I love romance in all shapes and forms. Love stories are what connect us all as people, through space and time, and deep down, everyone wants to find love. It won’t surprise you to know that romance is my favorite genre to read, and over the years, I must have read hundreds of them, across different subgenres.
Some of them I really liked, some of them maybe not so much, but my journey has taught me there’s the right kind of love story for all readers. And because of that, this list includes the greatest romances of all time, not just one type, so you can find something that works for you.
And if you want a sneak peak of what you can find on this list, here’s a quick overview of every book included, and if any of them spark your interest, just click on the link and it’ll take you straight there.
See all books included (with notes on who they’re for)
- You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle — Read this if you want something really funny and heartfelt but also swoony!
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood — This is your book if you like fake dating, broody professors and quirky heroines.
- Seven Days in June by Tia Williams — A more literary contemporary romance with writers as main characters.
- Beach Read by Emily Henry — Surprisingly deep love story between two writers of different genres.
- The Hating Game by Sally Thorne — The OG of contemporary romance, a lovely little office rivalry that turns into something else.
- Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall — Read this if you want something reminiscent of 90s and early 2000s rom coms (especially British rom-coms), but spicier.
- The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata — Do you like slow burn? Try this McDaddy of slow burns.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — A classic romance with enemies to lovers!
- Persuasion by Jane Austen — The most romantic Austen book, with second chance romance and probably the best love confession ever.
- The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery — Read this if you want a heroine that grows a spine and finds love in the most unlikely place.
- Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez — You know what’s a good idea if your crush marries? Wait for about 50 years for her husband to die and then, it’s finally your time!
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro — Read this if you need something melancholy to cry to, and you don’t mind a more quiet heroine.
- Atonement by Ian McEwan — Another book you should read if you want something to cry to.
- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell — If you already read Pride and Prejudice, may I introduce you to its spiritual match?
- Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy — A love triangle? How about a love square?
- Normal People by Sally Rooney — Read this if you want to follow two people as they grow and change, continuously affected by each other. Incredibly melancholy and intimate.
- Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman — This is a perfect read if you want something that feels like summer and first love.
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones — Not all that happy and very bittersweet, but lovely if you want a realistic story and a tearjerker.
- Luster by Raven Leilani — Read this if you want something unconventional and more about growth than romance.
- Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller — This is your pick if you love Greek mythology and crave beautiful writing.
- Possession by A.S. Byatt — If you love stories within stories, dual timelines and a bit of dark academia, this is your book.
- In Memoriam by Alice Winn — Devastating war story, but not really what you’d expect! Beautiful writing and snappy dialogue.
- Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson — If you want a short read that’s lyrical and emotional, I cannot recommend Open Water enough.
- Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors — Into toxic relationships? Try this book!
- These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever — A story of obsession with another person and a devastating sort of love.
- Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski — A sad, poignant tale of two people who know they can’t be together but still really want to.
- The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden — Read this if you enjoy enemies to lovers with real (well, ish) cause and very atmospheric books with unlikeable but fun main characters.
- One Day by David Nicholls — A friends to lovers story stretched across decades, maybe don’t read if you want a HEA, but read if you want a good love story.
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows — This is your book if you love epistolary romance and crave something soft and sweet.
- Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale — Read this if you want a really devastating, poignant historical romance.
- Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas — Want the best hero of historical romance? Give this book a try!
- Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase — This book is legendary in the histrom subgenre, and has the best heroine ever written. Just try it, you’ll have fun!
- Black Silk by Judith Ivory — My personal favorite of the historical romance genre, read if you want beautiful writing and complex characters, with a very slow slow burn.
- Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh — Like strict, buttoned-up heroes? Let me introduce you to Wulfric Bedwyn! Also contains older, more experienced characters.
- The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas — This author will take you on an emotional ride and you won’t even know what hit you.
- This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone — A short, romantic read that leans SciFi, but feels very literary.
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — The legend of romantasy genre, the one that started it all. Read if you’re just getting back into reading or you want to try fantasy romance.
- The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow — My favorite, an epic tale of love and loss. Read if you want a complex love story and don’t mind time loops (also, this will hurt, I’m sorry).
- Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross — Want epistolary romance with hidden identities? Try this duology!
- The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri — A perfect blend of fantasy and romance with crazy tension.
- The Road of Bones by Demi Winters — My favorite romantasy series, read if you love slow burn, good writing, great worlds, and soft but capable heroines!
- Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh — Try this one if you like shifter romances.
- The Bride by Ali Hazelwood — Read this book if you like Ali Hazelwood but want more fantasy. Also, if you read only fanfic normally, this will suit!
- Moon Called by Patricia Briggs — A long, very slow burn urban fantasy with shifters, werewolves and complicated pack politics.
- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness — Instead of werewolves, how about some witches and vampires?
- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer — OG, included for posterity, but still a great read if you’re new to paranormal.
- The Hathaways by Lisa Kleypas — A warm, cozy series with incredible family dynamics. You can read each separately if you wish, or in order, both ways work!
- The Brown Sisters by Talia Hibbert — Three sisters, each with their own lessons to learn and wonderful heroes to fall in love with. Read this if you like British rom coms.
- The Ravenels by Lisa Kleypas — For some Victorian romance variety, try this series.
- Game Changers by Rachel Reid — If you’re into sports romance, I highly recommend this one!
- Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews — Like paranormal, but want more mystery? Try this series!
- Bridgerton by Julia Quinn — A fun, cozy series about eight siblings finding love.
Editor’s Note: I chose these books based on my own personal tastes and what other people universally love. Keep in mind that this is a living, breathing list, so I’ll keep adding to it as I read more books (I’m just one reader after all). If you have any recommendations for me, make sure to leave them in the comments and your favorite book might go straight to my TBR or this list. In the latest update, on July 27th, 2026, I added other subgenres, not just literary, to better match everyone’s tastes.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them at no extra cost to you.
Contemporary Romance Books
Contemporary romance is where you can expect the most happily ever afters, and tons of modern tension. If you’re new to romance in general, this is a good place to start!
Find more than 60 contemporary romance book recs here!
