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Any recs? By the lovely Grace Farris.
P.S. Stuff I just love and Friday vibes.
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So many great recommendations!
I feel like modern romance authors are well covered here (+ Ali Hazelwood)
But for historical romance readers Lisa Kleypas and Evie Dunmore are a wonderful starting point!
Stuff by Emily Henry (although I didn’t love the most recent one where the gal gives up her entire career gleefully), Curtis Sittenfeld’s “Romantic Comedy,” anything by Sloane Crosley even though I wouldn’t call them all romance per se.
Someone in a previous post recommended the historical mystery series by Ashley Weaver starting with A Peculiar Combination and I tore through this whole series so quickly. A slow burn romance, WWII, spies, yes please!
Helen Hoang, Jasmine Guillory, Tia Williams and Taj McCoy are my go-tos! Open door girl here with real-life characters that I want to be friends with IRL. (Noting that Williams weaves a bit of magic in her most recent book which was absolutely perfect for the Leap Year trope).
Just wanted to comment that the spark in the grazing fingertips image in the bottom right reminds me of the graphics overlayed on the Heartstopper TV show, and I suspect the same graphics are used in the graphic novels. Love this show – new season out now.
The Bridgerton novels are a delight! And as audiobooks they are wonderful too – the narrator is excellent. If you’ve watched the Netflix series I don’t think you’re spoiled – it’s no surprise and in fact a cozy comfort that all of the stories are HEA!
Kiki Astor is a newer author I discovered through TikTok- her books transport you to really fun settings. Try Low Season in St Tropez for a pre holiday vibe.
I think it was someone in a Big Salad who recommended Tessa Bailey so thanks for that. Wow.
Oh goodness, just surfacing after a month (?) long plunge into SO MANY of M. C. Beaton’s historical fiction romances, thanks to a COJ commenter on the earlier book recs post. Hoopla, I love you.
If you are looking for the bush pilot in Alaska trope – The Simple Wild, K.A. Tucker. All of her books are great.
Came here to say that! I love her books!
I loved every one!
Recently enjoyed Big Fan, the release from 831 Stories. Also really liked Heavy Hitter by Katie Cotugno and How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang. Other authors that are always a win for me include: Sarina Bowen, Kate Meader, Tessa Bailey, Sarah MacLean, B.K. Borison, Liz Tomforde, Tarah DeWitt, Scarlett Peckham, and Alisha Rai.
If you enjoy a celebrity romance like BIG FAN or HEAVY HITTER, highly recommend SCANDALIZED by Ivy Owens (aka Lauren from Christina Lauren) — excuse the cover, but the content is great. Also loved ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld!
I was a teenager in the 1990s and started reading lots of them then. You can’t go wrong with classics from Nora Roberts (Sea Swept, Daring to Dream, or Jewels of the Sun) or Judith McNaught, Stephanie Laurens.
Emily Henry. I love her books, laugh out loud funny, with characters that you feel you could actually know rather than the same old formula.
I went to college with Emily Henry! She was in my creative writing class. We were all writing very angsty stuff back then, too cool for beach romances. I love that she found her voice and her niche and is making it at this thing that none of us believed you could turn into a living. So proud whenever I see her name mentioned!
Thanks for the rec! Found one of hers in the library after reading this and am loving it.
I just finished “The Pairing” by Casey McQuiston (who wrote “Red, White & Royal Blue” and others), and it was PERFECT. A bi pastry chef-for-bi sommelier on a European tour dreamscape! I don’t want to say much more about it, but if you want something that swirls “Under the Tuscan Sun” with “Call Me By Your Name,” enjoy this!! As a bi AFAB non-binary hottie married to a bi dude, this was just right for me.
omg I’m SO DEEP in my romcom novel era, haha, but I am also strongly opinionated and feel like I’m into the less popular tropes… so recently I’ve been like, maybe I should just write my own? 👀
I am also strongly opinionated on romance novels and feel like I must be on a different wavelength than most readers because the vast majority of popular ones are somewhere between “meh” and “extremely annoying” for me. I highly, highly recommend setting up a GoodReads account (or similar) to find other readers who liked (and disliked!) the same ones as you and then see what else they enjoyed.
