Best romances of 2021
We continue with the end-of-year wrap-ups! This brief snapshot will give you my six favourite romances of the year.
All of these books are from auto-buy authors for me now, especially in the romance genre - and surprisingly, this list tended towards contemporary over historical in terms of most wonderful reads. But all of them are delightful little gems of romance novels (most of them open-door, because of course) - pure escapist fantasy fun, and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
To Have and to Hoax, by Martha Waters: The first book in a trilogy by a debut romance author, and this is definitely my favourite of the two that are currently published (the third and final book, booooo, comes out in March next year). While it's not exactly breaking new ground with the tropes and the plot, it was a wonderful reading experience and had a steamy library scene. Read my full review here if you want all the dirty details.
Act Your Age, Eve Brown, by Talia Hibbert: The last book in the Brown Sisters trilogy, but Talia Hibbert has been teasing a spin-off trilogy for months now. The spin-off shows no signs of appearing and I need that to change right quick, because Hibbert is one of the best contemporary romance writers out there currently. Read this entire trilogy, and if you need another reason to prompt you into that, read my review of this concluding book here.
The Intimacy Experiment, by Rosie Danan: The book that concludes the tragically short Roommate series, but this book cemented Rosie Danan as an auto-buy author in my mind. This is a beautiful love story, the sex is unbelievably good, and features a heroine who is taller than her on-page partner. We love a sex-positive, orgasm-hungry, feminist pioneer. Go read Rosie Danan's romance novels immediately.
People We Meet On Vacation, by Emily Henry: The slowest burn romance on this list, and one that (as per Henry's first adult book Beach Read) one that actually touches on a lot of different themes, not just romance. Sweet, hopeful, lovely, heartwarming - all the good adjectives you can think of apply to this wonderful little gem. I talk about it in depth in my full review here.
The Roadtrip, by Beth O'Leary: I've gushed enough about Beth O'Leary in other posts that I really don't need to do it again here. Suffice to say, every single one of her books I read I find even better than the last one - and The Roadtrip was no exception. I love watching this author try her hand at different romance tropes, and I eagerly await what she does next (yes, I've already pre-ordered it). Reviewed this book in full here if you want more detail about this one specifically.
Portrait of a Scotsman, by Evie Dunmore: Book 3 in the League of Extraordinary Women series. The last book comes out in September next year and I literally cannot wait. If you need a refresher on why I loved this book, my review is here.
So there you have it, folks - happy swooning!
And, of course, as always:
Happy reading,
Amélie xx
