The best romance novels ever

Here are some of the best romantic novels to read now, curated by the Playance review team.

After Forever Ends by Melodie Ramone

Orphaned by her mother and brushed off by her dad, fifteen-year-old Silvia Cotton had lived a lonely life. Until 1985 when her father moves the family from the Highlands of Scotland to the Midlands of Wales. It is there she is enrolled in Bennington, a private boarding school, meets the charming and rebellious Dickinson twins, Oliver and Alexander, and her regrettable life changes forever.

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

Tough-minded Jessica Trent's sole intention is to free her nitwit brother from the destructive influence of Sebastian Ballister, the notorious Marquess of Dain. She never expects to desire the arrogant, amoral cad. And when Dain's reciprocal passion places them in a scandalously compromising and public position, Jessica is left with no choice but to seek satisfaction.

The Bride by Julie Garwood

Alec Kincaid, the Scottish laird’s mightiest, must take an English bride by the king’s edict. And Jamie the youngest daughter of Baron Jamison, is his choice. Alec felt a burning hunger stir within him from his first glimpse of the proud and beautiful English lady. But with the wedding vows, Jamie pledges her own secret oath: She will never surrender her love to this Highland barbarian.

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Romance eBooks That Will Make You a Better Partner

Reading eBooks with your significant other allows you to have a healthy relationship. They teach you how to communicate effectively with your partner. Here are some of the best romance-based eBooks that you can find at Playance.

Kristina Cook’s Unlaced

Initially published in 2004, this eBook follows the story of Henry Ashton, who is looking for a wife. He knows what he needs in a spouse, a docile, conventional woman from a wealthy, powerful family. This will help him further his political aspirations. He’s drawn to Lucy Abbington because she has all that he needs from a woman. Lucy wants to explore her gift with animals because she has an affinity for great and small creatures; she just loves healing them. In 1817, she went to school so that she can become a legitimate veterinarian. Get this eBook at Playance to find out if Ashton will win her heart.

Regina Scott’s The Husband Mission

This eBook tells the story of Katherine, who is on a mission to find a husband. After a long search, it seems like Lord Borin is the ideal candidate. Things get interesting when the handsome viscount shows interest in Katherine. The author’s excellent cast of characters brings humor to this romantic story.

Indiscreet by Mary Balogh

Viscount Rawleigh is in the country visiting his twin brother. A beautiful widow named Catherine looks like easy prey for him. Rex makes an indecent proposal and gets rejected.

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Long Love Quotes for Him

Here are some powerful love quotes to share with the special man in your life.

“Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi’s life. So you might say that we are encouraged to love.” – Star Wars: Episode II –Attack of the Clones

“I don’t need a lot of things I can get by with nothing Of all the blessings life can bring I’ve always needed something But I’ve got all I want When it comes to loving you You’re my only reason You’re my only truth.” – Leann Rimes, “I Need You” lyrics

“Love knows no distance; it hath no continent; its eyes are for the stars.” – Gilbert Parker

“If I could reach up and hold a star for everytime you’ve made me smile, the entire sky would be in the palm of my hand.”- Unknown

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – A.A. Milne

“Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you.” – Walter Winchell

“A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.” – Max Muller

“You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, and most beautiful person I have ever known and even that is an understatement.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

“I love my eyes when you look into them. I love my name when you say it. I love my heart when you touch it. I love my life when you are in it.”- Unknown

“When we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness – and call it love – true love.” – Robert Fulghum

“Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” – Emily Kimbrough

“Since the invention of the kiss, there have been only five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.” – The Princess Bride

“I always dreamt of meeting a man like you. I’m so glad that dreams do come true.”- Unknown

“The lord has given me a wonderful gift in the form of you, my hubby. I thank him every single day for this invaluable gift in my life.” – Unknown

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Love quotes from the heart

Share these beautiful words with the love of your life.

“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone—we find it with another.” – Thomas Merton

“Through Love all that is bitter will be sweet, Through Love all that is copper will be gold, Through Love all dregs will become wine, through Love all pain will turn to medicine.” – Rumi

“Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.” – Dalai Lama XIV

“It's your love It just does something to me It sends a shock right through me I can't get enough And if you wonder About the spell I'm under Oh it's your love” – Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, “Your Love” lyrics

“And I don’t mind if we take our time ‘cause I’m all yours if you’re all mine.” – Defeater, “I Don’t Mind” lyrics

“If I told you that I realized you’re all I ever wanted And it’s killing me to be so far away Would you tell me that you love me too.” – Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis, “I Told You So” lyrics

“Without you there’d be no sun in my sky There would be no love in my life There’d be no world left for me And I, baby I don’t know what I would do” – Trisha Yearwood, “How Do I Live” lyrics

“Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?/Would you be my partner every night?” – Anne Murray, “Could I Have This Dance” lyrics

“My heart’s never smiled so hard Baby, lovin’ you is fun.” – Easton Corbin, “Lovin’ You is Fun” lyrics

“You’re still the one I run to The one that I belong to You’re still the one I want for life.” – Shania Twain, “You’re Still the One” lyrics

“I wanna feel that way Yeah, I wanna hold you close Oh, if you still love me/I wanna feel that way Don’t just assume I know Baby, remind me, remind me” – Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, “Remind Me” lyrics

Fans of romance will love all the content at www.playance.com. Check it out today!

