Nola Saint James, 75, a rabbi by day and romance author at night, told FEMAIL, ‘according to the Romance Writers of America, in order to be considered a romance, a story must have a happy ending.’

‘In some ways, the details of the story – monsters, aliens, shape shifters – don’t matter as much as the satisfying defeat of the villain, obstacle, or problem,’ Nola explained.

The romance author added that creating these alternative universes can help ‘ramp down the anxiety around difficult issues.’

‘Embodying that which is threatening into a “monster” is a way in which to gain some control over it,’ Nola said, adding that reading these books is a way to deal with this ‘complex and chaotic world.’

‘Naming it and giving it form is a way of taking that which is amorphous and uncontrollable and trapping it into a more manageable shape,’ Nola continued.

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