Last Updated on January 16, 2023
Romance is one of the most popular genres of literature today, for both readers and writers of romance novels. And it’s no wonder: the romance is thrilling and compulsively readable. Fortunately, there are tons of books coming out all the time! To help you navigate the genre, we’ve put together this guide to the top 10 best romance authors, and the love stories they wrote that are sure to make you swoon.
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The Best Romance Authors
If you want to be a fiction writer, one important piece of advice is to read extensively in your chosen genre. To write romance, immerse yourself in the writings of bestselling romance authors.
Or, if you simply want to sit down with a good, sizzling read, here are some of the best romance authors to choose from:
1. Danielle Steel
The bestselling author alive today, Danielle Steel has sold more than 800 million copies of her books. She is also the fourth bestselling fiction writer of all time, with more than 179 books, 146 of them fiction, to her name.
Steel shows her storytelling prowess in this romance novel featuring Zoya, a Russian countess who flees the Russian Revolution with her grandmother. When they arrive in Paris without a cent to their name, Zoya has to form a new life by joining a ballet company.
2. Nora Roberts
The first writer in the Romance Writer of America Hall of Fame, Nora Roberts is known as the queen of romance fiction. Roberts is the pseudonym of Eleanor Marie Robertson, who also writes under other pen names, such as J.D. Robb.
This romantic suspense follows New York police lieutenant Eve Dallas on the trail of a heartless killer. What happens when she gets involved with one of her suspects in her investigation?
3. Nicholas Sparks
Romance legend Nicholas Sparks’s books have spurred nearly a dozen big-screen adaptations, including A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Dear John, The Longest Ride, and Message in a Bottle.
Three years after 17-year-old Veronica Miller’s parents divorced, “Ronnie” stays angry and estranged from them, especially her father. Then her mother makes the call of sending Ronnie to spend the summer with her father in Wilmington.
Her father is a former concert pianist who is now living quietly in the beach town, preoccupied with creating his life’s masterpiece. The Last Song explores not just first love among young people but also the affection shared between parents and children, showing us how these valued relationships can both break and heal our hearts.
4. Robyn Carr
One of the most well-known names in romance novels since 1980, Robyn Carr fascinates readers especially with her Virgin River series, detailing different love stories set in a California forest outpost.
Her stories in the series include unique characters, like a disgruntled sous chef or a tough marine who finds his soft side. Plus, it now comes with a Netflix adaptation starring Alexandra Breckenridge.
After her husband dies, 30-something nurse Melinda Monroe moves to the secluded Virgin River—and finds it falling short of her expectations. In fact, the shabby conditions and the curt manner of the local doctor convince her to leave, but the retired marine she meets changes her plans.
5. Carolyn Brown
Brown’s debut novel Love Is was published in 1999, and for the last 20 years, she has written both historical and contemporary romances, specializing in cowboy romances.
Her stories tend to be set in the South and feature a rancher with tall, dark, and handsome looks, and a heroine that has no radar for love: she’s likely too preoccupied with her child, or perhaps she’s struggling to let go of memories of her last relationship—but they end up falling in love anyway.
Seventeen years ago, after having found her husband Jackson making out with another woman, Loretta Bailey walked out of Lonesome Canyon Ranch, supposedly forever. Now that Loretta and Jackson’s daughter drop her college plans to get married to a rancher, Loretta bristles and decides to go back to the ranch to work with Jackson—and finds him still as handsome and wily as ever.
6. Lisa Kleypas
Expert storyteller Lisa Kleypas shines in historical romance. Having started writing at 21 years old, Klaypas began with duologies and moved on to multi-book series, with The Hathaways and The Wallflowers among the most popular.
The author’s intimate knowledge of the time periods she sets her stories in gives her books a very solid historical background.
A surprise inheritance throws Amelia Hathaway right smack in the middle of an aristocratic society. Between that and needing to keep her younger siblings in check, Amelia finds her life crammed full—but not too full to notice Cam Rohan, a bad boy character who also came from less well-off roots.
7. Sarah MacLean
Specializing in historical romance, MacLean often explores the intersection of the romance genre with gender studies.
This first book in MacLean’s Rule of Scoundrels series perfectly carries out the fiction trope of the lady who turns out to be a bit naughty herself.
8. Alyssa Cole
Cole doesn’t stick to just one genre: most of her writing revolves around historical romance, but she also has a few contemporary novels in her collection.
This first book in the Off the Grid series combines a dystopian thriller story with romance.
9. Susan Elizabeth Phillips
A mainstay in romance fiction since the 1980s, Susan Elizabeth Phillips is known for her novels revolving around sports and athletes. She’s also known for playing with humor, earning her the title “Queen of Romantic Comedy.”
Phoebe Somerville is a New York girl who has just inherited a football team, made of sexy and sexist athletes, led by the worst sexist of the group, head coach Dan Calebow. Phoebe and Dan clash from the get-go, but Phillips effectively weaves a tale of humor, warmth, and chemistry.
10. Jane Austen
Classic writer Jane Austen is best known for her 6 major novels, and the film adaptations of her books have added to her popularity in recent generations.
This romantic novel follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet, whose prejudices keep her from realizing her developing friendship and attraction to the proud Mr. Darcy. Through her family’s experience with potential husbands, she also learns important lessons about appearances and genuine goodness.