A Year of Reading Romance

Wallflowers, small towns, and opposites that inevitably attract.

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Welcome to Moonstruck Reads! I’m an avid romance reader, aspiring writer, and librarian living in NYC. I read widely but romance has been my favorite since I first discovered it in college, after years of swooning over Jane Austen and being significantly more invested in the outcome of various YA love triangles than the fate of the dystopian regime/fantasy kingdom/secret magical society that the book was supposedly about. Here, I’ll talk about what I’m reading (romance and non-romance), themes and authors I love, books I’m excited for, and the joys of the reading life.

I’m starting with looking back over a year of reading that included eighty-plus romance novels. A few themes that emerged about what worked for me in 2022:

• Dual POV (point of view) narration and balanced characterization. I want to know both main characters and be invested in both of their journeys.  Books where the hero gets just as much emotional development as the heroine, like Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey, really stood out to me this year. I found myself gravitating more and more to dual POV novels and being frustrated when all the non-POV’s character growth seemed to happen off the page in single POV first person romance novels. 

• Slow burns and longer romances. I want the delicious anticipation, the simmering unresolved sexual tension, and the pure joy of seeing two people slowly find their way towards each other. I also loved stories that didn’t rush to the happy ending but let their characters sit in the dark moment a little longer, reflect, and take the first steps they needed to change. 

• A fully realized world, even for the first book in a series. This year, I loved books with rich casts of secondary characters, atmospheric prose, and carefully drawn settings, from charming small towns in the Pacific Northwest to boarding houses in Regency London. 

This year, I want to continue to diversify my romance reading, both in terms of genre and of the voices being represented. I would especially love to read more diverse historical romances and more historicals set outside the 19th century. I also want to find more under the radar gems to recommend and maybe some new-to-me authors with a deep backlist to explore.

I sorted every romance novel I read in 2022 into tiers, from the books I adored to one that was just not for me. They’re organized alphabetically by author’s last name because ranking them further would be a cruel and unusual punishment. (Note that this doesn’t include any of the YA I read this year because YA romance feels like a totally distinct genre to me.)

Tier 1: Favorites of the Year

Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey: This book was a surprise. It Happened One Summer was a fizzy, summery delight of a book but this follow-up took a fish hook straight to my heart. It’s a friends-to-lovers slow burn that delivers on the hero’s character arc in a way a lot of contemporary romances don’t. Fox spends most of the book wrestling with the way he uses intimacy and the things he’s been taught to believe about himself.  I found his growth over the course of the story, as well as the heroine Hannah’s as she learns to take center stage in her own life, so satisfying. This felt to me very much like a romance for dedicated romance readers and it’s been near the top of my favorites list since I read it in March. Note that this one is very steamy.

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake and Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake: The more I think about this series, the more I love it. I first read Delilah Green back in April and it’s only climbed up my favorites list since then. These books are messy and tender and gorgeous and filled with people who feel so very real. Blake gives her characters room to breathe and grow, to make mistakes and fix them, to put down roots and let go. Every aspect of this series feels lived-in and fleshed out, from the charming PNW town it takes place in to the relationships both platonic and romantic. Perhaps the romance series I most want to shove into people’s hands until they finally read it. 

When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare (reread): I cackled out loud. Multiple times. The set-up is just perfect–a shy wallflower writes letters to an imaginary Scottish captain for years to get out of taking part in the Season, only to discover that he’s very real and very set on marrying her–and the whole book is so clever in the way it plays with romance tropes and reader expectations. There’s a real affection not just for the hero and heroine but for the secondary characters, including Maddie’s marvelously eccentric aunt and Logan’s troop of scarred soldiers trying to heal and find a new home. I reread this while sick on my couch with Covid and it was the only thing that distracted me from the fact that I was coughing like a Victorian consumptive. This would be perfect if you’re a longtime historical romance fan or looking for an introduction to the genre. 

Book Lovers by Emily Henry: Yes, Book Lovers was everywhere this year. But it was everywhere for a reason. This is both an excellent gateway into romance for non-readers of the genre and a loving tribute to the rom-com for those who’ve been reading romance for years. As someone who hates it whenever a fictional heroine abandons her very successful career and big city life for a man who runs a failing business in a small town, this book just spoke to me. I adored how ambitious and driven Nora was and her banter-filled, spiky yet sweet romance with Charlie. Plus there’s a really wonderful sister relationship, a charming small town and loving descriptions of New York City, and, as is only fitting, a distressed local bookstore to save. 

After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long: Simply on a sentence level, Julie Anne Long has some of the best writing in historical romance. Every detail is precise and perfectly chosen and every sentence carefully shaped. This book has a spirited sense of humor, indelible characters, and an off-the-charts swoon factor. An opposites attract romance between an impulsive opera singer dogged by scandal and an upright general dogged by duty, it’s my favorite installment in a truly excellent series. The Palace of Rogues series, which revolves around the found family formed at a boarding house on the Thames, is another I just want to press into readers’ hands forever.

