Love Triangles We Love
Who doesn’t love a little drama? (I mean reading about drama, not causing it, obviously.) And what’s more dramatic in a love story than a good old fashioned love triangle. Two people pursuing the same person, a protagonist who must make a difficult choice, and all the wild emotions that go with it. Sign me up! (Again, to read about it.) If you’re dying for a little drama, and a whole lot of “who will they pick?” here’s a list of books. Plus the only choice you’ll have to make is which one to read first.
Belladonna
by Adalyn Grace
If you haven’t read the Belladonna series yet, you are in for a dark and deadly treat. Signa is on the hunt for a killer and recruits the surly stable hand to help her. But did I mention that Death, yes Death, is a shadowy figure that is never far from her side? And considering he’s Death, he’s actually her best chance at tracking down the murderer. Fair warning, just when you think you know what’s happening, this series throws in all kinds of twists and turns. Plus in the next book Foxglove, brothers enter the villa…
Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being—and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family’s waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother’s restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.
However, Signa’s best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he’s made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful—and more irresistible—than she ever dared imagine.
Lovesick Falls
by Julia Drake
If you remember Shakespeare’s As You Like It you’ll remember that there are a whole bunch of mix-ups and mistaken identities. And this is a queer take on As You Like It! When a trio of best friends spend the summer in Lovesick Falls, will they stay as close as they’ve always been, or will living together signal the end of the trio? Celia is in love with Ros, Touchstone was once in love with Celia. It gets complicated. Ok so maybe this isn’t a love triangle but more of a love quadrangle. Or really just a wild web. Either way, it’s a perfect summer read (or any time read!)
Celia Gilbert is the perfect friend—loyal, trustworthy, and committed to mending her best friends’ broken hearts.
She’s the reason the trio is spending the summer in Lovesick Falls, the idyllic little town where Touchstone’s sort-of-uncle’s cabin was waiting to be house-sat by three unsupervised (but totally responsible) teenagers.
After all, Celia, Ros, and Touchstone have been best friends since childhood. Sure, Celia is in love with Ros, and Touchstone was once in love with Celia — but that’s the beauty of a place like Lovesick Falls. If you fell in love, you could fall out.
Unless you can change the other person’s mind.
They started the summer closer than ever. Will living together tear them apart?
The Glittering Edge
This might be a controversial take, but I get total love triangle vibes from The Glittering Edge. It’s not necessarily a love triangle in the strict definition of the trope, but Penny is stuck smack in the middle of a decades long feud. Corey Barrion is part of the cursed Barrion family. Who cursed them? Allegedly the De Lucas. And it’s going to take Corey, misfit Alonso De Luca, and Penny to come together to break this curse. Not to mention the curse is that if a Barrion falls in love with you…you die. HELLO. Love. Drama. Mixed-up web. Oh and a chaotic group chat.
Rumors are the lifeblood of Idlewood, Indiana. The locals whisper that the De Lucas are witches, and that decades prior they cursed the wealthy Barrion family as revenge for a love gone tragically wrong: now, if a Barrion falls in love with you, you’ll die. If this isn’t reason enough for wallflower Penny Emberly to stay away from both families, she doesn’t know what is. But when Penny’s mom is in an accident that leaves her on the brink of death, Penny can’t ignore the rumors anymore—because the Barrion curse is real. And her mom is its latest victim.
In order to save her mom’s life, Penny must bring together two bitter enemies on either side of the feud and work with them to break the curse. For star quarterback Corey Barrion, doing so would mean finally saving his family from the magic that killed his mom. And for misfit witch Alonso De Luca, it would mean convincing everyone in Idlewood—especially Penny—that he isn’t the villain they believe him to be.
But as the trio navigates Alonso’s unpredictable magic, the tangled web of Barrion-De Luca history, and an increasingly chaotic group chat, it soon becomes clear that the curse is not what they expected. Did a De Luca really curse the Barrions in a fit of jealousy, or is something even more sinister afoot? Penny will have to conquer her anxiety, wrestle with her budding feelings for Alonso, and delve into dangerous, forbidden magic to find the truth and save her mom — even if it means putting her own life at risk.
