My Top 9 Picks On Books For Hopeless Romantics

Ready to swoon from my top picks of books for hopeless romantics?

Bet you are, that’s why you’re here!

Aside from blogging and working as a nurse, I am also fond of reading.

For some, reading requires patience and passion but for booklovers like you and me, I know finishing an awesome book is not even a task, it’s a pleasure.

A couple of days ago, I have come to this conclusion that I have spent too much time on my laptop whenever I have a free time or right after my work.

Before I discovered the world of blogging and social networks, I have always turned to books and I have always found joy in reading.

Now I am badly missing it. I miss those times when I lose myself in the web of words or in the scent of the pages when I leaf through them, may it be an old book or a new book. That odor always brings me to that utter feeling of contentedness and home.

So I thought – you could be in my situation too and have decided to pick the best books for hopeless romantics that you may be!

But perhaps you have read all those swoon-worthy books that you will find on here too, but that won’t be a problem.

We could share that connection that only individuals who have read these books will have.

So my fellow readers, prepare your heart for these heart-rending books with swoon-worthy characters.

Disclaimer: You may find affiliate links throughout the content. I’ll get a small commission when you purchase through my links (at no extra cost to you, of course), which I can use to spoil my small black German Spitz dog. 🙂

Here are my top books for hopeless romantics:

1. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

“We’re actors in our lives, pretendin’ to be who we want people to think we are.†Simone Elkeles, Perfect Chemistry

Here’s your typical American high-school story where the bad boy Alex Fuentes meets the ‘‘It-Girl”, Brittany Ellis.

I was a bit skeptical before I read this book, but I gave it a go anyhow.

I thought it’s really this bad boy meets perfect good girl cliché story.

Well, maybe in some aspect, but it’s a story about a male character, Alex, who judges the main female character, Brittany because of her appearance and her demeanor.

However, Brittany is not your so perfect type of girl who everyone adores, and everyone wants to be.

In reality, she has real problems too – well we all do!

If you’re into high school drama with a bit of angst and cheerleading girls, this story is for you.

And if you like to imagine a bad boy swearing in Spanish, grab a copy of this one. One thing that has also convinced me to read this novel is this interracial thing, a Mexican male protagonist and an American protagonist girl.

This book is a stand-alone, but Alex has brothers who have stand-alone stories too, but I picked this to be featured here.

2. Rival by Penelope Douglas 

“I punched every wall in the goddamn house, Fallon. But I swallowed it down. Because that’s what we do. We swallow every brick of shit this world feeds us until the wall inside of us is so strong that nothing breaks it.â€Â 
― Penelope Douglas, Rival

Don’t you love the idea of falling in love with your enemy?

Imagine it. No, right?

But Penelope Douglas had written it flawlessly.

Fallon and Madoc are step-siblings who hated each other but wanted each other with a passion.

I won’t go more into details, because that would be a spoiler already. Madoc is the friend of Jared from Bully, another book from the same author which I also love, and you’ll be reading about it down below.

Step-siblings stories can be really cliché but hey, don’t judge the book by its plot.

Read Rival then let me know what you think.

 

3. Bully by Penelope Douglas

“You were never clingy or a nuisance, Tate. The day you moved in next door I thought you were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I fucking loved you.†
― Penelope Douglas, Bully

I don’t know what to write here without being a spoiler and without giving myself away that I adore this book.

Tatum has been bullied by Jared, who was once her best friend. After being away, she was back and started fighting Jared back.

There is indeed a fine line between love and hate, and Jared had really done his best job to torment Tatum.

Jared is such a douchebag but I keep on justifying and rationalizing his attitude. A bully he may be to Tatum who made sure no boys could touch Tatum, but he has his own reasons.

If the topic bullying is sensitive for you, then that’s up to you if you want to have it a go.

4. Vicious by L.J. Shen

“I loved her when I hated her. And I loved her when I didn’t want anything to do with her.â€
― L.J. Shen, Vicious

He is cruel as his name implied. He is the reason why Emilia, the main female character, had to leave their town.

To put it more bluntly, he is the one who kicked Emilia out from the comfort of town and her poor family.

Why would he? -Read the book to find out why would a teenaged boy dispel a teenaged girl.

So after ten years, Vicious came to New York, and guess what, he wouldn’t leave without Emilia in tow after seeing her there.

It’s a story  about two individuals from two different societies.

Rich and Poor.

Emilia is the daughter of Vicious’ family’s hired help. Vicious had also given Emilia a cute pet name, Help. And oh, Emilia hated him with passion, so that’s what Vicious thought.

But only Emilia could call him names. Can you guess it? It’s asshole which I guess fit him well. While reading there were times I loathed him so and there were moments that I just swooned for his other personality.

Duh – too many spoilers. Just read it!

By the way, this story reminds me of Bully and After the Night by Linda Howard.

5. A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks

“Jamie: You have to promise you won’t fall in love with me.
Landon: That’s not a problem.â€
― Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember

So this one’s like a breath of fresh air after the mentioned complicated romance books above.

