Skip These Romances
We read these. We rated them a ⭐ 3.25/5 or below. They’re not all bad and some are incredibly memorable, but with so many great romances out there, these can wait.
These Romance Novels Didn’t Rate Well
Not everything is a winner.
We’ve gone through and cataloged the…disappointing romance novels we’ve read, along with our rating and an explanation. If we rated a book 3.25/5 and below, it’s probably on this list. Sometimes books rated low can still be great reads (they are memorable, wild, invite new POVs), but for the most part, we’d say read something on our other lists.
You’ll find that any author, any genre can fail at least once. Historical Romance, Dark Romance, Mafia, Romance, Modern Romance, Monster Romance, College Romance, Fantasy Romance. There’s something on this list from every genre and some even from our favorite authors.
If you’ve been to the site before, you know two things: 1. We’ve read everything we feature—we won’t tell you to read or avoid anything we haven’t first read ourselves. 2. We’re humans who love romance novels. And we’re rating and reviewing romance here for other humans so you can save your time and money.
Skip These - A to Z
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24690 by A.A. Dark
⭐ 2.5
Needlessly violent and full of plot holes.
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A Substitute Wife for the Prizefighter by Alice Coldbreath
⭐ 2.75
A proper lady joins the circus. And surprisingly, it’s boring.
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Alien Skin Market by Lizzy Bequin
⭐ 2.0
The FMC finds a rat. The rat gets bigger. Turns into an alien dog. The dog…pleasures her downstairs. The next day the dog is a man and they mate. Too weird for us.
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Amid Clouds and Bones by Ella Fields
⭐ 2.75
She loses her virginity in a dirty shed. She finds a chicken bone in her pocket that lets her time travel. She falls for a man she knows is using her. She’s hard to root for.
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The Art of Avoiding Your Werewolf by Lola Glass
⭐ 3.25
We love Lola Glass but don’t bother with this series. FMCs are impossible to care about. Rare miss.
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The Awakening of a Princess by Samantha de la Porte
⭐ 2.75
Clinical descriptions of people and everything. Sterile.
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Bad Bishop by L.J. Shen
⭐ 3.25
She was 18, deaf and hidden away, pregnant by rape, eventually married off to a dude who got his eyeball ripped out (and gifted it to her - along with a penis, not his) and lived HEA with him and the baby.
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Beautiful Nightmare by Katee Robert
⭐ 3.25
My love of Katee Robert will transcend this disappointment. It’s a cute premise, but a pediatrician being that kinky was bad for my imagination.
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Beautiful Torment by A. Zavarelli
⭐ 3.0
JUST USE YOUR WORDS. Please. This could have been avoided.
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Beautiful Venom by Rina Kent
⭐ 2.5
Fictional drugs and an annoying FMC made this impossible to enjoy.
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Bound to the Battle God by Ruby Dixon
⭐ 2.5
Too long. The audiobook is 21 hours and there’s just not enough plot for it.
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The Butcher by Penelope Sky
⭐ 1.5
This book was riddled with distracting language. So many "my big dick" comments from the MMC. "She oozed from my touch" about how wet she is. "I felt my body burn so hot I was about to shed my skin like a snake.” Gross.
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Camera Shy by Kay Cove
⭐ 3.0
She’s not a “Queen” - she’s a whiny FMC who can’t crunch basic numbers.
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The Carnal Games by Naudii Nebula
⭐ 2.5
This story makes no sense. One character is kind of redeeming. Kind of.
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Caught Up by Navessa Allen
⭐ DNF
Insufferable FMC. You don’t get a humanitarian award for being a camgirl. Get off your soapbox.
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Chasing the Wild by Elliott Rose
⭐ 2.75
The FMC was a young “old soul” with weird dialogue and the MMC was “an old asshole” who is only 42. So am I. F*ck off.
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Claiming Their Omega by Sadie Moss
⭐ 2.5
There’s no story at all. If you want ‘finds her omega in a bar’ read Baby and the Late Night Howlers.
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Coach Sully by Sloane St. James
⭐ 3.0
Rare miss by Sloane St. James. If you’re not into a milk kink, this probably isn’t for you, either.