Nightweaver
by R. M. Gray
Aster Oberon comes from a family of pirates, taught to fear Nightweavers. After her brother is killed in an epic sea battle with Nightweavers, Aster is out to avenge his death, while also trying to adjust to a new life on land. However a Nightweaver named Will—who by the way is quite handsome—offers Aster’s family work on his estate. Aster should despise him (emphasis on should) but also can’t deny there might be something there…
Six hundred years ago, Nightweavers, cursed beings with untamed power, claimed the continents for their own. The ocean was meant to be a safe haven for humanity, including seventeen-year-old Aster Oberon and her pirate family. But after Aster’s brother is killed in an epic battle at sea against Nightweavers, Aster and her family are thrust into a new life on land.
When a handsome Nightweaver named Will offers the Oberons protection and work at his opulent estate, Aster is suspicious. As the arrogant and entitled right hand to the wicked prince, Will is everything that she has been taught to hate. But as he shows empathy and kindness, Aster can’t ignore a blooming attraction. And even more, Will opens her eyes to a new reality: There are monsters worse than Nightweavers, monsters who may be behind her brother’s death.
As Aster hunts the creatures responsible, dark secrets threaten to unravel everything she once believed about her family, herself, and her world.
The Naturals
In The Naturals, Cassie is asked to be part of a classified FBI program, tasking teenagers with unique gifts to help crack old unsolved mysteries. As a gifted profiler, she joins other teens who have their own sets of skills, in order to track down a killer. It’s a thriller, and nothing is as it seems, but of course, a bunch of gifted teenagers, living in a high-stakes situation There’s going to be a love triangle. Naturally.
And trust me, Jennifer Lynn Barnes knows how to write a love triangle. Don’t miss The Inheritance Games for more.
Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people, piecing together the tiniest details to know who a person is and what they want. But it’s not a skill she takes seriously until the FBI come knocking—they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teens to crack infamous cold cases, and they want her to join.
But there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides. Sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own, Cassie quickly realizes no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. Emotion-reader Michael is a wild card—and far too perceptive for Cassie’s good. The resident deception-detector is a pathological liar, and the program’s perky, blonde statistician is far better with numbers than with people. And then there’s Dean—a profiler like Cassie but with a much darker gift.
When a new killer strikes, danger looms close. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.
Twilight: Deluxe Collector’s Edition
Does this even need an explanation? Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?
(Also if you don’t know what this means, may I please introduce you to the Twilight Saga? Bella moves to Forks, WA and she thinks it’s going to be so dull except Edward is a vampire and he’s obsessed with her. And then you’ll meet Jacob who—spoiler alert—ends up being a werewolf. OMG. Twilight turns 20 years old this year, so it’s the perfect time to read, or reread, this series.)
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the genre-defining tale, this vintage-inspiredcollector’s edition features a foil-stamped slipcase and cover with lush, romantic artwork; new chapter opener art and beautifully illustrated endpapers; a ribbon marker; and a one-of-a-kind gold gilded edge design that shows a portrait of either Bella or Edward, depending which way you spread the pages. It’s a must-have edition for any die-hard or newly minted Twilight fan.
Bitten
In case you haven’t noticed, love triangles also pair really, really well with other tropes, like enemies-to-lovers. Vanessa is attacked by werewolves and loses everything she loves. After a horrible transformation into the very thing that hurt her, she must swear her life to the Wolf Queen and she joins the enchanted Castle Severi. She’s still out for revenge, except she can’t help but be enchanted by the prince (who by the way, is promised to her nemesis!). And let’s not forget his disgraced cousin, who she cannot possibly ignore. Uh-oh…
After a vicious werewolf attack on the night of her seventeenth birthday party, Vanessa Hart loses everything she loves in a split second. Her best friend, her father, and even her home.
Bitten and imprisoned without explanation, Vanessa endures an agonizing transformation into the very beast that maimed her, and her captors make it clear she cannot escape: she will either swear her life to the Wolf Queen’s Court, or she will die.
