This Rec League comes to us from Lynn. Thanks, Lynn!
I am not sure if this is too specific or too broad for a Rec League but I don’t know how else to look for this. I would love to get some recommendations for romance novels where the couple doesn’t break up/have a huge misunderstanding in the middle of the book. I’ve only read one where this was the case (Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher) and it was a delight.
Sarah: The Courtney Milan with the sauce.
Claudia: Oh wow, this shouldn’t feel like a tall order but it does. I’m going to go with The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting by KJ Charles ( A | BN | K | AB ). There’s a little bit of angst just to keep things interesting but no bleak moment and lots of interesting social and family dynamics.
Tara: Most of the f/f romances I’ve read from Chelsea M. Cameron are like that. I’d start with Marriage of Unconvenience and Who We Could Be.
Shana: This is my favorite type of romance, because I hold my breath until the end, and celebrate that lack of bleak moment. But I’m blanking on specific titles other than The Duke Who Didn’t.
Maya: These are deep within a series, but Archangel’s Enigma ( A | BN | K | AB ) and Archangel’s Sun ( A | BN | K | AB ) by Nalini Singh both lack a bleak moment. In Archangel’s Enigma, Andromeda has a secret that she’s keeping from Naasir, but it doesn’t get in the way of the romance and when she tells him it doesn’t create a conflict. He understands why she kept it to herself and has a solution to the problem that she was facing. In Archangel’s Sun, there’s no conflict, just Titus and the Hummingbird separating for a hot second because they are grown folks with responsibilities in different parts of the world and they need to see to them for a bit.
What books would you recommend? Let us know!
Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie.
Agree on Agnes & the Hitman
The Hostage Bargain by Annika Martin – f/m/m/m/m (I think I have the right number of ‘m’s there) in which heroine joins criminal gang, but one of those sort of A-team ones where they’re not actually the bad guys. There is peril, but not from the men she’s with.
If criminal-adjacent menage shenanigans aren’t your thing, Zoe York has a set called Second Chances, which is very, very, very low conflict, as I remember.
There are a couple Cat Sebastian books that I think fit the bill, including PETER CABOT GETS LOST and TWO ROGUES MAKE A RIGHT. I refer to some of her books as “nothing happens and it’s absolutely delightful.”
Seconding Cat Sebastian, and particularly The Queer Principles of Kit Webb. I actually wrote her a thank-you note after reading that book in the depths of the pandemic – it meant so much NOT to have to endure a bleak moment in that story!
Like so many others here, I’m hooked on the novels of Celia Lake. She seems to specialize in characters who are extrenely sensible about love and/or are such good communicators that bleak moments don’t happen. I was struck by the way that in Outcrosssing, when obstacles start to build up, the hero goes to the heroine not to break up with her but to say (in much less articulate words than these) “I’d like to have a future with you but it seems impossible because of x and y, what do you think?” And they discuss repeatedly until they figure it out (with help from plot). And in In the Cards promptness is key: when the heroine who’s in a sort of courtship with a guy figures out that she doesn’t want him but does want his best friend, she immediately tells him so and she handles it like an absolute boss; no one’s feelings are badly hurt and all parties remain close friends. (Her telling his mother they won’t marry is equally expert but goes poorly through no fault of her own.)
Following!!!
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Penric series starting with PENRIC’S MISSION has a wonderfully quiet romance that builds over several novellas with conflicts being external to the relationship between the main characters. It’s worth reading at least the first book, PENRIC’S DEMON, to set the stage.
I don’t really have any great recs, but I’m happy to see this rec league. I actually just flat out skipped the dark moment chapter of a romance I was otherwise really enjoying b/c I just didn’t feel up to dealing with it at the time. Read the rest of it till the end, thoroughly enjoyed it, no regrets.
It really reminded me of the recent conversation on here about skipping and skimming and reading in a way that suits your own needs.
I think a lot of Carla Kelly’s books qualify. They are mostly about ordinary people working through their problems.
I don’t have any recs other than seconding the suggestions above, but I have a few observations. In my reading experience (which of course is not representative of *all books*), this is much easier to find in MM romance, where I’ve found that even if the MCs break up, it lasts for maybe one chapter, and is typically for a reason that makes sense and not because the villain kidnapped a MC or other big dramatic event. So I do wonder why there’s this difference, do we expect peril or a big fight or whatever to temporarily sideline the MCs in MF romance? I also think “bleak moment” is subjective, so this one is hard to answer. And I also expect it from certain authors so I read their books only when I’m in the mood for extra drama.
Also, following up on the rec for The Duke Who Didn’t, Courtney Milan talks a bit about writing a story without a Bleak Moment in this SBTB interview. Hopefully the link works. https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/podcast/424-the-duke-who-didnt-courtney-milan-answers-your-questions/
I think other authors have blogged on this topic too.
