The 100 Best Romance Novels

by Jennifer Lawler

  In this novel, Sala explores the theme of “love never dies” but ultimately the story is one of love renewed, love restored.

  13

  Chasing Perfect

  SUSAN MALLERY

  CONTEMPORARY / 2010

  “Charity Jones loved a good disaster movie as much as the next person—she would simply prefer the disaster in question not be about her life.”

  Fool’s Gold is the town you wished you lived in. Mallery has a deft touch with creating a vivid sense of community in this novel.

  This is the first book in Mallery’s popular Fool’s Gold series, already up to nine titles at the time we wrote this.

  Booklist has said of Mallery’s writing, “Novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling.” And we agree!

  Settle in for a round of excellent storytelling with Mallery’s characteristic humor and emotion. City planner Charity Jones comes to Fool’s Gold, Nevada, to help create jobs so that the men of the town don’t have to leave to find work. The itinerant Charity sees Fool’s Gold as a chance to put down some roots. She is absolutely not interested in dating, no siree, no how. She’s been stung too many times.

  Enter Josh Golden, whom the town has taken to their collective heart. A former professional cyclist, his womanizing reputation precedes him and Charity wants no part of him. None at all. Really. The other women in town have no problem with his past, and of course he could pick one of them, but he doesn’t. He wants Charity.

  Despite her reluctance to get involved again, Charity doesn’t stand a chance, especially when the townspeople start playing matchmaker. Everyone knows they’re meant for each other, and eventually Charity figures it out, too!

  14

  The Convenient Marriage

  GEORGETTE HEYER

  HISTORICAL / 1934

  “Lady Winwood being denied, the morning caller inquired with some anxiety for Miss Winwood, or, in fact, any of the younger ladies. In face of the rumour which had come to her ears it would be too provoking if all the Winwood ladies were to withhold themselves. But the porter held the door fully open and said that Miss Winwood was at home.”

  Heyer’s meticulous research—and her captivating style—make this a must-read for any fan of historical romance.

  She’s been called a modern-day Jane Austen—and we agree! (That is, of course, if you consider the 1930s “modern-day.”)

  Heyer wrote her first novel, The Black Moth, when she was seventeen. Since 1921, it has never been out of print.

  Not surprisingly, given the title, this is a story about a marriage of convenience—which eventually turns into a true love relationship. Although Heyer is probably best known for her Regencies, this novel is set in the Georgian era.

  When the Earl of Rule proposes marriage to Elizabeth Winwood, a marriage that would help her entire impoverished family, her younger sister Horatia steps in. Elizabeth is in love with someone else, and if Horatia were to marry Rule then Elizabeth would be free to follow her heart.

  But don’t worry! Horatia’s noble sacrifice shall be rewarded eventually. After his marriage to Horatia, Rule continues his relationship with his mistress, Lady Caroline Massey (tsk tsk). Horatia doesn’t particularly mind at first—she knew exactly what she was getting into. But as she finds herself drawn more and more to Rule, the knowledge that he is intimate with another woman becomes a source of pain to her.

  Horatia begins a friendship with Lord Lethbridge, who has an ulterior motive for cultivating their relationship: He wants revenge on Rule and hurting Horatia is an excellent way to get it. Rule begins to fall in love with his wife, but she keeps her distance, believing he is still attached to his mistress. A series of calamities set in motion by Lethbridge could drive Rule and Horatia apart—but they finally learn to tell each other their true feelings, robbing Lethbridge of his revenge and living (you saw this coming, didn’t you?) happily ever after.

  15

  The Cove

  CATHERINE COULTER

  ROMANTIC SUSPENSE / 1996

  “Someone was watching her. She tugged on the black wig, flattening it against her ears, and quickly put on another coat of deep-red lipstick, holding up the mirror so she could see behind her.”

