Best Romance Novels of the Last Decade

The Best Romance Novels of the Last Decade – this is perhaps my most ambitious list yet.

In case anyone didn’t know, I’m a bit of a romance novel addict. There are few things that make me as happy as seeing people falling in love, overcoming their demons and finding their happily ever after.

I just can’t get enough. Seriously, I read roughly 100 romance novels every year so I feel like that makes me a great person to be making this list. Perhaps the hardest part is narrowing it down to only one book for each year.

But, this is a best of list for a reason which means I have the heavy responsibility of choosing only the best books from each year.

Don’t get me wrong, there are dozens of amazing books written every year. Just because a book isn’t on this list doesn’t mean it’s bad or not worth reading, just that it wasn’t my number 1 favorite.

This list is a great place to start for anyone looking for start reading romance novels. Anyone who wants to make sure the books they read are amazing.

Any of the books on this list are some of the best I’ve ever read (hence why I consider them the best romance novels of the last decade). They’re books I highly enjoy and would recommend to anyone.

The Best Romance Novels of the Decade

2010

Exclusively Yours (Kowalski Family#1)

by Shannon Stacey

332 Pages | Carina Press | June 7, 2010

About the Book
A second chance to finish what they started…

When Keri Daniels’s boss finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestselling author Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a new job.

Joe’s never forgotten the first girl to break his heart, so he’s intrigued to hear Keri’s back in town—and looking for him. He proposes an outrageous plan—for every day she survives with his family on their annual camping trip, Keri can ask one question. Read More

Related: Romance Reading Challenge

2011

Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful #1)

by Jamie McGuire

434 Pages | Atria Books | May 26, 2011

About the Book
The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand.

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Read More

Related: Best Romance Novels Ever Written

2012

Bared to You (Crossfire #1)

by Sylvia Day

337 Pages | Berkley | May 24, 2012

About the Book
Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness…

He was beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I’d never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily…

Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other’s most private worlds…and desires. Read More

Related: Steamy Summer Reading List

2013

Tangled (Tangled #1)

by Emma Chase

257 Pages | Gallery Books | August 2, 2013

About the Book
When rich, handsome, and arrogant meets beautiful, brilliant, and ambitious, things are bound to get tangled…

Drew Evans makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He’ll tell you he has the flu, but we all know that’s not really true.

When Katherine Brooks is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

How can one woman turn a smooth-talking player into a broken, desperate man? Read More

Related: Must Read Romantic Comedies

2014

Ugly Love

by Colleen Hoover

337 Pages | Atria Books | August 5, 2014
About the Book
When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she doesn’t think it’s love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her. Read More

2015

The Deal (Off-Campus #1)

by Elle Kennedy

342 Pages | Elle Kennedy Inc. | February 24, 2015

About the Book
She’s about to make a deal with the college bad boy…

Hannah Wells has finally found someone who turns her on. But while she might be confident in every other area of her life, she’s carting around a full set of baggage when it comes to sex and seduction. If she wants to get her crush’s attention, she’ll have to step out of her comfort zone and make him take notice…even if it means tutoring the annoying, childish, cocky captain of the hockey team in exchange for a pretend date.

…and it’s going to be oh so good

All Garrett Graham has ever wanted is to play professional hockey after graduation, but his plummeting GPA is threatening everything he’s worked so hard for. Read More

Related: MM Hockey Romance Novels

2016

The Hating Game

by Sally Thorne

369 Pages | William Marrow | August 9, 2016

About the Books

Nemesis (n.) 1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.

2) A person’s undoing

3) Joshua Templeman

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.Read More

2017

Ego Maniac

by Vi Keeland

289 Pages | January 14, 2017
About the Book
The night I met Drew Jagger, he’d just broken into my new Park Avenue office.
I dialed 9-1-1 before proceeding to attack him with my fancy new Krav Maga skills.
He quickly restrained me, then chuckled, finding my attempted assault amusing.

Of course, my intruder had to be arrogant.
Only, turned out, he wasn’t an intruder at all.

Drew was the rightful occupant of my new office. He’d been on vacation while his posh space was renovated.
Which was how a scammer got away with leasing me office space that wasn’t really available for rent. Read More

2018

The Kiss Quotient (The Kiss Quotient #1)

by Helen Hoang

333 Pages | Berkley | June 5, 2018

About the Book
Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position… Read More

2019

Meet Cute

by Helena Hunting

384 Pages | Forever | April 9, 2019

About the Book
Kailyn Flowers was always calm, rational, and controlled–until she ended up sprawled all over Daxton Hughes, the former actor she totally crushed on as a teenager. Then she did the unthinkable: She became a mortifying fangirl in five seconds flat, which may or may not have included professing her undying love. And oddly, he didn’t run away. In fact, their meet cute led to a friendship she never saw coming. Of course, she never saw his betrayal coming, either…

Now Dax needs her help. As guardian to his thirteen-year-old sister, he’s in way over his head. Read More

Want More?

I have a Romance Reading Challenge I’m sure you will absolutely love!

Perhaps you want to see my favorite books 2019 or my most anticipated new releases of 2020?

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Let’s Talk

There you have it, the best romance novels of the last decade. From best selling authors to self published debut titles, these are the books that have stayed in my heart for years after I finished turning the pages.

What do you think the best romance novels of the last decade are? Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments.

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