The Best Romance Series to Read: Why We Love Them & What Keeps Us Hooked
If you’re searching for the best romance series to read, you already know the magic of sinking into a world that feels like home. Romance readers don’t just fall for the love stories—they fall for the community, the characters, the comfort, and the emotional escape that only a well-written series can deliver. Whether you adore small-town charm, slow-burn tension, ice hockey romance, spicy witch trilogy or dark romance series filled with angst and obsession, there’s something irresistible about returning to the same world again and again.
Why the Best Romance Series Stand Out
The best romance series blend heartfelt emotion, rich character arcs and immersive world-building. Think small-town series where each book features a new couple but the beloved cast appears throughout. Or fantasy romance sagas where witches, curses and forbidden spells burn just as hot as the chemistry. Or the electric energy of ice hockey romance, where fierce competition meets fierce devotion. Dark romance readers also crave this continuity—brooding anti-heroes, morally grey tension and high-stakes passion that deepens with every book.
These series succeed because they deliver comfort and consistency without feeling repetitive. Readers know the emotional payoff they’re getting—hope, healing, heat, tension, redemption, magic and small-town charm—and eagerly return for more.
What Hooks Readers into a Romance Series
A great romance series layers multiple elements that keep readers invested from book one to book five and beyond.
1. Characters you can’t stop thinking about
Breakout side characters, rival athletes, morally grey villains, witchy best friends or grumpy/sunshine duos create instant emotional attachment. When readers want a character’s book before it even exists, you’ve hooked them.
2. A setting that becomes a second home
Whether it’s a cosy coastal town, a frost-covered hockey rink, a coven-filled village or a shadow-drenched dark romance world, the best series make the setting feel alive.
3. Emotional continuity
Romance series explore deeper themes—grief, hope, forgiveness, found family, second chances, trauma healing and personal transformation—that grow across the books, giving readers a rewarding emotional journey.
4. Ongoing threads and Easter eggs
Hinted crushes, unfinished business, magical mysteries, rivalries and slow-burning plotlines ensure readers can’t wait for the next instalment.
Here are the Top 10 Romance Series to Read:
Hannah Grace: The Maple Hill Series, which includes all three of Hannah Grace’s beloved bestsellers: Icebreaker, Wildfire and Daydream.
Set around the fictional UCMH campus, Hannah Grace’s Maple Hills series delivers cosy, standalone contemporary romances filled with friendship, personal growth, small-town vibes and open-door spice. Perfect feel-good reads with heart.
Elsie Silver: Gold Rush Ranch series, which includes 4 bestsellers: Off to the Races, A Photo Finish, the Front Runner and A False Start.
Set in a charming small town called Ruby Creek, Canada, Gold Rush Ranch delivers a heartfelt romance series filled with rugged ranchers, passionate horse lovers, and unforgettable love stories.
Ana Huang: Twisted series, which includes: Twisted Love, Twisted Games, Twisted Hate and Twisted Lies.
The Twisted Love series centres on four friends and their messy, addictive journeys towards love. With alpha heroes, bold heroines, and all the heat you’d expect from a new adult romance series, these books mix steamy scenes with suspense and darker plotlines.
Laurie Gilmore: Dream Harbor series, which includes The Pumpkin Spice Café, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store, The Christmas Tree Farm, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House, The Gingerbread Bakery, and, coming in 2026, The Daisy Chain Flower Shop.
Laurie Gilmore’s Dream Harbor series is a cosy, Hallmark-style small-town romance escape filled with found family, witty banter, and charming seasonal settings. Perfect for readers who love easy, heartwarming stories with low-stakes relationships and classic tropes—like grumpy x sunshine—with a touch of sweetness and light steam
Lucy Score: Knockemout series, which includes Things We Hide from the Light, Things We Never Got Over and Things We Left Behind.
This trilogy is set in the quirky town of Knockemout, Virginia, and blends spice, small-town drama and big emotions. You’ll meet a runaway bride, a broody police chief haunted by trauma and a ruthless businessman who didn’t expect love to derail his plans.
Liz Tomforde: Windy City series, which includes Mile High, Right Move, Caught Up, Play Along and Rewind Back.
Liz Tomforde’s Windy City series delivers heartfelt, contemporary ice hockey romance with a focus on healthy, realistic relationships. Expect witty banter, strong found-family vibes and emotional, character-driven stories that tackle real-life struggles with honesty and heart. TikTok sensation.
Catherine Cowles: Sparrow Falls series, including Fragile Sanctuary, Delicate Escape, Broken Harbor, Beautiful Exile, Chasing Shelter and Secret Haven.
Catherine Cowles’ Sparrow Falls series blends emotional, character-driven small-town romance with gripping romantic suspense. While the stories explore darker, more serious themes, they’re grounded in heartwarming moments of found family, healing and hope.
Brynne Weaver: The Ruinous Love Trilogy, including Butcher & Blackbird, Leather & Lark and Scyth & Sparrow.
A dark romantic comedy series of interconnected stand-alone novels following the Kane brothers and the murderous women they fall for.
H.M. Hodgson: Witch Wars trilogy, including Wrath, Weapon and Warrior (coming in 2026)
Witch Wars delivers a captivating mix of forbidden magic, political tension, and sizzling romance. Expect rival witch covens, vampires, darklings, druids—and plenty of danger and desire woven through every page. Perfect for lovers of the National Treasure movies and witchy, spicy romance books.
10. Discover the Hearts of Point Perry Series
If you love small-town romance series filled with heart, healing, community and unforgettable love stories, the Hearts of Point Perry series is the perfect place to escape. Set in a charming coastal Australian town inspired by small-town communities, this series follows emotionally rich, slow-burn journeys of grief, hope and second chances.
Books available now include:
• Second Chance Love in Point Perry
• Light Up My Heart: A Point Perry Christmas
• Listen to Your Heart: A Not-So Point Perry Christmas
+ Stories in Hot & Frosty: A Firefighter Christmas Anthology and Coming Home for Christmas: An Aussie Christmas Anthology.
And when you subscribe to the newsletter, you’ll receive a FREE Point Perry book to start your journey. Come fall in love with a town that never stops believing in hope, redemption and happily ever afters.
