**ROUND UP**

Valentine’s Day Favorites
These romances take place on or around Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re celebrating with a partner, with your friends, or curled up alone with a juicy book — there’s something here for you.

Love is in the air! It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and if you’re in the mood to ramp up the romance, this round-up is for you. These romances take place on or around the holiday of love. Whether you’re celebrating with a partner, with your friends, or curled up alone with a juicy book — there’s something here for you.

Victoria Loves Valentine’s Day!

Is there anything not to love about a day celebrating love?! The cynics will call it a Hallmark holiday, but I think it’s a perfect reason to celebrate with the people we love most — whether they’re your gals, your partner or yourself. Send a card, buy flowers, make some chocolates…. or just curl up with a nice cuppa tea and one of the books below for a nice romantic evening. Because we love love in all forms! And we love when it’s celebrated in our favorite books.

Favorite Scene

“I love you, Nick Stark... It won't count tomorrow and it'll be like I never said it, but on this Valentine's Day, I fell in love with you.”
- THE DO-OVER by Lynn Painter

Valentine’s Day Recommendations

REVISITING THE PAST: Exes & O’s by Amy Lea (Amazon) - updated
Booktok Influencer revisits a list of exes to see if they could be her second-chance romance. Naturally, one might expect some bad blood, but this this romcom was so sweet and charming. And a friendly reminder that maybe (just maybe) the people we meet in each chapter in life serve a purpose that ultimately lead us where (and with whom) we’re meant to be.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5

REPEATING THE SAME DAY: The Do-Over by Lynn Painter (Amazon)
THIS BOOK! If I could live in a time loop and reread this book over and over and over so I could relive this day with these characters endlessly, I would. Lynn Painter has marvelously woven every emotion into this story and you’ll eagerly root for the perfect Valentine’s Day… whatever that looks like.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4.5/5

YEAR OVER YEAR: The Exception to the Rule (The Improbable Meet-Cute, #1) by Christina Lauren (Amazon)
One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition. This short story takes place over a series of Valentine’s Days. While everything in their lives continue to change, one remains a constant. It’s short and sweet, and I wish it was longer.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 4/5

FROM HOLIDAY TO HOLIDAY : Unromance by Erin Connor (Amazon)
A must-read for romcom lovers! And I mean whether you read or watch movies, if you idolize Nora Ephron, or if you love love, Unromance should be on your TBR. For this romance lover, this anti-romance romance was a win! From the listing out of tropes and their tasks to unromanticize them to the character and relationship development proving their efforts null and void. It’s everything you want from a romcom. AND all the references to romcoms makes it all the better because you know exactly what the tropes intend. This book begins around Christmas / Hanukkah and ends around Valentine’s Day.
VICTORIA’S RATING: 3.5/5

The Best of the Best: Victoria’s Top Picks

FEATURING AN ANTI-VALENTINE ROMANCE: First-Time Caller by BK Borison (Amazon)

An HoH Book Club Pick! This new release is THE Valentine’s Day read you need. Beyond the fact that the MMC’s last name is literally Valen(tine) (even though he’s anti-Valentine), I am soooo in love with this book.

Based on the classic romcom, Sleepless in Seattle, this fresh take will have you swooning within the first couple of pages.

Friends, THIS BOOK WAS SO WELL-WRITTEN. I basically read every page aloud to James because I *needed* to share BK’s unworldly use of metaphor — she painted the most vivid scenes. You’ll read / hear the words, but you’ll *feel* them in every inch of your body from the squeeze of your heart to the free-fall of your stomach as it fills with butterflies.

Read my Sneak Peek!

VICTORIA’S RATING: 5/5