Sometimes, a book is more than just a book. It’s a refuge.
Lately, almost everyone I know feels anxious and uncertain. Right now, life feels like a pressure cooker—though, let’s be honest, no one under 50 knows what that is. (For the younger set, imagine an Instant Pot that never releases steam, just rattles ominously on the counter, the tension building with no relief in sight.) When you just want to give up, the right book isn’t just a distraction. It’s a survival strategy.
Romance is that for so many of us. Not because it offers an escape—though let’s not discount the power of vanishing into a fictional world for a while—but because it insists that happiness isn’t naïve. That sex, love, and romance still matter, especially when everything else feels precarious. A great romance novel doesn’t pretend life is easy. It acknowledges the struggle, then dares to say, even so, happiness is possible.
We all have them–books we return to and recommend to others because they have helped us wade through shit times. For me, comfort reads are a steadying force when I feel overwhelmed. Beloved love stories* have made me laugh on days that all I wanted to do was cry. They have, in the best way, distracted me from anxiety, sadness, and fury.
What about you? Have romances helped you through? And, if so, which ones have you turned to when you needed joy most?
* Here’s a partial list:
Bench Player by Juliana Keyes.
Sleep Over by Serena Bell
I Kissed an Earl by Julie Anne Long
The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran
This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Persuasion. Every. Single. Time.
I love that book!
I’m going through it, and it’s always A Room with a View.
Hugs.
I actually have never read the book but I’ve watched the movie several times and it’s just so lovely.
I’ve been carrying the book around like a bible, to be honest. As Mr. Emerson did his Thoreau!
Ack! My comment just disappeared. Hopefully, I won’t wind up double-posting. Lately, my three go-to series/books have all been fantasies. They involve clever women overcoming big odds and discovering love along the way. The Andrews’s books include a heaping helping of humor;laughter really is good medicine.
Hidden Legacy, The Innkeeper Chronicles, The Edge Ilona Andrews
Spinning Silver (historical) Naomi Novik
The Wraith Kings Grace Draven
I also tend to read non-fiction during tough times. I recently completed Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. As with all his volumes, it’s a mixed bag since he applies the same criteria to social issues and scientific ones and it most definitely causes problems with the latter. The sections on COVID and the Opioid Crisis just didn’t measure up. However, his take on what causes societal shifts is riveting and the research he did on that coincides perfectly with other readings I’ve done. For anyone wondering what puts us into the moments which bring change, this is a good intro.
It might be time to reread the Innkeeper Chronicles! Thanks for the reminder. I usually like Renee Raudman’s narrations, but her southern accent in this series really grated on my nerves, and I hate “full cast” recordings (the other option for this series), so I prefer these in print.
A bad narrator can ruin an otherwise great book for sure. I was so glad I read Janet Evanovichs Barney and Hooker series in print before being exposed to the audio version because I never would have finished them that way and they are great. I do Innkeeper in print and I love the art that comes with them.
I apologize for being a contrarian here—I don’t particularly seek romance books when I am going through difficult times. I seek whatever will help me forget. Last year, during a painful period, I read the entire collection (about 35 books) of Dick Francis one after another. Francis’s heroes are resilient, they stand up in spite of all the cuts and bruises, pains and aches and that comforted me. At another time, I read all of P.G. Wodehouse books—I laughed and cried simultaneously.
It’s an interesting distinction–reading to be comforted or reading to be distracted.
A great comfort read, for me, is both.
At the beginning of the pandemic I immediately relisted to many Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen audiobooks. The wonderful writing, the humor in many, and the clever, insightful characterizations are always welcome. Right now, though, I’m mainly going throigh the 5 star, and many 4 star books, in my library, many of them m/m authors I’ve a”met” over the past 5 years. I’ve relistened to Nicky James, Lily Morton, KJ Charles, Kage Harper, Rachel Rieid, C.S. Poe and more.
I’m also slowly relistening to the Stariel series by A.J. Lancaster, and trying to find a few cosy mystery series. I listened to the first book in a new-to-me seeries that’s been compared to Only Murder in the Building (which I haven’t seen). The first book is A Body in 2B by Eryn Scott. I plan to go on to the enxt soon. It was entertaining.
