Happy Valentine’s Day! Since today is Valentine’s Day, I figured what better genre of fiction to talk about than Romance. Am I right? And, conveniently enough, this week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt from The Broke and the Bookish is “All About Romance Tropes/Types.” Since my preferred flavor of romance is the Inspirational Romance variety, that’s the type of romance my list will focus upon.
Following are a few of my favorite Inspirational Romance series and standalones from the last few years:
First the Standalones
(alphabetically, since narrowing the list down was already tough enough without forcing myself to rank them):
1. A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert
This was the first book I read by Katie Ganshert and it made a big impression on me. A wonderful contemporary romance, but also so much more than a romance. Here’s my (somewhat lengthy) review of A Broken Kind of Beautiful.
2. Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay
Yowser. This one packs some serious emotional punch. Seriously. If you haven’t read it yet, why not? See my review of Dear Mr. Knightley to see what you’ve been missing. Also, I recently learned that it’s now available as an audiobook. Be still my heart!
3. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Because what kind of list of inspirational romance could be complete without this one on it? This is a beloved classic of this genre for a reason. See my review of Redeeming Love.
And Next the Series
(also alphabetically by author):
4. Crisis Team series by Candace Calvert
The first two books in this series have bumped this author’s work rapidly up my must-read list. To find out why, check out my reviews of By Your Side and Step by Step. And, in case you were unaware… the third book in this series (Maybe It’s You) just released this month!
5. Eyes of E’veria series by Serena Chase
I guest-blogged with this author before I read her books. And then I read her books and totally fell for her storyworld and characters. See my reviews of The Ryn, The Remedy, The Seahorse Legacy, and The Sunken Realm.
6. Elite Guardians series by Lynette Eason
This series of romantic suspense novels features a group of highly skilled female bodyguards. Pretty good premise, huh? And well written to boot. Check out my review of the audio edition of Always Watching. I’ll be posting my review of Without Warning in the next few weeks, but suffice to say, that one’s pretty fabulous too. Can’t wait to read the next two titles in the series!
7. Hope Harbor series by Irene Hannon
After reading the first two titles in this series, I want to visit the lovely seaside town of Hope Harbor, even if it is fictional! See my reviews of Hope Harbor and Sea Rose Lane.
8. Royal Wedding series by Rachel Hauck
This series is among my favorites in audiobook format, because Eleni Pappageorge does such a fabulous job as narrator, with the characters’ British and southern accents. See my reviews of Once Upon a Prince, Princess Ever After, and How to Catch a Prince.
9. Beacons of Hope series by Jodi Hedlund
For fans of historical romance, this series is a treat. It centers around historical lighthouses in Michigan and their operators. I’m a little behind in reading this series, but I hope to catch up one of these days! See my reviews of Out of the Storm, Love Unexpected, and Hearts Made Whole.
10. Full Steam Ahead series by Karen Witemeyer
For a witty read with a historical and scientific spin, check out Full Steam Ahead (see my review). There’s a novella (Love on the Mend) in the series too, that I’ve been wanting to read.
Let’s chat. What are your favorite romances? And will you be making any time for a romantic read this Valentine’s Day?