Blog â Posted on Tuesday, Mar 19
The 25 Best Romance Authors (And Their Most Swoonworthy Reads)
Romance is one of the most popular genres in literature today, both for readers and writers of romance novels. And itâs no wonder why: romance is exciting, sexy, and compulsively readable. Luckily, there are tons more books coming out all the time! So to help you get a handle on the genre, weâve compiled this guide to the 25 best romance authors, along with the love stories theyâve written that are sure to make you swoon. đ (By the way, the list is in alphabetical order, so if youâre searching for your own favorite author, youâll know exactly where to look.)
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of great romance authors out there, you can also take our 30-second quiz below to narrow it down quickly and get a personalized romance book recommendation đ
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Carolyn Brown
Brown has been writing romance for twenty years now â her debut novel Love Is came out in 1999. Since then, sheâs produced a great deal of both contemporary and historical romance. However, Brownâs real niche is cowboy romance: stories that are typically set in the southern United States and feature a tall, dark, troubled rancher. Meanwhile, the strong-minded heroine isnât looking for love â sheâs too focused on her child, and/or trying to shake the memories of a good-for-nothing ex â but damn if she doesnât find it under the boiling hot Texas (or Tennessee or Oklahoma) sun after all.
Must-read: Long, Hot Texas Summer
When Loretta Bailey caught her husband Jackson kissing another woman, she turned her back on Lonesome Canyon Ranch forever. That was seventeen years ago⊠and now Loretta and Jacksonâs daughter wants to drop out of college to marry a rancher. Naturally, Loretta is dead-set against the idea. But in order to combat it, sheâll have to return to the ranch and work together with Jackson, whoâs just as wily (and devilishly handsome) as ever.
Catherine Bybee
Bybee is the queen of Amazonâs contemporary romance charts, with her bestselling Weekday Brides and Not Quite series (and their spinoffs). She also dabbles in historical and paranormal romance, and is especially skilled at synthesizing her own traumatic experiences into her work: not only is she a survivor of child abuse, she also endured a terrible accident when she was working as an ER nurse. Bybee began to write during her recovery, remembering the solace that romance books and love stories brought her when she was young â and eventually turned out some of best titles on the market today.
Must-read: Wife by Wednesday (Weekday Brides #1)
Wife By Wednesday introduces us to Samantha Elliot, the head of a matchmaking firm consulted by millionaire Blake Harrison⊠whoâs intent on having Sam pose as his wife. And though Sam never meant to matchmake herself, how can she resist his $10 million offer? But while their deal is supposed to be all appearances, Sam finds herself confusingly attracted to Blake, which spells double trouble when his ex gets involved.
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Robyn Carr
Since 1980, Carr has made quite a name for herself in romance â particularly with her Virgin River series, which follows various love affairs unfolding at a forest outpost in California. From the gruff marine who gets in touch with his softer side to the burned-out sous chef who has to contend with a pretty steamy dish (if you know what we mean), Virgin River supplies a stream of near-endless romantic possibilities. Not to mention itâs slated for a Netflix series starring Alexandra Breckenridge!
Must-read: Virgin River (Virgin River #1)
After unexpectedly becoming a widower in her thirties, nurse practitioner Melinda Monroe jumps at the chance to move to woodsy, secluded Virgin River, only to realize itâs not what she expected. Between her shabby accommodations and the local doctorâs icy attitude, Melâs just about ready to pick up and leave â until she meets a retired marine who convinces her to stay.
Alyssa Cole
Alyssa Cole is a uniquely impressive contributor to the historical romance subgenre. She specializes in American Revolution and Civil War-era stories, and has done wonders for diversity in romance: many of her characters are women of color, and much of the drama in her narratives stems from the challenges of interracial love and marriage in the past.
