Can a romance where the hero is a priest work and sell?

crossword · Feb 21, 2016

[FONT=&quot] I'm working on a YA PNR series that will feature various different couples. I have this idea for one couple: the guy is tough, ambitious. He's determined to climb to the top, be CEO one day.[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]Having been raised religious, he now despises religion. But he is thrown into a situation where he has to interact with a woman who is going to become a nun and wants to spend her life working for the poor in third world countries like India.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]They fall in love and it seems impossible to resolve the fact they have different values and goals in life.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]the above basic situation of a nun falling for a rich guy worked great in The Sound of Music, though that was a very different story.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]But would this version work: the woman is the one who is tough, ambitious, determined to climb to the top, be CEO one day.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Having been raised religious, she now despises religion. But she falls in love with a priest or a man studying for the priesthood. A man who wants to spend his life working for the poor in third world countries like India.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Which of the above two works better? My instincts for what works best in romance say it always works best when the guy is the rich, ambitious, driven one. But who knows, it could work the other way around too.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Maybe both could work. It's just that some things work better than others and it's wise to choose the one that works best.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Will women readers be able to fall in love with a hero who wants to be a priest? That's pretty unusual in the romance genre, a genre where the hero is usually rich and pretty obsessed with sex or at least is pretty virile. Then again, there are always readers who want some originality and I think a priest hero could be original, a lot more unusual than a nun-heroine since so many heroines are anyway subdued and virginal.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]has there ever been a romance genre hero who was a priest or wanted to be one, a guy who is prepared to be celibate all his life until he meets the heroine? [/FONT]

Roxxsmom · Feb 21, 2016

I don't know that I've run into this in a genre romance, but it might be able to work depending on the denomination of the priest. If he's Roman Catholic, there might be an issue with the required HEA, unless he left the priesthood, but priests (and of course ministers) in other religions are allowed to marry. Being willing to give up his celibacy and vows to be with the heroine could indeed be a very romantic story. It won't appeal to everyone (your target audience might not be devout Catholics who would disapprove of this choice), but it might appeal to others.

As for whether or not a priest character can be sexy to begin with? I think it depends on how he's portrayed.

The Thorn Birds wasn't a romance in the genre sense, though it had a very important romantic subplot involving the female protagonist and a Catholic priest.

Of course, there are plenty of religions that don't require celibacy of their priests either.

In Connie Willis's Blackout/All Clear books (time travel SF), one of the main characters had a romantic relationship with an Anglican priest. I think one of Mercedes Lackey's Elemental mage heroines ended up with an Anglican priest or vicar also (not sure what the difference is there). Those are theoretically fantasy novels in a historical setting, but they come close to the genre romance construct too, with a love story that's very integral to the plot and a HEA.

I've run into priests and priestesses who were involved in romantic arcs in secondary world fantasy novels too, though in those settings the role and social positions of clergy might vary greatly from what most modern readers are used to (for instance, fantasy religions aren't always down on sex between unmarried people).

Marian Perera · Feb 21, 2016

crossword said:
Which of the above two works better? My instincts for what works best in romance say it always works best when the guy is the rich, ambitious, driven one.

I don't know about working better, but the hero being the rich, ambitious, driven one is more common, which suggests to me that there's a larger readership for this.

That said, who's to say it won't work in reverse?

Will women readers be able to fall in love with a hero who wants to be a priest? That's pretty unusual in the romance genre, a genre where the hero is usually rich and pretty obsessed with sex or at least is pretty virile. Then again, there are always readers who want some originality and I think a priest hero could be original, a lot more unusual than a nun-heroine since so many heroines are anyway subdued and virginal.

I've never read a romance with a priest hero (as opposed to women's fiction like The Thorn Birds or erotica like The Original Sinners). That said, there are a few great romances with virginal heroes : Courtney Milan's Unclaimed, Pamela Morsi's Simple Jess and Lorraine Heath's Always to Remember. All these heroes are celibate until they meet the one woman for them (and in Unclaimed, it's by choice, because the hero has written a guide to chastity that becomes very popular).

tiggs · Feb 22, 2016

crossword said:
Which of the above two works better? My instincts for what works best in romance say it always works best when the guy is the rich, ambitious, driven one. But who knows, it could work the other way around too.

I prefer the second one -- mostly because it reverses the usual dynamic.

beckethm · Feb 22, 2016

tiggs said:
I prefer the second one -- mostly because it reverses the usual dynamic.

I'd second that. The pairing of a powerful, rich guy with inexperienced woman was old a few decades ago.

A couple of other thoughts, though: first, I would say dedicating one's life to serve the poor is a form of ambition, just not one that's ordinarily rewarded with money and prestige. In my experience, people who serve in religious missions or social development projects are often extrordinarily focused and driven. They work long hours in difficult conditions, sometimes to the detriment of family relationships. That could be a good source of conflict for your story, if you have two people who are both married to jobs with very different goals--possibly goals that the other person doesn’t understand or respect initially.

