Bittersweet Forbidden City Romance

I’m commissioning a complete romance manuscript set in a present-day cityscape. The core of the plot must revolve around a forbidden love—whether the barrier is cultural, professional, or rooted in family expectations is up to your creative angle, but it needs to feel believable and grounded in today’s urban life.

Please keep the tone suitable for a general audience (PG-13 at most). I want layered, relatable characters whose choices carry genuine emotional stakes, crisp dialogue that reflects modern sensibilities, and vivid city details that make the setting feel alive without overshadowing the romance. The story should close on a bittersweet note: hope mingled with loss, so readers feel both satisfaction and an ache that lingers after the final page.

Deliverables
• Full story manuscript in an editable format (Word or Google Doc).
• A short marketing blurb (150–200 words).
• Optional chapter titles if you structure the narrative in sections.

Acceptance criteria
• Clear modern-day city setting woven naturally into scenes.
• Central relationship fits the “forbidden love” theme and drives the plot.
• Bittersweet ending—no full tragedy, no neat fairy-tale wrap-up.
• Proofread prose, free of major grammar or spelling errors.

If you have samples in the contemporary romance genre, feel free to share so I can get a sense of your voice before we begin.