When you think about a heart-pounding book, you might look for a murder mystery or for a romance. Both, after all, will make your heart beat faster… just in different ways. So, why not combine the two genres? I did exactly that in my new book, but I’m certainly not the first one to make that leap. Read on for some of my favorite books that combine mystery and romance – some are a little heavier on one than the other, but all will, I hope, make your reader heart happy.
Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder by Bellamy Rose
I mean, I can’t make a list like this and not include my own book! In this first entry in the Pomona Afton series, hotel heiress and notorious party girl Pom’s trust fund and luxury digs are yanked away after the murder of her grandmother, the (terrible) family matriarch. If she wants to get her life back, she’s going to have to team up with her grumpy new roommate, Gabe, to figure out who did it and why. But, as she and Gabe grow closer over the course of the investigation, she starts to wonder if she really wants to go back to being the old Pom… especially if that could mean losing Gabe. Pomona was probably the most fun I’ve ever had writing a main character – she’s a little ridiculous but has a lot of heart, and is a lot smarter than people think she is – and even though I’m the one who wrote the book, every time I read through pass pages I still cheer watching her grow up and figure out who she really is outside of her extremely wealthy but also extremely dysfunctional family.
It’s Elementary by Elise Bryant
This super fun cozy mystery follows Mavis, a single mom convinced that her PTA nemesis killed the school principal. Obviously, since there isn’t any evidence, the only thing for Mavis to do is team up with the swoonworthy school psychologist to figure out what went down. This is both a really fun, clever mystery, a sweet romance, and a satisfying read for anyone who’s ever dealt with school drama.
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Honestly, it’s hard to say much about the wild ride that is this book other than “read it!” but I’ll try. When wedding planner Meddelin accidentally kills the blind date who tries to assault her, her large, meddling network of aunties tries to help her cover it up… but, instead, they manage to ship the body to the private island where Meddy is putting on the over-the-top billionaire wedding of the century. Of course, her ex-boyfriend and biggest heartbreak is also there, but will there be time to fall in love amidst the chaos? (Spoiler alert: yes.)
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn
I was introduced to Deanna Raybourn’s work through her fantastic thriller Killers of a Certain Age (about a group of elderly spies on the run for their lives – you should read that one too), but her historical mystery-romance hybrids are just as good. In the first book of the Veronica Speedwell series, set in Victorian London, a scholar of butterflies and a grumpy, enigmatic natural historian must go on the run to solve their friend’s murder before the unknown assailant reaches them.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
How can you make a mystery/romance even more tantalizing? Add some droolworthy food descriptions, of course. In this first installment of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen series, a food critic is poisoned at Lila’s beloved aunt’s restaurant. If she wants to save the restaurant and her aunt, Lila’s going to have to root out the killer herself. There’s just a hint of romance in this first book, but it’s a joy to watch the (relatively drama-free) love triangle unfold through the series.
Royal Blood by Aimée Carter
This absolutely delightful young adult mystery follows Evan, the illegitimate daughter of the king of England left reeling when her identity is suddenly revealed in the press. The press turns even more bloodthirsty when she becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation. The only way to clear her name and regain a shred of normalcy is for Evan to team up with a hot royal insider and find the real killer. I loved this book not just for its fun fusion of romance and mystery but for its inclusion of family drama – Evan has a lot of (understandably) complicated feelings toward her father the king, her stepmother the queen, and her half-sister the crown princess, and watching those feelings change and evolve over the book was incredibly rewarding.
Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne
Okay, so this one throws a third genre into the mix – it’s a sapphic romance/mystery/fantasy hybrid, and an absolutely delightful one at that. Reyna and Kianthe flee the tumultuous royal court to open the shop of their dreams and live a quiet life together, but said quiet life keeps getting interrupted by mysteries for them to solve… not to mention the stress of keeping that life not just quiet but secret from the vengeful queen.
