6 romance novels to read if you’re feeling lonely after Valentine’s Day
Spend Valentine’s Day scrolling through others’ couple posts? Date stood you up? Here are a half-dozen romances to help ease the ache in your heart.
“Legends and Lattes” by Travis Baldree
“Legends and Lattes” is an entry in the “cozy fantasy” genre, which focuses more on slice-of-life and building community than slaying dragons and battling monsters. In “Legends and Lattes”, an orc warrior hangs up her broadsword to start a cafe, making friends and falling in love along the way. The relationship is a key aspect, but not the main focus, of the novel, making it a good choice if you’re not looking for a pure romance novel.
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” by Mackenzi Lee
This part-historical, fantasy and romance novel follows English gentleman Henry “Monty” Montague as he travels 18th-century Europe with the companionship of his sister Felicity and his best friend (and maybe something more) Percy. In addition to the romantic aspects, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” also features a continent-wide manhunt with our protagonist as the target for extra adrenaline, with a significant amount of social commentary to boot.
“The Lonely Hearts Book Club” by Lucy Gilmore
A “book about books”, “The Lonely Hearts Book Club” revolves around a handful of residents of a small town as they build a community around reading all kinds of literature. This is another book that isn’t purely romantic, as it also discusses the familial and platonic bonds between the book club members. The characters are quirky and lovable, each with their own internal conflicts, making this a good novel if you want to be able to step into the shoes of multiple characters while you read.
“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
While “Pride and Prejudice” was published two centuries earlier than the other entries on this list, it remains one of the most notable romance novels in history for a reason. Perhaps the original “enemies to lovers” story, it details the relationship between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy as they grow to understand each other and move past their first impressions to find love. If you prefer reading subtitles to sentences, “Pride and Prejudice” has also been adapted to screen in both film and television mini-series.
“The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” by Sangu Mandanna
Another “cozy fantasy” novel, “The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches” hews closer to “Harry Potter” than “Dungeons & Dragons” with its story about an underground magical community. Undercover witch Mika Moon is invited to a mysterious residence called the “Nowhere House” to train three young witches, but she faces opposition in the form of the overprotective (and, of course, very handsome) librarian Jamie. In addition to its main romantic relationship, there are also “found family” aspects to the plot, with the relationship between Mika and the three witchlings being fleshed out in addition to her relationship between Mika and Jamie.
“This Is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
“This Is How You Lose the Time War”, published in 2019 by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (and boosted in 2023 by a “Trigun Stampede” fan account with a name not fit to print), follows the romance between two agents from rival factions traveling time and space to secure victory for their own side. The romance between Red and Blue blossoms in the form of letters, first taunting, then tender, as the pair reconsider their loyalties and what is really important.
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