BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020 | MUST READ FOR ANY ROMANCE LOVING READER

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

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MY BEST OF 2020 LISTS

BEST AUDIOBOOKS OF 2020

BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOKS OF 2020

This year was a great year for romance books!

I read one of my most favorite of all. And had a hand full of five stars that will stay with me forever. It was a nice mix of tropes, and genres. And audiobooks and regular reading.

The books below are my personal recommendations to you.

And maybe one of them will make it on your favorite list too.

Happy reading!

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Wild at Heart by K.A. Tucker

This is probably my most favorite book of the year! I read it three times already, and I only love it more with each time. The love story between Calla and Jonah is one that just speaks to my romantic heart. If you haven’t read The Simple Wild yet, the first book in this trilogy, I’m telling you, you won’t regret picking it up. You’ll fall in love with Alaska, Call and Jonah “The Yeti” and everyone else in this heartwarming romance.

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Calla Fletcher returns to Toronto a different person, struggling to find direction and still very much in love with the rugged bush pilot she left behind. When Jonah arrives on her doorstep with a proposition she can’t dismiss, she takes the leap and rushes back to Alaska to begin their exciting future together.

But Calla soon learns that even the best intentions can lead to broken promises, and that compromise comes with a hefty price—a log cabin in interior rural Alaska that feels as isolating as the western tundra.

With Jonah gone more than he’s home, one neighbor who insists on transforming her into a true Alaskan, and another who seems more likely to shoot her than come to her aid, Calla grapples with forging her own path. In a world with roaming wildlife that has her constantly watching over her shoulder and harsh conditions that stretch far beyond the cold, dark, winter months, just stepping outside her front door can be daunting.

This is not the future Calla had in mind, leaving her to fear that perhaps she is doomed to follow in her mother’s fleeing footsteps after all.

The Switch by Beth O’Leary

Beth O’Leary has become a favorite author of mine. She writes the most charming and endearing novels set in England. And I’ve fallen head over heels in love with her style of storytelling. The Switch is a heartwarming and adorable story about two women swapping places and finding new purpose in life – and a happy ending. I laughed so much while reading this book. And it’s one of my most recommended books of the year. And if you haven’t read The Flatshare yet, you are missing out.

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Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena’s tired of life in her twenties.
Maybe it’s time they swapped places…

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen’s house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She’d like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn’t offer many eligible gentlemen.

Once Leena learns of Eileen’s romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbours and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flatmates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another’s shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn’t as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect – and distractingly handsome – school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbours, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?

Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis

Another adorable British romance that made my heart sing this year. Beautifully. Original. Heartwarming. One of the novels that really surprised me this year, and one that was far more emotional than expected.

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In this charming and poignant novel, teenager Emmie Blue releases a balloon with her email address and a big secret into the sky, only to fall head-over-heels for the boy who finds it; now, fourteen years later, the one thing Emmie has been counting on is gone for good, and everything she planned is up in the air.

At sixteen, Emmie Blue stood in the fields of her school and released a red balloon into the sky. Attached was her name, her email address…anda secret she desperately wanted to be free of. Weeks later, on a beach in France, Lucas Moreau discovered the balloon and immediately emailed the attached addressed, sparking an intense friendship between the two teens.

Now, fourteen years later, Emmie is hiding the fact that she’s desperately in love with Lucas. She has pinned all her hopes on him and waits patiently for him to finally admit that she’s the one for him. So dedicated to her love for Lucas, Emmie has all but neglected her life outside of this relationship—she’s given up the search for her absentee father, no longer tries to build bridges with her distant mother, and lives as a lodger to an old lady she barely knows after being laid off from her job. And when Lucas tells Emmie he has a big question to ask her, she’s convinced this is the moment he’ll reveal his feelings for her. But nothing in life ever quite goes as planned, does it?

