There’s no shortage of amazing romance books that have been released in 2024 so far, but if you’re looking for the best romance novels of 2024 that every romance reader must read, then this is the list for you.
These are the romance books that are without a doubt 5 star reads because the writing is phenomenal, the storylines unforgettable and the characters worth swooning over.
Some of these books made my list of Most Anticipated New Romance Books of 2024 but others are gems from both traditionally published and indie published authors alike!
But the year is not over and I expect to add even more to this list of the best romance novels of 2024. Be sure to bookmark this page and return often to see which books get added next.
For even more amazing romance books, you can also check out my Best Books of the Year Hub or my previous lists of the best romance novels of each year to find even more romance books worth reading:
*Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Best Romance Novels of 2024:
Bride
by Ali Hazelwood
One of the Best Slow Burn Romance Books I’ve Ever Read
February 2024
5 stars
Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again.
Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice.
And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about.
And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.
Ali Hazelwood changed things up from her STEM-focused, enemies to lovers romances, with this year’s new release, Bride and it is amazing proving that she is an auto-buy author no matter what category of romance she’s writing. I absolutely had so much fun sinking into her paranormal world where Humans, Vampyres and Weres don’t mix.
Misery and Lowe were easy to fall in love with and she gave them the greatest of slow burn romances. Despite them being such strong, capable people, they were also vulnerable in their feelings and the firsts they were experiencing with each other and Hazelwood wrote those moments perfectly.
For a wonderful romance that also gives a great discourse on difference and how we develop misconceptions and treat people differently due to our diversity, be sure to add Bride to your must-read list if you haven’t read it already!
Check out my book review of Bride.
Fangirl Down
by Tessa Bailey
A Sports Romance With the Best Couple to Root For
February 2024
5 stars
Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a major hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines.
He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life.
Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash…
As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior.
This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?
Fangirl Down is hands down one of the best romance books of 2024 and now my favorite Tessa Bailey book! I really didn’t think I could ever fall for a professional golfer, but Wells proved me wrong as he is now one of my new favorite book boyfriends.
This book is why I read romance. I had to read it in one sitting because I completely and utterly fell in love with the main characters, the story, and the amazing writing. It is perfection.
Despite being her complete opposite and such a grump, Wells was the perfect man for Josephine because he didn’t treat her with kid gloves. And Wells is one of those heroes with a wounded heart who never felt worthy of love or sticking around for yet Josephine was his fan girl, through and through.
Fangirl Down is a fantastic romcom with heart and the perfect amount of steam that is another must-read this year.
Check out my book review of Fangirl Down.
This Could Be Us
by Kennedy Ryan
An Anthem to Women That You Are Enough
March 2024
5 stars
Soledad Barnes has her life all planned out. Because, of course, she does. She plans everything. She designs everything. She fixes everything. She’s a domestic goddess who’s never met a party she couldn’t host or a charge she couldn’t lead.
The one with all the answers and the perfect vinaigrette for that summer salad. But none of her varied talents can save her when catastrophe strikes, and the life she built with the man who was supposed to be her forever, goes poof in a cloud of betrayal and disillusion.
But there is no time to pout or sulk, or even grieve the life she lost. She’s too busy keeping a roof over her daughters’ heads and food on the table. And in the process of saving them all, Soledad rediscovers herself. From the ashes of a life burned to the ground, something bold and new can rise.
But then an unlikely man enters the picture—the forbidden one, the one she shouldn’t want but can’t seem to resist. She’s lost it all before and refuses to repeat her mistakes. Can she trust him? Can she trust herself?
After all she’s lost . . .and found . . .can she be brave enough to make room for what could be?
I love reading Kennedy Ryan’s books because she packs so much into it that it’s really more than just a romance.
This Could Be Us is a book about rising up from the ashes, reminding yourself that you can stand on your own two feet, and demonstrating that parenting is the greatest act of selfless love and yet a bit of self-centered love is necessary too. It’s a book about sisterhood and family and finding your person. It’s all of this and I loved it.
