I haven’t done one of these since 2024, so here’s an updated list of romance book or series I would recommend, based on books I have read over the last year or so! These aren’t necessarily recent publications, this is just based on books I have read.
I did throw one romantasy in there but I just loved it so much, I had to add it.
Seven Days in June
Vague plot summary
The story goes back and fourth between the present and the past. Seven days in June, fifteen years apart. In the present Eva has a daughter, a thriving career as an author for a fantasy series that she’s gotten very burnt out writing but is potentially becoming a movie. When she bumps into Shane at a literary event she’s instantly thrown fifteen years into the past, when she was an angry, hurting and reckless kid in a new city, meeting another kid just like her, creating the perfect storm.
She agrees to meet up with Shane to hear him out after he hurt her all those years ago, and he is now sober, working as an English teacher and unable to produce another best-seller without alcohol. Eva suffers with debilitating migraines, has a way too smart kid to contend with and a book deadline on the way; so she doesn’t have enough space in her life for Shane Hall but their connection is just an intense as when they were teenagers and she can’t resist.
The storyline changes between Shane, Eva, her daughter and even her mom’s point of view, drawing the line of the Mercier women’s story through the years and the breaking of cycles.
My thoughts
Ohh I really enjoyed this story, it’s the perfect mix of burning passion, reckless young love and just yearning for one another. It touches on issues such as the life of young black kids in under-privileged schools, the failings of the system, the prejudices of the publishing industry against black authors, specifically black fantasy writers, chronic health conditions and being a single mom with a kid in a predominantly white private school.
But it’s also somehow beautiful in amongst all those incredibly deep topics, as in, the way the story is told feels like a long summer day, which I guess is the point with seven days in june theme. The love story is *chefs kiss*. I would definitely class this as more on the side of contemporary fiction/ romance, there is a little spice but it’s definitely not the focus of the story. This was a really enjoyable story and I have already ordered another book by this author, I’m completely sold on them and I want to read more!
Dream Harbour series
Series summary
This series is set in a sleepy, eccentric town, inspired by the town from Gilmore Girls. Each book follows a different couple, usually one person whose lived in Dream Harbour forever and one whose new-ish to town. From investigations to 30th birthday bucket lists and Christmas tree farms, this series always has a fun central plot that brings the couple together.
My thoughts
This series is perfect for a fun, switch your brain off and enjoy read. They are cute, have a little bit of plot, a little bit of character development and a little smut.
First Time Caller
A vague summary
Aiden runs a romance radio show but he has a secret, he’s stopped believing in love. Lucie has an unusual family set up, she has a 13 year old daughter with her high-school sweetheart, who now lives next door to her with his husband. When she discovers her daughter on the phone to a man late at night, she jumps to the worst conclusion but it turns out her kid has rung the hotline for a romance radio show, to get advice for her. When Lucie takes over the call and goes on a poetic ramble about being sick of dating apps and wanting ‘magic’ instead, she doesn’t expect to go viral.
Aiden’s boss at the radio spots a goldmine, so she invites Lucie on to the show, with the aim to help her find love. But after a series of mishaps with the dates she’s set up on through the show and a white-night moment from Aiden, the lines about who they are to each other become very blurred.
My thoughts
This book is very slow paced, perhaps a little slower paced than I prefer but I really loved the core premise. Her whole speech and the idea of her not wanting to do the rigmarole of dating apps and going for dates, and how all romanticism is stripped from the process (despite that being how I eventually met my current partner), it really captured everything I hated about modern dating.
I also really liked how the main character literally refuses to have a third act miscommunication and stomps back in and demands honesty. It’s refreshingly different in style to other romance books and I will definitely look for other books by this author.
Deep End
Plot summary attempt
Scarlett is an elite diving athlete at Stanford, just returning from what was a potentially career ending injury. When her dive captain, Pen, mentions that she might have to end her relationship with the swim team’s captain, a several time gold medal olympian, because he’s into *things* in the bedroom that she isn’t. Scarlett tries to give her some advice from her own perspective where she was in a one-sided relationship in that area. When they break up anyway, Pen drunkenly blurts out to Lukas that Scarlett is ‘just like him’.
