…because romance novels include women owning their desires and advocating for their needs, in a world that doesn’t always treat the desires and needs of women as valid. Romance novels have stories bursting with strong, independent women working towards a partnership of equals. As a genre predominantly written by women, for women, these books have always been imbued with a social consciousness. Check out this list of romance novels about relationships between wonderfully complex & diverse characters.
Civil War-era romance between a free black woman and a white man, both Union spies. "As with all of her work, Cole highlights female agency, desire, ...Show more
Civil War-era romance between a free black woman and a white man, both Union spies. "As with all of her work, Cole highlights female agency, desire, and vulnerability in the midst of intersectional trauma.” - Public Books (Sensuality level: Warm)
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Civil War-era romance between a free black woman and a white man, both Union spies. "As with all of her work, Cole highlights female agency, desire, ...Show more
Civil War-era romance between a free black woman and a white man, both Union spies. "As with all of her work, Cole highlights female agency, desire, and vulnerability in the midst of intersectional trauma.” - Public Books (Sensuality level: Warm)
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The hero works to be worthy of his estranged wife's love. Well-developed characters and engaging writing filled with good banter. (Warm)
The hero works to be worthy of his estranged wife's love. Well-developed characters and engaging writing filled with good banter. (Warm)
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The hero works to be worthy of his estranged wife's love. Well-developed characters and engaging writing filled with good banter. (Warm)
The hero works to be worthy of his estranged wife's love. Well-developed characters and engaging writing filled with good banter. (Warm)
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Angsty romance between a heroine who is Muslim, and a hero whose grandfather survived a Japanese internment camp. (Warm)
Angsty romance between a heroine who is Muslim, and a hero whose grandfather survived a Japanese internment camp. (Warm)
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Angsty romance between a heroine who is Muslim, and a hero whose grandfather survived a Japanese internment camp. (Warm)
Angsty romance between a heroine who is Muslim, and a hero whose grandfather survived a Japanese internment camp. (Warm)
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Rodale is an advocate for the genre, and writes smart and sassy women. (Warm)
Rodale is an advocate for the genre, and writes smart and sassy women. (Warm)
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Rodale is an advocate for the genre, and writes smart and sassy women. (Warm)
Rodale is an advocate for the genre, and writes smart and sassy women. (Warm)
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Turn-of-the-century romance where a strong New York woman's life is upturned when her stepfather moves the family to the Scottish Highlands. Believable, flawed characters drive this story. (Warm)
Turn-of-the-century romance where a strong New York woman's life is upturned when her stepfather moves the family to the Scottish Highlands. Believable, flawed characters drive this story. (Warm)
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Turn-of-the-century romance where a strong New York woman's life is upturned when her stepfather moves the family to the Scottish Highlands. Believable, flawed characters drive this story. (Warm)
Turn-of-the-century romance where a strong New York woman's life is upturned when her stepfather moves the family to the Scottish Highlands. Believable, flawed characters drive this story. (Warm)
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Our heroine is sensible, competent, and unafraid to put a bullet in our hero. (Mild)
Our heroine is sensible, competent, and unafraid to put a bullet in our hero. (Mild)
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Our heroine is sensible, competent, and unafraid to put a bullet in our hero. (Mild)
Our heroine is sensible, competent, and unafraid to put a bullet in our hero. (Mild)
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"Beautifully flawed, intensely human characters, a deadly puzzle, and a love that survives incredible odds combine to make this another emotionally riveting page-turner from Bourne." - Library Journal (Warm)
"Beautifully flawed, intensely human characters, a deadly puzzle, and a love that survives incredible odds combine to make this another emotionally riveting page-turner from Bourne." - Library Journal (Warm)
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"Beautifully flawed, intensely human characters, a deadly puzzle, and a love that survives incredible odds combine to make this another emotionally riveting page-turner from Bourne." - Library Journal (Warm)
"Beautifully flawed, intensely human characters, a deadly puzzle, and a love that survives incredible odds combine to make this another emotionally riveting page-turner from Bourne." - Library Journal (Warm)
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Lesbian romance between a woman recovering from the trauma of an abusive relationship and her new tattoo-artist lover. (Warm)
Lesbian romance between a woman recovering from the trauma of an abusive relationship and her new tattoo-artist lover. (Warm)
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Lesbian romance between a woman recovering from the trauma of an abusive relationship and her new tattoo-artist lover. (Warm)
Lesbian romance between a woman recovering from the trauma of an abusive relationship and her new tattoo-artist lover. (Warm)
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Steamy historical romance. Jenkins was a groundbreaking author in the 1990s with her Emancipation and Reconstruction era romances between black men and wo...Show more
Steamy historical romance. Jenkins was a groundbreaking author in the 1990s with her Emancipation and Reconstruction era romances between black men and women. Her stories inevitably play out against the political backdrop of the time period (slavery, lynchings, segregation, and so on). (Warm)
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Steamy historical romance. Jenkins was a groundbreaking author in the 1990s with her Emancipation and Reconstruction era romances between black men and wo...Show more
Steamy historical romance. Jenkins was a groundbreaking author in the 1990s with her Emancipation and Reconstruction era romances between black men and women. Her stories inevitably play out against the political backdrop of the time period (slavery, lynchings, segregation, and so on). (Warm)
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Modern romance between unconventional characters, set in New York's Chinatown. A budding relationship between two women is threatened by a family scandal. (Mild)
Modern romance between unconventional characters, set in New York's Chinatown. A budding relationship between two women is threatened by a family scandal. (Mild)
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Modern romance between unconventional characters, set in New York's Chinatown. A budding relationship between two women is threatened by a family scandal. (Mild)
Modern romance between unconventional characters, set in New York's Chinatown. A budding relationship between two women is threatened by a family scandal. (Mild)
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Contemporary romance. Refreshing heroine who is a hard-working professional and has a platonic work husband. The story doesn't shy away from the issues of...Show more
Contemporary romance. Refreshing heroine who is a hard-working professional and has a platonic work husband. The story doesn't shy away from the issues of interracial relationships, including Alexa (who is black) explaining to Drew (who is white) his privileged status. (Warm)
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Contemporary romance. Refreshing heroine who is a hard-working professional and has a platonic work husband. The story doesn't shy away from the issues of...Show more
Contemporary romance. Refreshing heroine who is a hard-working professional and has a platonic work husband. The story doesn't shy away from the issues of interracial relationships, including Alexa (who is black) explaining to Drew (who is white) his privileged status. (Warm)
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EmilyC_KCMO
EmilyC_KCMO
