Happy Hump Day Booklovers! February is finally upon us, which means it’s THE time to read ALL the romances in honour of Valentine’s Day! Although let’s be real, I don’t need any excuse to read all the romances - that’s all I ever read these days! But, V-Day is the best excuse to share some of my favourite and must-read romances with you all! I think some of my favourite romances to read are those that are part of companion novel series - I love getting to follow a group of friends or family as they get their HEA’s, with all the previous couples getting to feature in the background of the next story. They’re just always so fun and filled with not only fabulous romances, but also just some really fun friendship or family relationships that are just as fun to read about as the love story. So I’ve rounded up FOURTEEN of my must-read companion novel romance series, featuring some of my all-time favourite authors, that you need to check out this month if you’re looking to add a little more romance to your February! This post contains affiliate links. Using these will not affect your shopping experience, but will provide me with a small commission. ROSEMARY BEACH by Abbi Glines This is THE series that started it all! It got me OBSESSED with Abbi’s work, and made me fall in love with romance and the companion novel series. I’ve read most books multiple times, and just thinking about them now, I really want to revisit a few of these books again. This 14-book series is made up of quads, duologies and stand-alones following a group of friends and family living in or connected to Rosemary Beach, Alabama. At it’s core, most characters are connected through bad-boy Rush Finlay, the son of rock star Dean Finlay. It’s all rich-kids, country clubs, and rock stars, with a little cowboy thrown in the mix too. 1. Fallen Too Far - forced proximity/new step-siblings 2. Never Too Far 3. Forever Too Far 4. Rush Too Far (Fallen Too Far from Rush’s perspective) 5. Twisted Perfection - from opposite worlds 6. Simple Perfection 7. Take A Chance - friends-to-lovers 8. One More Chance 9. You Were Mine - second-chance Kiro’s Emily (prequel novella) - star-crossed lovers 10. When I’m Gone - cowboy, from opposite worlds 11. When You’re Back 12. The Best Goodbye - second-chance 13. Up In Flames - love triangle 14. Going Too Far - age gap In retrospect, I feel like there are definitely better books and series, even just from Abbi herself since this was some of the first books she published, but it will also have a special place in my heart - I will forever have a Rush Crush! VALLEY U UNIVERSE by Rebecca Jenshak I couldn’t decide on which Valley U series to include, so thought why not include them all! Rebecca’s another of my OG faves and was the author who got me hooked on sports romances. And when you read these books, you’ll see why! This universe takes place on or around the campus of Valley U in California, following the players of various sports teams. Each series can easily stand on its own, but with little cameos and easter eggs to previous books, it’s so fun to read them all, especially in order. Pretty much all of Rebecca’s book take place in this universe, and I never want her to not write these books - I love getting to come back to such a familiar place, even though the characters change from series to series. SMART JOCKS - basketball team The Catch (prequel novella, baseball) 1. The Assist - opposites attract 2. The Fadeaway - single mum 3. The Tip-Off - friends-to-lovers 4. The Fake - fake dating 5. The Pass - second-chance CAMPUS NIGHTS - hockey team 1. Secret Puck - captain’s sister/brother’s teammate 2. Bad Crush - best friend’s brother/sister’s best friend 3. Broken Hearts - frenemies-to-lovers 4. Wild Love - friends-with-benefits WILDCAT HOCKEY - NFL spin-off of Campus Nights 1. Wildcat - one-night-stand 2. Wild About You - second-chance 3. Wild Ever After - marriage-of-convenience 5. In Your Wildest Dreams - nurse/patient CAMPUS WALLFLOWERS - various sports 1. Tutoring The Player (hockey) - opposites attract 2. Hating The Player (basketball) - second-chance 3. Scoring The Player (football & golf) - fake dating 4. Tempting The Player (football) - bodyguard HOLIDAY WITH THE PLAYERS - football 1. Snowed In With The Player - brother’s best friend/best friend’s sister 2. Sneaking Around With The Player - brother’s rival/rival’s sister There is also the stand-alone Sweet Spot, which followers one of the female golf players and would slot in between Smart Jocks and Campus Nights if you want to read in order. THE BURKE BROTHERS by Emma Hart If you know me, you’ll know that Emma is another one of my all-time favourite romance authors, and this series is what got me hooked on her work! This series follows the Burke Brothers, who make up hottest boyband on the planet, Dirty B, with the final book following their younger sister. It’s swoony, a little bit spicy, and filled with lots of heart! And honestly, it’s in need of a reread! 