Must-read: An Extraordinary Union
This award-winning novel takes place during the Civil War and follows Elle Burns, a former slave who goes undercover to spy for the Union. She soon meets Malcolm McCall, a Pinkerton detective who shares her motives to bring down the Confederacy⊠but their political inclinations arenât the only mutual feeling between them. When things start to become truly dangerous, Elle and Malcolm must decide whatâs most important: their country or their love.
Lauren Dane
Lauren Dane is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, known for her Brown Family and Chase Brothers series. Dane began writing in 2005 and has since turned out over 60 books. (Yes, you read that correctly!) Besides being one of the most prolific authors on this list, sheâs also one of the most risquĂ© â so if you like your romance on the steamier side, consider adding her to your list.
Must-read: Laid Bare (Brown Family #1)
Seriously, hold onto your hats because this one is shamelessly immodest. Laid Bare begins with police officer Todd Keenan and rock musician Erin Brown, whose old flame is rekindled when they meet again in Seattle⊠but which threatens to burn them up after a mĂ©nage Ă trois with one of Toddâs best friends. Thereâs no telling where this relationship of sorts will lead, but one thing is for sure: itâs going to be one wild hell of a ride.
Tessa Dare
Tessa Dare is another NYT bestseller, but in a very different category: classic âbodice rippersâ that focus more on smoldering sexual tension itself than the resolution of said tension. Indeed, Dareâs titles clearly indicate her propensity for Regency romance â from Romancing the Duke to Say Yes to the Marquess, her books are the perfect form of escapism into another time and place.
Must-read: Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Castles Ever After #4)
This one is part history, part mystery, part love story! At the Parkhurst ball, young Charlotte Highwood is implicated in a scandal that makes it look as though sheâs involved with Piers Brandon, Lord Granville â and now sheâll have to marry him if she canât prove her innocence. Which would be inconvenient indeed, since she doesnât even like the guy. But as the two of them set out to uncover the true scandal-makers, Piers proves himself a surprisingly useful accomplice. Soon Charlotteâs growing attraction to him makes her wonder if she even wants to complete their missionâŠ
Madison Faye
For a quick rebound to the erotic, Madison Fayeâs books are even more salacious than Lauren Daneâs. If you were a fan of Anne Riceâs Sleeping Beauty Quartet, youâll love Fayeâs similarly sexy fairytales: a series of five works fittingly titled Possessing Beauty. Or if fairytale retellings arenât your thing, you can always turn to Dirty Bad Things or Her Daddies (again, you read that correctly), two other mega-popular works by Faye. Hailed as âquick and filthy,â these white-hot erotic romances will just about melt your Kindle clean away.
Must-read: Beasting Beauty (Possessing Beauty #1)
Logan is the callous, cursed Prince of Torsund. Isla is the sweet youngest princess of Avlion. When they meet at a ball held by her father, sparks fly â and clothing flies off. Logan certainly is a beast in the bedroom, but that doesnât mean Isla canât find a way to tame him. Sweet, sexy, and savage all at once, this just-under-100-page novella is the perfect remedy to spice up a regular night in.
Pippa Grant
Pippa Grant is another reigning ruler of the Amazon charts whose specialty is, for lack of a better term, total jerks. The heroes in her stories are anything but heroic: weâre talking possessive exes, egocentric hockey players, and horrible bosses. Or at least they start off that way. With the help of their leading ladies â who are sometimes sweet, sometimes saucy, but always totally irresistible to the main guy â they turn over a new leaf and become much better humans. Howâs that for an HEA? (Romance slang for âhappily ever after.â)
Must-read: The Pilot and the Puck-Up
NHL player Zeus Berger is as cocky as his Greek god namesake, and heâs never failed to satisfy a woman⊠until he meets Joey Diamonte, former military special ops pilot and self-made businesswoman, who matches him in confidence and thoroughly surpasses him in smoothness. Unfortunately, their first encounter doesnât quite go as Zeus planned. Now determined to prove to Joey that heâs more than one-night-stand material, Zeus will try anything to show her what heâs made of (besides muscle, that is).
