2019 was my year of romance reading.
Over the last few years, the number of romance books I read has been slowly increasing. This year, my favourite genre changed from Fantasy to Romance. Or maybe it changed late last year but I only came to terms with it in 2019.
Since I was all into Adult Romance, I gobbled up romance books A LOT. My Goodreads challenge has very few books which are not in the Adult Romance genre. As I read so many of them, I thought I’d share my favourites with y’all.
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is a freebie, so we’re free to post any top 10 list of ours. And I’m so glad because I can’t join in on any of the Christmas lists haha.
Note: most of these are Adult Romances and contain various degrees of explicit scenes.
[1] Rafe by Rebekan Weatherspoon

I read this book only recently and it has SWOOPED into my favourites easily, destroying the chance for any other book. This book was SO GOOD. I’m still reeling from that reading experience.
- Awesome chemistry.
- Cute AF six year old.
- BREAKING GENDER STEREOTYPES.
- Being understanding and respectable about boundaries!!!
- ADULTS ACTING LIKE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS.
- Slow and true relationship growth.
I read that book twice in the span of a month. After my first read, I read two other books, but then this was just too good and nothing else compared so I HAD to reread it.
Click here to read my entire review.
[2] Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan

This is too good to not be one of the top picks. I knew when I was reading the book that it would make into my top reads of 2019. It deserves more talk and more recognition.
- SO MUCH MORE THAN ROMANCE.
- Will definitely break your heart at least once.
- Domestic abuse rep.
- HARD TO READ.
- The romance is so worth it, though.
- STRONG CHARACTERS.
- Major trigger warnings!!!! (mentioned in my review)
[3] RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE BY CASEY MCQUISTON

Honestly, is there ANY surprise that this is included in my list?
- HILARIOUS.
- Very strong characters.
- T H E R O M A N C E.
- It’s suuuuuper gay and chaotic.
- BRITISH PRINCE AND FIRST SON OF AMERICA!
- Cute as heck.
- The banter between the characters is highly entertaining.
- YOU SHOULD READ IT.
Click here to see my full review.
[4] The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary

Yoo this book will NOT get out of my head. It’s been so long since I read it, and it still pops up in my thoughts like ?? What is that effect? The plot is ah-mazing.
- OPPOSITES ATTRACT.
- They share an apartment, and a bed, but have never met.
- CUUTE ROMANCE.
- Conversations via sticky notes around the house!!
- A+ CHARACTERS.
- Finding long lost love!!!
- An adorable meddling 5 year old.
- GREAT CHEMISTRY.
- Content warnings mentioned in my review.
[5] The Friend Zone by Abby Jiminez

This. Book. It gave me way too many feels, and broke my heart a little too much before saving me. A really really nice romance book with a well thought-out plot.
- STRONG FEMALE LEAD.
- Female lead has uterine fibroids, and we see it affecting her life in detail.
- FRIENDS TO LOVERS.
- Open-minded and understanding male lead.
- AWESOMESAUCE CHEMISTRY.
[6] FUMBLED BY ALEXA MARTIN

Alexa Martin is an author whom I discovered this year and am LOVING her work. Fumbled was my first book of hers and I’m sure I’ll read many more.
- HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS.
- A super cute 10 year old!
- Perfect for fans of football.
- FRIENDS GOALS.
- Just is a very fun read.
Click here to read my full review.
[7] HEARTACHE & HOPE BY JAY MCLEAN

Okay so I actually did not write a full review for this because I binge read both the books in this duet in less than two days. After that, I was just reeling from the effects and my heart needed TIME. Then I just couldn’t not form proper sentences for this book.
- WILL BREAK YOUR HEART. Definitely. For sure.
- Heartache and Hope. The title says it all. It’ll break you, fix you back, and repeat.
- HIGH SCHOOL LOVE.
- A really good plot. And so unique.
- VAR VETERAN REP. PTSD REP. DISABILITY REP.
- Honestly, all the representations were brilliant. The female lead’s mum suffers from PTSD after being a PoW. It’s.. a lot to take in.
- You will need time to heal after this duet.
- WORTH IT.
Advised to read content warnings before picking up the book.
[8] FAKE IT TILL YOU BREAK IT BY JENN P. NGUYEN

This is the only Young Adult book in this list. It’s technically contemporary but it’s pretty much romance so I’m counting it.
- ENEMIES TO LOVERS TROPE.
- In a different way, it’s also kind of friends-to-lovers trope.
- FAKE DATING TROPE.
- The characters are awesome.
- ADORABLE AF RELATIONSHIP.
- It’s a light and very fun read.
[9] THE UNHONEYMOONERS BY CHRISTINA LAUREN

Christina Lauren have smoothed into my favourite Romance authors list. So of course one of their books would be in this list.
- Perfect vacation read.
- Or just for a chill afternoon.
- ENEMIES TO LOVERS TROPE.
- The plot was really nice.
- HILARIOUS BANTER.
- Cool characters.
- WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH.
[10] FOREVER RIGHT NOW BY EMMA SCOTT

