February is known as the month of love, right? Stores are selling chocolates and romantic cards, there’s red and pink everywhere, and TV seems to be flooded with romantic comedies. While February is the perfect time to show how much you love others, it’s also a great time to show yourself some love, and you can do this by making time for self-care. What better way to practice self-care than to crack open a book and do some light reading? I’m going to recommend 5 books that will put you in the romance mood this February.
1. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
In this sexy, witty romance novel, Lucy Hutton works alongside Joshua Templeman at her dream job. And however dreamy her co-worker may be, he is an absolute thorn in her side. They don’t get along. At all. They constantly mess with each other, and when a job promotion becomes available, things get a little more heated… metaphorically and literally. Lucy quickly learns that there is a fine line between love and hate. The Hating Game is my favorite enemies-to-lovers story that I’ve ever read. Plus, it’s perfect to read this now because filming just wrapped for the movie! Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell are playing Lucy and Josh. And although I’m sure the movie will be full of cuteness, books are always better than their movies.
2. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
This book follows the story of a girl named Sydney who seems to have it all figured out–a steady job, a great boyfriend, her best friend as a roommate. But once she learns that her boyfriend is cheating on her, her life seems to implode. That’s when the musician from across the building steps in. They develop a relationship and even begin to write music together. This book is steamy and passionate. It features disability representation and handles a lot of mature topics. Plus, there’s a whole album of songs to go with it. How cool is that! I really loved this book and it had me drawn in from the start.
3. The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
If you’ve been obsessed with Bridgerton, then this is the book for you. The Duke of Ashbury returns home from war in this historical romance novel and knows his next move in life is to secure an heir. When his fiancé leaves him upon his arrival, he randomly decides to marry Emma Gladstone, the seamstress who just so happened to sew the wedding dress for his now ex-fianceé. The Duke just wants an heir, so he develops a list of rules to help facilitate their arrangement, but Emma can’t help the way she feels about him. They should’ve known that love doesn’t play by the rules… This book is very cheesy and very steamy, so it makes a quick read for your Valentine’s weekend.
4. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
If you watch Twilight on repeat, you should definitely check out this book. I have had this book on my shelf for years, and during the early stages of quarantine, I decided to pick it up. I had seen the movie version of this, but oh my goodness, the book was a hundred times better. This book mixes a southern gothic background with dark magic and forbidden romance. What more could you want? The world building in this novel was fantastic, and although sometimes it felt hard to relate to the dramatic, teenage main characters, I highly recommend this book to all supernatural romance lovers.
5. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Stella loves math and data. She’s pretty into her job leaving little room for dating and romance. So, she decides to hire an escort to practice all things romance. He helps her learn all the things from dating to sex. This book not only features a steamy, cute romance but it also has disability representation. Stella, the main character, has Asperger’s. She provides insight on what it means to be on the spectrum and thus makes for a great narrator. I highly recommend this book.
I hope that one of these 5 books stands out to you! Reading is a great way to spend your alone time, and there’s no better time to read romance books than February. So, go get your bubble bath started, grab yourself a drink, put on your face mask, and crack open the spine of a good book. Hopefully your bath won’t be the only thing that’s steamy…