

By Frankie Sims
During the 14th and 15th centuries, Valentine’s Day began to transform into the loving day we recognize it as today. From romance to Cupid to candies and bouquets, it fills the air with love and leaves you wanting more.
Lucky for you, I have compiled a list of my favorite romance books perfect for Valentine’s Day with main characters to swoon over and heads to fall heels over, so prepare to fill your TBR with these heart-stopping recommendations!
Romance Books Worth Reading On Valentine’s Day 2025
Vistas, Vices, & Valentines by Tonya Kappes
This story is #24 of the Camper & Criminals series by Tonya Kappes.
Content Warning (may contain spoiler):
Murder / Death
Our first cozy mystery for you to cuddle up with is Vistas, Vices & Valentines by Tonya Kappes. This irresistible tale follows Mae as she and her companions at Happy Trails Campground work to solve the murder they’ve uncovered at their Valentine's Day dance lessons.
While she watches her dance partner uncover the truth behind the dazzling dance mystery, will she also uncover the feelings they have for each other?
Never Fall For Your Fake Fiancé (especially on Valentine’s Day) by Kate O’Keeffe
This story is #3 of the It’s Complicated series by Kate O’Keeffe.
Content Warning (may contain spoiler):
Brief mention of Cancer, Angst
The next swoon-worthy read is Never Fall for Your Fake Fiancé (especially on Valentine’s Day) by Kate O’Keeffe! This romance tells the story of our female main character, who is living a perfectly content life being falsely engaged to someone while she pines over her prince charming she’s longed for since her single days.
Her facade quickly crumbles around her as she realizes she enjoys the company of her Fake-ancé more than she thought. Will she realize her Prince Charming was with her all along?
The Exception To The Rule by Christina Lauren
This story is #1 of The Improbable Meet-Cute series by Christina Lauren.
Content Warning (may contain spoiler):
Death of a Parent, Cancer, Pandemic, Alcohol, Terminal Illness, Grief, Death, Cursing, Sexual Content, Car Accident, Animal Death, Confinement, Medical Content, Infidelity, Ableism, Sexual Harassment
The Exception to The Rule by Christina Lauren is a newer novella from 2024 that tells the story of two main characters as one mistakenly emails the other to wish them a happy Valentine’s Day, leading to a years-long connection they never expected.
As years pass and they build boundaries around their virtual connection, the need to meet in person grows stronger, as does their friendship. Will they risk it all to test their connection in person?
He’s So Not My Valentine by Savannah Scott
This story is a standalone sequel to A Not So Fictional Fall by Savannah Scott.
Content Warning (may contain spoiler):
Divorce
In He’s So Not My Valentine by Savannah Scott, the plot focuses on the female main character, who is also a recent divorcee and now a single mother, while she lives her day-to-day life running a coffee shop in her hometown. As she settles into her lonely yet quaint lifestyle, she’s caught off guard by a friend of her family visiting from France, who she may or may not fall for if she stares too long.
While fighting her feelings for the Frenchman, her sister assures her that her fixation on him this Valentine’s season may not be the worst thing in the world. Will their hearts align before his flight back home?
The Do-Over by Lynn Painter
This story began The Do-Over series, which includes other POVs and scenes apart from this installment.
Content Warning (may contain spoiler):
Grief, Car Accident, Abandonment, Cursing, Infidelity, Toxic Relationships, Bullying, Gaslighting, Child Death, Medical Content, Emotional Abuse, Deadnaming, Sexual Content, Animal Cruelty, Mental Illness, Vomit, Fatphobia, Confinement, Suicide, Drug Use, Alcohol, Classism
If you’re looking for drama, look no further and get ready to spend your Galentine’s Day reading The Do-Over by Lynn Painter. This book shows the ups and downs of Valentine’s Day for Emilie, who is being forced to relive the holiday over and over. This might be bearable if she’d had a normal Valentine’s Day, but instead, she was a victim of a car accident and her boyfriend’s infidelity. It can’t get any worse, right? Right?!?!
A Sugarloaf Valentine by Rosemary Whittaker
And now, my final recommendation for Valentine’s Day… the sweet story of A Sugarloaf Valentine by Rosemary Whittaker. This delicious romance follows a bakery owner as her life derails when her ex-boyfriend finds himself standing in her bakery ordering for his new girlfriend.
In a fit of panic, our female main character reveals to him she’s also seeing someone new (she isn’t), which only makes matters worse as they agree on a double date. As she’s crumbling under stress to fulfill her ex’s order in time for the date, will she realize the recipe for romance has been with her all along?
I hope you’ll be adding some of these Valentine’s Day to your TBR this Valentine’s season. Whether you spend your day with your partner, your e-reader, or yourself, just remember that Owl you need is (shelf) love. <3
Want to read more books in this genre? Join the waitlist for OwlCrate’s new quarterly Romance subscription, coming in Spring 2025!
Every 3 months, subscribers will get an OwlCrate exclusive edition of a signed, newly released hardcover Romance novel with incredible design elements. Plus, as a subscriber, you will get first access to beautiful limited editions of popular Romance books.
Frankie Sims is an LGBTQIA+, Hispanic-American Blog Writer and published Author from California, USA. With over 10 years of personal writing experience, she made her literary debut in Word Tonic's "Here We Go Again" anthology with her prose piece "Much Wanted Child", which was published in April 2024. More recently, she’s published her debut poetry collection “Pluto” available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and BookLeaf Publishing Bookstore as of June 18th, 2024.
Connect with Frankie online at @authorfrankiesims on The Nest and on Instagram. You can also visit authorfrankiesims.com for more Blog Posts and Bookish content!
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