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If you look at the bestseller lists at any time of the year, you’ll usually find
Romance novels often get dismissed as trivial, but we know that couldn’t be further from the
Writing is all about drawing your reader in and making them feel something; and what genre does
But with so many incredible titles out there—and we haven’t even mentioned the classics like
It’s an umbrella term for romance novels set at the time the author was writing—from
We’ve split this list into modern classics and rising stars
Emmaline, Mackensie, Laurel, and Parker are surrounded by love seven days a week at their successful wedding
But just because romance abounds at work doesn’t mean they’ve been lucky in love themselves
Nicholas Sparks is undoubtedly a great romance author—this man can write a love story
An older gentleman visits a woman with a fading memory every morning to read to her from
The notebook he reads contains the love story of Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson and details Allie’
Lorren just wants to leave California behind after a bitter divorce turns her life on its head
But widower Justin Madrais isn’t like any other man she’s ever met
But, together, Lorren and Justin might just discover that love doesn’t have to be a write-off
Cornelia Brown’s life changed forever when Martin Grace walked into her coffee shop
Meanwhile, abandoned eleven-year-old Clare Hobbs is searching for her father
The complex character dynamics make it one of the best romantic novels to read
But beyond the romance, these are stories of women finding out who they are amidst life-altering family
Nine Lives follows Maggie Kelly, a woman who has done everything she can to keep tragedy from
But when tragedy strikes and Maggie loses the safe suburban life she’s built with a safe,
Her job as a writer doesn’t pay much and bores her to tears—until she finds
Cal Bonner, the Chicago Stars’ legendary quarterback, seems like the perfect choice
Jane is about to learn a little too late that this good ole’ boy is a lot
When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe responds to an ad for a midwife position in the remote,
Secrets told in the church ladies’ room are supposed to stay there
A beautiful home and budding relationship rise up from the crumbling house she inherited in Tishomingo, Oklahoma,
You don’t know its inhabitants yet, but soon you’ll know all about them—and their
Olivia Lockhart is a family lawyer with an interfering mother, an ex-husband, and a strained relationship with
But the attention she really wants is from the reporter who started it all
She’s got a six-step plan and a can-do attitude, but she needs a little help along
The man for the job? Local handyman by day and artist by night, Redford “Red” Morgan
Once a year, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler share one night of forbidden pleasure that helps them
Livvy didn’t come back for him, but she can’t seem to stop thinking about how
Does anything intrigue a romance reader more than the classic “will you be my date to this
Alexa Monroe wouldn’t usually agree to go to a wedding with a guy she gets trapped
But there’s something about Drew Nichols that she just can’t resist
If you haven’t heard of this book, where have you been? Let us introduce you
Always a problem-solver, Stella hires escort Michael Phan to help her navigate a world of firsts
But what will she do when their partnership starts making too much sense?
What they don’t know is that twenty years ago, teenage Eva and Shane spent one crazy
Shay Goldstein needs to come up with a plan fast to save the local radio station where
The only problem? She and her assigned co-host (insufferable know-it-all Dominic) have never dated and have to
But as they start to unravel their “relationship,” could they actually be building something real?
Historical romance is just what you’d expect: romance set in the past
Here are some classics and lesser-known titles that prove that love really is timeless
Love historical reads? Check out our list of the best historical fiction of all time
Claire is thrust back in time to Scotland in the 1700s, where she meets Jamie Fraser, a
But she still has a husband back in her own time, one patently different from the wild
Her family’s fortune and plantation are in tatters, and Scarlett uses every wile in her toolkit
Now the dark-skinned beauty is a member of Michigan’s Underground Railroad, offering other runaways a chance
When one of her fellow conductors brings her an injured man to hide, Hester doesn’t hesitate
The man in question is known as the “Black Daniel,” a vital member of the North’s
During the summer of 1941, the Metanov family are living a hard life in Leningrad
Houston Leigh survived the Civil War, though he was badly scarred—both inside and out
But will he survive a dangerous journey along the wild trails of Texas with Miss Amelia Carson,
Luckily, there’s a wayward angel and a handsome but easily ruffled court secretary looking out for
This is a story of their love and Nan’s journey of self-discovery
When she meets fellow undercover agent Malcolm McCall, they unite in a plot to preserve the union
A lusty adventurer married to the sea, Captain Brandon Birmingham courts scorn and peril when he abducts
But no power on Earth can compel him to relinquish his exquisite prize
and to carry her off to far, uncharted realms of sensuous, passionate love
Their whirlwind romance and turbulent marriage eventually drive her across the Irish sea and into a grave
Victorian lodging-house keeper Clem Talleyfer prefers the quiet life
Lodger Rowley Green, quiet, unassuming, and irresistible, suits him perfectly
Now Clem and Rowley face violent men and an impending deadly fog as they try to solve
Before she can get there, her train is halted by Neil July and his band of outlaws
Hear more about Beverly Jenkins’ writing process in her keynote speech below:
By the king’s edict, Alec Kincaid, mightiest of the Scottish lairds, must take an English bride
From his first glimpse of the proud and beautiful English lady, Alec felt a burning hunger stir
Regency romance is a sub-sub-genre that falls under historical romance, but it’s so popular that we
These novels are set in the British Regency era and include the works of Jane Austen
Fresh from her travels around Europe, Sophy is sent to live with her aunt in London while
But her eldest cousin, Charles, is keen to rid his family of her interfering ways
Marianne Dashwood is impulsive in her love for the charming Willoughby, and Elinor Dashwood is sensible but
By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend’s sister,
But it’s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from marriage-minded society mothers
But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it’s hard to remember that their
The situation is set up in the first line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a
Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the “D of J” in scandal
But sometimes the most womanizing rake-hell can be irresistible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the
Fresh from her triumphs in Paris society, Whitney Stone returned to England to win the heart of
Even as his smoldering passion seduces her into a gathering storm of desire, Whitney cannot—will not—
Evangeline Jenner stands to become wealthy once her inheritance comes due
Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount
or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love
And when Dain’s reciprocal passion places them in a scandalously compromising—and public—position, Jessica is
For those who like their romance with a side of thrills, romantic suspense novels combine the romantic
Definitions vary, but in most romantic suspense novels the romantic tension is equal to the tension surrounding
Always looking for your next thriller read? Here are our must-read thriller novels
Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck
He could be the only one who can save her—if his own deadly past doesn’t
This is a thriller-romance-LGBTQ crossover that will keep you turning the pages
A hitman known only as “D” is blackmailed into killing Jack, but when he tracks him down,
Looking to expand your LGBTQ reading list further? Check out our top 25 picks
Karen Rose’s immensely popular romantic suspense series spans 25 titles
If you’re looking to get into the genre, Rose has you covered
In Don’t Tell, Mary Grace Waters is rebuilding her life and learning how to love again
What will she and her new love interest, Max Hunter, do to protect their new-found happiness?