Suddenly, Scarlett is very aware of his presence around the pool and campus. Cut to a few chance encounters where jokes are exchanged that make it pretty clear that they would be compatible. As she’s trying to get over a mental block with the dive that caused her injury, trying to get into med-school and juggling all that with being an athlete, Scarlett has no time for a relationship. So they come to an… arrangement, which oddly has Pen’s blessing, despite their growing friendship.
Lukas is the opposite of the way Pen had described him in every way, Scarlett is disarmed by how much he notices her, how much he is attune to her feelings and is so good at taking care of her, in more ways than one if you catch my drift, and it is terrifying for Scarlett. Can she allow herself to enjoy a good thing? Does she even deserve to? What if she fails at everything, again?
My thoughts
This book may have over-taken Not in Love as my new favourite of hers. People got so fixated on the kink elements of this book that they lost everything else the plot offers. This book is about trust, which should be at the core of any relationship but is especially important in the activities they participate in. The way Scarlet has to just let go, to be in the moment and get out of her head and enjoy a good thing in the spicy scenes is part of the over-all narrative of the book, it’s not just smut for smut’s sake (in my opinion). Her mental block with diving, her lack of meaningful relationships outside of her step-mom, her never doing anything for fun that isn’t productive and striving for a level of perfection she always going to fail at, all of it gets better when she starts to let go of that control.
I liked this MMC a lot more than some of her previous books too, he’s still super tall, strong and silent-esq but he is not without emotional depth or the ability to communicate. The third-act misunderstanding was not caused by a frustrating thing that a simple conversation could have fixed, it’s caused by two complex people trying to trust each other and the FMC over-coming some deep-seated issues.
Anyone who has read a few of my book reviews on here will know that I’m no prude about spicy books, but I have discovered I prefer a little more plot alongside it. I think anybody who reduced this book down to just the smut scenes have missed the point, the book had a lot of depth, well-rounded characters and an interesting journey.
Lights Out
Plot summary attempt
This is a dual POV book, following Aly – a nurse with a brand-new interest in masked thirst traps online, and Josh – the masked thirst trap maker, who can’t let it go once he finds out about their shared interest. Josh’s father is a renowned serial killer, which has turned him into a bit of a recluse and thanks to his genius hacking skills, he can make a living working from home, showing corporations the weaknesses in their systems and fixing them. But once he discovers that Aly not only has an interest in his hobby but is specifically interested in his videos, he turns his hacking skills to spying on her.
Then he decides to see how deep the fantasy goes for her, by breaking into her house and filming a thirst trap in her bedroom… plus installing cameras but he draws the line at watching her undress or anything more private, he’s not a creep…
Aly figures out what he did a dm’s him in a rage, only to find the masked man is, oddly charming? And funny? She know’s it’s fucked up but even when she realises he has been watching her on the hospital security cameras and even when she finds the cameras in her house… it feels kind of, nice? To be looked after? Albeit in a overbearing, slightly unnerving way. When they finally meet after a particularly difficult shift at the hospital, it’s to find him waiting for her in her car… to drive her safely home?
When an actual creep looking to harm her tries to break into her house, Aly and Josh become entangled in dealing with consequences of defending themselves, which leads to gangs, organised crime and scary shit that’s not the fun fantasy kind.
My review
Honestly? I actually genuinely enjoyed reading this book, it’s funny and unpretentious. It doesn’t try to be anything other that what it is. And unlike Den of Vipers, where the *tragic backstory* is used to justify abusive behaviours, controlling behaviours and blurry consent – the ones shown in this are just to explain why they might be into the kinks that they are.
I think this book has excellent consent chat, even with the mild stalking at the start? Which might seem a bit odd to say? But at every point where Josh is doing admittedly dodgy stuff trying to see if Aly is into the same stuff as him, he is ready to stop if she showed anything other than enthusiasm. And the difference between this and other dark romances is that in Josh’s POV she is treated as more than an object, his narration isn’t all ‘I’m a dark broody man who will corrupt her’, which is frankly boring. His narration is all about ‘if I’ve found a girl that likes this stuff, I’m gunna worship her’.
There’s goofy moments such as where he forgets his voice modulater and speaks in a batman voice instead but then periodically forgets to do the voice. This is not a book that takes itself too seriously and is just having fun with the genre. Plus, it is not a book that is trying to sugarcoat or turn abusive behaviour into ‘kinks’.