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The Consequence of Falling by Claire Contreras
⭐ 3.0
This FMC had no redeeming qualities. She was bitchy and entitled throughout this whisper of a plot.
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Court of Frost & Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
⭐ 2.75
This was more like a novella; pointless to the the larger story. Nothingburger.
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Darkest Sins by Neva Altaj
⭐ 3.0
He’s an elite hit man and…illiterate?
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Daughter of No Worlds by Carissa Broadbent
⭐ 2.0
So painfully slow. We both listened to the audiobook so maybe you need to be able to skip the content easier. Try the Kindle or physical copy if you must read it.
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Debt of Darkness by C.J. Holmes
⭐ 2.5
This book couldn’t figure out it’s soul. Vampire, mafia, fated mates, arranged marriage, submissive, not submissive. It tried to do too much and all of it in half measures.
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Descent by Sam Mariano
⭐ 3.25
She’s basically kidnapped. And not in a cute way.
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Drawn to Darkness 2.5 by Michelle Heard
⭐ 2.5
Dario was great, but Eden really struggled with their class difference. 25% of this book was the business of setting up a soup kitchen. Anticlimactic.
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Drive Me Crazy by Jere Anthony
⭐ 3.25
How is she still alive? She must be the dumbest, klutziest FMC we’ve read. Second only to Daisy from Highest Bidder.
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Emperor of Wrath by Jagger Cole
⭐ 2.75
The story and the MCs are so aggro and it just never lets up.
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Empire of Shadows by Jacquelyn Benson
⭐ 3.25
We WANTED to like this one, but it’s so historically detailed, you should get college credit at completion. The action picks up at the end.
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Enigma by RuNyx
⭐ 3.25
Cool story that didn’t move for 350 pages. Resolved in half a chapter. Deflating balloon sound
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Falling for Red by Serena Pier
⭐ DNF
She’s so intolerant and preachy. I hated to DNF, but the fun was gone after the third ‘teaching moment’.
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Feral Alphas by Sierra Knoxly
⭐ 2.5
Two mute, feral alphas. Two law enforcement officers. One cellist. One reformed murderer-turned-submissive. A child-like omega. The pieces didn’t quite fit together.
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Feral Omega by Lenore Rosewood
⭐ 3.0
Lots of dark potential, but it was boring.
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First Down by Grace Reilly
⭐ 3.0
Every decision was so immature. The writing matched that tone.
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Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas
⭐ 3.0
She’s collecting brothers like Pokemon.
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Gallows Pole by Eris Adderly
⭐ 2.5
Terrible. Only 100 pages and that’s 99 too many. He rapes her and 3 nights later she is totally over it.
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Get Thee Off My Lawn by Daria Vernon
⭐ 2.5
Tries to introduce progressive sexual views in historical romance, and cute swans, but the FMC just comes across slutty. Not enough swans.
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God of Malice by Rita Kent
⭐ 3.0
The writing toed the literacy line. Stream of consciousness sentences and missing words broke our immersion.
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Guarded by the Nightmare by Cassie Alexander
⭐ 2.5
Everything felt pointless. No backstory on the nightmare, no creative use of smoke. Mina’s story is sad and moving.
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Hans by S.J. Tilly
⭐ 3.25
Skip this. Read Nero instead. Same author, way better book. Hans requires too many logic leaps to work.
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Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
⭐ 2.5
Don’t read this, no matter who tells you to. It’s disturbing for shock value alone.
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He Loves Me Not by C.M. Nascosta
⭐ 2.0
This was a small business how-to on starting a plant store.
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Hello Stranger by Lisa Kleypas
⭐ 3.25
Forgive me, Lisa, but I hate this book. It’s your only flop in my decades of reading your stories. Flimsy plot, boring characters.
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Highest Bidder by Sara Cate
⭐ 3.0
Daisy is the idiot FMC here. “I’m tired of being treated like a child. I can take care of myself.” “Oops I forgot to take my birth control for a few days, guess I’m pregnant.”
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Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts
⭐ 3.0
The only Nora Roberts book I dislike. It’s a coming of age story about a family of magicians.
