Some stories explode on page one.
Mine? They simmer.
I’ve always been drawn to the kind of romance that builds. The looks that linger a second too long. The arguments that mean more than either character is ready to admit. The growing awareness that something—someone—is getting under their skin.
Writing the Storm Series has only deepened my love for the slow burn.
Because when passion finally breaks through after chapters of tension and self-denial… it hits different. Like thunder after a long, charged silence. Like a storm you’ve been watching roll in from the distance, knowing it was only a matter of time.
🖤 Why Slow Burns Work (Especially in Romantic Suspense)
In romantic suspense, everything’s already heightened—emotions, stakes, adrenaline. There’s danger just off the page. So when two characters are falling for each other in spite of that chaos? It makes every touch, every glance, every moment of vulnerability feel earned.
It’s not about withholding.
It’s about timing.
Slow burns give characters the space to grow—not just closer to each other, but into themselves. They get to unlearn their defenses. They get to choose love, again and again, even when it’s terrifying.
And when they finally do?
Fireworks. Every time.
🖋 How I Build the Burn
Each couple in the Storm Series starts from a different kind of emotional distance. Nick and Kate clash immediately. David and Lena are all careful restraint. Zach and Emma? Well… you’ll see.
But the formula is always rooted in tension:
- Moments of forced proximity
- Unspoken attraction held at bay
- Tiny glimpses of care before either of them is ready to admit it
- One person cracking just a little before the other
- Emotional stakes that mirror the external danger
It’s like a dance—push, pull, retreat, collide.
And yes… I’m always the one holding the match.
✨ A Taste of the Heat
“You always do that,” she said quietly.
“Do what?”
“Look at me like you’re about to say something that matters. And then you don’t.”
He stepped closer.
“Maybe I’ve been waiting for you to ask.”
I love slow burns because they reward the reader’s investment. They feel real. Earned. Dangerous in the best way.
What are your favorite slow-burn couples—books, shows, anything? And do you like the “one kiss and the world explodes” moment, or do you prefer a long, aching build?
Let’s talk tension in the comments.
—Jena