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle
“I say it all the time, I just say it very, very quietly. I tell you when you’re in another room, or right after we hang up the phone. I tell you when you’ve got headphones on. I say it after you shut the door behind you. I say it in my head every time you look at me.”
| Tropes | relationship in trouble, enemies to lovers |
| Heat Level | there’s one scene but it’s more emotional than explicit |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 368 pages |
Naomi and Nicholas are engaged and thoroughly sick of each other, but neither wants to be the one who calls off the wedding and eats the blame, so they each start scheming to make the other do it. Naturally, sabotage turns into something else entirely. This is my favorite contemporary romance book ever! I think I’ve re-read it dozens of times, whenever I have a bad day and need a pick-me-up.
It’s also one of the funniest, most heartfelt books I’ve ever read, and I highly recommend it. It’s told from Naomi’s POV entirely, and it really shows you how much those small, seemingly insignificant things mean a lot.
See my full review of You Deserve Each Other here!
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
“I’m starting to wonder if this is what being in love is. Being okay with ripping yourself to shreds, so the other person can stay whole.”
| Tropes | fake relationship, grumpy/sunshine, workplace romance |
| Heat Level | there’s like one scene and it’s explicit, but the book is more of a rom com than spicy overall |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 383 pages |
Olive kisses a random guy to convince her best friend she’s dating someone new and that guy turns out to be Adam, the notoriously prickly professor she now has to fake-date in front of the entire department.
To be perfectly honest, The Love Hypothesis was a big disappointment to me personally, and it’s definitely not my favorite Ali Hazelwood, but I included it here because it’s her most universally beloved book and as a sort of representative of her catalogue.
My favorite would be Bride (featured below), Love Theoretically, Deep End, or Problematic Summer Romance — basically any other of her books. But I feel like if you’re starting with Ali Hazelwood, or romance in general, The Love Hypothesis is probably the best choice.
Seven Days in June by Tia Williams
“One thing,” she whispered, her lips by his jaw. She didn’t want anyone to overhear. “Before I forget.” “What’s that?” “Stop writing about me.” Only Eva could’ve noticed the change in his expression. She saw the flinch. The slow, satisfied curl of his lip. His bronzy-amber eyes flashing. It was like he’d been waiting years to hear those words. Like the girl whose pigtails he’d been yanking during recess all year had finally shoved him back. He looked gratified. In a voice both raspy and low, and so, so familiar, Shane said, “You first.”
| Tropes | second chance romance, childhood connection, slow burn |
| Heat Level | this one is a bit more spicy, but I wouldn’t say there’s a lot of spice |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily for now! |
| Page count | 336 pages |
Eva and Shane had one intense week together as teenagers that neither of them ever fully got over, and now they’re both bestselling authors running into each other again with a lot more baggage and a lot more chemistry.
I adored how this book showed writers and the publishing world, but I was a little skeptical of the romance and felt like it maybe needed more development. That said, this is a beautifully written book that I would highly recommend to anyone!
Beach Read by Emily Henry
“That’s the key to marriage. You have to keep falling in love with every new version of each other, and it’s the best feeling in the whole world.”
| Tropes | opposites attract, enemies to lovers, forced proximity |
| Heat Level | yes, it’s spicy, but not overly so |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 358 pages |
A heartbroken romance novelist and a literary fiction writer end up as neighbors in side-by-side beach houses, both stuck with writer’s block, so they swap genres for the summer and start swapping feelings too.
Beach Read is my absolute favorite of Emily Henry’s and maybe of all romance books in general. It’s such a good, solid, emotional story and I love it. If you end up liking this one, I recommend the entire Emily Henry catalogue — my personal favorites (after this one) being Happy Place and Funny Story. But there are more to choose from, so I hope you enjoy!
Emily Henry is also great if you want to introduce someone to the genre, or if you yourself are new to it — it’s an easy, breezy, high quality entry point.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
“All I want to do is kiss you until I fall asleep. I want to slide in between your sheets, and find out what goes on inside your head, and underneath your clothes. I want to make a fool of myself over you.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity |
| Heat Level | spicy-spicy, but not extremely (like I was not embarrassed to rec this to my mom) |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 365 pages |
Lucy and Joshua sit desk-to-desk as executive assistants to co-CEOs, locked in an escalating war of petty office rivalries, until the hatred starts feeling suspiciously like something else.
And look, I know this book is not very popular right now, but if you look back in time, the Hating Game ruled the shelves of any romance reader. Plus, this is the book that got me into contemporary romance, so it belongs firmly on this list. It’s a great little story, funny and smutty (and way better than the movie), and I highly recommend it!
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
“I’m conscious this could be rather burdensome to hear, but you remain the thing I have most chosen for myself. The thing that’s most exclusively mine. The one thing that brings me the deepest joy.”
| Tropes | fake relationship, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine |
| Heat Level | there are some scenes, but it’s not too much, and I found it more emotional than anything else |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 425 pages |
Luc needs a respectable boyfriend to clean up his tabloid image, so he recruits buttoned-up environmental lawyer Oliver for a fake relationship that starts as pure PR and gets real fast. I adore this book! It’s my comfort read, and everything about it is perfect — the prose is funny and snappy, the romance is swoony and tender, the side characters are so interesting and entertaining!
Alexis Hall has a whole backlog of books that are as great as this. I loved the Spires series the most, and 10 Things That Never Happened. These books focus on personal growth and mental health almost as much as they focus on romance, and they’re as tender and soft as they’re spicy. I’m absolutely an Alexis Hall fan, if you can’t tell. There’s just something about their writing that scratches my brain perfectly.
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
“I don’t know,” I stuttered, “Do you love me?”
His gaze was so intent the entire world seemed to stop. “You tell me. I never stop thinking about you. I worry about you all the time. Every beautiful thing I see reminds me of you. I can’t finish my practices in Colorado with out wishing you were around,” he said in a steady tone. “You tell me what I feel.”
| Tropes | slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, boss/employee |
| Heat Level | like one scene at the end |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 475 pages |
Vanessa has been the ultra-competent personal assistant to reclusive pro football player Aiden Graves for years, holding his whole life together. But when she finally quits, he asks her to marry him instead, so he can keep his citizenship and stay on the team.
This is a slow burn, but dialed all the way up, so don’t expect quick payoff! The entire Mariana Zapata catalog is full of books that just want to torture you for hundreds of pages before the characters finally get together, so if that’s your thing — go for it! I liked this one quite a lot despite the title, and I liked how there’s no unnecessary drama, it’s just these two slowly falling in love.
If you want more books where the love story really takes its time, check out these slow burn romance books!
