Top 10 Modern Romance Novels and Series
Hello Again!
Since February is the month of romance I thought I would do a top 10 romance novels and series list for you. I love romance novels, it's one of my guilty pleasures and I have found quite a few which are my favorites and I tend to re-read from time to time. Here is my definitive top 10 in order of preference! Enjoy!
WARNING: This content is for audiences 17+
10. The Woodlands Series- Jen Frederick
For four years, Grace Sullivan wrote to a Marine she never met, and fell in love. But when his deployment ended, so did the letters. Ever since that day, Grace has been coasting, academically and emotionally. The one thing she’s decided? No way is Noah Jackson — or any man — ever going to break her heart again. Noah has always known exactly what he wants out of life. Success. Stability. Control. That’s why he joined the Marines and that’s why he’s fighting his way — literally — through college. Now that he’s got the rest of his life on track, he has one last conquest: Grace Sullivan. But since he was the one who stopped writing, he knows that winning her back will be his biggest battle yet.
These novels hold a specials place in my heart because it's set in The Woodlands, in Texas where I have family so I always find myself trying to figure out if I know the areas they're talking about in the books. This series is a great read because every story is very unique and had the appropriate amount of drama and romance as well as being quite charming.
9. Beautiful Bastards Series by Christina Lauren
Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard. Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office. As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.
This novel is one in a long series and they are all written pretty well to be honest. I have a soft spot for the first novel, however, since it allowed me to fall in love with the characters. One of the things I enjoyed with this novel is that the female protagonist isn't falling over herself to do whatever the male protagonist wants. She stands her ground and shows she has a backbone which is a great character feature.
8. The Right Bride by Jennifer Ryan
High-powered businessman Cameron Shaw doesn't believe in love—until he falls head over heels for beautiful, passionate, and intensely private Martina. She's perfect in so many ways, immediately bonding with his little girl. Martina could be his future bride and a delightful stepmother … if only Cameron weren't blinded by his belief that Shelly, the gold-digging woman he's promised to marry, is pregnant with his child. No matter how much his friends protest his upcoming marriage to Shelly, Cameron knows he has a duty to his children, so he's determined to see it through. Will he find out in time that Shelly's lying and Marti's the one who's actually carrying his child? It'll come down to the day of his wedding. After choosing Shelly over Marti at every turn, will he convince Marti she's his world and the only woman he wants?
This novels appeal is in its wonderful telenovela level drama and dramatic reveals. I have read this novel so many times and the story still surprises me in new ways. This novel is actually the 3rd in a series where there are characters from the series in all the books. I enjoy some of the other books in the series but this one is my favorite by far.
7. Easy by Tammara Weber
He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior... The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he'd worked so hard to overcome, and the future she'd put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart. Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth - and find the unexpected power of love. A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl's struggle to regain the trust she's lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.
This novel is similar to the next one on the list. This story takes place on a college campus where the female protagonist experiences a trauma and is saved. This isn't a storybook romance and the protagonists have to overcome some struggles but this story is different from any I have read (including the next entry on the list).
6. Fading by E.K. Blair
Fine arts major, Candace Parker, grew up with a mother who thinks image is everything, and her daughter’s perfection will never be good enough. About to graduate college and pursue her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, Candace decides it’s time to let go and have a little fun. But fun is short-lived when a brutal attack leaves her completely shattered. The memories that consume and torment Candace are starting to destroy her when she meets Ryan Campbell, a successful bar owner. He feels instantly connected and tries to show her that hope is worth fighting for. But is Ryan harboring his own demons? As walls slowly begin to chip away, the secrets that are held within start to become painful burdens.
This novel takes place on a college campus and has a unique story. The trauma the main character faces in this story is difficult but made for a very interesting read and it was really interesting to read through her emotional and physical recovery. The author also wrote a companion book, Falling, which tells the same story through the male protagonist's point of view.
