Why is it that the only men women truly fall in love with are those who are written by women? This Valentine’s Day save yourself from heartbreak and frankly substandard Tinder dates and curl up with a book instead! Here are my top 5 romance reads to warm even the coldest of hearts.
The Switch by Beth O’Leary
Imagine a hug in a book and perhaps you’ll get close to The Switch. This heartwarming story follows the most iconic grandmother and granddaughter duo you’ll ever meet, Eileen and Leena Cotton, as they grapple with the loss of Carla, their granddaughter and sister respectively. Their action plan? To swap lives. This quirky story will have you laughing and crying as you follow these feisty women as they take London and Hamleigh-in-Harksdale by storm, battling moody Londoners and pensioners alike and generally making everyone fall in love with them (perhaps even a rather dashing male schoolteacher with an equally adorable puppy!)
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Not every romance has a happy ending, but that does not make their love less profound or endearing. This could not be truer for Louisa Clark and Will Traynor. When bubbly and just a tad eccentric Louisa loses her job at a cafe she accepts a position caring for the hostile and withdrawn Will Traynor, who has been paralysed after a motorcycle accident. Together they rediscover the joy of living and show that love can flourish between even the most unlikely of people.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Catalina has a problem: she needs a date to her sister’s wedding, and fast. *Enter the most unlikely knight in shining armor: Aaron Blackford*. He was the last person that Catalina expected or even wanted to fill the role. Arrogant, sarcastic, and coldly ruthless, every exchange between them is fraught with tension and exasperation, so why did he decide to volunteer to fill the role of fake boyfriend? This fast-paced enemies-to-lovers’ story will show you that love can be found in the strangest of places and that anger may just be a veil for a deeper, much more intense emotion.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
For Stella Lane there is an algorithm for everything, even love — she just hasn’t found one yet. That’s why she decides to hire the professional escort Michael Phan, to teach her the ins and outs of sex to further her in her pursuit for finding this elusive equation and also love along the way. What she didn’t count on was how she started to grow not only to crave Michael’s kisses but also his company. This gender swapped Pretty Woman romance, with its Asperger’s lead, breaks down preconceived perceptions about love on the spectrum and captivates with its straightforward outlook on love, whilst also providing some spicy love scenes.
Learn My Lesson by Katee Roberts If you’re anything like me and you recently became re-obsessed with Greek myths, specifically the story of Hades and Persephone, then this is the book for you! Significantly spicier than the Percy Jackson books we read when we were younger, this book features an MMF romance between not only Hades and Persephone, but Hercules, too. Set in a dark and ruthless city called Olympus, this book fixates on the more sordid sides of our favourite Greek myths.
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