Emmie Blue is about to learn everything she thinks she knows about life (and love) is just that: what she thinks she knows. Is there such thing as meant to be? Or is it true when they say that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans? A story filled with heart and humor, Dear Emmie Blue is perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Evvie Drake Starts Over.

Feels Like Falling by Kristy Woodson Harvey

I had so much fun listening to this book. The friendships between the women were heartwarming, the love stories very satisfying, and the writing was just wonderful. It’s the perfect summer novel from an author I’m keeping my eyes on.

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It’s summertime on the North Carolina coast and the livin’ is easy.

Unless, that is, you’ve just lost your mother to cancer, your sister to her extremist husband, and your husband to his executive assistant. Meet Gray Howard. Right when Gray could use a serious infusion of good karma in her life, she inadvertently gets a stranger, Diana Harrington, fired from her job at the local pharmacy.

Diana Harrington’s summer isn’t off to the greatest start either: Hours before losing her job, she broke up with her boyfriend and moved out of their shared house with only a worn-out Impala for a bed. Lucky for her, Gray has an empty guest house and a very guilty conscience.

With Gray’s kindness, Diana’s tide begins to turn. But when her first love returns, every secret from her past seems to resurface all at once. And, as Gray begins to blaze a new trail, she discovers, with Diana’s help, that what she envisioned as her perfect life may not be what she wants at all.

In her warmest, wisest novel yet, Kristy Woodson Harvey delivers a discerning portrait of modern womanhood through two vastly different lenses. Feels Like Falling is a beach bag essential for Harvey fans—and for a new generation of readers.

Dance Away with Me by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Wonderfully romantic and emotional. A poignant romance that will satisfy any romance loving reader! Loved the main characters, adored the quirky little mountain town, and was sucked into the story from the very first moment. Susan Elizabeth Phillips is one of the queens of romance, and her books are must reads for any romance reader.

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Run, run, as fast as you can!

When life throws her one setback too many, midwife and young widow Tess Hartsong takes off for Runaway Mountain. In this small town high in the Tennessee mountains, surrounded by nature, she hopes to outrun her heartbreak and find the solace she needs to heal.

But instead of peace and quiet, she encounters an enigmatic artist with a craving for solitude, a fairy-tale sprite with too many secrets, a helpless infant, a passel of curious teens, and a town suspicious of outsiders, especially one as headstrong as Tess. Just as headstrong, is Ian North, a difficult, gifted man with a tortured soul—a man who makes Tess question everything.

In running away to this new life, Tess wonders— Has she lost herself . . . or has she found her future?

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

The quintessential Christmas romance novel. It will give you all the holiday feelings you could want. The adorable family get together. The many Christmas traditions. The romance. The original storyline. And of course the solid writing and wonderful dialogues.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Fortuity by Jewel E. Ann

I’ve only had a few 5 star romances this year, Fortuity was one of them. I love the author’s writing, although she has only written two books that made it on my 5 star list, LOOK THE PART (which actually got 6 stars from me) and this one. I just adored the story. Not surprising since I’m a big fan of the single parent trope. And it was so easy to fall in love with Gracelyn and Nathanial. Their love story moves hearts.

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Forty-something Gracelyn Glock is living the dream. 
No husband.
No retirement plan.
And since her self-imposed man-ban—no need to shave above her knees.

After a tragic accident, Gracelyn inherits her ten-year-old nephew. She signs a lease on a San Diego beach house and learns their neighbors for the summer are a sexy anatomy professor and his young daughter. 

Professor Nathaniel Hunt has spent the last decade being a single dad … and not having sex. 

So when he discovers Gracelyn has a peculiar outdoor stripping ritual, a million inappropriate thoughts fill his responsible mind. 

When kisses are stolen, man-bans are broken, and summer comes to an end, will hearts stay in one piece and hope stay alive? Or will saying goodbye destroy everything?

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

The author’s writing is exceptional, and her latest book is no exception. Ever since I read How to Walk Away the author has been on my auto-read list. Her writing is wonderful, and her books some of my most anticipated novels of the year.

