Cover stories: Romance novels with illustrated covers to pique your interest

By Collection Management Librarian Dontaná

Illustrated covers have become a trend for contemporary romance novels. They’re cute, expressive, and can be drawn to fit the mood and style of the author and story. In honor of International Kissing Day, here are some romance novels with illustrated covers. Check out the kiss-o-meter to learn more about their first kiss!

Illustrated romance covers



Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Kiss-o-meter: Alex and Henry's first kiss is stolen moment at a party.

Description: After an international incident affects U.S. and British relations, the president's son Alex and Prince Henry must pretend to be best friends, but as they spend time together, the two begin a secret romance that could derail a presidential campaign.

Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey

Kiss-o-meter: They're already married, so they've had plenty of kisses. The real story is them finding their way back to each other.

Description: While attending marriage boot camp, Rosie and Dominic Vega, once thought of as the perfect couple, find their relationship getting stronger each day, until Rosie discovers that Dom has a secret, which changes everything.

Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner

Kiss-o-meter: Their first kiss is so sweet and tender you won't mind that it is so close to the end of the novel.

Description: When her career is threatened by a red-carpet photo that appears to have romantic undertones, a Hollywood showrunner and her female assistant are targeted by paparazzi before realizing their actual feelings for each other.

Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai

Kiss-o-meter: Their first kiss is a vulnerable moment between two people who have worked hard to keep their interactions strictly professional.

Description: A live-tweet event goes viral for a camera-shy ex-model, shoving her into the spotlight—and into the arms of the bodyguard she’d been pining for. By the author of The Right Swipe. Hardcover Library Edition. 30,000 first printing.

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang

Kiss-o-meter: They get caught by his relatives during their first kiss, but then again, they weren't really hiding.

Description: When his difficulties with processing emotions complicate the search for his bride, a Vietnamese-American on the autism spectrum is pursued by a hopelessly smitten girl from the Ho Chi Min City slums.

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Kiss-o-meter: Their first kiss is under the mistletoe!  

Description: Accompanying her daughter to England to help style a royal family member during the Christmas season, Vivian finds herself in an unexpected holiday romance with the queen’s charming private secretary. By the best-selling author of The Wedding Date.

Dontana

About Dontaná

Dontaná is a Collection Management Librarian who was born with an unending reading list. She is almost always reading two books simultaneously and is easily distracted by cool covers.