Starting a new series of posts about my top five favourite [insert topic here]. I’m starting things off with a (literal) bang and talking about romance novels.
I started reading romance when I was in high school. However, it’s only in the last couple of years when I’ve really felt like a romance reader. During those years, I’ve discovered just how wonderful the genre is and how important it can be to have books written (primarily though certainly not exclusively) by women, for women.
So these are my top five favourite romance novels. There are a lot more books out there that I really enjoy but these ones have a special place in my heart.
WARNING: mild spoilers about the books, though I’ve tried to keep things as vague as possible.
This was such a hard choice because I could fill this entire list with Courtney Milan’s books because she is one of my favourite all-time authors. The hardest choice was deciding between this book, which is not only an amazing romance but also says so much about the role of women in science, and The Heiress Effect, which has my favourite Milan heroine. But ultimately I went for the meatier subject matter because I think this one is probably the most important romance I have ever read and is a book I can’t recommend strongly enough, whether you are someone who regularly reads romance or not.
Also, always make sure you read Milan’s author notes, especially for this book, because they are always filled with great information about her research and writing process.
This one is partly hear because of nostalgia, as it is the first romance I can remember reading. But I recently re-read it and felt that it still stands up quite well as a historical friends-to-lovers story that has one of my all-time favourite scenes in a romance, which also includes a steamy kiss in the rain.
Unlike the other authors on this list, Lindsey isn’t one of my favourite romance authors (she can be a bit hit or miss for me) but this book will always have a special place in my heart.
Before reading this book, I didn’t realize that having a historical romance with a cozy mystery subplot was something I needed in my life but oh, I most certainly did. Charlotte’s dedication to discovering the identity of the “mystery tuppers” endeared me to her, especially as it allowed her to show off just how clever she is.
Also, I must admit to having a soft spot for May/December (or June/mid-September) romance … which means it does annoy me that the cover doesn’t quite reflect that Piers is about a decade older than Charlotte.
This book has the extra bonus of being one that I shared with my mother, who is not a romance reader, and was one she enjoyed as well.
This book deserves to be on this list just for that amazing title, which is one of Sarah MacLean’s best (read more about her titles on Goodreads). It’s also my favourite of her books, for one key reason: I freaking love Philippa “Pippa” Marbury.
Pippa is just so delightful in her curiosity and attempts to be scientific about everything, until she can’t be anymore. Cross, the hero, is a good foil to her as well, as they make a connection that is more based on a meeting of minds than a meeting of lust – though there is certainly a lot of that as well.
Also, I wear glasses, which means the book is also dedicated to me <3
It took me awhile to figure out what would be the fifth book on this list – and as you can see, I’m sort of cheating by including both books in this duology. But it’s one of those cases where the story just isn’t done at the end of book 1, so I really can’t separate the two of them.
I love how this book handles the question of what would happen if the Prince of Wales was gay from all angles. It looks at the crazy life of British royalty, what it would mean for succession, and what happens concerning the Church of England. I also really appreciated that it used alternate history to set up a completely different royal family than the real House of Windsor, which made it a whole lot less awkward and real person fic-y (not that there’s anything wrong with this but it wasn’t what I was personally looking for).
Speaking of fan fiction, I also really enjoy that this book started out as X-Men AU fan fic, with Charles Xavier as the Prince and Magneto as the reporter he falls in love with. Fan fiction is the best.
Have a favourite romance? Leave a comment and help me make my romance TBR even longer!
