Romance Reader Starter Pack
a cure-all for reading slumps and spring fever
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been in a major reading slump—the kind where I can’t focus for more than a few minutes at a time, where I’m rewatching Gilmore Girls instead of picking up a book. I hate these slumps because I love reading, I miss reading, but getting down on myself for being busy or frazzled or anxious doesn’t help.
Romance novels DO help. I wouldn’t consider myself new to romance anymore, but it’s only been a few years since I invited the genre into my reading life with open arms. You can read more about my romance-reading journey at this post (it’s about so much more than a fun escape).
I love seeing more romance novels on #bookstagram, blogs, and “best of” lists. I especially love passing recommendations to friends and watching them fall into Romance, shedding old perceptions about the genre.
Today, I’m sharing my most frequently-recommended romance authors and series, plus my romance to-be-read list. If your reading life needs a fresh start this spring, I highly recommend the romance genre.
I’ll be sharing the first books in each series I recommend, but keep in mind that romance novels stand alone even if they are part of a series. You can read them out of order, and you might meet the characters from other books, but nothing will be spoiled for you. This is a huge help when I want to get invested in a romance series, but the library holds for the first book are too long—I just skip to the next available story and come back to the rest later!
Most of these romance novels are open door, which means that sex occurs on the page. I’ll indicate whether a book is closed door, meaning there might be kissing on the page, but all other bedroom activities occur, well...behind a “closed door.”
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Favorite Authors
Tessa Dare writes hilarious, witty, and sexy Regency romance novels. Many reviewers call Dare our “modern Jane Austen,” and I agree. In addition to providing us with sassy, strong heroines, she expertly remarks on gender roles and societal issues within her books. I started with the Castles Ever After series, and my favorite book was When a Scot Ties the Knot, featuring a pen-pals to lovers trope. I usually recommend The Duchess Deal, which is the first in her Girl Meets Duke series and one of my favorite books of all time (you can catch a discussion episode on He Read She Read on March 23rd).
Alyssa Cole writes “inclusive historical, contemporary, and sci-fi romance.” And she writes it all SO amazingly well. I started with the first book in her Reluctant Royals series, A Princess in Theory. Since then, I’ve been working my way through her entire oeuvre, including her fabulous novellas and historical Civil War series. An Extraordinary Union cemented Cole as one of my favorite authors (overall, not just in the romance genre).
Sarah Maclean not only writes fabulous historical romance novels, she also hosts a romance podcast and keeps a running list of romance recommendations on her website. I started reading her Scandal and Scoundrel series, which begins with The Rogue Not Taken. I often recommend her most recent series, The Bareknuckle Bastards, which starts with Wicked and the Wallflower.
Molly Harper writes the adorable (and mostly closed door) Southern Eclectic series, which features a small southern town, quirky characters, and sweet romance stories. I started with Sweet Tea and Sympathy, and I adored Ain’t She a Peach. This series is perfect for beach reading.
Talia Hibbert writes contemporary romance, and I can’t stop recommending her most recent book Get a Life, Chloe Brown. She also self-publishes several series, which I haven’t read yet, but I’ve heard good things! Take a Hint, Dani Brown comes out this summer, so get your pre-orders and library holds ready.
Authors on my TBR
Adriana Herrera - Currently reading alert! I’m diving into Herrera’s Dreamers series with book one, American Dreamer. Harlequin kindly sent me a copy of the final book in the series, American Sweethearts, so I have some catching up to do.
Sherry Thomas - I’ve read and enjoyed Thomas’ Lady Sherlock series, but I’ve never picked up any of her historical romance novels. I’ll remedy this soon.
Helen Hoang - I know! I can’t believe I haven’t read The Kiss Quotient either. I’m thinking I’ll binge-read all of Hoang’s books this summer, on the deck, with a cool beverage in hand.
Anticipated 2020 Releases
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson
To Have and to Hoax by Martha Waters
Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham
In other news…
Sara and I have been blown away by the enthusiastic response to our new podcast, Novel Pairings. We’re having so much fun talking about classic and contemporary novels, and over the weekend we recorded some bonus episodes! Subscribe to get our Emma film review in your feed tomorrow.
A new episode of He Read She Read also drops this week. Curtis and I are talking about comfort reading and which books pull us out of a reading slump (we recorded this a few weeks ago, so talk about foreshadowing!).
The sun is shining, the snow is melting, and I’m slowly-but-surely finding my reading rhythm again. I hope that you’re enjoying spring weather and good books this week.