Lorraine Heath
Lorraine Heath is an absolute staple of the romance genre. Since 2001, sheâs turned out over a dozen different series in every subgenre from historical to paranormal. However, despite their quantity, her works never sacrifice quality â Heath has been especially praised for the genuine emotional depth and strong characterization in her writing. So if youâre looking for story-based drama rather than its cousin smut, you canât go wrong with Heath's love stories.
Must-read: In Bed with the Devil (Scoundrels of St, James #1)
Lucian Langdon, aka Luke, is scorned in London as the âdevil earlâ for his atrocious reputation. Lady Catherine Mabry needs help so desperately that sheâs willing to strike a deal with him. Thus begins their relationship as co-conspirators⊠which of course, soon turns into something more. The delicious slow burn between the scoundrel and the lady also includes a pretty meaty social plot, peppered with plenty of tongue-in-cheek Dickens references.
Beverly Jenkins
Jenkins is a true trailblazer of diverse romance â sheâs been writing since the nineties, and her books almost always feature African-American main couples, often set in times when that experience was overlooked. However, Jenkins makes a point of not writing exclusively about slavery. In order to represent a genuinely wide range of black history, most of her books take place between the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Movement.
Must-read: Bring on the Blessings (Blessings #1)
Though Jenkins is known for (and very talented at spinning!) her historical romances, this contemporary work is a great intro for first-time readers. In Bring on the Blessings, 52-year-old Bernadine Brown takes her wealthy, adulterous husband to court â and wins. A $275 million settlement, to be exact.
Adamant to âpay forwardâ her good fortune, Bernadine decides that her next project of choice wonât just be one man, but an entire town: Henry Adams, Kansas, which was founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. After purchasing Henry Adams on the Internet, Bernadine must work together with its stubborn mayor Trent July to bring the town back to its former glory⊠and perhaps find some glory in each other as well.
Lisa Kleypas
When it comes to historical romance, no one quite compares to Kleypas: she started writing in 1985, when she was only 21 years old, and hasnât looked back since. Beginning with a few quick duologies, Kleypas eventually escalated to elaborate multi-book series, her most famous being The Wallflowers and The Hathaways. These books follow the members of various families in mid-19th century London as they attempt to find love in one way or another. Each story is also wrapped in a well-woven tapestry of historical context; indeed, one of Kleypasâ greatest strengths is her intimate knowledge of the era.
Must-read: Mine Till Midnight (The Hathaways #1)
Amelia Hathaway has an awful lot on her plate. Sheâs figuring out her place in aristocratic society (which sheâs just joined after a surprise inheritance), taming her wild younger siblings, and most recently dealing with her feelings for upper-class bad boy Cam Rohan. Cam, like Amelia, comes from not-so-noble stock â unlike her, however, he longs to return to it. This plan is complicated by only one thing: his desire for Amelia. And when she asks him for help in a sticky situation, he canât say no to herâŠ
Lauren Landish
Landish specializes in âsexy-as-hell book boyfriends,â as she says on her Goodreads page â one look at her rippling-muscle covers and you know youâre in for a good time. Her works can get pretty explicit, but sheâs also got plenty of fun romantic devices to keep readers happy: meet-cutes, fake relationships, and reunited high school sweethearts abound, especially in the stunningly sexy Irresistible Bachelors series.
Must-read: Mr. Fixit (Irresistible Bachelors #5)
Expert handyman Caleb Strong (get it? because heâs strong?) and Cassie White have been friends for over a year now, ever since they met in Hawaii. So when Cassie needs help renovating her childhood home, itâs only natural that she turn to Caleb. But actually having to watch him work proves a challenge in the self-control department⊠especially when she starts fantasizing about him working on something else. In other words, this book is pretty much the written equivalent of that Fifth Harmony song â if you liked that video, youâll love Mr. Fixit.