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How Stego Got His Groove Back by Lola Faust
⭐ 2.0
Dinosaur Romance. Don’t you dare judge me for reading this. I did this for you!
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I Could Be Yours by Helena Hunting
⭐ 3.0
Felt like a self-help book written by a therapist trying to drum up business. But you should read the Toronto Terror series. It’s so good.
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If You Want Me by Helena Hunting
⭐ 3.25
Dad’s best friend but she’s waaaaay too immature for it. So whiny.
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Inferno by Luna Mason
⭐ 2.5
He’s the Irish ‘Master’ of a chocolate-factory-in-the-front, sex-club-in-the-back located in Philadelphia, exclusively used by organized crime.
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Ironling by S.E. Wendel
⭐ 3.25
Eh, the story is boring until the last 10%. Read Halfling (#1). Read Sweetling (#3). You can skip this one without missing a plot beat.
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Keeping My Bride by Angela Snyder
⭐ 3.0
Drivel dialogue. HIM: "I want to wreck your sopping wet c*nt and drive a truck through it while I finger your *sshole." HER: "Me too."
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Knot The One They Want by Harper Lennox
⭐ 3.0
The pack is needlessly cruel. She almost dies. She takes them back without a single grovel.
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Limerence by HC Dolores
⭐ 3.0
He’s a sophisticated stalker and manipulator…in high school.
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Love to Loathe Him by Rosa Lucas
⭐ 3.25
An HR Manager falls for the CEO. She’s worked for him for years, but yeah, sure, he’s totally different than you think. Vehemently shakes head
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Mean One by Ab. Cynthe
⭐ 3.25
Max is fucking crazy. She's the Harley Quinn of Whoreville. I'll give this story credit: I had NO IDEA how this story was going to unfold.
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Mountain Daddy's Milk & Honey by Elena Dawne
⭐ 2.0
Maggie longs to seduce her former stepfather so she hooks herself up to the milking machine, eats lactation cookies, and prays for boobs.
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My December Darling by Lauren Asher
⭐ 2.5
Multiple chapters start with: "[We] fall into a pattern over the next few days of meeting up at work to write her speech, spending our free time building the LEGOs set, and texting during the in-between." Just boring.
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Omega Sanctuary by Mira Kane
⭐ 3.25
This plot just doesn’t move. And when it does, it’s not logical.
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Paddled by Krampus by Harley Laroux
⭐ 2.0
Razor thin plot, lots of spanking, and a kleptomaniac FMC who drinks an orgasm potion effectively summoning Krampus. Also the book cover is modern, the story is the f*cking middle ages.
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Painted Scars by Neva Altaj
⭐ 3.25
If you start the Perfectly Imperfect series with Painted Scars, try another one. This is not a reflection of the series. It’s disjointed, jumpy, and not endearing like the others. Neva gets a pass on this one.
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The Penalty Box by Odette Stone
⭐ 3.0
To be fair, we think the audiobook was part of the struggle with this one.
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Play Along by T.L. Swan
⭐ 2.0
“I've been kidnapped and put on a ship by this bad guy, I guess I'll wear his clothes. Oh, we've landed on shore. We're now in love and planning the biggest diamond heist ever. Oh my god he betrayed me I'll never forgive him. JK, I misunderstood the situation. We're in love again. The end."
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Powerless by Lauren Roberts
⭐ 3.0
The FMC is insufferable. She doesn’t have power, but other people do and she’s jealous. Especially because they save her life 20 different times. She should have died.
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Promised In Blood by Sadie Kincaid
⭐ 3.25
Book 2 of Forged in Blood. It’s smutty, but the story only inches forward.
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Queen of Spades by Jillian West
⭐ 3.0
She has a long term boyfriend she wouldn’t bond with..idk why not. But then she forms a pack and bonds…some random guy first. Rude.
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Recruitment by K.A. Riley
⭐ 2.5
Nothing happens.
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Reply All by Caroline Frank
⭐ DNF
Cute premise, but the FMC was so arrogant and ditzy it was a hard combo to like.
