One thing I love about being a science fiction romance fan is that there are times when it seems as though I have certain books all to myself. This is because the majority of readers have likely never heard of them. There’s a special feeling—a niche badge of honor, if you will—that comes with being among the few who know about little-known authors or types of stories. Call it the “I knew them when” or the “I found a secret treasure” mentality.
But gee, isn’t that kind of selfish of me? Is it right for me to virtually hoard interesting authors and books the way a mouse hoards cheese? (Hmm, I really love cheese, though).
The answer to that last question is, of course, no. Stories are meant to be shared, no matter how fun it may be to have singular knowledge of them. Therefore, I decided to present you with a list of 10 science fiction romance authors you should be reading. The authors below have written entertaining science fiction romances using a wide variety of settings, characters, and plots.
To give you a sense of their unique styles, I’ve labeled specific elements of their books in the form of tags. That way, you can easily decide which ones will interest you most. (The list is in alphabetical order by author.)
And we have lift off in 3…2…1
1) Melisse Aires: family-centric plots; alternate worlds; quirky characters (start with Starlander’s Myth)
2) KS Augustin: multi-cultural characters; hard SF elements; political storylines; repressive regimes along the lines of Farscape (start with In Enemy Hands)
3) Marcella Burnard: Complex yet accessible worldbuilding; smart, kick-butt heroines; creepy villains; multi-faceted alien characters; supportive heroes (start with Enemy Within)
4) Ella Drake: twisted futuristic fairytales; angst-ridden heroes and heroines; sizzling love scenes; sociopolitical themes (start with Jaq’s Harp)
5) Nathalie Gray: high-octane action-adventure; gritty settings; tough heroes and heroines; intense love scenes (start with Gridlock)
6) Pauline B. Jones: military space opera; sweet heat levels; SF-steampunk mashups; strong heroines (start with The Key)
7) Kim Knox: kick-butt heroines; sizzling love scenes; inventive worldbuilding; high-octane adventure (start with Synthetic Dreams)
8) Anitra Lynn McLeod: Firefly-esque adventures; space opera & steampunk genres; humor; erotic m/m and ménage romances (start with Thief (m/f) or Far Too Human (m/m steampunk)
9) Angelia Sparrow: spicy GLBT; dystopian settings; unique characters (start with Cherry Tart (m/f) or For Love of Etarin (m/m))
10) Nico Rosso: uber-Alpha heroes; space wars; fast-paced, video-game style action; cool mecha (start with Taken to the Limit)
That’s my list, and thanks for checking it out. Which relatively unknown authors would you put on yours, regardless of subgenre?
Heather Massey is a lifelong fan of science fiction romance. She searches for sci-fi romance adventures aboard her blog, The Galaxy Express.
She’s also an author: Her latest sci-fi romance is Queenie’s Brigade from Red Sage Publishing. To learn more about her published work, visit www.heathermassey.com.