Adriana Locke
On the other hand, if you prefer flawed, vulnerable heroes to totally confident ones, Adriana Locke might be more your speed. Locke has been in the romance business for just a few years, but sheâs already turned out numerous series full of bad-boys-with-serious-damage (though of course, none of that stops them from eventually finding love).
Must-read: Crank (Laundry Family #7, Gibson Boys #1)
Sienna Landry gets off to a bit of a rocky start with small-town mechanic Walker Gibson â namely, she busts up the front of his truck. For a guy like Walker, thereâs nothing worse⊠except maybe the attraction he feels to this girl whoâs just destroyed his most prized possession. Conflicted over Sienna in more ways than one, Walker still canât seem to avoid her, and the shimmering tension between them mounts until itâs practically leaping off the page. But thereâs something heâs not telling her â not least because he doesnât want to think about it himself.
Julianne MacLean
Julianne MacLean (not to be confused with the next entry on our list) writes primarily historical romance, though sheâs also branched out into contemporary on occasion. Sheâs best known for her American Heiress and Pembroke Palace series, which are sure to please fans of Downton Abbey and other early 20th century tales. Or if youâre a fan of Outlander, check out her excellent Highlander trilogy: a slow, sexy burn that includes Captured by the Highlander, Claimed by the Highlander, and Seduced by the Highlander.
Must-read: The Color of Heaven (Color of Heaven #1)
Like Jenkinsâ Bring on the Blessings, MacLeanâs Color of Heaven series doesnât exactly represent her larger body of work. However, itâs a good entry point for new readers â if also quite an emotional one. The Color of Heaven follows Sophie Duncan, a woman whose life goes off the rails when her daughter is diagnosed with leukemia and her husband cheats on her. But after a terrible accident, Sophieâs eyes open to everything she does still have, and she embarks on a newly buoyant journey of life, love, and revelation.
Sarah MacLean
Sarah MacLean has also found her niche in historical romance, but of a more traditional sort: she tends to stick to the Regency/Victorian periods, and sheâs absolutely mastered the niche. As the author of over a dozen high-profile historical romances, and winner of several awards given by the Romance Writers of America, sheâs one of the leading voices in the romance genre. Along with Lisa Kleypas (and Julia Quinn and Nora Roberts, both of whom weâll get to soon), Sarah MacLean is essentially a founding mother of the historical subgenre as we know it today.
Must-read: Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love by the Numbers #1)
Lady Calpurnia Hartwell is sick and tired of her title, especially since sheâs never been able to live up to it. Sheâs more than ready to break the rules of ladyhood⊠but she canât do it alone. And who better to recruit as her âaccompliceâ (the Regency equivalent of friends-with-benefits) than Gabriel St. John, a marquess and fellow eschewer of society? Of course, as Callie and Gabe grow closer, she realizes that she might not be such a nontraditional girl after all. The only question now is: can she tell him?
Courtney Milan
Milan is another prominent writer of WOC characters in romance, particularly characters of Asian descent. Though sheâs also got quite a few âclassicâ historical romances in her repertoire, her most interesting and dynamic works to date include the Cyclone series, with an upcoming work entitled Show Me that will be an LGBT romance between two women of color. In the meantime, though, she has plenty of other captivating titles for readers to explore.
Must-read: Hold Me (Cyclone #2)
This pitch-perfect amalgam of classic romantic setups involves both a) an enemies-to-lovers transformation, and b) a case of secret identities, as our main couple (unbeknownst to them) chats anonymously online!
Jay na Thalang and Maria Lopez have been running in the same Bay Area circles for ages, but that doesnât mean they actually like each other. On the contrary, Jayâs misogynistic attitude gets Maria all riled up, and Mariaâs apparent ditziness causes Jay to dismiss her. But as with just about every romance, things are not as they seem⊠as secrets are unveiled and revelations occur, Maria and Jay get thrown into a completely unexpected romantic odyssey.