Shelly Laurenston’s Badger series plus The Mane Event and Wolf With Benefits. Working my way through the rest of them. The crazy sauce provides all the entertainment, no need to worry.
If you’re okay with manga/comics My Androgynous Boyfriend is about an established couple who don’t have big emotional conflicts (may be more slice of life than romance) other than some hiccups/insecurities inherent in dating an influencer.
I’ve read a number of British slow-burns that are low angst – Trisha Ashley, Jo Platt, Jill Mansell, Jenny Colgan, and Mary Jayne Baker come to mind. Some of these have a “will they or won’t they” moment based on something like one person realizing their feelings and the other panicking for a chapter or two or on a misunderstanding between the two that is resolved quickly. And I keep thinking of one Jill Mansell book where the whole plot is “will he ever get his head out of his butt” but she has other options, so one never quite feels like “this is her one shot at love!!!” In general, though, these are slow-burn “oh, wait, we’re in love” types.
Fwiw, I write F/M, M/M, and poly and very rarely do a Bleak Moment. Maybe because my MCs are generally in their 30s or older so they’ve had relationships before and know what didn’t work? 🙂 Only two where I deliberately had a relationship go Very Wrong. A Bleak Moment-free trope-fest (friends to lovers! Hollywood-adjacent! Functional divorce & blending a family!) of mine happens to be advertised right here this month – A FEW KISSES AGO.
Just re-read A Lesson in Blackmail for the second time in 2 days by K. D. Robichaux. It was cute and steamy…warning relationship is between an 18-year-old male and a 23-year-old woman.
Mourning Wood by Heather M. Orgeron comes to mind. The heroine is a single mom who first had a spontaneous fling with the hero several months before they meet again. From then on, the story is mostly about her learning to trust again after having been burned by the father of her daughter. The plot centers on their budding relationship and there aren’t any break-ups or misunderstandings. Most of the angst that’s present is in the form of her anxieties. I remember thinking how refreshing that lack of a bleak moment was. It’s nice to change it up like that every now and then.
Someone here recently recommended Morning Glory Milking Farm. Maybe DDD? Utterly charming and bleakness-free; early to midway the MC worries about whether she and the love interest will connect but it’s not at all bleak. (The premise is unusual, but the original rec here was much clearer in explaining than I can be at work.)
Bernadette Franklin’s Claustrophobia and The Run Around are also quite conflict free. Not only that, the main characters go through these arcs of people they meet just liking them and helping them get cool jobs, apartments, friends, pets etc. Just lovely.
The MC in The Run Around thinks the love interest likes someone else but never gets freaked out about it; she values their friendship. She avoids him for a while but its mainly off screen and they don’t fight. As a reader, I never felt tense about her feelings. I mainly got tense waiting for The Something to Go Wrong problem…. just because everything was so laid back. But then there I was at the happy ending without the bkeakness.
Frost & Raine by KL Noone, Sailorproof by Annabeth Albert. No conflicts, no split ups. Both feature a period where the MCs are separated or kind of separated and they question themselves a bit if all will be ok when they’re back, but of course it all finishes well.
If you read historicals, Carla Kelly and Joan Wolf are two authors that never use betrayal, breakups or big misunderstanding conflicts in their books, to my recollection. I think you’re pretty safe with Michelle Diener’s books too, whether they are historical, sci-fi or fantasy.
Book of Love – Satie, Erin
Duke Gone Rogue (Love on Holiday, #1) – Carlyle Christy
Tempt (Secrets and Lies #1) – Booth, Ainsley
I love a low angst book
I have to disagree with the Carla Kelly recommendations here: in The Admiral’s Penniless Bride there’s a breakup so egregious I never finished it. It was too unfair and upsetting.
I would recommend almost any Carla Kelly except the one EJ mentioned, where the hero turns mean at the bleak moment. It was very out of character for him and unusual for the author.
@squee_me I was just thinking about this! I’ve been reading a lot of Sci-Fi Romance lately, and was thinking that they usually don’t have a bleak moment between the couple but definitely expect one of the MCs to be kidnapped/gravely injured/presumed dead/possibly lost in a wormhole at approximately 60-80% of the way through the book.
Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox by Forthright. Fantasy romance with a very cozy feel. And if you’re wondering how that’s possible with the word “Enslaved” in the title, the heroine basically finds out about the situation in about chapter 2 and goes “okay, that’s wrong, how do we fix this?”
Heated Rivalry and Role Model from Rachel Reid’s wonderful m/m hockey romance series. Heated Rivalry is high heat, slow burn (ie sex but neither MC admitting to feelings), and when they finally get together…(sob!). Role Model is grumpy-sunshine, and they take it slow bc one of the MCs isn’t out – but both MCs are honest with each other and communicate really well. Two of my absolute fave reads in the past year(s).
I wholeheartedly agree with the Morning Glory Milking Farm rec! Also, since we’re talking about crazy sci-if romance, most of the books in the Ice Planet Barbarians series don’t have characters that break up. I would also recommend most of the Mariana Zapata books- slow burns rarely have characters break up since they’re never together until the very end anyway. My favorite of hers is Wall of Winnipeg and Me.