Second, I see no reason you can't make your male MC a priest, but he also doesn't have to be in religious orders to play the kind of role you describe. He could be a doctor or an aid worker of some type. If celibacy is important to the story, maybe he simply avoids romantic entanglements because they would interfere with his work.

If you do make him a priest, make sure you have a good understanding of what priesthood entails for his denomination. You might want to look for memoirs written by other priests to get a feel for the daily routine and the mindset of someone who chooses the religious life.

Layla Nahar · Feb 22, 2016

"The Thorn Birds" ... Oh. Roxxmom beat me to it.

ElaineA · Feb 22, 2016

Thorn Birds isn't a romance, though, is it? It's a tragedy.

I do like the trope-turn of your second idea, but I'm having difficulty with envisioning it all in a YA setting. So many things in life change after age 18. Lots of guys go through high school as virgins so it's not that big a stretch. And even if your MMC is bound and determined to be a priest, he isn't one. He can't have taken orders yet. High school girls seducing less experienced guys isn't that unusual, is it? (In real life, I mean. I know it wasn't when I was in HS.) I'm pretty clueless about YA tropes though, so maybe I'm way off base.

CEtchison · Feb 22, 2016

crossword said:
has there ever been a romance genre hero who was a priest or wanted to be one, a guy who is prepared to be celibate all his life until he meets the heroine?

Priest by Sierra Simone is probably the most recent and talked about romance involving a priest. This is an erotic romance, btw.

Also, there are lists on Goodreads specifically dedicated to romances with priests/vicars/men of God heroes. Priest romances also appear on taboo romance lists.

ETA: There's another I read, cannot remember the name of it for the life of me and I can't find it quickly scrolling through my Nook. Anywho, I remember Sarah Maclean tweeting about it. Art student in Italy has an affair with a Vatican(?) priest. He takes her through the museum after hours so she can view/sketch the collections without crowds.

This one is gonna drive me crazy until I find it.

ETA2: I'm with ElaineA. I'm not sure the premise would really work for a YA. There are a lot of virgin heroes in adult romance, even New Adult romance. Being 18 and a virgin isn't really that shocking is it? And there are a lot of priests who aren't virgins. Some have even been married and have children and take orders in the church after their wives die. Becoming a priest and taking a vow of celibacy doesn't mean they've never ever had sex.

Cyia · Feb 22, 2016

The Thorn...
... dang it. Not fast enough.

Marian Perera · Feb 22, 2016

ElaineA said:
Thorn Birds isn't a romance, though, is it? It's a tragedy.

I reread it recently, and there's this part where Mrs. Mary Carson calls Father Ralph out on his being very friendly with a ten-year-old.

The fine blue eyes rested on her sardonically; he was more at ease. "Do you think I tamper with children? I am, after all, a priest!"

Twick · Feb 22, 2016

I should point out that it's much better if he's studying to be a priest, but hasn't taken his vows yet. If he discovers that life is not for him before he commits to it, that's a good thing, really (just like realizing you're not meant for marriage is a good thing if you make the realization before you actually say "I do".)

Breaking vows of whatever sort may be necessary, and dramatic, but it tends to leave a bad taste in people's mouths. In a HEA romance, that sourness can turn off your readership.

Latina Bunny · Feb 22, 2016

I would suggest doing some research on how priesthood works, first. I would also think about how far along is he on his way to priesthood as well.

(Note: People can choose to be celibate without becoming a priest/nun, too.)

Regarding Romance genre...Hmm... I think I may have seen an erotic Romance ebook that has a priest, I think? And maybe a Historical or Women's Fiction/General Fiction one, I think...?

But I think you're right that the man is usually the rich and/or powerful and/or sexually experienced ones in most conventional, mainstream Romances.

It's why I'm starting to look at Women's Fiction/Chick Lit and General Fiction (and Cozy Mystery) stories. (I was getting tired of the popular Romance tropes, and I also wanted the woman/girl to have more of the focus and do other things outside of romance plots.)

lexxi · Feb 22, 2016

Hm, now I'm remembering this gay romance with a priest protagonist. I don't know how relevant that would be to your project though.

Samsonet · Feb 22, 2016

beckethm said:
I'd second that. The pairing of a powerful, rich guy with inexperienced woman was old a few decades ago.

A couple of other thoughts, though: first, I would say dedicating one's life to serve the poor is a form of ambition, just not one that's ordinarily rewarded with money and prestige. In my experience, people who serve in religious missions or social development projects are often extrordinarily focused and driven. They work long hours in difficult conditions, sometimes to the detriment of family relationships. That could be a good source of conflict for your story, if you have two people who are both married to jobs with very different goals--possibly goals that the other person doesn’t understand or respect initially.

