10 Valentine’s Day books to read online
What would be of literature if not for love stories? Love has produced the finest novels, poems and plays and we want to point out some very special romance books you can read online or download on 24symbols.
This is why our digital booksellers have created a selection of the best romance books you need to know if you want to impress your Valentine. Whether classic romance or modern love stories, we want to pay homage to the heroes and romantics that get out of line. Whether comic, dramatic or tragic, these literary heroes will live in our hearts forever and we hope you enjoy our top 10 Valentine’s Day books as much as we did!
The best contemporary romance novels
The Play’s the Thing
When thinking of romance, one cannot help but thinking of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play, as well as the playwright, have inspired countless lovers, songwriters and, of course, other authors. Jessica Barksdale Inclán offers us yet another take on Shakespeare and his work and the result is an absolutely delightful novel that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster while traveling in time and place.
English professor Jessica Randall suddenly finds herself in the chambers of the one and only William Shakespeare. She is not the only one who is baffled, the poet is just as perplex and together they try to adapt to the situation, while giving their best not to fall in love.
Vying for the Viscount
Series are not only a thing for Netflix, they are also a huge success in the literary scene. Romance novels are no exception and Kristi Ann Hunter excels at creating atmospheric settings that you just cannot get enough from. This is why we were especially thrilled to see that last year she launched a new historical romance series. VYING FOR THE VISCOUNT has everything one can ask for: Nobility, horses and a couple that would be perfect for each other, if it was not for societal expectations. And of course Hunter does not fail us and tells the story in the witty tone that we know and love her for. The second book of the trilogy is scheduled for April 2021 and we cannot wait!
The Night We Met
A modern love story for those who believe in destiny and love at first sight. Daniel and Olivia meet in their youth but it takes time for them to get together. However, we must warn you that this is not a happy-go-lightly type of novel. Quite the contrary, this is a deeply sad and emotional read because Olivia is dying and asks Daniel to write down their story for their children. The memories of their past offers Daniel an escape and one cannot help but laughing and crying at the same time. If you liked Nicholas Spark’s THE NOTEBOOK, this book is for you!
Wolf Den Hollow
The perfect book for everybody who expects more from a romance novel than two people falling in love. Set in the early 1900s in Missouri, the story tells us about Sila, a young Cherokee woman who escapes her abusive husband and meets Charley Barkley, a married father thirty years her senior. Despite their differences they are attracted to each other and an unconventional, intense love story takes its course. Yet, time is not on their side and when Charley dies of cancer, Sila proves once more to be a strong and resourceful (and truly inspiring) woman. You cannot help but root for Sila throughout the whole novel. A wonderful read that gives insight into the Cherokee culture, natural healing and the spiritual world.
Interesting: The story is based on the author’s family history.
Love Me Like You Do
A wonderful feel-good romance to forget the pains of the real world for a moment. Meet runaway bride Parker and Liam, a charming Southerner who has a broken heart of his own. Not much unlike WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, the two keep bumping into each other (in a much smaller time span). Parker has sworn to keep romance out of her life but it is not as easy as she thinks. As Parker and Liam take turns in telling the story, we get to know and love them both, hoping for them to make the right decisions while they are trying to heal and move on.
If you love the exhilaration that lies in every beginning of a love story, the tension of what will come next, while secretly knowing that those two are just MFEO, this book is for you. And if you do not know what MFEO means, that is just one more reason to start reading LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO!
The best romances of all times
The Nightingale and the Rose
Oscar Wilde’s nightingale is probably the most tragic romantic of all. We’d like to dedicate this list to the brave little bird that believed in eternal love and thought that “love is better than life.” If you’re planning on buying red roses for your Valentine, make sure to mention this tale and your roses will never be forgotten. The Nightingale and the Rose is one of several tales by Oscar Wilde in his collection The Happy Prince and Other Tales:
Wuthering Heights
Highly emotional and disturbing for the time it was published, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights still impresses with its dramatic plot and strong characters. Sensitivity, revenge and hate are deeply rooted in every single page of the novel and not even death can stop the protagonists’ passionate love. Interesting fact: this classic romance has also inspired Kate Bush to a song of the same title.
Anna Karenina
Though a classic, Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina is not your typical romance novel. We think of love as something ultimately positive but in Anna Karenina it comes as a blessing as well as a curse. While Levin and Kitty experience a romantic love that everyone is longing for, Anna experiences a tragic love and it would have been better for her if she had never fallen for Vronsky. Whether romantic or tragic, we love this novel and think it’s always worth another read:
Our Young Man
“Has everyone always been in love with you? Of course they have, who am I kidding?” New York City in the eighties: Our Young Man follows Guy who, just like Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray, doesn’t seem to age and whose beauty brings him the adoration of many lovers. Edmund White explores the power of physical beauty -to fascinate, to enslave, and to deceive – with sparkling wit and pathos.
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Pride and Prejudice
How could we not include Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen in a list of romance books? Mr. Darcy has become a synonym for the Mr. Perfect that every woman is secretly looking for and this Valentine’s Day we hope to find him. With its wit, its social precision and, above all, its irresistible heroine, Pride and Prejudice has proved one of the most endearingly popular novels that deserves to be read over and over again, for “We are all fools in love.”
Still not enough? Have a look at our romance category to discover the latest romance books or browse our classic novels if you feel we’ve missed a book. Remember that you can download ebooks on your app to read them whenever and wherever you like. Do you want to add a novel to our selection of Valentine’s Day books? Please do so in the comment section below.
