Romance is one of my favorite genres and I just wanted to share a few of my top picks.

I’ve Got Your Number By Sophie Kinsella
            I picked up I’ve got your Number By Sophie Kinsella as part of a dare I set for myself on a reading slump. I needed new books to read so I decided to go the thrift store and pick out a few books at random, without reading the back, the plainer they looked the better. The copy of I’ve Got Your Number I found was a hardback without its dust jacket. All I had to go on was the title on a black background (I didn’t have high hopes). When I started reading it I was pleasantly surprised. I loved it. I read it nonstop cover to cover and laughed all the way through. It is a funny story about a woman named Poppy that starts with desperate measures. Poppy’s phone is stolen and her engagement ring is lost. When she finds a phone in the trash can she figures finders keepers she can leave a number for the hotel to call her on when they find her ring, its perfect! Well the phones owner kind of disagrees… What comes after is a funny and surprising string of events. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes a lot of humor with their stories.

​At Any Price By Brenna Aubrey
            At Any Price is a book I found on one of those free ebook sites. Now if you get a lot of the free romance ebooks you’ll know to read them with a bit of acceptance. A lot of the free ebook romances you find can be a little slapdash and even disappointing in some cases. At Any Price is a brilliant exception to this trend. It is a trilogy about a woman named Mia and her manifesto. Mia has decided that woman’s virginities have been valued and used by men to gain money or influence throughout history and it is high time women have gotten something out of it. She decides to sell her virginity to the highest (thoroughly screened) bidder. She ignores her friend’s protests and when all the bids are in she could have enough to save her mother’s ranch and finish out her schooling. The problem is the winner’s reluctance to claim his prize. The book sounds like it could be a same old same old sort of story but Brenna Aubrey turned a romance trope of a down on her luck girl into an emotional rollercoaster series that is a must read. The first one was a free ebook because they know that after you read the first book you’re hooked. I not only got the other two in ebook, but I ordered them in print for my own collection, and to borrow out.

​The Obsession By Nora Roberts
I have always been a fan of Nora Roberts because of her wide range of topics. She can go from futuristic mystery to fantasy with witches, immortals, and mermaids, and most that’s in-between. The Obsession is one of my favorites of Nora Roberts’s vast collection because it is great at flirting with the line between romance and suspense. This was the first of her books that had a little bit of a Dean Koontz kind of vibe. Now don’t get me wrong, it is a romance book, but when you’re in the perspective of the killer it really is up there with bad guy factor. The Obsession follows a Girl named Naomi from when she is a little girl trying to outrun her daddy’s reputation, to when she grows up, now a successful photographer, and finds a place to settle down in Sunrise Cove. She finds friends and a love interest in Xander Keaten but her past and the sins of her father are never more than a nightmare away… 

​Charming the Prince by Teresa Medeiros
            Charming the prince is a great historical romance and fairytale retelling of Cinderella. Lord Bannor is the pride of the English and the Terror of the French until the war ends and he finds himself overrun with a dozen children he doesn’t know how to deal with let alone raise. It is a war he can’t win alone. He sends out his steward the find them a mother and him a bride. He wants a mother for his children and has no interest in the bride herself, until Lady Willow shows up. He never expected she would join forces with his mischievous kids.
The story is filled with humor and hijinks, and is a must read for anyone who likes a good historical romance.

Jake By Leigh Greenwood
            Jake is another historical romance but this one is a western. Jake is a rancher who just came back from the civil war to find his family ranch in shambles. Isabelle is taking a wagon-load of orphan boys to Santa Fe to try and get them adopted. They pair up. Jake is a help and a protection on their travels and the boys help him in driving his cattle to market. You end up getting to know all the characters and really root for them.
Jake can be read as a standalone but it is the first in the series that has a book for each of the boys. 

Crystal

​Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

      Emily is one of the Bronte sisters who wrote novels and poems in the mid 1800s. This particular novel can be a bit gloomy, and is probably best read on a dark and stormy night.

       Wuthering Heights is written from a very interesting perspective of a tenant on Mr. Heathcliff’s property. The novel is told as this man learns the history of the property as well as experiences for himself the current situation and possible future. This novel is a rollercoaster of emotions including pity for the main character, disgust at his actions, sorrow for decisions, deep feelings of love, and satisfaction at an unpredictable ending.

      Admittedly, this is not a very happy romance, but this novel packs a lot of feelings. I would advise this book for readers over the age of 15 because of some mature thematic elements such as violence. I would recommend checking out this book if you are tired of repetitive story lines!

My Antonia by Willa Cather
          
       Published in 1918, this novel is slightly more contemporary (only 100 years old or so). Like Wuthering Heights, this novel is told from an interesting perspective. A man asks his friend Jim to recount to him all that he remembered about Antonia. Jim then gives his friend a manuscript of all he remembers about the girl, and the story begins.

           Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird, this novel is from the perspective of an adolescent Jim. He recounts his adventures and growing love for Antonia, a daughter in a Bohemian immigrant family that has come to live near him on the prairie. This book is sweet with surprising twists that truly reflect how life doesn’t always go as planned. Jim’s perspective is romantic and kind, and develops into something more as the story progresses.
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           I would recommend this book for almost any age, but more specifically 14 and older due to one scene regarding birth (though it is not explicit). This is a wonderful classic I would recommend to anyone!

​Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
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           Last but not least is my absolute FAVORITE work of fiction! Just as full of heart as Wuthering Heights, but much less dreary, this book is a wonderful adventure! The novel follows Jane from her youth in an unloving home to a school for girls, and eventually to a job as a governess for Mr. Rochester’s young ward. As the book progresses from place to place and as Jane grows older there is fantastic character development! She learns to deal with tragedy and heartache without lashing out. While Jane is humble, she is strong in her beliefs and fights for what she knows is right. Jane is a heroine throughout the novel and loves more deeply than she was ever loved as a child or young adult. This book may look lengthy, but it is worth every second of reading! There is so much love and strength and perseverance as Jane learns to love the young girl she teaches as well as her foreboding benefactor. There is a surprising twist in this novel that had me in tears. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book and recommend it for all ages! It promotes love, morals, and strength!

These are just a few of so many wonderful classic romance novels that will expand your mind and provide a break from the modern and popular story lines in most new novels.


​Emily