Love Stories in Classics
Classic literature, it won’t surprise you, holds many beloved love stories. I included my favorites below, and all of them, though perhaps a bit less easy to read, are exceptionally enjoyable and comforting! If you want more romance in classics, I recommend a 100+ best classics to read here.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
“You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, slow burn, class differences |
| Heat Level | nope |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | happily ever after! |
| Page count | 400 pages |
When Elizabeth Bennet meets Mr. Darcy, she immediately writes him off as arrogant, and he doesn’t exactly help his case. Watching those first impressions unravel, one stubborn conversation at a time, is basically the reason the enemies-to-lovers trope exists. And this is one of my absolute favorite classics! I love all the TV and movie adaptations, any rendition of P&P, and most recently — its expansion into the The Other Bennet Sister universe.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
“You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged; but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever.”
| Tropes | second chance romance, reunited lovers, slow burn |
| Heat Level | Nope |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 249 pages |
Anne Elliot broke off her engagement to Captain Wentworth years ago on someone else’s advice, and now he’s back as a successful man, unwittingly courting someone else. It’s a quieter, more melancholy kind of love story, built on regret and history. And Persuasion is probably my favorite Jane Austen if we’re talking about books alone, it’s the most romantic one, and I’m sure you’ll love it.
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
“Love you! Girl, you’re in the very core of my heart. I hold you there like a jewel. Didn’t I promise you I’d never tell you a lie? Love you! I love you with all there is of me to love. Heart, soul, brain. Every fibre of body and spirit thrilling to the sweetness of you. There’s nobody in the world for me but you, Valancy.”
| Tropes | opposites attract, self-discovery, marriage of convenience |
| Heat Level | Nope |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 255 pages |
Valancy Stirling has spent her whole life being miserable and dutiful to her overbearing family. That is, until a health scare gives her nothing left to lose, and she finally starts living (and loving) on her own terms.
Blue Castle is definitely a comfort read for me, and it’s a wonderfully short and romantic tale to read. I love Valancy and how hard she works on herself, and I love that she finds a life she enjoys. I have to admit, I even kind of like her family, as annoying as they are, I thought they were funny!
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
“To him she seemed so beautiful, so seductive, so different from ordinary people, that he could not understand why no one was as disturbed as he by the clicking of her heels on the paving stones, why no one else’s heart was wild with the breeze stirred by the sighs of her veils, why everyone did not go mad with the movements of her braid, the flight of her hands, the gold of her laughter. He had not missed a single one of her gestures, not one of the indications of her character, but he did not dare approach her for fear of destroying the spell.”
| Tropes | unrequited love, second chance romance, long-awaited reunion |
| Heat Level | Fairly explicit in places — more so than people often expect going in. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HFN. |
| Page count | 348 pages |
Florentino Ariza falls for Fermina Daza as a young man, loses her to another man, and then — undeterred by a little thing like five decades — waits for his chance to try again. I absolutely adore Marquez’ prose and could read it for days. My favorite is definitely One Hundred Years of Solitude, but for a love story, I feel like this is his best.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
“I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current’s too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. That’s how it is with us. It’s a shame, Kath, because we’ve loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can’t stay together forever.”
| Tropes | childhood friends to lovers, love triangle, star-crossed lovers |
| Heat Level | Low. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Neither, unfortunately |
| Page count | 288 pages |
Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth grow up together at a strange English boarding school, and as the truth about their futures comes into focus, an old teenage love triangle takes on much higher stakes. This is said to be a SciFi novel, but I’d argue it’s much more literary and romantic. It’s one of my favorites by Ishiguro, and the prose is absolutely beautiful. I hope you love this one!
Atonement by Ian McEwan
“Finally he spoke the three simple words that no amount of bad art or bad faith can ever quite cheapen. She repeated them, with exactly the same slight emphasis on the second word, as though she were the one to say them first. He had no religious belief, but it was impossible not to think of an invisible presence or witness in the room, and that these words spoken aloud were like signatures on an unseen contract.”
| Tropes | forbidden love, star-crossed lovers, tragic romance |
| Heat Level | I wouldn’t say so |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Neither, I’m afraid, this is entirely tragic |
| Page count | 351 pages |
Robbie and Cecilia’s romance ignites over one charged summer day, right before a lie told by Cecilia’s younger sister tears them apart for good. It’s a love story mostly told in the wreckage of what could have been, and it’s absolutely devastating. Prepare yourself to hate a thirteen year old girl, prepare to cry! This is not a happy story. But if you enjoy tragic, doomed romances like Wuthering heights, you’ll like it.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
“One word more. You look as if you thought it tainted you to be loved by me. You cannot avoid it. Nay, I, if I would, cannot cleanse you from it. But I would not, if I could. I have never loved any woman before: my life has been too busy, my thoughts too much absorbed with other things. Now I love, and will love. But do not be afraid of too much expression on my part.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, class differences, slow burn |
| Heat Level | Nope |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 521 pages |
Margaret Hale relocates from the genteel south of England to a grimy industrial mill town and immediately clashes with the mill owner, John Thornton who is proud, self-made, and not about to back down from her either.
This is like Pride and Prejudice, but much more hands-on. The main characters interact more often, it’s more passionate, but you get the same sort of hints, secret glances, tenderness and everything good about Pride and Prejudice. I am very envious of you if you’re reading it for the first time because I adore this book!
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
“I shall do one thing in this life – one thing certain – that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.”
| Tropes | love triangle (angle? square?), slow burn, opposites attract |
| Heat Level | Nope |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 476 pages |
Independent farmer Bathsheba Everdene has three very different men after her, and spends the novel figuring out — the hard way — which kind of love she actually wants. For this one, I have to say that I liked the movie more than I liked the book, but I also feel like the book gets better after you watch the movie? So, I would definitely give it a go if you like your heroines strong-willed and your heroes soft, strong and patient!
Literary Romance Books
These are not capital R romance books, but rather lit fic with incredible love stories. They don’t always end happily, some of them are even tragedies, but they all hold incredible emotions, interesting relationships and some of the most memorable characters you’ll ever meet!
Normal People by Sally Rooney
“I’m not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.”
| Tropes | on-and-off romance, opposites attract, miscommunication |
| Heat Level | there are spicy scenes, but the point is not to titillate the reader, if that makes sense, it’s more to show physical intimacy between the characters |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | It ends on a happy for now scene. |
| Page count | 273 pages |
In Normal People, two Irish teenagers from different class backgrounds move in and out of each other’s lives from secondary school through university, unable to communicate what they actually want.
