Okay so… I know there are some amongst our reading crew that are hard-core thrill seekers (at least… book-wise). We want heartache, we want angst, and we want crazy thriller twists that we don’t even see coming and take our breath away. We might even… *gasp* 
accept a non-happily-ever-after. Or… one to be determined by the reader. Yep. We’re out there, and we’re in full force!
However… there are some that read for the pleasure and tranquility of a pure love story, JUST for the delight of that love story. I love those too. I DO. But some of us love ’em even more. And so when R. Renee made this special request, our own Fabi came to the “low-angst” rescue! And maybe these will be just up your alley, too.
R. Renee: I have a friend who likes Erotic Romance, NOT erotica, but hates sad and angst. All angst. I know, right? I’m not even sure how we’re friends LOL. I thought of Tangled, but what are some other ones? I was going to go down Leslie’s book list, but you like angst, right? Any suggestions anyone?
Fabi: I have a ton of those on my read list. But you can’t have any kind of a romance novel without a single drop of angst. Still, many of my favs are low angst. Here are a few, but really, I bet I have tons and tons more.
Shine Not Burn by Elle Casey <— “Omg I just finished the blackjack scene in chap 9 of Shine. I laughed so hard that I had tears streaming down my face and couldn’t catch a breath. Maybe it’s just be but it really tickled my funny bone…” AND THEN… “Really good! I’d classify it as a romantic comedy. I’ve never laughed so much reading a book. The dialogue is fantastic. This is a prolific writer too so I’m going to have to check out some of her other work to see if its all as good as this one.”
Slade (Walk Of Shame #1) by Victoria Ashley <— “So good! Hot, steamy, sexy guys. Thanks for the heads up on it. Was great.”
Cocky Bastard by Penelope Ward <— “…here’s what I thought of Cocky Bastard: I am so impressed with both the female and male POVs in this book. I could swear Aubry and Chase are real people. 5 big, beautiful, love story stars for this one A big thank you to both authors for making me feel all girly, and mushy, and starry eyed. Books like these are the chocolate truffles for my soul. …Cocky Bastard is such a girly book. Pink and glittery and soft and sweet. I loved it.”
Bossman by Vi Keeland <— “I’m at 45% in Bossman and I can’t put it down. It reads so smoothly that I can’t stop going from page to page no matter how late it’s getting.” and then… “...5 stars for me. Vi Keeland wrote the perfect boyfriend. I need to put her books in my feel-good category. They never fail to make me happy.”
To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise <— “@69% The first kiss! The sexual tension has not let up for a single page. Sheesh! This book is insanely good.” and then… “I 5 star loved it! A perfect love story with perfect characters. Every one of them came alive for me. …an NA with loads of steam and sweet and cute… was one of my favs this year.”
From Scratch (The Blue Plate Series) by Rachel Goodman <— “I just finished reading From Scratch by Rachel Goodman. It was the perfect Sunday read. Full of southern charm and feisty characters. I love Lillie and Nick. I love the self discovery and growth they experience. I especially loved the second chance orchestrated to give them the opportunity for it. They were the main characters, but their supporting cast are so well developed that they easily stand on their own and make distinct footprints in the story. So well written. It was a real pleasure to read.”
Beautiful Bastard (The Beautiful Series Book 1) by Christina Lauren <— “I remember being enthralled and reading the Beautiful Bastard series nonstop, without a reminder…”
➔➔➔ Looking for more of our favorite recommendations? Browse our “Ultimate Favorites Lists” here. Are you in the mood for a certain kind of story? Browse our favorite “genre/trope categories” here and our reader favorites lists too.
Maryse you cracked me up.
LOL!!!!!!
I know. 😛
I crack myself up, at times, too. 😉
Ahhh. Fabi. This list is panacea for those of us with low angst tolerance. Thanks hun.
I absolutely LOVED Cocky Bastard!!!
And before anyone starts crossing it off their list because *I* loved it, just know that it’s not one of my heartache-inducing, tummy-twisting, kick-your-heart’s-a$$ books. It had the perfect blend of romantic tension and sweet relief. It’s definitely fitting for Fabi’s low-angst list. 😉
Agreed Amy!!
Cocky Bastard is one of my all-time favorites and isn’t even CLOSE to being a MARMY book.