And you should also write your own :)
I got into Romance books this Summer, and here are some of my faves:
– Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage
– Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage
– Well Matched by Jen DeLuca
– Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
– The Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver (start with Flawless and go in order)
I was very much in my cowboy romance era this Summer and I’m not ashamed. I particularly gravitate toward romance novels that deal with characters who have real issues – Lyla Sage is particularly good with this. Her first book’s FMC has ADHD and is recovering from a traumatic incident, and her second novel’s MMC has depression that he treats with meds. That novel has an excellent pre-sex convo about the impact of SRI’s on sex life, as well as realistic bodily issues that come up for the FMC. It’s so refreshing to see sex written where it’s not all guns-a-blazing and everything is perfect, but more nuanced since many (especially female) bodies do not have that perfect experience.
I am deeply in my cowboy romance era (following my Sarah J. Maas era), and Done & Dusted absolutely killed me dead!! I am really looking forward to the third in the series. The audio version has excellent voice performances. The cowboy world is so far removed from my own that it may as well be a fantasy world. Agree on the realistic characters. I also loved Chasing Wild by Elliott Rose. Oooh lala.
If you are into cowboys, look no further than the hilarious McBrides series by Amy Barry. Start with Kit McBride Gets a Wife and keep reading!
This is my time to shine! I recently have gotten back into reading and have read about 65 books since March. Most have been romances! I’m picky about the writing quality, but have found some really good ones! Here are my all-time favorites so far:
-Anything by Emily Henry
-“Just Last Night” and “If I Never Met You” by Mhairi McFarlane
-“This Summer Will Be Different” by Carley Fortune
-“Romantic Comedy” by Curtis Sittenfeld
-“The Paradise Problem” and “The Unhoneymooners” by Christina Lauren
-“How to End a Love Story” by Yulin Kuang
Ashley Poston’s books get an honorable mention because they’re a little twee for my tastes, but incredibly sweet, smart, funny, imaginative, and well-written.
Anything by Mhairi McFarlane!
North & South – It’s a classic for a reason. Think: Pride & Prejudice, but Darcy has a job. Closed door, because it’s from the 1800s.
Georgette Heyer – Historical romance with dry humor. The Grand Sophy is my favorite, but Frederica is probably her most popular. Closed door, because it’s from the mid-1900s.
KJ Charles – Also humorous historical romance with MM heros who are all so flawed and dear. Her Gentleman of Uncertain Fortune series is more traditionally historical romance, and the Magpie Lord and Darlington series are fun if you’re in the mood for some delightful pulp fiction. Definitely NOT closed door, lol!
Mimi Matthews – Historically accurate romance and wonderfully written. Also closed door. You want a hot hand graze? She’s your author. One kiss in her books is worth three sex scenes in most others. Perish Orphans of Devon series is a good place to start.
Some contemporary favorites: Book Lovers, The Impossible Us, Love Lettering, Float Plan, The Kiss Quotient, and Red White & Royal Blue. Honorable mention to The Billionaire’s Wake-up Call-Girl for being silly but also laugh out loud funny.
Thank you so much for the suggestions!! As a lover of P&P and KJ Charles, I’m furiously adding these to my TBR :) :)
Hooray for the comments section! Bookmarking and placing many holds at the library. I’ve started watching less tv at night and have replaced it with romcom-esque reading. A perfect, cozy way to end any day.
I’m having trouble getting anything at the library. 7-14 week wait for all these lovely books. I was just wondering if everyone had been madly placing holds or if they were just super popular. :)
Anything by C.W. Farnsworth!
YES! I came here to say the same thing! Anything by C.W. Farnsworth is so great. I highly recommend as well!
The Ministry of Time by Kalaine Bradley totally knocked my socks off. I picked it up at the library browsing; neither romance nor sci-fi is my typical pref for genre, but I still sigh when I think about it. I then passed it on to my husband who also loved it (and I loved re-reading parts of it over his shoulder). I seriously look forward to more from this author! https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/may/03/the-ministry-of-time-by-kaliane-bradley-review-a-seriously-fun-sci-fi-romcom
In the middle of “Best Hex Ever” and it’s the perfect cozy, fall, steamy read!
bush pilot in Alaska is delightfully niche
Netflix once called me out by suggesting I was interested in Stressful Movies Featuring Prominent Mustaches, and it…wasn’t incorrect?