  Fast-paced suspense and a compelling romance jump-start the first book in Coulter’s popular series of FBI suspense thrillers. We love page-turners, even when they’re a little … preposterous.

  Coulter has had sixty New York Times bestsellers!

  Coulter says she writes every morning from 7:30 to 11 A.M.

  To escape her past (and her arms-dealing father’s murderers) Sally Brainerd moves to a small town that appears to be picture perfect—and ideal spot for her to hide. But the townspeople have a secret….

  FBI agent James Quinlan has no intention of letting Sally hide. To him, she’s a witness (possibly a hostile one, and potentially a murderer). He goes undercover to find a way to bring her into custody.

  Loads of twists and turns keep you turning the pages, and, okay, the plot is not the most realistic you’ve ever read. You’ll love it or you’ll hate it: We love it!

  16

  Dark Lover

  J. R. WARD

  PARANORMAL / 2005

  “Darius looked around the club, taking in the teeming, half-naked bodies on the dance floor. Screamer’s was packed tonight, full of women wearing leather and men who looked like they had advanced degrees in violent crime. Darius and his companion fit right in. Except they actually were killers.”

  Erotic vampires. Yum.

  This is the first book in Ward’s The Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

  Sherrilyn Kenyon fans will love Ward’s books.

  The book opens with a superhandy glossary of terms that you’ll need to know as you embark on your journey through the pages, such as, “Needing period (n): Female vampire’s time of fertility, generally lasting for two days and accompanied by intense sexual cravings.”

  Vampires. Vampire slayers. Vampire warriors. Oh, my, our hearts are racing! This is not just another vampire story, but a vampire story with a twist! (Which we are not going to reveal; you’re going to have to find out for yourself.)

  Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood (a.k.a., band of vampire warriors), is consumed by the desire to revenge himself on the vampire slayers who murdered his family. That any number of centuries have passed doesn’t deter him from his vendetta.

  Beth Randall is the orphan of one of Wrath’s warriors—and she doesn’t have any idea what her father was or why she’s having such weird changes happening to her body. It’s up to Wrath to help her understand what she’s getting into—and to protect her from their enemies. Despite Beth’s uncertainty about the world Wrath lives in—and that she is now part of—she also craves his touch.

  Sexy, sexy, and did we say sexy? We wouldn’t mind a little nibble from Wrath ourselves….

  17

  Dark Possession

  CHRISTINE FEEHAN

  PARANORMAL / 2007

  “Manolito De La Cruz woke beneath the dark earth with his heart pounding, bloodred tears streaking his face and grief overwhelming him. A woman’s despairing cry echoed in his soul, tearing at him, reprimanding him, drawing him back from the edge of a great precipice. And he was starving.”

  Feehan reaches her peak with this sexy, captivating novel. We reached our peak, too.

  Feehan is also the author of the manga comic Dark Hunger.

  At last count, Feehan’s Dark series included twenty-three titles.

  On her official website, Feehan says, “Once I create my characters, I try very hard to have them react to situations as they really would. Sometimes I have preconceived ideas of what I would like them to do, but they don’t mind me, because it would be out of character for them. They take on a life of their own.” That might sound crazy to some of you, but we at Crimson know that wayward voices in your head is the mark of a great writer!

  We
know, we know. It’s not the first book in the Dark series. It’s not the last book in the Dark series. It’s the eighteenth book in the series! Why’d we pick the eighteenth? ’Cause we liked it the best! C’mon, it’s got a guy whose afraid he’s about to become a vampire, it’s got jaguar-men, it’s got a werewolf, it’s got any number of evil persons who must be outwitted.

  Manolito De La Cruz, one of the Carpathians*, knows that his life mate is MaryAnn Delaney, who really has no intention of getting embroiled with a Carpathian man. They’re aggressive, territorial, possessive. A relationship with a Carpathian would sort of be like a rabbit becoming a lover to a wolf. Possibly interesting, definitely way, way too risky.

