Top Ten Tuesday: Romance Books I Recommend

Hello everybody! Today I’m doing my first Top Ten Tuesday of the year, and I genuinely can’t remember the last time I did a prompt. Nonetheless, today is Valentine’s Day themed so I thought I’d chat about some of my favourite adult romances that I’ve read, as it’s become one of my absolute go to genres in the past year and I probably don’t mention these as much as YA romances I pick up. Onto the post!

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The Flatshare– I’m almost certain this was like the first adult book I’d picked up, and I think that may be why I only gave it four stars because I honestly thought I’d gave it 5 before I checked my Goodreads. I really loved both the main characters and their slow burn romance, which develops through them sending each other notes about the flat they share- Tiffy lives there at night while Leon is at work, and vice versa. I also loved all the scenes that took place at their workplaces, particularly Leon’s! And the storyline with his brother was amazing as well. And I seriously want to be Tiffy’s friend Gertie when I grow up because she’s a serious badass.

Sealed with a Kiss– I read this towards the end of 2019, just after I started uni, and it really is lovely. It’s about a woman named Kate who moves to a small Scottish island, and takes a job as a Girl Friday for the laird, who she falls in love with. Between the seals and the super lovely romance (and Finn, who is just a delight), this just has to be my favourite of Rachael Lucas’s wonderful books.

If I Never Met You– if you haven’t heard me raving about this book yet, where have you been? It’s a masterpiece. It’s about a woman named Laurie who unexpectedly splits up with her partner of 18 yearss, and the fake romance she and Jamie from her office cook up to achieve different goals. I LOVE fake dating stories and this is hands down the best one I’ve ever read, it just felt so natural and right and I desperately wanted them to work out as a couple. The Hooded Claw moment is one of my top funny scenes in fiction and there are so many other hilarious occurrences in this book. I keep saying I need to have a reread and I really must get onto that soon because I need to experience it all over again. I only wish I could do it for the first time another time!

Don’t You Forget About Me– this is a very close 2nd favourite to If I Never Met You, when it comes to Mhairi McFarlane. It’s about Georgia, who walks in on her boyfriend sleeping with someone else the same day she gets sacked, and her attempts to turn her life around after this by getting a new job as a barmaid. The only problem is that she has a history with the handsome owner, even though he doesn’t seem to remember it at all. Georgia is a wonderful character, I defy anyone not to love Lucas, the friend group is just the best and if you needed any more convincing, there’s a golden retriever.

In Case You Missed It– I’ve read a few Lindsey Kelk books now, and this is by far the best one in my opinion. It’s about a woman named Ros, who returns home after living abroad for a few years, and her rekindling an old flame (much to the displeasure of her friends and family…). It’s unbelievably funny and a perfect summer read, with a great heroine, hilarious friends and a lovely love interest.

It’s Not Me, It’s You– yes, another Mhairi McFarlane! Don’t judge me, I’ve limited myself to only including three so I promise this is the last one. This one is a little bit different in the sense that it focuses more on Delia’s life after she splits up from her fiance (who she discovers has been cheating on her the night she proposes) and her trying to heal from that by moving to London, but there is still a VERY lovely romance and I had such a good time reading it.

Love Songs for Sceptics– this was Christina Pishiris’s debut, but it’s honestly already made her a favourite author of mine. It’s absolutely hilarious, features some of my favourite tropes and is the story of a music editor finding love amidst facing career problems. I knew I’d love it and I was absolutely spot on!

Someday at Christmas– this is a bit more seasonally appropriate at Christmas I suppose, but it’s such a lovely romance I just couldn’t resist including it on this list because I want to shout about it from the rooftops. It’s about a makeup artist named Shell who works in a beautiful department store, which is on the brink of bankruptcy, as she meets the owner’s grandson Callum and sparks start flying. I loved all the characters so much, the setting is incredible and the romance is just beyond perfection.

The Hating Game– oh my god this book blew me away. I’m not usually a sucker for enemies to lovers but this one got me GOOD. It’s about two assistants called Lucy and Josh who sit across from each other, who have made hating each other into an art form, as they go head to head for a promotion, an arrangement with very high stakes. Both characters are loveable in totally different ways, I was obsessed with the way their relationship kept changing and developing, I loved hearing about their jobs and the ending made me cry. And honestly the epilogue to this was my favourite thing about 99% Mine.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown– this wasn’t QUITE a five star read for me for a few different reasons, but I really loved it and it’s more of 4.75 than a 4 or even 4.5. It’s about a woman named Chloe, who has fibromyalgia, as she moves out into her own apartment and starts falling for the building’s superintendent Redford Morgan. I don’t have fibromyalgia but I do have a chronic health condition that affects my life hugely and I’ve never read a romance where the disabled girl gets the guy before. It meant more to me than I can put into words, and I loved the way Red treated Chloe’s condition- it didn’t matter in terms of him judging her or treating her like a child rather than an adult, or thinking she was too ill or not ill enough, but it mattered very much to help her and look after her. And it gets even more brownie points for the fun, flirty email exchanges between the protagonists!

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Are you a fan of this genre? Will you be picking any of these up as a seasonal read this month? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Amy x

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