Best Romance novels

10 Favorite Love Stories of All Time

Happy February! To commemorate the month of all things love I thought I’d collect a list of the most beloved love stories. Many of these books have stood the test of the time while others are up and coming. I hope you enjoy the list and will put your favorites in the comments. FYI order is random-ish.

#1 Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

One of my favorite books of all time finds a spoiled daughter of a plantation owner at whit’s end to save her home and land. Enter Rhett Butler, an equally stubborn and proud rogue and philanderer. Scarlett and Rhett = swoon worthy.

#2 It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Lily moves to the big city and starts her own business. She’s definitely a go-getter like Scarlet. Enter Ryle a handsome, but stubborn and arrogant (remind you of Rhett?) neurosurgeon. He breaks his no dating rule for her but what in is past lead him to adopt it in the first place? Re-enter Atlas, an old flame. Who will Lily choose?

#3 Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Louisa Clark is an ordinary small-town girl with a normal life, boyfriend, and close family. Will Traynor led the far from normal life as an extreme athlete and world traveler until a tragic accident leaves him wheelchair bound.

Desperate for a decent paying job, Louisa takes a job as Will’s assistant. He is moody and bossy, but also broken and Louisa finds herself caring for him more than she expected.

#4 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Touted as the “quintessential story of love”. I agree.

#5 The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

My bestie says this is the best series ever. She’s read it several times. I’ve resisted for a long while thinking it’s going to be really sad. And now it’s a series on Netflix. This may be my next read.

#6 Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This will-it-be-tragic love story sounds very much like Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. Perhaps I should say those plots sound very similar to this predecessor. Orphaned Jane takes a position with Edward Rochester only to find herself drawn to the troubled man.

#7/8 Pride and Prejudice & Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy prove that when it comes to love there is no reason in Pride and Prejudice. In Sense and Sensibility Marianne and Elinor navigate love, loss, and society.

#9 Dark Lover by J. R. Ward

This read came up on Goodreads best romance novels list. It’s a vampire love story I had not heard about before (don’t judge). Call me intrigued.

The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago. But when his most trusted fighter is killed — orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate — Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world. Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man… His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger one that threatens to consume them both…

#10 Princess Bride by J. R. Ward

Who doesn’t love The Princess Bride? This version is a rewrite of the the S. Morgenstern classic. With over 700k+ reviews it has a 4.25 rating on Goodreads. I’m thinking a sure win!

What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be…well…a lot less than the man of her dreams?

Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

That’s my list for this year at least. I hope you found some reads to add to your TBR list for this month of love. If you’d like to get posts like these delivered to your inbox, join my all things romance newsletter or my I love it all newsletter. They both come with free fun short stories!

What are your favorite romances? Share them in the comments.

Happy reading! Tricia

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