Happy Valentine’s Day! To celebrate I’ve put together a list of my Top 10 favorite romance reads (if you want to see more, visit my Goodreads romance shelf). It’s a genre with quite the spectrum of content, but for me my rule of thumb is that I pay for plot. I try not to waste my time or my money on a “romance novel” that lacks plot and is just too much dramatic nonsense or has toxic content that is never corrected/addressed. Sure some that I’ve enjoyed have been quick and light while others were deep and dark, some have stronger romance plot lines than others where quests or whatever have just as strong a role, but there must always be an actual plot and world-building and character development. I love how there is such diversity in the genre, and I’ve read so many different ones, but plot plot plot! Anyway…let me know what your favorites are!
A Court of Thorns and Roses (Series)
Sarah J. Maas
Fantasy Fiction
Goodreads | My Review | Amazon
^As if I wasn’t going to put something by Queen Maas on my list. LOL. If you want a longer series with lots more action and adventure (and more characters to ship) then dive into her Throne of Glass series. This one, however, is partially inspired by Beauty & the Beast along with some other tales and although book 2 is by far the best book (or at least it’s my favorite) I still recommend the trilogy as a whole.
*Dust to Dust
Talis Jones
Dystopia Fiction
Goodreads | My Review | Amazon
^A companion novella to the book ALARUM and is like a post-apocalyptic twist on Bonnie & Clyde. I dunno, it just feels…different? Whatever, I ship them forever haha.
The Fallen World (Series)
Laura Thalassa
Dystopia Fiction
Goodreads | My Review | Amazon
^This particular Thalassa series has a tense premise that ends up making for a good complex relationship development arc lol. This particular series of hers is maybe the only one where her readers either absolutely love it or toss it.
The Hathaways (Series)
Lisa Kleypas
Historical Fiction
Goodreads | My Review | Amazon
^I’m a fan of Jane Austen and a sucker for some good historical fiction so of course Lisa Kleypas’ books popped up on my radar and naturally I binged the series haha. (Her Wallflowers series precedes this one but you can read them separately).
*The Host
Stephenie Meyer
Science Fiction
Goodreads | My Review | Amazon
^It’s a longish book, and some may be prejudiced against the famous Twilight author or made the mistake of watching the movie adaptation of this book first, but I enjoy this book every time I read it so of course it’s on my list.
The Paper Swan
Leylah Attar
Contemporary Fiction
Goodreads | My Review | Amazon
^Mystery, action, colliding pasts and cultures…this was a good complex story but if you look up a single spoiler its complicated plot will be ruined SO DON’T LOOK UP SPOILERS FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE.
The Phoenix Pack (Series)
Suzanne Wright
Paranormal Fiction
Goodreads | Amazon
^Literally almost didn’t add these to the list if only because the covers are cliché cheesy romance cover nonsense that I hate as are the stupid titles *rolls eyes* I know some love the typical romance cover aesthetic but I just…don’t. Lol. Regardless, this series was a really quick binge which was fun if you like shifters. There’s something about pack life that is really what hooked me to the series more than the romance stuff honestly.
*Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
Classic Fiction
Goodreads | Amazon
^I love all of Austen’s novels and although it’s the basic choice I chose to list P&P because it’s fantastic. Fight me.
*Shatter Me (Series)
Tahereh Mafi
Dystopia Fiction
Goodreads | My Review | Amazon
^Warning: There is some teen angst and drama that goes down and may likely irritate you as it did me, but you may also find yourself overlooking it for the ship like I did haha
Wraith Kings (Series)
Grace Draven
Fantasy Fiction
Goodreads | My Review | Amazon
^Note: You can actually read the first book as a standalone (yay!) but if you want more then lucky you can enjoy the sequel! I love this romance story because of how instead of my usual go-to enemies-to-lovers trope, it’s strangers-to-friends-to-lovers and sweet in the best way.
BONUS:
Claimed By the Horde King
(Horde Kings of Dakkar #2)
Zoey Draven
Science Fiction
Goodreads | Amazon
^I am listing this one because I really enjoyed it, but it doesn’t get to be an official member of my Top Ten because I hate the covers that much haha. I found this one a sweeter story than the first book which would be for fans of Khal and Khaleesi’s story from Game of Thrones.
*Content Warning: As I have such a varied range of readers (both in age and in preferences), I’ve put an asterisk by the clean reads a.k.a. books that do not include explicit adult content that one may not be comfortable with. Of course you can always flip past those scenes, but I figured I’d give a heads up so you’re not startled by it if it’s something you do not wish to read.
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