Photo by Janay Peters on Unsplash.
Beloved,
The other day (which by the time you’re reading this could have been yesterday or two years ago) I was speaking to my fellow country man and book reviewer Mquzama about a romance that was highly recommended but we both just felt blergh about. It was one of those really woke books about trauma and black culture but also everyone is so hot and cool and that’s why they should be together-esque books.
Somewhere during all this, he mentioned how he doesn’t think he will enjoy another romance book, and listen this is the smartest man I know, and he reads a lot of smart books because. So I told him sometimes romance is most enjoyable when you’re reading the sillies.Like sometimes you really just have to pick up a book for the funsies of it all. Not for the plot, just the vibes.
Here’s a list of some of the funnest romance books I’ve ever read:
1. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood.
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in lasting romantic relationships—but her best friend does, and that’s what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.
That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor—and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford’s reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. And when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive’s career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding. . . six-pack abs.
Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
I’ll never forget when Jack Edwards, one of my favorite book tubers, said the things that happen in this book are so far out the realm of reason it should be considered fantasy and you know what… Fairs. But that’s what made this book quite fun. Hazelwood has mastered the art of a goofy good time and this is hands down her goofiest to me and neck in neck with Bride as my favourite book by her. You will be cringing and kicking your feet like it’s 2014 Wattpad again.
2. Bride by Ali Hazelwood.
Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast—again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange—again…
Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It’s clear from the way he tracks Misery’s every movement that he doesn’t trust her. If only he knew how right he was….
Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she’s ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what’s hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory…alone with the wolf.
As mentioned above this is tied for goofiest Hazelwood book I’ve read. Bonus points because it’s an actual fantasy that involves a marriage of convenience (my favourite trope) between a werewolf with a buzzcut and a vampyre (stylistically spelt with a ‘y’). Oh my Gosh, this had such a thin plot and thick amount of vibes. Loved every minute of it. Full review here.
3. Daydream by Hannah Grace.
When his procrastination lands him in a difficult class with his least favorite professor, Henry Turner knows he’s going to have to work extra hard to survive his junior year of college. And now with his new title of captain for the hockey team—which he didn’t even want—Henry absolutely cannot fail. Enter Halle Jacobs, a fellow junior who finds herself befriended by Henry when he accidentally crashes her book club.
Halle may not have the romantic pursuits of her favorite fictional leads, but she’s an academic superstar, and as soon as she hears about Henry’s problems with his class reading material, she offers to help. Too bad being a private tutor isn’t exactly ideal given her own studies, job, book club, and the novel she’s trying to write. But new experiences are the key to beating her writer’s block, and Henry’s promising to be the one to give them to her.
They just need to stick to their rule book.
In 2024 I gave out my first four stars to a silly lovely romance book. Easiest 4 stars ever and I don’t even enjoy friends to lovers like that. OMG Henry was an absolute darling. Listen, most books like this I read, the guy is kinda problematic but Henry? Henry was perfection. Absolute chef’s kiss. I think this book changed the trajectory of romance books I now favour. Cause morally gray or problematic men no longer look as enticing cause of this one book. You can really have it all in a romance, and this had it all. Full review here.
4. The Fake Out by Stephanie Archer.
The best way to get back at my horrible ex? Fake date Rory Miller–my ex’s rival, the top scorer in pro hockey, and the arrogant, flirtatious hockey player I tutored in high school.
Faking it is fun and addictive, though, and beneath the bad boy swagger, Rory’s sweet, funny, and protective.
He teaches me to skate and spends way too much money on me.
He sleeps in my bed and convinces me to break my just-one-time hookup rule.
He kisses me like it’s real.
And now I wonder if Rory was ever faking it to begin with.
This also came close to 4 stars. It was a 3.5 read. But a high 3.5. This book, beloved, just filth and fluff. Nothing else. Plot? Who’s she? Another darling boyfriend really (with some questionable thoughts) even though I can’t remember anybody’s freaking name. But I loved this book. I also realised cause of it that I really really like sports centred romances (storylines in general really cause man did I love Carrie Soto is Back and the Dodgeball: a true underdog story.) This is one of the few books I’ve ever reread fully.
5. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata.
Vanessa Mazur knows she’s doing the right thing. She shouldn’t feel bad for quitting. Being an assistant/housekeeper/fairy godmother to the top defensive end in the National Football Organization was always supposed to be temporary. She has plans and none of them include washing extra-large underwear longer than necessary.
But when Aiden Graves shows up at her door wanting her to come back, she’s beyond shocked.
For two years, the man known as The Wall of Winnipeg couldn’t find it in him to tell her good morning or congratulate her on her birthday. Now? He’s asking for the unthinkable.
What do you say to the man who is used to getting everything he wants?
This book is actually what made me want to write this blogpost. This 600 digital page book literally held me at night as I wallowed in pain and misery. Now listen, given that I was mopey, doused up on pain meds and battling raging insomnia (it was that time of the month), I don’t know if my enjoyment level is a true representation of what I could have felt on another given day. I had a great time blushing under my covers with this, which in itself is interesting cause I can’t stress how much this book lacks sexual tension. Full review here.
6. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert.
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with six directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?
• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And… do something bad.But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.
Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.
But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…
This is kinda unfair because I actually don’t think this was silly or goofy. It was however sweet, funny and an absolute gem. I can’t even remember what really happens, I think there’s a bucket list and hot red-headed man and that’s all I got. But I do think this one does have a plot. Man I don’t know. I just know I read this in 2022 with all the other Brown sisters, but I remember unlike a number of people, this was my favourite of the trilogy. (That should definitely not stop you from reading the other two: Take a Hint, Dani Brown and Act your Age, Eve Brown – which are also really good.)
7. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood.
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
At this rate, this is starting to seem like a paid promotion post for Hazelwood but it really isn’t. She just writes some of the goofiest things to put a smile on your face. With this one, you just have to trust younger Kanjaye cause when I tell you this is the only book of hers I don’t remember and yet on my Goodreads review I said it was my favourite of hers, you guys gotta believe me. I can’t even market it you, cause man, I have no clue at all why I loved this book then. I don’t even remember the plot (or lack thereof).
8. Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalou.
Sweet like plantain, hot like pepper. They taste the best when together…
Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she’s made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of “situationships”, players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as “The Wastemen of Whitewell,” in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink.
They’re soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won’t be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?
What this books lacks in a solid plot it entirely makes up for in humour and just general fun. I was giggling and I was smiling and I was actually laughing out loud with this one. Most of the “conflicts” and decision making surrounding the main characters overrall made no sense to me. Like the reason they get together and the reasons for the third act break up just seemed so manufactured but like I was giggling and laughing. I think it’s really charming and really fun and that you should definitely also read the sequel. Full review here.
9. Play Along by Liz Tomforde.
I’m the only woman on staff for the Windy City Warriors, and after years of putting up with a sexist lead doctor, I’m desperate to land my dream job with a new team next year. All I have to do is maintain my professional reputation for my final season in Chicago.
But a Las Vegas run-in with the team’s shortstop threatens it all, leaving me with a fuzzy memory and a ring on my left hand.
Now, not only am I legally bound to the most persistent man I’ve ever met, but thanks to Isaiah’s scheme to save my job, I have to pretend the whole thing was a planned elopement and not a drunken mistake.
Isaiah Rhodes is reckless, impulsive, and frustratingly charming. He’s also my brand-new husband.
They got the saying wrong. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas… sometimes it follows you right back home.
Isaiah
As the shortstop for Chicago’s professional baseball team, I’ve had my fair share of fun. But that all ended the day Kennedy Kay became a single woman.
I’ve crushed on the team’s athletic trainer for years. I’ve flirted to no avail, so imagine my surprise when I woke up in Sin City with a ring on my finger and my favorite redhead in my bed.
We agree to stay married for one baseball season, just long enough to keep her job safe, but in my mind, I’m using our time together to prove to her I’m husband material.
Kennedy might be reluctant to join in on our game, but it’s one I refuse to lose.
So come on, wife… play along.
