Like their cousins, the vampires, werewolves are becoming increasingly common in romantic fiction. When you think about it, it is easy to see why. Lycanthropes blur the line between man and nature—a person may have any sort of civilized human persona, but beneath that they have a secret side that is rough and passionate, enslaved by desires that they literally cannot control. Werewolves are particularly popular for male heroes for these reasons. Heroines may be cursed as well, though they almost always wind up with a fellow werewolf lover, their relationship almost inevitably built on irresistible attraction. Often thematic advantage is made of the fact that real wolves mate for life.

One common thread in fantastic romance is to involve a werewolf in a love triangle with a human girl and a vampire rival. This allows for contrasting archetypes: the werewolf is rough, wild and emotional, while the vampire is usually aristocratic, also passionate but in a much more subdued way. The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer is one famous depiction of such a love triangle, though unfortunately for werewolf fans, the vampire wins in that and most cases. Perhaps this will change as werewolf romance continues growing in popularity.