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Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living. But she wasn’t always that way.

Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen. But he wasn’t always that way.

And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before—at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him—but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the best thing that could possibly happen to the school—and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it.

As the school community spirals into chaos, and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love—which is the riskiest move of all.

The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez

If you love rock-star romances, this book is a must read. The author has a wonderful way of spinning love stories that make sense and are incredibly enjoyable.

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Two years after losing her fiancé, Sloan Monroe still can’t seem to get her life back on track. But one trouble-making pup with a “take me home” look in his eyes is about to change everything. With her new pet by her side, Sloan finally starts to feel more like herself. Then, after weeks of unanswered texts, Tucker’s owner reaches out. He’s a musician on tour in Australia. And bottom line: He wants Tucker back.

Well, Sloan’s not about to give up her dog without a fight. But what if this Jason guy really loves Tucker? As their flirty texts turn into long calls, Sloan can’t deny a connection. Jason is hot and nice and funny. There’s no telling what could happen when they meet in person. The question is: With his music career on the rise, how long will Jason really stick around? And is it possible for Sloan to survive another heartbreak?

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

FRIENDS TO LOVERS

When the Time Is Right by M. Mabie, Aly Martinez

One of the best friends to lovers romances I read this year. It was funny, the characters were charismatic with lots of chemistry, and the writing smart and witty. Overall a very enjoyable read.

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Fate doesn’t always happen overnight. 

Hudson Bradley is the cockiest, most stubborn, hard-headed man I’ve ever known. And for fifteen years, he’s been my brother’s best friend. 

But lately, what I’m feeling for him isn’t friendship at all.

Why is my heart racing every time his blue eyes lock on mine?
Why does every word he rumbles in my ear make my body come alive?
And worst of all, why did I bet him that I could find a woman he and his son would both love? 

If I hadn’t given up on love altogether, Hudson would have been perfect for me. After all, he was there the day my world fell apart. He’s spent the last six years piecing me back together. 

There are a million reasons why we could never work, but after a single kiss, I can’t remember any of them. 

Now that the time is right, I have to make him mine—before I lose him forever. 

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Fatal Fraud by Marie Force

Oh boy!!! If I start talking about how much I love this series, I would be talking all day. Let’s start with the most important points, if you love a power couple, two people that work together so well, understand each other, support and love one another in a way that will stay with you forever – you must read this series. And you’ll fall in love with the entire cast! The friends, the family, the kids. It’s a series that will become a highlight of your year.

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A dangerous truth revealed… 

A prominent member of the D.C. community has been murdered, pulling Lieutenant Sam Holland into yet another high-stakes homicide investigation that has her trying to connect the dots between a dead woman and the friends and family who’d turned against her right before her untimely death. 

With numerous scandals still fresh within the department’s ranks, Sam is asked to revisit a cold case from her first year on the job that will continue the department’s reckoning with the past well into the future.

All the while, Sam’s husband, Vice President Nick Cappuano, faces mounting pressure to declare his intention to run for president in the coming election, leaving the second couple feeling the strain at home—and on the job as the family endures the first holidays without their beloved patriarch, Skip Holland. 

As always, when things become too hot to handle on the job, Sam and Nick turn to each other for solace in the storm.

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

ROM – COM

Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door by Lucy Score

This book was one of the funniest rom-coms I read this year. Throughout the entire book I smiled and chuckled, and was nonstop entertained.

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A nice, normal life. Is that too much to ask? For Riley Thorn it is.

Divorced. Broke. Living with a pack of elderly roommates. And those hallucinations she’s diligently ignoring? Her tarot card-dealing mom is convinced they’re clairvoyant visions.

Just when things can’t get worse, a so-hot-it-should-be-illegal private investigator shows up on her doorstep looking for a neighbor…who turns up murdered.