1. Dirty Secret - second-chance 2. Dirty Past - bad boy 3. Dirty Lies - friends-to-lovers 4. Dirty Tricks - one night to forever 5. Dirty Little Rendevous - second-chance While Emma has since progressed to writing rom-coms, which I LOVE, I will forever have a special place for this series in my heart. FRISKY BEAVERS by Ainsley Booth & Sadie Haller I feel like this was the OG hockey romance that I read, not that I picked it up for the sport, and just revisiting the books to write this post has been itching to re-read them! This is a BDSM sports romance series following a group of high-profile and influential men who form the hockey team ‘Frisky Beavers’, allowing them to play lowkey games of hockey. The other thing they have in common? They aren’t afraid to explore their kinks. Retrosexual (prequel novella) - silver fox 1. Prime Minister - boss/intern New Year’s Eve (novella) - engagement 2. Dr Bad Boy - one-night-stand 3. Full Mountie - why choose? His Bride (novella) - wedding & honeymoon 4. Mister Hat Trick - enemies-with benefits Page of Swords (novella) - friends-to-lovers There is also meant to be another book is the series - Bull Of The Woods - but since it was meant to be released years ago, I don’t think we’re ever going to get it at this point… LOVELESS BROTHERS by Roxie Noir Small-town romances are some of my faves, and Roxie brought everything I love about the sub-genre with this series! As the name of the series suggests, these books follow the five swoony Loveless brothers, who all live in and around a southern mountain town. 1. Enemies with Benefits - enemies-to-lovers 2. Best Fake Fiance - fake dating 3. Break The Rules - best friend’s sister/brother’s best friend 4. The Hookup Equation - college professor/student 5. One Last Time - second-chance I’ll be totally transparent, I still have not picked up the last two books, but now that I’ve reacquainted myself with these books, I’m definitely pushing them up my TBR! BILLIONAIRE by Chloe Peterson If you know me, you’ll know that I’ve been reading a lot more queer romances in recent years, and this series is actually one of my more recent reads. This sapphic romance series follows a group of billionaire CEO friends in New York. They are all age-gap romances, and predominantly boss/employee relationships, although the fourth book doesn’t fit this latter trope. It's all pantsuits and stolen office kisses and swoony goodness! 1. Not On The Resume - ice queen 2. Not On The Agenda - frenemies-to-lovers 3. Not In The Proposal - marriage-of-convenience 4. Not In The Contract - forced proximity There’s still one more book to come in this series, probably later in the year as Not In The Contract has only recently been released, so now is a good time to dive into these books. BRIGHT FALLS by Ashley Herring Blake Another for my fellow queer-loving girlies! Ashley’s first foray in adult romance has been an absolute treat, proving to be one of my most-anticipated releases of the past few years. This sapphic trilogy follows three friends living in Bright Falls, and is one of my all-time favourite queer series that I’ve read, so far. I adore Ashley’s writing and could not get enough of these books - definitely ones I want to reread! 1. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care - sister’s best friend/best friend’s sister 2. Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail - enemies-to-lovers/coming out 3. Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date - fake dating I’m bummed to have the trilogy completed, but I’m excited for what Ashley has coming up in the future - she’s definitely got an auto-buy reader right here! MARRY ME, JULIET by Jodi McAlister You know what I love more than romance books? Romance books written by Australian authors AND that are set in Australia! And Jodi served up all that and more with this deep-dive into the world of reality television, which is another fun trope in itself! This trilogy takes place across the same series of the Bachelor-inspired reality TV dating show ‘Marry Me, Juliet’. Each story overlaps, but not in a way that makes reading them super repetitive - it’s a really interesting method of storytelling and Jodi has pulled it off SO well as she slots the stories of all six people together seamlessly. 1. Here For The Right Reasons - forced proximity 2. Can I Steal You For A Second? - contestants 3. Not Here To Make Friends - producer/villain This trilogy quickly became one of my favourite series that I read last year, and I desperately want Jodi to write more books in this universe - she’s got the reality TV genre PERFECTED! THE RESORT by Lise Gold We’re ALL about the sapphic reads here, and Lise filled this series will all the good vibes and summer sunshine, making for the best summer read! This trilogy is pure summer holiday romance, taking place on the Spanish coast around the Paradise Hotel. The series is such a fun and swoony read, with very little angst that you come to expect with reading romances - there’s only one third-act breakup in the whole trilogy! 