In this ‘books on a theme‘ post, I discuss some great romance books I recently read. One of my favourite book genres is one that actually has a terrible name: chick lit. But I love a good romance and happily ever after, and they are such excellent escapes that make a nice change from my other preferred genre — crime fiction. At least with romance and chick lit there are usually no murders.
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
I loved Hoang’s first novel, The Kiss Quotient, and the follow-up did not disappoint. There is great depth to the characters, the plot is well-paced and satisfying, and I love the colour of the Vietnamese world that is in the novel. This book is such a delight and I loved it. I want to read more books by Helen Hoang like, yesterday.
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
A charming and funny novel about two people who share a flat but never at the same time. Given that this is a post about romance novels you can guess at how this ends up, but I really did enjoy the journey O’Leary takes us on to get to the happily ever after. This was a perfect romcom novel.
Once Upon a World: Cinderella by Chloe Perkins, illustrated by Sandra Equihua
So romance isn’t really something commonly found in children’s books (particularly as many of the books we read involve heavy machinery or animals), and it was a little tricky to find books for the children portion of this post. But I figured fairytales would work, and the Once Upon a World series is great. The books in the series retell fairytales but set in various countries around the world. Mexico is the backdrop to the Cinderella story, and the illustrations are by Mexican illustrator, Sandra Equihua.