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Susan Elizabeth Phillips has been hot on the romance scene since the early eighties, and is credited with creating âsports romance,â in which the characters and plot revolve around some sort of athletics. Sheâs also been called the âQueen of Romantic Comedyâ within the genre â at a time when most romance writers took the historical route, Phillips wasnât afraid to get a little goofy. As the Nora Ephron of romance novels, Phillips is an essential addition to any self-proclaimed romance loverâs reading list.
Must read: It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars #1)
New York girl Phoebe Somerville has just inherited the Chicago Stars â an entire football team of sexy-but-also-sexist men, the worst of whom is head coach Dan Calebow. Dan isnât exactly happy with Phoebeâs takeover, nor does Phoebe appreciate Danâs constant snide remarks⊠yet neither of them can stay away from each other long enough to stop bickering. With warmth, humor, and irresistible chemistry, It Had to Be You is a veritable Super Bowl of a novel.
Julia Quinn
Like so many of the authors on this list, Julia Quinn has a fascinating origin story. In the early nineties, she decided to attend medical school; as she studied for the necessary prerequisites, she started writing romance novels on the side. She was then admitted to Yale Medical School, but realized she had already found her true calling. So she dropped out to become one of the most eminent historical romance writers of her generation â and is still writing today!
Must-read: The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1)
Itâs the ultimate high-society scheme: Lady Daphne Bridgerton and Duke Simon Basset are only pretending to court, so that Simon can avoid the clutches of actual marriage and Daphne can attract jealous men. (Exactly what you want in a partner, right?) Except now, Daphne is starting to have second thoughts about Simon â especially when theyâre pressed together on the ballroom floor, and she can hardly keep dancing for desire. This Regency twist on the âfake relationshipâ trope will definitely make classic romance fans swoon.
Alisha Rai
âAll the heat, all the heart,â is Raiâs signature slogan, and her brilliant, steamy, and wonderfully diverse books certainly live up to it. Though Rai is a relative newcomer, she already has five series under her belt and a reputation in the contemporary romance world for her innovative premises and vivid characters. (It hasnât been released yet, but look out for her upcoming novel The Right Swipe, about two rival dating app creators who fall in love!)
Must-read: Hate to Want You (Forbidden Hearts #1)
Just like so many of our couples, Livvy Kane and Nicholas Chandler have a deal. Except theirs is limited to just one night of guilty pleasure a year â guilty because of the animosity between their families. Theyâve been secretly hooking up for ten years, and each looks forward to that night of mind-blowing passion⊠until Nicholas gets too busy running his own familyâs empire. Of course, Livvyâs not going to let him slip away that easily. Laden with passion but also profound emotion, Hate to Want You is Raiâs superb answer to sexy yet realistic romance.
Alexa Riley
Riley is another big Amazon chart-topper â unusual for a romance author with mostly standalone and short-series books. However, Rileyâs edge over other authors might come from the fact that âsheâ is actually two writers, a duo of anonymous friends who have put out over 100 titles (!) since 2015. Also, similar to Madison Faye, Alexa Rileyâs books are best described as quickies: many are 100 pages or less, but what they lack in length, they make up for in heat.
Must-read: PS... You're Mine by Alexa Riley
This Valentineâs special features a schoolteacher named Katie Lovely and a marine named Mark Gunner (did we mention that almost all Riley characters have hilariously tongue-in-cheek names?). In any case, Katieâs class is doing a pen pal project with overseas Marines, and she accidentally signs herself up, too⊠only to find her correspondence with Mark is, well, different than she anticipated. So donât worry just because they donât see each other in person (at least not at first) â those letters get hot and heavy pretty quickly.
Nora Roberts
If thereâs one author on this list whoâs a recognized household name, itâs Nora Roberts. Since 1980, Roberts has written and published an astounding number of romances â her website claims the number stands at over 215!