Just sayin’ 😉
We like ’em too. 😛
Every time you guys use Marmy I think of little women. Every time. Plus, their is an Amy in it.
Hey, Maryse? Are you going to tell us what romance you were reading?
“All In” bev… it’s good! Perfect compliment/sequel to Full Tilt. Just a hard read when I’m melancholy and missing my mommy.
Thanks Maryse and Fabi. My kind of books. Ahhhhh 🙂
Ah, I’m sorry you are missing your mom. That’s tough.
You need a I’m missing my mom so cheer me up book to read.
I still have not read any of the Emma Scott books.
More suggestions for low angst books :
Laura Florand Love her books – thanks for the tip, bev. Hot French guys, sweet romance. Oh yeah 🙂
Transcendence – a different but lovely romance.
Also Truly by Ruthie Knox which I just read and loved.
Anyone want to make their own list of low-angst favorites? I’ll post ’em. 😀
*ahem*
Hint hint… Jan. 😉
Yay….list making!!! Favorite Sunday activity. Im gonna make a angst-lite contemporary comedy/romance list!
YAY LISA!!!!
Send it over and it will be up soon. 😀
omg! I tend to forget we’re being recorded. LOL
Maryse you’re so funny.
Leslie, oh Leslie *calling out happily* where’s your list?
Yes!!! Erica is going to love this!! You haven’t reviewed All In yet, have you? I’ve been off and on the computer this weekend.
That’s about as low angst as I get!
Omg this is so funny! Y’all are the best!
This helps so much. With work, family, and the million other things that take up my day, I enjoy my easy, steamy reads that don’t leave me wanting to jump off a cliff afterward.
Ain’t nobody got time for that!
Oooh I love lists! Spreadsheets… I’m all queued up and ready for January when we start posting our best of 2016 lists! So this just makes me all sorts of warm and fuzzy…not to mention it’s Fabi’s list, & it’s got a bunch of top category reads that I love on there already! A couple I haven’t read though, so I will definitely check them out!
Thanks Fabi and as always, thank you Maryse for rocking the blog!
Erica…
Amy and I have time for that. 😉
We’re the MARMY twins and we like to hurt BAD!!! LOL!!!!
What the heck is our book-problem? 😛
And you know Fabi… it’s not so much that you’re being recorded” (lol!!!) but that you guys are my book-buds. You guys are awesome at good stories… and we know each other’s preferences.
So if one of you have said it, sometimes it just seems right to specifically highlight it in a post, as extra special. 😉
Maryse –
More power to y’all.
*shakes head and shivers*
Maryse, this right down my alley. As well as the rest. Haha
Here’s my very quick list
Gemini Penelope ward
Bossman vi keeland
The Deal Elle Kennedy
To Hate Adam Connor. I also loved this. Ella Maise
To Love Jason Thorn. Ella Maise
Love Unscripted Tina Reber
Love Unrehersed Tina Reber
Fall – sea side novel Rachel Van Dyken
Belong to you Vi Keeland
Stuck Up Suit Vi Keeland
Roomhate Penelope Douglas
Ever sea Natasha Boyd
Pocketful of Sand M Leighton
Remembering When 1,2 3 T Torrest
There’s a few a found quickly. Love these lists.
t
I wanna play too!! Me Before You was pretty light, right?
*scrolls through books* Nope. I got nothing! 😀
Fabi, while I love the gut-twisting Maryse/Amy books, I probably read more like the one’s above. Read all but 2 of the above- Slade and From Scratch. Adding those to my TBR. 🙂
Maryse, I agree it’s so cool to see what others have said about a book.
R. *rolls eyes* give it up woman. There’s nothing light or cheery in that booklist on your Kindle. I think you’ve even got Many beat in the heartbreak hotel.
Cheryl, yeah! I hope you like them. One of them is steaming hot smoking up the Kindle pages, the other is one of the sweetest most wholesome and heartwarming stories.
Melinda, your list looks like my tbr. *two thumbs up*
LOL Fabi! True. When I want low angst I grab one of Erica’s books. But that’s still heavy. 180 lbs of heavy 😉 *blushes*
ugh “Many” was supposed to be “Marmy” above. Autocorrect is in fine form today.
LOL R!!
Lol. She’s got Manny beat in the Heartbreak Hotel—now I’m going to imagine R in someone’s crying drunken chocolate covered clasp.
