Best Romance Novels Ever Written
Best Romance Novels Ever Written
Let's get straight to the meat.
1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
By far the most loved love story of all time, Pride and Prejudice is a great place to start. Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy, and the situation is stated in the first line: "It is a widely recognized truth that a single man who owns a fortune must have a wife." The thrust? Will you get married for love or money?
See Also: The 20 Greatest Romantic Novels Ever, According to Good reads Reviews
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Claire is driven back in time to Scotland in the 1700s, where she meets Jamie Fraser, a Scotts warrior who teaches Claire love she never knew. But she still has a husband in her own time, one distinctly different from the wild and wonderful Scotsman. Who will she choose?
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
An orphan and outcast, Jane Eyre takes on a governess position for a young girl in a somewhat mysterious situation with a dark and gloomy master, Edward Rochester. What secrets are hiding in Thornfield Hall? And what will Jane do when she discovers Mr. Rochester's dark past?
4. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Spoiled, the wayward Scarlett O'Hara finds herself in a difficult situation during the Civil War. Her family's fortunes and plantation are in tatters, and Scarlett uses all the resources in her toolkit to keep her family and country out of poverty. The infamous Rhett Butler offers her a way out, but will she lose her heart in the process?
5. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Another amazing story by the master Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility shows us two women in love. Marianne Dashwood is impulsive in her love for the charming Willoughby, and Elinor Dashwood is sensible but struggles to hide her fear with her love for Edward Ferras.
6. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
This man can write a love story. Every morning an elderly gentleman visits a woman with a fading memory to read to her from a worn notebook. The notebook he is reading contains Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson's love story and Allie's dilemma: marry her fiancé or give up everything for Noah.
7. Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught
Fresh from her triumphs in Parisian society, Whitney Stone returned to England to win Paul's heart, her childhood sweetheart ... to be negotiated by her bankrupt father with the handsome, arrogant duke from Claymore. Even when his smoldering passion entices her into a growing storm of desire, Whitney cannot - not - give up on her dream of perfect love.
8. A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
The lovely Dougless Montgomery is abandoned in an English church where a knight in shining armor suddenly appears… from the 16th century. It is Nicholas Stafford, Earl of Thornwyck, who has come to rescue his damsel in distress.
9. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
An immigrant father reads to a young boy who is recovering from pneumonia and wants to know whether the book contains sports or is boring. His father says, "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. The most beautiful ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all kinds and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave. Men ... Cowardly men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapements. Lies. Truths. Passions. Miracles. "And the little boy, though he doesn't know, is about to change forever.
10. AfterForever Ends Melody Ramone
Orphaned's by her mother and brushed away by her father, fifteen-year-old Silvia Cotton had lived a lonely life. That is, until 1985, when her father moved the family from the Highlands of Scotland to the Midlands of Wales. There, enrolled in Bennington, a private boarding school, she meets charming and rebellious Dickinson twins Oliver and Alexander, and her regrettable life changes forever.
11. Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase The
tough Jessica Trent's sole purpose is to free her nitwit brother from the destructive influence of Sebastian Ballister, the infamous Marquess of Dain. She never expects the arrogant, amoral cad. And when Dain's mutual passion puts them in an outrageously compromising and public position, Jessica has no choice but to seek satisfaction.
12. The Bride by Julie Garwood
According to the king's edict, Alec Kincaid, the most powerful of the Scottish lairds, must take an English bride. And Jamie, the youngest daughter of Baron Jamison, is his choice. From his first glimpse of the proud and beautiful English lady, Alec felt a burning hunger. But with the wedding vows, Jamie takes her own secret oath: she will never surrender her love to this Highland barbarian.
13. Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant - and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless and extravagant, he was transparently called the "D of J" in scandal magazines. But sometimes the most womanizing hit-shell can be irresistible, and even its most causal attention captivated the sheltered Maddy Timms. Maddy knows that helping him is her destiny and her only chance to find the real man behind the evil facade.
14. Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips The
genius physics professor Dr. Jane Darlington desperately wants a baby. But finding a father won't be easy. Jane's super intelligence made her feel like a freak, and she's determined to spare her own child from suffering. Cal Bonner, the legendary Chicago Stars quarterback, seems like the perfect choice. Dr. Jane finds out just a little too late that this good old boy is much smarter than he lets on - and he's not about to be used and abandoned by some clever, baby-crazy scheming.
15. Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypasvaps
Evangeline Jenner is about to get rich once her inheritance. Having to escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives first, Evie the rake has approached Viscount St. Vincent with a very scandalous proposal: get married! But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: don't have sex after their wedding night. Sebastian will just have to work harder on his temptations ... or maybe give up his own heart for the first time in the name of true love.