But this incredibly prolific production has not come at the cost of quality. Over the years, Roberts has been praises for her creative storylines, her wry sense of humor, and for pioneering the âdual shifting perspectivesâ style (i.e. two different narrators who switch back and forth) that has come to define the genre. Sheâs also been the recipient of countless Golden Medallion and RITA Awards from the Romance Writers of America, and sheâs had several of her books adapted into movies, including Montana Sky and High Noon.
Must-read: Born in Fire (Born in Fire Trilogy #1)
Itâs impossible to say that Born in Fire is the only Nora Roberts must-read, but itâs certainly one of her best. It centers on Maggie Concannon, a fierce-minded, free-spirited woman living in Ireland. And while she may work with glass for a living, Maggie is not easily shattered â until she meets money-minded gallery owner Rogan Sweeney, who wants to manage her career. The two butt heads as their working relationship progresses, but canât deny their attraction â which grows even hotter than blown glass over the course of this story.
Nalini Singh
Singh is another very exciting new voice in the romance genre. She mostly writes paranormal romance, but of a particularly debauched variety; sheâs especially known for her Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, both of which are rife with racy scenes.
Must-read: Slave to Sensation (Psy-Changeling #1)
This remarkable hybrid of paranormal romance and science fiction establishes the world of the âPsyâ: a ruling race that prohibits emotions (sort of like in The Giver, but much worse). Sascha is one of the few Psy who still feels pain and desire â but she canât reveal this to anyone, lest she be forced into ârehabilitation.â Meanwhile Lucas Hunter is a part-human, part-animal changeling who needs Saschaâs help. Their connection grows and they soon find themselves struggling to resist the sensation between them⊠though they know it could be deadly.
Susan Stoker
Susan Stokerâs series are famous for adapting the classic damsel-in-distress scenario to the modern day. Her heroines are victims of spousal violence, sex trafficking, terrorism, you name it â but thereâs always a valiant hero there to save the day. And while it might seem to contradict the rules of feminism for the men to be constantly rescuing the women, weâre actually grateful for a series that promotes men protecting their partners, when so many romances blur the line between abuse and love.
Must-read: Rescuing Rayne (Delta Force Heroes #1)
As a flight attendant, Rayne Jacksonâs whole life is up in the air â with the exception of the occasional down-to-earth tryst. One particularly memorable night was with Keane âGhostâ Bryson, a rugged, reticent Delta Force member. Of course, Rayne doesnât know that, since Ghost kept his true identity hidden from her. But when their paths cross again under the most dire of circumstances, Ghost must put everything on the line to protect Rayne: not just his secrets, but his life.
Lauren Willig
The final historical romancer on our list, Lauren Willig has been writing since 2005. Her speciality is the Napoleonic era, and her works take particular inspiration from The Scarlet Pimpernel â another historical novel written by a woman almost exactly a century before Willig herself started writing. However, donât worry about her work being derivative. Willig is most definitely one of a kind, and the rich history and complex characters in her books make for top-notch romance.
Must-read: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation
With a frame narrative reminiscent of Susanna Kearsley, Willig tells this story through Eloise Kelly: a 21st-century American college student who goes to England to finish her dissertation. There she finds much more than academic motivation in the form of the âSecret History of the Pink Carnationâ â a book about Englandâs most cunning spy during the Napoleonic Wars, and the thrilling romance that involved them.
Zane
Weâll round off this list with some good old-fashioned⊠erotica! Zane has been a prominent author in the erotic romance subgenre since 1997, when she started writing steamy stories for her own entertainment. Over two decades later, sheâs now the publisher of Strebor Books with Simon & Schuster, and her works have been turned into a TV series and even a feature film.
Must-read: Addicted
Zoe Reynard is a successful businesswoman, a loving wife, a devoted mother⊠and a sex addict. No matter how sheâs tried, sheâs never been able to shake her âfatal attraction.â Now, as Zoe confesses to her therapist, she delves into her sizzling sexual history and dark childhood.  But her romance with her husband is still front and center â hence what makes this a genuinely gorgeous work and not just a salacious romp (though it has that going for it, too).
