Amish romance has become an increasingly popular trend. Currently, there are 12 million copies of Beverly Lewis‘ Seasons of Grace series in print, a romance set in Amish country.

For the Amish, old school courtship dictates romantic bonding and many marriages stay within the religious group. With clubs, bars, and Internet dating unavailable to them, young boys and girls meet, mingle and interact in Sunday singing groups. Pre-marital sex is explicitly forbidden.

USA Today observed: “For many readers today, it’s all about the bonnet. In our sex-soaked society, nothing seems to inflame the imagination quite like the chaste …’It’s a huge, huge, huge trend,’ says romance blogger Sarah Wendell, co-author of Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels.”

The paranormal romance of the Vampire Diaries‘ prequel will compete with Amish romance this fall. What do you think? Will paranormal romance and its explicitly sexy stories will continue to rule? Or will the highly virginal Amish will take over?