16. Beloved awakened by JR Ward
The vampire Zsa dist, a former slave blood, still bears the scars of a past full of suffering and humiliation. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion - until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society. Bella is immediately captivated by the swirling power that Zsadist possesses. Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his haunted past and find a future with her.
17. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Simon Basset is in every way about to propose to his best friend's sister, the beautiful - and almost shelved - Daphne Bridgerton. But it's all a complicated plan to keep Simon free from mothers who nurture the marriage-conscious society. And as for Daphne, she will certainly attract some worthy suitors now that it looks like a duke has declared her desirable. But as Daphne waltzes through ballroom after ballroom with Simon, it's hard to remember that their courtship is a complete sham.
18. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
In the summer of 1941, the Metanov family led a difficult life in Leningrad. As the German armies advance, their future looks bleak. For Tatiana, love comes in the guise of Alexander, who hides a deadly and extraordinary secret.
19. The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwissfaces
Captain Brandon Birmingham, a lusty adventurer married to the sea,disdain and danger when he abducts the beautiful fugitive Heather Simmons from the tumultuous harbor of London. But no power on earth can compel him to part with his fine prize. For he is determined to beautify the woman with the sapphire eyes ... and to take her to distant, unknown realms of sensual, passionate love.
20. The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family - rich, powerful, dangerous, eccentric. The youngest brother, Ian, known as the Mad Mackenzie, spent most of his young life in an asylum, and everyone agrees he's decidedly strange. Beth Ackerley, a widow, has recently made a fortune. She has decided to take her money and find peace, to travel, to learn art, to sit back and to fondly remember her brief but happy marriage to her late husband. And then Ian Mackenzie decides he wants her.
21. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The novel begins in Monte Carlo where the heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden marriage proposal. Orphaned and working as a maid, she can hardly believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his vast estate that she realizes how great a shadow his dead wife will cast over their lives - presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.
22. Indigo by Beverly Jenkins
As a child, Hester Wyatt escaped slavery, but now the dark beauty is a member of Michigan's Underground Railroad, offering other runaways a chance for the freedom she has come to love. When one of her fellow conductors brings her an injured man to hide, Hester doesn't hesitate ... even after being told about the price on his head. The man in question is known as the "Black Daniel", a vital member of the North's Underground Railroad network. But Hester finds him so rude and arrogant that she questions her vow to hide him.
23. Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath
Houston Leigh survived the Civil War, though severely scarred inside and out. But will he survive a perilous journey down the wild trails of Texas with Miss Amelia Carson, his handsome brother's mail-order bride?
24. The Serpent Garden by Judith Merkle Riley
Left in debt when her philandering artist husband is murdered by his mistress's jealous husband, Susanna Dallet must rely on her skills as a miniature painter for her new position at the court of the cunning. Cardinal Wolsey. Fortunately, there is a wayward angel and a handsome but easily confused court secretary who is watching her.
25. Devastated by Amanda Quick
Harriet Pomeroy, the daughter of the fossil hunt, calls on the infamous Viscount St. Justin to hunt down the thieves who have hidden their loot in the caves where she works in sleepy Upper Biddleton. Love, intrigue, and lots of old bones can't be far behind.
Editors' Choice
Here are our own personal top five favorites. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below!
1. Roller Girl by Vanessa North
Recently divorced Tina Durham tries (and fails) to be self-sufficient until Joanne "Joe Mama" comes to Delario's rescue. Joe sees something special in Tina and introduces her to things that will change Tina's life.
2. A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles
Everyone depends on Lord Richard Vane for advice and help. But who does Lord Richard turn to? His servant, a fixer of unparalleled genius ... and the object of Richard's deepest desires.
3. Zero at the Bone by Jane Seville
After witnessing a mob hit, surgeon Jack Francisco is taken into protective custody to keep him safe until he can testify. An assassin known only as D is blackmailed into murdering Jack, but when he tracks him down, his conscience won't allow him to kill an innocent. The pair find an unlikely ally in each other.
4. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
Nan King, an oyster girl, is based in Victorian London and is fascinated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, an extraordinary male impersonator who takes to the stage. This is a story about their love and Nan's journey of self-discovery.
5. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.
It is the first story of two women in the 1980s, of gray-haired Mrs. Threadgoode who tells her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad middle-aged slump. The story she tells is also about two women - from the unstoppably daring tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth, who ran a small place in the 1930s in Whistle Stop, Alabama, a southern kind of Cafe Wobegon with good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even the occasional murder.
What did we miss?
Is your favorite romance novel missing from this list? Let us know in the comments below!
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