Romance Novels You Can't Put Down

Love is as old as time. As are love stories. Back in the 1960, romance novels starting getting a bad rap. Phrases like "bodice ripper" made the genre seem cheesy, dirty, and embarrassing to read. Romance novels were (and still are) written primarily by women for women. Leading many to cite a male-dominated publishing world for undermining the value of these stories because they center on female pleasure, emotional needs, and domesticity, which were not historically valued by literary critics. Luckily, like love, a good story will rise and find the people who cherish them.

Here are some novels, from classic to contemporary, office job to paranormal, that we think might give you all the feels.

Romance Novel Recommendations

Personal Recommendation

Enemies-to-Lovers

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

While I don't have a favorite romance novel per se, this is the book that got me into the romance genre and reignited my love for reading as an adult.

The Hating Game centers around Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman, two executive assistants who are fierce rivals competing for the same promotion at a publishing company, but whose intense dislike slowly turns into a slow-burn romance as they discover hidden vulnerabilities beneath their professional animosity. The story, told from Lucy's perspective, is known for its witty banter, workplace setting, and exploration of themes like rivalry, love, and self-discovery,

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Classics

Let's get the classics out of the way. Most of you have probably read these, but if you haven't, definitely add them to your lists, they are classics for a reason.

Enemies-to-Lovers

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

As noted above, Jane Austen is widely credited for the modern romance novel template. Pride and Prejudice tells the love story of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, both of whom have to overcome their biases in order to end up together. Throughout the novel, both characters learn to unlearn their pride and prejudice so that they can come to accept the other's goodness of character. Pride and Prejudice  remains the best selling romance novel of all time. Sigh, Mr. Darcy.

Second chance? Fated? Ghosts.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Ah, the Brontë sisters: Charlotte, Emily, and Ann. All three were poets and novelists who published their work under male pseudonyms: Currer (Charlotte), Ellis (Emily) and Acton (Anne) Bell. Wuthering Heights is Emily's only novel and unlike many of its 19th-century counterparts, which explore love within the constraints of social convention, Wuthering Heights is wild, gothic, and deeply unsettling. It is a story of obsession, revenge, and passion so intense that it transcends death itself.

LGBTQIA+ Gothic

Forbidden Romance

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

Carmilla was ahead of its time in many ways. It's an 1872 Gothic novella by Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, a foundational work of vampire fiction that predates Bram Stoker's Dracula by 25 years and heavily influenced it. Narrated by a young woman named Laura, the story details her isolated life in a remote castle, her mysterious and seductive friendship with the female vampire Carmilla, and Laura's subsequent decline in health as she falls prey to Carmilla's predatory advances.

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Historical Romance

Fated Lovers

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

I'd wager that when most people think of historical romance Outlander is one of the first books that comes to mind. Outlander is a time traveling adventure that takes us to 1945 and follows Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, who is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone and is suddenly transported back to 1743, where she meets and falls in love with Jamie Fraser.

Woman of Color Author

Fake Relationship

Ana Mariá and the Fox by Liana De la Rosa

Mexican heiress Ana María Luna Valdés and her sisters flee Mexico and Napoleon III’s occupation to secretly settle in London. There she meets British politician Gideon Fox. As the grandson of a formerly enslaved woman, Gideon is determined to end British profitability off of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Although their attraction is instant, Ana María is promised to someone else. But when danger becomes imminent, Gideon must step in to protect her — as her husband. Though this may have been a marriage of convenience, the feelings between them are real and just might grow into true love.

Woman of Color Author

Forbidden Romance

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Having fled from Paris to escape her past, seventeen-year-old dressmaker Celine Rousseau is living at the Ursuline convent with other young women who have recently arrived from Europe. She navigates New Orleans in 1872, facing vampires, murder, and forbidden romance with the enigmatic Sébastien Saint Germain, leader of a vampire group called La Cour des Lions, while a serial killer terrorizes the city. It's the first book in The Beautiful Quartet series, blending historical fiction, romance, and mystery with supernatural elements. 

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Paranormal

Woman of Color Author

Forbidden Romance

Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

Tigest Girma's debut novel follows an orphaned heiress, Kidan Adane, who infiltrates an elite university to find her missing sister, suspecting a captivating vampire named Susenyos is responsible. Kidan must navigate the dangerous world of vampires and humans at Uxlay University, where bloodlines gain power through vampire companionship. Girma has received resounding accolades for the novel and the sequel Eternal Ruin came out in 2025.

