The Ripped Bodice’s Guide to Romance Novels

Emily Henry is the undisputed queen of contemporary romance. Barry thinks it has to do with her contemporary-fiction approach to romance. “Her characters aren’t necessarily prioritizing or searching for romance. They’re really just trying to get through life. Even though they have the cartoon covers that a lot of the romance books in the past five years have been published with, at their core they’re stories about love in all the ways that can be explored, whether it’s romantic, familial, or friendship.” Barry’s favorite Emily Henry book is Beach Read, her first romance novel. It’s about two writers, one who writes romance novels and one who writes literary fiction. Both are stuck in a creative rut, so they decide to swap genres in order to finish their books.

Talia Hibbert, who is best known for the Brown-sisters trilogy, was mentioned by two Ripped Bodice L.A. employees. Barry describes Hibbert’s books as “traditional rom-coms” that follow the classic romance-novel structure: first meeting, interest, conflict, third-act breakup and then a happily ever after. Hibbert then layers tropes like fake dating or forced proximity on top of that. Barry’s favorite of the trilogy is Take A Hint, Dani Brown, which opens with Dani being saved by a hot security guard during a fire drill. Before they can get to know each other on a deeper level, a video of her being rescued goes viral, which sets off a chain of events. “I love that her love interest is also a person of color,” says Barry. “When people think of interracial couples they think of the other person being white, so it’s nice to see that representation.”

Kate Streit, the orders manager at The Ripped Bodice in L.A., likes Ali Hazelwood’s books, which tend to feature women in STEM. Her breakout hit The Love Hypothesis follows a young scientist who doesn’t believe in love and ends up kissing the first man she sees to prove it. Things don’t turn out how she expects, and suddenly she’s questioning her own hypothesis. Hazelwood is emblematic of the modern-day romance-author success story: The Love Hypothesis started as Star Wars fanfiction about Rey and Kylo Ren (“Reylo”) and was then traditionally published in 2021 sans Star Wars references. It has since gone on to sell a million copies and led to a Love Hypothesis series about female scientists that fall in love.

Casey McQuiston is a standout in the queer romance space and has a knack for contemporary novels that are funny, witty, and filled with banter. Their most popular novel, Red, White, and Royal Blue, is about two “royals” on opposite sides of the pond who decide to fake-date to save the reputation of their respective families. It’s the kind of feel-good novel that’s well-suited to a beach or long-haul flight.

In this novel of false starts, our main characters are working at a Netflix-like streamer, and they’re attempting to create a telenovela. As the stars of the show, they’re meant to have explosive chemistry, but when one spills coffee on the other, things don’t go as planned. Eventually they fall in love, but the book is about their journey to get there. What makes it stand out to Iwasaki is its ability to balance the romance plot with interesting family dynamics. “Alexis Daria writes characters that are very family oriented so there’s always some complexity surrounding that,” says Iwasaki. “I think that anyone whose families are important to them or they have contention with them can relate.”

Imagine The Bachelor, but if the Bachelor ended up falling in love with his producer. That’s the conceit of this novel by Alice Cochran, which comes recommended by Iwasaki, who says being a Bachelor fan is her toxic trait. “It was really nice reading a romance novel set in a world that I already know well. It’s also a gay romance in this world where it’s been hetero couples for so long.”

Maas is a pioneer of the “romantasy” genre, which focuses on both the romance plot and the world-building that’s signature to fantasy novels. This book is geared at young adult readers but has plenty of adult fans, so much so that The Ripped Bodice in L.A. held a midnight release party for House of Flame and Shadow, the third book in the Crescent City series. That novel, along with the rest of the series, is the bestselling book in the shop. “There’s really a community built around it,” says Barry. If you’re new to the books a Reddit thread I found suggests starting with The Throne of Glass series before moving onto A Court of Thorns and Roses and finishing with The Crescent City series, as all of the books exist in the same multiverse. When I asked about the appeal of Sarah J. Maas’ books, Barry suspects it’s all about accessibility. “Sarah’s writing is really digestible so you’re not super overwhelmed by her world building,” she says. “There’s also all the tropes that romance readers love, so it makes it a compelling read.”

In the same vein, Fourth Wing is extremely popular at The Ripped Bodice and everywhere else (a quick call to McNally Jackson in Williamsburg confirmed it’s selling very well for them). The follow-up, Iron Flame, was recently released to much fanfare — The Ripped Bodice L.A. held a midnight release party for that book too. The first novel in the series is about a young woman who goes to a war college to become a dragon rider, colliding with her destiny. It’s a hero’s journey with romance tied in, and Barry believes it appeals for similar reasons. “The hero’s journey is really easy to follow and the romance is super exciting. It’s clear what trajectory [the characters] are on, which romance readers love to see.”

