ME Recommends: Our Favourite Romantic Reads
Love is in the air, and what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by sharing our favourite romantic reads with you all? Grab that box of chocolates and cuddle up with one of our recommendations - whether you’re partial to a classic or are looking for a new regency romp, there’s something for everyone!
Juliet recommends…
I was incapable of picking just one romantic read, so went for three!
THE CLASSIC ONE: I was torn between Jane Austen and Lucy Maud Montgomery but as Gilbert Blythe was my first crush, developed from watching the 1980s Anne of Green Gables TV adaptation as a child, it felt appropriate to go with ‘Anne of the Island’. The slow-burn romance between Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe takes place over several books but it’s finally in ANNE OF THE ISLAND that she realises she also harbours feelings towards him. A cast of glorious characters, some real humour, and the beautiful setting of Prince Edward Island make this an enduring classic series. “I don’t want sunbursts and marble halls. I just want you... We’ll just be happy, waiting and working for each other—and dreaming. Oh, dreams will be very sweet now.” SWOON!
THE TEEN ONE: Jenny Han can do no wrong in my eyes and TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE is a deeply romantic read that totally stole my heart. Lara Jean Song Covey finds it safer to seek refuge in the pages of romance novels than by putting herself out there on the dating scene at high school. When she has a crush, she writes them a letter, addresses it, and then sticks it in a box under her bed. Until somehow all of the letters get mailed out. Suddenly Lara Jean is very much the main character in her very own romance, and she creates a fake romance with jock-but-cinnamon-roll Peter Kavinsky to stave off awkward approaches from other recipients of the letters. But as time goes on, she realises her feelings for him are not so fake after all. Funny, warm, and very romantic.
THE SPICY ONE: THE EARL I RUINED by Scarlett Peckham is a saucy regency romance about a fake relationship (can you tell I love this trope?) between two idiots who don’t realise that they are secretly in love with one another. When Lady Constance Stonewell accidentally ruins the Earl of Apthorp (by revealing in her gossip column the rumour that he has a penchant for spanking), she decides to offer for his hand in marriage, to try and make him look respectable in the eyes of the world again. She sees him as a total bore; he sees her as a flibbertigibbet. But as they spend time together they start to realise that there’s much more to each than meets the eye. Warning: contains graphic descriptions of bodice ripping and, obviously, spanking.
Silé recommends…
GIFTS FROM THE KITCHEN by Annie Rigg is one of my favourite books to read and imagine an alternate reality where I would be able to make cakes and heart shaped truffles in the kitchen with someone without screaming at the other person to just pass the grapefruit so I can peel it myself. I always read this when I am feeling romantic and fluffy and put tabs on various pages for me to endeavour to make later.
IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME by Nicola Doherty is one of my favourite winter reads, it sits in pride of place on my bedside all year, ready to be picked up and re-read as soon as the cold settles in. The book follows Zoë and her do-over encounters with friends and work but she discovers that sometimes, a second chance to do everything right doesn’t give you the happy-ever after you imagined it would. The snow made my annual read of it extra special.
THE CHOCOLATE RUN by Dorothy Koomson is such a beautiful story about romance, friendship and family ties. Amber is sleeping with her friend Greg, and simultaneously becoming losing her closeness with her best friend Amber. I went on a rollercoaster of emotions with this one but above all it affirmed my belief that chocolate does solve everything – or at least make you feel better about it.
Liza recommends…
I absolutely love romance and always root for a happy ending! However, I need adventure, surprises, and any other spicy element added in. So if you want romance and a lot of fun along the way, I recommend:
THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE PINK CARNATION by Lauren Willig, is a regency romance definitely worth reading! Dresses, corsets, French intrigue, love, strong female characters – and there’s even a spy novel twist. When Eloise goes to France in search of a new British spy, the Purple Gentian, she stumbles onto a plot that threatens Britain itself. This made me want to pop on a corset, run through the streets of Paris, and have an epic sword fight through the halls of the Louvre.
FRENCHMAN’S CREEK by Daphne du Maurier, is another one of my favourite books. This is a classic! It’s a swashbuckling gothic romance set in Cornwall during the reign of Charles II. An English lady has an affair with a French pirate. This made be believe that there were still hidden pirate ships in Cornwall when I was younger, but alas, it still hasn’t played out for me.
OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon. A historical novel featuring Scotland, hot kilted men, a time slip, and romance. This will have you screaming, “Jamie Fraser forever!” at the top of your lungs from the nearest Munro. I’ll admit I nearly cried when I learned this was coming to television.