Binding Love: Valentine’s Book Recommendations

With Valentine’s Day approaching, one of the best ways to celebrate is with a good book. 

This list showcases a variety of stories, taking readers anywhere from Victorian-era ballrooms to doomsday prepper’s bunkers. Whether you’re looking to cry, laugh or throw the book across the room, these stories deliver. 

‘Assistant to the Villain’ by Hannah Nicole Maehrer 

For fans of the slow burn romance trope, “Assistant to the Villain” might become your new favorite series. Maehrer writes an enthralling trilogy which takes readers back to childhood fairytale worlds through a lens of adult responsibility. 

This wholesome story follows Evangelina Sage’s employment experience for “the Villain,” with workplace incidents involving an enchanted frog, Becky from HR and the occasional severed head. 

Maehrer’s series falls definitively within the romance category but incorporates aspects of fantasy with a heavy handed dose of whimsy. 

‘Powerless’ by Lauren Roberts

Calling on tropes seen in “The Hunger Games” and “Red Queen,” “Powerless” is set in a dystopian world divided between those who have powers and those who do not. Paedyn Gray attempts to hide a power she shouldn’t have as she’s dragged into the Purging Trials, competing alongside her love interest, Kai Azer. 

Roberts’ book series features a less intense slow burn than “Assistant to the Villain,” but retains romantic tension thick enough to cut with a knife. 

This book is dystopian to its core, with the romance plot line deeply influencing the resistance, a familiar storyline role to frequent readers of the genre. 

‘Yes No Maybe So’ by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

This one is for the fans of multi-perspective writing. Albertalli and Saeed’s romance plot centers around political campaigning for a senatorial race, creating an incredibly relevant modern day love story. Neither Jamie Goldberg nor Maya Rehman feel particularly pleased to find themselves as canvassing volunteers, but eventually bond over the experience. 

“Yes No Maybe So” features an enemies-to-lovers story line without the typical romanticization seen in the trope. Jamie and Maya have awkward moments that reflect the reality of a crush in a refreshing manner rare in romance novels. 

‘Prepped’ by Bethany Mangle

Have you ever wondered what growing up with doomsday preppers would look like?

Mangle answers this question through the perspective of Becca Adlaine, who has been planning to escape from the community of doomsday preppers she grew up in. An accident becomes the catalyst for growing extremism within the group, making her exit even more difficult. 

“Prepped” maintains a level of humor at the absurdity of the situation, making it a fast-paced and enjoyable read. Genre wise, it falls ever so slightly into dystopian, with just enough romance to satisfy any romance reader. 

‘Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend’ by Emma Alban

At its core, this is a conventional cheesy romance novel written through a queer lens. 

Set in Victorian England, Beth and Glen both struggle to navigate the marriage market. Looking for a way out, they scheme to convince their parents to marry instead, and through the process fall in love with each other. 

Writing historical fiction with queer couples is a difficult thing to do with accuracy, but Alban retains a factual story line while leaving readers with a satisfying ending through her second book in her series “You’re the Problem, It’s You.”

‘Instructions for Dancing’ by Nicola Yoon

One certainly shouldn’t judge a book by the cover, but the beautifully illustrated flowers and swirling letters would draw any reader to pick up Yoon’s “Instructions for Dancing”.

In “Instructions for Dancing,” Evie is granted the ability to see how relationships end, leaving her deeply skeptical of love. She’s convinced to dive into the world of competitive ballroom dancing and quickly finds her skepticism tested, courtesy of her dance partner X. 

Yoon leaves her readers to ponder: is love truly worth the pain it can bring? 

While there is a slight supernatural element, Yoon’s book falls squarely within the contemporary romance category. 

‘The First to Die at the End’ by Adam Silvera

This book serves a heartbreaking love story with a side of existential crisis. Silvera dives into the moral ramifications of a world where a notification system informs citizens when they have 24 hours left to live: Death-Cast. 

Orion Pagan and Valentino Prince find themselves entangled in the first Death-Cast call and have to decide how to spend a final day on Earth in New York City. 

While “The First to Die at the End” is technically a prequel, it’s the best starting place for Silvera’s series. The usage of Death-Cast is given a clearer explanation, and reading the prequel first provides better understanding of future references in the other two books. 

This series leans ever so slightly into romance, but maintains a strong sci-fi influence. 

‘Reasons We Break’ by Jesmeen Kaur Deo

Another story that’ll bring a reader to tears at least once, “Reasons We Break” is a heavy read. 

As Rajan attempts to exit the Lion’s Share and is met with resistance, Simran goes against her moniker of perfection and strikes up a bargain with the gang in order to save Rajan. 

Deo explores the morally grey, venturing into what it means to accept the mistakes which come with the human condition and strive towards self-forgiveness. 

“Reasons We Break” is mostly classified as a thriller, with elements of romance which will have her readers rooting for Simran and Rajan with their whole hearts.