There are those among us—and you know precisely who you are—who have quite devoured every delicious morsel Tessa Bailey has ever penned. You have swooned over grumpy fishermen and blue-collar heroes. You have laughed aloud at dialogue so sharp it could cut glass. You have felt your heart grow three sizes during declarations of love so earnest they ought to be embarrassing but somehow are not.
And now you find yourself adrift, dear reader, searching for that particular magic once more.
Fear not. We have gathered here the most splendid collection of romances that capture the very essence of what makes Bailey’s work so thoroughly addictive: the crackling banter, the swoon-worthy heroes, the heroines who are equal parts vulnerable and fierce, and, naturally, the steam that could fog every window in your home.
1. Falling Down Under by Errin Krystal
If you have ever wondered what might happen were one to take Bailey’s signature combination of grumpy-sunshine magic and transplant it to the sun-drenched vineyards of Australia, then this, dear reader, is precisely the book you have been waiting for without knowing it.
Georgia Bailey—and yes, we find the surname coincidence rather delightful—has lost everything in rather spectacular fashion: her father to death, her inheritance to a wretched stepmother, and her boyfriend to his own cowardice. With nothing left but her wit and determination, she flees to her grandparents’ vineyard in rural Australia, where she must work as a waitress in a restaurant helmed by none other than the boy who once held her heart. That boy, however, has grown into a man—a grumpy, devastatingly handsome chef who has rather a lot to say about her sudden reappearance.
This is second-chance romance at its most satisfying, with the sort of banter that will have you reading passages aloud to whoever happens to be nearby. The Australian setting provides a gorgeous backdrop of rolling hills and excellent wine, whilst the supporting cast of quirky characters—including, we must mention, a resident kangaroo—makes the vineyard feel like a place you might wish to never leave.
Readers have called it “heartwarming,” “a perfect stress reliever,” and “such a page turner I read all night.” The chemistry between Georgia and her reformed childhood sweetheart builds deliciously, and when they finally succumb to their feelings, the steam rivals anything in the genre. This is the first book in the Seven Sisters Vineyard series, and each novel stands complete on its own with no cliffhangers—merely the warm, satisfied feeling of a happily ever after.
Read a sample of Falling Down Under
2. The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
In the hallowed halls of Stanford University, where serious people do serious science, a most unserious thing occurs: Olive Smith, a PhD candidate of considerable cleverness, kisses the first man she sees to convince her friend she is romantically unavailable. That man happens to be Adam Carlsen, a professor so renowned for his grumpiness that graduate students speak his name in whispers.
What follows is a fake-dating arrangement that feels as inevitable as it is delightful. The grumpy-sunshine dynamic here is perfection itself—Olive all warmth and pumpkin lattes, Adam all brooding intensity and surprising tenderness. Entertainment Weekly did not call Hazelwood “the Michelangelo of dirty talk” without reason.
3. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
When Naomi Witt flees her own wedding and rushes to rescue her wayward twin sister, she expects drama. She does not expect to be stranded in a small Virginia town called Knockemout, suddenly guardian to an eleven-year-old niece she never knew existed. Nor does she expect Knox Morgan, a bearded, bad-tempered barber who makes it abundantly clear that he wants nothing to do with her particular brand of chaos.
Knox is the sort of grumpy hero Bailey fans adore: prickly on the outside, secretly tender within, and utterly incapable of not helping the sunshine heroine who has upended his carefully ordered life. The found-family elements are beautifully rendered, and the slow build to romance is worth every moment of delicious tension.
4. Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Here is a clever subversion: Nora Stephens is precisely the sort of high-powered city woman who, in lesser romance novels, gets left behind when the hero discovers the simple charms of small-town life. Henry knows this, and so does Nora. When she finds herself in the quaint town of Sunshine Falls with her beloved sister, she fully expects to be the villain of someone else’s love story.
Enter Charlie Lastra, a brooding book editor who is decidedly not charming—until, quite suddenly, he is. Their banter is razor-sharp, their chemistry undeniable. This book won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance, and deservedly so.
5. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne
Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman do not merely dislike one another. They despise each other with a passion that manifests in elaborate workplace games and ritualistic passive aggression. They are executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company, sitting directly across from one another, playing Mirror Games and Staring Games with deadly seriousness.
