Today is Valentine’s Day and what better way to celebrate than starting a Latinx-inspired romance novel? Give yourself the chance to read love-centered stories written by Latinx authors that have captured our hearts over the past few years. 

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

Published in 2019, Never Look Back is a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice formed by the author’s experience as a Puerto Rican who grew up in the Bronx.

Eury comes to the Bronx as a girl haunted. Haunted by losing everything in Hurricane Maria — and by an evil spirit, Ato. She fully expects the tragedy that befell her and her family in Puerto Rico to catch up with her in New York. Yet, for a time, she can almost set the fear aside because of a boy she falls in love with.

Pheus is a golden-voiced, bachata-singing charmer, ready to spend the Summer on the beach with his friends, serenading his on-again, off-again flame. That changes when he meets Eury. All he wants is to put a smile on her face and fight off her demons. But some dangers are too powerful for even the strongest love, and as the world threatens to tear them apart, Eury and Pheus must fight for each other and their lives.

The novel focuses on how Eury tries to overcome her trauma while exploring the effects of colonialism and generational trauma.

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa. 

2020. Carolina (Lina) is a wedding planner who was ditched at the alter at her own wedding. Despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina’s offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch… she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials. 

Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning— absolutely off-limits —ex-fiancée. And she loathes him. 

If they can nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina’s ready to dish out a little payback of her own. 

Soon, Lina and Max discover animosity may not be the only emotion creating sparks between them. Still, this star-crossed couple can never be more than temporary playmates because Lina isn’t interested in falling in love and Max refuses to play runner-up to his brother ever again.

Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez

Yamile (sha-MEE-lay),  a fútbol obsessed Argentine-American and a mother of five, wrote this love story starring Camila Hassan, a young girl who lives a double life in her hometown of Rosario, Argentina with strict parents. 

At home, she is a careful daughter, living within her mother’s narrow expectations, in her rising-soccer-star brother’s shadow, and under the abusive rule of her short-tempered father. 

On the field, she is La Furia, a powerhouse of skill and talent. When her team qualifies for the South American tournament, Camila gets the chance to see just how far those talents can take her. In her wildest dreams, she’d get an athletic scholarship to a North American university.
 
But the path ahead isn’t easy. Her parents don’t know about her passion. They wouldn’t allow a girl to play fútbol — and she needs their permission to go any farther. And the boy she once loved is back in town. Since he left, Diego has become an international star, playing in Italy for the renowned team Juventus. Camila doesn’t have time to be distracted by her feelings for him. Things aren’t the same as when he left: she has her own passions and ambitions now, and La Furia cannot be denied. As her life becomes more complicated, Camila is forced to face her secrets and make her way in a world with no place for the dreams and ambition of a girl like her.

Next year in Havana, by Chanel Cleeton

Next Year in Havana is a story about Cuban history and a passionate romance told through two stories in different time frames. On the one hand, there’s the story of Elisa Perez, who lived in Havana, Cuba in 1958. On the other is  Marisol Ferrera, a young journalist living in Miami 2017 that wants to learn more about her Cuban roots.

Arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate. When more family history comes to light and Marisol finds herself attracted to a man with secrets of his own, she'll need the lessons of her grandmother's past to help her understand the true meaning of courage.