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Welcome to post 3 of Romance Week on Addicted to Writing!
Post 1 covered This Romance Writer’s Top 10 Romance Movies,
Post 2 covered This Romance Writer’s Top 10 Romantic (Rock) Songs.
Today I picked 5 of my favorite romantic books from 5 of my favorite romance authors. And worry, I’ve included some bonus suggestions at the end.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I mean of course.
The 2005 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is a pretty great one, so check out my favorite romance movies post for the plot summary.
And yes, I’ve seen the movie more often than I’ve read the book.
But the fact remains that this wonderful classic came first, and it is a must-read.
Also read: Whatever Jane Austen writes.
Anything by Jane Austen guarantees a good time and offers writing lessons by the dozen.
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
This is my favorite novel by Kinsella and my favorite romcom novel after Pride and Prejudice. Hilarious, romantic, and pure gold. Cute movie, but it doesn’t do the book justice. The book was funnier and sexier.
In Can You Keep a Secret?, British Emma works in marketing and has a few embarrassing secrets. Nothing major, but she keeps some from everyone: her colleagues, parents, boyfriend…And she intends to take them to her grave.
Unfortunately, a bumpy plane ride makes her think she will die, so she confesses all of it to the handsome American sitting next to her. They survive, and what’s the worst that could happen? He is a stranger she will never see again.
Except it turns out he is her boss, and he remembers everything. And he finds it amusing to mention them cryptically here and there. To make things more complicated, Emma finds herself increasingly more attracted to him.
Could love work if he knows everything, and you know nothing?
Also read: The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic and Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella.
What If? by Shari Low
What If? has an original and hilarious premise.
In 1999, before the Internet and smartphones, 30-year-old Carly Cooper decides to question if one of the men she loved and left was actually Mr. Right.
So with six great exes scattered all over the world, Carly looks for the answer by quitting her job and tracking them down.
Also read: Why not? by Shari Low
Where Have All The Boys Gone? by Jenny Colgan
Where have all the boys gone? is laugh-out-loud, funny, and it has great (and realistic) premise, very romantic. Good for wanderlust too.
Frustrated by London’s bad dates, high rates, and suffocating crowds, Katie goes to a job interview in Fairlish, Scotland. Nature is beautiful, and the men are plenty. But she hates her prospective boss Harry.
Unfortunately, her boss Olivia takes them on as a client, so she has to go anyway. Followed by her depressed best friend Louise, she has to endure the stern and inhospitable boarding house owner and the grumpy Harry.
Cute journalist Iain seems to make things a bit better, and she eventually gets used to her new life.
But why do Harry and Iain hate each other? And why is she so confused?
Also read: The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan.
Highland Fling by Katie Fforde
I’ll read anything with Katie Fforde and enjoy it, but nothing will make me as happy and entertained as Highland Fling. I read this book several times.
English virtual assistant Jenny packs up for a job in Scotland, much to the dismay of her boyfriend Henry. She has to settle in the Dalmain House, a cold, unwelcoming structure that could belong in a horror movie. She also has to deal with a failing mill, handsome and abrasive Ross who couldn’t be more different than her (or Henry), and remain sane while doing an impossible job.
This is the novel that made me want to go to Scotland. And I definitely wouldn’t mind a guy like Ross.
Also read: Any Katie Fforde book is fair game.
Want More Suggestions? Check out:
The Nanny by Melissa Nathan
Sex, Lies, and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson
Café Tropicana by Belinda Jones
Like my taste?
You might try my romcom Making A Difference (M.A.D.) It’ll be $0.99 until the 15th of February. It’s free to read for Kindle Unlimited members.
Making A Difference (M.A.D.) Plot Summary
Making A Difference (M.A.D.) is a contemporary romantic comedy set in NYC.
Everybody loves Jay. He’s that humanitarian PR guru who doesn’t live like the rich and runs a profitable company so that he’ll have more resources to help people. He defines himself through how much he and his company make a positive impact.
He’s engaged to a gorgeous CEO whose purse collection could feed the homeless in NYC, but he’s only human.
If anyone notices the irony, it’s Jay’s new partner Zoe. 10 years older than her, Jay is the reason she studied PR. So when Jay’s business partner/best friend takes a less pressuring position, she’s delighted to return to the firm she interned for.
But Jay and Zoe have a big secret: 5 years ago, they fell hard for each other. She was a student at NYU where Jay was a lecturer. To Jay, his legacy was everything, and he’d never risk his reputation by dating a student. Moreover, he’d die before he let Zoe ruin her career. She is furious he doesn’t take the risk for them. She leaves the country to get over him.
And now she’s happily coupled-up with lovely writer Colin.
Colin detests Jay, and he doesn’t even know the entire story. Zoe’s upset Colin’s turning into a whiny jerk, but he’s the first guy she has felt strongly for in a long time.
Jay can no longer dismiss his feelings as nostalgia, but Zoe’s still furious at him. And the last time he tried to fix things, she left the company and the country. And now that the stakes are even higher.
Will Jay be able to follow his heart even when improving the world seems easier?
Are you a writer looking to create an amazing romance? Check out my romance writing guides. They’re $0.99 until the 15th of February.