I loved watching Soladad’s journey of re-finding the trust she has in herself and recognizing an amazing man when she sees one when he proves over and over that he is and not like her scheming, rotten ex-husband.
This book has it all – great writing, amazing storytelling, beautiful characters and a depiction of life with all the highs and lows that accompany it. I highly recommend it!
Check out my book review of This Could Be Us.
Just for the Summer
by Abby Jimenez
A Fake Relationship That is So Much More
April 2024
5 stars
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it’s now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They’ll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other’s out, and they’ll both go on to find the love of their lives. It’s a bonkers idea… and it just might work.
Emma hadn’t planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka.
It’s supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected–including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
Don’t let this sweet book cover fool you. Jimenez made me feel everything with these characters. She made me weep with such heartache, she made me bawl my eyes out with compassion and empathy and she made me smile with such sweetness. I had SO MANY feelings throughout this book and I’m thankful for the entire ride.
I find that it is those books that pull on my emotions in such a way that I’m moved to tears are often the ones that stick with me long after finishing the final page which is why this made my list of best romance novels of 2024.
This was a tough read in some respects because both Emma and Justin are dealing with some heavy issues while falling in love but man it is so, so good.
Check out my book review of Just for the Summer.
The Rule Book
by Sarah Adams
A Second Chance Romance With One of the Best Heroines Ever Written
April 2024
5 stars
Nora Mackenzie’s entire career lies in the hands of famous NFL tight end Derek Pender, who also happens to be her extremely hot college ex-boyfriend. Nora didn’t end things as gracefully as she could have back then, and now it has come back to haunt her. Derek is her first client as an official full-time sports agent and he’s holding a grudge.
Derek has set his sights on a little friendly revenge. If Nora Mackenzie, the first girl to ever break his heart, wants to be his agent, oh, he’ll let her be his agent. The plan is simple: make Nora’s life absolutely miserable. But if Derek knows anything about the woman he once loved—she won’t quit easily.
Instead of giving in, Nora starts a scheme of her own. But then a wild night in Vegas leads to Nora and Derek in bed the next morning married. With their rule book out the window, could this new relationship save their careers or spark the romance of a lifetime?
Just when I think I can’t love another Sarah Adams book more than her last she gives us this! This book is hands down my favorite book by Adams and one of the best romance books of 2024 because of the characters.
Derek is the hot jock I hoped he would be and yet he was also this really kind and thoughtful guy who was completely ga-ga over Nora.
But Nora…oh man goodness did I love this heroine. I seriously couldn’t flip the pages fast enough to get to her next hilarious turn of phrase or just quirky way of talking or diffusing a situation. I also loved how Adams wrote about Nora’s struggle with feeling different or “too much” for people.
This is one of those 5-star books that you just never want to end because you want even more of these characters that you’ve fallen for utterly and completely. I cannot recommend it enough.
Check out my book review of The Rule Book.
Here We Go Again
by Alison Cochrun
A Second Chance Romance With a Road Trip to Remember
April 2024
5 stars
A long time ago, Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale used to be friends. They spent their childhood summers running through the woods, rebelling against their conservative small town, and dreaming of escaping. But then an incident the summer before high school turned them into bitter rivals. After graduation, they went ten years without speaking.
Now in their thirties, Logan and Rosemary find they aren’t quite living the lives of adventure they imagined for themselves. Still in their small town and working as teachers at their alma mater, they’re both stuck in old patterns. Uptight Rosemary chooses security and stability over all else, working constantly, and her most stable relationship is with her label maker.
Chaotic and impulsive Logan has a long list of misguided ex-lovers and an apathetic shrug she uses to protect herself from anything real. And as hard as they try to avoid each other—and their complicated past—they keep crashing into each other. Including with their cars.
But when their beloved former English teacher and lifelong mentor tells them he has only a few months to live, they’re forced together once and for all to fulfill his last wish: a cross-country road trip.