1. Welcome To Paradise - forced proximity 2. After Sunset - second-chance 3. Paradise Pride - age-gap/coming out This was such a fun trilogy to read last year and I loved every minute of it! Lise is known as a must-read sapphic author, and these books really highlighted why, and I 100% need to read some of her other stuff! ROYALLY by Emma Chase If you’ve ever dreamed of bumping into a gorgeous Prince and falling in love with him, then Emma has the swoony series for you! This series focuses on the Wessco Royal Family, in particular the two swoony princes who will one day be leading the country. It’s like getting up-close and personal with the drama of the British Royals, only these guys are maybe not quiet so dramatic as our actual rulers… 1. Royally Screwed - from different worlds Royally Marooned (novella) - honeymoon 2. Royally Matched - reality dating TV 3. Royally Endowed - bodyguard 4. Royally Yours (prequel) - opposites attract Royally Raised (novella) - next generation Royally Remembered (novella collection) I actually still need to read the latter part of this series - I wasn’t totally in the mood to shift generations after absolutely loving the Princes, but I definitely want to revisit these books at some point. The swoon alone is enough to want to reread! FORTUNATE by Jessica Roe I don’t even know how I came across Jessica’s books - the first book in this series just appeared in front of me one day and the blurb had me SOLD, so much so that I’ve read just the first book multiple times! This series alternates between novels and novellas, following the lives of those in the town of Fortunate, or who have connections to those in Fortunate. While the series itself is new adult, the first book leans a little young adult due to the age of one of the main characters. 1. Because Of Him - forbidden 2. Something Real - bad boy 3. Falling For Him - friends to lovers 4. Something True - enemies to lovers 5. Nothing Like Him - second-chance I really wish Jessica had released more books since this series, because I really wanted to read more of her stuff! Maybe one day… ARISTOVERSE by Emma Hart Another one for Emma, because I couldn’t not include the absolute riot that is the Aristoverse! These books are everything I love about Emma’s rom-coms and more, and are definitely a must-read for anyone looking for some light-hearted fun. The Aristoverse is made up of a trilogy - The Aristocrat Diaries - and three, soon to be four, standalones, following various aristocrats in dukedoms across the United Kingdom. The standalones can totally be read without having read the triogy, but there are small references and updates to the previous couples, so it is nice to read them in order. 1. Lady Love - grumpy/sunshine 2. Dating The Duke - fake dating 3. The Accidental Countess - marriage-of-convenience Right Number, Wrong Girl - frenmies-to-lovers Big Duke Energy - grumpy/sunshine The Problem With Pretending - fake dating As much as I LOVED all of Emma’s previous books, which took place in America, I absolutely ADORE this change to the UK and all the fun drama of the upper class. OFF-CAMPUS by Elle Kennedy It’s no secret that Elle is a must-read when it comes to college and sports romance, and I really regret not picking her books up sooner - they certainly live up to the swoony hype! This series follows the hockey team at Briar U, and more specifically, a group of friends who live off-campus together. Their friendship banter alone is super fun, but their romances are perfection when it comes to sweet, spice and swoon. 1. The Deal - fake dating 2. The Mistake - second-chance 3. The Score - friends-with-benefits 4. The Goal - one-night-stand 5. The Legacy (collection of epilogue novellas) This series has also spawned TWO spin-offs - Briar U, follows a new batch of students (and a few we have already met), and Campus Diaries, which is a next-gen series following the children of Off-Campus. BURLAP AND BARBED WIRE by Shirley Penick If you didn’t already know, I’m currently in my yeehaw era, and I have recently been devouring this series - I started reading it a couple of years back but never got round to finishing it, so decided to reread and complete it recently. And let me tell you, I’ve absolutely LOVED it. In this series we follow the Kipling siblings, five brothers and a sister, who live on their family’s cattle ranch in the mountains of Colorado. Shirley literally transports you to ranch-life in Colorado, and you’ll love being surrounded by a bunch of swoony cowboys. 1. A Cowboy For Alyssa - boss/intern 2. Taming Adam - grumpy/sunshine 3. Tempting Chase - friends-to-lovers 4. Roping Cade - fake dating 5. Trusting Drew - bodyguard 6. Emma’s Rodeo Cowboy - second-chance I absolutely ADORE this series and the world that Shirley has created, and I did not want to finish these books and have to say goodbye to all these characters at the end. This series is actually part of a larger universe of books where characters make appearances across series. Helluva Engineer is a direct spin-off of Burlap & Barbed Wire following some of the ranch hands, while Shirley’s earlier series Lake Chelen features Alyssa as a child. Shirley actually has a whole reading order on her website for anyone who wants to read all her books in the proper timeline, but you can totally just read series-by-series. And these aren’t even all the companion novel series that I’ve read and loved! As I said at the top of this post, I absolutely love reading companion novel series, and there are plenty of upcoming series or sequels on my radar!
What romance series do you absolutely love? Let me know so I can add them to my TBR! Happy Reading! Victoria :) |
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