We asked the owners of our favorite romance bookstores to share their must-read romance novels—happy endings nonnegotiable
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24 Best Romance Novels, Picked by Romance Bookstore Owners
Updated on Jan. 15, 2025
Romance novels that’ll make you swoon
I don’t know about you, but right about now, I could use an escape. And there is perhaps no better escape than good old-fashioned romance novels—the kind of heart-fluttering fare I used to sneak under the covers with a flashlight until way past bedtime. The kind of books that become remedies for the trials and tribulations of real life. The kind in which there’s definitely a 100% chance of an HEA (happily ever after, for the uninitiated), or at least a happily for now, guaranteed.
These days, the romance novels we devour are more diverse and delicious than ever. But even though I’m an author myself, you don’t have to take my word for it. There’s no better source for tips on what hot romance reads to add to your TBR list than the owners of romance bookstores—so we asked five of them to share their picks for the best books in the genre.
Like me, these experts started out as readers with an insatiable appetite for romance novels, so their selections include something for everyone, from romantasy to sports rom-coms to foodie fun. And we’ve broken them down by tropes (enemies-to-lovers, anyone?), so you can swipe right on just the right romance for you.
Read on for the best romance novels for newbies and seasoned romance readers alike.
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Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
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Book Lovers by Emily Henry
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Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai
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A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell
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All the Feels by Olivia Dade
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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
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This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
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Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall
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When We Lied by Claire Contreras
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Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole
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Blood and Brujas by Mikayla D. Hornedo
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This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar
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The Taming of Jessi Rose by Beverly Jenkins
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The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
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Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
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You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
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Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña
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Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins
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Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews
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The Problem with Players by Brittainy C. Cherry
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Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous by Mae Marvel
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The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
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Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
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Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
Category: Historical fiction
Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, close quarters
We begin our recommendations for the best romance books with reigning genre queen Beverly Jenkins, who has been making readers swoon since 1994. And— spoiler alert—she makes this list more than once. The historical fiction book Indigo, first published in 1996, follows the formerly enslaved Hester, who has escaped through the Underground Railroad and helps others plot their escapes too. But sparks fly when the infuriatingly arrogant Black Daniel ends up injured and under her care.
“Beverly Jenkins is one of the undisputed queens of historical romance, and this is one of her very best,” says Becca Title, owner of Meet Cute Romance Bookshop in La Mesa, California. “The stakes are high, the gestures are grand and the research grounding the story in pre–Civil War Michigan is incredible.”
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Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Category: Rom-com
Tropes: City girl in a small town, enemies to lovers, literary love
If you’re a romance reader, you no doubt swoon over bookish books—and rom-com master Emily Henry‘s 2022 hit, Book Lovers, definitely fits the bill. High-strung Nora is the consummate city girl, a cutthroat literary agent with plenty of backstory she doesn’t care to dwell on. Charlie is the irritatingly handsome and infuriatingly arrogant editor who she just can’t dazzle. When they keep having awkward meet-cutes in small-town Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, it’s an enemies-to-lovers romance come to life.
“The city girl that always gets left for the small-town girl gets her happy ever after,” says Mae Tingstrom, owner of Smitten romance bookstore in Ventura, California. “It’s a story that also tackles tough topics of grief, what makes a home, work-life balance and more.”
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Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai
Category: Rom-com
Tropes: Opposites attract, second-chance romance
A match made in … Vegas? If there’s one thing lawyer turned writer Alisha Rai knows how to do, it’s ramp up the tension, as in this 2022 rom-com about a pair of mismatched exes who end up on the run in Vegas as family secrets unravel. “A cross between a romantic comedy and a thriller that takes place over the course of one long night in Vegas, Partners in Crime has it all: a kidnapping, a high-stakes heist, a second-chance romance between accountant Mira Chaudhary and her rejected suitor, the perfectly boring lawyer Naveen Desai,” Title says. “It is a delightful romp of a book in which nothing is quite as it seems.”
Looking for your next great book? Read four of today’s most compelling novels in the time it takes to read one with Fiction Favorites. And be sure to join the community!
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A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell
Category: Historical romance
Tropes: Caper, ticking clock
The quaint caper A Shore Thing follows a misfit pair of cyclists, artist Kit and botanist Muriel, who join a bike race to the British seaside and fall in love—despite their best efforts not to—along the way. Published in 2024, this LGBTQ book features a trans protagonist, but it doesn’t dwell on it, incorporating queerness seamlessly into the historical narrative.
