Could you recommend me a good book with a slow-burning romance subplot?

[Brabbleruffs]

What I'm looking for is something like Rey's and Kylo Ren's romance in Star Wars. It is hinted, it is there, yet the protagonists stay true to their nature, they pursue their own goals and the story has another important characters.
Plus, a strong female MC is very important for me. One who is not robbed of intelligence when she falls for the man. I like SMART love stories, in which the lovers, whatever emotional angst they may indulge in, act like halfway sane adults.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*]

Does it matter if its SF or F?

Have you read Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews as yet? Or any of Ilona Andrews work? She writes a lot of romance sub/plots but also strong smart heroines.


ETA: I also liked The Queen's Gambit (Rogue Queen, #1) but it has some problems (first book problems) - it was fun, though.

[Jen]

If you haven't read the Hyperion series (by Dan Simmons) yet I'd highly recommend it. There are 3 main 'couples' in the four books, and they are all strong characters. The last 2 books (Endymion/Rise of Endymion) in particular have a wonderful romance.

If you like fantasy then almost all of Guy Gavriel Kay's works have strong characters and good romance.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Daughter of the Forest has a great slow burn romance, and is an excellent historical fantasy/folk tale retelling. Caution though, there's some...heavy trauma in these books.

The Way of Kings and the next 3 books have a nice slow build of romances too.

War for the Oaks had a sweet slow build too.

Maybe An Ember in the Ashes if you like YA?

There are a couple other that I think hit this, but I don't want to say them because the build it soooo slow, I don't actually know if it'll happen yet, and I've been waiting for years and years to learn!

[Brabbleruffs]

Thanks guys :)

*if you have some more ideas, don't hesitate to share them*

[Carole-Ann]

The Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre is extremely good. Start with Grimspace and you'll never look back :)

Also, for series and stand-alones, try Linnea Sinclair, Rowena Cherry and Susan Grant - who all do marvellous SF with the romance thrown in :)

Slightly older stuff, but really great reads

[Beth]

Allison wrote: "Daughter of the Forest has a great slow burn romance, and is an excellent historical fantasy/folk tale retelling. Caution though, there's some...heavy trauma in these books."

Heart's Blood is another of Marillier's books with a slow-burn romance. I liked Daughter's romance a bit more, but they're both very nice. This one is a standalone.

[Tom]

Try Marie Lu's Warcross duology (Warcross and Wildcard). It's YA cyberpunk lite with a 25-year-old strong female protagonist and a flawed mysterious billionaire type. Yup, hits all the tropes - she even has rainbow colored hair and rides a skateboard. Somehow, it all works!

[Travis]

The first two books in the Nightrunner series -- Luck in the Shadows and Stalking Darkness -- are exactly this, and they're wonderful!