Nick Santiago doesn’t play well with others. Unless the “others” are of the female persuasion. Wink. He’s a rebel, a black sheep, a man who prefers a buffet of options to being stuck with the same entrée every night, if you catch his drift.

When the pretty, possibly psychic Riley lands at the top of the list of suspects, Nick volunteers to find out whodunit. Only because he likes solving mysteries not because he wants to flex his heroic muscles for the damsel in distress.

All they have to do is figure out who pulled the trigger, keep the by-the-book detective with a grudge at bay, and deal with a stranger claiming he was sent to help Riley hone her psychic gifts. All before the killer discovers she’s a loose end that requires snipping.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Wowzer, this one was sexy, steamy and I fell head over heels in love with the hero. Wonderful romance, with a great couple, and a fake relationship trope.

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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 big, brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, it’s an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and former rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact to him, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Suddenly, 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 is 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. 

The easy lay Dani dreamed of is now 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? 

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE

Rich Prick by Tijan

One of my favorite books this year. I love anything YA. And this one has a possessive hero, a shy heroine, and a bit of insta lust/love. Sometimes that’s exactly what I want to read and Tijan is the one author that reliably delivers. Also, I just love me some YA drama now and then. It keeps things interesting.

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He walked into school on his first day and owned it.  
I guess that’s what happens when you’re a prick, rich, and you’re best friends with the ruling school’s king. 
Also didn’t hurt he’s drop dead gorgeous. 

That’s all fine. 
I mean, I have nothing to do with them. 
I’m a loner, invisible, and that’s how I wanted it to be. 

I was even proud of it, until I wasn’t. 

Until I saw a girl kneel before him.
iUntil I couldn’t look away.
Until he caught me watching. 

His name is Blaise Devroe. My name is Aspen Monson. 
He only knew how to get, command, and demand attention. I knew how to do everything but that. 
And this is our story. 

Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover

This was only my second book by Colleen Hoover that made it on my keeper shelf. I loved Regretting You last year, it was my last 5 star of 2019, and ever since I wanted her to write a YA romance. Apparently she read my mind, because Heart Bones was exactly what I wanted. A fantastic beachy summer read. Emotional. Superb writing. Strong characters. And a wonderful love story.

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Life and a dismal last name are the only two things Beyah’s parents ever gave her. After carving her path all on her own, Beyah is well on her way to bigger and better things, thanks to no one but herself. With only two short months separating her from the future she’s built and the past she desperately wants to leave behind, an unexpected death leaves Beyah with no place to go during the interim.

Forced to reach out to her last resort, Beyah has to spend the remainder of her summer on a peninsula in Texas with a father she barely knows. Beyah’s plan is to keep her head down and let the summer slip by seamlessly, but her new neighbor Samson throws a wrench in that plan.

Samson and Beyah have nothing in common on the surface.
She comes from a life of poverty and neglect; he comes from a family of wealth and privilege. But one thing they do have in common is that they’re both drawn to sad things. Which means they’re drawn to each other.

Beyah and Samson agree to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling. What Beyah doesn’t realize is that a rip current is coming, and it’s about to drag her heart out to sea.

Tweet Cute: A Novel by Emma Lord

As the title promised, the book was CUTE!!! Adorable YA romance set in NY. The rom-com feel was on par, and the back and forth between the couple was entertaining. All in all a very enjoyable YA novel.

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A fresh, irresistible rom-com from debut author Emma Lord about the chances we take, the paths life can lead us on, and how love can be found in the opposite place you expected.

Meet Pepper, swim team captain, chronic overachiever, and all-around perfectionist. Her family may be falling apart, but their massive fast-food chain is booming — mainly thanks to Pepper, who is barely managing to juggle real life while secretly running Big League Burger’s massive Twitter account. 

Enter Jack, class clown and constant thorn in Pepper’s side. When he isn’t trying to duck out of his obscenely popular twin’s shadow, he’s busy working in his family’s deli. His relationship with the business that holds his future might be love/hate, but when Big League Burger steals his grandma’s iconic grilled cheese recipe, he’ll do whatever it takes to take them down, one tweet at a time. 

