Best Contemporary Romance Novels of 2018

2018’s Best Contemporary Romance Novels

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It’s no secret, romance novels are my favorite books. I’m a sucker for a good love story. Give me some tension, a reliable trope and I’m a very happy camper.

I love romance novels, they’re pretty much all I read. Some might classify it as an addiction, I think I just know what I like and don’t see a need to change something that isn’t broken.

The problem is romance novels are so often hit or miss. I’ve had more than my fair share of misses this year and I want to make sure others don’t have to suffer the same fate.

Now, I’m not going to list the worst books I’ve read this year. I choose not to talk about them. This blog is about encouraging people to read good books, not discouraging anyone from reading books I didn’t enjoy.

Seriously, I think everyone should read. I also believe that just because a book didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else.

Often instead of writing ranting reviews (although I’ve done my share of that) I just set the book aside and pretend I didn’t waste hours of my life reading it.

With all that said, here are my favorite contemporary romance novels of 2018. Some are best sellers. Others, I think should be best sellers.

Regardless, they are all amazing and I just know you’re going to love them as much as I did.

Related: Best Love Stories Ever Told

My Favorite Romantic Books of 2018

*** Books are alphabetical, as always

After All by Laurie Winter

A sweet, small-town romance that deals with themes surrounding infertility.

Two years after lifesaving surgery left her infertile, Molly Hernandez is running full steam toward her goal of becoming a DEA Special Agent. She won’t be distracted by falling in love with an Army veteran who’s focused on settling down and making babies.

Drew Atwater delayed marriage and family until his Army career ended. Now, he has a one-year plan to find the woman of his dreams. Unfortunately, the only woman he wants is a spirited cop determined to leave their peaceful town… Read More

All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover

This heartbreaking story takes place in an established relationship, the honeymoon phase is over and they’re struggling to navigate their way through the struggles of infertility.

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.

All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past… Read More

Baking Lessons by Katie Allen

This engaging take introduces us to Hamilton, who is uptight, ex-military, and a virgin, and Leah who is the free-spirited owner of a bakery.

Leah loves everything about her bakery—the heavenly smells, the satisfaction of feeding people and, of course, unlimited cookies. The only thing she doesn’t like is her uptight landlord’s daily visits. Sure, the man’s drop-dead gorgeous, but for someone with an insatiable taste for treats, he’s anything but sweet.

Army vet Hamilton knows he comes off as rigid. He just can’t seem to bite his tongue around Leah—he might be a virgin but he can imagine a dozen better ways to use his mouth… Read More

Dirty Headlines by L. J. Shen

Read this if you’re looking for a steamy book! The book embraces some of my favorite tropes – mistaken identities, workplace romances, millionaires...

Célian Laurent.
Manhattan royalty.
Notorious playboy.
Heir to a media empire.
…And my new boss.

I could have impressed him, if not for last month’s unforgettable one-night stand.
I left it with more than a pleasant memory–namely, his wallet.
Now he’s staring me down like I’m the dirt under his Italian loafers, and I’m supposed to take it.
But the thing about being Judith “Jude” Humphry is I have nothing to lose.
Brooklyn girl.
Infamously quirky.
Heir to a stack of medical bills and a tattered couch… Read More

Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout

This is a wonderful romantic suspense, with some mystery and hints of paranormal activity. Oh, and did I mention our hero is a billionaire?

Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou—and a scorching encounter with a stranger, only to discover he’s Lucian de Vincent… her new employer. The de Vincent brothers share a massive fortune and a dark reputation. Julia cares for their troubled sister, but a menacing presence in the mansion—and the ever-present temptation of Lucian—prove dangerously distracting… Read More

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

This is not your average love story. We have a male escort and 30-year-old woman with Asperger’s who doesn’t understand all the hype around sex.

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… Read More

The Upside to Being Single by Emma Hart

This lively story will have you laughing out loud. Full of amusing antics and awkward situations everyone will find a bit of themselves in these characters.

If anyone asks, I knew better than to flash for Mardi Gras beads.

I still don’t know why I did it.
Maybe it was the dare from my two best friends.
Maybe it was the guys on the balcony saying they’d throw Fireball shots with the beads.
Or maybe it was the quiet guy in the corner of that same balcony with piercing gray eyes, wavy dark hair, and a smile so tempting I wanted to climb up there and lick it off his face.
Maybe it was because I never thought I’d see them again… Read More

The Varlet and the Voyeur by Penny Reid

Irish rugby players… enough said. This book will have you laughing and blushing (probably at the same time).

He kept his salacious secret for years. But soon, everyone is going to be reading about it in their morning paper…

THE VARLET (and the VOYEUR)
William Moore is a long way from home. A farm boy from Oklahoma, he’s now the most well-respected member of the Irish rugby team. But appearances are often deceptive, and Will isn’t the clean-cut, all-American good-guy everyone imagines him to be. He’s got a secret, one that will tarnish his reputation forever… Read More

Related: Must Read Romantic Comedies

When Autumn Ends by Beth Rinyu

This is a sweet romance with hints of mystery and suspense and a twist I absolutely did not see coming.

I was at the top of my game until reality hit in a way I had never imagined, forcing me to face the living hell that had become my life. The ghosts and demons that once filled the pages of my bestselling novels now flooded my mind, consuming my thoughts both day and night.

She was hauntingly beautiful, and I was drawn to her in the most unimaginable way.
She was my breath when I had stopped breathing.
She was my hope when I was drowning in despair.
She was my muse when I had lost all motivation… Read More

Where the River Bends by Elsa Winckler

A beautifully haunting story set in South Africa. With hints of passion and just a touch of paranormal activity, you won’t be able to put this one down.

Kalinda Evans works for the Anglo-Boer war foundation in Canada. She’s sent to South Africa to make sure everyone who lost their lives in the war will be remembered. On her drive to the guest farm in Kimberley, South Africa, Kalinda picks up a female hitchhiker and is startled when just moments later, the woman vanishes. Kalinda would be convinced she was dreaming…except there’s still a white lace handkerchief on the passenger seat.

Extreme sports enthusiast and computer game designer Zack Carter is always after the next big challenge… Read More

Best Contemporary Romance Novels of 2018