  Okay, wipe that visual from your mind. Sorry.

  So, standoff: He wants her, she doesn’t want him. If you were an alpha male (e.g., Carpathian man), what would you do?

  Exactly.

  *You know, the Carpathian Carpathians. People who are not what they seem.

  18

  The Devil in the Junior League

  LINDA FRANCIS LEE

  CONTEMPORARY / 2006

  “The Junior League of Willow Creek, Texas, is très exclusive, one of the oldest and most elite women’s societies in the country. And we work hard to keep it that way. Outsiders need not apply.”

  This story pokes fun at every rich society gal stereotype and leaves you clutching your sides.

  Linda Lee herself is a member of the Junior League.

  Linda Lee says she got the idea to write a story about “the secret handshakes of life we learn to prove we fit in” when she realized that, as a transplanted Texan living the cosmopolitan New York City life, she didn’t fully “belong” anywhere.

  Lee is a social media queen! She’s constantly updating her blog, her Twitter feed, her Facebook page, and her YouTube “Linda Francis Lee in NYC” webisodes.

  Fredericka Mercedes Hildebrand Ware—a.k.a. Frede—knows the rules of Willow Creek, Texas’s high society life inside out: Never dominate a conversation, don’t look at yourself in a mirror in public, do not give your children a middle name like Sue or Jo, and always wear make-up, even to the gym. Oh, and it simply won’t do to show up for meetings and charity work without a Luis Vuitton messenger bag.

  But how do you uphold your genteel lifestyle when your husband runs off with his girlfriend and all the money, leaving you high, dry, and embarrassed? You let the tackiest guy in the neighborhood blackmail you into getting his gaudy wife, Niki Grout, into the Junior League in exchange for legal action against your thieving, cheating husband.

  Sawyer Jackson is the dashing but reclusive artist Frede turns to when she needs to make her hobby art gallery pull its weight as a true profit-churning business. She instantly labels him “A Shame”—her category for men who possess a sheer waste of good looks because they have no money or status—and assumes he’s gay. It’s the perfect introduction for two lovers with very little in common, but everything in the world to teach each other.

  The laughs never stop as this unlikely group bonds to track down her ex-husband and make him pay, all while learning what really holds a society together.

  19

  Devil May Cry

  SHERRILYN KENYON

  PARANORMAL / 2007

  “Vengeance. Some say it’s a poison that infiltrates the soul and strips it bare. That its path only destroys the one who treads it. But to others, it’s mother’s milk. It nourishes and thrives—gives them a reason to survive when they have nothing more to hold them to this world. This is the story of one such creature.”

  The hero is a Vegas-casino-owning god. Yes, a literal god. Well, a former literal god. What’s not to love?

  This is one of the many books in Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series. Classical mythology has never been this much fun before.

  Kenyon calls being a #1 New York Times bestselling author “the most miraculous and surreal thing imaginable to me.” And she’s been in that coveted spot no fewer than sixteen times!

  This madcap adventure is worth your time. Sin is—or, rather, was—a powerful Sumerian god until that nasty goddess Artemis overthrew him and stole his godhead. Sin’s been waiting a long, long (long!) time to get his revenge.

  But that’s not Sin’s only problem. There are also those pesky gallu, demon-like creatures that are trying to escape to devour all humanity.

  Artemis, sensing that Sin is going to make her regret her past, sends an acolyte (Katra, called Kat) to kill him, but Kat recognizes the danger the gallu present and joins forces with Sin instead of killing him. High jinks and hot sex ensue. Also, love.

  Actually, we feel kinda bad getting you started on Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series. Your “to read” pile just got way bigger.

  20

  Devil’s Bride

  STEPHANIE LAURENS

  HISTORICAL / 1998

  “‘The duchess is so very … very … well, really, most charming. So …’ With very an angelic smile, Mr. Postlethwaite, the vicar of Somersham, gestured airily. ‘Continental, if you take my meaning.’”

