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I don’t read a lot of romance but even I love a good love story occasionally. I tend to stay with the cleaner version of romance so if that is your thing this would be a great list for you!
I love when a romance has more to offer than the romance itself. A great story, humor, and/or strong characters. The lead ones and the supporting ones. Sometimes a best friend of the main character can make a book extra special and fun!
If you have read my blog or Facebook page for a while now you know I love books where the main form of communication happens with letters or phone calls or any other special forms of communication, so you won’t be surprised many of those are on my list!
Romance Books To Read
Dear Mr. Knightly by Katherine Reay
Speaking of a book I loved! Oh my, how I love this one! If you loved The Correspondent, this is also a book of letters!
You can find more books of letters on my epistolary novel post!
Samantha’s only friends were characters in books, but her real life takes an extraordinary turn when a mysterious “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full journalism scholarship—on the condition that she write to him regularly. Will their long-distance friendship unlock her heart?
This book has a bookish character (Samantha) who of course loves books, and I always love finding a book lover in a book I’m reading. Sam loves Austen, Dickens, and Shakespeare. She considers herself to be more like Elizabeth Bennet though! I am an Elizabeth Bennet girl through and through so I could totally relate.
Sam’s letters to Mr. Knightley become increasingly confessional as she begins to share everything from her painful childhood memories to her growing feelings for eligible novelist Alex Powell.
Attachments: A Novel by Rainbow Rowell
This one has a lot of emails back and forth. If you love the letter books you might like this one too because it has that feel. The book is not all emails though so you get a good mixture of conversation also!
Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It’s company policy.) But they can’t quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lincoln O’Neill can’t believe this is his job now—reading other people’s e-mail. When he applied to be “internet security officer,” he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers—not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.
When Lincoln comes across Beth’s and Jennifer’s messages, he knows he should turn them in. He can’t help being entertained, and captivated, by their stories.
Summer Friday’s by Suzanne Rindell
I was a huge You’ve Got Mail fan when the movie came out! Big Surprise I know!! So this past summer I read this one and it was the perfect summer read!
Set in the summer of 1999, this modern You’ve Got Mail–style romance follows Sawyer, a young editorial assistant juggling a demanding job, secret writing dreams, and an engagement that suddenly feels lonely. When she strikes up an unexpected online friendship with Nick—the boyfriend of her fiancé’s too-close coworker—her summer takes an unexpected turn.
What begins as instant-message banter turns into a weekly tradition of spending summer Fridays exploring New York City together. As their friendship deepens, Sawyer starts to question what she really wants—and what happens when summer ends.
I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
If you love good humor in a book this one is funny! I also listened to this one and the audio is wonderful! I laughed so hard, this was my first Sophie Kinsella. I hated to hear she past away recently of brain cancer. She is an amazing author. If you are looking for an escape this is a fun one. This whole book takes place with an abandoned phone in a trash can.
Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill, but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
If you love romance you have to love Pride & Prejudice. I was excited to see Read with Jenna made it a pick this last December! You rarely see the classics on the celebrity book clubs. This is my favorite Jane Austen book hands down!
When Elizabeth Bennet meets the wealthy and reserved Mr. Darcy at a ball, neither is impressed. She finds him proud and distant, while he looks down on her lively family. Though Elizabeth knows her future depends on marriage, she refuses to settle for anything less than love.
As misunderstandings mount, Darcy is unexpectedly drawn to Elizabeth’s wit and independence. It takes a shocking scandal for both to confront their own pride and assumptions, finally seeing each other for who they truly are. Jane Austen’s beloved novel blends sharp humor with deep emotion in a timeless story of love, growth, and self-discovery.
I love the movie so much, I have seen in a million tines and I’m team #ColinFirth all the way!!
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
I had mixed feelings on this one! It was a great story and I had family and friends who loved it! I just felt the story was more about grief than love but this story does show just how complicated those two emotions mix at times.
Two years after losing her husband, Kate is barely holding things together as she juggles work, friendships, and raising her young son alone. When a work trip leaves her unexpectedly stranded in a small Australian beach town, she’s finally forced to slow down and face her grief.
As she begins to heal, Kate must decide whether she can honor the love she lost while opening her heart to the possibility of loving again—a tender, hopeful story about loss, resilience, and second chances.
Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
One of the 2019 Amazon.com Best Books of the Year and I totally see why. I enjoyed this book so much! It is funny, heartwarming, has a strong woman lead. I just loved everything about it!
Cassie Hanwell is no stranger to chaos—she thrives in it. As one of the few women in her Texas firehouse, she’s handled countless emergencies with skill and calm. But when her estranged, ill mother asks her to leave everything behind and move to Boston, Cassie faces a crisis she never trained for—one that hits much closer to home.
Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone
When this one came out it was an audible exclusive. The only way you could listen to it was on Audible. Now they offer it digitally as well to read on your Kindle.
