I wouldn’t mind/would prefer something with a little bit of adult content, but A Court of Thorns and Roses, Lights Out, Haunting Adeline, they are all so weird or cringy or both (in my opinion). i can’t take them seriously. I just want a romance book, whether fantasy or not, that has normal characters, good writing, no weird rape-y stuff, and although tropes aren’t bad i don’t like to be dogpiled with every trope that could attract a reader
by MathematicianNo3401
33 Comments
Very very basic suggestion, but have you tried Sally Rooney?
You’ve mentioned the books you’ve disliked, but not the ones you’ve actually liked.. could you give us names so we can have an idea of what to recommend you based on those ? The romance genre is *extremely* vast, with like hundreds of different tropes, so it would be helpful lol.
Emily Rain-Signed for Paradise
A good novel; the beginning is a bit slow, but then the character development just takes off. Give it a try.
The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow. I *devoured* this in a day.
Sarah Hogle did two I liked that were on the more chaste side, but had good writing and emotional development. You Deserve Each Other (a second chance romance – a couple on the verge of splitting rediscovers each other) and Twice Shy (girl inherits house from family, part of property was left to another person, forced proximity).
For something spicier, I really liked A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (Edwardian England, hidden magical society, gay, dislike to lovers).
[The Flatshare](https://share.google/OSxk3bEYj2L6zABxF)
Contemporary romance: *The Rosie Project* by Graeme Simpsion is a sweet and funny romance about an autistic professor and his search for love.
Fantasy romance: I really liked *Tears of the Wolf* by Elisabeth Wheatley. It’s set in a world based on Viking/Anglo-Saxon history but with magic and telepathic dogs.
For contemporary realistic romance, Emily Henry might be worth a try. I really enjoyed Book Lovers
For a similar bookish theme, Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam
If you’re open to YA, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon is lovely
The Truth According to Ember – Danica Nava is another contemporary romance I really enjoyed. Will definitely be picking up more by this author
For a fantasy romcom, Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom was a lot of fun
And speaking of fun, Sophie Kinsella’s books are always a lot of fun. The romance thread isn’t always the main one in every books, so best check the blurb
For something in a more “literary” genre, Writers & Lovers by Lily King is a must-read, truly fantastic
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.
I enjoyed The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. It’s not literature, but I found it fun.
I love Just like summer by abby jimenez. Lots of funny moments and The Wedding People for easy reading
The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger, first book is Soulless.
I don’t read a lot of romance but stumbled upon Seven Days in June by Tia Williams and just absolutely loved it
I’m not a huge romance person (especially of those listed above) and I read the Marry Me, Juliet Series by Jodi McAllister and loved them.
I recently discovered Lucy Score. Light, well written stories. All the heroes are tall, well built, and good in the sack.
What about Jill Mansell books, not YA and has a bit of romance-trope but generally cute romances
I loved The Heart of the Sun
Maybe the daughter of the forest by Juliet Marillier? The entire series is great. They are more fantasy than romance, but I think each book has romance elements and daugther of the forest especially.
You might try The Husbands by Holly Gramazio.
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield.
Paladin’s Grace or Swordheart by T Kingfisher are f/m fantasy romance. Very low spice. Paladin’s Strength has a bit more spice.
Anything by KJ Charles–she writes spicy mostly m/m historical romance. Try Band Sinister (Regency rake/virgin) or An Unseen Attraction (Victorian with murder and arson and a mystery that spans three books with three different couples) or Slippery Creatures (Post WWI pulp adventure that spans three books with the same couple). If you want fantasy try The Magpie Lord (Victorian). Her books are BIG on consent.
Daughter of Mystery by Heather Rose Jones is closed door f/f Fantasy of Manners set a few years after the Napoleonic Wars.
The Duke Who Didn’t by Cortney Milan is f/m historical romance. Late Victorian.
I’d like one that actually has some literary value.
Jane Eyre
I recently read a romance novel that was written in the 80s but I found it to be very charming. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. Trust me, it’s great!
You may like the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo not fantasy but fiction romance with a complex main character
I really like the Daughter of Smoke and Bones trilogy, fantasy YA that doesn’t cringe me out with the romance
why force yourself to read a genre you generally dislike …? The basis of the concept of romance itself is kind of “cringe” and revolves around tropes whether they are more obscure or very vanilla and stereotypical
Song of Achilles or This is how you lose the time war. Those are both good transitions from fiction to romance. Or Midnight Library.
I hate the romance genre but I’ve found one author that I love. Kate Robb makes fabulous magical realism romance books. My favorite right now is This Spells Love.
The premise, how would your life change if you never dated your ex?
Emily Henry is worth a shot. Take a look at her books and see which sounds the best to you! Beach Read was my favorite.
7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
If you want fantasy, Divine Rivals was amazing.
I really liked A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, it has a light speculative element but is mostly contemporary and was very cute. Where you’re at right now I’d say avoid the big tiktok books, there are some good ones but you’re having a pretty bad losing streak so once you figure out what you like more you can maybe go back and look lol
Crazy Rich Asians – you’re welcome
Historical romance (with witty repartee and some actual great laughs) — Georgette Heyer. I just learned of her recently and am gobbling up her works. Some are more romantic than others. There’s often some intrigue and fun plot twist involved. Great characters — she can make even a dog feel so real. Women with intelligence and determination. Nothing rapey at all.
Still Beating- Jennifer Hartmann