“This Victorian-set historical romance about an artist and a botanist who end up on a cross-country bike race is an utter delight, full of queer joy, righteous anger and hope,” Title says. “It is about finding yourself, your place and your people in a world that wants you to be someone you’re not.”
All the Feels by Olivia Dade
Category: Rom-com
Tropes: Boss/employee, opposites attract, road trip
He may play Cupid on TV, but Alexander Woodroe’s love life—and the rest of his life, for that matter—is a mess. Enter Lauren Clegg, the ER therapist who’s been hired to keep him in line … as if that’s possible. If he’s going down, he’s determined to take her with him. But it might just be worth the fall.
Published in 2021, “All The Feels is like a warm blanket,” says Roseann Backlin, co-owner of Love’s Sweet Arrow romance bookstore in Tinley Park, Illinois. “The banter and acceptance between the two of them is the best. I reread this book continually the year it came out.”
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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Category: Cozy paranormal romance
Tropes: Witches, found family
In this 2022 book about witches, Mika Moon’s always been a bit of a loner. She’s one of the few witches around, which means hiding her magic and flying solo. But online, she cosplays as a witch, thinking nobody would suspect she was a real one. When she gets an invite to the mysterious Nowhere House, where three baby witches need minding, she settles into her new home, enjoying her new charges and their friendly neighbors. But Jamie, the annoyingly handsome local librarian, thinks she can’t quite be trusted.
“The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna is a cozy, magical tale of found family that wraps you in warmth and wonder,” says Leah Koch, co-owner of The Ripped Bodice bookstore, which has locations in Culver City, California, and Brooklyn, New York.
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This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan
Category: Contemporary romance
Tropes: Opposites attract, forbidden romance, second-chance romance
Soledad Barnes is on top of it—”it” being everything, all the time. She’s the woman in charge and the one holding everything together. And when that perfect life just disappears, she has to fix everything—the kids, their home, their whole life, her whole life. But then she rediscovers a desire for something she’s not allowed to want. Is it a risk worth taking?
Published in March 2024, This Could Be Us is romance and women’s fiction author Kennedy Ryan’s most ambitious book yet. “This book is perfection,” says Melissa Saavedra, owner of Steamy Lit romance bookstore, which has two locations in Florida. “The focus on loving yourself again and falling in love with who you are, and finding a patient, loving man who will respect your boundaries, was everything for me. A perfect example of a romance book. Kennedy’s writing, as always, is lyrical in a way that signs directly to your heart.”
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Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall
Category: Rom-com
Tropes: Hot in the kitchen, love triangle
Published in 2021, this foodie rom-com follows the antics of frazzled single mom Rosaline as she teeters on the edge of financial (and emotional) ruin and enters a baking competition, hoping the prize money might just set her life right. But while the competition is fierce, she better be careful: The distractions in the kitchen might just leave her burned.
“Choosing a favorite book by Alexis Hall is almost impossible, but Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake is absolutely one of the funniest and most grounded contemporary rom-coms I’ve ever read,” Title says. “Rosaline, a bisexual single mom—to one of romance’s least annoying children—is at the end of her rope. She has to deal with issues more serious than just soggy bottoms, but in the end, she finds her very own cinnamon roll.”
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When We Lied by Claire Contreras
Category: Sports romance, dark romance
Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, second-chance romance
Love and obsession collide in 2024’s When We Lied, the companion romance novel to Claire Contreras’s hit Until I Get You. Joss and Finn hooked up once, a long time ago, but then he left town. Now he’s back, and the spark between them is just … undeniable. But a tragedy that happened four years ago has left its scars, and there might not be a way to heal them.
“This hockey series is unputdownable,” Saavedra says. “Not only do we get a little morally gray—perfect for those starting to dabble!—but we also get the steam and mystery that Claire Contreras does so well.”
Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole
Category: Paranormal romance
Tropes: Close quarters, spiritual connection
Talk about a star-crossed and spirited romance! In the fifth of the romantic books in Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series, 2008’s Dark Needs at Night’s Edge, murdered ballerina Néomi Laress haunts her old home, chasing away all souls—until vampire warrior Conrad Wroth becomes imprisoned there. Will the desire that burns between them be the end of them both?
“The heroine is a ghost stuck in a mansion, the hero is locked in said mansion by his brothers, and true love is found,” Backlin says. The course of true love never did run smoothly—and that’s especially true in ghost stories and vampire books.