If you decide to read, I would listen to this one because the audio has all the sounds and feel of a call center vibe.
This one is funny and will make you laugh out loud. Very clean romance and all by the telephone.
The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon
This was another one I read this past summer and I was totally enthralled with what would happen next.
Trying to leave his outlaw life behind, Butch Cassidy quickly learns that the past isn’t so easy to escape. Powerful enemies still want him dead, and starting over may require becoming someone else entirely.
A chance meeting with famous singer Jane Touissant offers a glimpse of the life he might have had before he disappears. When they unexpectedly reunite in Paris years later, Jane discovers his true identity—but trusts him anyway, even asking him to protect her on an American tour.
As they travel together, old secrets and lingering dangers resurface, forcing Butch to choose between the man he was, the legend he’s become, and the woman he loves.
If you like to have a list to print out to take to your library of the books mentioned in this post sign up below:
Healing Hearts by Sarah M Eden
I loved this book so much! I listened to some of it in the car and I didn’t want to turn the car off.
In the Wyoming Territory of 1876, Dr. Gideon MacNamara knows his chances of finding a wife in the small frontier town of Savage Wells are slim. Practical to the core, he turns to a mail-order arrangement, hoping to hire a nurse to help care for his patients.
When Miriam arrives, eager for a fresh start, both quickly realize there’s been a serious mix-up—Gideon wanted a nurse, while the town expects a bride. Stranded and unwilling to marry a stranger, Miriam reluctantly accepts a job instead.
As they work side by side, an awkward partnership turns into something more, blending humor, trust, and growing affection. But when secrets from Miriam’s past surface, Gideon and the townspeople must decide how far they’re willing to go to protect her—and whether love is worth the risk.
Evie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
This book reminds me of summer! Small town, baseball, and love! What is there not to love about this one? This was also a Read with Jenna pick!
In a quiet seaside town in Maine, Evvie Drake has barely stepped outside her once-busy home since her husband’s death. Everyone assumes grief is the reason—and Evvie lets them believe it. When her best friend’s childhood pal, Dean Tenney, a former major league pitcher struggling with a career-ending slump, comes to town, he ends up renting an apartment behind her house.
Both looking for a fresh start, Evvie and Dean agree not to ask about each other’s pasts. But as an unexpected friendship grows into something more, those rules begin to fall away. To move forward, they’ll have to face old hurts, buried truths, and the possibility that it’s never too late for a second chance.
What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
This is my favorite Amy Harmon book! I used to think I wasn’t a fan of time travel but I have now read a few that I enjoyed a great deal so maybe that isn’t true.
Anne Gallagher was raised on her grandfather’s captivating tales of Ireland. After his passing leaves her heartbroken, she journeys to his hometown to honor his wish of having his ashes scattered there. Surrounded by memories and drawn into the rich past he once spoke of, Anne suddenly finds herself transported to another time.
The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
This was a fun read. A bookseller (it had me right there, ha ha) chases a woman down to get a woman her handbag and the adventure is on. If you like to read a short book once in a while this would qualify. You could read it in an afternoon.
When Parisian bookseller Laurent Letellier finds an abandoned handbag on the street, he becomes determined to return it to its owner. With no phone or identification inside, he’s left with only a small red notebook filled with intimate thoughts and observations.
As Laurent reads, a vivid portrait of a woman begins to emerge—someone thoughtful, curious, and intriguing. Compelled to find her, he sets out on a quiet, hopeful search that just might lead him to the love he’s been waiting for.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I just LOVE this book! It takes you on a journey during WW2 in a book of letters.
As Juliet and a new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
This book kept me hook until the last page! I love thrifting for used books. One of the things I look for when searching for books is one’s for my daughters first apartment that I think are must haves. This one made that list.
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
This is the only book on the list I haven’t read. My daughter loved this book so much, and I know so many did. It just has too many topics I knew I couldn’t handle. Abuse, sexual assault, etc. This is a faith based book, this doesn’t bother me at all, I have a strong faith but I know some like to know that before reading so I try to disclose it.
Set during the California Gold Rush, Redeeming Love follows Angel, a woman shaped by a lifetime of abuse who expects nothing from men but pain. Hardened by survival, she trusts no one—until she meets Michael Hosea.
Guided by his faith, Michael is called to love Angel unconditionally, even when she runs from him and returns to the darkness she knows. As his steady love challenges her deepest fears, Angel must confront the belief that she is unworthy of love—and discover that true healing comes from a God who will never let her go.
In conclusion
If you would like to share some of you favorite romance books, leave them in the comments. I always think people love to see what other readers are loving.
Other posts you may enjoy:
- Best Books on Kindle Unlimited
- Best Epistolary Novels That Will Sweep You Away
- Valentine’s Day Bookmarks
- My Top Reads of 2025
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