Stuffed into the gayest van west of the Mississippi, the three embark on a life-changing summer trip—from Washington state to the Grand Canyon, from the Gulf Coast to coastal Maine—that will chart a new future and perhaps lead them back to one another.
From the original characters, to the cross-country road trip, to the human look at mortality and end of life, there is so much to love about this book that truly packs a punch.
Right from the start, it seemed kind of obvious why these two were like oil and water. No two people could be more opposite than Logan – the ride by the seat of your pants, impulsive philanderer who still lived at home with her father and Rosemary – the controlling, anxious and slightly uptight perfectionist.
Embarking on a cross-country road trip with their dying former mentor, you knew that chaos was going to ensue and it did, though it also turned into this amazing journey for them all.
Cochrun has this amazing ability to weave in important mental health and real-life topics that impact personal lives and thus their relationships into her stories and she definitely does so in Here We Go Again.
While my heart broke at times for these characters, I also found myself laughing at the hilarity of them traveling around in a ridiculous van and getting into situations that just made you laugh out loud. Definitely one of the best of 2024.
Check out my book review of Here We Go Again.
Nine Month Contract
by Amy Daws
A Surrogacy Romance With Banter and Heat
April 2024
5 stars
Help Wanted: Grumpy Mountain Man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only. Surrogate must be impervious to grunting in the form of communication and nosey brotherly neighbors. Rustic mountain range housing available upon request.
I wanted to pummel my irritating brothers when they posted their own version of a wanted ad to help me with my life. But I can’t fault the results once the right woman lands on my lap.
Becoming a single father is not a decision I made lightly. In fact, it’s the biggest decision of my entire life. Which is why when I interview Trista, I know she’s perfect.
She’s wild, she’s opinionated, she wears cowboy boots. Even my pet goat loves her. She’s the exact type of person I was holding out for.
And to my great horror, I realize on our first night of attempting this baby making dance…when the lights are low, the cheap wine is flowing, and the home insemination supplies are laid out on the kitchen counter…I want to do a lot more than just make her my surrogate. I want to make her mine.
From their first attempt at insemination to their simmering attraction and the animals on the farm that keep multiplying, this book is such a great blend of Amy’s humor and banter while also blending other important topics such as body image, family love and support and the ability to trust that someone can be there for you no matter what.
Wyatt is absolutely top book boyfriend material. He loves Trista for the woman she is and the body she has and shows her every chance he can get. Acts of service is truly this man’s love language. He is also one amazing dirty talker and I loved it!
Trista is a woman after my own heart. She is a product of parental neglect and yet she is so strong and determined. I loved how she slowly came to accept the love that Wyatt and his entire family had for her.
If you love books with humor and heart and wonderful characters, you’re going to love Nine Month Contract. It’s hands down one of the best romance books of 2024!
Check out my book review of Nine Month Contract.
Savor It
by Tarah DeWitt
A Character-Driven Slow Burn With All the Feels
May 2024
5 stars
Sage Byrd has lived in the coastal town of Spunes, Oregon (not to be confused with Forks, Washington) her entire life. She’s learned to love her small world, with the misfit animals on her hobby farm, and her friendships with the town’s inhabitants.
But when her 5-year relationship ends and her ex, town-golden-boy Ian, suddenly gets engaged, Sage needs a win—something that will convince everyone to stop pitying her all the time, and to put Ian in his place. The Festival of Spunes, the town’s annual summer competition, would be the perfect opportunity. She just needs a partner.
Fisher Lange was a hotshot chef in New York City until the loss of his sister left him numb, grieving, and responsible for his teenage niece Indy. When Fisher loses his Michelin star along with his love of cooking, his boss sends him and Indy to Spunes on a much-needed summer sabbatical to consult on a restaurant opening.
But when clashes with the townspeople threaten his last chance to redeem himself and a kiss with his new neighbor Sage leads to dating rumors, a strategic alliance might just be the best way to turn things around.
A deal is struck. Sage will improve Fisher’s image in the eyes of the town and remove the roadblocks he is facing with the restaurant, and Fisher will be Sage’s partner for the competition.
