This study brings race and the literary tradition of romance into dialogue. Race and Romance Coloring the Past explores the literary and cultural genealogy of colorism white passing and white presenting in the romance genre. The scope of the study ranges from Heliodorus Aithiopikaampnbspto the short novels of Aphra Behn to the modern romance novel Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins. This analysis engages with the troublesome racecraft of passing and the instability of racial identity and its formation from the premodern to the present. The study also looks at the significance of white settler colonialism to early modern romance narratives. A bridge between studies of early modern romance and scholarship on twentyfirstcentury romance novels this book is wellsuited for those interested in the romance genre.