Book recs – Year 3

If you liked the books I shared in my previous book-recs lists, you may enjoy this one as well. As a reminder, you already have the post about books that changed my life, the post about books that made me become a Romance reader, and the one featuring the books and series I discovered during my second year as a Romance reader.

Anyway, these were my favourite discoveries during my third year as a Romance reader:

• Him: Shall I start with another Ice Hockey Romance? Because I didn’t lie: they’re really quite popular. The first book of this series is one of the few romance novels with LGBTQ+ protagonists that have won a RITA award. It tells the story of two old friends that reunite and have to face the fact that their relationship will never go back to what it once was. Which doesn’t mean that it can’t go any other way.
• The Carstairs Affairs: Two excellent spies with very different styles are forced to pose as a couple and work together in 1920s London to uncover a terrorist plot. The Great War is over and they will fight those who want to reignite the tensions… and do whatever is in their power to fulfill their mission. Becoming a real couple was not the plan, but a good spy can improvise in any situation.
• Spires universe series: A group of contemporary standalone novels by Alexis Hall that take part in the same universe. They are all very different from each other, but also have some points in common: opposites attract, couples that shouldn’t match but do, characters with emotional intelligence versus logical characters. I love all of them, but my favourite is Waiting for the Flood. The most popular one is For Real, which won a well-deserved RITA award.
• Snow & Winter: Sebastian Snow is an antiquarian who finds himself involved in crimes related to a topic he knows a lot about: Edgar Allan Poe. He’s lucky detective Calvin Winter doesn’t find him suspicious, even if he’s always one step ahead. Instead, Calvin ends up asking for his help to solve different cases. What could go wrong? Well, Sebastian could become a target, one of them could get killed… or worse, they could fall in love and change their lives forever.
• Downtime: FBI Agent Morgan Nash is working on a dangerous case when he wakes up in 19th Century London. Ezra might have saved his life, but has also left him stranded in a past he doesn’t understand. No problem, though. An FBI Agent can fix anything, so he decides to solve his little time travelling problem, his new friends’ lives, and, on his own free time, the case of Jack the Ripper. Living so close to Ezra is not easy, though, because he can’t help falling in love with him.
• Wanted: Wanted, A Gentleman is one of my favourite historical novels. One of the main characters wants to be a writer, but earns his money publishing a gazette with matrimonial ads. The other main character needs to find a friend who’s eloped after using said gazette. When they realize the young couple is going to get married in Scotland, both men embark on a road trip that will draw them closer than any of them wants.
• Sins of the Cities: Another great historical series by KJ Charles. This one is full of suspense. There are murders, fraud, blackmail, and a line-up of adorable and wonderfully diverse main characters. What else could you need? Taxidermy? Mediums? Acrobats? Very nasty London smog? Very cool pubs? This series has you covered. And it’s one of my favourites!
• The Roosevelt: This wonderful series starts with Carry the Ocean, which is one of my favourite books, and I hope it will continue for a long time. The main characters have a wonderful relationship in which they help and support each other so they can become the best versions of themselves. One of the main characters is autistic, and his partner has anxiety and depression. And they work great together because in each other they’ve found exactly what they need.
• Lord Heliodor’s Retirement: A Fantasy book where the main character is retired and has to go back to work when he finds out the queen’s life is in danger… again. The good news is that he’s also discovered his first love is alive and well. The bad news is that he’s found out in the worst possible circumstances. Is it worth learning that the man you loved is a spy who faked his own death decades ago when he’s telling you that you’re all going to die?
• Peter Darling: This Peter Pan retelling is a stroke of genius. In it, Wendy Darling is actually Peter Pan, and Neverland is the only place where he can be true to himself. But when he realizes this and manages to go back, everything has changed and, most of all, himself. He’s not a child anymore, and somehow the only person who seems to understand and share his misgivings is Captain Hook. Will they be able to agree to a truce? Could they become friends after all these years? And what about lovers?
• Shatterproof: A dark Urban Fantasy Romance with lots of content warnings that you should check out. It’s a fascinating blend of Celtic Mythology and Haitian Vodou. The main characters are similar and different at the same time. Both have lost something, both have depression… but one of them wants to live more than anything else, and the other wants to die. It must be fate that brought them together, because Saint is doomed to lose all his lovers, and Grey couldn’t have dreamt of a sweeter way to kill himself.
• Spindrift: A dark Paranormal Romance to end this list. This one is set in contemporary England and features ghosts, curses, and folklore. The main character is trying to recover from a suicide attempt in a quiet seaside village, but ends up investigating the history of the place to find out more about the ghost that haunts his rooms… who happens to have a very handsome descendant working at the local museum.

As you can imagine, I’ve learned a lot from Romance novels, especially about philosophy, politics, racism, ableism and mental health. If you need personalized recommendations or want to share your own, just leave a comment.

Happy reading and happy Pride!!