All’s fair in love and cheese — that is, until Pepper and Jack’s spat turns into a viral Twitter war. Little do they know, while they’re publicly duking it out with snarky memes and retweet battles, they’re also falling for each other in real life — on an anonymous chat app Jack built. 

As their relationship deepens and their online shenanigans escalate — people on the internet are shipping them?? — their battle gets more and more personal, until even these two rivals can’t ignore they were destined for the most unexpected, awkward, all-the-feels romance that neither of them expected.

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

MM ROMANCE

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Another highlight of my year. There was lots of chuckling while reading this book. I adored the couple. The opposite attract, and the fake relationship trope was very well done. And the crazy friends added to the overall entertainment. A must read for anyone loving this genre.

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WANTED:
One (fake) boyfriend
Practically perfect in every way

Luc O’Donnell is tangentially—and reluctantly—famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he’s never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad’s making a comeback, Luc’s back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship…and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He’s a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he’s never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that’s when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don’t ever want to let them go.

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

FF ROMANCE

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Sweet, adorable, charming! I haven’t read many ff romances yet, but this one was just the sweetest. Solid writing, and wonderful storytelling.

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After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy… a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle’s new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date★ Because… awkward.

Darcy begs Elle to play along and she agrees to pretend they’re dating. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family during the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a faux relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars★

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

This was my first foray into the ff romance genre. And since I’m a big fan of slow burn, I gobbled it up. Really enjoyed it. Writing and story. And if you love slow burn, take a chance on it.

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A showrunner and her assistant give the world something to talk about when they accidentally fuel a ridiculous rumor in this debut romance.

Hollywood powerhouse Jo is photographed making her assistant Emma laugh on the red carpet, and just like that, the tabloids declare them a couple. The so-called scandal couldn’t come at a worse time—threatening Emma’s promotion and Jo’s new movie.

As the gossip spreads, it starts to affect all areas of their lives. Paparazzi are following them outside the office, coworkers are treating them differently, and a “source” is feeding information to the media. But their only comment is “no comment”.

With the launch of Jo’s film project fast approaching, the two women begin to spend even more time together, getting along famously. Emma seems to have a sixth sense for knowing what Jo needs. And Jo, known for being aloof and outwardly cold, opens up to Emma in a way neither of them expects. They begin to realize the rumor might not be so off base after all…but is acting on the spark between them worth fanning the gossip flames?

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

ENEMIES TO LOVERS

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

This book was the most extreme enemies to lovers I’ve read so far. Boy did they antagonize each other. On the other hand it made for one entertaining read. A must read if you love this trope.

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When your nemesis also happens to be your fiancé, happily ever after becomes a lot more complicated in this wickedly funny, lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy debut.

Naomi Westfield has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They’re preparing for their lavish wedding that’s three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him.

Naomi wants out, but there’s a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare.

But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they’re finally being themselves–and having fun with the last person they expect: each other.

By a Thread by Lucy Score

This book was a crowd pleaser this year. A grumpy hero, a strong and sassy heroine. Set in New York, and the fashion industry. It was both, entertaining and satisfying. I love the author’s writing, she wrote two of my most favorite rom-coms, Rock Bottom Girl and The Worst Best Man so far.

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Dominic was staring at me like he couldn’t decide whether to chop me into pieces or pull my hair and French kiss me. 

Dominic
I got her fired. Okay, so I’d had a bad day and took it out on a bystander in a pizza shop. But there’s nothing innocent about Ally Morales. She proves that her first day of her new job… in my office… after being hired by my mother.

So maybe her colorful, annoying, inexplicably alluring personality brightens up the magazine’s offices that have felt like a prison for the past year. Maybe I like that she argues with me in front of the editorial staff. And maybe my after-hours fantasies are haunted by those brown eyes and that sharp tongue.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be the next Russo man to take advantage of his position. I might be a second-generation asshole, but I am not my father.

