Top 8 Romance Authors I Still Need to Read
This past week I finally read Neon Gods, the award-winning first installment of the Dark Olympus series by erotic romance author Katee Robert. I’m a classical literature major and a huge fan of ancient Greek myth retellings, so needless to say, this book has been on my to-be-read (TBR) list since it was released last summer.
And while I enjoyed the book (mostly for the steamy scenes between Hades and Persephone, not gonna lie), it’s always a risk to read a bestseller that skyrocketed to the top of the charts. Will it live up to all the hype? Or will you walk away wondering what the heck is wrong with the hundreds of thousands of people who loved it?
That got me thinking of all the authors I have yet to read in romance. Some are category classics, others are fanfiction favorites, but all are mega-popular writers recommended to me by the readers I trust most.
Scroll down for the full list in chronological order, and comment below on which authors you’d upvote or add!
Top 8 Romance Authors I Still Need to Read
Sarah MacLean - Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (2010)
Other than jumping on the Bridgerton bandwagon, I don’t often read Regency romance, but eight years ago I read a Jezebel article on getting into romance novels and Nine Rules was the very first recommendation. And yet, nearly a decade later, it’s still marked “Want to Read” on Goodreads. It’s making the rounds again with a brand-new trade paperback edition with Avon, which is a great reminder to make room for more rakes!
Colleen Hoover - It Ends With Us (2016)
I clearly have been living under a rock because I only heard about Hoover when one of my writer friends recently recommended her, even though she’s been winning awards for years. To be fair, when I first saw the cover of It Ends With Us, it leans more toward women’s fiction or domestic suspense than the illustrated rom-coms I typically read. I’m looking forward to trying a new flavor of romance in the hopes that the good times don’t indeed end.
Alyssa Cole - A Princess in Theory (2018)
Photographed covers are underrated, and this bestseller by Alyssa Cole is living proof, because it is gorgeous. I’m not surprised that multiple royalty romances are on my list, but A Princess in Theory sounds fresh and modern. With romances, thrillers and graphic novels under her belt, Cole is prolific, and I feel major FOMO whenever I hear the buzz around her work. Can’t go wrong reading a fellow Alyssa, right?
Casey McQuiston - Red, White & Royal Blue (2019)
Every author wishes for such a chart-topping debut, and McQuiston has been knocking it out of the ballpark ever since—or so I hear. Everyone has told me that Red, White & Royal Blue is so fun, cute and adorable that it’s currently sitting on my bookshelf begging to be read. At 400+ pages, it’s definitely an investment of time, but I’m optimistic that it will be worth every minute.
Emily Henry - Beach Read (2020)
Students are graduating, Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and summer has arrived. What better way to celebrate than with a book literally titled Beach Read? That’s what I told myself two years ago and Henry’s novel is still on my bookshelf. Did that stop me from also buying People We Meet on Vacation? Of course not! So now I am officially on a self-imposed ban from adding more until I read the books I already have and decide if they’re my cup of tea. Fingers crossed!
Jesse Q. Sutanto - Dial A for Aunties (2021)
A major success that sold in a four-way auction, Dial A for Aunties was another cover that felt more to me like women’s fiction than romance, so it wasn’t on my radar until readers kept hyping how absurdly hilarious it was. And even if the story is more com than rom, I can’t miss out on this breakout hit, especially since it already has a Netflix movie deal in the works!
Tia Williams - Seven Days in June (2021)
I’m a childfree woman who doesn’t see the point of on-again, off-again partners, so I’ll be honest that I never gravitate toward single mother, second-chance romances like Seven Days in June. But when my friends rated it five stars and called it “truly flawless,” I’d be foolish not to reconsider. With an editorial career in beauty/fashion and countless accolades—including from Reese Witherspoon herself—Williams is a book club pick to prioritize.
Ali Hazelwood - The Love Hypothesis (2021)
Ah, yes—the Reylo fanfic. Look, I love me some “Star Wars,” so I don’t mean that disparagingly, because nothing hits the spot like a bad-boy-gone-good character like Kylo Ren, even if his romance with Rey was shoehorned so badly it left a terrible taste in my mouth. But out of all the books on this list, The Love Hypothesis is on here solely because social media made me do it. I’ll come for the hype and hopefully stay for the STEM sexiness. Here’s hoping this novel doesn’t bomb as badly for me as “The Rise of Skywalker!”
Keeping Up With the Content
I don’t know about you, but when there are so many phenomenal books, shows and movies to experience, it can be anxiety-inducing when you realize how much content you’re craving and how little time you have to consume it. And I don’t even have children or a full-time job competing for my attention!
I’m sure I’m not the only reader who’s calculated the average number of books I can fit into the remainder of my lifetime—and then grieved when the answer seems like not even close to being enough. So I’m curious—if I only have time for 1,000 more books before I kick the bucket, should these eight make the cut?
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