But as their pact quickly turns into steamy rendezvous, emotional wounds begin to heal, and the pair tries to savor every moment, they start to realize that summer is racing by much faster than they would like…
The writing, story pacing, and character development were just perfection in Savor It. I absolutely loved the dialogue between Sage and Fisher that let them drop their walls and show their true selves, hurts, flaws and all, and it only made me (and their fellow character) love them more.
When the two of them were flirting it got so hot and came at these perfect moments that just hit you in all the feels. It was like the perfect slow burn that would just catch fire at the best times and I could not put the book down because I only wanted more.
This book also totally made me ugly cry. There were so many moments that made me tear up but then by the end I was full on sobbing. Gosh I love books that can evoke such strong feelings and this one did that throughout which is why it’s in my best romance books of 2024 pile!
Check out my book review of Savor It.
This Summer Will Be Different
by Carley Fortune
The Perfect Beach Read That Will Have You Flying to Canada
May 2024
5 stars
This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.
Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother.
Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again. It’s easier said than done.
Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.
If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.
When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.
This book also made my list of most anticipated new romance books of 2024 because I loved the setting of this best friend’s brother romance that is Prince Edward Island, Canada. Fortune makes you feel like you’re a native on the island from the oyster-sucking contests, to the beach walks, the lighthouse tours, and of course the Anne of Green Gables sites.
Trust me when I say you’ll want to take a trip to Canada after reading this book.
But while I loved the brilliant setting of this story, I also truly loved the friendship between Bridge and Bee and the forbidden romance that spans years between Lucy and Felix.
From the setting to the story pacing to the characters and overall story arc I thought this book was a wonderful read and definitely a must-read book of the summer.
Check out my book review of This Summer Will Be Different.
Summer Romance
by Annabel Monaghan
A Sweet Romance With a Swoony Hero
June 2024
5 stars
Ali Morris is a professional organizer whose own life is a mess. Her mom passed away two years ago, then her husband left, and she hasn’t worn pants with a zipper in longer than she cares to remember.
No one is more surprised than Ali when the first time she takes off her wedding ring and puts on pants with hardware—overalls count, right?—she meets someone. Or rather, her dog claims a man for her…by peeing on him.
Ethan smiles at Ali like her pants are just right—like he likes what he sees. He looks at her like she’s a younger, braver version of herself. The last thing newly single mom Ali needs is to make her life messier, but there’s no harm in a little summer romance. Is there?
Annabel Monaghan’s books have become the must-read books of summer but Summer Romance blew me away and became my favorite Monaghan title.
She created the best, most realistic characters whom I’d want to meet in real life. Ali, a working mom who needs to find herself again amidst a divorce and Ethan a lovable guy who just wants to do right by Ali and the found family he’s met in Devon.
I loved how they found each other again and that Ethan’s crush was alive and well so many years after high school. This was the best beach read of the year which also earned a spot on my list of best audiobooks!
Check out my book review of Summer Romance.
The Rom-Commers
by Katherine Center
A Romcom That’s a Love Letter to All Romcoms
June 2024
5 stars
Emma Wheeler desperately longs to be a screenwriter. She’s spent her life studying, obsessing over, and writing romantic comedies—good ones! That win contests! But she’s also been the sole caretaker for her kind-hearted dad, who needs full-time care.
Now, when she gets a chance to re-write a script for famous screenwriter Charlie Yates—The Charlie Yates! Her personal writing god!—it’s a break too big to pass up.
Emma’s younger sister steps in for caretaking duties, and Emma moves to L.A. for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime. But what is it they say? Don’t meet your heroes? Charlie Yates doesn’t want to write with anyone—much less “a failed, nobody screenwriter.”
Worse, the romantic comedy he’s written is so terrible it might actually bring on the apocalypse. Plus! He doesn’t even care about the script—it’s just a means to get a different one green-lit. Oh, and he thinks love is an emotional Ponzi scheme.
