When people hear the word “romance,” things like love, affection, and relationship automatically come to mind. On the other hand, when they hear the term “suspense,” things like fear, tension, and mystery often emerge. You can definitely see the difference between the two; but, what if they become one? The world is filled with endless possibilities, and literature has shown its versatility through fusing two different genres together.
If you combine elements of romance and suspense in a story, it will result in romantic suspense wherein the readers can fall in love while feeling the height of the rising tension at the same time. Knowing love is a strong emotion. When it is combined with suspense — the thrill becomes stronger. So, if you are looking for these kinds of stories, then listed below are the must-reads under the romantic suspense genre.
Jasmine: A Greater Love by M.L. Boyd
This book is the sequel of Jasmine: A Woman of Color. It was published last June 4, 2021, by ReadersMagnet. In the first book, the protagonist Jasmine Moore has experienced what it is like to lose someone she genuinely loved but ended up uncovering his deepest secrets. Thus, her grief turned into revenge. She has fallen in love in the pursuit of vengeance and has also discovered that someone wants to kill her. Now, would the world work and give Jasmine a better love on Boyd’s book, or rather would Jasmine find a greater love in this story? There are also other important aspects that will surely make the readers be more driven to turn every page, like discovering the person trying to kill her, thriving to keep herself alive, and more.
The Runaway Heiress by Meg Tilly
The Runaway Heiress is a newly released romantic suspense book written by Oscar-nominated actress Meg Tilly. It follows the story of a strong-willed and courageous woman named Sarah Rainsford as she escapes from her vengeful husband. Sarah did everything to keep herself safe, such as changing identities and living different lives. Her husband also tries his best to get his hands on her fortune; thus, he will never stop until he gets her. So, Sarah begins to live her life as a personal assistant to a prominent Hollywood director. But, both developed a bond more than just being colleagues. How would they handle their growing attachment while there is a danger coming their way?
Drown Her Sorrows by Melinda Leigh
Bestselling author Melinda Leigh penned the book titled Drown Her Sorrows, which is the third book of the Bree Taggert series. Moreover, the story revolves around Sheriff Bree Tagger, who found a corpse floating close by the Scarlet River’s bank. The car of the mysterious young woman, who’s now dead, has a note indicating that what happened was pure suicide. But, the autopsy shows that there was foul play because the woman already died moments before she was thrown into the waters. Bree begins to investigate the case along with Matt Flynn, her investigator. They started to discover various secrets of the victim’s life; but, would they also uncover who killed her?
Open Season by Linda Howard
The illustrated edition of Open Season by bestselling author Linda Howard was published in 2002. The story focuses on how a girl named Daisy Minor transformed from a simple librarian into an extraordinary party girl. She starts to wear ultimately different clothes. The twist in Daisy’s life continues as she had a new lease on her place, which then she begins to flirt and man-hunt. But one night, as she heads home, she witnessed something that she wasn’t supposed to witness. And just like that, Daisy becomes the next target of a murderer. Her fun and exciting life were put to a stop in order to keep herself safe and alive.
Black Ice by Anne Stuart
Wheeler Publishing published the first edition of Anne Stuart’s Black Ice in 2005. This romantic suspense novel is the first book of the promising The Ice series. It follows the story of Chloe Underwood, who works as an American book translator and has lived from one paycheck to another in Paris. Chloe is the type who seeks thrill and excitement. Thus, she immediately agreed to go on a booming gig where she is translating in a conference for business purposes. But, she found out that her bosses are not the entrepreneurs that they deemed to be.
Oliver’s Twist 