The Vital Signs That Show Whether It’s Just A Crush Or The Real Deal

If you’ve got a mad crush on someone, it’s easy to get swallowed up by your feelings - but doesn’t love feel just the same way? Luckily there are some signs which can help you differentiate between infatuation and the real deal. Check out these three tell-tale signs which show whether you’re in love, or just crushing on someone.

Putting the person on a pedestal

While it’s common to believe that your loved one is very special, it’s not normal to believe that they’re perfect in every way. Love is about accepting them for all their flaws, not refusing to see the human side to their personality. With infatuation, it’s much more common to see perfection in everything they do and say, putting the individual on a pedestal which quite simply isn’t realistic.

Is all about physical attraction

Physical attraction is an important part of being in love, after all, it’s the difference between friendship and a romantic relationship! But love is also about having a deeper bond at an emotional level, not just sexual chemistry between you. By contrast, when you’ve got a crush on someone, it’s often about the physical spark and how the way they look makes you feel. You don’t have to know someone or have any kind of real intimacy to be overwhelmed by feelings of infatuation.

Can quickly disappear during separation

Long-term relationships are hard to maintain, and if your loved one has to go away for long periods, it adds a real strain. However, when you’re in love the saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” is certainly true and you’ll be counting the days until they return. With infatuation, once the individual moves away or is gone for a prolonged time - such as serving in the Forces - it’s much easier to move on to someone else.

For more stories like these, check out www.playance.com.

The Vital Signs That Show Whether It’s Just A Crush Or The Real Deal

If you’ve got a mad crush on someone, it’s easy to get swallowed up by your feelings - but doesn’t love feel just the same way? Luckily there are some signs which can help you differentiate between infatuation and the real deal. Check out these three tell-tale signs which show whether you’re in love, or just crushing on someone.

Putting the person on a pedestal

While it’s common to believe that your loved one is very special, it’s not normal to believe that they’re perfect in every way. Love is about accepting them for all their flaws, not refusing to see the human side to their personality. With infatuation, it’s much more common to see perfection in everything they do and say, putting the individual on a pedestal which quite simply isn’t realistic.

Is all about physical attraction

Physical attraction is an important part of being in love, after all, it’s the difference between friendship and a romantic relationship! But love is also about having a deeper bond at an emotional level, not just sexual chemistry between you. By contrast, when you’ve got a crush on someone, it’s often about the physical spark and how the way they look makes you feel. You don’t have to know someone or have any kind of real intimacy to be overwhelmed by feelings of infatuation.

Can quickly disappear during separation

Long-term relationships are hard to maintain, and if your loved one has to go away for long periods, it adds a real strain. However, when you’re in love the saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” is certainly true and you’ll be counting the days until they return. With infatuation, once the individual moves away or is gone for a prolonged time - such as serving in the Forces - it’s much easier to move on to someone else.

For more stories like these, check out www.playance.com.

Enchanting Romances About Young Love

We all remember our first kiss and our first love, and nothing else can quite replicate the magic of those moments. These books all capture what makes that experience so special, as well as being fantastic reads for any reader!

Everything Leads To You by Nina Lacour

A truly glamorous and beguiling book, with a clever metanarrative and commentary on the idealized nature of fictional relationships, where this book really wins readers over is with its central character Emi.

The Summer Of Jordi Perez (And The Best Burger In Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding

The Summer Of Jordi Perez is a novel that really effectively captures what it’s like to be young and in love in the digital age, especially the dichotomy between private and public lives that can become so muddled. As well as providing an inspirational narrative of body positivity and self-confidence.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Whether or not you’ve seen the fantastic Netflix adaptation(Although you really should have by now!) this riveting book is definitely worth checking out. A moving and eloquent expression of the heightened emotions that come with young love.

Emergency Contact by Mary K Choi

A book that captures the unique, and potentially liberating, way in which relationships can develop online and via text. It also contains a truly charming set of lead characters, whose awkwardness and genuine natures is at once relatable and endearing.

If you’re looking to be swept off your feet by a great romance, then head over to www.playance.com here they have a comprehensive selection of romance-related eBooks and audiobooks.

The rocky road of love: Three famously doomed romances

The course of true love doesn’t always run smooth and, sometimes that’s what makes it all the more intriguing. History and literature are littered with tales of doomed romance. There are some legendary couples whose love burned so intensely, they could not allow the external forces which kept them apart to do so for much longer. Here are some the most famous examples of those intense, yet ultimately doomed, romances.

Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare actually coined the phrase ‘star-crossed lovers’ to describe this couple. They had to fight for their love right from the off as they came from two feuding families – the Montagues and Capulets. However, they didn’t let this stop them and were determined to be together. But not for long as Juliet’s faked death, led to Romeo’s actual death and his lover soon followed him in shaking off the mortal coil.

Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan

The Great Gatsby was one of the greatest novels of the 20th century and at its heart was the romance between Gatsby and Daisy which seemed doomed even before it begun. Gatsby had done everything he could since their first encounter to elevate himself to a status he thought Daisy would deem worth. But a series of factors, not least Daisy’s jealous and suspicious husband Tom, conspired against them to prevent them from being together.

Antony and Cleopatra

A legendary love story with a dramatic and tragic end. The Roman Antony falls in love with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra and they form a formidable alliance. However, Antony’s enemies trick him into believing Cleopatra has died while he is at war. Not able to bear the news, he kills himself with his sword. Cleopatra is devastated to hear of her lover’s death and famously kills herself with the bite of an asp.

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Are women really better at romance writing?

Despite gender equality making great strides in many walks of life, but when it comes to the readership of romance novels, parity is still a long way off. An overwhelming amount of romance novels are read by woman, with recent surveys putting the figure around the 90% mark. Of course, you’ll need to figure in the fact that many men may read romance novels, but not be prepared to admit it.

However, whatever about the disparity in the gender of readers, the make-up of romance writers is slightly more balanced.

Traditionally, the heavy hitters in the romance genre were Danielle Steele and Barbara Cartland and it was generally accepted that women were more adept at penning romance. Much of this is based on the fact they are able to represent the female point of view better.

However many romance novels require the story to be told from two points of view – traditionally a male and female one. The criticism is that men can’t adequately tell a story from a female point of view and they lack the nuance that a female writer might possess. Female writers are said to focus more on detail and subtlety while male writers favor action and large, sweeping dramatic scenes.

But it is worth noting that many male romance writers have operated under female pseudonyms for many years now and the Nicholas Sparks has managed to enjoy huge success in the genre.

Online tests to determine whether a writer is male or female are generally unreliable and the logical conclusion is that good writing is good writing, no matter the gender.

Seek out some top romantic writing by male and female authors with the books from www.playance.com.

Best romance movies that came from books

There are so many romance books out there that it’s no surprise that so many of them are adapted into movies. Here is our list of some of the best romance movies that started out life as books.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

Based on Stephen Chbosky’s novel, the film follows a naïve and endearing outsider, Charlie. Charlie is just 15 years old, dealing with the suicide of his best friend and is the quintessential wallflower. That is until he meets Patrick and Sam, step brother and sister, who help him to adjust to life in high school. There are lots of dark secrets and emotional twists and turns in this romantic coming-of-age book including abuse and a secret gay relationship.

A Walk to Remember (2002)

When a prank at school goes wrong, Landon Carter, is held responsible for the prank and the student that has been put in the hospital. He Is forced to join in community service activities after-school, which includes taking on the lead in the next school play. Jamie Sullivan is the reverend’s daughter, who takes part in all the same activities without needing to be forced to. As the two spend more time together they fall in love, but their relationship is tested when a heart-breaking secret is revealed.

Far From the Madding Crowd (1967)

Nominated for an Oscar, this movie brought the Thomas Hardy classic to life. Bathsheba Everdene is a beautiful but headstrong woman. When her uncle dies and leaves her his farm, she decides to manage it herself. Whilst taking on managing the farm she ends up being pursued by three men, who all have very different personalities, backgrounds and things to offer the fiercely independent woman.

To find out more about the best romance movies that came from books, visit www.playance.com where we have the best that romance fiction has to offer.

Ways to Make Your Relationship Last

There’s nothing quite like entering a new relationship; the jittery feeling when you’re around each other, the discovery, the sheer joy! But often times, those feeling don’t last beyond the honeymoon phase. The reality is that relationships take work. Here are three ways to make sure your relationship lasts.

Compromise. It's a big one, and it's not only easy, but compromising is without a doubt one of the most important aspects to a long lasting relationship. Compromise doesn’t just mean settling on which movie to watch, it means ensuring that your life goals and priorities are aligned for the long term.

Communicate daily. "How was work, honey?" doesn't count. Talk to each other on the daily, let each other know how you're really feeling that day, be open and honest, and most importantly, be receptive to each other. This little bit of communication will go a very long way, hopefully for a very long time.

Keep it fresh. Many people end up stuck in a routine, with work life being so demanding it's easy to understand why. We don't have much time in the mornings before having to rush off to work, and by the time we get home in the evening we may be tired. That said, it's worth the extra effort to throw in a romantic gesture every now and again. Take your significant other out for a romantic dinner someplace new, or plan a surprise vacation, a bit of spontaneity will go a long way.

Looking for more romance related reads? Vist www.playance.com for a wide variety of books and more.