As my nervous system settles down some, ready for the long haul, I guess, I’ve started to pick up new books by my favorite authors again.
I’m definitely prioritizing comfort reading this year as both a distraction and to provide needed mood elevation!!
I was also determined to chip away methodically this year at my yawning TBR list….so I’ve started this year by diving head first into reliable authors on my TBR, with a few rereads of my favs!!….to wit, Loretta Chase has been first up this year, I reread Lord of Scoundrels and then promptly dove into the remaining titles from the Scoundrels series….then completed the Carsingtons, (having previously only read Mr Impossible lol)
…just finished 2 of the 3 Difficult Dukes! This strategy is definitely working for me!
I want to do remaining titles and rereads for Kinsale and Meredith Duran as the year goes on! Need all the good energy from excellent authors who don’t disappoint xo
I did that several years ago. It was such a balm.
Loretta Chase is a national treasure.
I did my first Lucy Parker reread a couple of months ago, Pretty Face, and, “Lucyworld” felt like coming home for me, so, that.
I also like to reread Lucy Parker books. I don’t know if you’ve read her new audiobook, Misdirected but I liked it a lot. It reminded me of her Celebrity Series only the actors are on a Bridgerton-like TV show instead of a play. The review is coming soon.
As I told Lucy I joined audible specifically for that book despite hating audiobooks due to the inability to rush through the boring bits. I haven’t listened to it yet as I planned to have it entertain me for the first part of my trip to the US to see my gf and she and her entire family got covid before I was to leave.
TLDR hopefully I will enjoy it mid April.
Just FYI, books that are Audible Originals usually appear in print about 6 months after the audio release.
I had no idea. Thanks.
I’ve only read one Elizabeth Hoyt book Scandalous desires I didn’t like it.
Not sure if I should try the Raven Prince. What books do you recommend I read?
I loved Duran’s Duke of Shadows and you can’t really go wrong with any of her books! Also, Julie Anne Long is always great.
Duran’s The Duke of shadows, although its very good I wouldn’t consider it escapism I think most of her books are pretty angsty.
You are absolutely correct, however her books present the reader with a different set of problems!
Yep ,it’s been a while since I’ve read her book’s so don’t know how well they hold up I remember TDOS and AYP they had the most angst. And I’m not really in a romance reading phase/mood to be honest.
I agree! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Duran writes another HR in the future. What’s your favourite Julie Ann Long? Mine is What I Did For A Duke
I used to look for Meredith Duran to see if see was still writing but honestly I gave up on her quite a long time ago. I think it’s been about seven or eight years since she last published anything.
It’s been eight years, I didn’t realise it’s been that long. The Sins of Lord Lockwood came out in 2018. I’ll continue keeping my fingers crossed for something from her till she announces a la Joanna Bourne that she’s done writing HR forever, lol.
Well almost eight next year.
Yes, seven years. My mistake
It will surprise me. She has a whole ‘nother career now. But I do hope!
I wonder if Lisa Kleypas will ever write again another author that seems to have disappeared.
The Revenels was the last series of hers I read and I didn’t read all the books – they didn’t work for me so I haven’t kept up with her books since
If you haven’t read Devil’s Daughter, give it a try. I LOVED West Ravenel and Phoebe was a strong female character. Not to mention appearances from Evie and Sebastian! 🙂
I’ve been waiting and waiting for another Lisa Kleypas book. She’s my absolute favorite! Does anyone know why she’s been MIA?
Nope but same here. I’d love to see something new from her. There are edits/re-writes of her older stuff, which I don’t really understand but haven’t seen anything new
I also keep hearing that publishers are dropping HR authors, which makes me soooo frustrated but not sure what future of HR looks like. :/
” I also keep hearing that publishers are dropping HR authors, which makes me soooo frustrated but not sure what future of HR looks like”
You and me both. It’s worse for me because HR is the only thing I read. Add in, that in the last few years three of my favourite authors have stopped writing altogether or have moved to other genres, and yeah it sucks big time.
