Read This Next with Emily Darlow
Love comes in many forms, slow burns, sweet reconnections, fiery passion and tender discoveries, and the perfect book can be the ideal companion for your Valentine’s Day plans. Whether you’re curled up with someone special, treating yourself to a romance filled afternoon, or simply savouring the joy of love stories, these novels offer everything from heartwarming sweetness to sizzling chemistry and emotional depth. This list brings together a mix of new releases, old favourites and spice included romances to help you find the perfect Valentine’s read.
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
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This charming epistolary romance is a celebration of connection in the most unexpected places. When two strangers begin exchanging letters after a mistaken delivery, what starts as a simple misunderstanding slowly blossoms into something far more meaningful. Rich with heartfelt moments, gentle humour and that fluttery feeling only a good romance can deliver, The Correspondent is a love story that feels both timeless and refreshingly modern. Perfect for readers who believe that words still matter and that love can arrive quietly, one letter at a time.
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page
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Tender, thoughtful and deeply relatable, this is a love story built on shared history and the power of small gestures. When a book left on a doorstep reignites a long standing friendship, memories resurface and emotions that were never fully resolved come back into focus. Libby Page captures the beauty of emotional intimacy with warmth and restraint, making this a perfect Valentine’s read for those who love slow burning romance rooted in real life connection rather than grand gestures.
Wild Love by Elsie Silver
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For readers who like their Valentine’s reads with a little extra heat and spice, Wild Love delivers passion in spades. This romance is bold, emotional and unapologetically spicy, centring on characters whose chemistry is instant and impossible to ignore. Elsie Silver balances intensity with genuine emotional depth, creating a story that is just as satisfying for the heart as it is for fans of steamier romance. A perfect pick if you want your Valentine’s reading to turn up the temperature.
The Violin Maker’s Secret by Evie Woods
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Atmospheric and romantic, The Violin Maker’s Secret weaves together love, legacy and the magic of music. When a woman inherits a violin making workshop filled with history and unanswered questions, she is drawn into a story that spans generations. As secrets are uncovered, a tender romance unfolds alongside them. Rich in sensory detail and emotional pull, this is a beautiful choice for readers who enjoy romance with depth, mystery and a strong sense of place.
The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe
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The Heiress Hunt by Joanna Shupe is the first book in her Gilded Age romance series The Fifth Avenue Rebels, blending historical setting with a classic friends-to-lovers arc. The story follows Harrison Archer, a once-disinherited son returning to New York to help his struggling family and reconnecting with his childhood friend Maddie Webster, now engaged to a duke. Set against high society, the novel combines a matchmaking plot with simmering tension between two people who share a long history, and many readers praise its lush period detail and Shupe’s engaging writing. Some reviewers found the character dynamics uneven and the pacing uneven, but overall it serves as an enjoyable start to a new series for fans of historical romance.
Bridgerton: Offer from a gentleman by Julia Quinn
If you’ve fallen headfirst into the world of Bridgerton, then An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn is a deliciously romantic Valentine’s pick. This Cinderella-inspired instalment follows Benedict Bridgerton and the mysterious Sophie Beckett, whose lives first collide at a glittering masquerade ball before fate and a fair amount of longing brings them together again years later. There’s class tension, smouldering attraction and the kind of slow-burn devotion that feels satisfyingly earned rather than instant. It’s escapist in the best way: ballrooms, banter and a love story that reminds us that timing may falter, pride may interfere, but true connection always finds a way back. Perfect for a night in with a glass of wine and absolutely no intention of going to bed early.
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