So, You Want to Dip Your Toe into Romance

In which I give my friend way too many options for her first foray into the genre...

I was driving somewhere the other day when I got a text from a friend: Have you ever read Fourth Wing?

I immediately texted back: Nope. Zero interest. I’ve heard the fantasy part isn’t that great and I love me some good romantic fantasy.

Her reply: What should I read?

Oooooh, buddy. You’re in for it now. Ahem. I told her that I read almost exclusively romance so can put together some recommendations. That was on Wednesday and I’ve been thinking about it since, scratching down ideas and asking some fellow romance readers for their suggestions. (You’ll get their ideas in a future post.)

Below are my responses in a bunch of different categories along with descriptions and why I recommended them. You can skip straight to the list over on my (affiliate link incoming!) Bookshop.org list I made just for this without all of my commentary.

[I feel the need to admit that I almost made this into a giant decision tree or flow chart but the lack of real modeling tools on my home computer frustrated me. Perhaps I’ll do a hand-written version some other time. Let me know in comments if you’d like that.]

Romantic Fantasy

How do you feel about fantasy books with romance versus what’s currently being tagged as “romantasy” - mostly romance or downright smut with maybe some mystical creatures thrown in?

Guild Codex series (Annette Marie)

Tori is a bartender at what she doesn’t learn until later is host to a guild of magicians. Funny which tip-toes into darkness (it is a good vs evil tale, after all) and lots of open-door scenes. Takes place in the modern day. Start with Three Mages and a Margarita.

Shield of Sparrows (Devney Perry)

First book in a trilogy that’s not even got a second book yet, sure, but it can mostly stand alone if you don’t read the Epilogue. This was a 4.75 star read for me. She grew up as the unimportant other daughter of the King, destined to stand off to the side and look pretty. But a legendary monster hunter shows up and he chooses her to marry the always-silent Prince from a nearby kingdom to ensure the kingdoms of the world remain at peace. Then she goes with them - the Prince and the hunter - back to his kingdom where she expects a life of boring peace. Her expectations get ruined.

That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Kimberly Lemming)

Yes, another first book in a series but it’s very much a stand-alone that introduces you to the overall world. This one features a maiden who, well, she gets drunks and saves the life of a demon. They wind up on a quest to kill an evil queen. It’s funny and sweet and sexy and just enough peril to keep you wanting to read more.

Magical Realism

While same may argue this is just fantasy with a less thought-out world, I think magical realism stands on its own. Think brief glances into magic, time travel, or both.

The Dead Romantics (Ashley Poston)

Don’t let the GMA Book Club Pick sticker scare you off, this book is amazing. Florence is a ghost writer whose father suddenly dies and she has to return home to confront everything she’s been avoiding for a decade. Thing is, she runs into the ghost of her old editor at his funeral.

Glass and Steele Series (CJ Archer)

This extensive series starts with The Watchmaker’s Daughter. These books combine mystery, magic, and a touch of romance. Each book features a new mystery that India Steele and her new friend Matthew Glass have to figure out, often related to those with magical powers that are trying to remain secret.

Revelle (Lyssa Mia Smith)

This stand-alone takes you to the world of the 1920s where a magical island near NYC is where everyone goes to party, to get away from things for awhile. The Revelle family is famous for their circus acts and Port is just passing through with his friends when he matches eyes with the most famous Revelle of all, Luxe.

Characters Know Each Other

Would you like to read some books where the characters all know one another, by friendship or family? You can read a single book in these series and decide if you want to know about those in their lives. I’ve picked some sweet and some with, well, with far less plot.

Bergman Brothers by Chloe Liese

This sweet series of 7 books introduces us to the Bergman siblings, 5 brothers and 2 sisters and how they found and kept their loves. You’ll love this close Swedish-American family with an A-frame “cabin” in the Washington woods. There’s some spice here but these focus more on the falling-in-love parts of their lives.

Marriage Auction (Audrey Carlan)

These are not deep stories, in any way. The ultra-rich are allowed to participate in an auction for a spouse, who in tern gets $3 million to be married to them for only three years. You’re introduced to those being auctioned first, then those who “win” them in the auction. Lots of spice and some plot, though much of it is pretty ridiculous. There are two “seasons” with four books that are more like novellas per season.

Brown Sisters (Talia Hibbert)

This trio of books follows each of the Brown sisters, Brits of color who live in and around London. These were some of the first romance novels I read and they’ve stuck with me years later.

LGBT Stories

A few years ago, I realized I’d very rarely read any books featuring LBGT characters and decided to commit to reading them. I’m going a different way with this category, recommending authors rather than specific books.

Becky Albertalli

Mostly YA, including Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda which became a movie with a follow-on series, Dear Victor. Also be sure to look into the books she wrote with other authors in the genre, like the What If It’s Us series with Adam Silvera.

Casey McQuinston

Yes, they wrote Red, White, and Royal Blue but their other books are also amazing.

TJ Alexander

TJ writes great trans-for-trans romance

Emotional / Heart-Warming

Sometimes, you really want a book to make you feel something more complex which is where these two books fall in for me.

Maybe in Another Life (Taylor Jenkins Reid)

Yes, she of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. This book follows the “what if I chose…” options of Hannah who has moved all over the last few years. What if her friend brings her home? What if she goes home with her high school boyfriend who she just ran into again?

Say You’ll Remember Me (Abby Jimenez)

Samantha finally manages to forget the small-town vet for saying exactly the right thing..just as she has to move across the country to take care of her mother. Are they forever to remember their one good night together or will it eventually last? What happens if you know it’ll always be along-distance? Do you try?

Out on a Limb

Win has a one-night stand with a man with a limb difference in his leg and winds up pregnant. When she reaches back out to Bo, he jumps up to do the right thing. But she’s never been one to rely on other people.

Monsters / Omegaverse

Lana Ferguson

She has two monster books amongst her novels. The Fake Mate features shifter werewolves and Under Loch and Key, well, I think you can guess. These are pretty light-hearted approaches to this sub-genre.

Ali Hazelwood’s Omegaverse Novels

Another gentle entry point into monster romance is the two books - with more coming, perhaps? - Bride and Mate. These are vampire and werewolf loves stories.

Dark Romance

This is a huge sub-genre I’m just starting to look into, myself. As with all books but especially these, make sure to check the content/trigger warnings before jumping into any of these.

Twisted Series (Ana Huang)

Starting with Twisted Love, these books share the stories of the dark and broody Alex Volkov and his equally seedy friends. They are possessive and overbearing which, you know, some people are into.

Ruinous Love Trilogy (Brynne Weaver)

These books have so many trigger warnings you may be afraid to read them - I sure was. Thankfully, hearing the author interviewed on Smash Cast told me more about the humor to expect in these. I’ve only finished the first book and am looking forward to reading the others as soon as the’yre available on Libby.

Let me know if you think I missed any must-reads in the above categories.