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Savage Desire (Book 2) by KC Kean
⭐ 3.25
There’s a huge disconnect between who the FMC is and what the author wants her to be. She’s insufferable. You can’t really skip this one if you’re reading the series, but just know. It’s tough.
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Savage Sacrifice (Book 4) by KC Kean
⭐ 3.25
Uneventful finale. The series is a really interesting premise, but the finale is just okay. Bummer.
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Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
⭐ 2.5
There’s no way so many impossible coincidences happened in this dystopian world. And why the f*ck did they dress her up like Wonder Woman?
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Shattered Omega by Marie Mackay
⭐ 3.0
Her actual name is ‘Shatter’. Part 2 is better, but there are better choices out there.
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Sinner by Sierra Simone
⭐ 3.0
The first half was promising. The second half the MCs act out of character and it gets preachy. Loved Priest (#1) - read that one.
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The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews
⭐ 3.0
I didn’t care about her green riding habit. Apparently that’s necessary for this plot.
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Sold to the Fae by Kyra Alessy
⭐ 3.25
Eh, they were just so mean to her. It was hard to read. There isn’t real spice, but there’s a lot of second base.
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Sovereign by Raya Morris Edwards
⭐ 2.75
There is no way he could smell her ovulating. GTFO
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Spark by Allie Lasky
⭐ 2.0
Lite on literally every plot point EXCEPT why Asher wanted to be pegged.
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Stuffed by Sylvia Morrow
⭐ 1.5
She finds human touch skeevy, but she’s horny. So she finds comfort in the arms…of a magic pillow man who steals the life force from flies to maintain his sentience.
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Tempt Me by K.A. Tucker
⭐ 2.75
I despise the "billionaire bangs his assistant" trope and this was far worse - she was a virgin AND naive to the bone. And 'to the bone.'
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Terms and Conditions by Lauren Asher
⭐ 3.25
Confusing inner monologue and what happened with Bethany?
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There Are No Saints by Sophie Lark
⭐ 2.5
The MCs are literal dirty artists and the plot is razor thin.
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To Sir Philip with Love by Julia Quinn
⭐ DNF
This book portrays Eloise as a bit of a coward. I couldn’t read it.
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Twisted Game by Eva Ashwood
⭐ 3.25
After multiple tries, she finally loses her virginity on a dingy couch in a chop shop.
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Twisted Lies by Ana Huang
⭐ 3.0
A mediocre Social Media Manager catches the eye of a billionaire security firm owner. She’s useless and he’s enthralled. Disappointing series finale. Read any of the other books in this series. They’re 5.0/5.
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Under Loch & Key by Lana Ferguson
⭐ 3.25
Such an adorable plot. But the first 100 pages are a farm simulator. It moves too slow.
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Unfurl by Elodie Hart
⭐ 3.25
Five too many priest fantasies.
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The Very Naughty List by Callie Rose
⭐ 2.5
Shallow and smutty. Hailey is a poor decision maker. "I have to attend this Christmas ball with my ex and his family to play nice to help my parents' business." At the party: "Let's have loud, public sex in this closet so everyone hears us."
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Vines by Brynne Asher
⭐ 3.0
She’s the neighboring winery owner. He’s a special forces agent. Someone is after her because of something her dead dad knew. No other details available.
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Whatever It Takes: The Royal Romance by Anna Svoboda
⭐3.25
Love Anna, but the dialogue in this book toggled between period and modern. A guy tortures the queen and doesn’t even lose a finger? No way.
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Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout
⭐ 3.0
The plot was strong, but the FMC was completely insufferable. She’s the best. She knows everything. She listens to no one. Bad things happen after her dumb decisions. Totally unrelated.
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Wicked Designs by Lauren Smith
⭐ 3.25
There’s ‘virgin’ and then there’s ‘violently virgin’ - this FMC was the latter. And when she was kidnapped by the MMC’s brother, no one is surprised or bothered?
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Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt
⭐ 3.25
She's a prudish spinster running a failing orphanage. He's a billionaire investigator tracking a killer. And she’s your best option to solve the mystery? I think you’re a shitty investigator.
@35CARDIGANS @BLACKCAT100
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