Valentine’s Day Gift Guide: 5 romance books to gift (2023)

Shopping for your significant other isn’t always easy, especially around Valentine’s Day. If you’re looking for romance books though, we’ve got you covered.

While Valentine’s Day is known for being a romantic holiday, most people don’t think about romance books. If you’re in a relationship with a reader, it does tend to come up a lot in conversation.

As someone who is a romance reader in a relationship, I always either want to go to Barnes & Noble or send my wishlist of books for each holiday. As far as gifts go, books tend to be on the cheaper end but to me, it’s more about going out and finding something new or finding a book you love at the store.

If you’re looking for a romance book or a couple this Valentine’s Day, then these are some ideas to help you get started.

These five romance books are awesome Valentine’s Day gifts for 2023.

While this is a “gift guide,” it’s always better to get a feel of what your partner likes so take this list as a guide rather than a recommendations list. If you know books your Valentine has liked in the past or just know their tastes, this should be helpful. If not, there’s no shame in taking them to the store and letting them pick books out

1. For the romance lover: Try Exes and O’s by Amy Lea

The first book making the list is Exes and O’s by Amy Lea. To me, this book just screams Valentine’s Day because the cover has hearts and lots of pinks and reds on it. It’s also a fun story about Tara who is reconnecting with her exes to try and see if she can have a second-chance romance. We also meet Trevor, her reluctant roommate and I’m sure you can guess what happens from there.

This one just recently came out on January 10th so it’s a relatively new short. It’s also an incredibly sweet romance and is truly a love letter to the romance genre on the whole. It’s also one of my favorite romances of this year so I had to feature it.

2. For the dark romance lover: Try Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus series

To me, there is no more binge-able series than Katee Robert’s Dark Olympus books. At this point, there are currently 4 books out in the series. Each book follows a different pairing from Greek mythology but with a steamy and action-packed twist. While they aren’t exactly accurate, the Dark Olympus books are some of my favorite darker romances.

While I’d recommend picking up the latest book, Radiant Sin, make sure to see if your partner has read and enjoyed the other books first. If not, you could always gift them Neon Gods which is book 1. It’s a Hades x Persephone story, too so no doubt they’ll be interested.

3. For the sports romance lover: Try Alexa Martin’s Playbook series

If there’s one sports romance series I’ll always recommend, it’s Alexa Martin’s Playbook series. If you didn’t know, Alexa Martin is a former NFL wife so it makes sense that she’d write books centered around NFL players and their romances. This is a 4-book series and it’s actually concluded now so it’s a great one to gift early. Perhaps before the Super Bowl if they’re only interested in seeing Rihanna at half-time.

Either way, the Playbook series follows multiple different couples and tropes including second-chance, secret baby, and friends-to-lovers among others. These romance books also tackle some larger issues with the NFL so it’s timely with the Super Bowl coming up. This is easily one of my favorite romance series of all time so I had to feature it.

4. For the small-town reader: Try Bet on It by Jodie Slaughter

I actually have two recommendations for this one, but I decided to go with Bet On It by Jodie Slaughter. This is a 2022 release I don’t hear much about. It follows Aja and Walker who have an unlikely meet-cute. The two eventually meet again because of their connection to Walker’s grandmother. Even though this story does have a cute romance, it does deal a lot with mental health but it’s a good read and has some incredibly romantic moments.

The other one I have for this is an extremely popular one and that’s Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score. This one is widely loved so I didn’t want to feature it too heavily as I’m sure most people have read it. If you didn’t know, it’s a delightful small-town romance with grumpy x sunshine and single mom vibes that they’ll absolutely be dying for. Plus book 2 comes out on February 21st so you’ll want to snag a copy for them soon.

5. For the historical reader: Try A Caribbean Heiress in Paris

Granted, this is another book I talk about constantly but I feel like it hasn’t gotten the hype it rightfully deserves. This is a historical romance following Luz who is trying to save her family business and the marriage of convenience she has with Evan. Even though the romance is amazing, this story really transports you with its setting and Adriana Herrera’s beautiful writing.

While there are plenty of other historicals out there, this one features a diverse group of characters, lots of steamy moments, and is packed with a lot of history. If you’re looking for your Valentine and you know they love historicals, this is a solid choice.

Honestly, when it comes to romance books, you never do know what your partner might like or not like so it’s good to either take them shopping or just pick something you know they’ll like. If you’re confident and want to get something, then these romance books are a good place to start.

Do you have a Valentine for 2023? If so, do they enjoy romance books? Let us know in the comments.