What Is Reverse Harem Romance? Definition And Examples

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““Divided?” she asks, her tone outraged. “I’m not a pie!””

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What is reverse harem romance? The world isn’t short of stories where dashing men are surrounded by hordes of women, all fighting for his attention and all existing purely for his gratification. But the concept of this age-old trope being flipped might be new for some readers out there. If you’ve never heard of reverse harem books, this is the guide for you! Join us at What We Reading as we take you through everything you need to know about romance harem romances, covering exactly what it means, the hottest discussions about the genre, some of the most famous reverse harem writers and finally introducing some of the best book recommendations to begin with. 

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What Is Reverse Harem Romance?

A reverse harem romance is a flip on the original harem formula where a male links up with more than one love interest. In most instances, these love interests are female. A reverse harem (RH) is where a female winds up with multiple love interests. Again, usually male interests. Whilst there isn’t a set number of interests required, most harem books will feature at least three different men. 

This is where personal preference can kick in for an author. Some may want to keep this number at three so that the characters can have more depth and development beyond just the romance. Other writers may want to amp things up with five, six or even more men. The risk of this for harem writers is having so many love interests readers begin to lose track and things start to feel superficial. 

Reverse Harem Terms To Know

In reverse harem books, a protagonist has several partners to pick between. These relationships do not have to be heterosexual ones either; there are plenty of stories on the market about queer matches with several different genders, identities and orientations on show. 

Some of the key terms associated with reverse harem romance to remember include: 

• Polyamory: the technical term for relationships featuring multiple partners.
• Polyandry: the term for when a woman is married to multiple men.
• Polyfidelity: the concept that those being in a group can only be intimate with others inside that group, rather than being able to hook up with anyone. Cheating can be a thing even in reverse harem.
• Male harem: a narrative focuses on a female main who has multiple male partners, and only male partners. These male characters may or may not be intimate with each other.
• Mixed harem: a story once again focuses on a female lead, but their love interests can be a mix of genders.
• Polyandrous male harem: The female protagonists have only male partners, but these male partners have no crossover with one another.

The term ‘reverse harem’ comes from anime where these scenarios are fairly commonplace. All RH books require multiple partners. 

Reading Reverse Harem Books

As mentioned, reverse harem romance is especially popular in East Asia through its roots in anime and manga. Nevertheless, the genre remains somewhat niche here in the West – you’re unlikely to find an extensive collection of stories in your local library, Waterstones Barnes & Noble etc. One of the best places to find reverse harem stories is through Kindle Unlimited. One of the best self-publishing platforms for indie authors, it’s undoubtedly the place to turn to find the biggest collection of RH books. 

Some popular reverse harem books for newcomers to the genre should check out include: 

• The Dark Side – Kristy Cunning
• Bonded By Thorns – Elizabeth Helen
• Curse of the Gods – Jaymin Eve
• Brutal Winter – Quirah Casey
• With A Bite and A Howl – Tierra Cox
• Free Me – Ashley N. Rostek

3 Reasons Why Reverse Harems Are Popular

Despite being a niche, reverse romance stories do seem to be on the rise in popularity for both writers and readers. Goodreads listed 192 books in their ‘Best Reverse Harem Books of 2022’ list, which then rose to 345 in their ‘Best Reverse Harem Books Of 2023’ follow-up. Here are some of the main reasons why RH books are popular:

Smut

Whilst some people prefer their romance stories to remain closed-door, there’s no denying having some spice and smut is a big appeal for certain types of readers. We’re not here to say how smut is worth having, or how much of a role it should in driving your reading choices, but it undoubtedly remains one of the biggest appeals of the reverse romance genre. 

Found Families

For many fans of reverse romance, the found family trope is one of the biggest appeals of the genre. Having a group of individuals who aren’t biologically related coming together to provide comfort, support and safety can help provide a sense of escapism and a feeling of being wanted. 

Everyone Wins

Have you ever read a romance story where one of the love interests does everything right, but they still end up losing because the main characters has to choose someone? That’s not a problem with reverse harem. For female lead characters, they can choose all the guys they want. 

Wrap Up

Genres like reverse harem showcase how much diversity there is in the reading world these days. Reverse romance allows writers to create stories they feel better reflect their identities and experiences, and provide readers with characters and scenarios that they too can resonate with. From found families to fun and steamy romps, RH books are an expanding part of the romance world that we’re sure we will be seeing more over the next few years! 

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