With no other choice, Vanessa joins their enchanted Castle Severi—where flowering vines grow through the walls, gifts are bestowed by the stars, and a claw can break through skin as easily as silk—but she hasn’t forgotten what they stole from her.
Vanessa still seeks vengeance, scheming in the shadows even as she finds herself mesmerized by the golden prince Sinclair Severi, who threatens to steal her heart though he is promised to her nemesis. And by his brooding, disgraced cousin, Calix, whose smoldering gaze hides even darker secrets. Immersed in the magic of their whimsical yet cruel society, Vanessa soon learns not all is as it seems.
The Court is at war, and she may simply be a pawn in its lethal game.
Heiress Takes All
by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Former heiress Olivia Owens has planned the heist of the century, at the wedding of the season…her father’s. She has every detail meticulously thought out, if only her charming ex-boyfriend would get out of the way. Instead, he’s determined to get her back. This is a thrilling, fast-paced tale of revenge, as Olivia works to drain her father’s bank accounts. Throwing in some romantic drama is icing on the very expensive wedding cake!
Seventeen-year-old Olivia Owens isn’t thrilled that her dad’s getting remarried … again. She’s especially not thrilled that he cheated on her mom, kicked them out of their Rhode Island home, and cut Olivia out of her rightful inheritance.
But this former heiress has a plan for revenge. While hundreds of guests gather on the grounds of the gorgeous estate where she grew up, everyone will be thinking romance—not robbery. She’ll play the part of dutiful daughter, but in reality she’ll be redistributing millions from her father’s online accounts. She only needs the handwritten pass code he keeps in the estate’s safe.
With the help of an eclectic crew of high school students and one former teacher, Olivia has plotted her mid-nuptial heist down to the second. But she didn’t plan for an obnoxiously nosy wedding guest, an interfering ex-boyfriend intent on winning her back, greedy European cousins with their own agenda, or a vengeful second wife. When everything seems like it’s going wrong, Olivia has to keep her eyes on what really matters: getting rich. And when she’s done, “something borrowed” will be the understatement of the year.
Amidst competing schemes, nonstop twists, and a romance to root for, one high-heeled mastermind must prove to her father—and herself—that she’s more ruthless than anyone expected.
In the Company of Killers
by Elora Cook
If your family secretly runs the most powerful Mafia branch in NY, do you know what you’re not supposed to do? Flirt with the heir to a rival family’s crime empire, who also happens to be your ex-best friend. After Tasha discovers her family’s dark secret, and her father and sister are murdered in front of her, she must take on her family’s empire and get revenge on this new mob that killed her family. And she’ll need to pair up with Leo, heir to a rival empire, to do so. Even Tony didn’t know this kind of drama, drama, drama.
Inside the tony suburb of Scarsdale is New York’s worst-kept secret: The mob runs everything, and the Nicastro family is at the center. Seventeen-year-old Tasha Nicastro lives a life of glitz and glamour, but she has no idea her family harbors a dark truth.
Tasha might look like your classic high school mean girl, but behind the designer clothes is a sharpshooter who knows how to bring anyone to their knees. The only person who has ever gotten under her skin is her former best friend, Leo Danesi, the youngest son of the Nicastro family’s rivals. After Leo returns to New York older and more handsome, Tasha thinks he’ll be the worst of her problems—until the life she thought she knew takes a violent, shocking turn. When her father and beloved older sister are murdered before her eyes, Tasha learns the dark truth: Her family runs the most powerful Mafia branch in New York, and now she’s set to inherit it all.
Tasha vows vengeance on the mysterious new mob behind the hit, but she can’t do it alone. She needs someone who already knows the underground world to help track them down. And that person is none other than Leo, the heir to his own family’s dangerous empire.
But Tasha is a Nicastro. She’s been raised in the company of killers, and there’s absolutely nothing she won’t do to avenge her family. That is, if the enemy doesn’t put her in gold chains first.