LGBTQIA+

Enemies-to-Lovers/Forbidden Romance

The Devil She Knows by Alexandria Bellefleur

Would you make a deal with the devil to get back with your ex? That’s the dilemma facing Samantha Cooper, who after being dumped by her ex, summons a demon in hopes of being able to win her ex back. Sam has called on Daphne, decked out in a pink dress and blonde hair, who has her own goals. Sam is the final soul she needs to collect in order to set her own free. But unfortunately for them both, they find that calling on each other too enjoyable, and as Sam winds down on the wishes she’s granted, she finds that what she really wants is for Daphne to stay with her.

Enemies-to-Lovers/Forbidden Romance

The Wolf King by Lauren Palphreyman

Outlander meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this wolf-shifter romance set in a realm inspired by the Scottish Highlands. Princess Aurora is kidnapped by a powerful alpha werewolf, Callum, leading to a forbidden enemies-to-lovers relationship amidst a war between humans and werewolves. The story features a slow-burn romance, a love triangle, and themes of duty vs. desire, with a plot that includes political intrigue, magic, and a "kilt-wearing" alpha. Receiving rave reviews, it is the first book in a trilogy. 

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Contemporary

Woman of Color Author, Strong Independent Woman

Forbidden Romance

Can't Get Enough by Kennedy Ryan

Recently released Can't Get Enough is third in the Skyland series but can also be read as a stand alone book. Hendrix Barry is successful entertainment executive who is initially forbidden to date tech mogul, Maverick Bell, due to her career focus and family obligations, but he pursues her relentlessly, leading to a spicy story about love, sacrifice, and living on one's own terms.

Skyland is a critically acclaimed trilogy of interconnected, steamy contemporary romance novels focusing on the lives, friendships, and journeys of three Black women. Check out book 1: Before I Let Go and Book 2: This Could Be Us.

Women in STEM

Fake Dating

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith, enters a fake relationship with a notoriously grumpy, hotshot professor, Adam Carlsen, to convince her best friend she's dating. The story follows their fake-dating-turned-real-romance at Stanford University, using tropes like fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, and forced proximity, and was originally a Star Wars fanfiction. 

Woman of Color Author, Neurodivergent character

Fake Dating

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

This one came out in 2018, but it's known for its heartwarming and steamy scenes and authentic representation of a neurodivergent protagonists. 

Stella Lane is a successful neurodivergent (she has Autism) econometrician who hires a professional escort, Michael Phan, to teach her about dating and intimacy. The story follows their "no-nonsense" arrangement as they develop unexpected feelings, exploring themes of love, consent, and neurodiversity through Stella's unique perspective. 

Woman of Color Author, LGBTQIA+

Opposites Attract

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory

Avery, a self-conscious professional, hires a confident heartbreaker, Taylor, to teach her how to flirt so she can start dating women after a breakup. Their weekly lessons evolve from a casual arrangement into a sweet, sensual romance as unexpected feelings develop, exploring themes of self-confidence, friendship, and identity.

Meet Cute Murder Mystery

Opposites Attract

Death to Valentine's Day by Catherine Cowles

After her boyfriend’s betrayal, the last thing Maia St. James wants is to celebrate Valentine’s Day. And when her friends force her out for a Death to Valentine’s Day masquerade ball at a mountain lodge, the last thing she expects is to kiss a masked stranger, especially when he ends up being her ex’s older brother. But that’s the least of her problems. When a guest is found murdered, the party becomes a mystery. And Maia must unmask a killer before her second chance at romance is cut short.

LGBTQIA+ Trans Representation

Fake Dating

The Build-a-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver

Eli Francis is a journalist stuck in an assistant position at the online magazine Vent when he should be a writer. His boss dangles a promotion but would rather Eli just fetch the coffee. To make it worse, he's working alongside the ex who has had no trouble moving up at work…or moving on. When Eli’s roommates push him to date so he can get over his ex once and for all, they set him up with Peter Park. Tall, handsome, and unbelievably awkward. The date is a complete disaster, but when his boss overhears Eli recounting the catastrophic night, he suggests teaching Peter to be a better boyfriend through a series of simulated dates so he can write an article about it.

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Let us know your favorite romance novels!