The Best Romance Books

In the 1980s 'bonkbuster' novels flourished. Authors like Jilly Cooper and Jackie Collins became household names, as readers couldn't get enough of books with lots of sex that often told tales of revenge and women taking control. Melanie Blake, author of the Ruthless Women trilogy, talks us through her favorite novels in a genre that inspired her, both in her writing and in her life.

There are few things more fun than listening to entertaining and emotion-filled love stories read by talented narrators. These are the best romance audiobooks of 2025, as chosen by editors of AudioFile magazine and including romantasy, enemies-to-lovers, and new takes on beloved classics.

Romance novels often follow a couple as they journey from resentment to lust, but the author must tread a careful line, explains the novelist Lauren Ford: if lead characters are too hateful to one other, readers won't root for them to get together. Here, she recommends five great enemies-to-lovers books with crackling repartee and sizzling sexual tension.

A satisfying literary love story doesn't need to end happily ever after—but one does need to be left with a sense that two characters belong together, advises the novelist Lily King, whose book Heart the Lover follows the long tail of a campus love triangle. Here, she selects five novels from literary writers that examine love and desire in the depth they deserve.

If you have recently discovered the work of Kristin Hannah following her recent hit The Women, a story of female nurses in the Vietnam War, then you may be excited to learn that she has an extensive back-catalogue of more than twenty books to catch up on. Here they are, in order.

After reading The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata on the recommendation of a friend, Tegan Phillips was instantly hooked on all things sports romance. As she publishes her own first book, Melting for You, a romance set in the world of ice hockey, she recommends five of her favourite sports romance novels.

This week sees the publication of Onyx Storm, the third follow-up to American author Rebecca Yarros's hit novel Fourth Wing. As romantasy book series continue to crowd global bestseller lists, journalist Francesca Martin explains what the genre is all about and how she got hooked.

From kidnappings in Arizona to birdwatching in the British Isles, editors at AudioFile magazine have picked out the best romance audiobooks of the past year.

If you've been looking for a love story to tuck into your beach bag, then look no further. Katherine D. Morgan—creator of Grand Gesture Books, a new romance-only bookstore—recommends the best new romance books of summer 2024. See all our romance and best novels of 2024 recommendations

Sci fi opens up new possibilities for romance stories, unconstrained by social reality. It’s an exciting time for the genre, says Natasha Pulley, bestselling author of The Mars House. Through her five contemporary favourites, she explores how human emotion – including romantic love and friendship – elevates the best sci-fi novels, creating stories with realism and depth.