My favorite books to make you swoon

Why am I passionate about this?

I define myself as a hopeless romantic and look for books that put me in the feels. When one does, it tends to last with me forever, if not a very long time. I read a range of books, and for me, a love story just makes my heart full like nothing else. I don’t care if it’s fantasy romance, contemporary romance, historical romance, etc. As you can see, I’m versed in genre romance all the way to the classics. Give me all the love stories.


I wrote...

Sushi and Sea Lions

By Rachel Corsini,

Book cover of Sushi and Sea Lions

What is my book about?

When a career-ending injury and a messy breakup send prima ballerina Daniela Verdi back to Queens, New York, she fills her days with countless distractions: meaningless sex, pinot grigio, and video games.

It takes a chance meeting with her brother's best friend, Vincent LaBate, for her to remember who she was before the stage lights and distractions of the Upper West Side. She's convinced that Vincent could never love a girl like her: broken, insecure, and stumbling her way through life. What Daniela didn't count on is that Vincent is as scarred as she is after divorcing his cheating wife and going through an equally messy child custody fight. Soon enough, old vulnerabilities rear their ugly heads, opening a crack in Daniela's perfectly imperfect romance.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of What The Hex

Rachel Corsini Why did I love this book?

This book is a joy from start to finish! The writing is quippy, lighthearted, and witty.

I loved this story so much for it’s perfect exploration of the sunshine grump trope. Penny and Willem are a delight! I also really enjoyed the way Clare weaved in magic into a mundane world. It was easy to understand and was also incredibly believable.

By Jessica Clare,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What The Hex as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of Amazon's Best Romances of April!

Enemies-to-lovers has never been more enchanting in this witchy romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of Go Hex Yourself.

Penny Roundtree wants nothing more than to be a familiar to a witch. She’s been a member of the Society of Familiars ever since she was old enough to join the Fam. There’s just a small problem—no one’s hiring. Witches and warlocks are so long-lived that there are far more familiars available than witches to train them. So when an unorthodox arrangement to apprentice under the table to a forbidden warlock…


Book cover of The Night Circus

Rachel Corsini Why did I love this book?

This book is a study in imagery. It is so beautifully written that I want to reach into the page, grab the words and take a bite out of them.

Aside from there, there is a scene in which one of the characters create a forest out of love stories and it gets set on fire by their passion. Come on! Need I say more. The plot and fantasy of The Night Circus is just icing on the cake.

By Erin Morgenstern,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked The Night Circus as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE TIKTOK SENSATION

Rediscover the million-copy bestselling fantasy read with a different kind of magic, now in a stunning anniversary edition to mark 10 years since it's paperback debut.

The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Against the grey sky the towering tents are striped black and white. A sign hanging upon an iron gates reads:

Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn

Full of breath-taking amazements and open only at night, Le Cirque des Reves seems to cast a spell over all who wander its circular paths. But behind the glittering acrobats, fortune-tellers…


Book cover of Pride and Prejudice

Rachel Corsini Why did I love this book?

Pride and Prejudice is the OG romance novel. It has every romance beat in the perfect place.

When Elizabeth refuses Darcy’s proposal? Gasp. The internal battle over loving her? The hidden enemies to lovers? Grumpy/Sunshine? Although it’s a regency classic, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hold up to being one of the swoony-est love stories of all time and I will stand by that statement until I die.

By Jane Austen,

Why should I read it?

29 authors picked Pride and Prejudice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of BBC's 100 Novels That Shaped Our World.

Jane Austen's best-loved novel is an unforgettable story about the inaccuracy of first impressions, the power of reason, and above all the strange dynamics of human relationships and emotions.

Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated by Hugh Thomson and features an afterword by author and critic, Henry Hitchings.

A tour de force of wit and sparkling dialogue, Pride and…


Book cover of Outlander

Rachel Corsini Why did I love this book?

The wedding. Need I say more? I will.

This was one of the first books I read where the steamy scenes didn’t make me cringe and instead made me understand the complexities and nuances of intimacy. It helps that Jamie Fraser is a king among men and is entirely swoon worthy in his own right.

That’s what a good love interest does, makes every read (this should say reader) fall in love with him but also loves that he loves his woman too. Outlander is a commitment but well worth it.

By Diana Gabaldon,

Why should I read it?

30 authors picked Outlander as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first book in Diana Gabaldon’s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series.

One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBS’s The Great American Read!
 
Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and…


Book cover of One Lucky Christmas

Rachel Corsini Why did I love this book?

If you want something sweet and swoon worthy this is the book for you.

Everything about this book was like eating a cake with royal icing. It just made me smile. I enjoyed their heartwarming sweet love and what they did to keep it going. I liked that it wasn’t so much drama that the story seemed over the top. It was just an enjoyable holiday romance.

By Regina Brownell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Lucky Christmas as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A delightful novel about a meddling mother, a marathon of bad dates, and taking a chance on love from the author of The Two-Week Promise.

Twenty-four-year-old writer and bookseller Kasey wishes her mother could accept her for who she is and would stop trying to run her life. Kasey has already gone on a string of blind dates-with everyone from an underwear model to a guy whose greatest talent was burping the alphabet. Now she's on date #31, with a pastor's son, expecting yet another failure.

But Tobias takes her by surprise. She likes his smile. She likes the fact…


You might also like...

Conditions are Different After Dark

By Owen W. Knight,

Book cover of Conditions are Different After Dark

Owen W. Knight Author Of The Visitors

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Visionary Compassionate Imaginative Conspiracist Apophenia (or apophenic)

Owen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

In 1662, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. Awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.

Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They discover their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected? They fear their choice of new home is no coincidence. Unexplained events hint at threats or warnings to leave. They become convinced the village remains cursed despite their friends’ denials. Who can they trust, and who are potential enemies?

Conditions are Different After Dark

By Owen W. Knight,

What is this book about?

In 1660, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. While awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.
Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They learn that their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected?
Faith and James fear that their choice of a new home is…


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