I’m really not good at making short lists so here’s another long one for you

If you looking for a romance book with a happy ending and no cliffhanger, then this is the list for you!!

The way I classify a standalone is a book that completely wraps up by the end.

Some of the books on this list were originally written as standalones but now have sequels either released or in the works. Regardless, the first books can still be read on their own so I’m keeping them on this list.

All the books on this list come highly recommended by me and I’ve linked my reviews as well (all of which are spoiler-free). They are not listed in any particular order.

And, if you are looking for other lists that might include series books, you can check these two out:

• My List of Best Books of 2012 
• My List of Best Books of 2013 (this is an ongoing list)

Happy Reading everyone ♥

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On The Island by Tracey Garvis Graves (My review)

This is an absolutely beautiful, unique and unforgettable story about survival and love. Its incredibly well-written, riveting and heartfelt. The ending and epilogue brought the happiest tears to my eyes. I honestly don’t have one single complaint to make about this book. I absolutely adored  it.

“I kissed her as soon as we were inside her apartment, and I wasn’t gentle about it, holding her face firmly in my hands and pressing my lips hard against hers. She wasn’t anyone’s to own – I knew that – but right then she was mine.”

 

In The Stillness by Andrea Randall (My Review)

A painfully heartbreaking, emotionally charged and beautifully crafted story of love, loss and healing. The writing was flawless and just so raw and honest, with perfect pacing and a beautiful flow to it that fully conveyed every emotion the heroine went through. So far, I’m calling this the best stand-alone book of 2013! A must read!!

“I love you so much, Natalie, and when I get home I’m going to keep loving you until you tell me to stop. But don’t, please. Don’t tell me to stop.”

 

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover (My review)

Hopeless utterly blew me away. It was the kind of book that makes me want to stand on a rooftop and shout how amazing it is to the whole world! Beautiful, heart-wrenching and uplifting. Absolutely breathtaking!

“And once again in my new world full of heartache and lies, this hopeless boy somehow finds a way to make me smile.”

 

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay (My review) 

The Sea of Tranquility is a beautifully written, deep, heart-wrenching drama about two damaged teens surviving unchangeable tragedies, and devastating grief, hurt, and pain, learning to cope with them, accept them, and somehow finding healing, safety and finally happiness and love in each other along the way. This book has one of the most powerful endings I have EVER read!! I literally just read it over and over and over again with tears in my eyes. Ah-ma-zing and uplifting!!!

“He’s kissing me. And when he does, part of me is lost. But it’s the part that’s twisted and mangled and wrong, and for just that moment, with his hands in my hair and his lips on my mouth, I can pretend that it never existed.”

Back To You by Priscilla Glenn (My review)

Back To You is a gorgeous, believable second-chance friends-to-lovers story that was both heart breaking and heart warming, with an uplifting, satisfying ending that left me clutching my heart, with happy tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. I  absolutely loved it with all my heart!!!

“I always knew I would fall in love with you,” he said softly, “But you were never supposed to love me back.”

 

Wounded by Jasinda Wilder (My Review)

A unique story with a very original plot that told a beautiful, realistic, heart-wrenching and erotic love story that took me out of my comfort zone, wrapped me up in the characters’ journey and worked its way right into my heart. This book caught my attention because it just seemed so DIFFERENT from so many others I’d read. I mean, its a romance between an American soldier and an Iraqi girl from two completely different worlds, on opposite sides of a war, with no common language, meeting by chance and falling in love. Yup. It had my undivided attention to the point where I actually dropped all my other reading plans for it, and let me tell you… it was SO worth it!!

“I’ll love you forever. I’ll make love to you until there’s no me and no you, only us together like this forever.”

Tangled by Emma Chase (My Review)

Hilarious, romantic, all-out FUN!! Think Wallbanger meets Beautiful Bastard. I swear half my book is highlighted. I laughed out loud, grinned till my cheeks ached and just generally loved it

“Once I’m done, I’m DONE. I’m not the kind of guy who rides the same roller coaster twice… Don’t look at me that way. I’m not a bad guy. I don’t lie; I don’t sandbag women with flowery words about a future together and love at first sight… Okay, maybe that’s not exactly true. But I can’t help it if they see me, fuck me and suddenly want to bear my children.”

Vain by Fisher Amelie (My Review)

It’s a beautifully written YA novel about about a self-centered girl from a wealthy family sentenced to community service in an orphanage in Africa after being caught doing drugs one too many times. The experience changes her life. This is not your typical romance novel where girl meets boy and they just fall in love. Yes, this book has a beautiful love story, but its also about so. much. more. Its about learning the true value of life, about the price of ignorance, the weight of a self-less action, and the beauty of love.

