Tag: romance

Books for Every Type of Love | Romance Week 2021

February 14, 2021

Happy Valentines Day!

This week I’ve been celebrating all things love and have shared a few other posts to help everyone get into the romantic mood and spirit, so I thought I conclude this week with a few romantic recommendations.

I saw this trend over on Bookstagram, and knew I had to do it too! Below is a list of some of the different types of love and some romantic tropes we can’t help but love! I’ve decided to only include books I’ve read on this list, otherwise these recommendations would be as long as my TBR, but feel free to leave any other recommendations in the comments below!

Enemies to Lovers

Everyones favourite romance trope, and the start of some of my favourite fictional couples, including Feyre and Rhys, Anthony and Kate and Bryce and Hunt. What I love the most about these enemies to lovers tropes is the constant bickering and witty remarks that slowly uncover each others hidden feelings for one another and that moment of realisation where they declare their love! I just can’t get enough and I love that we know they’re going to end up together but they just don’t know it yet!

Fake Dating

Again another ‘unexpected love’ trope that pushes two people in intolerable circumstances to form a ‘fake romance’ in order to solve their problem. However, it’s not that simple, and things start to develop romantically!

Friends to Lovers

This ‘will-they-won’t-they’ trope, already has the strong foundations of friendship and sometimes things blossom into something more!

Arranged Romance/Marriage

What’s more romantic than two people being forced to fall in love with each other? This is very similar to our enemies-to-lovers trope but it’s still a classic theme in YA fiction that us readers can’t help but love. One of my favourites in this category is The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh, a beautiful reimagining of The Arabian Nights legend and series I hope to dive back into this year.

Forbidden Romance

Whether it goes against social conduct, family rules or just the universe pushing two people apart, forbidden romances prove that love can conquer anything and to find peace in those ephemeral moments of adoration. But it also teaches us the importance of communication, am I right?

I will never stop going on about how wonderful The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is, and I highly recommend that it’s on next months TBR because it is such a beautifully heartbreaking read.

Heartbreak

These books broke my heart and left me emotionally shattered, so forewarning for anyone who has these books on their TBR to make sure you have your tissues at the ready. As expected not every relationship ends with a ‘happily ever after’ but it does remind us to cherish those fleeting moments of pure happiness and blissful adoration. They remind us to reflect on them, because these are the moments that ultimately aid us in the moulding of ourselves and our future. Heartbreak is something may of us will endure, but it’s what’s waiting for us on the other side that make it all worthwhile.

Slowburn Romance

There’s nothing I hate more than an ‘insta-love’ situation, I’m much more a slow-burn and gradual romantic development kind of person, ever if the anticipation and teasing does kill me at times! With a slow-burn relationship we’re able to truly see our characters grow and develop meaningful feelings for each other resulting in a strong connection and heartwarming romance that just melts my heart. These longer relationships also allow our characters to slow identify and appreciate each others little quirks and create something beautiful.

Loving Yourself

In the wise words of RuPaul, ‘if you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?’! These books embrace who we are and celebrate loving ourselves unconditionally as we follow our characters on insightful and beautiful journeys of self-discovery and worth. The reading experiences I had with all these books was unlike any other and I’m grateful to have been apart of them.

Family Love

There’s more to love than just the romantic kind, sometimes love can be found within our family, whether they are blood related or a found family, and is the type of love that has no bounds and will be there unconditionally. These books celebrate and reflect on the importance and fragility of family, so be sure to have your tissues at the ready.

And Finally,

Highlander Romance

I know that this isn’t a type of ‘love’ but it is a love of mine! I’m obsessed with these trashy romance novels and I’m making it my mission to read as many as I can. It all started in a pub in Glasgow, where my best friend and I decided to start a book club with some friends from university, and since then I’ve forced them all to experience the wonderfully cheesy romance that is these highlander adventures. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is the exception on this list, and is anything but a trashy romance, instead it’s the perfect alternative for anyone looking for a Scottish inspired historical romance.

Top Romance Books On My TBR – Romance Week 2020

February 11, 2020

Happy Romance Week! As many of you know Friday is Valentine’s Day so in celebration I’ll be posting a couple of romance themed posts. I have to thank Goodreads for the inspiration behind this weeks posts and I highly recommend that you’ve check out their list of best romance novels here! I haven’t read a contemporary romance book since last summer when I read If You Could Go Anywhere by Paige Toon, which was adorable, and since Valentine’s Day is only round the corner I thought I’d share a few of the romance books that are on my TBR for 2020! I’m sucker for all the tropes especially unique meet-cutes, love-hate relationships and a good-old fashioned slow burning romance, for me there’s nothing worse than an insta-love storyline; I need details and development! Anyway, I’d love to know what some of your favourite romance reads are in comments or if any of these books are also on your TBR!

Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella – Everyone raves about Sophie Kinsella but I am ashamed to admit that I’ve never read one of her books, so it’s about time that I changed that. I remember seeing the trailer for this adaptation and it looked so good, so I’m sure that I’m going love this story, as its fair to say that the books are always better than the film.

Emma by Jane Austen – The ultimate romance novel about matchmaking, finding your equal and earning your happy ending!

One Day in December by Josie Silver – This book is more of a wintery read so I might save it for those cold December nights, but still I wait to read this one. Just from the synopsis I know that this book will touch my heart and reaffirm my faith in love. Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic… and then her bus drives away.