R. Did you post someone’s weight?
LOL bev! If the blurb were to say, “You’ll find yourself in someone’s crying drunken chocolate covered clasp.” ONE CLICK!
Weight? What? Did I type that out loud?
R – I prefer that kind of heavy. *giggles*
I’m totally going to get a lost together this evening of my low angst, smoking hot faves for y’all.
Mm mm mmmmm. 😉
YEP!!! The Marmy twins always have time for book hurt!! LOL!!!
So, for the newer friends here…a Marmy book will *potentially* do any (or all) of the following: make your tummy eat itself from angst, make your chest clench from trepidation, cause splotches from anxiety, rip your heart from your chest before pummeling it and stomping all over it, punch you in the ovaries, blindside you with a sledgehammer-to-the-chest twist, or make you ugly cry and snuffle all over Manny (our sweet, stuffed manatee). Also, there MAY or MAY NOT be an HEA…but we don’t do spoilers here so it could go either way. And we love ’em both. 😉
BUT! Just because we both love the same book doesn’t make it a Marmy book. For example Cocky Bastard or On the Island (hey, there’s one for the low-angst list!). Okay, jumping off my big-mouth soapbox now…
OOOH is there a Marmy list already? I think I’ve seen the ugly cry list, but throwing in high angst AND ugly cry adds another level of hurt! In the meantime, Amy, if you could just make a Marmy shelf on GR… 😉
Oh dang, that’s a good idea!!!
But…er…you DID see that they may or may not have an HEA, right? And sometimes my idea of HEA doesn’t line up with others’ ideas of HEA…
Yep, but that’s when I privately ask you if I should read it and you answer me honestly!!
Deal!! *fistbumps R*
Fabi we can be book twins. I loved all your recommendations.
I just finished Jezebel struggled through it. Just didn’t really do it for me. Just ok. But I absolutely loved those books by Ella Maise and Tina Reber.
On GR there’s a button that shows your compatibility. I think I am closet with Jean.
Melinda…I loved Love Unscripted and was THRILLED when I found this place and realized it was loved here, too! 😀
Yeah, some of us have wildly different ideas as to what a happy ending is.
OMG.
A MARMY list. THAT IS SO GONNA GO UP SHORTLY!!!!!!!!!!!
*squeeeeeee* all of our favorite crazy intense books on ONE LIST!!!!!
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sorry I think Ela hijacked my keyboard…)
Oh. Boy.
Let the death club convene.
*snort*!!!!!!!
No… R. But it’s definitely enter at your own risk.
AND!!!
Always fun and memorable. Er.. well. To me and Amy, that is. 😉
No!!! It’s not all death! Right??
Either way, I’m ready. Amy promised to warn me if necessary, but I think I’m getting tougher so I might not need it!
A Marmy happy ending doesn’t mean they are always happy together.
#Winning!!! 2 thumbs up for pretzel tummy!
WOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!!! A Marmy list!!!
I’ll get a list over to you soon, Maryse…this is gonna be FUN!!!! *wiggles in seat*
And no, not all of them are death books…but like Maryse said, it will be an enter-at-your-own-risk list. 😛
Even if you do end up with an HEA or the warm and fuzzies from some of them, those feelings will be HARD WON and you’ll be nearly exhausted by the time you get there…like with Tristan and Danika. *oomph!!*
How Fabi ‘ s low angst list became the launch pad for the Marmy list I do not understand, lol.
*snort*
Would you expect anything less from us ladies here? 😉
Yes! I need something light and fun. I just finished Anthony Doerr’s “All The Light We Cannot See”. A brilliant novel but it’s a war story and we all know how war stories go. Which is why I normally avoid them.! So now to have some fun and release the melancholy that book left me with.
Love unscripted and Love Unreheased $1.99 each. Such great books.
I read them twice each Amy.
I would Love a Marmy List. Ooooooh where to start the best books.
OK Maryse. I will put some of my fav low-angst books in a list and send it to you. But keep those Marmy books away from me! *holds crossed fingers towards Marmy list*
Sorry guys, duh! I just now clicked on these comments. Of course I can make a list.
I only like books with a HEA and I don’t like death of main character.
*scurries off to start list making*
Melinda I loved Love Unrehearsed and love unscripted. Two of my favs back in the blissful days of Indie discoveries.
