100 Books Like My Phony Valentine

The banter in this book is fabulous, and I was intrigued from the get-go to find out how Jack and Lauren would go from enemies to faking a relationship to lovers. I also really enjoyed the setting since at least half of the story takes place on a cruise ship. This book has strong small-town vibes once they get off the ship and lots of great side characters.

Even though it’s a romantic comedy, there are also some deeper layers to the characters that make the story interesting on top of the humor. And I liked that the grumpy/sunshine dynamic was reversed from the way it is in most stories, with Lauren as the grump and Jack as the sunshine. 

The thing I loved most about this book is how impervious Audrey is to Flint’s charms at the beginning of the book. She’s a scientist who doesn’t watch movies and doesn’t know or care that he’s a massive star—she’s truly just there for the squirrels she’s trying to research!

It was a delight to watch Flint try to charm Audrey and figure out what makes her tick since she’s not like other girls and to watch her developing feelings for him while navigating the spotlight that comes with being his (fake) girlfriend. I also love the sibling relationships that both of them have. Nothing’s funnier than a brutally honest group text with your brothers or sisters!

This book has such a unique storyline. I’ve never read another book that features a nurse who moonlights as a singer in a rock band! I loved watching Sami try to hide her costumes and whereabouts from her three roommates, who act more like sisters than friends. When Josh moves in next door, he’s immediately smitten with Sami and asks her out, but their first date doesn’t go great, which is why he’s surprised when she agrees to pose as his girlfriend to get his parents to stop pushing a family friend at him.

This book is full of witty banter and surprises as Josh and Sami somehow manage to challenge and accept each other at the same time.

This is one of the funniest fake dating stories I’ve ever read with so many delightfully cringe-worthy moments. Olive is such a relatable character and Miles is everything you could want in a leading man. I was laughing every step of the way as these two workplace rivals fake-date their way through Christmas at a lodge in Vermont, surrounded by family members on both sides who have no idea it’s all pretend.

The setting is perfection. Cindy Steel does a great job making you feel like you’re actually sipping cocoa in front of a Christmas tree with snowflakes falling outside your window. It’s the perfect cozy holiday rom-com!

This novel is beautifully written, a gentle, faith-filled love story with characters I couldn’t help but care about from the start. Recently widowed and expecting a baby, Jessica is struggling with the tragic loss of her husband and daughter—and the secret knowledge of her late husband’s betrayal. Her new next-door neighbor, Ridley, has his own secrets, which is why he’s attempting to keep a low profile in this small-town setting. I loved watching their friendship evolve into something more and how their faith grew as they dealt with the difficulties they faced. And as a lifelong animal lover, I have to say I was especially fond of Ridley’s dog, Kris, who played the perfect little matchmaker!

Cross writes some of the best romantic military suspense out there and after reading Ignited, I was immediately inspired to write my book that's mentioned above. While I love all of Cross’ sexy, fast-paced collections, her six-book Titanium Security series will always be my favourite. Full of nuanced characters with rich back-stories, gritty, well-researched real-life war zones, and sex scenes that smash the Heat o’ Meter, the books leave me breathless for all the best reasons. The Titanium crew is comprised of bad-ass, ex-military security experts (both male and female) but it’s Khalia, the heroine of Ignited, who remains my number one girl-crush. Smart, independent and passionate, she wins over the glowering hero Hunter with her determination to fulfill her father’s legacy in Pakistan.

I loved the meet-cute for this book—technically, the second meet-cute of the two main characters. Who doesn’t want to be saved from a burning building by a hunky firefighter, especially the one you loved as a teenager?

I adored the main character, Emmy, and her belief in love and romance. The setting was especially cozy, and the book made me laugh, too!

The first installment of Michelle Pennington’s Shaped By Love series, A Man Worth Shaving For is a fantastic romantic comedy centering around Tessa and Logan. Tessa is the head of HR in a body-positive lingerie company, while Logan has been called in to analyse the business and give his opinion on where cuts should be made. They are not aware of their upcoming connection, however, until after Tessa is set up on a blind date with him through mutual friends… a date which did not go particularly well. 

Michelle Pennington has written a lot of romances, but with romcom she blows everything else out of the water. I had pre-order alerts set up on my phone for when the next release in the series came out because I loved them that much.

Getting back to the fluffy–and the steamy–I’m not a huge holiday romance reader but this was delicious!

A plus-sized adult film star accidentally getting cast in a squeaky clean Christmas movie and her co-star is an ex-boy band bad boy trying to rehab his image? *chef’s kiss* Add in the fact that they're fans of each other’s work? Perfection.

I felt that the characters being huge fans of each other helped offset the sometimes parasocial power dynamic of a fan dating/banging a star they’ve idolized for years. That plus them both needing to keep Bee’s porn career a secret put them on even ground, which allowed me to really enjoy their delightful banter, chemistry, and hot sex scenes.

This one will break your heart. It’s more of a romantic tragedy, but I think there’s something wonderful in near-miss romances because it helps you appreciate what you have, when you have it.

In a monochrome world, you can only see color once you’ve met your soulmate. The problem is that the main character, Brighton Evans, has been able to see color since forever—so who on earth is her soulmate and how will she ever be able to tell? We’d Know by Then is without a doubt a tearjerker, so prepare yourselves!