I think almost everyone knows this story, or should I say this movie.

But we’re talking about a book here. If you are one of those people who don’t know the story of Jamie Sullivan and Landon Carter, don’t worry, I will enlighten you without giving away too much of the story (hopefully).

Jamie was this bible-hugging daughter of a Baptist minister who seemed to be contented with her life until she met Landon Carter, a self-assured teenager who makes fun of almost everyone.

The movie was a bit different from its novel but both have moved me somehow.

This book was beautifully written, the emotions were there and it felt so real. I even cried while reading it or maybe after reading it. I was heartbroken that I got sick for one whole week.

No kidding. Seriously.

But one thing I still couldn’t wrap my mind around – how could a male writer write such books?

6. Separate Beds by LaVyrle Spencer

“The value of affection going up when it was in short supplyâ€
― LaVyrle Spencer, Separate Beds

I have always loved reading romantic novels about marriage of convenience and this book is one of the remarkable novels I have ever read.

I would like to say, one of my favorites, but I decided against it.

I find this book so heart-wrenching, some parts are so frustrating that I thought of not reading it till the end but I did anyway and I didn’t regret it.

Catherine Anderson was from a poor family who got pregnant by Clay Forrester, the golden boy in town, after a blind date.

The two were forced to wed, although they didn’t really love each other.

In some parts of the book, I have hated Clay for leaving our heroine to be with his ex and Catherine had to struggle with being a single mom and a student.

But what I also love about this book is that in real life these stories happen – getting knocked up, cheated on then coming to terms with all the difficulties and dramas.

So after some twists and bouts of dramas, eventually, they ended up together.

Sorry, spoiler. 😉

7. Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleyplas

“Nature had squandered an unreasonable quantity of male beauty on this undeserving creature.â€
― Lisa Kleypas, Devil in Winter

First things first,  I am a fan of Lisa Kleypas. I love her books and she never fails to awe me with her books, but this Devil in Winter is by far my favorite by Lisa Kleypas.

Devil in Winter is one of the historical novels that I really love, it’s about Evangeline Jenner, a shy stuttering wallflower who proposed the devil in winter, Viscount St. Vincent, a marriage of convenience.

Yes- she could be a wallflower and a spinster but she had managed to sweep the despicable Lord Sebastian St. Vincent off his feet.

And this shy girl had a lot of surprises that the rake couldn’t help but drawn not only to her profound beauty but to her wit.

Evie had given him a challenge for 3 months to win her, and St.Vincent had taken the bet.

It was not easy, but he would have his Evie in the end but not until Evangeline had him putty in her hands.

So she wasn’t that shy after all.

8. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

“Hardships make or break people.â€
― Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the wind

The story is about Scarlett O’Hara, one of the daughters of a plantation owner in Atlanta, Georgia.

This story was set during the American Civil War and the Reformation Era, where the once spoiled and self-centered Scarlett had to struggle from poverty after Sherman’s army marched through Georgia.

She had to be strong and harden her personality when her family turned to her for support.

It is not your typical love story of a sixteen-year-old girl who was orphaned and had to meet both ends to survive. 

Gone With the Wind is a captivating and a heart-breaking story, you may love and hate for Scarlett’s actions and decisions.

Being married thrice with three different men for three different reasons, Scarlett had gone through a lot, and at the end, she realized she really loved her third husband, Rhett Butler.

If you’re into romance books which also talk about history, you gotta pick this one.

9. The Bride by Julie Garwood

“My wife.”
“By what name is she called, Kincaid?”
“Mine.â€
― Julie Garwood, The Bride

It is one of the first Julie Garwood books that I have read and one of my favorite historical romance novels so far.

I think it was love at first read that I have decided then, I will read other Julie Garwood’s books, but The Bride has always been my favorite.

It tells about a mighty highland laird who had to take an English bride after the king’s order.

But Jamie was not a willing bride, she was feisty and witty, but she had a good heart that you couldn’t help it but love her too.

Alec might be bossy and arrogant as a highland lord but he’s a good guy and he loved our Jamie!

But it’s not a soft love story, well, yeah, we’re talking a highland lord here – what do you expect then?

If you’re curious and would love to know more about Alec and Jamie, just grab a copy of the book or many 3, also for your hopeless romantic friends.

You won’t regret it. I swear!

PIN THIS FOR LATER

There are other books which I would love to feature but these books left a mark in my memory that I decided they deserve to be on this list.

Some of the books that I can also recommend reading for fellow hopeless romantics are Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte, Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas, A Husband’s Regret (Unwanted)by Natasha Anders and Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn.

Until then, I hope you had enjoyed reading it and decided to read some of the mentioned books above.

Like me, maybe you’re inspired to write your own novel too. Anyway, I would love to read your opinion and connect with you. If you’re an author or a writer, and would love your book featured on my blog, just let me know. 🙂

***

Blog post originally published on 11/20/2018