With thanks to #BookClub member Vik for the idea, I'm very pleased to announce @TeamBATC's first EVER Reading Challenge!

 

I've listed some suggested reads below for each of the 42 prompts in case you need some inspiration (and to my Litalist shelf here), but I'd love to hear what other books you might read that tie in with the themes (however loosely or literarlly!). 

 

Thanks to our great friends at Litalist, we have an exclusive discount code for the #RespectRomFicReadingChallenge2024! Shop for any or all of the books on the list from your nearest independent #ChooseBookshops with a whopping 25% off, using code ROMFIC.

 

Happy Reading!

 

SJV x

 

 

THEME: STARTING OVER

Return to Half Moon Farm – Holly Hepburn

Where We Belong – Anstey Harris

 

ONE WORD TITLE

Token – Beverley Kendall

 

THEME: WEDDINGS/MARRIAGE

Happy Ever After – Patricia Scanlan

A Little in Love – Florence Keeling

 

A DEBUT

Love Songs for Sceptics – Christina Pishiris

Lives Like Mine – Eva Verde

 

TROPE: ENEMIES TO LOVERS

Chef’s Kiss – TJ Alexander

 

A BOOK EVERYONE HAS READ

Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid

It Starts With Us – Colleen Hoover

 

THEME: COMING OF AGE

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly – Danielle Jawando

 

THE WORD ‘HOUSE’ IN THE TITLE

The House That Made Us – Alice Cavanagh

 

SET IN THE WORLD OF SPORT

Icebreaker – Hannah Grace

The Long Game – Elena Armas

 

A BOOK WITH A NAME IN THE TITLE

The Fall and Rise of Sadie McQueen – Juliet Ashton

Charlie, Loves and Cliches – Ella Maise

The Temptation of Gracie – Santa Montefiore

 

THEME: REUSE, RECYCLE, REPURPOSE

Preloved – Lauren Bravo

 

A CLASSIC 1980’s ROMANTIC THRILLER

Hollywood Husbands – Jackie Collins

Lucky – Jackie Collins

 

TROPE: FORBIDDEN LOVE

The Glittering Hour – Iona Grey

 

THE FIRST BOOK IN A SERIES

Songs of Love and War – Santa Montefiore

Chances – Jackie Collins

 

ROMANTASY

The North Wind - Alexandria Warwick

 

A BOOK WITH LOVE IN THE TITLE

The Philosophy of Love – Rebecca Ryan

Maya’s Laws of Love – Alina Khawaja

 

FEATURING A DOG OR CAT

New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Café – Julie Haworth

Lily and the Octopus – Steven Rowley

 

SET ON THE COAST/BY THE SEA

The Happiest Ever After – Milly Johnson

The Cornish Hideaway – Jennifer Bibby

 

HOLIDAY/BEACH READ

Three’s A Crowd - Simon Booker

The Book-Lovers’ Retreat – Heidi Swain

Seven Exes – Lucy Vine

 

SPICY!

Daydream – Hannah Grace

 

TROPE: FORCED PROXIMITY

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday – Milly Johnson

 

A DUAL TIMELINE

The Hidden Years – Rachel Hore

 

THEME: SECRETS

In Bloom – Eva Verde

The Daughter-In-Law – Fanny Blake

A Place of Secrets – Rachel Hore

Only Big Bumbum Matters Tomorrow – Damilare Kuku

 

TROPE: FRIENDS TO LOVERS

The Beginning Of Everything – Jackie Fraser

 

A BOOK YOU BORROW FROM THE LIBRARY

 

THEME: PAST LOVES

Wait for Me – Santa Montefiore

Second Chances in New Port Stephen – TJ Alexander

 

AN UNREAD BOOK ALREADY ON YOUR SHELF

 

THEME: MOTHERHOOD

Joe Nuthin’s Guide To Life – Helen Fisher

 

THEME: COMMUNITY

Maybe Tomorrow – Penny Parkes

Always By Your Side – Julie Haworth

The Forgotten Garden – Sharon Gosling

 

TROPE: OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Under Your Spell – Laura Wood

 

A TEAR-JERKING WEEPY

The One – Claire Frost

Letters to the Lost – Iona Grey

The Two Of Us – Andy Jones

 

BASED ON/INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY

When I Come Home Again – Caroline Scott

The World at My Feet – Catherine Isaac

 

ADAPTED FOR THE STAGE OR SCREEN

Beautiful Disaster – Jamie McQuire

 

TROPE: SOUL MATES

Date With Destiny – Lucy Vine

 

FEATURING A HOLIDAY ROMANCE

The Holiday Escape – Heidi Swain

 

SET IN A LIBRARY OR BOOKSHOP

The Bookshop of Second Chances – Jackie Fraser

The Lighthouse Bookshop – Sharon Gosling

 

TROPE: FAKE DATING

Only For The Holidays – Abiolla Bello

Probably Nothing – Lauren Bravo

The Love Dare – Abiolla Bello

The Fiance Dilemma - Elena Armas

 

WRITTEN UNDER A PSEUDONYM

The Slow Lane Walker’s Club – Rosa Temple

 

FEATURES A PROLOGUE OR EPILOGE

The Beginners Guide To Loneliness – Laura Bambrey

This Could Be Everything – Eva Rice

 

THEME: SIBLINGS

Together, Again – Milly Johnson

The Secret Orchard – Sharon Gosling

 

WRITTEN BY AN AUTHOR YOU’VE NOT READ BEFORE

 

FESTIVE/SEASONAL ROMANCE

That Festive Feeling – Heidi Swain

Home For Christmas - Heidi Swain

The Mother of All Christmases – Milly Johnson