This is one of the first books I read when I first got back into reading. People either love it or hate it, but you can’t deny the impact it’s had on literary fiction and how well it depicted the awkwardness, beauty, and vulnerability of intimacy.
For my part, I do love it a lot, but have since reading this leaned more towards Sally Rooney’s other books, Beautiful World, Where Are You in particular, and I would highly recommend that one as well, especially since it has not one, but two romances. Intermezzo by the same author is also great.
Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should, that we go bankrupt by the age of thirty and have less to offer each time we start with someone new.”
| Tropes | summer romance, forbidden love, coming-of-age |
| Heat Level | same as Normal People, there are spicy scenes but they’re not there for the reader’s enjoyment |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | I would say neither |
| Page count | 248 pages |
Over one Italian summer, a teenager falls for the older graduate student staying with his family, and their intellectual sparring gives way to an intense, formative first love.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really like this book. For the most part, the prose was really pretty and the summer atmosphere kept me going, but the last portion of it didn’t quite work for me. However, I know this book is beloved and so I’m adding it here; you can form your own judgement on it.
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
“Sometimes it’s exhausting for me to simply walk into the house. I try and calm myself, remember that I’ve lived alone before. Sleeping by myself didn’t kill me then and will not kill me now. But this is what loss has taught me of love. Our house isn’t simply empty, our home has been emptied. Love makes a place in your life, it makes a place for itself in your bed. Invisibly, it makes a place in your body, rerouting all your blood vessels, throbbing right alongside your heart. When it’s gone, nothing is whole again.”
| Tropes | marriage in crisis, love triangle, long-distance separation |
| Heat Level | There’s very little explicit content, the focus is emotional, not physical. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | it’s a bittersweet, unresolved ending |
| Page count | 308 pages |
An American Marriage tells the tale of newlyweds, Roy and Celestial, whose life is torn apart when Roy is wrongfully imprisoned, and the novel traces how years of separation reshape their marriage and pull Celestial toward a childhood friend.
Jones’ writing is breathtaking. The alternating perspectives of Celestial, Roy, and even Andre (Celestial’s childhood friend) give the book a deeply personal touch, allowing you to understand each character’s pain, choices, and resilience.
Luster by Raven Leilani
“I’m an open book,” I say, thinking of all the men who have found it illegible. I made mistakes with these men. I dove for their legs as they tried to leave my house. I chased them down the hall with a bottle of Listerine, saying, I can be a beach read, I can get rid of all these clauses, please, I’ll just revise.”
| Tropes | age gap, affair/open marriage, unconventional family dynamic |
| Heat Level | this is a spicy book, though it’s not written to titillate so much as to unsettle. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | The central relationship doesn’t end up together; the ending is more about Edie’s personal reckoning than romantic resolution. |
| Page count | 227 pages |
In Luster, a young Black woman drifts into an affair with an older married man, then finds herself unexpectedly pulled into his household, his wife, and their adopted daughter’s orbit.
This is a sharp, provocative book, and unlike any other romance you’ve read. It’s messy, darkly funny, and unflinchingly honest about desire, loneliness, and what it means to try to find yourself while losing yourself in someone else.
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”
| Tropes | childhood friends to lovers, mythological retelling, tragic/doomed romance |
| Heat Level | There are a few spicy scenes, but it’s more emotional |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | to me, personally, it felt HEA, but I would say it depends on your interpretation |
| Page count | 408 pages |
A Song of Achilles is a retelling of the Iliad centered on Achilles and Patroclus, following them from boyhood companions to lovers as war and prophecy close in around them.
What makes this book so special is how Miller takes an ancient story and breathes new life into it. Her writing is lyrical yet accessible and it captures the intensity of love and the pain of inevitable loss with stunning clarity. The entire time I was reading The Song of Achilles, I had an impression of this golden haze over everything; truly stunning prose. And it made me cry, so if you’re looking for something emotional, you can’t go wrong with this book!
Possession by A.S. Byatt
They took to silence. They touched each other without comment and without progression. A hand on a hand, a clothed arm, resting on an arm. An ankle overlapping an ankle, as they sat on a beach, and not removed. One night they fell asleep, side by side… He slept curled against her back, a dark comma against her pale elegant phrase.
| Tropes | dual-timeline romance, secret past love, enemies to lovers |
| Heat Level | Restrained, more intellectual and emotional tension than physical. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Mixed. The contemporary couple (Roland and Maud) get a happy ending; the Victorian couple’s story is bittersweet. |
| Page count | 576 pages |
Possession by A.S. Byatt is a brilliant and intricate novel that combines romance, literary mystery, and historical fiction in a way that only the best books can. The story weaves together two narratives: one of contemporary scholars, Roland and Maud, who uncover a passionate secret love affair between two Victorian poets, Randolph Ash and Christabel LaMotte. As Roland and Maud dig deeper into the poets’ lives, they become entangled in a story of love, betrayal, and the search for truth that spans centuries.
In Memoriam by Alice Winn
Gaunt was woven into everything he read, saw, wrote, did, dreamt. Every poem had been written about him, every song composed for him, and Ellwood could not scrape his mind clear of him no matter how he tried.
| Tropes | friends to lovers, mutual pining, wartime romance |
| Heat Level | Some intimacy, but it’s not the focus, moderate at most. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Bittersweet HFN. |
| Page count | 382 pages |
Two English schoolboys turned WWI soldiers are in love with each other and each convinced it’s one-sided, a misunderstanding that follows them into the trenches. I didn’t really love this book, but I know it’s very popular and others have praised it. It has beautiful prose, that’s undeniable, so you won’t regret reading it, and hey, it might just be your next favorite read.
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
You are a breath, you are a heartbeat, you are an infinite poem I’ll never finish writing.
| Tropes | friends to lovers, slow burn, artistic connection |
| Heat Level | understated, not explicit. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | It’s a deliberately open, bittersweet ending. |
| Page count | 145 pages |
This book is about two young Black British artists in London — a photographer and a dancer — fall for each other in lyrical, intimate prose that lingers on vulnerability and trust. Open Water is so so good! I still get chills when I think about it (and I think about it often). I loved the love story in this one and how wonderfully tender and soft it was, and I especially loved our hero just because I related to him so much.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
“When the darkest part of you meets the darkest part of me, it creates light.”
| Tropes | age gap, whirlwind romance, marriage under strain |
| Heat Level | present but not the focus of the book. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | No, but that is the point of the book (kind of) |
| Page count | 368 pages |
Cleopatra and Frankenstein is a story about a young British artist and an older American ad executive. They marry after a whirlwind courtship, and the marriage strains under addiction, ambition, and their clashing worlds.