Scandalized by Ivy Owens: Is this book pure romantic fantasy? Yes. Was I obsessed with it anyway? Yes. I read quite a few celebrity romances this year and this one was easily my favorite–Alec and Gigi’s chemistry practically crackles off the page. Heads-up that this one is extremely spicy.  It has some of the best usage of steamy scenes to build the hero and heroine’s relationship that I’ve read in ages but depending on your reading taste, that may not work for you. This is a book that feels like the author genuinely had so much fun writing it and I had just as much fun reading it. 

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian: Another book that had me screeching like a pterodactyl in delight. This features one of my favorite romance dynamics of all time: scheming, ice queen heroine and ray of sunshine hero who can't help falling head over heels for her. There’s blackmail letters that become love letters! A Georgian road trip! All the banter your heart could desire! I would have read chapters and chapters more of this couple just hanging around a tavern and talking to each other. 

The Lady Gets Lucky by Joanna Shupe: Sometimes you just want a charming rogue and a wallflower, falling madly in love over lessons in seduction. Joanna Shupe is my go-to recommendation for Gilded Age romance and this is my favorite of hers. I adored Kit and Alice’s interactions, growth individually and together, and just how much they liked each other. Kit is in awe of her competence and Alice sees past the rakish persona he puts on to his kindness, loyalty, and honesty. They see and value each other in a way that’s just stuck with me. 

Tier 2a: Honorable Mentions, Would Also Enthusiastically Recommend

• A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin

• How the Wallflower Was Won by Eva Leigh

• Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese

• Heartbreaker by Sarah MacLean

• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

• Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

• Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon

• Running Wild by K.A. Tucker

Tier 2b: Really Liked, Would Wholeheartedly Recommend

• Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh

• Someone to Cherish by Mary Balogh

• The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen

• Midnight Feast by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner

• Free Fall by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner

• Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

• The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller

• The Stand-In by Lily Chu

• All the Feels by Olivia Dade

• Husband Material by Alexis Hall

• From Bad to Cursed by Lana Harper

• Flying Solo by Linda Holmes

• Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez

• The Christmas Wish by Lindsey Kelk

• Something Wilder by Christina Lauren

• Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh

• Waiting for a Scot Like You by Eva Leigh

• The Good Girl’s Guide to Rakes by Eva Leigh

• I’m Only Wicked With You by Julie Anne Long

• Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren

• Just Last Night by Mhairi MacFarlane

• Mad About You by Mhairi MacFarlane

• A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

• The No-Show by Beth O’Leary

• Partners in Crime by Alisha Rai

• Electric Idol by Katee Robert

• Wicked Beauty by Katee Robert

• The Hookup Plan by Farrah Rochon

• The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian

• In a New York Minute by Kate Spencer

• The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe

Tier 3a: Mostly Liked, I Have Some Minor Quibbles

• A Reckless Match by Kate Bateman

• Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun

• Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon

• In the Event of Love by Courtney Kae

• Love and Other Disasters by Anita Kelly

• The Impossible Us by Sarah Lotz

• Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis

• Chaos Reigning by Jessie Mihalik

• Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

• A Merry Little Meet-Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

• Meant to be Mine by Hannah Orenstein

• Battle Royal by Lucy Parker

• The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn (reread)

• The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley

• The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling

• Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

• If the Boot Fits by Rebekah Weatherspoon

• Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

• The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

• How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder

Tier 3b: Liked in Part, My Quibbles are More Significant

• Boyfriend by Sarina Bowen

• The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

• The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

• Well Traveled by JenDeLuca

• Barbarian Alien by Ruby Dixon

• Sadie on a Plate by Amanda Elliot

• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

• Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory

• Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas

• Reckless by Selena Montgomery/Stacey Abrams

• The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

• Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

• Dating Dr Dil by Nisha Sharma

Tier 4: Not for Me

• Lease on Love by Falon Ballard

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Currently reading: Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade. I loved the first two installments in her smart and funny Spoiler Alert series and this one, about two costars who had a one-night stand and then found they’d be spending years filming on the same remote island together, is such a treat so far. Note that this is a Harper Collins title. You can support the Harper Collins union by signing their open letter, purchasing titles through their Bookshop.org page, or donating to their strike fund. If you do decide to buy this book, please consider doing it through the union’s Bookshop.org page.

What’s bringing me joy this week:

• Belatedly hopping on the prestige TV train. I’ve been watching both season 1 of The White Lotus and Fleishman Is in Trouble and enjoying the sharp writing and excellent performances. 

• The illustrated 5th anniversary edition of If We Were Villains that I was tempted into ordering from Blackwell’s. I love some dramatic and slightly murderous Shakespeareans and a reread is in order very soon. 

• Low-key museum wandering. I was gifted a membership to the Met for my last birthday and I’ve been loving going on Friday evenings to explore a set of galleries or two. The last time that I went, I found myself in the Islamic art galleries and spent a delightful hour admiring illustrated manuscripts, carpets, and a fully preserved lavish reception room.