Divine Rivals by
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever. After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish--into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love. Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
Eleanor and Park by
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits-smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love-and just how hard it pulled you under.
From Blood and Ash by
A Maiden... Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy's life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers. A Duty... The entire kingdom's future rests on Poppy's shoulders, something she's not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden. A Kingdom... Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.
Heartstopper #1: a Graphic Novel by
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork. Now streaming on Netflix! Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
The Selection by
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn't want. Then America meets Prince Maxon--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
The Time Traveler's Wife by
The love story of Henry and Claire whose lives are punctuated by Henry's disappearance to different points in time--sometimes even back to visit Claire as a young woman. When Henry meets Claire, he is twenty-eight, and she is twenty. He's a hip, handsome librarian; she is an art student with Botticelli hair. Henry has never met Claire before; Claire has known Henry since she was six...
Romance books are a genre of fiction that focuses on the relationship and romantic love between two people and typically have an emotionally satisfying ending. Romance novels can be set in any place or time, have varying levels of sensuality, and may be classified into various subgenres depending on the plot and setting of the story. Romantic subgenres include: fantasy, contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense. Authors Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë contributed to the development of the romance genre.
Helen Zhang hasn’t seen Grant Shepard once in the thirteen years since the tragic accident that bound their lives together forever.
Now a bestselling author, Helen pours everything into her career. She’s even scored a coveted spot in the writers’ room of the TV adaptation of her popular young adult novels, and if she can hide her imposter syndrome and overcome her writer’s block, surely the rest of her life will fall into place too. LA is the fresh start she needs. After all, no one knows her there. Except…
Grant has done everything in his power to move on from the past, including building a life across the country. And while the panic attacks have never quite gone away, he’s well liked around town as a screenwriter. He knows he shouldn’t have taken the job on Helen’s show, but it will open doors to developing his own projects that he just can’t pass up.
Grant’s exactly as Helen remembers him—charming, funny, popular, and lovable in ways that she’s never been. And Helen’s exactly as Grant remembers too—brilliant, beautiful, closed off. But working together is messy, and electrifying, and Helen’s parents, who have never forgiven Grant, have no idea he’s in the picture at all.
When secrets come to light, they must reckon with the fact that theirs was never meant to be any kind of love story. And yet… the key to making peace with their past—and themselves—might just lie in holding on to each other in the present.
Location: Popular Books (Reading Room 1st Floor) ; PS3611 .U18 H69 2024
Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.
When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won't give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.
For ten years, she's run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.
Location: Popular Books (Reading Room 1st Floor) ; PS3616 .O8388 D43 2022
Leading Ladies do not end up on tabloid covers.
After a messy public breakup, soap opera darling Jasmine Lin Rodriguez finds her face splashed across the tabloids. When she returns to her hometown of New York City to film the starring role in a bilingual romantic comedy for the number one streaming service in the country, Jasmine figures her new “Leading Lady Plan” should be easy enough to follow—until a casting shake-up pairs her with telenovela hunk Ashton Suárez.
Leading Ladies don’t need a man to be happy.
After his last telenovela character was killed off, Ashton is worried his career is dead as well. Joining this new cast as a last-minute addition will give him the chance to show off his acting chops to American audiences and ping the radar of Hollywood casting agents. To make it work, he’ll need to generate smoking-hot on-screen chemistry with Jasmine. Easier said than done, especially when a disastrous first impression smothers the embers of whatever sexual heat they might have had.
Leading Ladies do not rebound with their new costars.
With their careers on the line, Jasmine and Ashton agree to rehearse in private. But rehearsal leads to kissing, and kissing leads to a behind-the-scenes romance worthy of a soap opera. While their on-screen performance improves, the media spotlight on Jasmine soon threatens to destroy her new image and expose Ashton’s most closely guarded secret.
Location: Popular Books (Reading Room 1st Floor) ; PS3604 .A7433 Y68 2020
Curvy fitness influencer Crystal Chen built her career shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls. After her recent breakup, she has little stamina left for men, instead finding solace in the gym – her place of power and positivity.
Enter firefighter Scott Ritchie, the smug new gym patron who routinely steals her favorite squat rack. Sparks fly as these ultra-competitive foes battle for gym domination. But after a series of escalating jabs, the last thing they expect is to run into each other at their grandparents' engagement party.
In the lead up to their grandparents' wedding, Crystal discovers there’s a soft heart under Scott’s muscled exterior. Bonding over family, fitness, and cheesy pick-up lines, they just might have found her swolemate. But when a photo of them goes viral, savage internet trolls put their budding relationship to the ultimate test of strength.
Location: Popular Books (Reading Room 1st Floor) ; PR9199.4 .L425 S48 2022b
Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She's just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s. Deciding it's a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her―only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.
When she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn't the only old book in town filled with romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? And what does it have to do with the old, sad man next door―who only now has begun to open his home and heart to Chloe and her siblings?
In a romantic tale that spans the decades, Chloe discovers that there's much more to her grouchy old neighbor than meets the eye. And in allowing herself to accept the unexpected friendship he offers, she learns that some love stories begin in the unlikeliest of places.
Location: Popular Books (Reading Room 1st Floor) ; PS3607 .I45258 L53 2024
If you have any questions, please contact Librarian Lauren Hall at lhall1@csustan.edu
These classic romance novels can be found as ebooks in our catalog or are located in our main collection.
