While Brokeback Mountain is an incredibly moving love story, it would not be considered a romance based on genre definition (no HEA).

Mary wrote: "While Brokeback Mountain is an incredibly moving love story, it would not be considered a romance based on genre definition (no HEA)."
I agree. It doesn't fit the genre. I have a soft spot for it because I think it tells an important story. But you're right. My fault. I violated my own rules. Will remove.

I'm so excited to have found this list! Brilliant idea! <3

I love the idea of this list but I would encourage the rethinking of the word 'decolonize', specifically, when it comes to putting any romance books that have pro-royal/aristocracy/monarchy messaging. Something like RWARB is a fantastic book and certainly has bold, intersectional, and social justice ideals interwoven, but ultimately it (and the other royal books on here) do perpetuate and defend institutions of royalty which is by definition, literally a key and violent actor of colonialism. It embodies the hierarchies that this very requirement states it cannot ("a multicultural society without the hierarchy").

Anyway just wanted to point this out, the word 'decolonized' specifically cannot exist hand-in-hand with pro-monarchy/aristocracy/royal ideals... I am very much looking forward to adding some of these to my list of socially conscious romance works though, thank you!!!

Amber wrote: "I love the idea of this list but I would encourage the rethinking of the word 'decolonize', specifically, when it comes to putting any romance books that have pro-royal/aristocracy/monarchy messagi..."

I hear you and I tend to err on the side of avoiding anything that glorifies monarchy and colonialism for that very reason. The thing about the list criteria is that it's a guideline but the list is crowd sourced. I wouldn't remove the charge to "decolonize" romance from the criteria I listed because its the direction I want the list to go in. That's the aim of the list and the call to arms. Rather than water that down I'd rather reiterate the purpose behind the list and challenge people to keep it in mind!

That said, RWRB has an explicit critique of England's colonial history and the racism and homophobia of the present day monarchy as well so that made it more palatable for me personally even though of course it also has a prince as a hero. But in general I don't nominate or vote for anything that focuses on aristocracy or the monarchy or billionaires to take the modern equivalent.

"Policing women's sexual and romantic fantasy for ideological purity is Woke, actually!"