But Emma’s not going down without a fight. She will stand up for herself, and for rom-coms, and for love itself. She will convince him that love stories matter—even if she has to kiss him senseless to do it. But . . . what if that kiss is accidentally amazing? What if real life turns out to be so much . . . more real than fiction? What if the love story they’re writing breaks all Emma’s rules—and comes true?
It’s been a no-brainer to pick up Katherine Center’s new romance book each and every year but The Rom-Commers is absolutely my favorite of her work and such a love letter to readers who love romance and movie-goers who love rom-coms.
Yes, I adored Emma’s staunch love and defense of the beloved rom-com in cinema but it is truly the characters and central message that love and gratitude make the world go round that made this one of the best of the year.
I am a romance book lover and rom-com lover at heart and this book felt like such a fun defense of everything that I love about reading and watching romcoms.
Plus, the push-pull between Emma and Charlie while they were working together provided amazing chemistry for a wonderful love story between two people deserving of that love. The Rom-Commers is not to be missed this year!
Check out my book review of The Rom-Commers.
Just Some Stupid Love Story
by Katelyn Doyle
A Second Chance Romance With the Sweetest of Cinnamon Rolls
June 2024
5 stars
Molly Marks writes Hollywood rom-coms for a living—which is how she knows “romance” is a racket. The one and only time she was naive enough to fall in love was with her high school boyfriend, Seth—who she ghosted on the eve of graduation and hasn’t seen in fifteen years.
Seth Rubinstein believes in love, the grand, fated kind, despite his job as, well…one of Chicago’s most successful divorce attorneys. Over the last decade, he’s sought “the one” in countless bad dates and rushed relationships. He knows his soulmate is out there. But so far, no one can compare to Molly Marks, the first girl who broke his heart.
When Molly’s friends drag her to Florida for their fifteenth high school reunion, it is poetic justice that she’s forced to sit with Seth. Too many martinis and a drunken hookup later, they decide to make a bet: whoever can predict the fate of five couples before the next reunion must declare that the other is right about true love. The catch? The fifth couple is the two of them.
Molly assures Seth they are a tale of timeless heartbreak. Seth promises she’ll end up hopelessly in love with him. She thinks he’s delusional. He has five years to prove her wrong.
This book was a total surprise and a total delight. I cannot wait to read more from Katelyn Doyle! It was one of my most anticipated new romance books of 2024 and did not disappoint.
Just Some Stupid Love Story is this beautiful, quirky, second chance romance between two complete opposites who once loved each other as teenagers but whose hearts were broken on their high school graduation day.
Seth is the adorable, cinnamon roll-type hero I don’t usually gravitate to but I could not help but fall for. Molly is the heroine afraid of relationships, carrying around some significant daddy issues and family trauma.
But Doyle weaves this incredible slow burn, second chance romance between these two opposites that made me believe that they could finally find their happily ever after together. Her characterizations were so spot on but she didn’t succumb to generalizations that could have made this book seem predicable at best.
Doyle’s banter and self-reflections were just so well-written that I was hooked and thoroughly enjoyed this read. It’s truly one of the best romance books of 2024 that I’ve read so far this year.
Check out my book review of Just Some Stupid Love Story.
Play Along
by Liz Tomforde
The Best Oops Marriage Romance in One of the Best Sports Romance Series
July 2024
5 stars
Kennedy Kay is the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and she’s desperate to land her dream job with a new team next year. But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop, Isaiah Rhodes, threatens it all, since they wake up married the next morning with no recollection of how that happened.
Now they’re left to pretend they are a real couple to save Kennedy’s job but Isaiah isn’t settling with just pretending. He’s ready to prove he is husband material and just needs to convince his new wife to play along for the long haul.
I had already fallen completely head over heels for the Windy City series after reading the first three books but Play Along rivals Caught Up as my all-time favorite if it’s even possible to pick one they are all THAT GOOD!
Not only is this a fantastic baseball romance between a hot shot shortstop and the female athletic trainer in his clubhouse but it’s such a great example of what a book with the “oops Vegas marriage” trope should be.