“It’ll be all right,” Ian assured me.
“How do you know?” I asked when he revved the engine.
“I don’t,” he said, “but I’ll protect you.”

The Edge of Never by JA Redmerski (My review)

The Edge of Never was such an unexpected read for me! It just swept me away on an emotional journey about friendship and love, of living in the moment, living life to the fullest, being true to yourself and not being afraid to reach for your dreams. A top fav!

“…dwelling and planning is bullshit,” he says. “You dwell on the past, you can’t move forward. Spend too much time planning for the future and you just push yourself backwards, or you say stagnant in the same place all your life.” His eyes lock on mine. “Live in the moment.”

 

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire (My review)

Travis Maddox is without a doubt my most favorite bad boy of all time! This book is one of the ones responsible for introducing me to the world of contemporary romances. Its one of the most addictive and absorbing books I’ve ever read. A top fav!!

“You can’t tell me what to do anymore, Travis! I don’t belong to you!” In the second it took him to turn and face me, his expression had contorted into anger. He stomped toward me, planting his hands on the bed and leaning into my face. “WELL I BELONG TO YOU!” The veins in his neck bulged as he shouted, and I met his glare, refusing to even flinch. He looked at my lips, panting. “I belong to you.”

When We Collide by AL Jackson (My Review)

Books like this remind me why I absolutely ADORE reading. It highlights the gut-wrenching horrors of abuse, the beauty of a second chance, of finding the strength to stand up for yourself and for those you love, and of the healing power of love.

The dedication at the beginning of the book says it all:-  “Because it shouldn’t hurt to be touched.”

 

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton (My review)

I read most of it with a big stupid grin plastered on my face and pretty much just alternated between squeeing, squealing, giggling, snorting, crying, shaking and cackling with laughter. The banter! The chemistry! The flirting! The texts!!!! *melt* The nooking! The wooing! … this book is just loaded with win! Easily my fav lighthearted book of the year!!

“He was wooing me. And I was letting him woo. I wanted the woo. I deserved the woo. I needed the wow that would surely follow the woo, but for now, the woo? It was whoa.”

Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley (My Review)

HOLY ALPHA MALES!!!!!!! Yowza!!!! *fans self* I’m surprised this book didn’t self-combust from the degree of utterly squee/drool/swoon-worthy, bossy, possessive, unapologetic, sweet, tender, badass, HOT UBER ALPHA males!! I mean WOW! This series is pure deliciousness but the first can be read as a stand alone!

 “We’ve hit the hot guy motherlode.”      **SHIVERS**

 

Play It Safe by Kristen Ashley (My review)

This book was a heart breaking, heart warming, heart racing, keep-you-up-all-night, have-you-swooning-squeeing-and-declaring-your-undying-love-for-the-hero kind of story. It made me laugh, squee, cry, grin…. everything you could want in a book!

“I loved you then. I love you now. I’ve loved you every day for the past seven years… Every day, every minute, every second.”

 

Take This Regret by AL Jackson (My review)

This is an achingly beautiful, heart wrenching book about a second chance at love and with an wonderfully sweet HEA that tugged at ALL my heart strings!! The level of emotion it pulled out of me right from the beginning was so strong and intense that I read most of it either with a huge lump in my throat or in tears (most often happy tears since the point of this book is about healing). Easily one of the most emotional books I’ve ever read. A top fav!!

“She was mine, had always been, and I’d always been hers. Despite what I’d done, the wounds I’d inflicted, she had always been mine…. our hearts had been tied, our bond one that neither of us could ever escape.”

Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino (My Review)

I have a new book boyfriend and his name is Will Ryan. I’m in love. Oh, and did I mention he was a bit of a rockstar?? Sweet Thing was a sweet, heartbreaking and romantic story that kept me up reading all night! Fans of Thoughtless should definitely check this out!

“And so it began, my secret and suppressed obsession with the sensitive, tortured, artist soul. An obsession I was still fighting tooth and nail and one I wouldn’t admit to anyone, namely myself.”

 

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park (My review)

I flat-out LOVED this book! A top fav YA read! This book is about relationships. Not just romantic ones, but also about deep family connections. It deals with many painful hurts that the family has experienced and throughout the book we see their healing process as this dysfunctional family puts the broken pieces of their lives back together… oh, and it has a twist!

“…that’s what love does to you. Gut-wrenching, overpowering, crushing, fulfilling, complex, bring-you-to-your-knees love.” 

The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred (My review)

The Sweet Gum Tree was an intense, utterly riveting book that I literally could not  put down, that kept my heart racing, kept me near tears for a good chunk of it, that had me hanging off of every word that I read, and the story just ripped my heart out but yet still had a very sweet ending.

“You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted, Alix, the only one I’ll ever want. That’s a promise.”