In Fated Blades by Ilona Andrews, they start off as “enemies” (or at least, are from rival families like Romeo and Juliet), but they quickly realise they make a good team and just get on with things.
I think Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon also lacks a breakup / big misunderstanding.
I have no problem with a well executed bleak moment or a penultimate break up if they’re well done, but I’m currently reading Anne Gracie’s Marriage of Convenience series and the two I’ve read so far–Marry in Haste and Marry in Scarlet–do not appear to have this structure. I suspect it’s because of the MoC trope that they are built around. I really enjoyed these books because the protagonists marry about midway through the plot, and the courtship and character growth continue through the early development of the the couple’s married relationship. Of course the plots of both these specific books feature women soldiering on while their spouse struggles to remove his head from his ass.
@Nancy
I so agree about Laurenston/Aiken, especially Wolf with Benefits. What a Dragon Should Know–written under the Aiken name–definitely has no bleak moments or break ups at the 70%-80% mark. It is violent however, but also, hilarious. Gwenvael, like Ricky Lee Reed, is such a sex puppy, and sex puppies rarely bring the drama. Loretta Chase’s Mr. Impossible. features yet another sex puppy, but it’s been awhile since I’ve read it. There may have been a break up at some point, but I don’t remember any bleakness.
I don’t recall Lyn Gala’s Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts having a bleak moment. This is the first book of a favorite series; it has a male/alien male romance.
I feel like Lucy Parker’s Battle Royal didn’t really have a big understanding or anything. They started off as enemies/rivals, but once they got past that, they just had other things to deal with.
But Lucy Parker’s books are always such a joy to read that maybe I’m just forgetting that moment.
I also like Carla Kelly, but The Wedding Ring Quest had a HUGE bleak moment/s. I can’t stress that enough.
TW mental health
The hero is literally so depressed he tries to kill himself.
I was thinking this question was more about the Big Miz/breakup trope. Yes, there is a lot of other trauma and bleak moments in Carla Kelly’s books. Many of them are set during wartime, or characters are in danger for other reasons.
Ugh, I hate big misunderstandings. You know those reviews that say “this book will rip your heart to pieces and put it back together again”? Those books get an automatic pass from me. I’ve also informally DNF’d quite a few books because I could sense a Big Mis coming up. I put them down because I couldn’t stand it and never felt like picking them back up. I always mean to get back to them in case it didn’t really happen but, let’s face it, it probably did.
I know I’ve read a few recently where I was gratified and relieved when the Big Mis was sidestepped. Sadly, I can’t remember the titles. This is the kind of thing I hope my reading spreadsheet will help with.
@Midge the new Albert, Sink or Swim, similarly has no bleak moment. MC1 tries to create one but MC2 doesn’t play along.
I haven’t written a bleak moment, big misunderstanding, or break up in any of my sweet romance novels set around a cat cafe, and no one has complained that they were boring. Sometimes it’s enough to read about nice people behaving sensibly and dealing with the regular challenges in their lives.
(It’s also easier to avoid the breakup in sweet romance, because you can wait until the end to really get them together, if you don’t need to write sex scenes.)
Adele Buck’s novella, The Wedding Bait (also has MC’s over 50 if you’re looking for that).
I just finished Annabeth Albert’s new m/m book, Sink or Swim.It definitely fits this Rec. If I’m remembering correctly, many of her books do.
Like Shana, I prefer this type of romance and I’m also having trouble thinking of many examples.
Full English by KJ Charles – ff Edwardian romance / house party murder mystery.
I think that Olivia Waite’s ff historical trilogy also fits the bill. Each romance is stand alone and each one is quite different.
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins – ff fake dating for a reality tv show. Fluffy, tropey joy. I think there’s a little conflict at the end that felt a little forced but not a full blown dark moment break up.
A few years ago, Jo Walton at Tor.com did an article on Books Where No Bad Thing Happens, with a very long comment thread. Mostly sci-fi & fantasy books of course, but some romance mentioned.
https://www.tor.com/2020/03/20/books-in-which-no-bad-things-happen/
@madscientistnz that’s a really good thread you’ve linked!
I think I’ve come up with a few more, if memory serves (I’m going to start tagging books with low/no MC conflict in LT as soon as I’m done from now on)
The Hearts of Blackmere “Champion” trilogy by Marie Lipscombe has external conflict, but the MCs are as tight as anything, and we get to enjoy them for three books.
Ann Aguirre’s Strange Love also has mutually supportive MCs who just get on with things in the face of external conflict.
I remember Mrs Martin’s Incomparable Aventure by Courtney Milan being another “us against the world” type example.
Jackie Lau I think has a few – The Ultimate Pi Day Party comes to mind.
The first (and probably other) Ice Planet Barbarians?