Mellors’ writing is sharp, witty, and full of heart. The story explores themes of vulnerability, independence, and the tension between personal growth and the need for connection. It’s about how love can be both a transformative and a destructive force, pushing us to confront the parts of ourselves we often try to avoid.
These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever
“When the darkest part of you meets the darkest part of me, it creates light.”
| Tropes | obsessive love, dark/toxic romance, forbidden love |
| Heat Level | intensity is more psychological than physical. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | ambiguous ending |
| Page count | 460 pages |
In 1970s Pittsburgh, two obsessive college students fall into an all-consuming relationship that spirals into something darker and more dangerous.
The writing is tense and unsettling, capturing the raw emotion and unsettling power dynamics between the characters. The story doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of attraction, how love and obsession can blur, leading to painful and destructive consequences. It’s a psychological dive into the fragility of human connection, showing how love can quickly turn violent when unchecked by boundaries or self-awareness.
Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski
The odds had been stacked against us from the start: we had no manual, no one to show us the way. Not one example of a happy couple made up of boys. How were we supposed to know what to do? Did we even believe that we deserved to get away with happiness?
| Tropes | summer romance, forbidden love, star-crossed lovers |
| Heat Level | Present but not especially explicit for the genre. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Neither, I’m afraid |
| Page count | 191 pages |
Swimming in The Dark tells you a story of two young men who fall in love during a summer at an agricultural camp in communist Poland, then must fight to hold onto each other under a regime that pulls them apart.
The novel explores how love can be both a refuge and a burden, especially when it is constrained by the pressures of a society unwilling to accept it. The lush descriptions of the landscape, the emotions that run deep beneath the surface, and the sense of yearning make Swimming in the Dark an unforgettable read.
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
She had held a pear in her hand and she had eaten it skin and all. She had eaten the stem and she had eaten its seeds and she had eaten its core, and the hunger still sat in her like an open maw. She thought: I can hold you and find that I still miss your body. She thought: I can listen to you speak and still miss the sound of your voice.
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, slow burn, hidden past |
| Heat Level | Yes, but it’s, once again, more about the character’s emotions |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HFN |
| Page count | 272 pages |
In 1960s Netherlands, a rigid, solitary woman is thrown off balance when her brother’s girlfriend comes to stay, and hostility curdles into an intense, unsettling attraction tangled up with buried wartime secrets.
The Safekeep has been on my TBR for the longest time before I finally decided to read it and I’m so glad I did. The prose in this book is stunning, absolutely mesmerizing to read. I could picture every scene so clearly, like I was watching a movie or right there with Isabel. And I loved Isabel, the main character. She was crotchety and odd but so fun to follow and to be in her mind.
You can find my full review of The Safekeep here.
One Day by David Nicholls
“You’re gorgeous, you old hag, and if I could give you just one gift ever for the rest of your life it would be this. Confidence. It would be the gift of confidence. Either that or a scented candle”
| Tropes | friends to lovers, will-they-won’t-they, slow burn |
| Heat Level | not an explicit book |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | this one’s known for its ending, and it’s neither |
| Page count | 435 pages |
Emma and Dexter’s friendship and romance are tracked across twenty years, checked in on the same single day each year since their graduation night. You probably know this story, have likely seen at least one TV adaptation, so I won’t bore you with the details, but just know that the book is as good (if not better) as the movie/show and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
“Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.”
| Tropes | epistolary romance, slow burn, found family |
| Heat Level | Nope |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Yes, HEA. |
| Page count | 291 pages |
A writer corresponding with the residents of Guernsey uncovers the story of a book club formed under WWII German occupation, and falls into a romance of her own along the way. The romance happens almost entirely via letters so if epistolary romance is something that you enjoy, this is your perfect match. Personally, I loved how funny this was, and how interesting it was to piece together everyone’s personalities from the letters.
For more epistolary romances, I recommend these books.
Historical Romance Books
Though I’ve only recently discovered my love for historical romance, I’ve already found so many brilliant love stories in this subgenre. These are also predominantly happily ever after, so you can just relax and sink into a good story without anxiety. If you want more books like this, check out my top historical romance books!
Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
“The flame in her was slow and deep-he was going to incite it with the fire in himself; he was going to make a blaze to burn down cities, to lay waste cathedrals and castles and plain meetinghouses-to make a world where it was only him, and only her, and this bed, and one flesh.”
| Tropes | nurse/caretaker romance, opposites attract, forced proximity |
| Heat Level | Moderate to high, typical of the genre. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 533 pages |
Brilliant, arrogant mathematician the Duke of Jervaulx suffers a devastating stroke, and Maddy Timms, the Quaker woman who nurses him back from near-total helplessness, ends up rebuilding the man along with his body.
I’ll be honest, this wasn’t my absolute favorite, specifically because of the way Maddy speaks and her religious qualms, but I know this is probably the most well-loved historical romance ever. I would recommend it for the hero, because I loved him, and I loved his transformation and how much he loves Maddy. As a bonus, the writing is also great, so give it a go!
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
“I want to fill every part of you, breathe the air from your lungs and leave my handprints on your soul. I want to give you more pleasure than you can bear.”
| Tropes | marriage of convenience, rake reforms, opposites attract |
| Heat Level | Moderate to high. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 368 pages |
Wallflower Evie needs an escape from her miserable family and proposes a marriage of convenience to notorious rake Sebastian, who agrees purely for her inheritance, until inconveniently falling for his own wife.
Sebastian is probably the most beloved hero of the historical romance world, and this romance in general is one of the best you can get in the genre. It’s part three of the Wallflower series, but you can read it as a standalone as well.
See my full review of Devil in Winter here.
Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase
“He pulled away the glove, and at the first glimpse of her fragile, white hand, all thoughts of negotiation fled. “I don’t see how matters could become worse,” he muttered. “I am already besotted with a needle-tongued, conceited, provoking ape leader of a lady.”
