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The 100 Best Romance Novels: From Pride and Prejudice to Twilight, Books to Fall in Love - and Lust - With
"My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." --Mr. Darcy, Pride and Prejudice
The taboo affair of Jane and Mr. Rochester.
The (literally) timeless love between Edward and Bella.
The improbable pairing of Grace and Josh.
Climb between the covers with The 100 Best Romance Novels , collected here for the very first time.
Avid fans of the romance genre, the ladies at Crimson Romance know a thing or two about igniting scintillating passion. They've not only collected 100 of the best romance novels of all time, but also provided delicious summaries for each of their picks.
From tempting classics like E.M. Hull's The Sheik to adrenaline-pumping contemporaries like Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me , this collection of romance novels is sure to melt your heart!
The taboo affair of Jane and Mr. Rochester.
The (literally) timeless love between Edward and Bella.
The improbable pairing of Grace and Josh.
Climb between the covers with The 100 Best Romance Novels , collected here for the very first time.
Avid fans of the romance genre, the ladies at Crimson Romance know a thing or two about igniting scintillating passion. They've not only collected 100 of the best romance novels of all time, but also provided delicious summaries for each of their picks.
From tempting classics like E.M. Hull's The Sheik to adrenaline-pumping contemporaries like Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me , this collection of romance novels is sure to melt your heart!
176 pages, Paperback
First published December 18, 2012
28 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 1, 2020
A short, easy and interesting read with succinct reviews of 100 romance books. Sadly it's from 2012, so no recent romances included. But otherwise, quite a few I've added to my to-be-read shelf. I liked that they didn't just stick with recent (for 2012) romances, but included a wide range, from classics such as Sense and Sensibility and North and South, to influential bodice rippers such as Sweet Savage Love etc etc. I appreciated that some paranormal romances were included, as well as a decent sprinkling of historical romances and a few romantic suspense. There were also some authors I'd never heard of before. Worth the read
February 9, 2014
I have no issues with their selections, and I kind of admire using this as a way to advertise your own romance publishing company. The execution, though, was disappointing and almost entirely uninteresting.
First of all, an alphabetical organization (by title!) is as bad as no organization at all. Better would have been by author--so a reader could easily see who makes it more than once, and so might be worth trying out or starting with--or chronologically--so a reader could see the progression in types of romance being written, and get an overview of the genre that way. Best (in my opinion at least) would be an organization by subgenre and by copyright. So all books would be placed in their appropriate subgenre, then the subgenres would be ordered by the earliest copyright date of the book included, and books within the subgenre would be organized by copyright date. This would make the book more useful for browsing (e.g., for finding more titles of interest) as well as for getting a sense of history of and variation within the genre.
Next--and the reason why this is a two-star review--the authors pretty much never say why they selected the books they chose. Occasionally they'll make a statement like this: "We know, we know. It's not the first book in the Dark series. It's not the last book in the Dark series. It's the eighteenth book in the series! Why'd we pick the eighteenth? Because we liked it best!" This? Not helpful. Based on their annotations of the books, I'd think that the only thing that makes a novel worth reading is its plotline. Now, I realize that there are times when I review books and I don't give detailed reasons for my rating...but I'm an unpaid in-my-spare-time-as-a-hobby reviewer on Goodreads. In a book like this, written by professional writers & editors who love romance, I think the reader deserves a LOT more. What makes these books the 100 best OF ALL TIME, in a genre that publishes zillions of titles a year, and has since the 80s? (Or earlier--I admit I'm kind of fuzzy on when things really took off.) What makes a good romance novel a great one? Sure, it will vary based on the tastes of the reader, but let's dig in here. Let's explain, analyze, and evaluate, not just summarize and emote.
In fact, "summarize and emote" pretty much describes the first-draft book reviews my eighth graders write. In September. So I'll tell Jennifer Lawler et al. what I tell them: "Information about the plot is important to get a reader interested in the review, but they can get detailed plot information from lots of sources. What they can't get anywhere else, and what they need from a review, is your opinion, with reasons for why you thought what you did."
Or just this: "Readers need supporting evidence in order to believe assertions."
First of all, an alphabetical organization (by title!) is as bad as no organization at all. Better would have been by author--so a reader could easily see who makes it more than once, and so might be worth trying out or starting with--or chronologically--so a reader could see the progression in types of romance being written, and get an overview of the genre that way. Best (in my opinion at least) would be an organization by subgenre and by copyright. So all books would be placed in their appropriate subgenre, then the subgenres would be ordered by the earliest copyright date of the book included, and books within the subgenre would be organized by copyright date. This would make the book more useful for browsing (e.g., for finding more titles of interest) as well as for getting a sense of history of and variation within the genre.
