The Nora Theory

I was introduced to the romance genre as most of my generation was, first through Twilight and then a few years later, Fifty Shades of Grey. While we’re on the subject, I’d like to formally apologize to my senior year Spanish teacher for openly reading erotica with my feet on the desk during class. That was rude. But I was hooked. When the pandemic hit, it was the perfect opportunity to revist my love for romance, and in the last three years I’ve read hundreds of romance novels. I’ve learned that while Fifty Shades is where most people get their start, it’s not the only or even close to the best place to begin.

There is a vast universe of romance novels out there for every taste and style of reader. Whether you like them sweet and cozy or dark and intense, here are some of the best books to get you started reading romance.

Note: the links included here are Amazon Affiliate links, which means if you purchase through said links, The Nora Theory gets a cut.

A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole

I started reading this book and within pages I thought to myself, oh this is just great. The heroine is a struggling graduate student in STEM, and because there aren’t many women in STEM, there doesn’t seem to be all that many romance heroines in the area either. This book also features a scene where a prince learns the difficulty of waiting tables, which immediately had me sold.

Naledi is studying epidemiology, and starts receiving a barrage of emails claiming she is betrothed to an African prince. Naturally, she assumes this is a scam and deletes them. Turns out, there is an actual African prince (from the fictional African nation of Thesolo) out there looking for her.

This is a classic fairytale kind of love story with such a unique premise. Modernizing the prince looking for his long lost love trope using a plot device involving scam emails is delightfully clever. Reading A Princess in Theory is like wrapping yourself in a warm blanket on a cold day.

Spice Level: 2

Writing: 4

Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburg by Rachael Lippincott

This is a such a sweet, clever love story, perfect for anyone looking for a short read that hits all the warm fuzzy feelings. A young art student is struggling to find inspiration after a breakup, and she is in desperate need of a spark. Another young aristocratic teenager in 1812 England is about to be forced to marry a wealthy man she doesn’t love who treats her despicably. Both of them are in desperate need of a change, and that change comes when they crash into each other’s lives thanks to an enchanted coin.

There is almost no spice in this, to the point where I recommended it to my thirteen year old sister. There are a couple of heated kisses, but the rest is all an engaging plot and a touching story of two young girls from very different worlds falling hopelessly in love.

Spice: 0.5

Writing: 5

Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score

This grumpy/sunshine romance has everything: a runaway bride, a lottery winner, and an estranged twin sister causing all kinds of trouble. The heroine is someone you just desperately want to root for, and the hero is broody but loveable stubborn mess of a man, which makes his journey just all the more satisfying. This heartmelting, tear jerking romance is matched with well written spice and just a touch of danger thrown in.

The third in the Knockemout series, all romances following the same group of friends in the same small town, made my best of 2023 list. If you’re looking to get into romance novels, the Knockemout series is a wonderful place to start.

Spice Level: 2

Writing: 4.5

Birthday Girl by Penelope Douglas

This is one of my all-time romance favorites that I love to reread and recommend. Birthday Girl is an age gap romance where the heroine falls for her ex-boyfriend’s father. It’s a taboo that’s handled in a way that feels very graceful, despite the inherent trickiness of this trope.

Jordan and her mediocre-at-best boyfriend lose their apartment and are forced to move in with his father, who begins to notice just how poorly his son has been treating her. There is a lot of slow burn tension, a lot of heartbreak, and a happily ever after that feels so well earned.

Pike is such a dreamy main character, and will win pride of place on any list of book boyfriends. Jordan is so relatable, and the chemistry between these two truly sizzles.

Spice Level: 3

Writing: 4.5

Priest by Sierra Simone

If you’re looking for an entry into the land of romance novels that has all the kink of Fifty Shades but with better writing and a significantly better hero, look no further than Sierra Simone. Priest is the story of a blue-blooded beauty who moonlights as a stripper and a smoking hot tortured Catholic priest.

If you are a practicing, devout Catholic you might want to skip this one (and also what are you doing here?) because there are a lot of very church themed taboos in this book. For the rest of us, though, this is a very intense but still fun dive into the land of erotica. I mean, look at that cover. Need I say more?