She’s working herself to death at half a dozen dead-end jobs for some secret reason she doesn’t feel like sharing with me. And I’m going to fix it all. Don’t accuse me of caring. She’s nothing more than a puzzle to be solved. If I can get her to quit, I can finally peel away all those layers. Then I can go back to salvaging the family name and forget all about the dancing, beer-slinging brunette.

Ally
Ha. Hold my beer, Grumpy Grump Face.

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

FANTASY ROMANCE

Emerald Blaze by Ilona Andrews

So, just to be transparent, I LOVE this author couple. They are one of my all time favorite authors and they are one of the only ones that deliver every time! Now besides writing Urban Fantasy, they also write romance fantasy, and this series, which consist of two trilogies, one about Nevada, and one about her younger sister Catalina. And both are must reads for anyone loving strong heroines, fantastic heroes, amazing supporting casts, action, smart and witty dialogues, incredibly world building – I could go on!! I love their books to pieces and this recommendation comes from the heart. So, if you end up not loving the books, don’t tell me, you would break my heart.

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As Prime magic users, Catalina Baylor and her sisters have extraordinary powers—powers their ruthless grandmother would love to control. Catalina can earn her family some protection working as deputy to the Warden of Texas, overseeing breaches of magic law in the state, but that has risks as well. When House Baylor is under attack and monsters haunt her every step, Catalina is forced to rely on handsome, dangerous Alessandro Sagredo, the Prime who crushed her heart. 

The nightmare that Alessandro has fought since childhood has come roaring back to life, but now Catalina is under threat. Not even his lifelong quest for revenge will stop him from keeping her safe, even if every battle could be his last. Because Catalina won’t rest until she stops the use of the illicit, power-granting serum that’s tearing their world apart. 

Age of Deception by T.A. White

This one is more space opera than fantasy, but nevertheless romance heavy and SO GOOD!!! If you check out the reviews for this book you’ll see that I’m not alone with this opinion. The writing is excellent, the world building fantastic, but most of all the characters are what makes this book so good!!! And it has enough romance to satisfy any romance reader.

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War hero and daughter to two Houses, Kira is just beginning to learn how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Agreeing to accompany her father’s people back to their homeworld, Kira Forrest prepares for the fight of her life. She’s agreed to undertake the Trial of the Broken, a rite of passage every member of her father’s House must pass. It offers a path to independence and freedom that is too tempting to deny. 

Not everyone welcomes this lost daughter of Roake. There are those who fear what her presence might bring to light. Betrayal stalks the halls of Kira’s birthplace—its roots embedded deep in the events that claimed her parent’s lives and set her on her current path. 

Walking the wire’s edge between truth and deception will test the person Kira has become as she separates ally from betrayer. An old enemy has put into motion a plan that could topple the balance of power in the universe. Letting them succeed spells doom—but the price might be more than Kira is willing to pay. 

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon

This book is going to grab you and won’t let you go until the end!! It was my first 5 star of 2020, and it just wowed me with its exceptional writing and superb storytelling. The author is one of the best storytellers in the romance genre. The research she did for this book is outstanding. The love story will enchant you and you won’t regret picking it up!

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In this epic and haunting love story set on the Oregon Trail, a family and their unlikely protector find their way through peril, uncertainty, and loss.

The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds and a stranger in both.

But life in a wagon train is fraught with hardship, fear, and death. Even as John and Naomi are drawn to each other, the trials of the journey and their disparate pasts work to keep them apart. John’s heritage gains them safe passage through hostile territory only to come between them as they seek to build a life together.

When a horrific tragedy strikes, decimating Naomi’s family and separating her from John, the promises they made are all they have left. Ripped apart, they can’t turn back, they can’t go on, and they can’t let go. Both will have to make terrible sacrifices to find each other, save each other, and eventually…make peace with who they are.

BEST ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2020