“This series has a cool magic system,” says Barry of the The Last Binding trilogy, which features a magical Edwardian England. As all hero journeys go, the main character Robin is unsuspecting of his magical powers, and once he discovers them is thrust into a world he never knew existed. To make matters worse, he has a grumpy coworker who wants very little to do with him (but will absolutely be in love with him by the end) . Each novel in the series follows a different couple and alternates between gay and sapphic relationships.

Wolfsong is a queer werewolf romance that follows a wolfpack and one of its member’s human mates. “It’s really beautiful and compelling,” says Barry. It’s the first of the four-book Green Creek series, which focuses on a different member of the pack in each novel.

Sports romances have blown up online in the past two years, says Barry, which has translated to The Ripped Bodice selling more sports-themed novels. “There’s a specific kind of tension born from sport. People who play sports are very disciplined, competitive, and driven, which translates well into romance,” she says. The most popular sport in the genre by far is hockey. And the most popular book in that category is Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, the first book in the Maple Hills series. The novel centers on Anastasia and Nathan, a figure skater and hockey player who are made to practice at the same skating rink. It’s rivals to lovers as well as forced proximity, two tropes that are known to produce steamy results.

For what it’s worth, this book has been coming up in my circles too. During a recent trip to the bookstore with my friend Alex, she mentioned she’d just finished it a few nights before. According to Alex, whom I’ve known to read lots of literary fiction and heavy-hitting nonfiction, it’s a fluffy, fun read and felt similar to watching a cheesy Netflix show before bed. She also mentioned that the sex in the novel is actually good.

Barry reads lots of queer sports romances, which often employ the forbidden love trope and grapple with internalized homophobia, especially in gay novels. Her favorite book in the subgenre is Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid, an enemies-to-lovers novel that Barry says has a nice, slow burn. The main characters Shane and Ilya are on opposing hockey teams and while they appear to be competitors, behind the scenes they’re something else. It’s the second book in Reid’s Game Changers series, which all focus on male/male romances.

For something a little “sweeter,” with more diverse representation, Barry recommends Like Real People Do, the first book in E.L. Massey’s Breakaway series, a hockey romance about college-age friends who become lovers. “It’s a perfect found family novel and there’s diverse representation,” she says, noting that one of the leads is Afro-Latino and has a disability.

Pitched as a “sapphic rom-com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own,” this novel follows two girls, Grace and Phoebe, who are rivals on their soccer team prepping for the World Cup. Grace is a longtime star of the team and gets injured, which leaves her position wide open for someone to take her place. Phoebe, a young player who’s something of a class clown steps into her role and somewhere along the way, the two fall in love. It comes recommended by Barry who says the author, Meryl Wilsner, is known for well-written, sapphic love stories.

Historical romance is incredibly popular and a classic genre (think: Bridgerton and the like). Streit runs the store’s historical romance book club and loves Tessa Dare, who she says “really encompasses the genre while still being accessible.” Her favorite Dare book is The Duchess Deal: Girl Meets Duke, which has the kind of romance cover I remember seeing in the drugstore book section growing up. This “Beauty and the Beast, marriage of convenience,” novel centers on the Duke of Ashbury, who’s looking for a wife (not love) after coming back from war. He finds one in Emma Gladstone, who stumbles into his library wearing a wedding dress. The two come up with rules that the other must adhere to, which leads to conflict and spicy resolution.

According to Streit, Courtney Milan, a self-published author, sells well at The Ripped Bodice. “She writes really funny, emotional books that have good representation in the historical context.” Her personal favorite is The Duke Who Didn’t, the first book in the Wedgeford Trials series. It has a bit of concealed identity (the love interest is a secret Duke) and second chance romance, two of Streit’s favorite tropes.

Cat Sebastian writes historical queer romances that are set in the more recent past. “Her stories are so much fun,” says Barry, who likes We Could Be So Good, a male/male historical romance that was a New York Times notable book and was named one of the best romances of 2023. The novel is set in the 1950s and is about a journalist and newspaper mogul’s son who fall in love. “It’s giving Newsies, which I love,” says Barry.

“Beverly Jenkins has been the most prominent Black historical author for at least 25 years,” says Streit. Jenkins’ has written over 50 novels, most of which take place in the US and have a Western theme. “She’s a pioneer for authors in the historical space,” she says. She recommends starting with Rebel, the first novel in her ongoing Women Who Dare series, that’s about a woman who moves south to New Orleans after the Civil War. “It really encompasses her as a writer,” she says. “If you like that, you not only would have new books to look forward to, but you also have her entire backlist to go read.”

Alexis Hall writes both contemporary and historical romances, but Barry is partial to his historical romance A Lady for a Duke, a second-chance, childhood friends-to-lovers romance. Our main character Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo, and used the opportunity to live life as her authentic self, leaving everything behind in the process. Eventually she reconnects with her childhood friend the Duke of Gracewood, who has been grieving the loss of his closest friend. Barry appreciates the trans representation, particularly in the historical context. “When [the Duke] realizes that she’s transitioned, it’s not a big thing. It’s like, oh, I not only have my best friend back, but she’s also someone who I’m falling in love with.”