Make some time for these romance books on your reading list ♥

There is an art to writing hot and steamy romance novels. As readers, we want to be swept away by our leading ladies and men—to feel a blush on our cheeks as they flood our thoughts and make our fantasies come alive.

To help you make a swoon-worthy reading list, we’ve picked out the most popular books that are naughty enough to quicken your pulse and make your toes curl up in pleasure. From alpha males and strong heroines to awkward flirting and sexy games, there’s a bit of something in these sexy stories for everyone ♥

---

Bared to You

by Sylvia Day

From the publisher: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sylvia Day comes the provocative masterstroke of abandon and obsession that redefined the meaning of desire and became a global phenomenon …

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 wounds and desires.

The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn’t tear us apart.

What Critics Say

“You know you’re in for a good book when other authors—and I mean LOTS of other authors—recommend it.” – USA Today

“Bared to You takes a sensual look at a darker side of love.” – Shelf Awareness

“Full of emotional angst, scorching love scenes, and a compelling story line.” – Dear Author

“Sophisticated, engaging, clever and sweet.” – The Irish Independent

“Superb writing … I can’t wait to see what Day does next!” – RT Book Reviews

“When it comes to brewing up scorchingly hot sexual chemistry, Day has few literary rivals.” – Booklist

Length: 334 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Average customer review: 4.1 out of 5 stars (17,654 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

Beautiful Disaster

by Jamie McGuire

From the publisher: 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 needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

What Critics Say

“Beautiful Disaster is insanely addictive. Beautifully sexy, beautifully intense, and beautifully perfect. Jamie McGuire has written a damn good book.” – Jessica Park (author of New York Times bestseller Flat-Out Love)

“Jamie McGuire writes with no holds barred. She writes with honest reflection on young people who move through life by their own rules … The entire cast lives hard, fights hard, and certainly loves hard. Deliciously intense.” – USA Today

Length: 319 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Atria Books
Average customer review: 4.1 out of 5 stars (27,185 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

The Edge of Never

by J.A. Redmerski

From the publisher: Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.

Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.

With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.

But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?

What Critics Say

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller!

“Addictive and fast paced. Readers will be drawn to Camryn, a smart girl who has become emotionally numb. Her partner in crime, the mysterious, spontaneous and sweet Andrew is the real highlight. Readers will quickly get wrapped up in the adventure.” – RT Book Reviews

“5 STARS PLUS! This is one of the BEST BOOKS THAT I HAVE EVER READ … THE EDGE OF NEVER will forever live in my heart and I just know, years from now I’ll still be reminiscing, or better yet, re-reading this book.” – Maryse’s Book Blog (Maryse.net)

“I found their blooming romance to be slow-burning and sensual, making for a real connection that gets lost in other books . . . All-consuming and riveting . . . Redmerski pours passion into this book .and I know it will not fail in touching readers’ hearts.” – FreshFiction.com

“Knocked me down and left me gasping for breath . . . Every morsel of pain the characters felt, every intimate moment and deep love that the characters experienced, I experienced right along with them.” – GliteraryGirl.com

Length: 426 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: HarperCollins
Average customer review: 4.2 out of 5 stars (11,100 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

Tangled

by Emma Chase

From the publisher: Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. 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.

Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything—or anyone—derail her path to success. When Kate 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.

Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?

Can Drew Evans win at love?

Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women … just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

What Critics Say

“Wanna know what guys are thinking? Are you sure? Then laugh and swoon and fall in love with Tangled. Right now! – Alice Clayton (USA Today bestselling author of Wallbanger)

“Tangled is panty-dropping, outrageously funny, and overwhelmingly lovely. I finished it in nearly one sitting because I had to know more of Drew and Kate and their tit-for-tat, anti-romance story. Tangled is not a must-read; it’s a drop-everything-except-your-spare-batteries and read.” – Angie Smut Book Club

“Emma Chase has created characters in Tangled that are insanely hilarious! Her character, Drew, had my sides splitting and in stitches over his witty and undeniably competitive personality! It is hands down the funniest and most creative book told by the male point-of-view! You will not be able to put this book down!” – Stephanie Romance Addict Boo Blog

Length: 254 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Humor
Publisher: Gallery Books
Average customer review: 4 out of 5 stars (9.243 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

Wallbanger

by Alice Clayton

From the publisher: The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she’s gaining an intimate knowledge of her new neighbor’s nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy’s athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed dating hiatus, and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly …

In a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight …

What Critics Say

“An instant classic … highly recommended!” – Jennifer Probst (New York Times and USA Today bestselling author).

