50+ Clean Romance Novels

This winter I’ve done a deep dive into romcoms and clean romance novels. Apparently, there’s a wide range of content as well as quality within the romance novel genre.

With the advent of indie publishing, there are a lot more clean romance novels than there once were. Unfortunately, not all books are well-written; many verge into the very cheesy.

Some folks also debate about what books are considered clean romance novels. This definition is typically defined by language, violence, and physical displays of affection.

With two daughters aged 16 and 18, I consider clean romance novels to be those I wouldn’t mind letting my girls read. If they were made into films, I’d consider them PG.

Thanks to my Kindle Unlimited subscription, I’ve been able to read quite a few books for a cheap price, mostly sacrificing my tv watching to read books instead. Check out my current reading list.

Here are some of my favorite clean romance books that I can recommend. They are books I enjoyed, that didn’t seem too cheesy, and could easily share with my girls if they were interested. Currently, they’re too busy with school to read much for fun.

The following are books that would be great to pack to the beach or pool this summer or when you need a break from heavier reads. You can shop the whole list of clean romance novels on Amazon.

Clean Romance Novels

There are some classic clean romance novels, like the entire Jane Austen canon and Francine Rivers’ epic Redeeming Love.

However, this list is more contemporary clean romance novels.

Dear Mr. Knightley by Katherine Reay – I love most of the books that I’ve read by this author, but Dear Mr. Knightley is one that I return to over and over again. It quickly became one of my comfort books.

In this updated and less creepy version of Daddy Longlegs, an orphaned young woman finds family as well as a man to love. Those with a literary bent and affection for Jane Austen will love the bookish theme throughout. I appreciate the thread of Christian faith that Reay weaves through the book.

Other books by Katherine Reay I recommend:

• The Bronte Plot
• Lizzy and Jane
• The Austen Escape
• The Printed Letter Bookshop (Winsome series)
• Of Literature and Lattes (Winsome series) – not as good as the first.

Memory Lane by Becky Wade – Becky Wade is one of the few Christian romance novelists I’ve discovered whose books aren’t cheesy. This is the first in a 3-book series about three brothers. I enjoyed all three books in the series.

Memory Lane specifically addresses sexual assault as well as marital infidelity. I don’t remember there being a content warning, so FYI.

Other books by Becky Wade I recommend:

• Rocky Road (Sons of Scandal series)
• Uneasy Street (Sons of Scandal series)
• My Stubborn Heart

My Phony Valentine by Courtney Walsh – Courtney Walsh’s books run the gamut of clear Christian themes to none at all. While this one has pretty much none at all, it’s still one of my favorites.

It’s a fun, easy read and the start of a 3-part Holidays with Hart series. I enjoyed the second book in the series almost as much because I am a sucker for hockey. I’m looking forward to the third book coming out later this year.

Other clean romance novels by Courtney Walsh that I recommend:

• The Cupid Chronicles (Only Magic in the Building series)
• My Lucky Charm (Holidays with Hart series)
• Can’t Help Falling (Sweater Weather series)
• The Summer of Yes
• The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley
• A Cross-Country Christmas (Road Trip Romance series)
• A Cross-Country Wedding (Road Trip Romance series)
• Just Look Up (Harbor Pointe series)
• Just Like Home (Harbor Pointe series)
• Just One Kiss (Harbor Pointe series)
• Just Let Go (Harbor Pointe series)
• Is It Any Wonder
• A Sweethaven Summer (Sweethaven Circle series)
• A Sweethaven Homecoming (Sweethaven Circle series)
• A Sweethaven Christmas (Sweethaven Circle series)
• What Matters Most
• Christmas with a Crank

Yes! She’s written a lot! And I’ve read a lot of them.

Absolutely Not in Love by Jenny Proctor – Speaking of hockey players, this book is the start of the 6-book Appies Hockey series by Jenny Proctor and Emma St. Clair which I loved. Each author wrote three of the books and there are slight differences in style. As a general rule, I’d say that Jenny Proctor’s books venture more into PG13 of clean romance novels than Emma St. Clair’s.

That said, I enjoyed all six books in the series and found that each couple’s story had me engaged and rooting for them to figure out their issues and find a HEA.

Other books by Jenny Proctor I recommend:

• Once Upon a Boy Band
• When Alec Met Evie (Appies Hockey series)
• Romancing the Grump (Appies Hockey series)
• The Dating Game

The Fall Back Plan by Melanie Jacobson – If you are new to the indie romance genre, you may be pleasantly surprised by the number of cross-over series among authors. The Fall Back Plan is a part of the 5-book Sweater Weather series, set in the same town as the previously mentioned Appies Hockey series. In fact, one of Emma St. Clair’s hockey books was originally part of this series.

I have read all five books but can only recommend the first four. I have a lot of stylistic issues with A Not So Fictional Fall, so don’t read that one.

Other books by Melanie Jacobson I recommend: Finding Jack

The Buy-In by Emma St Clair – Emma St Clair has written dozens of indie clean romance books over the years. I particularly enjoyed her Sheet Cake series, starting with The Buy-In which focuses on a fake-marriage, second chance trope that really works.

There are three books in the series with at least one more in the works. If you get on her mailing list, you may get her novella in the series, entitled Upping the Ante.

Other books by Emma St Clair I recommend:

• The Bluff (Sheet Cake series)
• The Pocket Pair (Sheet Cake series)
• Upping the Ante (Sheet Cake series)
• The Serendipity (Only Magic in the Building series)
• Just Don’t Fall (Appies Hockey series)
• A Groom of One’s Own (Appies Hockey series)
• Runaway Bride and Prejudice (Appies Hockey series)

The One with the Kiss Cam by Cindy Steel

I binged all 7 Cindy Steel books over the Christmas holidays. They are fun, easy reads. The One with the Kiss Cam might be my favorite, but I am honestly not sure. I liked them all.

This particular book has a fated-to-meet trope that works in a really fun way, even though the guy is ridiculously too rich to be normal.

Other clean romance novels by Cindy Steel include:

• That Fine Line (part of Pride and Pranks series)
• Stranded Ranch (part of Pride and Pranks series)
• Christmas Spark (part of Pride and Pranks series)
• Double or Nothing (part of Pride and Pranks series)
• Faking Christmas
• Rebel Summer

These last two are part of cross-over series that I haven’t read yet.

Girl Meets Grump by Hailey Gardiner – I first heard about Hailey Gardiner this winter when she passed away. The bookstagram community rallied around her husband and children to promote her books.

I read both in her Kitt’s Harbor series, Girl Meets Grump being the first. The stories revolve around two sisters and have all the feel good emotions of a story that ends well.

Also recommend: Home Run Heart