Currently reading “Out on a Limb” by Hannah Bonam-Young and really enjoying it!
I’ve been on a romance binge lately. These are my top recs (a mix of romance and romantasy):
The Dead Romantics, by Ashley Poston
The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang
The Flatshare, by Beth O’Leary
Love, Theoretically, by Ali Hazelwood
The Bodyguard, by Katherine Center
Midnight Bargain by CL Polk
Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, by Megan Bannen
Paladin’s Grace, by T. Kingfisher
Love of my After Life, by Kirsty Greenwood
Expiration Dates, by Rebecca Serle
All the Way Happy, by Kit Coltrane
The Wildest Ride, by Marcella Bell
I <3 T. Kingfisher!
I love a good rom-com type book! Some that I enjoyed recently, according to my library history:
Expiration Dates – Rebecca Serle (she writes romances with a twist, like time-travel)
Lovelight Farms – B.K. Borison (series set on a christmas tree farm in a small town, open-door sex scenes)
The Love of My Afterlife – Kirsty Greenwood (leans into the comedy side)
More authors to check out if you’re looking for similar books – Christina Lauren, Summer Heacock, Annabel Monaghan, Elena Armas, Carley Fortune, Anna Gracia, Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Lynn Painter, Zara Raheem, Alison Rose Greenberg, Sarah Adler, Katherine Center, Hannah Grace, Emma Lord, Ava Wilder, Bethany Turner, Lindsey Kelk….
Happy cozy-season reading!
Lovelight Farms had the BEST sexual tension ever. I seriously want to make my husband read it and just tell him DO THIS!!!
Nora Goes off Script is my fav! Have read it multiple times.
Also love when hands accidentally touch….SWOON
If you liked “Nora Goes Off Script,” I’d also recommend “Evvie Drake Starts Over” and “A Season for Second Chances.” :)
Yes, I too love it when they get caught in the rain in historical romances. I guess it’s generally a nod to the rainy weather in the UK where many of these books are set?
Make Me a Mixtape by Jennifer Whiteford! Just released this week (and Jennifer is a fellow Cup of Jo reader and has even had a comment featured!). Cozy fall vibes and lots of music.
Just put it on hold at my library, thanks! :)
OHHH I have this (because Mixtape making is a specific love language!) and can’t wait to read it!
I have a rec! I don’t typically read much romance, but my book club chose “Just for the Summer” by Abby Jiminez. I was deeply skeptical. Fast forward a few weeks, and I have now read all six of her novels! She calls them “rom coms,” and they’re not very racy, but they’re sweet and funny and deal with real, serious issues without totally weighing you down. Her 1st-3rd books and then her 4th-6th books have character overlap, so you should read those bundles in chronological order. I prefer the latter bundle (starting with “Part of Your World”). Enjoy!!
I love her books! I’ve read them all too. Yes, serious issues but dealt with in way that just makes the entire book heartwarming and not too heavy.
The “bush pilot in Alaska” in the comic reminded me of K.A. Tucker’s ‘The Simple Wild’ series, which I loved.
i love abby jimenez books. they’re literal rom coms in book form (also like emily henry book for that) – i just finished ‘yours truly’ and thought it was so cute!
Kristin, yes I definitely think Grace is referring to the Simple Wild series because I learned about it from her Instagram! One of those series where I wish the author would never stop writing books about it because they’re so enjoyable to read.
Yes! Adored the overlap of characters in Abby Jimenez books. I was sad when I ran out of books by her! Just finished Someone Just Like You by Meredith Schorr and now starting her other book As Seen on TV.
I am deep in my romance era, thanks to Abby Jimenez. I binged all of her books this summer after reading Just for the Summer and I have been looking for another author to fill the void (so many other GREAT contemporary romance authors but I was hoping for a similar vibe). I’m going to check out Meredith Schorr. Thanks for the recommendation!!
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