Yes – Kate Bateman recently posted that her contract with her publisher hadn’t been renewed, and Avon have let a lot of their HR authors ‘go’, including Caroline Linden, who was one of the best of the bunch. The trad. publishers definitely are dropping HR across the board.
Caroline Linden too?! Goodness gracious me! It’s starting to feel like a purge. And I was so looking forward to reading whatever she put out next. This is not good for me at all!!
She is self-pubbing so she still writes.
Phew! Well that’s a relief. I guess that’s the route more and more of them will be taking going forward
Forgive my ignorance, but how/where would one find her as a self publisher?
In the same way as before – at Amazon and other retailers, via her website/newsletter etc.
Is there a reason why the trad publishers are dropping HR authors. I know there is a lot of dross out there but to drop the really good ones like Caroline Linden seems perverse to me. I don’t read as much HR as I used to,probably because of the aforementioned dross, but I still have some go to authors that I will automatically read.
I think another reason Historical romance is loosing popularity is a lot of younger readers gen Z and younger don’t want to read it they think is for ‘old people’ their words not mine. I watched a YouTube vid on the topic of HR dying.
“they think it’s for old people” bah! They know nothing
True story. My eldest daughter – 25 – is an historian working in the heritage sector. In the UK, kids take public exams called GCSEs at 16, and at 14, they choose which subjects they’re going to study. To help them make those choices, schools have “options evenings” where students and parents can meet the teachers and find out morecabout the subjects on offer. At the options evening for my eldest, she asked the head of History why the syllabus focused entirely on 20th century history, and was told it was because “kids don’t like learning about stuff that’s really old” or words to that effect. My daughter’s main area of interest was in the “really old stuff” (her Bachelor’s degree is in Medieval and Early Modern history) so that statement wasn’t entirely true!
But if history teachers have the idea their students don’t want to learn about history that’s more than 100 years ago, then perhaps it’s contributing to that belief that ‘history is for old people’.
‘perverse’ is apt
Publishing really only makes money on blockbusters. HR is rarely a blockbuster. One successful run of a Colleen Hoover or a Rebecca Yarros is worth more than a thousand reasonably selling books.
*nods* I read hardly any HR these days for the same reason. It seems to me that the rot set in a few years ago after #metoo – suddenly, authors writing books set at a time where women had little-to-no agency and were subject to strict societal rules had to find ways to make their heroines and stories more acceptable in a post #metoo world (note that this is not a criticism of that movement or belief it shouldn’t have happened because it absolutely should.) HR became flooded with heroines who had to DO something – run a tavern or gaming hell, work at an orphanage or home for fallen women, be a journalist, an author of erotic books or a scientist etc. and while I don’t dispute there were women who did all those things and more, in HR, they have become as ubiquitous as the handsome, thirty-something duke with a six pack and all his own hair (who now has to be working to end the slave trade or child labour etc.)
And many of the authors who are newer to the genre don’t seem able to incorporate the more palatable-to-the-modern-audience stuff into the actual historical world they’re writing about, hence the flood of historical wallpaper that goes beyond historically inaccurate and into the realm of historical fantasy. And the already established authors are having to tie themselves in knots trying to write to a very changed market – or what the publishers think is a very changed market.
That’s my theory, anyway.
“That’s my theory, anyway.” And it’s one I agree with.
“hence the flood of historical wallpaper that goes beyond historically inaccurate and into the realm of historical fantasy”
And it’s not even a criticism of historical fantasy. If people what to read it, then by all means there’s a market for it and there should also be as you say, books “that incorporate the more palatable-to-the-modern-audience stuff into the actual historical world they’re writing about” for those of us that love that. I don’t see why it’s become an either/or situation. Why can’t both types of books be published
That publishing duality might be possible but I would hope very much that the Regency in Mini Skirts is shelved away from, say, Georgette Heyer, and clearly categorised so I don’t waste precious time on the, so-called Fantasy HR as opposed to the Trad HR.
