Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week’s theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!
This week’s theme is ‘Favorite Couples In Books’, and while there are some couples I love I feel like this is something I’ve talked about before. Instead, sticking with the romantic theme, today I’m recommending ten books in which the romance is a central part of the story – regardless of whether or not the book has been marketed as a Romance!
I wrote a post about my relationship with the Romance genre near the end of last year and it’s a genre I’d like to embrace more in 2019, so if you have any recommendations yourself please do leave them below.
Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis: I read this Fantasy of Manners novella in December and really enjoyed it. While the main conflict is more of a magical one, there is an equally important plotline following the heroine’s relationship with her ex-fiance, and I can’t wait to read more Stephanie Burgis this year.
The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my favourite authors and this is her third novel. It isn’t my favourite of hers, but it’s more Fantasy of Manners, though not a comedy in the way many Fantasy of Manners books are, and this would be a wonderful introduction to SFF for lovers of Historical Romance.
Soulless by Gail Carriger: Yet more Fantasy of Manners – it seems to be the genre I gravitate towards when I’m in the mood for some Romance – from another of my favourite authors and the first book in one of my favourite series. There’s so much more going on in this book outside of romance, but I wouldn’t have found this series so fun without Alexia and Conall’s relationship. If you like those couples in books who annoy the hell out of each other because they don’t realise the frustration their feeling is actually good ol’ sexual tension, you’d love this series!
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee: This book is so much fun! I think I ended up enjoying the companion novel, The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy, even more, but I loved Monty and Percy’s relationship.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: I still haven’t recovered from this book stomping all over my heart back in 2017, but it is one of my favourite novels of all time so I had to include it on this list. Miller breathes such life into Patroclus and Achilles’ relationship that, even though you know it’s all inevitable, it still hurts so much.
His Scandalous Lessons by Katrina Kendrick: Kendrick, the Romance alias of SFF author Elizabeth May, was my first foray into traditional Historical Romance last year and I had so much fun with this novel. Yes, it’s kind of cheesy, but it’s a book that does what it says on the tin and still manages to touch on a lot of serious topics and treats them sensitively rather than using them as plot fodder. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work this year!
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: Sarah Waters’ is yet another of my favourite authors, if you’re seeking some own voices LGBT+ historical fiction then I can’t recommend her enough, and Fingersmith is her masterpiece. It’s a gritty, Dickensian love story with more twists and turns than I’ve had hot dinners.
All the Truth That’s in Me by Julie Berry: This is another one I read back in 2017 and it really surprised me how much I enjoyed it. It was marketed as a kind of YA Historical Thriller, but there’s a romantic relationship that’s central to the plot – our narrator is actually narrating her story to the boy she loves, not to us – and I loved it. I feel like this book deserves more love than it gets.
Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier: Yet another favourite author. This was the very first du Maurier I ever read and it was so much fun. Unlike Rebecca, Jamaica Inn or My Cousin Rachel, which are all fairly dark, Frenchman’s Creek is a historical romp set in Restoration Cornwall and featuring a wealthy woman who has a summer fling with a French pirate. It’s great fun, and the perfect beach read!
Welcome to Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop of Dreams by Jenny Colgan: Jenny Colgan is one of those authors who essentially writes the same story again and again, she just changes the characters, the setting and the food. This was my very first Colgan novel, however, and I thought it was so much fun and a lot more heartbreaking than I was expecting. Not because of our main heroine’s romance, but because of her great aunt’s story which we gradually learn about throughout the novel. Lilian was such a strong character that I’d love to see Colgan tackle a Historical Romance in future.
I really want to read The Song of Achilles but I’m terrified it’s going to break my heart! I also read All the Truth That’s In Me a while back and really enjoyed it. It’s such a sweet, cute story!
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Gosh, I cannot believe that I have not read ANY of these. But good news, I have half of them! No seriously, half. Why am I such a fail at reading junk I own? Alas, I was unable to do a post this week because thinking about happy people makes me want to stab something, so.
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Hahaha, you’re not alone! I own so many books I still haven’t read, it’s embarrassing. I definitely recommend one of these the next time you’re in the mood for some warm fuzzies, though!
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Percy and Monty ❤
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They are the cutest of patooties. ❤
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I did not know Elizabeth May also wrote under another name! I’m definitely going to have to check that one out! And I loved Gail Carriger’s YA series so her Parasol Protectorate series has been on my TBR for years. I really should finally read it!
