Gabby’s Master Romance Recommendations List
Tackling Romance books one subgenre at a time
Just in case anyone is wondering what the books I love are (and you should, I have great taste), this is where all of my Romance recommendations can be found. As a person who tracks the books I read religiously, I’m going to try and keep this list updated on a semi-regular basis. All my life, I’ve pushed the people around me into reading the books I love and that’s not going to change.
I haven’t read as widely into all the romance subgenres as I’d like to, but I’ve categorized a mix of the subgenres I have by Contemporary, Erotic Romance, Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal, Suspense, and YA. Over the years I hope to dive deeper into subgenres other than contemporary (which I obviously gravitate heavily toward being a contemporary writer myself) and discover more books I love outside my comfort zone!
I could honestly do another Master Recommendations list for non-romance genres, and if I’m motivated enough I just might one of these days.
So without further ado, categorized by subgenre and listed in (hopefully) alphabetical order by author last name, here’s my master list of romance faves:
Contemporary
The Bromance Bookclub, Undercover Bromance, and Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams
Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson
It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
Lease on Love by Falon Ballard
Written in the Stars, Hang the Moon, and Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña
Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino
Losing It and Faking It by Cora Carmack
Beginners Luck, Luck of the Draw, and Best of Luck by Kate Clayborn
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun
A Princess in Theory and A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
Spoiler Alert and All The Feels by Olivia Dade
The Roommate and The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
You Had Me At Hola by Alexis Daria
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
The Dating Plan by Sara Desai
A Brush with Love by Mazey Eddings
Heart & Seoul and Seoulmates by Jen Frederick
The Love Con by Seressia Glass
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron
Guarding Temptation; Get a Life, Chloe Brown; Take a Hint, Dani Brown; and Act Your Ace, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
The Kiss Quotient, The Bride Test, and The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang
The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann
Love & Other Disasters by Anita Kelly
Donut Fall In Love by Jackie Lau
The Unhoneymooners, Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating, and My Favorite Half Night Stand by Christina Lauren
Red, White & Royal Blue and One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
So We Meet Again by Suzanne Park
The Trouble with Hating You and First Love, Take Two by Sajni Patel
Hate to Want You, The Right Swipe, Girl Gone Viral, and First Comes Like by Alisha Rai
The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon
Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma
Bet On It by Jodi Slaughter
The Ex Talk and Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
The Shaadi Set-Up by Lillie Vale
Satisfaction Guaranteed by Karelia Stetz-Waters
Erotic Romance
Only for a Night and Only for your Touch by Naima Simone
American Queen, The Awakening of Ivy Leavold, Supplicant, and A Lesson in Thorns by Sierra Simone
Three Simple Rules and Three Hard Lessons by Nikki Sloane
Fantasy
The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy by Megan Bannen
The Bone Witch, The Heart Forger, and The Shadow Glass by Rin Chupeco*
Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper
The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen
Kingdom of the Wicked and Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerri Maniscalco
The Wolf and The Woodsman by Ava Reid*
Desperate Measures, Learn My Lesson, Neon Gods, and Electric Idol by Katee Robert
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson*
Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe*
In The Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland*
Empire of Sand and Realm of Ash by Tasha Suri*
Historical
The Duchess Deal, The Governess Game, and The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
When the Duke Was Mine, Once More My Darling Rogue, The Duke and the Lady in Red, and An Affair With a Notorious Heiress by Lorraine Heath
It Happened One Autumn, Scandal in Spring, Mine Till Midnight, Marrying Winterborne, Devil in Spring, Devil’s Daughter, and Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas
The Day of the Duchess, Wicked and the Wallflower, Brazen and the Beast, and Daring and the Duke by Sarah Maclean
How to Survive a Scandal by Samara Parish
The Rogue of Fifth Avenue, The Prince of Broadway, and The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe
Paranormal
A Hunger Like No Other, No Rest for the Wicked, and Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night by Kresley Cole
Suspense
Follow by Tessa Bailey
Twisted Love, Twisted Games, and Twisted Hate by Ana Huang
YA
With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
This Lullaby, Just Listen, and What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
The Heartstopper Graphic Novel Series by Alice Oseman
Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Pride by Ibi Zoboi
*Okay, so you could probably argue that these titles are more fantasy than romance, which is fair. But IMO, the romance arcs in these books are too immaculate to be left off this list.
Gabriella Gamez is a Mexican American author from South Texas. She writes about incredibly messy, well-meaning women trying their best and accidentally falling in love. When she’s not writing, she can be found drinking copious amounts of coffee, wasting too much time playing video games, and obsessing over other people’s books.