“regency in mini-skirts” lol. While Regency era Britain is a very popular time period with the ‘Fantasy HR’, I think the Victorian era and Gilded Age New York are fairly popular time periods for it as well.
Yes, clear distinctions between ‘HR-lite’ & Trad HR would be an added bonus should this publishing duality ever become more than just wishful thinking on my part.
Except that wouldn’t happen because publishers don’t care what it’s called as long as you BUY IT. We’ve seen it happening with the shift to illustrated covers – people are buying books that look like rom coms only to find they deal with some heavy issues, but the publishers don’t really care as long as someone is buying them. Self-publishers, on the other hand, HAVE to worry about that kind of thing or risk destroying their audience.
I can’t help but wonder if this disregard carries over to the marketing of books whose primary audience are men
Because it’s ultimately all about money. I saw this kind of thing happening when I worked in the music industry in the late 90s – it’s all about the Next Big Thing that will make a ton of money. I worked for the company that brought you the Three Tenors (Pavarotti, Domingo, Carerras) for the 1996 World Cup, which was one of the first times classical music ‘crossed over’ in the public consciousness from the small classical arena to the much larger ‘popular’ arena, and after that, every record company was looking for the next big crossover project that would reach a wider audience and make money.
A similar thing has been happening for the past few years in publishing, especially since the advent of BookTok, which has tended to focus on a handful of titles simply because of the way it works.
The vast majority of m/m romance is self-published and most of the big names in the genre continue to self publish and some make a decent living at it. (KJ Charles and Alexis Hall are now traditionally published, but they’ve already done the hard work of building their audience.) I know that Caroline Linden is self publishing now and I think Kate Bateman intends to – Grace Burrowes has been self-pubbing for some time and there are a handful of other HR authors who seem to be quite successful (Alice Coldbreath, Emily Windsor, Erica Braden, Erica Ridley are some I can think of off the top of my head). It’s probably going to be a steep learning curve for those formerly trad.pubbed authors.
“Because it’s all about money” sadly, very true.
“A similar thing has been happening for the past few years in publishing, especially since the advent of BookTok, which has tended to focus on a handful of titles simply because of the way it works.” Already bracing myself for the many more “for fans of Bridgerton” books to come
There are SO many already.
I have to laugh when I see books by Georgette Heyer described as “for fans of Bridgerton”, because the only real thing they have in common is the Regency setting, and anyone expecting lots of sexy times is going to be disappointed. But publishers don’t really care about misleading their readers; they’ve bought the book. They don’t seem to look beyond that at the pissed off, misled reader who will never buy a book by that author again.
They stick that on Heyer books too? Ha!
Same here!
You’d think it’d be doing gangbuster numbers after Bridgerton broke through. Netflix is doing huge numbers with stuff like The Empress, too. It’s amazing that no one has the ability to translate this into sales.
Apparently she got pushed off social media due to the choice of words she used in her books hence her rewriting them yeah people were kind of nasty to her.
Everything about the Kleypas saga depresses me.
As much as I m not a fan of Lisa kleypas’s writing I do feel sorry for her and the people that love her book’s.
I’m not in the least bit surprised. As Dabney and the team at AAR can attest to, when the social media mob sense blood in the water, they don’t hesitate to attack.
I’ll just say I am a really strong person AND after the last poll brouhaha, I thought seriously about leaving AAR. The internet is not for the faint of heart.
I’m glad you stuck it out though and are still here
Thank you. <3
I’m not very optimistic so I gave up along time ago.
Hopefully someone will come along that has similar depth to their writing not a copycat or trying to imitate her, but has well developed characters that’s well researched with unique storylines.
We can only hope
I think she should have left a note or letter on her Instagram page or website to be honest I dislike it when authors just ghost readers,I think they should give their reader’s closure. That might sound a bit entitled but I just think writers should let people know if they choose to stop writing.
Same with Lisa kleypas as well I think it’s been four or five years with her.
I do love The Raven Prince. It’s much more traditional than Scandalous Desires. I love the leads in TRP.