Her head jerked up. “Besotted? You’re nothing like it. Vengeful is more like it. Spiteful.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, rake reforms, battle of wits |
| Heat Level | yes, there are some very spicy scenes |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 375 pages |
Dain has a well-earned reputation as the most depraved man in Paris and London, and Jessica Trent is the sharp-tongued, unshockable woman who decides she’s more than a match for him.
I truly loved this one. It’s full of wit and sensual moments, with Jessica and Dain arguing intelligently, both skilled in society and manipulating people. I highly recommend it if you’ve never read a historical before because it’s surprisingly modern while retaining its historical spirit. I’ve heard that the Last Helion by Loretta Chase is even better, so I recommend trying that one too (though I’ve yet to read it).
See my full review of Lord of Scoundrels here!
Black Silk by Judith Ivory
“The most consistent thing about Graham Wessit was his attitude of open experiment. Can you even imagine, she asked herself, plain, quiet, intellectual little you spending a lifetime on the arm of such a havoc-producing man?”
| Tropes | slow burn, opposites attract, forbidden desire |
| Heat Level | there are two spicy scenes, both near the end, but very spicy and amazing! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 468 pages |
Black Silk is a historical romance which I’ve yet to recover from. It tells you a story about Submit, a young widow of a much older man, and her dead husband’s former ward, Graham. And where Submit is proper, stern, scholarly, Graham is wild, a rake who lives life to the fullest.
When they meet, they see they’re opposites, and neither is exactly looking for love — but it finds them anyway, despite their better judgement, as they spend more and more time together. First because of something Submit’s husband left for Graham (and ordered Submit to give it to him) and later because they end up becoming friends.
This is a true slow burn, and you’ll have to wait and wait for these two to get together (wondering if they’ll even be able to). Graham is not perfect (far from it), and Submit isn’t either. To paint you a picture, he gets sued by a scullery maid for paternity, and his lover has a husband. Submit is judgy and does something awful to Graham too (spoilers!). So, yeah. Watch these two imperfect people fall in love.
And the writing! Oh my, the prose is gorgeous in this book. It makes you imagine everything so perfectly and you want to linger and roll around in those lush descriptions. I loved everything about this, so I highly recommend it!
See my full review of Black Silk here.
Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh
“And infatuated be damned. He was near to being blinded by his attraction to her. He was in love, damn it all. He disliked her, he resented her, he disapproved of almost everything about her, yet he was head over ears in love with her, like a foolish schoolboy.
He wondered grimly what he was going to do about it.He was not amused.
Or in any way pleased.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, opposites attract, slow burn |
| Heat Level | Moderate. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 365 pages |
Wulfric Bedwyn, the coldly reserved Duke of Bewcastle, gets pulled into a country house party where impoverished widow Christine Derrick — lively, accident-prone, and completely unimpressed by his rank — catches his eye. He offers to make her his mistress; she has other ideas, and neither of them expects what follows.
I adore Wulfric! He’s such a good character to read about and so funny too (though I don’t think this was intentional on his part). And if you’re looking for a historical romance with more mature, older characters, who already loved and lost, this is a great book for that!
See my full review of Slightly Dangerous.
The Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas
“My wife. A wife could be the object of unabashed adoration or simply another nuisance in a man’s life. Where would she fall along that continuum? And would his, if not black, then at least darkish grey heart ever be hers?”
| Tropes | marriage of convenience, opposites attract, hidden depths |
| Heat Level | Moderate to high. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 276 pages |
Felix Rivendale, Marquess of Wrenworth, is society’s “Ideal Gentleman”, a golden reputation he’s built to bury a much darker, guarded reality, and he’s never let an affair get serious. Then Louisa Cantwell, who needs to marry well to support her family and refuses to be dazzled by his polish, sees straight through him, and he can’t seem to let her go.
Sherry Thomas writes some of the most angsty, heart-wrenching stories you’ll ever read, so just trust me, this one will break you and then mend you! The only issue I have with this is that it ends too abruptly, but the writing is sublime, and I guarantee you’ll love it. See my full review here!
Fantasy Romance Books
Fantasy romance is a relatively newer genre, or at least it exploded into popularity relatively recently, but some of the best love stories reside here. I’ve only included a few of the most beloved options, but if you want more, you can check out my full, 50+ fantasy romance book list here.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
I have come to know you in time, and I have come to know you in eternity. What I am is this: your lover, in this life and in the next.
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, epistolary romance, forbidden love |
| Heat Level | Low — the intimacy is almost entirely emotional, conveyed through letters rather than physical scenes. |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Yes, hopeful/HEA |
| Page count | 209 pages |
Red and Blue are elite agents on opposite sides of a war being fought across all of time and space, and instead of just sabotaging each other, they start leaving letters hidden in the wreckage, which turns into the most dangerous thing either of them has ever done: falling for the enemy.
This is a very short, very beautifully written book, so I would highly recommend it if you want something quick but powerful. I would also recommend this if you’re coming from lit fic and just dipping your toes into fantasy romance — a perfect entry point!
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fated mates |
| Heat Level | the first part is just a little spicy, the rest gets progressively more so |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HFN I would say for part one, but HEA for the rest |
| Page count | 419 in book one |
After killing a wolf in the woods, huntress Feyre is dragged into the faerie realm of Prythian to pay for it and finds herself drawn to Tamlin, the powerful High Lord hiding secrets under a curse that’s slowly destroying his court.
The first part was not my favorite, and if you feel the same, I suggest you try part two which is much better and more entertaining. Overall, this isn’t my favorite series, but it is one of those books that gets people back into reading with a passion, so I would highly recommend it if you don’t know where to start.
This series has three main parts, one novella and then a spinoff that’s set in the same world and with the same characters, but different main couples.
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
I have come to know you in time, and I have come to know you in eternity. What I am is this: your lover, in this life and in the next.
| Tropes | time-travel romance, fated/doomed love, slow burn |
| Heat Level | not at all, really |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after! |
| Page count | 320 pages |
Historian Owen Mallory has spent his life obsessed with the legend of Sir Una Everlasting, the knight whose death built a nation, until he’s flung back through time to actually meet her, and discovers the story he’s been told is nowhere near the truth.
The Everlasting is one of my favorite books ever written and I will sing its praises until everyone reads it. This is another excellent entry point to fantasy romance, especially for people who normally don’t read it because it definitely leans more literary and more light on the fantasy.
See my full review of The Everlasting here!
