The Penguin Hotline Recommends: Gifts for the Romance Reveler

This stunning debut centers on the first women’s class at Oxford. In return for a scholarship, Annabelle Archer must support the women’s suffrage movement and sway a member of the ton to her cause. She captures the attention of the Duke of Montgomery and while neither can deny an attraction, Annabelle will surrender none of her freedom to pursue a relationship with him. As NPR eloquently put it “there is nothing quite so satisfying as seeing such a man brought to his knees by a beautiful woman with nothing to her name except an inviolable sense of her own self-worth.”

Our heroine, Evie, re-creates numerous movie meet-cutes in order to convince a stubborn screenwriter to write the rom-com screenplay he owes producers. Of course, none of the meet cutes go as planned and what ensues is absolutely hilarious. You’ll want to read this one with friends!

This is the book that will make your heart smile. A group of Nashville alpha men form a romance book club to learn to be better partners and lovers. When Gavin Scott’s wife says she’s leaving him he joins the book club in desperation to figure out a way to win her back. Watching a man learn to truly listen to his wife’s needs and wants and understand how to better communicate his own makes this one of the most satisfying books I’ve ever read.

Helen writes neurodiverse characters with sensitivity, grace, and humor. Khai Diep believes his autism means he can’t experience love, but Esme Tran is determined to prove him wrong. Their unconventional courtship will make you laugh, pull at your heartstrings and have you cheering for Khai to open his heart to love.

“The queen of contemporary romance” (OprahMag.com), delivers a love story inspired by Megan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland. Vivian Forest joins her daughter on a trip to England and falls for the Queen’s private secretary. A sweet tale of holiday magic!

For those who love a healthy dose of danger with their romance, Karen Rose’s suspense is the perfect mix of pulse-pounding mystery and satisfying love story. Reading her books is like binge watching a Law and Order: SVU marathon! And her newest features a fantastic slow burn romance with the cinnamon roll of all cinnamon roll heroes!

If you loved the teen dramas The Kissing Booth and Alex Strangelove, this is for you! All high school senior Emma Nolan wants is to dance with her girlfriend at prom, but in her small Indiana town that’s like asking for the moon. Two kooky Broadway stars with their own agenda travel to Indiana to make Emma’s prom dreams come true. What ensues is a beautiful, charming and funny coming of age tale. Netflix is developing a film version starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Ariana Grande and Awkwafina, so you’ll definitely want to read the novel before the movie is out!

This modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice with a dash of Shakespeare is set in a Muslim immigrant community in Toronto and stars Ayesha, a substitute teacher who dreams of being a spoken word poet and the very conservative Khalid, whose traditional dress masks the shy romantic underneath the robes. If you’re a sucker for an Austen reimagining like I am, you don’t want to miss this one!