Anna Karenina by
Set in nineteenth-century Russia, it tells the story of Anna Karenina, a beautiful and charismatic socialite who risks everything for a passionate love affair.
Emma by
An enchanting comedy of errors, Emma remains a classic two centuries after it was first published. Emma Woodhouse is a privileged young woman whose greatest pleasure in life lies in matchmaking for anyone but herself. Written, by Austen's own admission, as "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like," Emma's charm and wit exist in constant tension with her capacity for selfishness and vanity. Despite her intelligence, Emma stumbles from one catastrophe to the next--from a misguided attempt at securing a husband for her friend Harriet Smith to her disastrous meddling in the affairs of new arrivals Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax--before ultimately falling into her own unexpected happy ending.
The First and Second Lady Chatterley Novels by
D. H. Lawrence wrote his last novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover, three times in 1926-7, and it is the third version that has become famous. The three versions are in fact three different novels, varying greatly in length, a significant number of episodes, and even some of the main characters. This 1999 book contains a critical edition of the two early versions of the novel: the first in some ways the most realistic and spontaneous version, the second the longest and to many readers and critics the most successful version. The text is printed from its manuscript source, including numerous, sometimes extensive deletions and variations from the first printed editions. An introduction traces the genesis of the novel and gives an account of its publication and reception. There are also notes, explaining literary, historical and geographical names and allusions, and particular problems of manuscript transmission.
Jane Eyre by
Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead and subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a richer life than that traditionally allowed women in Victorian society. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Michael Mason
Little Women by
The four March sisters--Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy--face good times and bad while growing up in a small New England town. Their father is away, serving as a chaplain for the Union in the Civil War, and the family has fallen on hard times financially. Yet their wise and patient mother, Marmee, guides them through every twist and turn. The girls play games, make friends, have adventures, learn from disappointments, fall in love, and strive to follow their dreams as they grow into young women. This unabridged version of Louisa Mae Alcott's well-loved American novel is taken from the 1880 copyright edition, which features original illustrations by Frank T. Merrill.
Persuasion by
Anne Elliot is a perfect catch. Born to a landed family, she's observant and intelligent. When Anne came of age, she accepted a proposal from the ambitious officer Frederick Wentworth. Unfortunately, Wentworth's modest means made him a poor choice for the Elliot family, and Anne was persuaded to call off the engagement. One refused marriage and nearly a decade later, Anne has not forgotten about Wentworth. Little does she know that her fortune is about to change. When the Elliots make ill-advised investments and lose their money, they are forced to rent out their ancestral home and move to Bath. There, Anne once again meets Wentworth, who is now a captain, in what could be her second and final chance at love and marriage. Buttressed by the author's humane characterization and sharp social commentary, Persuasion is a must-read for any Austen fan.
Pride and Prejudice by
Jane Austen's classic comedy of manners is one of the most enduring love stories in English literature In a remote Hertfordshire village in the early nineteenth century, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have a problem. Or rather, five vivacious, headstrong problems: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, and Lydia. Mr. Bennet loves his daughters dearly, but spends more time with his nose buried in a book than planning for their futures. Since her husband's property can only pass to a male heir, Mrs. Bennet insists that the girls find rich husbands. But her daughters would rather fall in love than listen to their mother's advice. Jane, the eldest and most beautiful, attracts the attentions of a young gentleman named Charles Bingley, but his good friend Mr. Darcy disapproves of the match. Elizabeth, always eager to defend her sweet-natured sister, detests the prideful Mr. Darcy, even after he asks for her hand in marriage. But when a chance encounter reunites the combative couple, Elizabeth realizes that her prejudices have been standing in the way of her heart's true desire. A razor-sharp satire of English country life and a stirring tribute to the power of romance to overcome the longest of odds, Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen's masterwork and one of the finest novels ever written.
Sense and Sensibility by
Torn between reason and passion, obligation and impulse, two sisters search for love in eighteenth-century England. Although they are as close as sisters can be, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood could not be more different. Elinor is reasonable beyond her nineteen years; Marianne's feelings are as ungovernable as the wind. But both girls are about to learn how powerful and devastating true love can be. When Elinor meets the intelligent and mysterious Edward Ferrars, her commitment to self-control is tested for the first time. As her sister quietly endures the pain of heartbreak, Marianne longs for a romance of her own. She finds it in a chance encounter with John Willoughby, a dashing young rake who lives life as passionately as she does, and whose love could make her the happiest woman in England--or destroy her. A sparkling comedy of manners and an essential guide to navigating affairs of the heart, Jane Austen's first published novel is a timeless tale of love and loss.
Wuthering Heights by
Mr. Earnshaw, the owner of the Wuthering Heights manor, adopts a young orphan named Heathcliff to raise alongside his two children, Hindley and Catherine. Though Hindley hates him, Heathcliff forms a close relationship with Catherine. As an adult, Catherine marries Edgar, a wealthy neighbor who detests Heathcliff, and Heathcliff flees. Spurred on by feelings of abandonment and betrayal as well as the loss of his beloved, Healthcliff seeks revenge on everyone who wronged him. This unabridged version of Emily Brontë's classic English Gothic novel is taken from the 1910 copyright edition.