Minerva is a geologist who just wants to get to Scotland for the meeting of the Royal Geological Society. Oh, and she wants Colin, Spindle Cove’s resident rake, to not court her sister Diana. So Minerva proposes that Colin pretend to elope with her and Francine, her plaster model of a prehistoric lizard foot, and accompany them to Scotland, where she’ll give him the 500=pound prize for best presentation. The catch? Colin cannot sleep alone at night because of a tragic carriage accident in his past, and so Minerva must agree to sleep beside him every night of the trip. Dare is a master of the comic romance, and this wonderful road-trip novel delivers as many laughs as it does sighs. 

Nevada Baylor runs a private investigative agency with her family in Houston, where magical families have amassed power and wealth. When Nevada gets mixed up in a murder investigation to save the family business, she finds herself unwillingly partnered with one of the most powerful mages in the world, Connon “Mad” Rogan. Rogan may scare a lot of people, but he doesn’t scare Nevada (at least not too much), and as she works with him to track down a killer, she learns how powerful her magic really is and their connection could become. This is the first in a three-book series, and as ever, Andrews delivers urban fantasy at its best, with strong world building and a large, compelling cast of characters. 

The youngest Brown sister has never been taken seriously, not by her family and not even by herself. Now, having accidentally run over the B&B owner she just finished interviewing with, Eve knows she has to stay and make things right. Hampered by a broken arm, autistic owner Jacob has no choice but to let her. As they work together, Eve gets to know Jacob as a prickly but deeply caring man and to better understand herself as a neurodivergent woman. The book is laugh-out-loud funny, with banter for days and the sort of slapstick humor that rarely works on the page. This is the last book in the Brown Sisters trilogy; every one is worth a read. 

Arguably the greatest romance novel of all time, Austen's Pride and Prejudice follows the opinionated heroine Elizabeth Bennet as she frequently finds herself at odds with her beau, the uptight Mr. Darcy. 

By exploring themes such as religion, sexuality, and classism, Jane Eyre was a groundbreaking novel during its 19th-century release. Still revered as one of the genre's first novels, Brontë's story of the titular character, Jane, and her maturing emotions and love for her broody boss, Mr. Rochester, is one that readers still have a hard time putting down. 

A disclaimer—an OG bodice ripper, The Wolf and the Dove was written in the 1970s, and it shows. Readers today may find it a little too long at over 600 pages—and back then, the foundations of consent that are now commonplace in the 21st century were not at the forefront. But with that said, Woodiwiss's work is one of the original historical romance classics, providing a pathway for many of today's favorite reads. Shanna follows its heiress namesake as she escapes to a Caribbean island after being promised in marriage to the lustful criminal Ruark Beauchamp. 

This classic tearjerker by Spencer takes place in small-town Whitney, Georgia, on the eve of World War II. Will Parker is trying to evade the bad luck that comes with his damning reputation. So when he sees a "Wanted" ad in the paper written by a young widowed mother of two (who's also pregnant with her third child) looking for a husband, it seems that Will finally has an answer to his troubles. 

Notorious sinner Sebastian Ballister, Marquess of Dain, revels in his reputation as an unapologetic scoundrel. And he's perfectly content to live as such—until he comes across Jessica Trent. She's smart and headstrong, determined to save her troubled brother from ruin, but she has to cross Sebastian to do so. 

Years after escaping slavery as a child, Hester is a free woman living in Michigan as an essential worker on the Underground Railroad. One night she's charged with taking in an injured Galen Vachon, also known as Black Daniel, one of the railroad's most valued conductors. As Hester nurses the handsome and arrogant man back to health, their time together proves to be the beginning of an epic romance. Indigo is one of Jenkins's earliest novels, and kicked off a slew of rich historical romances that have elevated her to icon status. 

While we have Daphne and Simon from The Duke and I to thank for starting off this bestselling eight-book series (and eventually, the Bridgerton Netflix craze), it's The Viscount Who Loved Me that never fails to make us swoon. In the novel, shameless rake Anthony Bridgerton has finally decided it's time to find a wife. He has the perfect prospect in the beautiful Edwina, but it's her older half-sister, Kate, who proves to be too tempting. 

After graduating medical school, Delaney sets off for an escape at her cousin's luxurious secluded cabin. But it turns out she's not staying there alone—it's occupied by a gorgeous stranger named Jamal, who also happens to be a sheikh determined to seduce Delaney. Delaney’s Desert Sheikh is the first of Jackson's 30 "The Westmoreland" novels. 

The first of J.R. Ward's ongoing 19 novel series, Black Dagger Brotherhood follows purebred vampire leader Wrath as he unexpectedly falls in love with half-breed Beth, who's quickly introduced to an intriguing paranormal world.