Romance novels are an extremely popular literary genre where the central story revolves around a blossoming romantic relationship. The love story is the core of the novel, and the reader generally finishes the book with a happy and satisfying emotional experience.

According to the Romance Writers Association, around 84% of romance readers are women. The industry earns $1.08 billion dollars annually, making it about the size of the mystery novel genre and science fiction/fantasy markets combined!

The best romance books can be very therapeutic for readers, helping them find hope, empathy, resilience, and emotional connection. Author Barbara Devlin wrote about how the genre helped her cope with painful memories and disability.

When you're looking for a good romance novel, it can be difficult to know where to start. Some of the top romance novels are part of a series, while others are standalone novels. 

There are quite a few sub-genres of romance fiction, including historical romance, Regency romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense. Each sub-genre features a unique setting, hero, and tone for the story. 

We've compiled a list of the top romance book recommendations to help you find your next great read, sampling across subgenres, sharing both bestsellers and new voices in this fantastic category.

As we wrote in our blog, we believe that "books are love letters.” 

Fable has plenty of free romantic fiction that you can start reading right now! Just follow these links.

Here at Fable, we’ve got tons of top romance books in our Folios, book clubs, and bookstore. 

“Love is messy and can happen between anyone. It’s probably what makes life worth living,” said Naoise Dolan, curator of the “Let’s Talk About Love” folio. Here are a few Folios to get you started:

Love of All Kinds curated by Jasmine Guillory

And don’t forget to try these romantic and exciting book clubs!