The steamiest romance novels to read this summer, according to BookTok's favourite author Emily Henry
If you've spent any time on BookTok (or in a Waterstones), you'll recognise the name Emily Henry. The 34-year-old author has turned out a contemporary romance novel every year since her first adult romance, Beach Read, was published in 2020. She's sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, and her newest release, Great Big Beautiful Life, has gone straight to number one on the The Sunday Times and The New York Times bestseller lists.
With six steamy, bestselling romance novels in six years (five of which are being adapted to the screen), who better to ask for a list of her favourite spicy romance novels. So, scroll down for Emily Henry's top picks…
Casanova LLC by Julia Whelan
Casanova LLC by Julia Whelan (Audible Audiobook) £12.99 Shop
Julia does the narration for the audiobook versions of my books but she's also published some of my favourite novels. This one was not only a departure in that it's a true-blue, deeply sexy romance, but it's also an audio-only project, with some of the most spine-tingling performances I've ever heard. It pushed me outside my comfort zone as a reader but ultimately turned me into a goopy, emotional mess by the end.
Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas
Luckiest Lady in London by Sherry Thomas (Kindle Edition) £2.99
This was the very first historical romance novel that I ever read. One of my closest friends recommended it to me, and it changed my brain chemistry. Not only did I proceed to read every single one of Thomas's emotionally complex and wonderfully sensual novels, but it made a forever reader of the genre in general.
A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson
A Love Like the Sun by Riss M. Neilson £9.99 Shop
One of the hardest things to pull off in a novel about friends who become lovers, in my opinion, is the build of the physical tension and attraction, but Neilson knocked it out of the park. This book, and the friendship it centres on, is incredibly sweet. The characters are goofy and vulnerable with each other in the way that only longtime friends can be, and yet when she ratchets up the attraction between these two characters, it's new, thrilling and scorching hot.
A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare (Kindle Edition) £1.99 Shop
The characters in this one are what really make it sing. Minerva, the Victorian-era aspiring palaeontologist, is exactly the right blend of ambitious, practical, and completely charming, and then you throw in X, the irascible misunderstood rake she ropes into a cross-country journey, and the tension and eventual breaking of that tension is deeply satisfying.
The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas £9.99 Shop
Once I began my historical romance journey, there were a handful of titles that came up again and again among diehard readers, and this was one of them, for good reason. This one is a complicated marriage of convenience, probably the one that made me realise how much I love that trope.
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan £9.99 Shop
This author makes it onto pretty much every list I write, because her books always combine fully fleshed out characters with depth and emotional resonance with love scenes that crackle. This book about exes trying to see if there's anything left between them before finally moving on had me crying at moments and blushing at others, and sometimes both simultaneously.
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams £9.99
This book could have made the list based wholly on one very sexy and memorable scene involving a piano, but it didn't have to because the whole book is amazing. It's got a magical bent to it while still feeling so grounded in its love story. The prose is beautiful too – Williams is an author I expect to follow forever.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert £9.99 Shop
Talia Hibbert's writing is hilarious and charming, with this bouncy, light quality that perfectly balances out the heavier themes she weaves into her novels. I read this relatively early in my romance-reading journey, and as a newbie to the genre it had me giggling and blushing. Hibbert is also incredibly prolific, so if you love this one, you'll have a sizable backlist to tear through!
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