Circle of Love Series – series is one of the more obscure American category romance lines of the early 1980s. Although short-lived, it is significant because it directly preceded Bantam’s highly successful Loveswept line.
Publication History
- Publisher: Bantam Books (New York)
- Series Name: Circle of Love
- Publication Period: February 1981 – July 1983
- Total Titles: 39 numbered books (#1–39)
- Genre: Contemporary Category Romance
- Format: Mass-market paperback
- Numbering: Consecutively numbered (#1–39)
- Successor: Loveswept (launched May 1983)
- Reading Order: Stand-alone novels; numbering reflects publication order rather than continuing story
The series began with Gold in Her Hair by Anne Neville in February 1981 and concluded with Dream Images by Amalia James in July 1983.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Harlequin dominated the North American category romance market. Bantam attempted to enter this market by introducing Circle of Love, featuring traditional, relatively “sweet” contemporary romances. The books emphasized emotional relationships with limited sensual content, closely following the Harlequin Romance style of the period.
Circle of Love was not commercially successful. Industry observers and later Bantam editor Carolyn Nichols noted several reasons:
• it entered the market just as readers were beginning to prefer more contemporary and sensual romances;
• new competitors (especially Silhouette and Second Chance at Love) were changing reader expectations;
• Bantam’s marketing research underestimated how quickly the romance market was evolving.
As a result, Bantam discontinued Circle of Love after only 39 titles and replaced it with Loveswept, which emphasized recognizable authors, stronger heroines, and more modern relationships. Loveswept became one of the most successful romance imprints of the 1980’s