Most of the romance novels I’ve been recommended have fallen flat for me, and I’ve recently been wondering if that’s because most romance novels have a (pretty conventional) dynamic in which the male romantic interest is a formidable, strong person and the woman is more “relatable,” normal.
Some examples are Ali Hazel’s works, in which two intelligent, academically-minded people end up together… but the man is always a bit abrasive/caustic and the woman is highly intelligent but seemingly easily confused and not dominant at all.
Would anyone be able to recommend books where the woman is highly intelligent and formidable/dominant? Preferably with an academic focus but I’ll take what I can get.
I’d love recommendations in fantasy/sci-fi/romance/literary books.
by AccretingViaGravitas