The Best Romance Books

Recently there has been a big push among queer writers to foreground stories of love and joy, says Aaron Aceves, the debut author of a YA novel about longing, lust, and the value of friendship. Here, he selects five of the best LGBTQ+ romance novels with joie de vivre—but which also aren't afraid to engage with a bit of hard reality on the way to a happy ending.

Romance is one of the most widely read and commercially successful genres, a literary haven for those seeking a happy ending. Here, the book blogger and self-confessed romantic fiction addict Natasha Tomic chooses her top five romantic novels of 2021, and explains why it's the perfect escapist genre.

There's nothing more comforting than a good rom com: they promise warmth, cosiness and a glimpse of another lifestyle, whether that be stringing up fairy lights in a traditional department store or setting up home on a remote island. Here, Celia Anderson of the Romantic Novelists' Association talks us through their 2021 shortlist of the best romantic comedy books.

The bestselling author of the Shopaholic series, Sophie Kinsella, chooses her own favourite books from the Chick Lit genre. Have a romp with these angst-ridden women searching for the perfect man (and the perfect pair of high-heels).

Who wouldn't want someone to kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas time? Guest editor Katherine D. Morgan rounds up five of the best festive romance books to cozy up with by the fire with a mug of cocoa over the coming Christmas holidays.

The best romance books of 2020 (so far) as recommended by Frannie Cassano, winner of the 2018 RWA Cathie Linz Librarian of the Year award. After nearly two decades as a librarian, she remains an avid reader of romance and picks out her favourite 'comfort reads' from across the genre.

Romance: it’s one of the bestselling and most widely-read genres, with thousands of books published each year. But where to start? And which books are at the cutting edge of the genre? We turned to Frannie Strober Cassano, the Romance Writers of America’s 2018 Librarian of the Year, for her choice of the best new romances published in the past 12 months.

From Jane Austen to James Baldwin, the best love stories in literature recommended by Jenny Davidson, novelist, historian and Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University.