“Pure escapism … with a funny cast, snappy dialogue, and plenty of hot and sexy scenes … Readers of Rachel Gibson and Helen Fielding will enjoy Clayton” – Booklist

Length: 384 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Humor
Publisher: Gallery Books
Average customer review: 4 out of 5 stars (12,938 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

On Dublin Street

by Samantha Young

From the publisher: Jocelyn Butler has been hiding from her past for years. But all her secrets are about to be laid bare …

Four years ago, Jocelyn left her tragic past behind in the States and started over in Scotland, burying her grief, ignoring her demons, and forging ahead without attachments. Her solitary life is working well—until she moves into a new apartment on Dublin Street, where she meets a man who shakes her carefully guarded world to its core.

Braden Carmichael is used to getting what he wants, and he’s determined to get Jocelyn into his bed. Knowing how skittish she is about entering a relationship, Braden proposes an arrangement that will satisfy their intense attraction without any strings attached.

But after an intrigued Jocelyn accepts, she realizes that Braden won’t be satisfied with just mind-blowing passion. The stubborn Scotsman is intent on truly knowing her . . . down to the very soul.

What Critics Say

“Scotland’s answer to E.L. James” – Sunday Post

“This extraordinary debut combines a true gift for storytelling with a liberal dose of racy encounters. But what really sets it apart is exquisite characterisation, so vivid that the cast seeps into the reader’s psyche” – Daily Record

“Highly recommend this one” – USA Today

Length: 372 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Erotica
Publisher: Penguin Books
Average customer review: 4.2 out of 5 stars (8,836 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

Easy

by Tammara Webber

From the publisher: Rescued by a stranger.

Haunted by a secret.

Sometimes, love isn’t easy …

He watched her, but never knew her. Until thanks to a chance encounter, he became her savior …

The attraction between them was undeniable. Yet the past he’d worked so hard to overcome, and the future she’d put so much faith in, threatened to tear them apart.

Only together could they fight the pain and guilt, face the truth—and find the unexpected power of love.

A groundbreaking novel in the New Adult genre, Easy faces one girl’s struggle to regain the trust she’s lost, find the inner strength to fight back against an attacker, and accept the peace she finds in the arms of a secretive boy.

What Critics Say

“Easy to love. Easy to recommend. Easy to want more … From start to finish, I didn’t want to put it down, and I especially didn’t want it to end.” – Maryse (Maryse.net)

“Easy was a profound story about empowerment, healing and moving on … Webber created a cast of memorable and stunning characters with the use of a relatable could be any of us girl, an intense flawed yet super hero of a guy and a remarkable best friend who loves, supports and brings much levity to the story.” – Tina (TinasBookReviews.com)

“Easy will grab your attention from the very first page and will take you on an intense and emotional roller coaster that will leave you emotionally drained, but completely satisfied.” – Nereyda (BooksAndSparkles.blogspot.com)

“Webber sets her novel apart through the college campus and college situations that the characters face … [her characters] are extremely real and the dialogue is pristine, making me feel like I was right there alongside the characters, facing the same situations.” – Shana (BookVacations.wordpress.com)

“You get some really sexy scenes that never devolve into smut; you get to watch the evolution of a relationship from virtual strangers to lovers; and you get to meet a fiercely guarded, damaged boy and girl blossom into something new.” – Judith (ILoveYAFiction.com)

Length: 336 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, College
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Average customer review: 4 out of 5 stars (11,573 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

Dark Lover

by J.R. Ward

From the publisher: The only purebred vampire left on the planet and the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who killed his parents centuries ago. But when his most trusted fighter is killed—orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate—Wrath must put down his dagger and usher the beautiful female into another world.

