A year ago, I’d have told you the possibility I’d become K-drama obsessed was completely out of the question. But now? They’re my go-to for romantic comedy, drama, and paranormal romance.

South Korean dramas are ubiquitous on most subscription networks—including Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix, and (the gold standard, IMO) Rakuten Viki.  Although many K-dramas share themes—overcoming trauma, family struggles, workplace blues—the sheer volume of titles can make it difficult for newbies to navigate.  So I’ve curated a list of some of my favorite K-dramas and organized them by romance trope.  This isn’t an exhaustive list; far from it. But these are a great place to start!

Marriage (or Dating) of Convenience:  Pretend relationships, with love and affection coming later, are a romance novel classic. They’re also a popular K-drama theme.  In Because This is My First Life, the main characters agree to a contractual, loveless marriage for economic reasons.  Business Proposal features the heir to a rich and powerful South Korean corporation (called a “chaebol”) dating an employee—who’s in turn pretending to be a different chaebol heir. Hijinks ensue. Also try: 1% of Something

Enemies to Lovers: This is perhaps my favorite trope: when the main characters begin as enemies and progress to being friends and lovers. (Ethan Sullivan, anyone?) For a paranormal spin, try A Korean Odyssey, in which a god becomes contractually obliged to protect a mortal—although he’d rather eat her soul.  That’s some Buffy-level conflict. Also try: Touch Your Heart

Found Family: Found family isn’t a rarity in K-dramas, in part because so many focus on workplace and student life and include subplots involving friends and family of the heroes or heroines.  Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is one of my absolute favorites. In this romantic comedy, a dentist is forced to move to a small coastal town where she meets a man with a mysterious past who’s beloved by locals. The series features a fantastic ensemble cast and multiple storylines that explore the nature of love and family.  Another all-time favorite is Reply 1988, which it set in (you guessed it) 1988 and follows a group of neighborhood friends through high school and beyond as they navigate love, friendship, family expectations, and young adulthood.

Love Triangle: Love triangles are a K-drama classic, especially between the Guy Who Has Always Secretly Loved You and The New Guy.  Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is a beloved K-drama classic with a “reverse bodyguard” plot.  The heroine has superhero-level strength, and a CEO with a stalker hires her to keep him safe. The cop who wants to protect her doesn’t like it.  Also try: Reply 1988; Love in the Moonlight

Office Romance: There are dozens of workplace-oriented K-dramas, many exploring the gap in power between the wealthy families who run chaebols and run-of-the-mill employees.  What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim is on many must-watch lists, and it’s in my top five. (Even my husband, who is not a drama fan, loved it!) When a chaebol heir’s extremely skilled admin decides to leave the company, his efforts to make her stay ignite romance and help them understand and overcome a past trauma.  Also try: Her Private Life; Touch Your Heart; Business Proposal

Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance: If you love books that toss immortals into the modern world, K-drama is perfect for you. Goblin (also known as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) is a classic; in addition to a romance, it includes an “odd couple” friendship between demigod and grim reaper that deserves its own series.  Also try: Mystic Pop-Up Bar; Tale of the Nine Tailed; Hotel Del Luna; A Korean Odyssey; The Bride of Habaek

K-Dramas about Writing, Reading, and Publishing:  If you want to take your love of reading straight into K-drama territory, there are several series that touch on writing and publishing. Romance is a Bonus Book is a romantic comedy involving employees at a publishing company. A misanthropic children’s book writer is the heroine of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.  And if you’d like to try a period drama set in an earlier era (also called a “costume drama”), the hero in Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung secretly writes romance novels.

Good luck and happy watching!

The post Curated K-Dramas: A Few Romantic Favourites Organised by Trope appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
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Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Descendant of the Crane, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
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With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice, a charming #ownvoices queer rom-com debut about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Year’s Eve—with results not even the stars could predict!

The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill
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Chloe Neill brings her trademark wit and wild sense of adventure to a stunning seafaring fantasy starring a dauntless heroine in a world of magic and treachery. 

Master of One by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett
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With the heist and intrigue of Six of Crows and the dark fairy tale feel of The Cruel Prince, this young adult fantasy debut will have readers rooting for a pair of reluctant heroes as they take on a world-ending fae prophecy, a malicious royal plot, and, most dangerously of all, their feelings for each other.

The Kingdom by Jo Nesbø
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Roy and Carl have spent their whole lives running from the darkness in their past, but when Carl finally returns to make peace with it, the two brothers are inexorably drawn into a reckoning with their own demons.

Dearly: New Poems by Margaret Atwood
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In Dearly, Margaret Atwood’s first collection of poetry in over a decade, Atwood addresses themes such as love, loss, the passage of time, the nature of nature and – zombies. Her new poetry is introspective and personal in tone, but wide-ranging in topic. In poem after poem, she casts her unique imagination and unyielding, observant eye over the landscape of a life carefully and intuitively lived.

Ruinsong by Julia Ember
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In Julia Ember’s dark and lush LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy Ruinsong, two young women from rival factions must work together to reunite their country, as they wrestle with their feelings for each other.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline
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Lovingly nostalgic and wildly original as only Ernest Cline could conceive it, Ready Player Two takes us on another imaginative, fun, action packed adventure through his beloved virtual universe, and jolts us thrillingly into the future once again.

Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti
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Haunted by her sister’s disappearance, a troubled woman becomes consumed by past secrets in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year.

Ink by Jonathan Maberry
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From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry comes a standalone supernatural thriller Ink, about a memory thief who feeds on the most precious of dreams.

The Flip Side by James Bailey
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Penny wise or pound foolish? A heartbroken young Brit decides to turn his love life over to the flip of a coin—in this delightfully British rom-com in the vein of Jenny Colgan, Rosie Curtis, Nick Hornby, and David Nicholls.

Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg
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A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in the newest fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

What November book releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post November 2020 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.