I think this would feel like a bit much if you’ve only ever read fluffy romances, or if the only book that you’ve read involving kinks is Deep End by Ali Hazelwood but it is definitely not up there with the extremes of Haunting Adeline. I had stopped reading dark romances because of my issues surrounding ones that glorify abuse/ have frankly shit storytelling and people only like them for the smut. But this book is not that, I was really pleasantly surprised and it got me through a four hour flight, entertaining me enough that I didn’t feel that bored!
Maple Hollow Series
Here’s the summary for book 1, click here for book 2 if you want to read about the second book.
A vague plot summary
This book starts with a drunk summoning gone wrong. Jordyn’s ex died in a tragic accident, not long after their breakup and she felt like she never really got closure. However, something goes wrong because her ex doesn’t disappear once the summoning is over and she decides the only way she can move on in her afterlife and go back to the ghostly plain is if she helps Jordyn moves on to a new girlfriend. This is when Harlow quite conveniently bursts into Jordyn’s life.
Harlow has moved to their town to work in her sister’s cafe, as a last ditch attempt at getting her life together but there’s something strange about this town. Her sister soon lets her in on the secret: the supernatural is very real here and not just a gimmick for the tourists. Harlow is always making mistakes and she’s determined not to muck it up this time but after she accidentally poisons a customer and sets a plague of rates on the cafe on her first day, all while she’s met a gorgeous witch with a tragic backstory of the ex who died.
Jordyn agrees to go on a date with the beautiful Harlow to help end her haunting but also starts to investigate how her ex died, believing that’s the true reason she won’t move on. She reluctantly starts to develop very real feelings for Harlow but it’s kind of tricky to start a new relationship with your ex haunting you and slowly turning into a poltergeist the longer she’s stuck on earth. So it’s a race against time trying to solve the mystery before Harlow discovers why Jordyn keeps talking to herself.
My thoughts
This is such a cute book! All the autumnal, spooky and supernatural elements, combined with a sweet as fuck love story and a murder investigation somehow comes together to make a read that is funny, enjoyable and really read-able. I kind of wish there could be more books set in the world they’ve bit, so I hope that’s the authors’ plan.
7. The Soulmate Equation
A sort of summary
This story follows our main character, Jess, a freelance statistician who lives with her young daughter. She lives across from her Grandparents in the building they own and spends everyday working in a local coffee shop with her best friend, who is a romance writer. Everyday they see this hot, but arrogant guy, they’ve nicknamed ‘Americano’, after the drink he comes in and tersely orders, saying nothing else.
Through the gossip vine they discover that he actually runs a company that’s making a dating app, unable to reconcile this robotic guy with romantic-ness of a dating app, Jess pulls him aside one day to ask him about it. It turns out it is a dating app that uses an algorithm based on your DNA and your answers to some compatibility questions to calculate different levels of matches ranging from bronze to diamond. Since this kind of thing is the perfect fuel for her books, Jess’s friend insists that they go and sign up for the app.
In a shocking twist, the computer matches Jess with Americano, A.K.A: Dr.River Pena – the lead scientist and inventor of the technology the app is based on. Not only did they match but they are the highest scoring match the company has ever had and as this has happened ahead of the company going public, other people on the app’s team propose that they pay Jess for her time, as long as she gets to know River and does a few press things for them. With a kid and elderly grandparents to support, Jess isn’t going to say no to 10 grand a month, so she agrees.
To her shock, they get on incredibly well and the chemistry is instant. As they get to know each other and as River meets her daughter, Jess finds herself starting to rely on him, which terrifies her. Jess grew up on unstable ground with her mum and she never wants to put her daughter through the same. So, when something comes to light that throws into question their match and rocks the foundation of River’s company, it brings up both of their worst fears.
What did I think?
I really enjoyed this book, every Christina Lauren book is completely different from the other. I liked the main character in this, she was funny and interesting, plus the feral romance writer friend adds some really funny parts to the book. The thing I liked about this book is that there isn’t really some big third act miscommunication, they fall hard and fast, the conflict is based around this app and whether or not Jess trusts what she’s feeling or is it just because the algorithm told her too. Plus, whether she can handle relying on someone else after being on her own for so long, which is pretty relatable no matter who you are.
