My Favorite Romances of 2021 (so far)

Hello fellow readers!

It has been a long time since I have written a blog post, but I've felt inspired to share my thoughts on some of my favorite romances so far this year. I have read so many amazing romances, and discovered so many new authors! If you see a familiar book on this list, please drop a comment below so we can talk about it! Also, please let me know your favorite romance book you've read so far this year!

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

This is a historical romance that follows a widower and her romance with a somewhat eccentric man (some reviewers have commented that he could be on the autism spectram based on some of his mannerism and behaviors. The author does not mention that in the book, obviously labels like that were not in place at this time.) It is kind of a Scottish Romance, because the hero is Scottish, but it doesn't take place in Scotland. It actually takes place in France. Reasons I love this book is because of the dynamic between the hero and heroine. They have a maturity between them, because of their age and their life experience. I also really liked that there was kind of a mystery throughout this book that the characters were trying to solve. I have not continued on in this series, but I do plan to!

Tags: Historical, Scottish, Diversity, Friends to Lovers

In Bed with a Highlander by Maya Banks

This is another historical romance novel ( I've obviously been in a mood this year.) Another Scottish one, but this one actually takes place in Scotland. First of all, look at that steamy cover!! It is so cute, and so telling of what you are about to read. This book is a marriage of convenience between a girl who is the secret daughter to the duke and a Laird of clan that is not doing well. The rumor is, if you marry this girl, you will have access to riches and lands from the duke. That makes it very difficult to find true love, so our heroine decides she is not going to chance it, and hides away. She is found by a very bad guy, and through a series of events, is rescued and taken to our hero's clan. Honestly, I knew I loved this book from the beginning, it is interesting, and the stakes were always high. This romance is between a virginal heroine and single father. Their relationship was not only steamy, but it was also hilarious. He is a very serious, grumpy dude, and she doesn't really want to be with him, so she just makes his life kind of hard, sometimes on purpose, sometimes without really meaning to. I loved, like in The Secret by Julie Garwood, how the clan fell in love with her and wanted to keep her safe and happy. It is just great!

Tags: Historical, Scottish, Marriage of Convenience, Single-dad, Grumpy Hero, Alpha, Hate to Love

The Air He Breathes by Brittainy C. Cherry

Okay, this book broke me so many times, I'm literally not the same person I was before I read it. This book is devastating, but also beautiful. This book follows two people who have gone through such traumatic losses in their lives. This book explores how the two handled their grief, and how they help each other in healthy and sometimes unhealthy ways. This book will not be fore everyone, because these characters are very flawed, and they make bad choices, but I felt all of their emotions while reading this book. The love, loss, grief, heartache, lust, pain, joy, etc... I could go on and on. Brittainy C. Cherry has done an amazing job fleshing out these characters and their arch's. I read this book in one day, and then made my husband read it because I needed someone to understand. There is a pretty big plot twist at the end of this book, so if you read this, just be ready to lose your mind! While this book is part of a series, these characters do not appear in the other series. It works well as a stand alone.

Tags: Single Mom, Loss of a loved one, Grumpy hero, Enemies to lovers, Black Author, Indie Published

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

I am so late to this book, but man am I glad I made it! This book is fantastic. I highly recommend the audiobook, because I found the narrators to have done such a great job! This is one of the first enemies to lovers books that I actually enjoyed. I have tried a couple, and none of them really spoke to me, until this one. I just can't get over how cute and quirky this book is. It follows to coworkers who have hated each other since they met each other, and have now found out that a promotion is available, but only one can get it. They are both good at their jobs in completely different ways, and it is just fun to watch them compete and fall in love. I think my favorite part was seeing them slowly realize how perfect they are for each other, and be nervous to tell the other! I so enjoyed this book, and I hope the movie lives up to how special it is!

Tags: Enemies to lovers, Work Place romance, Grumpy- Sunshine, Banter, Funny

Grip by Kennedy Ryan

Technically this is the first book in a series, but their is a prequel that I think you should definitely read first. This book is hard to describe, because it felt like a slow burn romance, because it took FOREVER for the characters to get together, but they were already in love with each other! I don't want to spoil either book, but I'm going to do my best to explain it in a way that makes you want to pick it up, because honestly, this book is just so good! Like seriously so good! Okay, so Grip and Bristol are the main characters. Grip is the best friend of Britsol's twin brother. He is a rapper about to put his first album out, and Bristol is his manager. Bristol and Grip had a week, like 10 years ago ( that's the prequel that I mentioned before) where they got to know each other and fell hard for one another, but something stupid happened, and Bristol is now like, "I can't be with you, you're going to break my heart!" and Grip is like, "I am so in love with you. I will literally do anything for you. You are my perfect woman." An added bonus to this book is the commentary on race, privilege, and the music industry. This book really had me in my feelings, I just love Grip. There is a 2nd (or 3rd, depending on how you look at it) book, that I cannot wait to pick up. Kennedy Ryan says it is her favorite in the series! I just know she is going to rip my heart out!

Tags: Slow burn, Worshipping Hero, Interracial Couple, Brothers Best Friend, Second Chance, Friends to Lovers, Black Author, Music Industry

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Honorable Mentions

Truth or Dare by Danielle Allen

The Point of it All by Christian C. Jones

Flow by Kennedy Ryan

Worship by Jack Harbon

Beast by Measha Stone

Okay, so those were my favorite romance books I've read so far this year! I hope that you are able to find a romance book to read this summer! I think they are great for the summer! I also put some honorable mentions in there that were good, but not my absolute favorite! I recommend those as well!

I hope that you have a good rest of your day!!