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn’t there before, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes to her at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of the Brotherhood and blood frighten her. Yet his touch ignites a dawning new hunger—one that threatens to consume them both …

What Critics Say

“Dark fantasy lovers, you just got served.” – Lynn Viehl (New York Times bestselling author)

“A dynamite new vampire series—delicious, erotic, and thrilling! J. R. Ward has created a wonderful cast of characters, with a sexy, tormented, to-die-for hero … a fabulous treat for romance readers!” – Nicole Jordan (New York Times bestselling author)

“It’s not easy to find a new twist on the vampire myth, but Ward succeeds beautifully. This dark and compelling world is filled with enticing romance as well as perilous adventure. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series promises tons of thrills and chills.” – RT Book Reviews

“You will lose yourself in this world; it is different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing.” – All About Romance

“J. R. Ward takes you deep into her intense, dark world of vampires and holds you captive until her last breathless word … Sure to satisfy lovers of vampire romance everywhere.” – Affaire de Coeur

“To die for. I love this series!” – Suzanne Brockmann (New York Times bestselling author)

“J.R. Ward’s urban fantasy romance series is so popular I don’t think there’s a reader today who hasn’t at least heard of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.” – USA Today

Length: 393 pages
Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Piatkus Books
Average customer review: 4.2 out of 5 stars (12,103 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

The Siren

by Tiffany Reisz

From the publisher: Notorious Nora Sutherlin is famous for her delicious works of erotica, each one more popular with readers than the last. But her latest manuscript is different—more serious, more personal—and she’s sure it’ll be her breakout book … if it ever sees the light of day.

Zachary Easton holds Nora’s fate in his well-manicured hands. The demanding British editor agrees to handle the book on one condition: he wants complete control. Nora must rewrite the entire novel to his exacting standards—in six weeks—or it’s no deal.

Nora’s grueling writing sessions with Zach are draining … and shockingly arousing. And a dangerous former lover has her wondering which is more torturous—staying away from him … or returning to his bed?

Nora thought she knew everything about being pushed to your limits. But in a world where passion is pain, nothing is ever that simple.

What Critics Say

“Tiffany Reisz is a smart, artful, and masterful new voice in erotic fiction! An erotica star on the rise!” – Lacey Alexander (award-winning author)

“Dazzling, devastating and sinfully erotic, Reisz writes unforgettable characters you’ll either want to know or want to be. The Siren is an alluring book-within-a-book, a story that will leave you breathless and bruised, aching for another chapter with Nora Sutherlin and her men.” – Miranda Baker (author of Bottoms Up and Soloplay)

The Original Sinners series certainly lives up to its name: it’s mindbendingly original and crammed with more sin than you can shake a hot poker at.” – Andrew Shaffer (author of Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love)

“Provocative, smart and downright cheeky. The Siren put me through my paces and had me begging for more.” – Emma Petersen (author of Reign of Pleasure)

“Daring, sophisticated, and literary. . .exactly what good erotica should be.” – Kitty Thomas (author of Tender Mercies)

Length: 432 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Erotica, BDSM
Publisher: MIRA
Average customer review: 4 out of 5 stars (3,187 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

Fifty Shades of Grey

by E.L. James

From the publisher: When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

What Critics Say

More than 150 million copies sold worldwide!

A GoodReads Choice Awards Finalist for Best Romance!

“In a class by itself.” – Entertainment Weekly

Length: 356 pages
Genre: Romance, Erotica, BDSM
Publisher: Vintage Books
Average customer review: 3.7 out of 5 stars (77,429 reviews)
Buy it: Amazon

---

Stay in Touch

What romance novels have caused your heart to beat a bit faster? Drop us a comment to let us know what your favorites are!