Romance writers choose romance fiction: recommendations from Sareeta Domingo & Eleanor Pilcher

What makes great romance fiction, when there are as many kinds of romance as there are characters and authors? We decided to ask those who write iromance fiction themselves!

First Date festival is in full swing and what a joy it's been so far. With plenty more to come - from Scottish romantasy to epic loves in myth and folklore and a late night book market - we asked two of our festival authors about their favourite romance reads.

For our last in-shop event of the festival on May 30th, we're hosting the marvelous Sareeta Domingo and Eleanor Pilcher - two of the brightest stars in contemporary romance fiction. Theirs is writing that's queer, feminist, and takes women's pleasure seriously!

What are the books they themselves recommend and what makes them brilliant?

Eleanor Pilcher, author of That's What She Said

An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn - I'm a HUGE Bridgerton fan. I take multiple days off when the series comes out and I've read nearly everything Julia Quinn has ever published! My favourite is the Cinderella retelling, and Benedict's love story, An Offer from a Gentleman. Swoonworthy!

The Flashare by Beth O'Leary - The epitome of the one-bed trope! I love the communication between the two protagonists with post-its in this unique and playful romance that was utterly addictive

Beach Read by Emily Henry - I'm a sucker for a publishing romance, and this follows two writers in a fixed proximity, with lots of banter and a healthy amount of tension.

Sareeta Domingo, author of Possibility

The Perfect Find by Tia Williams - This is one of Tia’s earlier novels, about a magazine editor in her early forties who begins a complicated affair with a younger man. It’s quite rare to see a Black woman approaching middle age in a romantic story, and this story is juicy, fun but has a lot of interesting dilemmas and ideas about relationship dynamics and how we define ourselves in life and at work.

You Again by Kate Goldbeck - This is a smart, brilliantly-written contemporary romance that is an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers story about a chaotic aspiring comedian and an arrogant chef who keep meeting again over the years. It’s inspired by one of my favourite films, When Harry Met Sally and Goldbeck crafts these characters impeccably, as well as really giving a gorgeous New York feel to the novel.

The View Was Exhausting by Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta - This novel deliciously explores the classic fake-dating trope but with a real-world edge. It’s about a British-Asian film star who enlists her frenemy playboy friend to act as her boyfriend in an attempt to simplify her life—but their chemistry has other ideas. But the women who wrote this novel are a real married couple, who imbue the story with important ideas about race and class and the complexities that can bring to a glamourous world like this.

Join us to celebrate the very best in contemporary romance fiction with Sareeta and Eleanor on May 30th! Tickets are here.