Sometimes, we all just crave a sweet romance that doesn’t revolve around sex. The stories below fall into the clean romance novels category and are also well written and just as satisfying as a novel with more steam. If you want the beautiful anticipation of a romance novel, without the racy scenes, these lovely romances are clean and sweet!
Table of Contents
Best Clean Romance Novels
I really love to read romances, because I can expect a happy ending. Reading about a character’s journey to their happily ever after is the exciting part. It doesn’t have to be excessively steamy or have many vulgar words to get to the happily ever after. The clean romance novels below are compelling and a whole lotta fun!
If you also like some steam, check out romance novels that are more than “just a romance”.
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Clean Romance Books
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Would Like to Meet
by Rachel Winters
Evie loves her job as an agent’s assistant (in this case, a screenwriter’s agent), at least that’s what she insists for most of the book. Then, she ends up putting her job on the line trying to convince famous screenwriter, Ezra Chester, to just finish the flipping script already.
However, Ezra thinks rom-coms are completely unrealistic. He’ll only start this script if Evie can show him it’s possible to actually meet someone the way that people meet in the movies. What’s your favorite meet cute? You’ll see her recreate it in this book.
Through all her humiliations, which seem to always be witnessed by Ben and Anette, a father and daughter who hang out at the same cafe, Evie is determined to follow through.
This book has everything. Evie tries all kinds of meet cutes and meets all kinds of guys. It’s absolutely entertaining, occasionally infuriating, and ultimately, one of my favorite clean romance novels.
A note on the steam level: it’s definitely clean, as far as sex scenes go (there are none). However, there’s a hen do (bachelorette party) and plastic penises are mentioned, even though Sarah had a rule about that! There are so many twists and turns and enough romantic suspense and moments to enjoy, but it’s also the rich characters, their growth through the book, and the plot twists that kept me reading well past my bedtime.
Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins
Anna is forced to attend her senior year of high school at a boarding school in Paris. While some of us might say “boo-hoo” and roll our eyes, think about what it feels like to be forced to do something like that, especially at age 17 when you haven’t really prepared for it. Not being given a choice sucks. Anna is relatable. She’s not whining and crying about it, even though she is upset to leave her best friend, Bridgette, and potential love interest, Toph (as in Christopher).
Once in Paris, she falls in with a group of people, including the handsome Etiene St. Clair. Etiene is dating a woman who attends university in Paris, but our lovely heroine falls for him anyway. While this story is a little bit similar to the romance novels set in Paris by Chanel Cleeton, this novel doesn’t have any sex scenes. Even though we are dealing with somewhat mature high school students, we see a lot of character growth, strength in adversity (it’s HARD to move to another country when you want to do it), and a wonderful romance thrown in, too.
I really enjoyed this romance and it makes me imagine what it would’ve been like had I had enough gumption to spend a semester or year abroad in college.
Starry Night
by Debbie Macomber
Finn Dalton is a popular writer who doesn’t want to be found. Carrie Slayton is a reporter with something to prove. She wants to move on from the society pages to meatier subjects. Her boss tells her if she can find Finn Dalton and get an interview, she can choose any stories she wants at the paper. When she manages to find the elusive Finn, can she get her story? Or will she fall in love?
Set in Chicago, Seattle, and Alaska, Carrie flies into the tundra to find her man. When she manages to meet him, she ends up stuck in his small cabin for a few days.
It’s a wildly romantic story, with two people covering vast distances for each other. There’s a bit of a love letter to Alaska in this book, as well. The characters took time to get to know each other before jumping into sex (and there is none in the story). It’s such a sweet and engaging stories, with characters you can root for.
Love is a Battlefield
by Whitney Dineen
Addison Cooper is ready to go on her all expense paid vacation to the Cayman Islands. Instead, her mother guilts her into helping their family friend, Aunt Ruby, with a design emergency at Aunt Ruby’s Lodge. Addie insists there are no design emergencies, but finds herself heading to the outback of Oregon to work, instead of relaxing on the beach.
Brogan Cavanaugh is a best selling author, who heads to visit his mother at the Lodge, because something seems off. Right away, he runs into Addie, barely recognizing her from their childhood.
But Addie remembers Brogan. Their families went camping every year until she was 17. Brogan and his brother, James, always played terrible pranks on her and Addie has not forgotten. Can these two move past their childish pranks and find love?
Addie and Brogan plus their meddling mothers make for a cute book. The book is written with his and hers POV, plus third person and texts between the moms. Though it starts out seeming like it’s going to be pretty run of the mill, it has enough twists and character development to keep the reader on their toes. I also love the location and really want to go glamping in Oregon!
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
by Jennifer E. Smith
Hadley Sullivan is a 17 year old girl who is traveling alone to London for her father’s wedding. Due to a set of unfortunate circumstances, Hadley misses her flight by a mere 4 minutes (airport life at its finest). Missing that flight turns out to be a blessing in disguise when she meets Oliver. Oliver is a British guy who is on his way home to London. Hadley and Oliver end up on the same flight and in the same row. They spend that long flight getting to know each other.
Even though Hadley initially seems like she’s a brat, we are given the background on why she’s upset and doesn’t want to attend the wedding. She doesn’t want to meet her stepmom. It’s a beautiful story of young love that takes place in a 24 hour period. Hadley grows a lot in this book. So much, in fact, that my anger towards her family lasted longer than hers.
I kind of miss Hadley now that I’ve finished the book. I want to see where her life goes from here. It’s a great, well written clean romance novel.
Best Clean Romance Novels
Final Thoughts
Romance novels without the racy scenes can be just as satisfying or even more so than the others. The clean romance novels on this list do a wonderful job of creating a romance that leave you breathless. Sometimes, they get even more into the emotional side of a romantic relationship, since they aren’t relying on racy scenes to get the characters together.
Do you have feedback about the best clean romance novels? The best feedback comes from my readers. Please leave a comment with your thoughts or suggestions. Thanks!