I’m not sure whose recommendation it was – I saw someone mention the book Rainfall by Melissa Delport, and I instantly one clicked, dove in, and good lord, I was gutted. That book needs to come with a warning label on it. It was damn good though! So thank you, to whoever mentioned it – I love you and hate you for it, all at once!!
I don’t know who brought it up on here Lisa, but Fabi recommended it to me. Thanks for posting that because now I’m really excited! I saw the word “gutted” and my eyes lit up!
Ok, so this list is going to take longer than I thought. I went through all my shelves and have written 3 pages of notes!! Got to get it all organized & typed up. 🙂
I’m looking forward to it Leslie.
R I hope it wrecks you like it did me. And how I’m sure The Man I Love is going to do me too.
Doesn’t that just sound awful to wish in person? lol
*to wish on a person*
It’s music to my ears Fabi!
Oh, I hope you enjoy Rainfall, R – enjoy might not be the right word though. But, I get super-excited when I know someone is reading something I read, just to see their reaction. And now I gotta check out this “The Man I Love” thing too. I absolutely love when a story destroys me…ahhhh the feelz!!!!!
OMG Lisa! Read with Fabi! I just watched my last victim succumb to the Fish cult last night on GR. It’s a beautiful thing to witness! Wait? Did I say victim? I meant friend. FRIEND!! If you want to be destroyed, click on “my faves” GR shelf. Just go down the list LOL.
I need lessons in how to use Goodreads properly. All I do is add stuff to my “I read this” list. I don’t know how to shelf, or add friends, and all that…but apparently I need to learn!!! A lot!!!
It’s easier than you think. You can just add a shelf from the drop-down beside the book. And when I started, I just copied the more popular shelves everyone else has. Here’s the link to my angsty/swoony/gut-wrencher list. https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/47734324-robin-hill?shelf=my-faves&utf8=%E2%9C%93
R – I think you’re my new best friend 🙂
Yay Lisa!! We can sob together!
Lisa are you the Lisa I’m already friends with on GR?
R – I’m not. I think I’m allegedlylisa on Goodreads
I’m getting everyone confused! I did this yesterday with the Michelles!
Oh heck yes you need some GR help! I’m here for you 🙂
I’M the Lisa your friends with on GR R.
Australian Lisa with the pathetic, feeble and cowardly heart who needs constant hand-holding just to read the blurb on your gut-wrencher book list. *shakes head* I dont know why were even friends? Except I love laughing at how thoroughly excited you all get when you’re about to get your heart fed through a mulcher!
Lisa from oz, I’m so with you. My poor frail heart can’t take the gut-trenchers. Love, Jan from oz.
Gut WRENCHERS! Wth?
Duh Lisa! I knew that!! You hate the sad stuff! But ying and yang Lisas?? Priceless!
Yep. She’s obviously my evil twin *winks at Lisa Aiello*
While she’s proudly telling war stories about how she survived an Amy/R recommendation I’ll be over here curled up in the corner sucking my thumb and clutching Manny.
Sorry R, I think Rainfall is better than fish tales. It’s captivating. The writing is so so good. Gutted is such a great word for this book.
Fabi did recommend it. Loved it. The first of the swarmy books.
Another good book for low angst is Slammed and point of no retreat.
Whoa! Melinda did you drink your crazy juice this morning? For shame! NOTHING is better than The Fish Tales!!! Say it isn’t so!!!
uh uh uh R, you can’t compare yet since you haven’t read Rainfall.
Can’t wait to find out. Are you going to love it like EVERYONE does? Or are you going to hate it like lonely ol’ me on this tiny deserted island?
Maryse, my list is coming. It’s very long…not sure if there is character limit on this. If I blow up your blog, I’m apologizing in advance. 😉
I can email instead if you need me to.
Leslie, I just saw it and I’m already preparing the post. YAY!!! 😀 *hug*
Fabi, I can tell you right now I would hate Rainfall. I came very close to reading it, realized I couldn’t handle it, then read a ton of spoilers…so I know what happens and big fat nope!! Just like Me Before You. I know that story and no way Jose.
Ok, so I have been an avid contemporary romance reader for last 6 years. Here are some faves of mine…they vary in angst level but they will not rip your heart out and HEA is guaranteed!!
