Savanna Walker

Ah, February. Otherwise known as my month-long bacchanal of overpriced chocolate, books with kissing in them and movies with kissing in them. With the steadily increasing popularity of the romance genre, I bet a lot of people will be either picking up their first romance this month or exclusively reading books that end with an HEA (that’s Happily Ever After for you newbies). Therefore, I am here to help you coordinate your reading and watching efforts with this list of recommendations based on beloved romantic comedies!

For fans of . . . The Princess Bride (1987)

The Henchmen of Zenda is KJ Charles’ recent queer take on the 1894 adventure novel The Prisoner of Zenda, which is absolutely the type of story The Princess Bride was both telling and spoofing. Full of derring-do and witty repartee, The Prisoner of Zenda is also regrettably quite sexist and, if you dig just a little bit beneath its spunky surface, basically a British superiority fantasy. Leave it to Charles to turn that tale on its head and write a romance between two of Prisoner’s villains that takes shots at the pitfalls of the original while still lovingly co-opting its adventurous verve. In Charles’ retelling, dastardly henchman Jasper has to deal with his attraction to the charming, self-centered Rupert of Hentzau. Rupert is one of the most appealing antagonists ever written, and Charles clearly had an absolute ball bringing her joyously amoral version to life. The Henchmen of Zenda has snark aplenty, white-hot sex and biting feminist commentary, and I loved every page of it.

For fans of . . . You’ve Got Mail (1998)

This was an easy one—My Favorite Half-Night Stand is the latest take on the secret pen pals trope that began way back in the 1940s with the film The Shop Around the Corner and reached its adorable ’90s height in You’ve Got Mail. Christina Lauren—the rom-com dream team made up of authors Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings—gives this plot a friends-to-lovers twist with the tale of Millie Morris and Reid Campbell. Since they’re both professors in the same close-knit group of friends, Reid and Millie decide not to pursue a relationship after unexpectedly hooking up. But soon after, both of them join the same dating app, and Millie inadvertently starts a digital relationship with Reid as “Catherine.”

For fans of . . . Moonstruck (1987):

This movie and book matchup was a bit difficult: While romance has absolutely improved in a lot of areas, representation of older couples is not one of them. And yes, even heroines as young as Moonstruck’s 37-year-old Loretta Castorini are few and far between. I was at a loss until I remembered Mary Balogh’s Westcott series, which not only features two older heroines but also has similarly close-knit family dynamics (and ensuing drama). Someone to Care’s Viola Kingsley is a somewhat disgraced 40-year-old widow who’s experiencing the joys of full intimacy and romantic love for the first time, and Someone to Trust’s Elizabeth Overfield defies convention to be with the younger man who adores her, overcoming her own fears from a previous abusive marriage in the process.

For fans of . . . Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001):

Bridget Jones’ Diary is one of my favorite rom-coms of all time because its titular character is a legitimate mess, not a studio-mandated concoction of a woman whose only flaw is that she topples over sometimes (but in a cute way). Bridget drinks and smokes a bit too much, her career is going nowhere, she jumps to conclusions about people and she has a chronic lack of self-confidence, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve love and happiness. Alyssa Cole’s A Duke by Default has probably the best hot mess heroine I’ve read in a while, and like Bridget Jones, her relationship with herself is just as important as her eventual HEA.

For fans of . . . (500) Days of Summer (2009):

If you mention the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, this movie is sure to pop up in most people’s minds as a key example, perhaps the high point of that trope. But it’s also a deconstruction of it, given that one of the key problems in Tom and Summer’s relationship is his inability to see her as a complex person, rather than a collection of sexy quirks. Hazel Bradford of Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is impulsive and kooky, and she knows that most men either see her as a fun fling or will eventually tire of her personality. The romance between Hazel and her good friend Josh is a deeper, more complicated version of the “free-spirited woman meets buttoned-up straight man” trope, livened up by author Christina Lauren’s aces banter and simmering sexual tension.

For fans of . . . Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961):

I love a party girl (or boy) with a heart of gold and unforeseen depths, what can I say? But my tolerance (and ability to fast-forward) waxes and wanes for Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which is fatally marred by a truly lazy, racist caricature of a performance by Mickey Rooney. The scandalous Lord Courtenay in Cat Sebastian’s The Ruin of a Rake is a very Holly Golightly-esque character who finds himself turning to the prim and proper Julian Medlock when his bad reputation threatens his relationship with his beloved nephew. Like the best parts of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, this is a romance between two lonely souls who don’t realize how lonely they are until they fall for each other.

For fans of . . . Much Ado About Nothing (1993):

Much Ado basically invented the enemies-to-lovers trope, and Born to be Wilde by Eloisa James has a superb sparring pair—Lavinia Grey has been making fun of business-minded Parth Sterling for years, and he doesn’t make a secret of how frivolous and shallow he finds her. Of course, they’re also both wildly attracted to each other and have very good reasons for their behaviors. As Lavinia proves, there’s nothing wrong with loving fashion, especially if it’s your only way to make a mark on society. And Anglo-Indian Parth has to be serious because the consequences for failure are so much steeper for him. James, who is a Shakespeare professor by day, has a particularly Bard-like touch when it comes to wordplay.

For fans of . . . It Happened One Night (1934):

The road trip is a time-honored rom-com trope, and it all started with Frank Capra’s gold standard, Depression-era masterpiece (which I have elected to let stand for all road-trip rom-coms because I like looking at Clark Gable’s face). Jenny Holiday’s Three Little Words is a fantastic modern take on the road trip plot with food porn galore and a wonderfully paced evolution from enemies-to-lovers. If you’re wanting something a little more fantastical, Mackenzie Lee’s YA romance The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is both an absolute blast and a sensitive, emotional portrayal of gay love in the 18th century.

For fans of . . . The Philadelphia Story (1940):

It’s harder than it looks to make something like The Philadelphia Story, a fluttery comedy with razor-sharp wit, complicated characters and a dazzling, decadent setting. Striking a perfect balance between escapism and emotion is a very difficult thing to do, and if you do it perfectly, the audience doesn’t even realize how hard it was. Elizabeth Kingston’s House of Cads is a champagne-fueled romp with two empathetically constructed, vulnerable characters at its center, both of whom are refreshingly adult about their attraction to one another. And Lady Gone Wicked by Elizabeth Bright is a very emotional second-chance romance wrapped in a pretty, witty package. Despite the catastrophic end of their previous relationship, Nicholas Eastwood and Adelaide Bursnell still adore each other and don’t know how to express it, leading to both sarcastic repartee and sweet gestures of care. Also, there’s an incredibly hot love scene where the heroine is covered in cake. (There was a cake fight. Don’t worry about it.) It is decadent, sexy and funny but also meaningful, and if that isn’t The Philadelphia Story to a tee, I don’t know what is.

For fans of . . . Pretty Woman (1990):

This is another fairly obvious one—if you liked Pretty Woman, you’ll probably love The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. But I will also say that if you, like me, do not like Pretty Woman, you will also probably love The Kiss Quotient. And this is because Hoang’s debut has a lot of the things that are fun about that classic rom-com, and improves on a lot of the things that are incredibly uncomfortable about it. Do you wish the main couple had a bit more personality beyond being played by Richard Gere and Julia Roberts? Both Michael and Stella have complicated lives and other problems beyond their relationship with each other. Queasy about how even the best rom-coms can fail in terms of sexual consent? The Kiss Quotient is so good in that area that it should be taught in schools. Not delighted about the incredible economic disparity between the two leads? Michael and Stella talk all about that, as it’s a key engine for the drama going forward and she’s the rich one, not him.

Magic Mike, but you turn it off before it gets depressing (2012):

Want all the fun of the first half of Channing Tatum’s iconic (yes, I said it) film, plus a more central romance? Stripped is here for you. Zoey Castile’s delightful debut is also about a super hot male stripper, and just like Magic Mike, it doesn’t treat his job like either an exotic fantasy or a moral failing. He’s a stripper, he’s very good at it and he’s a person just like anyone else.

For fans of . . . The Lady Eve (1941):

My name is Savanna, and I love romances where one character is trying to con the other character. I will not be taking questions about what this implies about me at this time. The Lady Eve is one of the all-time great examples of this trope, excelling at both sex appeal (not hard when you cast Barbara Stanwyck) and sweetness (not hard when you cast Henry Fonda). Cat Sebastian’s The Lawrence Browne Affair takes that formula and adds a dash of Jane Eyre. Georgie Turner’s latest mark is the reclusive, brilliant Earl of Radnor, an inventor who is convinced he’s going mad. Some very hot manor house encounters ensue . . .

For fans of . . . Clueless (1995):

First of all, I am fully aware that the first book in Maya Rodale’s Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series, Lady Bridget’s Diary, is based on Bridget Jones’ Diary. However, Rodale’s adorable book and its sequels take place in a much kinder, lighter world than its filmic inspiration, which is haunted by the fear of midlife mediocrity under all its delicious shenanigans. The other three books in the series are based on Roman Holiday (Chasing Lady Amelia), She’s All That (Lady Claire Is All That) and The Princess Diaries with some “Grey’s Anatomy” thrown in (It’s Hard Out Here for a Duke). With its giddily meta spin on historical romance, perfect blend of snarky and silly humor, and just general good-hearted aura, the Keeping Up with the Cavendishes series is a perfect match for director Amy Heckerling’s masterpiece.

We can’t resist a good/terrible cozy pun at BookPage HQ—just look at our Instagram. And so, before the fall cavalcade of seasonal puns is upon us, we’re celebrating the very best (or very worst) titles of the year so far.

Seven Deadly Zins by Nancy J. Parra

Broken Bone China by Laura Childs

Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins

Drowned Under by Wendall Thomas

Thread on Arrival by Lea Wait

Sconed to Death by Lynn Cahoon

Murder’s No Votive Confidence by Christin Brecher

Strangled Eggs and Ham by Maddie Day

Clause and Effect by Kaitlyn Dunnett

Peach Clobbered by Anna Gerard

Knot on Her Life by Mary Marks

Flour in the Attic by Winnie Archer

Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien

I don’t know about you, but at the moment my reading has trended decidedly toward the escapist end of the scale. For me, that means fluffy romances, absorbing fantasies that aren’t too dark and any mystery solved by a lady in a ballgown or a nice man in a good suit (preferably both at the same time, while they flirt with each other). To that end, here are some of my favorite long-running series of historical mysteries that would make excellent escapes any time, but especially this summer.

Marcus Didius Falco and Flavia Albia series by Lindsey Davis
Setting: 1st century Rome, under the reign of Vespasian (in the Falco books) and Domitian (in the books about Falco’s daughter, Flavia)

Davis’ sly, immersive mysteries are a delightful look at urban Roman life—and there are a lot of them. The 20 Falco books begin with The Silver Pigs and Flavia takes over in The Ides of April, starting a series that’s still going strong with the eighth book releasing on July 28.

Chronicles of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters
Setting: 1135-1145 in England, a period known as The Anarchy because of its political unrest

One of the very first modern historical mystery series as we have come to know them, Peters’ thoughtful series follows a monk named Cadfael who is a talented herbalist and a shrewd observer of human character. His first case: A Morbid Taste for Bones. (British TV channel ITV produced a fabulous adaptation of the series, which aired stateside on PBS, just FYI.)

The Rosalind Thorne mysteries by Darcie Wilde
Setting: Regency England

Wilde’s aristocratic sleuth survives the cutthroat world of high society by managing the affairs and secrets of her fellow nobility, starting with solving a murder in an exclusive ballroom in A Useful Woman.

The Atlas Catesby series by D.M. Quincy
Setting: Regency England

An aristocratic adventurer freed from the constraints of duty by virtue of being his noble father’s youngest son, Atlas Catesby teams up with the beautiful Lady Lilliana to uncover who killed her husband in Murder in Mayfair. Their relationship evolves over the course of the series, which contains three books so far.

The Lady Darby mysteries by Anna Lee Huber
Setting: 1830s Scotland and England

If you like your series a tinge darker, but still with plenty of romance, the Lady Darby mysteries are for you. Kiera Darby’s cruel, controlling anatomist husband has finally died, but his scandalous interest in the macabre has tainted her reputation. She flees the gossip of London for her sister’s estate in Scotland, but when another guest is murdered at the beginning of The Anatomist’s Wife, Keira is asked to use her anatomical knowledge to help inquiry agent Sebastian Gage—who is, of course, totally insufferable but extremely handsome.

The Countess of Harleigh mysteries by Dianne Freeman
Setting: Victorian England

Frances Wyn is ready to throw out her mourning gowns and enjoy her late and not-at-all lamented husband Reggie’s money in A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder. But as these things so often go, the American-born Frances must first clear her name in the matter of her husband’s death by finding the real culprit. Freeman’s mysteries are funny and sparkling, but also fully cognizant of the class disparity and snobbery that marked Frances’ world.

The Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas
Setting: Victorian England

Thomas’ series puts a gender-bending spin on Conan Doyle’s iconic Sherlock Holmes. In this version of the story, Sherlock is an invention of Charlotte Holmes, a brilliant woman who uses her fictitious, conveniently ill brother Sherlock to investigate crimes in foggy Victorian London. Her adventures begin in the cleverly titled A Study in Scarlet Women.

The Veronica Speedwell mysteries by Deanna Raybourn
Setting: Victorian England

Two natural historians go on adventures and solve mysteries in Raybourn’s wildly popular series. Veronica Speedwell is a butterfly-hunting, marriage-avoiding rebel who teams up with the mysterious Stoker to solve a baron’s murder in A Curious Beginning.

The Charles Lenox mysteries by Charles Finch
Setting: Victorian England

Charming, rigorously researched and with a refreshing lack of brooding, the 13 Charles Lenox mysteries are perfect armchair companions, preferably with a nice cup of tea. The series starts with A Beautiful Blue Death, and Finch’s three latest mysteries have comprised a prequel trilogy of sorts, taking fans back to Lenox’s very first cases.

The Mrs. Jeffries series by Emily Brightwell
Setting: Victorian England

Every time I tell someone the premise of this long-running series, I can’t stop grinning. Mrs. Jeffries is the stalwart housekeeper of Scotland Yard Inspector Weatherspoon, and unbeknownst to him, the reason for his success. Mrs. Jeffries, you see, is something of a genius detective, and the entire household staff has banded together to report back on the clues and the inspector’s actions to give her the information she needs to solve the case. The cheeky fun begins in The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries.

The Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander
Setting: Victorian Europe

Alexander’s elegant, supremely assured writing is one of the many aesthetic pleasures of this series, which sees its lady sleuth exploring high society scandals amid many stunning locales, from Turkey under Ottoman rule to the south of France, starting with 2005’s And Only to Deceive.

The Barker & Llewelyn series by Will Thomas
Setting: Victorian England

BookPage’s own mystery columnist Bruce Tierney describes this series as Sherlock Holmes but with an “Indiana Jones-esque penchant for derring-do,” which really tells you all you need to know. Intrepid and eccentric detective Cyrus Barker takes his new apprentice Thomas Llewelyn on a wild ride through the underground world of criminal London in their first adventure, Some Danger Involved.

The Bess Crawford series by Charles Todd
Setting: WWI-era Europe

Bess Crawford comes from an upper-class family, but had an unusually independent and empowering upbringing thanks to her soldier father. When WWI breaks out, she immediately volunteers as a nurse and gains a reputation for solving mysteries starting with A Duty to the Dead.

The Inspector Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd
Setting: England, post-WWI

Todd’s other, equally acclaimed series takes place in the immediate aftermath of WWI and follows veteran-turned-Scotland Yard Inspector Rutledge, who is haunted by his actions during the war and suffers from shell shock. In the first book, A Test of Wills, Rutledge is assigned to a case involving the military, bringing up all his old wounds and demons.

The John Madden series by Rennie Airth
Setting: England, post-WWI

This series also stars a shellshocked WWI veteran, but has a decidedly more cozy, Christie-esque tone. There is darkness, to be sure, but always related with a pleasingly wry, crooked sort of detachment. Start with River of Darkness.

The Kate Shackleton series by Frances Brody
Setting: 1920s Yorkshire

Smart, funny and deeply lived-in, the Kate Shackleton series will make you wonder why no one has adapted them for TV yet. Brody’s mysteries are refreshingly uninterested in the foibles and frivolities of the upper classes, and are instead fascinated by all the social movements and rapid changes of the 1920s. Kate’s adventures begin in Dying in the Wool.