When I tell you the man in this book is the literal blueprint, you just have to believe me. I cried, I laughed and I had the best time. What a wow.
10. Gloves Off by Stephani Archer.
The only way to get my inheritance? Marry Alexei Volkov—the grumpiest enforcer in the NHL, a brutally handsome jerk, and the last man I’d ever fall for.
In public, we act as besotted newlyweds, but in private, we’re at each other’s throats. He’s competitive, arrogant, and surly. The guy’s never cracked a smile in his life. He’s jealous of my ex, he glares at my high heels, and insists he’s not attracted to me. He’s only marrying me for citizenship.
Fighting with Alexei is more fun than expected, though, and beneath his grouchy exterior, Alexei is surprisingly caring, protective, and generous.
He cooks for me and worries about my safety.
He sends me flowers with secret meanings and spends way too much money on me.
He makes me sleep in his bed and calls me his wife.
For a guy who said he’d never fall in love with me, Alexei’s doing a good impression of it… and now I’m wondering if this marriage is fake after all.
After reading The Fake Out and The Wingman by Archer last year, I couldn’t wait for this book to come out. In my entire life this is the only book I’ve ever anticipated and it did not disappoint. I stayed in bed and devoured this in six and a half hours. And even after I finished it I found myself coming back to reread chunks and chunks of it over and over again as the days went on until I just decided to do a full reread two months after the first time. Best romance book I’ve read in recent memory.
11. The Favor by Suzanne Wright.
Vienna Stratton knew she only had herself to blame. You didn’t let yourself become indebted to a man like Dane Davenport, no matter how badly you needed his help. As his personal assistant, she was very aware that the globally successful CEO was ruthless and unforgiving.
Of course, if she’d known he’d request that she be his wife for twelve months, she’d have hesitated in accepting his help. Because what she’d learned from Dane was that the devil wasn’t ugly and terrorising. He was seductive and captivating. He hummed with whispers of temptation – the temptation to sin and surrender, to let him brand and possess you. He awakened every need and fantasy you had.
He could even make you love him.
Listen, this isn’t even a spoiler because it’s the literal prologue, but that main male character literally sucker punches the main female character’s ex because the guy was being a douche. Then proceeds to say something along the lines of “leave my wife alone.” Genuinely should I say more? But if I should, it’s another slow burn marriage of convenience and you know how I feel about those.
12. The Tyrant Alpha’s Rejected Mate by Cate. C. Wells
Una
I keep my head down. In this backwards pack, females rank low, and my bad leg makes me damaged goods. It doesn’t help that I’ve never shifted. I don’t mind the late twenties single life, though. No one’s paying any attention as I build an illicit farmer’s market empire.My roomies and I are doing it for ourselves, and if life under Killian Kelly is stifling, at least it’s predictable. We can deal.
But when biology finally kicks in, I lose my mind. I claim our alpha as my mate. And he rejects me in front of the whole pack.
It’s all good. It only hurts when I breathe. I’ll survive. That’s what I do.Who wants an arrogant jerk for a mate, anyway? I’ve got a business to run.
Killian
To lead this pack out of the dark ages, I’ve had to be hard. Merciless. I don’t flinch, and I don’t make mistakes.Una Hayes isn’t my mate.
My wolf might have some kind of strange infatuation, but if she were mine, I’d know it. And I can walk away, can’t I?
And if I keep coming back? If she starts living in my head?I’m the strongest male in five generations. My pack scrambles to do my bidding. I can bring one quiet female back in line. No one can possibly be as stubborn as I am.
There’s no way I’ve ruined the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I’m the Quarry pack alpha. I don’t lose.
This story purely exists for the younger you who stayed up in 2014 to read 87 chapters of some Wattpad story. I say this as a compliment. Because listen, does this story have plot holes you can swim in? Yes. Is the main male character a grunting jerk. Of course. Will it leave you with questions that might or might not be answered in the other books in the series you might or might not read? Absolutely. But were the vibes also immaculate? Did it make me giggle? Did I read this in less than 24hrs and stay up until the a.m.s neglecting my responsibilities. A resounding yes.