5. Crash Series by Nicole Williams
Southpointe High is the last place Lucy wanted to wind up her senior year of school. Right up until she stumbles into Jude Ryder, a guy whose name has become its own verb, and synonymous with trouble. He's got a rap sheet that runs longer than a senior thesis, has had his name sighed, shouted, and cursed by more women than Lucy dares to ask, and lives at the local boys home where disturbed seems to be the status quo for the residents. Lucy had a stable at best, quirky at worst, upbringing. She lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, has her sights set on Juilliard, and has been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Up until now. Jude's everything she needs to stay away from if she wants to separate her past from her future. Staying away, she's about to find out, is the only thing she's incapable of. For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love's about to become the thing that tears them apart.
This series is great because the first novel takes place when the characters are in high school and the other two when they're in college which is a different setting than your average romance novel. One of the reasons I was drawn to this novel was the fact that the female protagonist is a ballerina and I always wanted to be a ballerina as well. These novels are more about the relationship between the main characters than about the romance which is a nice break from the usual romance novel as well.
4. Filthy Beautiful Series by Kendall Ryan
Meet Colton Drake... I have no idea why she auctioned off her virginity for a cool mill. Regardless, I’m now the proud new owner of a perfectly intact hymen. A lot of good that will do me. I have certain tastes, certain sexual proclivities. My cock is a bit more discriminatory than most. And training a virgin takes finesse and patience – both of which I lack. Sophie Evans has been backed into a corner. With her sister’s life hanging in the balance, the only choice is to claw her way out, even if that means selling her virginity to the highest bidder at an exclusive erotic club. When Colton Drake takes her home, she quickly learns nothing is as it seems with this beautifully troubled man. Being with him poses challenges she never expected, and pushes her to want things she never anticipated.
Take the synopsis of this one with a grain of salt. It's not nearly as raunchy as it sounds (I promise)! I first read the first novel in this series because I was intrigued by the synopsis and after reading the first novel, I was hooked! Kendall Ryan is probably my favorite romance writer. She has so many great stories and there are never 2 that feel the same. This series is my favorite because of its interesting story and because of the spin-off series that she crated with characters from the first 3 novels.
3. Fixed on You Series by Laurelin Page
Stalking and restraining orders are a thing of Alayna Wither's past. With her MBA newly in hand, she has her future figured out —move up at the nightclub she works at and stay away from any guy who might trigger her obsessive love disorder. A perfect plan. But what Alayna didn't figure on is Hudson Pierce, the new owner of the nightclub. He's smart, rich, and gorgeous —the kind of guy Alayna knows to stay away from if she wants to keep her past tendencies in check.
Except, Hudson's fixed his sights on her. He wants her in his bed and makes no secret of it. Avoiding him isn't an option after he offers a business proposition she can't turn down and she's drawn further into his universe, unable to resist his gravitational pull.
When she learns Hudson has a dark history of his own, she realizes too late that she's fallen for the worst man she could possibly get involved with. Or maybe their less than ideal pasts give them an opportunity to heal each other and finally find the love their lives have been missing.
I definitely enjoy this series because of the drama and the action but also because the female protagonist in this series doesn't just give in to the man that is interested in her, which displays some strong character that not alot of romance novels have. Laurelin keeps the story interesting through all 3 novels and it doesn't get repetitive. This is one of my favorite series to re-read.
2. Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.
This is one of the books one this list that I read first. I love everything about this book and the main character's chemistry. I have re- read this book at least 6 times and have loved it every single time. The only reason this book isn't #1 is because I'm not a big fan of the sequels in this series or her spin off novels. They're still pretty good but they lost the charm that the first book held.
1. Crossfire Series by Sylvia Day
Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness... He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I’d never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily... Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other’s most private wounds…and desires. The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn’t tear us apart...
I read the first book in this series, Bared to You, around the same time that I read Beautiful Disaster and loved this book as well (although not quite as much as Beautiful Disaster). The reason this series is at #1 is that every book in this series is just as captivating as the first which is incredibly difficult to do with a romance novel. I have loved re-reading this series and am definitely due for a re-read come to think of it.
I hope you enjoyed this and maybe found something new to read! Let me know if you have any favorites that weren't on this list that I should check out, I'm always on the hunt for a new romance to enjoy!