Blood and Brujas by Mikayla D. Hornedo
Category: Paranormal romance, romantasy
Tropes: Arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, political romance
Published in 2024, the first book in the fantasy romance series Fate of the Acna follows Dayanara, a warrior witch assassin who is yielded as a weapon by her queen mother against the vampire kingdom they’ve been at war with for as long as she can remember. But then: a truce. Her mother offers Dayanara’s hand as a peace offering to the vampire king. Saavedra calls Blood and Brujas “a perfect read for the romantasy lover. Amazing plot, world-building, queer representation and love entanglements.”
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This Is How You Lose the Time War by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar
Category: Sci-fi romance, epistolary
Trope: Enemies to lovers
Published in 2019, this short book—winner of Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards—follows two rival commandants of warring factions, Red and Blue, who manage to fall in love across time and space, reminding us of the spark that simmers even when everything else becomes dust.
This Is How You Lose the Time War is “a strange, beautiful, perfect little book,” Title says. “This is an excellent pick for readers who like their prose as swoony as their plot. Mortal enemies twist into lovers as they send letters across time and space—with death promised if their correspondence is discovered. I devoured it, but I wanted to savor it. Time to read it again!”
The Taming of Jessi Rose by Beverly Jenkins
Category: Historical romance
Tropes: Cowboys, opposites attract, forced proximity
Jessi Rose will do whatever it takes to save her family ranch—even let that outlaw railroad thief Griffin Blake move in if he can protect her home and her young nephew. But the unexpected chemistry between them is something she never bargained for. “Miss Bev, as she is called, writes Black historicals the best,” Backlin says of this 1999 novel. “The title, The Taming of Jessi Rose, says it all. It is set in the West, and Jessi Rose needs help. And the hero provides it.” In more ways than one!
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The Neighbor Favor by Kristina Forest
Category: Rom-com
Tropes: Secret identity, literary love
Lily Greene is not living up to her potential. Shy and serious, she wants to be a fiction editor but is stuck in the nonfiction books department. The one bright spot in her day is trading missives with her favorite fantasy author—until he ghosts her. Months later, she asks her new neighbor, Nick, to be her date for her sister’s wedding, and they seem to have a connection she can’t quite understand. Little does she know, Nick is the literary genius who bailed on her all those months ago. Published in 2023, “The Neighbor Favor is a delightful You’ve Got Mail–esque romantic comedy that perfectly blends charm, humor and heartfelt connection,” Koch says.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Category: Classic literature, dark romance
Tropes: Friends to lovers, love triangle, brooding hero, star-crossed love
There’s something to be said for a truly tortured romance—and many a dark romance reader cut their teeth on Emily Brontë’s swoony Wuthering Heights, the 1847 classic novel that helped define the romance book genre. Catherine and Heathcliff are a firestorm.
“There’s a reason this book has been made into so many movie versions,” Tingstrom says. “A childhood friendship that grows into a twisted love—this book is a birthplace to so many modern dark romances, which is also one of my favorite romance genres.”
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You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
Category: Historical romance, sports romance
Tropes: Forbidden romance, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity
In the 2024 M/M historical romance You Should Be So Lucky, baseball player Eddie has been striking out lately. He can’t score. He’s living out of a suitcase. And now a reporter’s stalking his every move—not that Mark wants to be stalking him. He’s an arts guy, not a sports reporter. But there’s something about Eddie that might just be worth investigating.
“Cat Sebastian is an absolute master of the quietly heart-wrenching historical romance,” Title says. “Her books are so full of warmth, her characters so deftly drawn, that I will read anything she writes. This book is no different. Set in 1960—an unusual but fascinating period in which to set a historical romance—it centers around Eddie, a baseball player in a slump, and Mark, the reporter assigned to profile him. The pull between them is undeniable, but a professional ball player can’t be out as gay in 1960, and Mark has promised himself to never again be someone’s secret.”
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Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña
Category: Romantic dramedy
Tropes: Friends to lovers, second-chance romance, forced proximity
Leo and Sofi have been there, done that, and it decidedly did not work out. So why would they even go there again? But when they’re both down on their luck and forced to share an apartment, they can’t help but be drawn to each other. The 2024 addition to the Vega Family series, Sleeping with the Frenemy will have you laughing, swooning and rooting for this second-chance romance to work out this time around. Saavedra calls it “the most perfect second-chance romance, filled with Puerto Rican culture, meddling grandparents and a love story that will tug at all your heartstrings.”
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Forbidden by Beverly Jenkins
Category: Historical romance
Tropes: Forbidden romance, secret identity
Yes, this list is practically an ode to Miss Bev. Forbidden, published in 2016, follows Rhine Fontaine, a successful Black man—who’s been passing as white. But for once, he wishes he could drop the act. He’s falling for Eddy Carmichael, the woman he rescued in the desert, but letting down his guard means risking everything.