Next--and the reason why this is a two-star review--the authors pretty much never say why they selected the books they chose. Occasionally they'll make a statement like this: "We know, we know. It's not the first book in the Dark series. It's not the last book in the Dark series. It's the eighteenth book in the series! Why'd we pick the eighteenth? Because we liked it best!" This? Not helpful. Based on their annotations of the books, I'd think that the only thing that makes a novel worth reading is its plotline. Now, I realize that there are times when I review books and I don't give detailed reasons for my rating...but I'm an unpaid in-my-spare-time-as-a-hobby reviewer on Goodreads. In a book like this, written by professional writers & editors who love romance, I think the reader deserves a LOT more. What makes these books the 100 best OF ALL TIME, in a genre that publishes zillions of titles a year, and has since the 80s? (Or earlier--I admit I'm kind of fuzzy on when things really took off.) What makes a good romance novel a great one? Sure, it will vary based on the tastes of the reader, but let's dig in here. Let's explain, analyze, and evaluate, not just summarize and emote.
In fact, "summarize and emote" pretty much describes the first-draft book reviews my eighth graders write. In September. So I'll tell Jennifer Lawler et al. what I tell them: "Information about the plot is important to get a reader interested in the review, but they can get detailed plot information from lots of sources. What they can't get anywhere else, and what they need from a review, is your opinion, with reasons for why you thought what you did."
Or just this: "Readers need supporting evidence in order to believe assertions."
February 8, 2013
The 100 Best Romance Novels is a straight up fun read. If you’re like me, you’ll want to go through it checking off the books you’ve read, marking the favorites you want to re-read, and rushing to add the rest to your GoodReads.com “to-read” list. Sprinkled throughout the pages of this little gem, Jennifer Lawler and the Editors of Crimson Romance throw in the added bonus of some Top 5 lists, including Top Five Romantic Movie Proposals, Top Five Romantic Dinners and Top Five Romantic Scents - to name a few. All in all, a perfect book for recalling some of your favorite reading moments, favorite quotes, and for discovering new favorites. A must-have for the avid romance reader!
August 31, 2013
A couple of facts concerning this list:
- Romance defined as "novel must focus on the development of the love relationship between the main characters in the book" OR "if [heroine] completes her personal journey in the context of a romantic relationship" (pg 14)
- Must be full-lenth--no short stories, novellas, plays, blogs, tweets, etc.
- Must have a happily ever after.
Based on this criteria, no one has to worry about William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet making the list!
The biggest problem with "Best of" lists is that people will inevitably disagree with some of the entries. While I may question some of them (Ahem, Twilight!), I admire the fact that the list spans the centuries. No, I am not talking about historical romance writers versus contemporary romance writers. Some of the entries on this list were originally published in the late 1800s and early 1900s 1919 (Jane Austen's Emma and E. M. Hull's The Sheik to name a few). I love how a few of the titles that made this list were ones that I read as an adolescent (oh I miss thee classic Judith McNaught and Jude Deveraux!).
I would recommend this book to fellow librarians who need a quick Reader's Advisory tool to help those readers seeking romance titles, and to Goodreads friends of mine who are also huge romance readers. For the later, it's more out of personal curiosity as I am wondering how many of the titles on this list you have read. I have read 16/100. Alright, technically 13/100. Since I have watched every TV and movie adaption of Sense and Sensibility, Jane Eyre and Persuasion that have been made, I do not have a burning need to read the novels.
- Romance defined as "novel must focus on the development of the love relationship between the main characters in the book" OR "if [heroine] completes her personal journey in the context of a romantic relationship" (pg 14)
- Must be full-lenth--no short stories, novellas, plays, blogs, tweets, etc.
- Must have a happily ever after.
Based on this criteria, no one has to worry about William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet making the list!
The biggest problem with "Best of" lists is that people will inevitably disagree with some of the entries. While I may question some of them (Ahem, Twilight!), I admire the fact that the list spans the centuries. No, I am not talking about historical romance writers versus contemporary romance writers. Some of the entries on this list were originally published in the late 1800s and early 1900s 1919 (Jane Austen's Emma and E. M. Hull's The Sheik to name a few). I love how a few of the titles that made this list were ones that I read as an adolescent (oh I miss thee classic Judith McNaught and Jude Deveraux!).
I would recommend this book to fellow librarians who need a quick Reader's Advisory tool to help those readers seeking romance titles, and to Goodreads friends of mine who are also huge romance readers. For the later, it's more out of personal curiosity as I am wondering how many of the titles on this list you have read. I have read 16/100. Alright, technically 13/100. Since I have watched every TV and movie adaption of Sense and Sensibility, Jane Eyre and Persuasion that have been made, I do not have a burning need to read the novels.
July 27, 2013
If you’re like me and obsessed with Goodreads’ Listopia and like romance novels then there’s a good chance you’ll like this book even if, like me, you haven’t read the majority of books mentioned (mostly due to the fact I only read contemporary and suspense romances). However, I discovered some new books to add to my ‘To Read’ shelf. Now all I need is for the authors to create a ‘Top 100 Contemporary Novels’ novel which I’ll really be able to get my teeth into!
PS. I have issues with ‘Twilight’ being included on the list.
PS. I have issues with ‘Twilight’ being included on the list.
November 9, 2025
Not the worst list to start with if someone wants to poke at the world of romances. I've read at least 18 of the 100 books and another 19 of the authors and have heard of some of the books on this list I haven't read, some of which would be classics of the genre.
