Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! Happy Valentine's Day! I'm Genni, and today I'll be sharing five books I recommend for someone who wants to start reading adult romance.
Full disclaimer - I am not a pro when it comes to adult romance! I started reading romance earlier last year. This is by no means a comprehensive list of the best romances to start off with! I am still pretty new to romance as well and still have a lot to read.
Now, there is a method to this madness. I picked the following five books for specific reasons. I didn't give all of these books the elusive five out of five flower rating, but I did enjoy all of them. Each book does something different. Some veer towards erotica, other have a more women's fiction feel to them, and some are standouts due to their diversity.
Without further ado, here are five romance novels that are a great introduction into the genre!
First up is I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. Sophie Kinsella is such a well loved and well known romance author. Confessions of a Shopaholic, anyone? While 11-year old me was obsessed with the movie, it wasn't until last year I read my first Sophie Kinsella book. Now, I'll be honest, I didn't absolutely love the book. But, it had a great blend of humor with deeper topics of self love and self confidence. I've Got Your Number is a book about Poppy, who loses her phone and engagement ring the night before meeting her fiance's parents. She freaks out, and when she finds a phone in the trash, she promptly uses it. The phone, however, is a company phone, and Sam needs it back. This leads to a lot of humor, awkward situations, and a wonderful ending. I think this is a great book to start off with for several reasons. First, it's a standalone. Kinsella is also a well established author, meaning you have a vast array of books to further your romance reading after. Lastly, it provides an introduction to the genre of romance novels that have a women's fiction focus.
So this is the only fantasy on this list. Do I need to read more fantasy romance? Yes. Is A Promise of Fire an amazing, sexy, thrilling fantasy? YES. This was my introduction to fantasy romance, which is why I think it's a perfect book to put on this list. A Promise of Fire is Bouchet's debut novel about Cat, soothsayer in a traveling circus. At least, that's what she wants people to believe. Cat actually has a slew of magical powers, making her a powerful ally or adversary. Griffin just led a coup from a neighboring land, and wants Cat on his side as he tries to take over the other two lands and combine them into one cohesive, accepting country. Griffin and Cat have wonderful chemistry and this book has two tropes that are well-loved: hate-to-love and slow burn. The lively banter, off the charts chemistry, and political intrigue all combine to make a wonderful fantasy romance.
Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren is my favorite romance author. Christina Lauren is an author duo that first came onto the romance scene with their debut, Beautiful Bastard. I think I've read about 10 of Christina Lauren's books, and Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating is by far my favorite of their adult romances. Josh and Hazel know each other from a cringe-inducing run-in during their college years. They come back into each others lives as Hazel's best friend's brother is none other than Josh! They become close friends, have amazing chemistry, and set each other up on blind dates. There's so many hilarious scenes that are equally balanced by questions of belonging. The ending is cliche and I love it. Josh and Hazel is a star in the romance genre.
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Kiss Quotient was one of my favorite romance novels I read last year, which is why I'm recommending it today. The novel is diverse; Michael is an Asian protagonist and Stella has Asperger's, both of which is own voices representation. The sexy times are pretty explicit, but they balance well with the more emotional side of Michael and Stella's relationship, which starts off as a fake relationship (my favorite trope). I think this is a great introduction to romance for two key reasons. First, The Kiss Quotient is a diverse read that is a marker of the progress the romance genre has achieved. Second, the book is a good way to discern what you're comfortable with sex scenes. I wouldn't call the sex scenes erotic, but I've seen other reviewers saying this was outside of their comfort zone. The Kiss Quotient is a landmark romance novel full of a diverse cast, sexual tension, and heartfelt moments.
Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy
Last but not least, I am recommending Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy. These two authors teamed up to write a male/male romance. Him follows old best friends Jamie and Ryan, who played hockey together every summer. They meet back up as adults and are counselors at the same summer camp and strike up a hot and heavy romance. While Ryan is sure of his sexuality as a gay man, Jamie is not. Him is a sexy, fun, and is a great look into the complexities of sexuality. Him was my introduction into LGBTQ romance and I had an amazing reading experience.
Like I said before, this is by no means a comprehensive list! What's really missing from this list is any historical romance. Personally, historical romances don't appeal to me and I have yet to read one ever since I discovered my love for romance.
If you have any adult romance recommendations, please leave them down below! Have you read any of these books what did you think?
Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!
Happy Reading!
Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!
I don't read a ton of adult romance, but I think I might try one of the Christina Lauren books soon. I read Royally Screwed last year, mostly for the royal factor, but I enjoyed it and it was pretty steamy!
ReplyDeleteChristina Lauren is my queen. I highly recommend Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, Roomies, or Autboyography from them. They're other stuff is good too, but those seem to be the favorites among the community. :) Did you read the sequel? I'm on the fence about whether I want to continue the series.
DeleteI always love Kinsella, but I remember I've Got Your Number being especially fun. CLo have been wowing me recently, and Josh & Hazel won my heart. TKQ raised the bar for contemporary romances if you ask me. I cannot wait to crack open Hoang's new book.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great way to start reading Kinsella! I'll be honest, I haven't picked anything up from her since, but I'll probably go back to her in the summer. CLo has been on a great kick. I didn't love My Favorite Half-Night stand, but they're putting out some amazing books recently. Same here for TKQ!! It was one of the first contemporary romances I read lat year, so I've been a little disappointed reading others and it not living up to my expectations. I can't either! The Bride Test is going to be amazing.
DeleteI haven't read a lot of adult romance books, but I've heard so many great things about TKQ. I think I'll put that on my TBR list. I really like reading romance with some sort of fantasy element in the world like magic, faeries, or demons. Thank you for all of the recommendations!
ReplyDeleteElle Inked @ Keep on Reading
Go for it Elle! It's a really great read. :) As you can tell from my post, I veer more towards contemporary romance. But I need to break out of my shell! Do you have any recommendations!
DeleteYou're welcome! Thank you for stopping by and commenting. :)