Hey guys, this is my first post on this blog and I am beyond excited to finally share it with you. I wanted to start by recommending my top 5 romance books I read in 2020 and which I believe you should read too. They are my favorites because the writing in each book is just incredible, they will have your feelings all over the place. I hope you'll at least find a new book to read in these 5 picks.
Disclaimer: Average rating is based on Goodreads along with every synopsis, and nothing is affiliated or sponsored in this post.
1) Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan
Genres: New Adult fiction & Romance novel
Pages: 460
Date Published: March 20, 2018
Publisher: Scribechick Media, LLC
Average Rating: 4.7/5
Synopsis:
A Standalone FORBIDDEN LOVE SET IN THE EXPLOSIVE WORLD OF THE NBA...
Think you know what it's like being a baller's girl?
You don't.
My fairy tale is upside down.
A happily never after.
I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud.
I was a fool, and his love - fool's gold.
Now there's a new player in the game, August West
One of the NBA's brightest stars.
Fine. Forbidden.
He wants me. I want him.
But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won't let me go.
*Some aspects of this story may be sensitive for some readers.
Favorite quotes:
"If you were mine, Iris, there would be no doubt what position you'd hold in my life. You'd be center. I'd play you at a five." Kennedy Ryan, Long shot
"Time with him resurrected my senses and summoned butterflies in my stomach I thought were long dead." Kennedy Ryan, Long shot
My rating: ★★★★★
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2) Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Genres: Romance Novel & Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Date Published: March 18, 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
Average Rating: 4.2/5
Synopsis: Contains exclusive content: songs from Griffin Peterson Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble—she's a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope…. Maybe someday…
Favorite quotes: "We try to hide everything we're really feeling from those who probably need to know our true feelings the most. People try to bottle up their emotions, as if it's somehow wrong to have natural reactions to life." Colleen Hoover, Maybe Someday
"And if I can't be yours now I'll wait here on this ground till you come, till you take me away. Maybe Someday." Colleen Hoover, Maybe Someday
My rating: ★★★★★
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3) The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert
Contemporary Romance & LGBT Literature
Pages: 350
Date Published: November 3, 2018
Publisher: Nixon House
Average Rating: 3.8/5
Synopsis:
He’s reckless, dominant, and deliciously dirty. This prince is no fairy tale.
Prince Ruben of Helgmøre is his family’s greatest scandal, but the defiant royal won’t change for anyone. He always takes what he wants, and his current obsession is Cherry Neita. The feisty beauty has no idea she’s being seduced by royalty—until they’re caught together in a compromising position. Oops.
All Cherry wanted was a night or two with the hottest man she’d ever seen. Turns out, that man is actually a prince, and now he needs her to play princess. Well, princess-to-be. The deal seems straightforward enough: one year as Ruben’s fake fiancée, and he’ll make all her problems disappear.
But the passion between Cherry and Ruben feels anything but fake, and their connection unearths devastating secrets. Can true love bloom from false beginnings? Or will this fairy tale end in a happy-never-after?
The Princess Trap is a steamy, standalone BWWM royal romance. Warning: this book is 70,000+ words of extreme pleasure and intense romance, ending in a HEA. NO cliffhangers and NO cheating. Enjoy responsibly! Please be aware: this story contains scenes of abuse that could potentially trigger certain audiences.
My favorite quote:
“He turned my mind towards the issue of forever. Of trust, of togetherness. No-one had made me think about things like that before.” Talia Hibbert, The Princess Trap
My rating: ★★★★★
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4) Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas
Genres: Romance Novel & Contemporary Romance
Pages: 405
Date Published: April 2016, 2018
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Average Rating: 4.1/5
Synopsis:
(This one is a gap age romance.)
He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He doesn’t use me, hurt me, or forget about me. He listens to me, protects me, and sees me. I can feel his eyes on me over the breakfast table, and my heart pumps so hard when I hear him pull in the driveway after work.
I have to stop this. It can’t happen. My sister once told me there are no good men, and if you find one, he’s probably unavailable. Only Pike Lawson isn’t the unavailable one.
I am.
PIKE
I took her in, because I thought I was helping. As the days go by, though, it’s becoming anything but easy. I have to stop my mind from drifting to her and stop holding my breath every time I bump into her in the house. I can’t touch her, and I shouldn’t want to.
But we’re not free to give into this. She’s nineteen, and I’m thirty-eight.
And her boyfriend’s father.
Unfortunately, they both just moved into my house.
My favorite quotes:
“Time passes by you like a bullet, and fear gives you the excuses you’re craving to not do the things you know you should. Don’t doubt yourself, don’t second-guess, don’t let fear hold you back, don’t be lazy, and don’t base your decisions on how happy it will make others. Just go for it.” Penelope Douglas, Birthday Girl
“Baby, I hope you love me, because I love you like crazy, and I’m going to want you the rest of my life. I tried to stay away because I thought it was the right thing, but I fucking can’t. I need you, and I love you. This doesn’t happen twice, and I’m not going to be stupid again. I promise.” Penelope Douglas, Birthday Girl
My rating: ★★★★★
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5) Take a hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert
Genres: Contemporary Romance & LGBT Literature
Pages: 400
Date Published: June 23, 2020
Publisher: Avon
Average Rating: 4.1/5
Synopsis:
Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefits—someone who knows the score and knows their way around the bedroom.
When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: Ph.D. student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbae—and Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to help children? Who on earth would refuse?
Dani’s plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zaf’s secretly a hopeless romantic—and he’s determined to corrupt Dani’s stone-cold realism. Before long, he’s tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his... um, thighs.
Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?
My favorite quotes:
“Anything you want to do, you can. Hurdles were made to be jumped. Glass ceilings were made to be smashed. But all that can be exhausting, so make sure you care for yourself too. There's great value in the things that bring you joy.” Talia Hibbert, Take a hint, Dani Brown
“The world wasn’t split into unhappy endings and happily ever afters. There were blessings everywhere and a thousand shades of joy all around him.”Talia Hibbert, Take a hint, Dani Brown
My rating: ★★★★
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Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. I hope I helped you find at least a new romance book to read, let me know in the comments what book you think you might read out of these 5.
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Chelsie
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