Hello all, I'm typically more a fan of fantasy than sci fi, but occasionally I dabble. Recently I found Michael Hicks' In Her Name: Redemption trilogy, and loved the first novel or two in it. Empire was far and away my favorite, because of it's character driven nature and great love story. I'm looking for something similar to this novel, but don't know the first thing about sci fi, outside of the typical mainstays like Clarke and Orson Scott Card and the like.

Sadly, the last book (and the latter half of the second book, really) in the Redemption trilogy shifted more to event-driven plot, and it really took a turn for the worse IMO. So if anyone has any suggestions for a great sci fi novel with pretty liberal doses of romance, they would be much appreciated.

Thanks!