Do you want to get into romance novels, or looking for the next one? These top 10 romantic novels might be a good place to start that journey. Romance is the most-read genre out of all other genres in literature. It can stem from the sweet, head over heels in love, to the sweaty, stream of consciousness. There is a type of romance for everyone, and it might take a few tries to find the right one for you. If any of these books pique your curiosity, you can crack them open or listen to them because many books are now audiobooks.
Epic Love, Eternal Words: Top 10 Romantic Novels That Define the Genre
There are many subgenres within the romance genre, like dark romance, young adult romance, fantasy, and many more, because there are always new and interesting ways to write romance. This might have a little of each one or help you look for the subgenre you haven’t tried to read yet. Don’t be shy and give these books a try, plus a little research is good for new things.
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
This book is the perfect balance of steamy romance with a mysterious academy and high-stakes fantasy that will keep you guessing. The main character, Violet Sorrengail, is described as fragile, but as the books progress, she is made to become a strong and skillful dragon. She has the temptation of her mother’s former colleagues, who was a rebel leader in a past war, and his son is there to keep testing her. This book is the first book in the Empyrean series by Rebecca, so the fun will continue in many more books. The book was No. 1 on New York’s best list for its amazing content.
2. Happy Place by Emily Henry
This book shows that not all relationships are what they seem to be. A couple that had broken up six months before an annual friend beach getaway in a Maine cottage and had yet to tell their best friends. They come up with a packed to fake for one week so the last time they spend in the cottage isn’t full of pain and drama. Anyone can see, even with blurred vision, that Harriet and Wyn are still in love with each other. Can they fake it in front of the people who know them best, or will they give this a second chance? Grab the book to find out that.
3. The Striker by Ana Huang
The forbidden love is the most exciting love for a romantic book, and this book is no different. The story between Asher Donovan, the greatest football player (soccer), and Scarlett DuBois, a former prima ballerina, is an enemy-to-lovers story, by being forced into proximity because Scarlett is training Asher and his rival. There is a problem is though Asher’s rival is Scarlett’s brother. The true challenge comes when her brother leaves for an emergency, and this becomes the ultimate test for them both.
4. A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
This story is epic and feels like it was meant to be. It’s about two people brought together by fate. Ricki comes from a wealthy family but wants a different life. She leaves it all behind to start fresh in Harlem, opening her flower shop. One February night, Ezra, drawn in by a beautiful scent, walks in—and everything changes. Their story is filled with love, mystery, magic, and music. It’s the kind of tale that makes you want to stop and smell the roses.
5. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
This is the perfect case of the right place but the wrong time for our character Phoebe Stone. She arrived at the Cornwall Inn, which she had dreamed of going to with her husband and enjoying the atmosphere together. Sadly, she is here alone as a final gift to herself, but she is the only guest not attending the wedding event happening. This story goes from Phoebe being a nuisance at the wedding to making connections. This is a perfect rom-com, so if you are into that, give this book a shot.
6. Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley
In this story, we are shown the love story between Adam, Coralie over the 10 years together and how politics in Britain has upheaved their family. Coralie is happy in their life, but she feels that she has lost a part of it, which is herself and her dreams. It gives them the chance to show how strong their resilience is, to how public their lives are now. It’s going to be the perfect mix of sweet with a heat, public with personal balance, and humor with sincerity.
7. The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
If you are into second chances, food and wine in Europe, and good competitions, then this is a good book with all that. This is a story about two bisexual exes, Theo and Kit, who have the same idea about a voucher they got together to spend separately. That did not happen, which has now forced them, after four years apart, to go through the most romantic cities in Europe. Seeing they don’t have chose Theo suggests a friendly wager of who will sleep with the hot Italian tour guide first. Then they make it sweeter by adding how many people they can sleep with by the end of the trip.
8. Say You’ll Be My Jaan by Naina Kumar
This is a trope we like to call a fake relationship, but this also has some cultural significance to arranged marriages. Karthik and Meghna have found themselves in a similar problem, and they hatch a plan to help each other tell the end of the wedding for a friend of theirs. Will they be able to pull it off for three months, or will they get caught? By the end of this, will it still be fake for them, or will it be real, and each think the other is faking it still?
9. Girl Abroad by Elle Kennedy
We are delivered with a story of nineteen-year-old Abbey Bly who went to London. She finder herself in a pretty interesting love triangle with her two male roommates. There is a big problem because in the flat they live in that there is no fraternizing among roommates. Abbey went to London to find herself, so does this new self mean breaking a few rules and possibly a few hearts? Will she be able to keep herself straight and focused, or will she let her heart guide her to something or someone different?
10. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
This is a story of obsession, predator vs prey, and dark romance that blurs a few extreme lines. The character Adeline Reilly is an author who gains the deed to her grandmother’s house after her passing, but little did she know that she gained a shadow as well. The shadow is Zade Meadows, who runs an underground organization to stop human trafficking, and his reference as the shadow because he stalks the manipulator, aka Adeline. This book is the first book of the cat and mouse duet, plus it also has a few spin-offs offs Halloween fair, the story of Adeline’s great-grandmother, and more. This book also has some really big triggers in it, so do read with caution.
With these 10 romantic novels, there is a story for everyone and a new idea in the genre of romance. Romance can be a lot of things for a lot of people. Some like the sweet and simple, others like the sweaty and sticky, and even the dark ones. This is all part of the excitement of opening a new book or experiencing a new side of a genre you already like. I hope you find this list useful, not just for you but made for others around you.
