search-icon

5 Enchanting Romance Novels to Read Based on Your Mood

by  | June 19
Girl reading book

Today we’re excited to welcome Martha Waters to the Get Lit stage. Her debut novel, To Have and to Hoax, is a Regency rom-com starring the delightful Lady Violet Grey, who’s in a battle of wits with her husband, Lord James Audley. After five years of marriage, four of which have been subpar, they become embroiled in a prank war involving hilariously elaborate schemes that may just save their marriage. Thanks for joining us, Martha!

The beauty of romance novels is that I can read them no matter how I’m feeling. While I love a good, fast-paced nonfiction narrative, I can’t immerse myself in that type of book if the real world feels too anxious, nor can I properly appreciate the achingly beautiful sentences of a piece of gorgeous literary fiction if I’m feeling particularly busy or overscheduled. But romance? I can read it anytime, anywhere—and that’s one of the many reasons I love it so much. But that’s not to say that I want to read just any old romance at any particular moment—just like any other genre, romances vary wildly in terms of their emotional heaviness and tone. This means that, if I’m feeling sad, I don’t particularly want to read a dark, angsty romance, or if I’m feeling stressed about work, I don’t necessarily want to read a romance about a heroine dealing with similar issues. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite romances here to help you choose a great read that might fit whatever your mood is at the moment.

The Sins of Lord Lockwood

The Sins of Lord Lockwood

by Meredith Duran

If you’re feeling angry:

Anyone’s fit of righteous anger can be soothed by the pure satisfaction that comes from this romance between an estranged earl and a countess, who get a second chance at love—and vengeance against the man responsible for the lord’s kidnapping on the couple’s wedding night four years earlier. The combination of revenge and deeply emotional romance makes for utterly gratifying reading.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
Act Like It

Act Like It

by Lucy Parker

If you’re feeling happy:

If you’re in a good mood, don’t you want to cling to that good feeling? No book could be a better bet for continued joy than Lucy Parker’s story of a pair of actors at a London theater who feign a relationship for publicity purposes, only to find themselves falling in love for real. The hero and heroine are perfectly matched, the banter is off the charts delightful, and the best cat in romance novel history plays a supporting role. Read it and delight.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logo
An Extraordinary Union

An Extraordinary Union

by Alyssa Cole

If you’re feeling pessimistic:

This exciting, emotional, romantic tale of Civil War espionage follows a former slave who returns to the South to spy for the Union Army and finds herself working—and falling in love—with a Pinkerton detective. In this interracial romance, Cole crafts a hopeful testament to love’s power to conquer the most desperate of odds.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
The Unhoneymooners

The Unhoneymooners

by Christina Lauren

If you’re feeling restless:

None of us are traveling much at the moment—thanks, coronavirus—and if you’re lamenting a canceled summer vacation, may I suggest a trip to Hawaii via the pages of this charming rom-com? It’s a classic enemies-to-lovers story of a maid of honor and best man who pretend to be a married couple to score a free vacation after everyone else in a wedding party is felled by food poisoning. The sexual tension between the hero and heroine is just as sizzling as the Hawaiian setting, and you’ll forget you’re stuck on your couch while escaping into the pages of this delightful book.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
It Takes Two to Tumble

It Takes Two to Tumble

by Cat Sebastian

If you’re feeling lonely:

It is impossible to feel lonely while reading this warm, loving, utterly delightful historical romance about a country vicar who looks after the rambunctious children of a stern naval captain—a captain who, upon his return to England, finds himself falling in love with the man who has brought his home back to life. The romance is heartfelt, the banter is wildly entertaining, and best of all is watching this family piece itself together.

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo
To Have and to Hoax

To Have and to Hoax

by Martha Waters

In this fresh and hilarious historical rom-com, an estranged husband and wife in Regency England feign accidents and illness in an attempt to gain attention—and maybe just win each other back in the process.

Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely spoken since.

Their once-passionate love match has been reduced to one of cold, detached politeness. But when Violet receives a letter that James has been thrown from his horse and rendered unconscious at their country estate, she races to be by his side—only to discover him alive and well at a tavern, and completely unaware of her concern. She’s outraged. He’s confused. And the distance between them has never been more apparent.

Wanting to teach her estranged husband a lesson, Violet decides to feign an illness of her own. James quickly sees through it, but he decides to play along in an ever-escalating game of manipulation, featuring actors masquerading as doctors, threats of Swiss sanitariums, faux mistresses—and a lot of flirtation between a husband and wife who might not hate each other as much as they thought. Will the two be able to overcome four years of hurt or will they continue to deny the spark between them?

Amazon logoBarnes & Noble logoBooks a Million logoBookshop logo

Photo Credit // Atria

Categories // Bookish Lists

Tagged // • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Love to get lit... erary? Sign up to get the latest delivered to your inbox!
Read these articles next: