Since Valentine’s Day is this Saturday, it makes sense that this week would see some romance-themed posts, and the Top Ten Tuesday topic is no different: it’s a love/Valentine’s freebie! I originally wanted to do a top ten books with a good romantic plot type of post but found it really hard to find ten different books (not repeating books in a series) that I would genuinely recommend as being good because of the romance.

In my reading goals post this year, I said I was going to take part in a Romanceopoly-lite challenge but I didn’t particularly want to increase the amount of romantic books I read, and whilst I still stand by that, I do think I might need to try and find some more books where I thoroughly enjoy the romance, since I usually enjoy reading books with a romantic plot line for fun…

In the end, this has become a 6+4 post, where I share 6 books I’ve read and 4 books that are still on my TBR. It also ended up being a fantasy romance recommendations post. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the books!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Covers link to The Storygraph; titles link to Bookshop.org UK (or Blackwell’s if not available). Bookshop.org UK links are affiliate links and I receive a small commission (alongside independent bookshops)!

The Second Death of Locke by V. L. Bovalino

Hands wield magic; Wells gather it. Alone, they are nothing. Together, they are everything. Kier is Grey’s childhood friend, her Hand, the man she loves – even if he doesn’t know it. When they’re assigned a mission that puts them at the heart of their nation’s war, they have to decide what they’re willing to sacrifice, for Grey is the lost heir of Locke and if she dies, all magic dies with her.

My favourite part about this book was the interesting magic system and the amount of history between the main characters. If you want to see the characters fall in love, this book isn’t for you – they fell in love a long time ago. If you want to see a relationship grow, and be faced with significant external challenges, though, then you may well enjoy this one. It’s one of the few fantasy/fantasy romance books I read last year that I can wholeheartedly recommend. You can read my full review here.

The Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews

Dina Demille runs a Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town. She hasn’t got a lot of customers but that doesn’t mean she isn’t busy – her inn is magical and her long-term guest is a Galactic mass murderer. Plus, she’s an Innkeeper, responsible for protecting those in her inn and keeping the knowledge of life beyond Earth a secret.

The romance in the first book isn’t the reason I love this series – I’m much more interested in the worldbuilding and plot. However, I appreciate the amount of time we get to see Dina and her love interest interact as a couple that is already together over the course of the rest of the series – something that I appreciate in a lot of Ilona Andrews’ series.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

The shy younger brother of the queen finds himself suspected of attempted murder. In order to prove his loyalty, he takes responsibility for investigating a seemingly simple crime that turns out to be connected to a complex counterfeiting operation with a powerful enemy. With the help of his coldly handsome new bodyguard, Kadou begins to unveil a conspiracy that could threaten the fate of the kingdom itself.

If you like romances where it seems like one character is quite cold, maybe even only barely tolerant of the other to start with, then this might be a good option for you. I would again say that this is not a romance-first book necessarily (as is the case with most of the books on this list), and the plot surrounding the politics and Kadou’s position in the court is also very engaging. This book may need a reread at this point; I’ve recommended it to many people who love it, but have forgotten the minutiae of the plot myself.

Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews

Nevada Baylor, private detective, is faced with the most challenging and potentially life-threatening case of her career. She must bring in a Prime, a high-ranked magic user, with a penchant for setting things on fire. After a less-than-ideal first meeting, she must join forces with the dark and powerful billionaire Connor “Mad” Rogan to stay alive and solve the case.

This is probably the most romance-first book on this list (although I think that the first trilogy of the series is more 50/50), so the romance takes a much more central role. That being said, there is still plenty of plot, worldbuilding and a really interesting cast of side characters and family that make the romance feel like an integral part of a wider story.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

A circus that arrives without warning and opens only at night becomes the stage for a competition between two young magicians, who tumble headfirst into a deep, magical love. Unbeknownst to them, only one can survive this game.

It’s been a long time since I read this book and my primary memories and impressions of this book are more linked to the prose and the atmospheric setting and imagery than the romance itself… however, I will always recommend Erin Morgenstern’s works and I think I might be due a reread.

Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews

Living in a world that swings between magic and technology, Kate Daniels is a mercenary making a living clearing up after the magical problems caused by this unpredictable chaos. But when her guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between the necromantic Masters of the Dead and the paramilitaristic Pack.

The appeal of this book is similar to Andrews’ Innkeeper series in that the plot and the world are primary and the romance very much secondary, but nonetheless compelling. What’s more, the ten book series offers plenty of time for us to see the main couple work together, love together and fight together (and each other), leading us well beyond happily ever after.

These are four of the books on my current physical TBR that have a significant romance. That being said, I’m definitely in need of some recommendations.

Things I like:

• Mature relationships (i.e. at least a bare minimum of communication, please)
• Slow(ish) burn (but not because of misunderstandings or even really enemies-to-lovers, just because romance takes time to build). Just show me their relationship actually developing. No instalove please, and if we can avoid insta-lust then that’s even better.
• Banter is optional, but if it’s there, please make it actual banter and not just low-key insulting each other/being rude/presumptuous the whole time… please.
• Actual on-page time of the couple being together, growing together, going through stuff together, overcoming external conflict together etc. – I don’t want to end with the couple getting together, I want to see them together. This is the point I actually start loving the couple normally.
• NO LOVE TRIANGLES (please!)

Happy Valentine’s Day and don’t forget to leave me some recommendations in the comments below!

Keira x

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