Seduction & Snacks (funniest thing I have ever read)
RoomHate
Wrong
Bad Romeo/Broken Juliet (major swoon)
Cocky Bastard
The Fall Up
Good/Better (hot for teacher)
Racing the Sun
Tapping the Billionaire
Hollywood & Vine (celeb)
Strings
Seducing Cinderella (MMA fighter)
The Troublemaker Next Door
How to Handle a Heartbreaker
To Love Jason Thorne (celeb)
Stepbrother Dearest
What I did for Love
Maybe Someday (love triangle)
Back to You
Worth the Fall
My Favorite Mistake
Bender
True Love Story (rock star)
Bad Rep
Escorted (male escort)
Love Left Behind
Bella Andre:
San Francisco Sullivans series – I have a thing with “sib” books and this is huge family with each sib getting their own romance story.
Lauren Dane:
Chase Brothers Series (sib series set in small town w/a nosey but adorable mom)
Brown Family Series – (hot sib series)
Julie James:
Something About You (hot cop)
A lot Like Love (hot cop)
About That Night (2nd chance romance)
Just the Sexiest Man Alive (H is celeb)
Practice Makes Perfect (hilarious office romance)
Victoria Dahl:
Good Girls Don’t
Bad Boys Do
Real Men Will (one of my fave sib series ever)
Talk me Down (hot cop)
Start me up (hot nerd)
Lead me on
Crazy for Love
Toni Blake:
One Reckless Summer (bad a$$ H)
Sugar Creek (hot cop)
Whisper Falls (bad a$$ H)
Tempt me Tonight (2nd chance romance)
Swept Away (hot cop)
Jill Shalvis:
Simply Irresistible
The Sweetest Thing
Head Over Heels (small town sib series)
Double Play
Slow Heat (hot baseball player series)
Instant Attraction
Instant Gratification
Instant Temptation
Robyn Carr: Virgin River Series – I have read up to #15 and loved them all. This is small town series with each book highlighting different couple. However, old couples make reappearances and I highly recommend to read in order.
Susan Mallery: Buchanan Family Series – Sib series with 2nd chance romance, hot marine, hot baseball player and lots of family drama.
Susan Donovan:
He Loves Lucy
Public Displays of Affection
Cheri on Top
I Want Candy
Susan Andersen:
Cutting Loose
Bending the Rules
Playing Dirty (series about 3 friends that inherit a mansion)
Rachel Gibson: Chinooks Hockey Series (hot hockey players)
I left out the major angst ones and some already frequently mentioned. I wish I could comment on every one and link book covers like on GR.
Melinda, you think Slammed series is low angst?!?! I bawled my eyes out in that one!!!
I did too Leslie! And now I’m rethinking Bad Romeo because it’s on your list. It’s low angst too? 🙁
But I did love Hollywood and Vine, I thought it had a decent amount of angst…
Leslie that is a huge list. I have to admit I’ve only read a few of them, although I have many of them on my tbr. Thank you for putting it together for us.
Hey you guys!!!
I had a thought. For the SATURDAY before Halloween, I’d love to do one master list of our favorrite SCARY STORIES BUT!!!!
It doesn’t have to be a book. It can be ANYTHING.
Like, your favorite campfire story, or some scary/paranormal/weird/over-coincidence type thing that you experienced…
OR it can be your scariest memory (maybe a creepy nightmare that you had and like telling people) or MAYBE
Your scariest movie that ever saw (and why it freaked you out so bad)…
or a scary scene (movie or book)…
scariest books, of COURSE would be fun to list too.
Like for me… my earliest scary memory, was the song “The Purple People Eater”. I was SO young when I first heard that it and while I giggled and danced, I was personally scared badly by the lyrics. LOL!!!!!!
And like… example! For my one of my aunts? She went to see the Exorcist back when it was first in theaters (in the 70’s) and they had ambulances outside in case of people passing out, and she was TERRIFIED. She went back home… alone into her dark house, and her phone was ringing. So she answered it… picked up the receiver… and said “Hello”? And it continued ringing. <— EEEEP!!! I mean, your tale can be super-scary, or pretty funny (as long as it has a bit of that dark factor/creep factor/morbidness to it). LOL!
R, my list isn’t all low angst. It’s just not rip your heart out, people dying, kind of reads. All are HEA.
Yay! I was all, bummer! :/
OMG Maryse! That sounds like so much fun!
Wow Leslie. What a great list! Thankyou 🙂