8. Check and Mate
A summary attempt
Mallory was done with chess, a game that ruined her whole family… until she wipes the floor with the number 1 chess champion, Nolan, at a charity tournament. When a chess club comes forward offering her a scholarship that could help her take care of her mum and sisters, with enough left over to pay the mortgage and then some. So, even though she never intended to play again, she can’t pass up the chance to take care of her family, so she’ll have to see the year through but chess will just be a game, it was not consume her whole life, nor will she obsess over the really hot chess champion she accidentally beat.
She quickly rises through the ranks and receives a lot of attention from the chess world, all while she’s trying to keep it a secret from her family. Also, there’s the slight issue of the mutual attraction between her and Nolan.
My thoughts
I liked this story, I really don’t feel like anything was missing with it having less spice than a normal Ali book because the yearningggg and the tension was still there. All the stuff about the world of chess felt very Queen’s gambit but with a much blunter more awkward main character. The male main character was a typical Ali one, tall, reserved and mysterious but if a formula works, why mess with it? Mallory’s journey is relatable for any parentified eldest sister trying to let go of control and I really liked the ending.
9. Prickle Island Zoo series
Series summary
Set on Island, this series follows a family run zoo, each book follows a different couple, working through each kid in the family. This series is fun, perfect for animal lovers, it’s neurospicy and queer, basically all round good vibes.
My thoughts
I love this series so much, it’s somehow fun, spicy and heartwarming all at once. It makes me laugh and cry almost every time.
10. For Whom the Belle Tolls
Summary attempt
The story begins with our FMC getting the news that her cancer is terminal and that her short life that she had only just begun to live on her own terms is going to end. When Lilly arrives in the afterlife, she is filled with fear that everyone from her strict Christian upbringing was right and that she was destined for hell. Except… the afterlife doesn’t quite work like that, it’s not bound to one religion’s idea of morality and a person can choose whether to go through the gateway judged by the values of their religion or without.
To Lilly’s surprise, she isn’t sent to hell and while her paradise is… well paradise, she can’t let go of her anger at her upbringing or her fear of hell, a place she fully expected to end up, so she takes herself down there to see what it’s about. She discovers a place that about punishment, yes, but also a place that is about redemption; souls are sent to one of the nine levels depending on the acts they committed in their life and have the opportunity to move back up through them as they reform.
The demons that run hell however are overrun by complaining souls who believe they belong elsewhere and resist proceeding to their levels, so Lilly takes pity on them and uses some of her customer service experience, with extra sass and violence thrown in, to deal with some of the whinging souls. Thus, the ‘Hellp desk’ is born!
Lilly begins to makes friends in the afterlife and in the demon levels, accidentally bumping into deities in the line for coffee becomes a regular occurrence. Plus, there’s this guy she’s been flirting with over the afterlife equivalent of online gaming. Thanks to Lucifer’s scheming, her and the sultry voice finally get to meet and it turns out he ‘s a demon, a general for hell’s armies and a (reluctant) Prince of hell. Their connection is instant but Lilly is just a soul in the afterlife temporarily… right? Despite the looming prospect of her reincarnation or her choice to step into the void and not reincarnate, they can’t help but form a connection.
As a threat to their dimension causes Bel to be sent away time and again to fight to keep them safe and as Lilly becomes more settled in her life here in the afterlife, this place starts to feel more like home than she ever felt in life and this new love starts to feel more real than anything she’s ever experienced… Lilly finds she can’t ignore the fact of her eventual reincarnation any longer.
My review
I loved this book, the lore behind the afterlife is so well thought out, the back story’s of every character are so well done. I loved the relationships the FMC builds, platonic and romantic. I haven’t had many books that have hooked me from page 1 in a while, I didn’t expect a book based on tiktok sketches to make me laugh, cry, kick my feet with cute romance moments and everything in between. I think the world-building was so rich and none of the character’s felt weak or like they were an after-thought. I loved the whole storyline with Sharky and getting more of Bel’s story, plus learning that Lucifer is just an interfering Uncle figure in this world.
In conclusion, read this please and thank you.
Antonia Bernardin 