When I found and picked up this book, I didn’t have many expectations. I just read it, and it was okay. But by the time I finished the book, it really made an impact on me. I spent days just thinking about it. After a while, I reread it and liked it even more.
This is one of those books which sneaks up on you and you don’t even realise when it becomes one of your favourites.
- ALCOHOLIC RECOVERY REP.
- A strong female lead, who I’m honestly inspired by.
- She’s also very compassionate.
- SINGLE DAD TROPE.
- The characters in this book were A+.
- SLOW-BURN ROMANCE.
- Emotional and sweet.
- MAKES A LASTING IMPRESSION.
Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Pinterest
And those were my top romance reads of the year! (so far haha)
What were your favourite reads of 2019? Have you read any of these books? If you’ve done today’s Top Ten Tuesday, leave your links below!
The Unhoneymooners is definitely on top of my list this year too! That’s one hilariously good book! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad to hear you loved it as well! I really feel like they nailed the vibe they were going for.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes they did! I love books that involves travel. Maybe that’s one of the main points why I really loved this book. 😅
LikeLiked by 1 person
Romance is kind of a tricky genre for me, I very rarely am in the mood for them. But I’m so glad you read so many great romance books 🙂 I read mostly thrillers and some of my favorites were: Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land, The Whisper Man by Alex North, and Lock Every Door by Riley Sager!
My TTT list, if you’re interested: https://thenightisdarkandfullofbooks.wordpress.com/2019/12/10/top-ten-tuesday-21-my-2020-read-or-unhaul-list/
LikeLike
Well, romance is a love or a really don’t like genre haha. It’s great that you read many thrillers! Its one I usually don’t go for.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such great authors on this list. I have been meaning to pick up Long Shot for quite some time.
My TTT
LikeLiked by 1 person
You should soon!
LikeLike
This is a great list, and you may well be the person on that short review even!! who finally persuaded me to pick up Flatshare, I’ve been so scared of the hype!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
don’t be! the book is totally worth it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fun list. 🙂
My TTT.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t actually read that much romance but I’m glad you do. I’m happy you did not recommend books with a shirtless man on the cover – I hate those covers, they say absolutely nothing about the book. Your #2 – I wouldn’t count that as one since it does half hide his body and there’s a nice face to look at.
Thank you for visiting to my blog. Have a lovely day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally understand that! I quite dislike them myself, which is why I always look for reviews. Some of those books turn out to be surprisingly nice.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
LikeLike
I’m not much into romance novels, so I haven’t read any of these. A couple of them are on my TBR list, though. I’m glad you found some good ones to keep you entertained this year 🙂
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! 🙂
LikeLike
I see SO many books on here that I loved! Long Shot for sure…Forever Right Now…Fake it Till You Break It…I could seriously go on and on. You had a great year reading romance!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s great to see that we have the same reading tastes! I did have a really good year haha.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So many great looking covers on this list! Romance isn’t usually my genre but there’s definetly a few here that I’d pick up. I especially like the look of The Unhoneymooners!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you like it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am enjoyng The Flat Share so much. I have it in audiobook in my car and I’ve been listening to it for over two months! Such a fun story,
I have the Unhoneymooners here, too. I think I need to read this one soon, based on your recommendation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you’re enjoying The Flatshare! It’s really cute. I hope you get to read The Unhoneymooners soon 😊
LikeLike
I have to admit that I’m not much of a romance reader, but some of these sound really interesting! I think I’ll have to check out Red, White & Royal Blue. I’ve heard good things about it, but your reasons have definitely sold me on it. xD I do love me some humor and good banter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The thing I love about romance is that many romance books are so much more then just the couple. I hope you love RW&RB!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great list. Red, White and Royal Blue was one of my favorite reads this year too. Such a fun read. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! And yeah, what a fun read. Hands down the most popular romance book of the year.
LikeLike
LOVED The Unhoneymooners. And I so want to read Flat Share! Great list!
My TTT
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you read The Flatshare soon because you’ll definitely love it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Red, white and Royal Blue, as well as The friend Zone, both look fun! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s awesome! Those are great books.
LikeLike
Yay! More romances to add to my list 😍 I kinda burned myself out on romances in the last two months but I’m slowly coming back into the romance mood, so I think I’ll definitely check some of these out. I LOVED The Flatshare though–it was like getting warm hugs while reading and it was so perfect 🥰 Great TTT list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you are able to read them soon and love them! Thank you! 😊
LikeLike
I’m not a huge romance fan, but Fake It Till You Break It sounds interesting! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s quite interesting if you’re into the trope and a YA fan 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the suggestion!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I’m the only reader who hasn’t read Red White and Royal Blue, LOL. I have a copy, but I haven’t been in the mood to read it yet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally understand not being in the mood. #moodreaderproblems haha. I hope you get to read it soon, though!
LikeLike
I loooooove this list! I’m always looking for good romance recs, and some of these are already on my TBR, plus you mentioned RW&RB which is a major fave of mine, soooo I definitely am taking that as a sign that I need to add all the rest of these to my TBR 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you love the rest from this list!!
LikeLike
The Unhoneymooners was my first introduction to Christina Lauren and I loved it! Can’t wait to read more from them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great! I hope you get to read more of their work soon 😊
LikeLike
SUPER excited to read “The Flateshare,” someday. Also, ‘Break It’ SOUNDS and looks darling. Definitely two books I should make time for in 2020!! Thanks so much for the Finding Wonderland visit last week. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you read and like them! 🙂
LikeLike
It would be so pointless to write anything without readers. Thank you 🌸 I love to write and this is awesome
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
LikeLike
[…] Day 10 – Top 10 Romance Reads of 2019 […]
LikeLike
[…] was part of my best books of 2019 though. That should say […]
LikeLike
[…] previously shared romance recommendations as Top Ten Romance Reads of 2019, so check that out as well so more […]
LikeLike
[…] Top 10 Romance Reads of 2019 […]
LikeLike