Spice Level: 4.5

Writing: 3

Hate by Tate James

If you want an outrageously fun, fast paced read with equal parts action and sexual tension look no further than Hate, the first book in the Madison Kate series by Tate James. This is the first series in a group of interconnected why choose romances set in the fictional town of Shadow Grove.

Hate is a bully why choose romance that is very heavy on the enemies to lovers trope. Fans of any CW series will love the over the top drama and underhanded scheming in this series, and every romance reader will love where these characters end up.

Warning: the cliffhangers in any Tate James series are absolutely killer. Prepare yourself.

Spice Level: 3.5

Writing: 5

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

Katee Robert is an essential piece of every romance reading list. She’s a BookTok favorite and she’s published a litany of books for every style of romance reader. The perfect place to start with Robert’s work is the first in her Wicked Villains series, a set that follows all the major Disney villains and turns them into the morally grey heros.

Desperate Measures is a retelling of Jasmine’s story where she falls for a hot, young Jafar. All of these Disney characters are members of a sex club run by Hades. Yes, seriously. Yes it is exactly as fun as it sounds. This book is part mafia romance, part kinky retelling, and 100% a good time.

Spice Level: 4.5

Writing: 4.5

Fierce King by Sadie Kincaid

Sadie Kincaid is the one to look for when you’re looking for mafia romance. Fierce King is the first in a forced marriage, enemies to lovers duet, and its the start to several interconnected series’ that are all incredible.

Alana and Alejandro start out forced into marriage, and end up with an electric chemistry and a sweet love story. Alejandro definitely has “I’ll burn the world for her” vibes, which is key to any mafia romance, and Alana is just the kind of sunshiney sweetheart who can match him.

Spice Level: 3.5

Writing: 3.5

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair

A retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth, A Touch of Darkness places gods and goddesses in a modern world. Hades and Persephone retellings are very common in the romance world, for obvious reasons, but this one is unique for it’s framing alone. Not only do these gods and goddesses exist in the modern world, but they also face the same kinds of love and loss and complicated dynamics that make them relatable to us mere mortals.

This book has lots of slow burn spice and tension, and intrigue befitting it’s ancient Greek source material. It’s fast and easy to read, but is not yet complete. The final installment comes out March 12.

Spice Level: 3

Writing: 3

It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey

This is an absolute BookTok classic and for good reason. A privileged socialite is banished to a small town in the Pacific Northwest when her parents cut her off. Forced to try to make it on her own, she meets a local fisherman grieving the complicated loss of his wife.

It Happened One Summer is a romance novel of the most essential kind, a story of attraction and personal growth, and a love that gives you a new lease on life. It’s light, and the perfect book for a beach read or when you just want to curl up and feel good about life.

Spice Level: 2.5

Writing: 3.5

Bared to You by Sylvia Day

Bared to You, the first book in the Crossfire series, is a story about Gideon Cross, an obscenely wealthy man haunted by his demons, and Eva, a smart, capable woman who is struggling to overcome her past. Will their intense connection and rough passion fix them or will their pasts tear them apart? It’s a tale as old as time, but this book does a familiar trope in a way that’s so good it has stuck with me for years. I read this book ten years ago and was shocked to find I still remember the main character’s names off the top of my head.

If you are looking for something like the Fifty Shades series, but better, this is your book. Bared to You has all the BDSM magic of Fifty Shades, but with significantly better characters. I don’t mean to hate on any one book in particular like this, I just think there are books out there, like this one, who accomplish the tropes better.

Spice Level: 4

Writing: 4.5

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Look, I know I didn’t need to mention this series. Everyone on the planet has heard of it, but it is my all time absolute favorite, so I had to talk about it. I recently did a full reread of the entire series to prepare for the release of the third Crescent City book, the author’s next project, and they are just as good as I remember.

What starts out as a Beauty and the Beast retelling that follows a human, Feyre, as she’s kidnapped and brought to the land of the Fae, turns into a masterful effort in world building with all of my favorite tropes. There’s enemies-to-lovers, found family, and a perfect level of spice. These books are not just romance, there is tons of action and adventure to match. I love the characters. I love the plot. I have a blanket with the entire second book in the series printed on it. If you want to get into romance (or fantasy!) start right here.

Spice Level: 2 (gets progressively spicier as the series goes on)

Writing: 5