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Books to Fall in Love With 2021

Valentine's Day (Books To Fall in Love With)

Books to Fall in Love With 2021

Congratulations to the five winners of our Valentine's Day contest! These readers received all seven of our featured books. Those who entered had the option of responding to the question “Who is your all-time literary crush?” which many of you answered, much to our delight. We had so much fun compiling your top 10 “Literary Loves and Lusts,” which you can see below. Many thanks to all who participated!

This year's Valentine’s Day prize titles are:

  • MEET ME IN BOMBAY by Jenny Ashcroft
  • THE POWER COUPLE by Alex Berenson
  • THE RETURN by Nicholas Sparks
  • SHIPPED by Angie Hockman
  • THE SOULMATE EQUATION by Christina Lauren
  • TOKYO EVER AFTER by Emiko Jean
  • WHEN HARRY MET MINNIE: A True Story of Love and Friendship, by Martha Teichner

Winners

Cherise L. from Auburn, ME
Diane M. from Newburgh, NY
Jessica G. from Groton, CO
Rhonda F. from Tool, TX
Sarah C. from New Boston, NH

 

Your Top 10 Literary Loves and Lusts:

  1. Rhett Butler from GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
  2. Mr. Darcy from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen
  3. Atticus Finch from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
  4. Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
  5. Heathcliff from WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Brontë
  6. Jack Reacher from the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child
  7. Ranger from the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
  8. Jay Gatsby from THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  9. Alex Cross from the Alex Cross series by James Patterson
  10. Harry Bosch from the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly

 

Meet Me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft - Historical Romance


It's New Year's Eve in Bombay, 1913, and Madeline Bright is yearning for all she has left behind in England. Then, at the stroke of midnight, Maddy meets Luke Devereaux --- and as the year changes, so do both their lives. Bold and charismatic, Luke opens her eyes to the wonders of Bombay, while Maddy's beauty and vivacity capture his heart. Only her mother disapproves, preferring the devoted Guy Bowen as a match for her daughter. But while Maddy and Luke are falling in love, the world is falling apart. World War I is on the horizon, and Luke will be given no choice but to fight. They will be continents apart, separated by danger and devastating loss, but bound by Luke's promise that they will meet again in Bombay.

The Power Couple by Alex Berenson - Thriller

Rebecca and Brian Unsworth appear to have it all: a nice house in the suburbs of Washington, DC, two well-behaved, healthy teenage children, and important government jobs. However, their marriage isn’t as perfect as it seems. After two decades together, they’ve drifted apart, talking little and having sex even less. Seeking to revive their strained relationship, they decide for their 20th wedding anniversary to take their two kids, Kira and Tony, on a European getaway. They have a blast…until one night in Barcelona when Kira doesn’t come home from a dance club. She’s gone. Abducted. Over the course of a single weekend, the Unsworths will do everything possible to find her --- as Kira herself discovers just how far she’ll go to break free of the trap that’s been set for her.

The Return by Nicholas Sparks - Romance

Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, North Carolina. But when a mortar blast sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he'd inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any. Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love with a local. Yet, from their very first encounter, he feels a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson that he can't ignore. But she remains frustratingly distant, making him wonder what she's hiding. Trevor hopes that Callie, a sullen teenage girl who lives down the road, can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather's death. She offers few clues --- until a crisis triggers a race to uncover the true nature of her past.

Shipped by Angie Hockman - Romantic Comedy

Henley Evans, a marketing manager for a cruise line, is shortlisted for the promotion of her dreams. The only problem? Graeme Crawford-Collins, the remote social media manager and the bane of her existence, is also up for the position. Their boss tasks each of them with drafting a proposal on how to boost bookings in the Galápagos. The best proposal wins the promotion. There’s just one catch: they have to go on a company cruise to the Galápagos Islands...together. But when the two meet on the ship, Henley is shocked to discover that the real Graeme is nothing like she imagined. As they explore the Islands together, she soon finds the line between loathing and liking thinner than a postcard.

The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren - Romantic Comedy


Single mom Jess Davis is a data and statistics wizard, but no amount of number crunching can convince her to step back into the dating world. But then she hears about GeneticAlly, a buzzy new DNA-based matchmaking company that is predicted to change dating forever. Her test shows an unheard-of 98% compatibility with another subject in the database: GeneticAlly’s founder, Dr. River Peña. This stuck-up, stubborn man is without a doubt not her soulmate. But GeneticAlly has a proposition: Get to know him and we’ll pay you. Jess is in no position to turn it down, despite her skepticism about the project and her dislike for River. However, she slowly begins to realize that there might be more to the scientist --- and the science behind a soulmate --- than she thought.

Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean - Romantic Comedy


Izumi Tanaka has never really felt like she fit in --- it isn’t easy being Japanese American in her small, mostly white, northern California town. But then she discovers a clue to her previously unknown father’s identity…and he’s none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. In a whirlwind, Izumi travels to Japan to meet the father she never knew and discover the country she always dreamed of. But being a princess isn’t all ball gowns and tiaras. There are conniving cousins, a hungry press, a scowling but handsome bodyguard who just might be her soulmate, and thousands of years of tradition and customs to learn practically overnight. She soon finds herself caught between worlds, and between versions of herself. Will Izumi crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairy tale, happily ever after?

When Harry Met Minnie: A True Story of Love and Friendship by Martha Teichner - Memoir

There’s a special camaraderie among early-morning dog walkers. Gathering at dog runs in the park, or strolling through the farmer's market at Union Square before the bustling crowd appears, fellow pet owners become familiar --- as do the personalities of their beloved animals. In this special space and time, a chance encounter with an old acquaintance changed Martha Teichner’s world. As fate would have it, her friend knew someone who was dying of cancer, from exposure to toxins after 9/11, and desperate to find a home for her dog, Harry. He was a Bull Terrier --- the same breed as Martha’s dear Minnie. What begins as a transaction involving a dog becomes a deep and meaningful friendship between two women with complicated lives and a love of Bull Terriers in common.