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – This book blew up last year and as always I’m last to the party when it comes to reading it! I’m all for royalty and romance, so I’m sure that I’m going to love this book as much as everyone else!

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne – Another book that is soon to be adapted into a film starring Lucy Hale and Robbie Amell. Like I mentioned earlier I’m a sucker for a love-hate romance, this book is all about that. Lucy Hutton is charming and accommodating and prides herself on being loved by everyone at Bexley & Gamin. Everyone except for coldly efficient, impeccably attired, physically intimidating Joshua Templeman. And the feeling is mutual. Trapped in a shared office together hours a week, they’ve become entrenched in an addictive, ridiculous never-ending game of one-upmanship. Lucy can’t let Joshua beat her at anything—especially when a huge new promotion goes up for the taking.

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez – I will admit that I fell utterly in love with this cover and knew I had to find out more about it. Woven in Moonlight is an enchanting tale about magic and romance, that draws heavily from Bolivian politics and history to create a mesmerising literary tapestry. I know this isn’t a contemporary romance but I couldn’t resit including it on this list!

Lola and The Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins – I remember falling utterly in love with Anna and the French Kiss, so I’ve got no idea why I stopped reading this series. I ready for some more light-hearted and adorable moments as well as a guaranteed unique meet-cute.

Summer Days and Summer Nights by Various Authors – A diverse collection of heart-warming stories by various authors including Stephanie Perkins, Leigh Bardugo, Cassandra Clare and more!

On The Fence – Kasie West

September 25, 2016

Kasie West never fails to make me fall in love with her writing, story and characters as they are all just so cute.’On The Fence’ was a lovely and easy read which only took me a couple of days to read, I only wish there was more of it *hint hint*. Once again her characters were unique yet down to earth and relatable which I really enjoyed and it was very easy to fall in love with all of them!

‘On The Fence’ follows the story of sixteen year old Charlie, who can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows thanks to her three brothers but when it comes to being a girl Charlie doesn’t know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers.

Like I’ve already mentioned I loved every single character, especially her brothers who were all really understanding and cool and I loved all the banter between them! My favourite had to be Gage as he was the brother who understood her the most and couldn’t keep a secret from her as well as being the one she would seek advice from and to. To some extent I could relate to Charlie, as I love sports, I’m never one for skirts or dresses and don’t have much knowledge of make up etc. so it was nice to be able to relate to a character for once. 

In my opinion, Braden was the perfect match for Charlie. He was understanding and he always knew what to say as he would tell her to date a guy that would like her for who she really is and not for who she is pretending and trying to be and to find a guy that enjoys the things she enjoys; and he was the answer. He was the one that would go to his front yard and talk to Charlie at midnight and from these chats we learned that he was the one who knew her better than she knew herself.

The storyline was cliche and predictable but I didn’t mind that because at the time I was only looking for something cute and fun to read and that is exactly what I got from this book. All the events in the book were cleverly linked with simple and heartfelt writing you could easily go along with and I really enjoyed reading from Charlie’s POV but I would have loved to have seen some scenes from the POV of Braden.

In conclusion, it was a perfect summer read which was easy and cute read which I recommend to all those who are looking for something light and fluffy to read! I would probably give it 4/5 stars because it was such a lovely read but when I compared it to other contemporary books it just wasn’t as good.

 

Fire and Flood – Victoria Scott

January 21, 2015

I picked up this book after hearing many people rave about and also from its storyline. Yes, it is very similar to ‘The Hunger Games’ however ‘Fire and Flood’ has many unique and different ideas which makes it at the same time very different. Apart from that I really enjoyed this book and I am desperate to get my hands on ‘Salt and Stone’ which is coming out in February!

The novel follows young adult Tella, who’s brother is slowly dying of cancer and there’s nothing she can do. Until she receives an invitation to participate in ‘The Brimstone Bleed’; a competition which is set across four different ecosystems and the prize is a cure for any illness. Risking her life for her brother, we follow Tella as she fights for survival across two of the four ecosystems; Jungle and Dessert. This book has action, romance, mystery, adventure, and so much more.

The main reason which makes this book different from ‘The Hunger Games’ is that each contestant is given a ‘Pandora’ which will help them survive throughout the race. I loved this idea and now I constantly wished I had a ‘Pandora’ of my own. Mine would have to be either a Cheetah or a Hawk, similar to Harper and Jaxon’s. What would yours be?

Tella’s pandora Madox was lovely and I quickly grew very attached to him; he is so cute. As for Tella, I didn’t connect with her as much as I wanted too however throughout the book I kept finding myself rooting for her to win! Guy, is another character that I love. His mysterious personality is driving me insane as I want to find out more about him! There are some charters that I wish we had seen more of, such as Harper, the female badass; and Levi and Ransom, the twins as I wanted to know more about their backstory. But from what we know, I thought they were great characters each one of them bringing humor and action to the storyline.

The ending was great as it left you at a cliffhanger which in some cases is really irritating but brilliant. I am so pleased that the race has been separated into two books as it means more can happen and we can spend more time in each specific stage of the race. I can’t wait to find out what happens next…

Overall I rate this book 4/5 stars and I would certainly recommend it to those who are fans of ‘The Hunger Games’ or who love a good action packed book!!