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
“It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are. Sometimes I feel the same as you: I can’t risk having people behold me as I truly am. But there’s also a small voice in the back of my mind, a voice that tells me, “You will miss so much by being so guarded.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, epistolary romance, mistaken identity |
| Heat Level | just a tiny bit |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Happily ever after, for the duology, but definitely not this part |
| Page count | 368 pages |
Iris and Roman are rival journalists competing for the same promotion, both secretly writing letters to each other through enchanted typewriters, never realizing they’ve been writing to each other the whole time. And when Iris goes to the warfront to report and find her brother, Roman follows despite his family’s expectations.
Honesty again — not my favorite fantasy romance, I had many issues with it, but it’s a well-loved duology and the concept is so melancholy and romantic that I have to include it. Another great book to read if you don’t normally love romantasy!
See my full review of Divine Rivals here!
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
“This face. This face right in front of me. The face you’ve shown me, the fact that you kissed me. I know it. I know you,’ said Priya, ‘I know exactly who you are. There are other versions of you that I don’t know. But this one…’ Her fingers were against Malini’s lips. ‘This one is mine.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, slow burn, forbidden magic |
| Heat Level | One steamy scene in part one, the tension is the point |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Not a full HEA |
| Page count | 533 pages |
Priya, a maidservant hiding forbidden magic, is drawn into the orbit of Malini, a princess imprisoned by her own brother for defying him, and their alliance against the empire slowly turns into something far more intimate.
This is probably the most fantasy-leaning book of this section, but the romance is so good as well!
The Road of Bones by Demi Winters
“You think yourself better than me because you smile and pretend the world is filled with good men? Because you believe everything will work out for the best? Your optimism is shallow and false, and one day, Sunshine, it will get you killed.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, forced proximity, found family |
| Heat Level | Spicy! There are several explicit scenes |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | Yet to be seen, but I hope HEA! |
| Page count | 500 pages |
Fleeing assassins sent by her own queen, Silla stows away with the notorious Bloodaxe Crew of Viking mercenaries and finds herself falling for one of them even as the road itself tries to kill them all.
I love this series so much! It’s like ACOTAR but better written and plotted, with an actually interesting world and characters. Just give it a try and you’ll see! It’s still unfinished, but there are three parts out (and they’re long) so you can kind of stretch it out a bit. I’m still waiting to start on part two because I don’t want to wait too long to finish the series.
See my full review of The Road of Bones here!
Best Paranormal Romance
If you love werewolves and vampires, witches and witch hunters, fantasy set in a modern era (or something like it), these books will work for you. They’re generally more spicy and usually in longer series, but all are fun to read!
If you enjoy these books, I have a full list of the greatest paranormal romance books here.
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
“She wished he’d stop touching her. Not because she didn’t like it but because she liked it far too much. It made her hunger for things that could never be hers. And if someone went hungry for too long, they started to starve. Started to hurt.”
| Tropes | forbidden love, opposites attract, fated mates |
| Heat Level | spicy-spicy! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA! |
| Page count | 352 pages |
In a world where the Psy suppress all emotion under a strict conditioning protocol, Sascha Duncan is failing at it, and her draw to Lucas, alpha of the DarkRiver leopard changelings, is exactly the kind of feeling that could get her killed by her own people.
Nalini Singh is the queen of all shifter romance so if you like paranormal and you still haven’t heard of her, I envy you! There are like 40 books in this series and you won’t get tired of them at all because each one is about a different couple, and all of them are so much fun. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a long-running series but don’t want a ton of commitment!
The Bride by Ali Hazelwood
“You think, but you don’t know. You don’t know anything about what it’s like to find your other half, I would take anything she chose to give me—the tiniest fraction or her entire world. I would take her for a single night knowing that I’ll lose her by morning, and I would hold on to her and never let go. I would take her healthy, or sick, or tired, or angry, or strong, and it would be my fucking privilege. I would take her problems, her gifts, her moods, her passions, her jokes, her body—I would take every last thing, if she chose to give it to me.”
| Tropes | arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, opposites attract |
| Heat Level | spicy-spicy! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA! |
| Page count | 410 pages |
This is my favorite by Ali and one that converted me into a fan. Please research what omegaverse is and how it works before you get into this one. It’s very much a book for fanfiction readers, so if that’s you — great! If not, still give it a try, because you might become one!
From the first page, Bride charms you with its witty, morose heroine, Misery. She is a vampire on her way to marry a werewolf (bad) but not all is lost because she agreed to it in order to find her best friend, who may or may not be trapped in wolf territory.
She is taught that werewolves are aggressive and bad, but her new husband and his pack prove anything but. I mean, yes they’re aggressive, but to bad people, so it doesn’t count. And she finds that her new husband is actually great and more than willing to actually help in her search. Too bad he has a mate already… or does he?
They go on missions that require them to act like actual married people, and it’s all so delicious, yearning and longing and just ugh. I loved this book!
See my full review of Bride here!
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
“Moonlight streamed in, sending loving beams over his face. He closed his eyes and basked in it, and I could tell it was calling to him, even though the moon was not full. She didn’t speak to me, but Samuel had once described her song to me in the words of a poet. The expression of bliss on his face while he listened to her music made him beautiful.”
| Tropes | slow burn, forbidden attraction, protector romance |
| Heat Level | Spicy-spicy! But not immediately! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA! |
| Page count | 289 pages |
Mechanic Mercy Thompson is a coyote shapeshifter living next door to a pack of werewolves, until a runaway teen wolf lands on her doorstep and drags her back into supernatural politics, and into the orbit of the pack’s alpha, Adam.
This is another long-running series so you can enjoy tons of Mercy and Adam, who are both very interesting characters and whose romance I would say develops slowly and over time. Give it a go if you like werewolves!
And if you like books like Moon Called, check out my list of the best werewolf romance books ever!
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
“Somewhere in the center of my soul, a rusty chain began to unwind. It freed itself, link by link, from where it had rested, unobserved, waiting for him. My hands, which had been balled up and pressed against his chest, unfurled with it. The chain continued to drop, to an unfathomable depth where there was nothing but darkness and Matthew. At last it snapped to its full length, anchoring me to a vampire. Despite the manuscript, despite the fact that my hands contained enough voltage to run a microwave, and despite the photograph, as long as I was connected to him, I was safe.”
| Tropes | forbidden love, slow burn, supernatural romance |
| Heat Level | Not too spicy |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA! |
| Page count | 592 pages |
Historian and reluctant witch Diana Bishop stumbles onto a bewitched manuscript in the archives, catching the attention of centuries-old vampire Matthew Clairmont, and igniting a romance that’s against every rule their supernatural world has.
