Top 7 Favorite Romance Reads of All Time!
Romance novels create the language of hope and reflect the very soul of our humanity. While occasionally teased for shallow and lighthearted writing, at the very core of their creation, romance books celebrate people making the effort to connect despite any and all obstacles. These kinds of novels celebrate the joys of life and offer a safe place to land when times get tough. Without a little romance, life would be a dull affair and romance novels are the perfect catalyst to encourage such optimism in life.
So in honor of my own enemies-to-lovers pirate adventure romance novel Harrock & Quimby being published (buy it directly or it’s also now available across all major online retailers), here are some of my favorite all time romance reads that have brought joy to my life! I hope you enjoy them too!
Lovelight Farms by BK Borison
In Lovelight Farms by BK Borison, two best friends fake date to win a social media campaign to support a failing Christmas tree farm. Words fail to describe how much I adore this book. I love a good Christmas romance (as seen with other additions on this list) so that was the main reason for me to pick up this novel last December. But reading this book also helped me realize just how much I love the best friends-to-lovers trope. I could’ve cared less for the fake dating aspect, but the way that Stella and Luka were able to elevate their existing connection and friendship to a more romantic nature was incredibly well done within the novel. I was especially impressed with Stella’s growth and her development from a hyper independent avoidant girlie to someone who can ask for help and depend on others once in a while. Once I finished this book, I actually binged the rest of BK Borison’s available catalog and have loved pretty much everything this author has ever written. Even if Christmas romances aren’t your thing, you really can’t go wrong with any BK Borison novel. She’s an auto-buy author for me now because of this book and I’m really so stoked for her upcoming Longtime Listener which is supposed to be a “You’ve Got Mail” re-telling (one of my fave movie rom-coms!)
Lost and Lassoed by Lyla Sage
Cowboys are cool! Yeehaw! The third novel of Lyla Sage’s Rebel Blue Ranch series follows the chaotic Type B best friend of the first book’s main character as she accepts a job caring for the child of the Type A routine oriented older brother. It’s an enemies-to-lovers featuring cowboys and a sassy female lead that I was surprised to enjoy as much as I did. While I still attest that Rebel Blue Ranch is a cult (pretty much every one who joins the ranch by dating a family member stays on the ranch), I truly was enthralled with Teddy’s development and how she shaped her independent identity despite feeling that everyone around her was moving on with their lives without her. It was an excellent token sassy single bestie representation and I loved how her happy ending came together. I also wasn’t completely annoyed with the kid, which is always appreciated. Gus Ryder, the male lead, was also so incredibly swoonworthy. Gotta love a confident Type A cowboy kind of guy.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I don’t think this classic novel needs any introduction, but I’ll give it one anyway. Pride and Prejudice is the classic Jane Austen novel that serves as the original enemies to lovers rom-com between the iconic Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy and, literally generations later, it still slaps. The timeless writing of this romance has truly endured the test of time since its initial publication in 1813. The humor remains on point, the connection between the leads is authentic and grows very naturally, and the family drama adds just the right amount of tension to the plot to keep things moving along. If you’re a romance reader and you haven’t read this iconic classic yet, you’ve gotta give it a shot. Classics typically aren’t my bag of tea, but I would give a lot to be able to read Pride and Prejudice for the first time ever again, it’s just that good!
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren is a timeloop romance set at Christmas where the main character has to figure out the perfect Christmas in order to escape the Groundhog Day-esque hell of repeating the same holiday weekend over and over again. I kind of want to blame this book for my persisting love for Christmas novels, but I can at least thank it for my adoration of Christina Lauren novels. Christina Lauren novels have such a great way of writing lovable characters in interesting situations and this was my first experience with their work so I have a fondness for how well it turned out. The narrative for this novel was so enthralling that I actually read the whole thing in one sitting, pacing my bedroom at two in the morning, as I raced towards the end of the book. The timeloop aspect was probably my favorite part, especially with all of the paths available in it, but overall it’s a cute and endearing read perfect for Christmas time reading and introduced me to one of my favorite romance authors so I really hold a special place for it in my heart.
Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray
If you’re a longtime reader of my blog, you’ll know that I love Claudia Gray and also hate AI. Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray is a science fiction enemies to lovers romance about a human soldier fighting against, and eventually falling in love with, an android soldier in a space war. The science fiction and space aspects of this novel (and subsequent sequels in the trilogy) are super cool and fun to explore. But for me, the highlight of this series was how Abel and Noemi connect despite their difference in humanity. Abel’s growth as the android soldier slowly realizing his own humanity despite being a mechanical creation was stellar to experience. It’s a fantastic science fiction trilogy with a gorgeous written romance at the heart of it and one of my favorites from one of my all time favorite authors! Even if you’re not a huge science fiction fan, the worlds and writing are still enjoyable for casual readers so I highly recommend it as an introduction to the genre as well.
When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn
Confession: I once spent an entire summer binging the entire Bridgerton series after the Netflix show came out. The romance series focusing on the loves and drama of an eight sibling family during the regency era has its high points and its low points (looking at you, An Offer from a Gentleman). But for me, the sixth book When He Was Wicked, focusing on the sixth Bridgerton child, was my absolute favorite. Recently widowed, Francesa is trying to move on from the immeasurable grief of losing the love of her life with the support of her dead husband’s womanizer cousin. The angst from a determined “forbidden” romance created an absolutely gripping narrative for the novel. Both of the characters were also so likeable and their faults were so believable and compelling to watch develop into an emotional resolution. While I did ultimately enjoy reading the entire Bridgerton series, When He Was Wicked stuns with such complex portrayals of grief and the sheer attraction of Michael as the rakish male lead who reforms his womanizing ways to absolutely deserve to claim Francesa’s heart. Big swoon and big win for a classic rom-com series!
A Five Letter Word for Love by Amy James
Okay this may not be my most serious choice on this list, but it’s quintessential for why I love the romance genre so much! It’s an entire book about two people falling in love over Wordle, the daily free-to-play New York Times game where people guess five letter words. That’s pretty much it. That’s the whole thing. It’s the best because even though the concept is shallow on paper, the execution is well done in practice. While I dislike how the main female lead plays Wordle (mainly that she does it completely wrong and in the worst ways possible because the game really isn’t that deep), I absolutely adore how she develops as a person and learns to love herself and her life just how it is to ultimately create satisfaction in her life as a whole (and make a romantic connection to the male lead along the way). I also adore that the entire catalyst for this character growth and her subsequent relationship comes from a very accessible free-to-play mobile game that millions of people play daily as a short way to pass the time.
It’s truly a reflection of the beauty of the romance genre to create magic from mundane moments that are relatable to the vast majority of readers and offer joy for a situation that would rarely invoke a reaction otherwise. If even a free-to-play game that I play on my phone every morning can create love, then there truly is hope for us all to find joy and connection in every part of this life if we know where to look for it.
For more romance, be sure to check out my sea-faring enemies to lovers romance Harrock & Quimby where two pirate captains discover that the true treasure in life is worth more than gold! Buy it here: Harrock & Quimby
You can also check out my thoughts on smut in modern romances here: The Problem with Smut in Modern Romance Books