s crucial that the focus remains on your central couple throughout the story, with limited page space devoted to secondary characters and external drama.)
Sensuality Level: High sensual tension, matched with high emotional connection. While these stories do not contain gratuitous sexual detail, we welcome scenes that go beyond the bedroom door to explore the emotional fulfilment that comes with sexual intimacy.
Not Featured: Love Always does not feature small town and Western settings, or cowboy and military protagonists.
Popular Love Always Themes:
💸 Billionaire
👠 Cinderella
💖 Second chance
✈️ International
👫 Friends to lovers
👑 Royal
⏳ Slow burn
🤭 Fake relationship
🤗 Found family
💓 Forced proximity
👔 Workplace/office romance
⛅ Grumpy/sunshine
☯️ Opposites attract
Mills & Boon Medical
The Medical series is home to intense, uplifting and relatable romances set in the medical world – from high-octane ERs to paramedic teams, to cosy GP practices. These strong, relatable heroes and heroines with hearts of gold are at the top of their fields. When pulse-racing medical drama throws them together, the ensuing romance and passion are captivating. Think House, Grey’s Anatomy and The Good Karma Hospital, but with a heavy dose of romance.
Medical Content: Your protagonists must both be medical professionals who work together to treat patients throughout the story. Their working relationship and the medical drama should actively drive their romance forwards. The medical setting is integral to the plot, not an addition!
Word Count: 50,000 words (Top tip: With a shorter word length it’s crucial that the focus remains on your central couple throughout the story, with limited page space devoted to secondary characters and external drama. Though of course some secondary character presence will be necessary to build the community around your medical setting.)
Sensuality Level: The sensuality can range from warm and tender to intensely passionate—or anywhere in between! We welcome both closed door and spicy stories in the Medical series, it’s just important that the sensuality is always matched with deep, heartfelt emotion.
Popular Medical Themes:
👔 Workplace/office romance
💖 Second chance
👫 Friends to lovers
🤗 Found family
☯️ Opposites attract
🔥 Enemies to lovers
⛅ Grumpy/sunshine
🤭 Fake relationship
Mills & Boon Modern
Home to the commanding alpha billionaire, the Modern series is all about glitz, heat and power! A world of outrageous luxury and red-hot passion, with the drama and intensity dialled up to eleven. Our protagonists are pushed to their absolute emotional extremes, as their deep internal conflicts drive their romance forwards in a rollercoaster of highs and lows. The intensity and powerful emotion should be felt on every page.
Modern romances are set in glamorous jet-set locations around the world. From the glistening city lights of New York to the white-sand beaches of the Caribbean; from island hopping in Greece to the rolling hills of Tuscany, or even a fictional royal kingdom. The options are endless when money is no object!
Mafia Romance: The mafia has infiltrated the Modern world! We are excited to feature mafia romance in the series. These stories are high fantasy, high sensuality and have the power dynamics between the protagonists at the forefront. Though the characters can be imbedded in the mafia world, the primary focus needs to remain on the central romance.
Word Count: 50,000 words (Top tip: With a shorter word length it’s crucial that the focus remains on your central couple throughout the story, with limited page space devoted to secondary characters and external drama.)
Sensuality Level: Passion and desire are at the heart of Modern romances. We want to see high sensuality and sky-rocketing sensual tension to quicken the pulse! The spice should be used to develop the emotional connection between your protagonists.
Popular Modern Themes:
💸 Billionaire
✈️ International
👶 Accidental pregnancy
👶 Secret baby
😈 Revenge
🤭 Fake relationship/dating
🌃 One night
💍 Marriage/Engagement of convenience
👑 Royal
💘 Forbidden love
🔥 Enemies to lovers
🌶️ Spicy
🖤 Mafia
We can’t wait to read your submissions! To learn more about Mills & Boon’s Modern, Love Always and Medical romance series, please read the full writing guidelines.