I have to be honest, I watched the show first, then read the book, and I don’t regret it! The book is better though, so if you’re after something witchy and swoony, try this!
Craving more books like this one? Try some more witchy romance books!
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
“Even more, I had never meant to love him. One thing I truly knew – knew it in the pit of my stomach, in the center of my bones, knew it from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, knew it deep in my empty chest – was how love gave someone the power to break you”
| Tropes | forbidden love, supernatural romance, brooding love interest |
| Heat Level | Nope |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA! |
| Page count | 498 pages |
Bella moves to gloomy Forks, Washington, and falls for Edward Cullen, the impossibly beautiful classmate who turns out to be a vampire fighting his own instincts every time he’s near her.
I mean, come on, what did you expect? I have to include the OG. People either love it or hate it or love-hate it, but I just remember it as one of my favorite books of my teen years. I was obsessed! Not so much now, but I still remember it fondly, so I have to give it a shoutout for old times’ sake!
Best Romance Series
If what you want is to find a world to love and follow a cast of familiar characters across several books, these are some of the most beloved and memorable romance series ever. I didn’t include any romantasy because I have a separate list for those, but these will all suit your taste if you want comfort and familiarity.
The Hathaways by Lisa Kleypas
“Cam held her closer. “Marry me, Amelia. You’re what I want. You’re my fate.” One hand slid to the back of her head, gripping the braids and ribbons to keep her mouth upturned. “Say yes.” He nibbled at her lips, licked at them, opened them. He kissed her until she writhed in his arms, her pulse racing. “Say it, Amelia, and save me from ever having to spend a night with another woman. I’ll sleep indoors. I’ll get a haircut. God help me, I think I’d even carry a pocket watch if it pleased you.”
| Tropes | family series, opposites attract, fish out of water |
| Heat Level | Very spicy! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA for all |
| How many parts? | 5 books |
A once-poor, delightfully eccentric family suddenly inherits a title and gets thrown into London high society, and each book follows one Hathaway sibling stumbling into their own love story. You can read them all separately because the stories don’t have one overarching plot, so it’s kind of great for comfort reading whenever you need more of that Hathaway charm. For example, I’ve read Love in The Afternoon, the last book in the series, first, and I think I want to read part one next!
The Brown Sisters by Talia Hibbert
“He loved Chloe. He loved Chloe like a blank canvas and a finished piece and all the exhilarating, painful, stop-and-start moments in between. He loved Chloe like tearing through the night on his Triumph, feeling alive in motion when he couldn’t feel alive inside.”
| Tropes | family series, grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract |
| Heat Level | Very spicy! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA for all |
| How many parts? | 3 books |
Three very different sisters each get their turn at messy, funny, deeply felt contemporary romances that take mental health and family baggage as seriously as the swoon. I adore this series! Especially Chloe Brown and Eve Brown books. The second one was kind of a let-down, but you know what? You can’t win them all. Either way, this series is an amazing entry to contemporary romance, and probably its best representative. It’s so funny, so swoony, with such great heroes!
The Ravenels by Lisa Kleypas
“Time is what I’m giving you,” he said, staring down at her. His hand curved beneath her chin, compelling her to look at him. “There’s only one way for me to prove that I will love you and be faithful to you for the rest of my life. And that’s by loving you and being faithful to you for the rest of my life. Even if you don’t want me. Even if you choose not to be with me. I’m giving you all the time I have left. I vow to you that from this moment on, I will never touch another woman, or give my heart to anyone but you. If I have to wait sixty years, not a minute will have been wasted- because I’ll have spent all of them loving you.”
| Tropes | family series, rakes and wallflowers, class differences |
| Heat Level | Very spicy! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA for all |
| How many books? | 7 books |
A sprawling, disreputable branch of a noble family inherits an earldom nobody wants, and across the series each Ravenel, along with the friends and outsiders who get tangled up with them gets their own richly detailed Victorian love story.
Game Changers by Rachel Reid
“I have been with lots of women. That was not … fake. But … He looked at Shane, and Shane held his breath. I have only been in love with one person.”
| Tropes | sports romance, secret relationship, enemies to lovers |
| Heat Level | Very spicy! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA for all |
| How many parts? | 7 books |
Set in the world of professional hockey, each book follows a different player finding love, often while closeted in a famously macho sport, starting with Scott and Kip’s secret-relationship romance in Game Changer and continuing through fan-favorite couples like rivals-turned-lovers Shane and Ilya in Heated Rivalry.
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
“I gave him my best cryptic smile. He did not fall down to his feet, kiss my shoes, and promise me the world. I must be getting rusty.”
| Tropes | enemies to lovers, slow burn, fated mates |
| Heat Level | Not too spicy, especially since the romance develops slowly |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA, but it takes a while to get there |
| How many parts? | 10 books |
Mercenary Kate Daniels navigates a post-apocalyptic Atlanta where magic and technology take turns collapsing the world, all while hiding a dangerous secret about her own power and getting pulled deeper into a charged rivalry-turned-partnership with Curran, the Beast Lord. This is an excellent series to read if you want to follow a story about just one character or couple!
If you end up enjoing Kate Daniels, you can find some more romantic suspense books here!
Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
“His mouth captured hers, trying to show her with his kiss what he was still learning to express in words. He loved her. He worshipped her. He’d walk across fire for her. He—
—still had the audience of her three brothers.
Slowly breaking the kiss, he turned his face to the side. Anthony, Benedict, and Colin were still standing in the foyer. Anthony was studying the ceiling, Benedict was pretending to inspect his fingernails, and Colin was staring quite shamelessly.”
| Tropes | family series, marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers |
| Heat Level | Very spicy! |
| Ending (HEA/HFN)? | HEA for all |
| How many parts? | 8 books |
Eight Bridgerton siblings navigate Regency London’s marriage market one at a time, each book pairing a sharp-tongued sibling with a match who upends everything they thought they wanted. This is the one case where I have to say the show might be better than the books, but if you want more of the Bridgerton siblings and just overall more details on them and their stories, I recommend reading this!
Thank you so much for this list! Absolutely loved the recommendations!
Hi the novels are fun
Like the novels
Ugandans truly love them
Thank you for all your recommendations.