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Do, her Romance is so fun and readable! I definitely recommend the Parasol Protectorate books, they’re so much fun – I’m planning to check out Carriger’s other series this year. 🙂
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I didn’t realize that ALL THE TRUTH THAT’S IN ME was romantic at all!! It’s definitely on a list of books that I’ve been meaning to read since I started blogging. Also, after this week I’ve noticed that I’ve been avoiding romance in my reading choices and I’d like to get back into reading some soon!
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Ah I hope you enjoy it when you get to it! I think it’s a really beautiful novel.
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I loved Gentleman’s Guide! Percy and Monty were simply the best! ❤
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They were so cute, weren’t they? Definitely gave me the warm fuzzies!
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I’ve seen the Beautiful Ones on several lists today and I was always intrigued by the author’s stuff, I’ve heard so many raves.
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She’s one of my favourites, I highly recommend her work! Her debut, Signal to Noise, is one of my favourite novels of all time and it’s fantastic.
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I’m going to have to add Snowspelled and Soulless to my list.
Romance is totally my jam. My can’t-miss recs would be: Fortune’s Pawn by Rachel Bach, Phoenix Unbound by Grace Draven, Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren.
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Do! I really enjoyed them both, and I believe the sequel to Snowspelled is due out at the end of this month. 😀 Thanks so much for the recommendations – I’ll have to check those out!
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Frenchman’s Creek is on my TBR, I’ve been enjoying du Maurier’s books!
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I hope you enjoy it, it’s so much!
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I may be *mildly* obsessed with The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue! Those two young men are just so right.
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They’re so adorable together, aren’t they? I’m not usually a big fan of the friends to lovers trope, but it’s done so well in that novel.
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Great list! I’ve heard of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue before but haven’t read it yet.
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Thanks! It’s a really fun read, definitely one I’d recommend reading during the summer.
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Great list! There’s some books on here that I want to read!
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Thanks Chrissi!
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I really loved The Beautiful Ones.I think the character studies were my favorite part of that novel. Great list!
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It was a lovely novel, and Moreno-Garcia deserves way more love than she gets! Her debut, Signal to Noise, is one of my favourite novels of all time and I’ll read pretty much anything she puts out.
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I haven’t read that one yet, but I have it on my shelf. Yes, it really feels like she can write anything.
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These are great recommendations!! I haven’t read any of them, but now I really want to!
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Thanks, they’re well worth checking out! 😀
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OMG The Song of Achilles was so beautiful and heartbreaking! Loved Patroclus & Achilles! And I have The Gentleman’s Guide on my TBR, can’t wait to meet Monty & Percy. 😍
Here’s my TTT: https://areadertowhateverend.wordpress.com/2019/02/14/valentines-day-special-top-10-literary-couples-i-admire-or-t10t-12th-feb-2019/
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I hope enjoy The Gentleman’s Guide – I think it’s the perfect summer read if you’re in the mood for a book that’s both a road trip and a historical romp around Europe. 🙂
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I’ve heard tons of great things about The Gentleman’s Guide to VIce and Virtue. While I haven’t personally read it, It’s been on the list and I’m hoping to get around to it by the end of the year! Great recommendations!
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It’s a really fun book – definitely one I’d recommend reading in the summer! 🙂
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It’s always good to know when romance is the central part of a story. I don’t know why some blurbs refrain from mentioning that.
This is my Top Ten Tuesday post.
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I know! I think a lot of books don’t want to be labelled as part of the Romance genre, even though, let’s face it, the majority of YA is Romance.
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If you’re looking for romance I’d recommend the Crossbreed Series By Dannika Dark. The romance starts slowly in the first few books and the story is more character driven than anything else. This series is part of the adult urban fantasy genre 🙂
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Thanks so much for the recommendation! I do gobble up urban fantasy, so I’ll have to check it out.
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The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue does sound interesting.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
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It’s so much fun – a really good historical romp if you like road trip stories! 🙂
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100% agree with Soulless and The Song of Achilles! Fingersmith and Snowspelled are both on my long-term TBR, but if they’re as good as they sound, I’ll have to try and get to them sooner.
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Fingersmith is amazing! I definitely recommend it for the next time you’re in the mood for something chunky, although you’re so desperate to know what happens next that it’s the kind of book you can fly through. Snowspelled is lovely, too, and the perfect read for the winter – especially as the next book in the series is out at the end of this month!
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Oooh! Good to know!
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The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is one I need to read.
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It’s really fun! I think it’d be the perfect summer read. 🙂
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