Then comes one elevator kiss that changes absolutely everything. Thorne’s debut novel has been credited with reinvigorating the romantic comedy genre, and Oprah herself placed it among the top romance novels of all time.
6. When In Rome by Sarah Adams
Amelia Rose—known to her adoring fans as Rae Rose, the princess of pop—is quite exhausted. The endless tours, the demanding manager, the constant scrutiny have worn her thin. So she does what any sensible burned-out celebrity would do: takes a cue from Audrey Hepburn and stages her own Roman Holiday, only in Rome, Kentucky, because Italy seemed rather too far.
Her car breaks down on the front lawn of Noah Walker, a grumpy pie shop owner who wants nothing to do with famous people or their complications. The forced proximity that follows is perfectly charming, the small-town characters delightful busybodies, and the romance sweetly slow-burning.
7. Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
When the hockey team’s rink is destroyed by pranksters, figure skater Anastasia Allen must share ice time with the hockey players, including their captain, Nathan Hawkins. She has Olympic dreams. He has a future in the NHL. They have absolutely no patience for one another.
What begins as antagonism transforms into something quite different during a party that ends in an unexpected encounter. Grace has crafted a rivals-to-lovers sports romance with tremendous heart, steamy moments that would melt the ice beneath them, and a found-family dynamic among teammates that warms the soul.
8. Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan
Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, carrying wounds both visible and invisible. There she encounters Archer Hale, a man who has lived in isolation, unable to speak since a childhood tragedy damaged his vocal cords. The town believes him strange, perhaps dangerous. Bree sees something else entirely.
This is a wounded-hero romance of tremendous emotional depth, where communication transcends words and healing happens gradually, tenderly. It ranks among the top one hundred romance novels of all time on Goodreads, and readers who appreciate vulnerability in their heroes will find much to love.
9. Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake
Delilah Green left Bright Falls, Oregon, with absolutely no intention of returning to the place where her cold stepfamily made her childhood so terribly lonely. But her stepsister Astrid is getting married, and the money for photographing the wedding is rather desperately needed, so back she goes.
She plans to breeze in and out, causing perhaps a small amount of delightful havoc along the way. Then she sees Claire Sutherland—single mother, bookstore owner, ostensibly one of Astrid’s stuck-up friends—and decides there might be some fun to be had after all. This sapphic romance is witty, steamy, and surprisingly tender in its exploration of family and forgiveness.
10. The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
Calla Fletcher was only two when her mother fled the Alaskan wilderness, unable to handle the isolation. Now, at twenty-six, a call informs her that her estranged father is dying, and she must brave the wilds to perhaps salvage something of their relationship.
Nothing prepares her for Alaska—not the outhouse situations, not the mosquitoes, and certainly not Jonah, the grumpy bush pilot who seems to be counting the minutes until he can fly this city woman back where she belongs. Yet as days pass, his disapproval softens into something that looks remarkably like admiration, and Calla finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.
11. Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
After a near-death experience, Chloe Brown—chronically ill computer geek and certified hermit—decides it is time to actually live. She creates a list of seven items designed to help her “get a life,” including “do something bad.” Her tattooed superintendent, Red Morgan, seems like the perfect person to help her check off these boxes.
Red, however, has his own wounds beneath that charming exterior. Hibbert writes disability with authenticity and tenderness, and the banter between Chloe and Red crackles with the same electricity Bailey fans crave.
12. Twice In A Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
Sam Brandis was Tate Jones’s first love during a whirlwind two-week holiday that ended in the most devastating betrayal. Years later, now a rising actress, Tate finds herself on a film set with the very man who shattered her trust—and he is cast as her love interest.
This is second-chance romance at its most complicated, requiring forgiveness that does not come easily. The writing duo Christina Lauren crafts tension both romantic and dramatic, building toward a resolution that feels earned rather than given.
Finding Your Next Favorite
Each of these books captures something essential about what makes Tessa Bailey’s work so beloved: the perfect balance of humor and heart, the heroes who are grumpy until they absolutely melt, the heroines who shine brightly enough to thaw even the coldest resistance. The banter crackles, the steam rises, and the happily-ever-afters satisfy completely.
Now, dear reader, the only question remaining is which shall you devour first?