“Forbidden is a timeless historical that masterfully combines sweeping romance with rich historical detail,” Koch says.
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Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews
Category: Paranormal romance
Tropes: Opposites attract, forced proximity
Published in 2014, this paranormal romance by Ilona Andrews (the pen name of a writing duo) is the first in their Hidden Legacy romance book series. The novel follows private detective Nevada Baylor as she joins forces with telekinetic combat mage Connor “Mad” Rogan to take down a fire conjurer who may just destroy the city—or all of Earth.
“They are a husband and wife who write together,” Backlin says of the authors. “Burn for Me is the start of a series [with a] somewhat postapocalyptic [setting] where families have special powers. The heroine knows when someone is lying, and the hero can blow stuff up with his thoughts. Such fun!”
The Problem with Players by Brittainy C. Cherry
Category: Sports romance
Tropes: Second-chance romance, forced proximity
In 2024’s The Problem with Players, female baseball coach Avery is finally getting it together. Then her ex, Nathan, is assigned to be her assistant coach, and that means they’re spending a lot of time together again—too much time. She’s engaged, and he’s encroaching on her space. But Nathan, recently retired after playing pro ball, needs Avery and the stability she’s always brought. Can they work together to get past the past?
“Brittainy Cherry’s work is just so good. She will tug at all your emotions,” Saavedra says. “This is a sports second-chance romance of two people who have loved each other since forever and finally get their chance to make it right. Full of emotion, love, family and mental health representation, it’s one so many of us can relate to.”
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Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous by Mae Marvel
Category: Rom-com
Tropes: Friends to lovers, second-chance romance
Former BFFs Katie and Wil fell apart when Katie left their small Wisconsin town and hit the big time as America’s sweetheart. Wil, meanwhile, has been struggling with a blah law career and losing her dad—but she becomes a viral sensation for her efforts to kiss a new person every week. When Katie comes back to town, the pair reconnect—but are things different in their friendship this time around? Koch calls Everyone I Kissed Since You Got Famous “a perfect queer romance from 2024, brimming with heartfelt emotion and irresistible chemistry.”
On Sale
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Category: Fabulist rom-com
Tropes: Spiritual connection, roommates, time-travel romance
In The Seven Year Slip, busy publicist Clementine barely has time to eat, let alone find love. But when she moves into the apartment her beloved aunt left her, she finds romance standing right in her new living room in the form of her new roommate—except he lives in the recent past. In life and love, as they say, timing is everything.
“Love finds a way even if they meet seven years in the past,” Tingstrom says of this 2023 time-travel book. “A complex story about love, loss and self-discovery with a little bit of magic.”
On Sale
Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid
Category: Sports romance
Tropes: Secret romance, enemies to lovers, opposites attract
Published in 2019, this spicy M/M sports romance follows rival hockey players Shane and Ilya, whose chemistry on the ice—and off—sizzles. “They are cocky players on opposing teams who fall in love,” Backlin says of Heated Rivalry. “However, professional hockey wasn’t accepting, so they have a relationship and have to hide it.” It’s the type of romance you’ll skate through in a single day.
On Sale
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Category: Classic literature
Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, brooding hero
It wouldn’t be a proper romance books list without an appearance by beloved author Jane Austen—and perhaps more importantly, the original brooding hero, Mr. Darcy, who’s left an indelible impression on thousands of romance readers and writers since the classic book was published in 1813. Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters can’t escape the oppressive thumb of their overbearing (though well-meaning) mama, who insists on seeing them well-settled. But the obtuse and infuriating Mr. Darcy is so not the husband for her. Right?
Trace the romance genre to its source, and you’ll find Pride and Prejudice. The classic has inspired a million remakes, and rightly so. “[It’s] the original enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine,” Tingstrom says. “Both are my favorite tropes in romance books—and Mr. Darcy will always have a piece of my heart!”
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At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. For this piece on the best romance novels, Sona Charaipotra tapped her experience as a young adult author, the former vice president of content and a board member for We Need Diverse Books, and the co-founder of Cake Literary to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Becca Title, owner of Meet Cute Romance Bookshop
- Leah Koch, co-owner of The Ripped Bodice
- Mae Tingstrom, owner of Smitten romance bookstore
- Roseann Backlin, co-owner of Love’s Sweet Arrow
- Melissa Saavedra, CEO and founder of Steamy Lit