On the other hand, Captive Bride is a weird pick for Johanna Lindsey. It's her first, but far from from her best. Her Prisoner of My Desire was scandalous when it came out because it was a rare example of male rape that inspired considerable discussion within the romance world; her Viking books are classics of that subgenre; and although they're not a personal favorite, she was probably most known for the Malory series. Wouldn't have picked The Convenient Marriage as one of two Georgette Heyers either, although it's fine. Heyer's The Grand Sophy is a better example of what she can do.
Wouldn't have picked two by Laura Kinsale. Flowers the Storm -- which I've read -- probably deserved to be there but that's plenty. Ditto Barbara Michaels, Mary Balogh, Jennifer Crusie -- one book would've been sufficient. For that matter, much as I love Mary Stewart, I don't think I would've put three of her books on the list, either.
Thought some subgenres got neglected, as well, from biggies like category romances to more minor ones like Viking romances. And with a lot of authors I'm familiar with, the list tends to skew toward romantic suspense and ignore their straight-up romances.
The book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited, as are some of the books it lists.
On the other hand, Captive Bride is a weird pick for Johanna Lindsey. It's her first, but far from from her best. Her Prisoner of My Desire was scandalous when it came out because it was a rare example of male rape that inspired considerable discussion within the romance world; her Viking books are classics of that subgenre; and although they're not a personal favorite, she was probably most known for the Malory series. Wouldn't have picked The Convenient Marriage as one of two Georgette Heyers either, although it's fine. Heyer's The Grand Sophy is a better example of what she can do.
Wouldn't have picked two by Laura Kinsale. Flowers the Storm -- which I've read -- probably deserved to be there but that's plenty. Ditto Barbara Michaels, Mary Balogh, Jennifer Crusie -- one book would've been sufficient. For that matter, much as I love Mary Stewart, I don't think I would've put three of her books on the list, either.
Thought some subgenres got neglected, as well, from biggies like category romances to more minor ones like Viking romances. And with a lot of authors I'm familiar with, the list tends to skew toward romantic suspense and ignore their straight-up romances.
The book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited, as are some of the books it lists.
April 22, 2023
Romance is a genre that I have always struggled reading. (Not the subplot of romance, but stories that are strictly romantic and nothing else.) So, I picked up this little paperback just to explore what some of the top recommended books are. I found--surprisingly--that I'm actually familiar with a good handful of the recommended authors from my various suggested reads from friends. However, many of the ones I'd actually read were classic books written in the late 1800s or very early 1900s. I was happy to see North and South made the list. I do love that book. And, if I'm ever in the mood to try again, I suppose I can say I know of some new books to try. We shall see.
November 16, 2013
Despite the fact they tell us in the introduction that one of the criteria for being listed in the book is a "satisfying happily ever after," I still felt like the plot summaries contained spoilers I would have rather not read.
Regarding the suggestions themselves, I have to first come clean and I say I'm not a big fan of romance. I like stories with emotion but more often than not, if I start a romance novel I quickly abandon it because the plot feels formulaic, the characters are shallow, and the dialog is embarrassingly bad. So, I thought to myself, read this - maybe you're just picking bad books! And with that disclaimer out of the way, here's what I thought of the list... not impressed. I think it turns out I still don't like romance books.
If I had it to do again, I wouldn't purchase this book. While I appreciate the tidiness of the "best 100 list," I think the reviews and summaries here on goodreads provide a more rounded introduction for books you haven't read.
Regarding the suggestions themselves, I have to first come clean and I say I'm not a big fan of romance. I like stories with emotion but more often than not, if I start a romance novel I quickly abandon it because the plot feels formulaic, the characters are shallow, and the dialog is embarrassingly bad. So, I thought to myself, read this - maybe you're just picking bad books! And with that disclaimer out of the way, here's what I thought of the list... not impressed. I think it turns out I still don't like romance books.
If I had it to do again, I wouldn't purchase this book. While I appreciate the tidiness of the "best 100 list," I think the reviews and summaries here on goodreads provide a more rounded introduction for books you haven't read.
February 22, 2014
A well-organized book in so many ways. First, they tell you about how the book came to be. Second, they have a synopsis by the reader and not that crud put out by the publisher. Third, the books are listed in no particular order. Fourth, they give you in the introduction the website where the debate continues.
I agreed with them about 80% in their assessment of those I have read. Some of the books were included because of their impact on the publishing world rather than their innate quality.
Lastly, this is a great reference to use in helping choose further reading.
I agreed with them about 80% in their assessment of those I have read. Some of the books were included because of their impact on the publishing world rather than their innate quality.
Lastly, this is a great reference to use in helping choose further reading.
November 20, 2013
Author picked great titles and I was happy to have read some of them and as well receive few new ones. Jennifer Lawler is also adding few movies and activities that to her taste are romantic - a cute addition and distraction.
April 19, 2013
Quite enjoyed a lot of my favourite romance authors getting the recognition they deserve...also learned about some new authors...so all good.
January 10, 2015
For all of your heteronormative needs. Fuck.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews