When it comes to literary genres, romance fiction often gets a bad rap — usually for being too sappy, unrealistic and predictable.

Key points: A romance novel offers a happy ending, comfort and predictability during uncertain times

A romance novel offers a happy ending, comfort and predictability during uncertain times During the GFC sales of romantic novels went up despite other book sales going down

During the GFC sales of romantic novels went up despite other book sales going down A Melbourne book store owner said romance novels sell "by the dozen" as people read them quite quickly

But those criticisms are precisely why people turn to romance literature in times of crisis, according to Jodi McAlister, lecturer in writing, literature and culture at Deakin University.

"In a romance novel, you always know how it's going to turn out in the end and it's going to turn out well," she said.

"A romance novel has to have a happy ending — that's one of its defining features.

"And in times like this, when everything is really uncertain and we're not quite sure what's going to happen, we love that sense of closure.

"We like knowing that the arc of the universe will bend towards emotional justice, where two people who love each other will end up together."

Dr McAlister says, far from being a setback, the mandatory happy ending is a feature that makes romance fiction a comforting, hopeful genre.

And you would never hear the criticism of a predictable ending being flung at a crime novel — although the grisly murder is always solved by the book's conclusion.

Romance novels were deemed so important for public morale that Mills and Boon were able to keep their paper rations in WWII.

Unsung hero of the literary world

Despite romance authors being some of the most successful in the world — United States author, Nora Roberts, owns two mountains and half a town — Dr McAlister said the genre has been dogged by sexism, and has been largely undervalued, for centuries.

While researching her PhD, Dr McAlister found a letter to the editor sent to a London newspaper in 1730, which claimed that "romances ruined more virgins than masquerades and brothels".

Millions of Mills & Boon novels are sold each year and feature iconic romance art, making them instantly recognisable. ( Mills & Boon )

"There's this anxiety, a lot of the time, about what women read," she said.

Despite being the unsung hero of the literary world, romance fiction has come to the rescue of readers, and the industry, in times of crisis.

"During World War II Mills & Boon, the famous romance publisher, made a successful argument that they should maintain their paper rations because their books were good for morale for women working in the factories," Dr McAlister said.

In modern day upheavals, such as during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, romance fiction came to the fore again.

"During the financial crisis in the 21st century the sales of a lot of books went down," Dr McAlister said.

"It was a real crisis moment for publishing and the thing that kept the entire publishing industry afloat was romance fiction.

"Those sales actually went up — not even pornography can claim that."

What makes a good romance novel?

As a general rule, if it exists there is a romance novel about it, says Dr McAlister.

Once you find what you like, you will find the right subgenre for you, including for queer and gender-diverse readers.

"My favourite example of how big the romance genre is, is that there's a book called Amish Vampires in Space," Dr McAlister said.

For those new to the genre, she recommended work by New Zealand romance author, Lucy Parker, who has written a series about actors on London's West End, and Australian romance authors like Ainslie Paton and Anne Gracie.

"We have a wealth of romance writers in Australia that people don't really know about," Dr McAlister said.

"You wouldn't recognise a famous author, even though they're probably the ones driving sales."

'They buy them by the dozen'

Rowland Thomson owns Melbourne bookshop and cafe, Hares & Hyenas, which caters to the queer community.

He said he has been selling a broad range of books over the past few weeks and had not noticed a spike in people's interest in romance novels yet, but in general they were more popular online.

Hares & Hyenas has been offering a bike delivery service in response to coronavirus restrictions. ( ABC News: Damian McIver )

"People tend to read them so quickly that they're more commonly sold as ebooks," Mr Thomson said.

"They buy them by the dozen."

He said since the public has been increasingly concerned about the coronavirus pandemic, book series have been selling well.

"People are looking for long reads and to get invested in a series over a long period of time," Mr Thomson said.

"They're also buying quite a bit of young adult fiction and even kids picture books to keep kids distracted while they're in lockdown."