  Not your ordinary historical—and not your ordinary historical heroine!

  This is the first book in Laurens’s popular Cynster series.

  Laurens was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), which is also the birthplace of Rosemary Rogers, author of Sweet Savage Love (#82 on our list). There must be something extra-romancey in the water over there!

  This is a rollicking good time. If you like your romances brimful of sex and adventure, Laurens knows how to deliver the goods!

  Governess Honoria Wetherby tries to help an injured man (Tolly Cynster) and ends up turning her life upside down. As a result of going to Tolly’s aid, Honoria ends up in a compromising position with Tolly’s cousin Devil (an unrepentant scoundrel who lives up to his nickname). Devil surprises everyone (society, his family) by offering to marry her.

  If this were an ordinary historical romance, they would get married and then discover they truly love each other. But it’s not….

  Honoria doesn’t see why she should marry Devil just because they were caught unchaperoned. She longs for a life of adventure, not marriage, and Devil is determined to show her that life with him is just the adventure she’s looking for.

  21

  Dreaming of You

  LISA KLEYPAS

  HISTORICAL / 1994

  “The lone figure of a woman stood in the shadows. She leaned against the wall of a crumbling lodging house, her shoulders hunched as if she were ill. Derek Craven’s hard green eyes flickered over her as he came from the back-alley gaming hell.”

  An historical with a hero who isn’t an earl. Or a duke. Cockney street rat Derek Craven is unforgettable.

  Lisa Kleypas is a former Miss Massachusetts and competed in the Miss America pageant. She says that because “Massachusetts” is such a long word and she’s only 5′2″, she had to tuck the end of her banner into her swimsuit, thereby inspiring her nickname “Miss Massachu.” We think a story that quirky and endearing is begging to be put in one of Kleypas’s romance novels!

  Derek Craven, the hero of Dreaming of You, was a minor character in Lisa Kleypas’s previous book, Then Came You. She just couldn’t get him out of her head, and knew he needed a book of his own. We couldn’t agree more! Now, she writes on her website, the only problem is that he overpowers whatever story he appears in. That’s okay by us!

  Kleypas published her first novel when she was only twenty-one years old!

  Derek Craven came from nothing but has managed to make himself the wealthy owner of a famous London gambling house. He has all the scars to prove it. Gently bred Sara Fielding, a popular novelist, is going to be no match for him … is she?

  Sara enters Derek’s world merely for the sake of research—she wants her latest novel to be realistic and she’s taking notes. She ends up saving Derek from a group of thugs and he grudgingly allows her to conduct her research in his realm.

  Derek, the orphaned child of a prostitute, doesn’t allow
anyone to get close to him, but he is enchanted by the innocent Sara, whose practical exterior covers up a deep desire for love and adventure.

  We love the nuanced characterization and a fast-paced plot—don’t be surprised if you reread this one again and again!

  22

  A Duke of Her Own

  ELOISA JAMES

  HISTORICAL / 2009

  “‘The duke must be here somewhere,’ said Mrs. Bouchon, née Lady Anne Lindel, tugging her older sister along like a child with a wheeled toy. ‘And therefore we have to act like hunting dogs?’ Lady Eleanor replied through clenched teeth.”

  As the reigning queen of historical romance, James is welcome at Crimson anytime!

  This is the sixth, best, and last book in James’s Desperate Duchesses series.

  Each of the previous Desperate Duchess books closed with a party; the next book in the series opened with that same party.

  James is a well-known Shakespearean scholar and professor of English literature; her novels have a delightful literary feel.

  Don’t read this one until you’ve read all the others, because that will make the Duke of Villiers’s finally meeting his match oh-so-satisfying.

  Once the epitome of the bored, irresponsible aristocrat, Leopold Dautry (the aforementioned duke) has grown into a mature man. He has decided to raise his (illegitimate) children in his own home. For that purpose, he needs a wife.