I read it all but I found it hard going. I’m often a bit reluctant to try another book from an author if I don’t like the first book. I’m more in the mood for suspense or gothic romance.
Lots of great suspense out there right now!
Scandalous Desires is one of my least favorite of her Maiden Lane series; I’m not even sure I finished it. For me, that series doesn’t really get going until book #4. I would give that one a try, Thief of Shadows with Winter and Isabel. For a lot of people that’s one of their favorites in the series.
I managed to complete it ,it was a struggle I don’t suffer though books anymore if I’m not enjoying them.
I think authors that write lighter hearted novels like Lisa Kleypas,Tessa Dare and Mary Balogh would be my go to.
I’ve been rereading for a few months now, however in the last couple of months,I decided to leave this world and join the Liaden Universe. It has been such a relief!
Reading is my go-to for almost any emotion: if I’m happy, I read; if I’m down, I read; if I’m so angry I could grind pebbles with my back teeth, I read (my molars are really taking a beating these days). I do have a number of books I reread on the regular, but I also try to read books that might be similar to the ones I love (angsty with a splash of melancholy is my default for romance reading). Lately, I’ve been reading m/m romantic suspense—books & series that are similar to Nicky James’s Valor & Doyle series: following a couple as they solve mysteries and grow closer emotionally. There’s a comfort in the predictable beats and in the way each writer can individualize tropes and situations. Disappearing into a fictional universe serves me well right now.
Same – I’m a reader whatever the circumstances so I wouldn’t say I have comfort reads, really. But I DO have comfort listens, which are usually narrator dependent; that’s the most important thing about an audiobook for me. I don’t really worry about who the author is – a comfort listen is about the voice!
I’ve also been reading M/M romantic suspense, particularly Gregory Ashe, thanks to Caz Owen’s spot-on reviews. They’re angsty, but a great diversion from real-world problems. Would you mind sharing some of the other series you’ve enjoyed. Also, if you haven’t read Charlie Adhara’s Big Bad Wolf series, I highly recommend it!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the Ashe books – his stuff isn’t for everyone, but he’s incredibly talented. I have read the Adhara series – I reviewed most of the books here. There are some fabulous m/m romantic suspense series around – you might have already read some of these, but I definitely recommend:
Nicky James Valor & Doyle series; Shadowy Solutions series;The One That Got Away, Not What It Seems, Everything I Didn’t Know
CS Poe – Momento Mori (3 books so far, 2 to come); Snow & Winter
To Love and Protect by Roman Alexander is a really good standalone.
LJ Hayward’s Death and the Devil series is absolutely brilliant – spy meets assassin in the Australian Outback (to start with) – really inventive storytelling, fantastic characterisation and romance.
Cole McCade’s Criminal Intentions series is fantastic – but it’s long; there are 3 seasons with 13 books per season – 1&2 are complete, 3 is due to be finished later this year (or early next) but each season works on its own.
A.J. Demas’ Sword Dance trilogy is romantic suspense if you squint! Mysteries with romance set in an alt-ancient Greece/Rome.
Cordelia Kingsbridge – Seven of Spades series. I reviewed books 4 & 5 here, but the whole series is brilliant.
Layla Reyne has several RS series – I’ve reviewed a lot of them here. She’s a bit hit and miss for me, but what she does well, she does very well – I often describe her books as like TV shows in book form – they’re slick and fast moving. They’re generally fairly short and are easy to read, but the plots can get a bit complicated! Variable Onset is a standalone (I gave it a B+).
I liked Tal Bauer’s Cole & Noah duet – The Murder Between Us and The Grave Between Us.
Allie Therin’s Liar City and Twisted Shadows are fabulous, but TS ends with a massive cliffhanger, so be warned 😉 Her current Roaring Twenties Magic series is great, too.
I also love Jordan Castillo Price’s Psycop series – paranormal romantic mysteries with a truly original lead character. I do that series in audio because the narrator is SOooo good.
Vanora Lawless’ WW1 set paranormal historicals are really good- Imperfect Illusions and Twisted Tome -also Sally Malcolm’s No Man’s Land.
