Suleikha's Top 20 Romances of 2020

2020 was not an easy reading year—and particularly not an easy reading year for me with romance. I made a serious detour into horror and thrillers for a bit, as if those would somehow make reality a little less horrifying. Nonetheless, I found some stellar romance novels that reminded me of why love is one of the most important things we can have in troubling times. Here is a list of my Top 20 favorites of the year—in alphabetical order so you can't tell which ones were the MOST favorite. ;)  

1. Strange Love by Ann Aguirre

2. Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn

3. 40-Love by Olivia Dade

4. You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

5. When She Was Naughty by Tessa Dare

6. Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

7. Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

8. House Rules by Ruby Lang

9. The Hidden Moon by Jeannie Lin

10. Hate Crush by Angelina M. Lopez

11. The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan

12. Headliners by Lucy Parker

13. Messy by Katie Porter

14. Deal With the Devil by Kit Rocha

15. The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon

16. Haunted by Nico Rosso

17. Queen Move by Kennedy Ryan

18. The Devil of Downtown by Joanna Shupe

19. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

20. The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite

I also need to give out some honorable mentions. My first one's to The Widow of Rose House by Diana Biller. It was released in October of 2019, but I didn't get around to it until February 2020. And then, of course, I have to rave about Alyssa Cole's brilliant thriller When No One is Watching, which had a romance in it but that wasn't the focus of the book. They were both excellently crafted page-turners, and Biller's adorkable Sam is #herogoals. And last but never least are KJ Charles' historical mysteries, Slippery Creatures and The Sugared Game, aka the Will Darling Adventures. I can't wait for more from this world!  

2021 Romances to Look Out For:

A few of these I've read, a few I haven't. And I'm so excited for all of them to hit shelves! 

Rosie Danan's The Intimacy Experiment

Jen DeLuca's Well Matched
Sonali Dev's Incense and Sensibility

Farah Heron's Accidentally Engaged

Beverly Jenkins' Wild Rain

Eva Leigh's Waiting for a Scot Like You

Kit Rocha's The Devil You Know
Tasha Suri's The Jasmine Throne