If you’ve already read it, watch Karen Rose walk you through how she plotted Don’t
Twenty-one years ago, Anahera Rawiri left New Zealand to escape the monotony of small-town life
It’s just as sleepy as it’s always been; except, that is, for the new police
But when three women go missing while out hiking, he finds himself heading up a missing persons
Another wildly popular series, Maya Banks’ KGI novels always leave readers desperate for more
The first in the series, The Darkest Hour, introduces us to the world of the Kelly Group
Overcome by grief and regret, he refuses his brothers’ invitations to join the family business—until he
Writing under a pseudonym, Nora Roberts gives us another lesson in writing romance here (this time with
It’s 2058 and detective Eva Dallas is investigating the death of a Senator’s daughter
Thrown into the upper echelons of society by the case, Eva finds herself navigating delicate issues of
Like other romance sub-genres, paranormal romance focusses on the romantic relationship between its protagonists
Are you a fantasy fan? See how many of our top fantasy novels of all time you’
Macy Thompson was raised by werewolves, but she could never be one of them
She’s a shapeshifter, taken in as a child and later run off for having a forbidden
Will she and her neighbor, Adam Hauptman, alpha of the local werewolf pack, be able to help?
But then his latest client, Shola N’Gara, arrives and changes everything
Arabelle is the fearless leader of the underground resistance
The vampire monarchy is getting stronger by the day and must be stopped
Everything is going perfectly—until she kisses him instead of killing him
He just wants to find the woman who stole his heart with a kiss and left only
Until her sister is murdered, leaving only a cryptic text message to work with
Her investigation takes her to Ireland, where she discovered the world of the fae—as well as
Emma is confident that she can make her relationship with her half-human, half-vampire boyfriend Terren work
A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering
Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat
Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses
Ashlyn would do anything to stop the voices tormenting her in her head, even seek help from
How long will they be able to deny the passion burning between them?
In Slave to Sensation, you’ll enter the world of Psy, a place where emotion and passion
Lucas Hunter is a changeling, seeking revenge against the Psy, who murdered his packmate
Anita Blake makes her living reanimating the dead-too-soon and controlling the unruly undead
After all, it’s much easier to get rid of someone when you’re not head over
Driven mad by grief after the death of the woman he loved, king of the Fey Rain
One thousand years later, the world he left behind is in danger of being overtaken by dark
Duran has been a prisoner wasting away in a dungeon for decades as the result of a
Pia Giovanni stole from a dragon, and she didn’t get away with it
She can’t—won’t—accept her fate as Dragos’ captive
But she also can’t deny the burning passion he ignites within her
Fire knows that people will turn away from their lives, friends, and family for her—as well
But when the king and crown prince fall into trouble, she may be the only one who
Simon Snow doesn’t go looking for trouble, but it always finds him in the end
He’s the Chosen One—but he isn’t sure how he was chosen, or by whom
Already contending with an insidious mortal enemy and threats to the magical world, the last thing he
He’s arrogant, self-obsessed, and looks down his nose at her and her family
Pride is the modern-day Pride and Prejudice remix you need to read
Set in Brooklyn with a colorful cast of characters, this is a twist on a classic you
After they’re assigned seats next to each other in class, the two become close friends
This is the essential romance reading list, so this one had to be on here
If you haven’t heard of this bestselling hit series, you’re in for a treat
Lara Jean dealt with her crushes by writing love letters to them
Then one day, the letters get out and Lara Jean finds herself confronted with the crushes of
The problem: Gigi is a recluse, and she’s just gone missing
The fate of Evie’s career lies in the hands of musician Milo Williams, the last person
It’s 1987 and Aristotle and Dante, two Mexican-American 15-year-olds, have just met
This book has won a ton of awards, and it deserved every single one
After he is arrested and sentenced for drunk-driving, Sydney is more alone than ever
Then come the Chatham family, and Sydney finally feels seen and accepted, especially when she’s alone
Forced to undertake princess lessons with her grandmother, the Queen of Genovia, Mia comes to terms with
The only place she gets to be the heroine is in her own stories
But when she finally gets the chance to share them, the words won’t come
Caroline is certain that Tessa just needs some real-life inspiration, and so the plot to catch the
Is your favorite romance novel missing from this list? Let us know in the comments below!