Eden Winter’s Diversion series (9 books) is terrific, as is Life lessons by Kaje Harper. In you’re in to audiobooks both those series have outstanding narration.
And last but not least, the grandaddy of them all, Josh Lanyon’s Adrien English series.
I’ve reviewed a lot of those books here so a Power search by title should find them.
Let me know if you want any more info about any of them
I haven’t read all of these but I will definitely second the recommendations for Valor & Doyle, Memento Mori, and Cole & Noah. I also recommend Tal Bauer’s The Night Of. I just started reading Josh Lanyon (what a backlist!) and haven’t gotten to Adrien English but I did read the All’s Fair trilogy and really liked them.
Yes, All’s Fair is good – as is The Art of Murder – although that’s not finished and looks like it might never be, tbh, which means the romantic arc isn’t finished either 🙁
When I need comfort read, I don’t want angst; I want humor, or at least characters I really like.
My go-to comfort reads are “Bet Me” by Cruisie and “Lord Perfect” and “Vixen in Velvet” by Loretta Chase. Other books include “Chase Me” by Florand and “Devil in the Winter” by Kleypas, “Like No Other Lover” and “It Happened One Midnight” by Julie Anne Long, Emily Chase’s “Royally Screwed.”
I think I just want to fall into stories that immerse me and have happy endings.
You can never go wrong with Devil In Winter
Grace Burrowes she’s someone I’ve just started reading she’s quite low on angst and not someone mentioned often.
I enjoy a lot of her books. She writes well, creates interesting characters, and does tons of things right. But then I seemed to hit a streak where every one of her books depended on someone keeping a secret for no very good reason and long after it made sense. Maybe she’s developed a new plot pivot. I may try her again.
Same for me. I sped through the first couple of books in her True Gentleman’s series I think twas called, but after that everyone of her book seemed to me to have the same plot and was very slow moving so she stopped being an auto read for me. Every now and again though, I find a book or two that I surprisingly enjoy. I think the trick is to pace oneself when it comes to her books and not read everything back to back
When I want to escape, I’m apt to turn to mysteries, especially old Agatha Christie’s from the 1930s and 1940s. But as I’m recuperating from knee replacement, I’ve been enjoying Jo Beverley’s An Unlikely Countess, Miranda Neville’s The Dangerous Viscount (I love her Burgundy Club series), Caroline Linden’s A View to a Kiss, and Loretta Chase’s Dukes Prefer Blondes. Not a wimpy, droopy heroine in sight!
One of my daughters made a New Year’s Resolution to read or reread everything Agatha Christie wrote (including the books she published as Mary Westmacott) in 2025. When I last checked in, she had read 41 of Christie’s books so far (that number would also include short stories), and she says no one’s writing style is as comforting as Christie’s.
Duke’s Prefer Blondes is such a delight.
You are so right! I adore this book.
It’s the best.
Jo Beverley is so fun! I feel her stuff is really easy to escape into. As well as Mary Jo Putney’s older works.
I have a hard time focusing if I’m worried/stressed. I’ll pick up a book and realize I’ve read like ten pages and have no idea what happened. But I do find it easier to escape through Sandra Brown or Susan Elizabeth Phillips books!
SEP is always a respite for me–her blend of snark, sex, and humor works for me!
Yes exactly! Ain’t She Sweet and Glitter Baby have all that and I don’t re-read books but those are definitely two that I go back to because of how much I loved them the first time around. She also has non-formulaic stories so I know I’m always in for something new and exciting.
co-sign
Comfort re-reads lately: Cassandra Gannon’s “Kinda Fairytale” series, Alice Coldbreath, Lucy Parker, Naomi Novik, Trisha Ashley, Mariana Zapata, W.R. Gingell (2 Monarchies series), Anne Bishop (The Others and spinoff series), Jenny Crusie/Bob Mayer collabs, Jodi Taylor, Laura Florand, Katherine Addison (Goblin emperor and spinoffs), Megan Bannon. Not romance but definitely comforting: Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch, Kage Baker, Diana Wynne Jones…