Tomforde did such an amazing job conveying the history between Isaiah and Kennedy with the prologue (and previous book) that it was easy to see how their forced proximity at the office and in the marriage they had to uphold could easily tip Kennedy into falling for Isaiah when he was already head over heels.
Isaiah is in the running for top book boyfriend of 2024 because he was so incredibly kind, patient and caring when it came to Kenny’s uncomfortableness with being touched. I loved how he helped her feel truly alive when she was such a shell of her true self.
From the writing, to the plotline, the characters backstories and the romance, it was never a question that this book would make my list of the best of 2024. I’m only sad that Rio’s story will be the last in the series.
Check out my book review of Play Along.
Related: Liz Tomforde Books in Order
Business Casual
by B.K. Borison
A Small Town Romance With a Hero I Want to Hug So Badly
July 2024
5 stars
Nova Porter isn’t looking for love, and she certainly has no explanation for her attraction to buttoned-up, three-piece-suit-wearing investment banker Charlie Milford. Maybe it’s his charm? Or maybe it’s his determination to help her fledgling business however he can.
Either way, she’s distracted every time he’s around. With her new tattoo studio set to open in her hometown of Inglewild, she doesn’t have time for frivolous flirtations.
In an effort to get Charlie out of her system once and for all, Nova offers a proposition. One night. No strings. They’ll kick their uncomfortable attraction to the curb and return to their respective responsibilities.
But their hot night together scatters their expectations like fallen leaves. And with Charlie in town as the temporary head of Lovelight Farms, Nova can’t quite avoid him.
And Charlie? Well, Charlie knows a good investment when he sees one. He’s hoping he can convince Nova he’s worth some of her time.
While I’m sad to say good-bye to the Lovelight Farms series, Borison sure did end it with a bang and such a swoon-worthy love story that hit me with all the feels with its wonderful characters.
Charlie is the sweetest cinnamon roll yet he also broke my heart since beneath the facade and exterior that he projects, is a man who doesn’t believe he deserves a place in people’s lives.
I loved the secret nature of Charlie and Nova’s relationship, their banter, flirting and hilarious texting and the honesty that they shared with one another. Borison makes writing romance seem so easy when you love everything about her work. This is a book, couple and series I won’t soon forget.
The Games Gods Play
by Abigail Owen
The BEST Romantasy If You Love Hades & Strong Heroines
September 2024
5+ Stars
The gods love to play with us mere mortals. And every hundred years, we let them…
I have never been favored by the gods. Far from it, thanks to Zeus. Living as a cursed office clerk for the Order of Thieves, I just keep my head down and hope the capricious beings who rule from Olympus won’t notice me. Not an easy feat, given San Francisco is Zeus’ patron city, but I make do. I survive. Until the night I tangle with a different god. The worst god. Hades.
For the first time ever, the ruthless, mercurial King of the Underworld has entered the Crucible—the deadly contest the gods hold to determine a new ruler to sit on the throne of Olympus. But instead of fighting their own battles, the gods name mortals to compete in their stead.
So why in the Underworld did Hades choose me—a sarcastic nobody with a curse on her shoulders—as his champion? And why does my heart trip every time he says I’m his?
I don’t know if I’m a pawn, bait, or something else entirely to this dangerously tempting god. How can I, when he has more secrets than stars in the sky? Because Hades is playing by his own rules…and Death will win at any cost.
Every once in a blue moon I read a book that instantly grabs me from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the very end. And considering that this book is over 600 pages, that is really saying something that I fell hard and fast for this romantasy and never wanted it to end. I NEED BOOK TWO NOW!
This book is EPIC and deserves all the stars. Lyra is the strong, selfless heroine you love to read in romantasy books and Hades…there’s a reason we all love the God and King of the Underworld. I love how this is a complete story despite ending on a cliffhanger to set up the next book.
If you’re looking for the must-read fantasy romance of the year with amazing writing, character development and story pacing, this is it. Perfection!
Which romance book do you think deserves a place on this list of best romance novels of 2024? Share in the comments below.