The Grantchester mysteries by James Runcie
Setting: 1950s-1970s England, just outside of Cambridge

Yes, the TV show is absolutely delightful, but you should really also check out the stories that inspired it. Runcie’s mysteries are unique in that each book is a collection of short stories, each laser-focused on a different case to be solved by the intelligent, slightly haunted, but deeply kind vicar Sidney Chambers. The first collection is Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death.

It’s now more than halfway through the year, and I think I speak for us all when I say that romance novels have been a godsend. It was exceedingly difficult to narrow things down, but I looked deep within my heart (and read and reread the amazing work of BookPage’s romance reviewers) to select the 10 best romances of 2020 so far.

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

I am fully aware that this book was released on December 31, 2019, but 1) that technically falls into January coverage here at BookPage, and 2) I literally could not look myself in the face if I didn’t include this book. Clayborn’s heart-stoppingly beautiful love letter to words, calligraphy and NYC took my breath away page after page.

The Prince of Broadway by Joanna Shupe

Yes, this is another late December release, and I will refer you to points one and two above. Shupe’s second Uptown Girls is a sterling example of a pairing type that I think romance could stand to do a bit more of: alpha-meets-alpha. Society girl Florence Greene is just as ambitious, just as uncompromising as casino owner Clayton Madden, and their love affair is as ferocious as you would expect.

Headliners by Lucy Parker

I can’t say it any better than BookPage reviewer Amanda Diehl, so I’ll turn it over to her. Parker’s fifth London Celebrities romance is “a smart, kind, witty romance that is a balm to the soul.”

A Heart of Blood and Ashes by Milla Vane

Vane’s grimdark-and-then-some world is a bit of a throwback in terms of modern fantasy romance (and may be too brutal for some), but the author adds just the right amount of progressive touches to make it compelling rather than depressing. The barbarians are sex-positive and often sexually fluid, sexual assault is seen as the worst of crimes and our heroine is a relentless and ruthless princess who dreams of becoming a warrior queen.

The Honey-Don’t List by Christina Lauren

Why isn’t there a cottage industry of Christina Lauren film adaptations? I ask this question nearly every time I pick up a new romance by the beloved author duo, but never more so than when reading The Honey-Don’t List. Their 25th (!!) romance is an absolutely charming rom-com with a down-to-earth emphasis on growing together as a couple, rather than forcing a love interest to conform to an out-of-reach ideal.

A Duke by Any Other Name by Grace Burrowes

Burrowes seems chronically uninterested in writing characters who aren’t grown-ass adults, and thank god for that. Althea Wentworth and Nathaniel Rothmere are both outcasts from high society, and have gone through terrible things in the past. But that doesn’t mean they can’t treat each other with kindness and respect, and place a rightfully high value on flirty banter and very good sandwiches. For comfort reads that engage your mind as much your heart, there’s no one better than Burrowes.

The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

A gothic, angsty romance about a Mary Wollstonecraft-esque figure? Yes, please. Peckham’s print debut met and exceeded expectations, commenting on the pressures unfairly placed on women in the public eye while also reveling in the glorious, seawater-drenched high drama of its premise. Oh, and also breaking the structural conventions of romance for a surprising, yet utterly satisfying, happy ending.

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

Dev’s extended Austen universe (I will never not be overjoyed to type that phrase) continues to astonish, using the beloved second-chance romance Persuasion as a scaffolding for a complex, modern romance that celebrates courage, love and growth.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Hibbert called this her “sunshine book” on Twitter, and that is truly what it is. A magnificent display of Hibbert’s perfectly pitched humor and razor-sharp wit, Take a Hint, Dani Brown is the perfect blend of sexy and smart, a meta commentary on the romance genre that still provides all the heat and heart fans want.

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

BookPage reviewer Carole Bell hit the nail right on the head when describing Hall’s romance as “a literary, millennial version of a 1930s screwball comedy,” with a hint of screenwriter Richard Curtis’ incredible run of chatty, lived-in rom-coms like Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral in the 1990s.