Twick said:
I should point out that it's much better if he's studying to be a priest, but hasn't taken his vows yet. If he discovers that life is not for him before he commits to it, that's a good thing, really (just like realizing you're not meant for marriage is a good thing if you make the realization before you actually say "I do".)

Breaking vows of whatever sort may be necessary, and dramatic, but it tends to leave a bad taste in people's mouths. In a HEA romance, that sourness can turn off your readership.

Seconding both of these. I would probably not be the right audience here, but if the hero OR heroine had taken vows of celibacy and broken them, I'd have a hard time believing they'd actually stay with the other.

Claudia Gray · Feb 22, 2016

If you can write it well, it can sell. Just ask Tiffany Reisz, whose character Søren is not only a priest but also a BDSM dominant; the "Sinners" series sold like hotcakes.

YA makes it trickier, but I know Lisa Desrochers has done very, very well with her NA series involving a priest. There's a market out there for sure.

Silva · Feb 22, 2016

A la The Mermaid Chair? Well, maybe the only similarity there is an almost-priest having a romance with a woman, but...

I think it would work if he hadn't taken his vows yet, like others mentioned, and if you don't make it sound like it's all the woman's fault that he's tempted. (aka "Oh evil women and their seductions!") The idea that the hotness of women always leads to the degradation of otherwise pure and holy men is just... tired and icky-feeling.

Captcha · Feb 22, 2016

I wrote an m/m with an Anglican priest protagonist - it went pretty well. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20522718-mark-of-cain)

For me, the storyline will work best if the priest eventually becomes somehow disillusioned with the church and decides to leave it for those reasons, not just to be with his lady love. I mean, it's a huge romantic gesture to leave the church for a woman, sure, but it kind of messes up the HEA, for me. Like, he hd to give up this other thing he truly loved and was dedicated to in order to be with her, so... is that really a happy ending?

crossword · Feb 27, 2016

[FONT=&quot] Thanks a lot, everyone. I've been busy researching on Goodreads since CEtchison said [/FONT] [FONT=&quot]there are lists on Goodreads specifically dedicated to romances with priests/vicars/men of God heroes.[/FONT]

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[FONT=&quot]I don’t know why, but I was unable to find any goodreads list for Contemporary Priest romances. I found one for gay priest romances and another for historical Priest romances.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]I found there are many featuring pastors but not as many featuring Catholic priests who cannot marry, which is what I was looking for. After all, if he can marry, the conflict becomes much less.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Yes, I found some erotic romances like Priest by Sierra Simone but I'm not looking for erom.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Claudia, thanks for mentioning Lisa Desrochers NA series involving a priest. I loked it up. That might be something like what I'm looking for. I will read it.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]"A couple of other thoughts, though: first, I would say dedicating one's life to serve the poor is a form of ambition, just not one that's ordinarily rewarded with money and prestige. In my experience, people who serve in religious missions or social development projects are often extrordinarily focused and driven. They work long hours in difficult conditions, sometimes to the detriment of family relationships."[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Good point, Beckethm. I should try to meet some people like this to interview them.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]The one thing the goodreads list showed me was there's no problem with a hero who's a priest. people will read it.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]Book 1 of my YA PNR series is nearly 69,000 words. I've been researching and most people advise on their blogs that the correct word count for YA should be between 50 to 80 thousand.[/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot]At the same time, the YA PNR books I've read like FALLEN and FALLING UNDER and HUSH HUSH all seem to be in the 90 to 110 thousand range. Is that the correct range when it comes to YA PNR? perhaps YA PNR is supposed to be longer than other YA?[/FONT]

MaCain · Jun 3, 2016

I recently read Dream a Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Philips. There is a secondary love story in the book, involving a priest and his secretary. I found it enjoyable. I'm pretty sure they referred to him as a priest, but couldn't a preacher or reverend or whatever work here? Not all men of the cloth are required to be celibate, so long as they are married.

jimmymc · Jun 3, 2016

The Devil at 4 o'clock—with Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Luna

CindyGirl · Jun 3, 2016

'The Botticelli Secret' by Marina Fiorato features a novice priest who falls in love with a prostitute.

Lorna Peel · Jun 5, 2016

My romantic suspense The Image of Her was published last month. It features a Church of England clergyman who returns to the church after a year on sabbatical. As he is C of E, celibacy is not an issue.

veinglory · Jun 5, 2016

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC146C/?tag=absowrit-20 Generally sold as saga but a romance at heart.

Can a romance where the hero is a priest work and sell?

crossword

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido

Marian Perera

starting over

tiggs

beckethm

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

ElaineA

All about that action, boss.

CEtchison

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

Marian Perera

starting over

Twick

Latina Bunny

Lover of Contemporary/Fantasy Romance (she/her)

lexxi

bold enough for both those XXs

Samsonet

Just visiting

Claudia Gray

Silva

saucy

Captcha

crossword

MaCain

jimmymc

Benefactor Member

CindyGirl

Lorna Peel

veinglory

volitare nequeo