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Seven Romance Novels to Read for Valentine’s Day

Seven Romance Novels to Read for Valentine’s Day

While I don’t read much romance, I have enjoyed a few which I’m happy to recommend to you. Spoiler alert: It goes without saying that these books include romantic scenes, some more descriptive than others. Closed door is when the author ends the scene before anything happens. Open door? Very little is left to the imagination.

The Bromance Book Club Series by Lyssa Kay Adams

This originally delightful premise features a group of professional athletes and friends who form a romance book club and using the principles therein, save their romantic relationships. In the first book, The Bromance Book Club, Gavin is incredulous that romance novels can save his marriage and expresses all the naysaying and cliches that one might expect from someone who doesn’t read romance and doesn’t think that they have anything meaningful to contribute to life. This is the perfect book to read if you have never tried romance before.

Risqué Rating: This is open door and swearing is common.
Grab your copy here.

Set in Nashville, The Bromance Book Club follows a group of professional athletes skeptical of romance books.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

This is the first romance book that featured a character that fully reflected me, including my racial make-up and body type. Alexa agrees to be a wedding date for a guy she just met while being stuck in an elevator. Of course, it turns into more. Five additional novels make up The Wedding Date series branching out into friends and family of the original characters.

Risqué Rating: This is open door and sent me off looking for my Hubby, if you know what I mean.
Grab your copy here.

Alexa agrees to be a wedding date for a guy she just met while being stuck in an elevator in The Wedding Date.

Romance-Adjacent Recommendations

I tend to want all of my books to teach me something so the following are more “romance-adjacent” works with stories that address other life challenges. My friend, Leigh Kramer, my romance novel expert, would say that these are not romance novels, but these two books give me all the romance feels.

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
Thirty-two-year-old Helen’s life has just fallen apart. What she needs is one of those insane wilderness survival courses to help get herself back on track. There’s just one problem; her irresponsible little brother’s best friend is also on the course. I love how this book asks and answers the question, what does it mean to be happy?

Grab your copy here.

In Happiness for Beginners, thirty-two year old Helen tries to get her life back on track in a wilderness survival course.

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan
Ella is fulfilling her lifelong dream to attend Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Everything is going to plan. But then she meets Jamie. While My Oxford Year starts as your typical romance book, like the story, the genre turns and this book asks serious questions about life and what matters in it. I have been dying to read this with the Rocket City Mom Virtual Book Club and thrilled that we will get to do just that in May.

Grab your copy here.

In My Oxford Year, Ella is fulfilling her lifelong dream to attend Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar when she meets Jamie.

Historical Fiction and Adventure Recommendations

Finally, I asked the aforementioned Leigh to help me round out this list since she reads way more romance than I do.

A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy
An enemies to lovers historical romance with banter galore. Joshua and Cassandra’s marriage of convenience depended on them living in separate places but everything changes when Cassandra needs to come to London to secure her sister’s future and comes face to face with her husband.

Risqué Rating: This is open door.
Grab your copy here.

A Wicked Kind of Husband is an enemies to lovers historical romance with banter galore.

Briarley by Aster Glenn Gray
This self-published historical fantasy, Beauty & The Beast retelling set during WWII is one of the best historical romances I’ve ever read. Widower Edward consistently puts others’ needs above his own, including refusing to send his daughter in his place, when he stumbles on to the dragon’s castle and that leads to the dragon holding him captive instead.

Risqué Rating: This is closed door.
Grab your copy here.

Briarly is a self-published historical fantasy that’s a Beauty & The Beast retelling set during WWII.

Whiteout by Adriana Anders
Angel and Ford have to flee for their lives across Antarctica. The sun is about to go down for the season and there will be no hope if they’re still out in the elements. An intense romantic suspense that makes for an unputdownable reading experience.

Risqué Rating: This is open door.
Grab your copy here.

 

Angel and Ford have to flee for their lives across Antarctica in Whiteout.

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