PNR Acronyms & Terms
Here is a quick list of abbreviations that I use when reviewing paranormal romance novels:
A/B/O – Universe where gender roles are dependent upon each character’s Alpha, Beta, or Omega rank in society.
ACOTAR – A Court of Thorns and Roses. A popular adult fantasy series.
DNF – Did Not Finish (the book).
D/s – Dominant/submissive. A power dynamic in which one partner takes a dominant role (D) and the other a submissive role (s).
Mdom – Male Dominant.
Fdom – Female Dominant.
E2L or ETL – Enemies to Lovers.
F2B or FTB – Fade to Black.
F2L or FTL – Friends to Lovers.
FMC – Female Main Character.
FR – Fantasy Romance.
HEA – Happily Ever After.
HFN – Happy For Now.
J/P – Jealous/Possessive.
KU – Kindle Unlimited.
MFM – 2 Males and one Female where the males do not interact romantically.
MMC – Main Male Character.
MMF – 2 Males and one Female where the males do interact romantically.
NA – New Adult. Books targeted toward readers in their early 20s or about characters in their early 20s.
PNR – Paranormal Romance. Romance with paranormal, fantasy, or sci fi settings. This genre usually involves werewolves, shifters, vampires, fae, aliens, etc.
RH – Reverse Harem. Romance between one FMC and more than one MMC.
SF – Sci-fi, Science fiction.
SFF – Science Fiction/Fantasy.
SFR – Science Fiction Romance.
TBR – To Be Read – a stack, pile or mountain of books which is To Be Read by a person.
TSTL – Too Stupid to Live. Usually used to describe female characters who do things that defy common sense.
TW – Trigger Warning.
More Romance Terms
Alpha – A character who is a natural leader, naturally “dominates”, or embodies stereotypically masculine characteristics, including being dominant, aggressive and confident.
Alphahole – Alpha + A$$hole. An alpha who takes things too far into jerk category.
Cinnamon Roll – A character who is is kind, innocent, cute/adorable, and pure.
Closed door – Intimate scenes occur, but are off-page. Also known as fade-to-black.
Enemies to Lovers – The main characters start out hating each other and may even be on opposite sides of a conflict. Eventually they hook up though.
Fated mates – The main characters are destined to be together.
Forced Proximity – Where the main characters are in a small space together (e.g. a cabin during a snow storm, a sailboat out in the ocean, etc).
Grumpy-Sunshine — A classic character pairing where one love interest is moody, broody, and emotionally constipated (grumpy), while the other is bright, upbeat, and emotionally generous (sunshine).
Himbo – Male bimbo, or a male character who’s cute but a little dumb.
In Media Res - Scene begins/ends in the middle of the couple having sex.
Morally Grey – A character that isn’t truly bad, but they aren’t truly good either.
Omegaverse – A fictional world where characters have a secondary gender, known as alpha, beta, and omega.
Alpha – Typically dominate males that are physically stronger and more animalistic.
Beta – A character outside of the alpha/omega dynamic. Sometimes submissive to alphas.
Gamma – A character who exhibits both beta and alpha traits.
Omega – A character (usually female) who is physically weaker than alphas.
Open door – Intimate scenes occur on page.
Reverse Harem – A romance between one FMC and multiple partners (usually male).
Shifter – Character who is able to shift into an animal form, like a werewolf or dragon.
Slow burn – a romance where the relationship between the main characters takes a while to develop.
Why Choose – A romance between one FMC and multiple partners (usually male).