Books like The Pumpkin Spice Cafe — picked by fans

When thinking of small-town romances, the Virgin River series has been a highly successful book and a very successful TV series.

It ticks all the must-have points for a small-town romance. I liked nurse practitioner Melinda’s adventurous spirit as she moved from LA to Virgin River, and I thought the slow-burn romance between Melinda and Jack was well done. In this series, Robyn Carr tends to introduce the central character for her next book towards the end of the current book. It was very well done, and I found myself invested and wanting to read the next book to follow the next character’s journey. 

I also liked that the books in the series dealt with medical emergencies and serious medical topics such as addiction and infertility.

Whilst I enjoy the overall feel of the community spirit and support in small-town romances, I also appreciate laugh-out-loud moments.

Kristan Higgins incorporated humour masterfully, so I was laughing one moment, then being moved to tears by the emotional depth, which had me empathising with characters who were real. The characters were flawed but so loveable that I was rooting for them to find their happy ever after endings!

I found my emotions see-sawing a bit as I read this book, but this made the payoff of the happy ending all the sweeter.

I don’t mind a little bit of spice in romance books, but I also enjoy the sweeter romances that RaeAnne Thayne writes.

I agree that they have a real Hallmark flavour to them, and while I don’t write that style, I loved the Haven Point series. I find this author’s focus on families very satisfying; I love the relatability of her characters and the deep dive into the emotional connections between them.

I also like the way she handles more sensitive topics such as grief and depression. I think it’s really important to include such very important topics in romance novels, as I think the way the characters handle the situations they face can be an inspiration sometimes for readers who are going through similar dilemmas.

I’m Australian, and I really enjoyed this series that was based in a fictitious coastal town in Australia because the setting was so similar to a coastal setting close to where I grew up.

I thought that Joanne Speirs did very well navigating the difficult relationships some of her characters had, and believe that most readers will really connect with the characters and the obstacles they must overcome. Themes of healing and community were central to this series, and this is obvious from the very first book, Second Chance Love in Point Perry, where Erin comes to Point Perry for a fresh start.

I found Joanne Speirs has an engaging writing style that was very easy to read. Each story in the series is interesting and well-crafted. 

Romance themes are easy for readers, but the escapism and scenarios are vast. This novel, set in the Big Apple, New York, hits the mark well. Some twists and turns, never knowing the final outcome. How random situations happen can make you think of serendipity at play.

Does fate have more control than you think? An intriguing concept. Thrown into the mix of engagements and weddings, tempers can flare. The stubbornness of characters with some excellent scenes where you feel the emotion and are in the midst of the story. Travels from the USA to Dublin, the story has a homely, feel-good vibe for romantic lovers. 

I found the writing tone tight and to the point in places, and I never quite knew how things would pan out for the key players.

Sometimes a woman can get herself into a situation that she doesn’t see coming and is nervous about telling anyone.

In this book, the protagonist, Lily, is one of those women. I’m drawn to stories where you go on a journey with the main character as she finds her voice and begins to stand up for herself and realizes she’s worth much better in life, than the way she’s being treated.

Many women feel shame around getting themselves into these kinds of situations, but we are all human, and it can happen subtly, so subtly that you don’t see it coming. Lily becomes a strong woman, and that strength is something I admire.

This is a lovely memoir of falling in true love for the first time. The author was the same age as me when she fell in love for the first time in a magical Paris when she was there as a serious musical student.

As I read, I was transported with her to that time and sent spinning back into my own life at the same age as a serious drama student falling in love in Amsterdam.

The book is romantic at first and so true to the heart, as well as the experience of losing oneself to another for the first time. I loved experiencing Paris with her and her love of music. A not famous author who deserves to be.

Abbi Glines is the best at writing fun, steamy, New Adult summer romances.

You can’t help but be immediately immersed into the story, especially with all of the angst and drama and tension that leaves you needing to see how it’ll all work out. This book has got all those fun tropes that make a great poolside read: bad boy/good girl, enemies to lovers, step-siblings, forced proximity, and a coastal beach town.

I literally could not stop crying through this entire book. When this novel first begins, we find Kenna Rowan has just been released from jail. She is alone, penniless, and scared with all the cards stacked against her, and she is on a mission to find her daughter. Despite the mystery surrounding the incident that causes Kenna’s incarceration, you are instantly drawn into this character’s vulnerability and sheer force of will and determination. She is at once utterly alone on an island while also strong and brave like a warrior, ready to face the demons in her past in order to find a path back to the daughter that was taken from her. I love all of Colleen Hoover’s novels, but this one shredded me. I couldn’t put it down, had to find out what happened, had to know that Kenna was safe, understood, and vindicated.   

In recent years, Lisa Jewell has moved into psychological thriller, which I also love. But she started off writing warm, gorgeously relatable, and touching stories about young people falling in love, sharing houses, and getting to grips with adult life.

They are all beautifully told, but this one stands out to me. A chance meeting at a caravan park as teenagers see Vince and Joy peeling off into their separate lives and navigating their own joys and heartbreaks… I won’t spoil it, but the ending is just as you’d want it to be.