 

Leo by Mia Sheridan (My Review)

LEO is a beautiful, well-written, swoony and emotional second-chance romance with steam, a bit of mystery and a happy ending. Highly recommended!! It’s also a little bit shorter, making it perfect if you want a beautiful book you can read in one sitting.

“I’m going to kiss you now, Evie, and when I do, it’s going to mean that you’re mine. I don’t care how far away we are from each other. You. Are. Mine. I’ll wait for you. And I want you to wait for me. Promise me…”

 

Going Under by S. Walden (My Review)

This book did a number on me. It was a gutsy, controversial story that was painful at times but also, raw, honest, and in the end, beautiful. It addressed a tough, intense, gritty subject matter in an evocative, well-written way.

“You think you know what to expect. You think you have it all planned out. But something in you always surprises you, and it’s a buzzing undercurrent that keeps you silently guessing…”

 

Dirty by Megan Hart (My review)

An unconventional erotic romance. If you are ever in the mood for something ‘different’, this is a great one to try! Its a raw, heavy, dark and introspective read that guilt, self worth, trust, survival. And a sort of love.

“I’d met men who made me laugh, who made me sigh, even a few, very few, who’d made me come. Until now I had never met one I couldn’t forget.”

 

Ten Tiny Breaths by KA Tucker (My review)

“Just breathe,” my mom would say. “Ten tiny breaths … Seize them. Feel them. Love them.”

This is a story about a girl who was drowning in the pain of her shattered life and the boy with a dark past of his own who pulled her out and helped her to breath, to live, and to love again.

“Give me your heart, Kasey. I’ll take everything that comes with it.”

Wait For You by J. Lynn (My Review)

A swoony, standalone romance with a happy ending that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. Cam will absolutely MELT your heart! I LOVED IT!!

“I want you, Cam.”
“You have me,” he groaned. “You so fucking have me.”

The Final Piece by Maggi Myers (My Review)

It was a captivating, emotional story of a girl healing from shattered trust and childhood abuse, rediscovering her self worth, falling in love, putting back together the pieces of her life and of the boy who helped her find that final piece and brought love, trust and safety back to her life.

“We are all broken in one way or another. Its how we put those pieces back together that matters.”

 

Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder (My Review)

I’m not even going to say anything about this other than I loved it. I’ll let the blurb speak for itself:

“ I wasn’t always in love with Colton Calloway; I was in love with his younger brother, Kyle, first. Kyle was my first one true love, my first in every way. Then, one stormy August night, he died, and the person I was died with him. Colton didn’t teach me how to live. He didn’t heal the pain. He didn’t make it okay. He taught me how to hurt, how to not be okay, and, eventually, how to let go.”

Damaged Goods by Lauren Gallagher (My review)

This is not a traditional love story but ohhhh I loved it! Its about a male prostitute and a single mom finding love and finding a way to make a relationship work despite the difficulties of their situation. Its wonderful, well-written, and swoony, with toe-curling hotness, a beautifully functional relationship, no stupidity and a very happy ending.

“There’s sex, and there’s… this.” He met my eyes. “Just being with someone like this. This isn’t something that can be bought or sold, and I couldn’t manufacture it for someone no matter how much they tried to pay me for it…. That’s why I’m here tonight. Because I need this. And here, with you, is the only place I can get it.” He swallowed hard. “Or give it.”

 

Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry (My review)

A heart-wrenching YA book about two broken teens struggling to put the shattered pieces of their lives back together and finding love along the way.

“If you’re scared, tell me. If you need to cry and scream, then do it. And you sure as hell don’t walk away from us because you think it would be better for me. Here’s the reality, Echo: I want to be by your side. If you want to go to the mall stark naked so you can show the world your scars, then let me hold your hand. If you want to see your mom, then tell me that too. I may not always understand, but damn, baby, I’ll try.”

Emancipating Andie by Priscilla Glenn (My Review)

A slow-building, sweet, beautiful love story with a deeper message set against the backdrop of a road trip.

“His heart was racing and he wanted her to hear it. And he wanted her to know that from here on out, it beat solely for her.”

 

Bone Deep by Bonnie Dee (My Review)

Sweet, hot, and different with a beautiful message about love having no limitations.

“Skin is skin, Grace. The tattoos are only on the surface you know. He’s a man.”

He whispered against her hair, “I don’t belong here and they know it.”
“Yes you do. You do belong here.” She took his face in her hands and looked in his eyes. “You belong with me.” 

 

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I’ll keep adding to this list every time I read a new stand alone that I love so be sure to check back or bookmark this page

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And I’d love to hear from you! If you have favorite standalone that I haven’t read yet and that you would recommend, feel free to comment below with a the title and author (or even a whole list if you want) so that other readers can see your recommendations too!

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