February is here, and romance is in the air. It is that special time of year filled with flowers, chocolates, flowers, and cards; the perfect time for letting your loved ones know you care. Too busy or tired to plan a special night on the town this year? No problem! HPU Libraries has you covered with a plethora of stories of love and romance to keep you and your loved ones warm during these cold months.
Classic Love Stories
It is hard to ignore a classic love story; stories full of passion, intensity, and love that knows no bounds. This Valentine’s Day, why not revisit the classics that showed us how powerful of a force that true love can be?
Romeo & Juliet
No discussion of classic romance literature is complete without a mention of Shakespeare’s immortal classic, Romeo & Juliet. This story of star-crossed lovers from rival families in Verona, Italy comes packed with love, blood, and an ending that reminds us that nothing can hinder true love’s reach, not even death. This story has been told and retold over the centuries and has spawned multiple Hollywood adaptations; these include multiple iterations of Romeo & Juliet, the animated feature Gnomeo & Juliet, and visually stunning William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. Marvel fans will also be intrigued to find Tom Holland starring as Romeo in the upcoming West End production of Romeo & Juliet.
La Belle et La Bete
Another love story that has survived for hundreds of years is a tale entitled “La Belle et La Bete”; you may know this story as “Beauty and the Beast.” The original story was written in France in 1740, by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, and features a much larger cast of characters and events than the commonly retold version we know of today (Ibid, 2024.) New characters include Belle’s 6 brothers and five cruel sisters; good and evil fairies; genies; and a King of the Fortunate Island, just to name a few (Ibid, 2024.) While “Beauty and the Beast,” is a childhood classic for many of us, there is way more to the story than we know. The original French fairy tale version is not one to miss. Are you intrigued? Click here to read this tale in the original French.
Contemporary Love Stories
If you are looking for love stories written in more recent years, HPU libraries also offer a wide collection of these poignant stories. From Nicholas Sparks to Nora Roberts, HPU Libraries has you covered.
Dreamland: a Novel
We could not discuss contemporary romance literature without mentioning Nicholas Sparks. The name Nicholas Sparks is practically synonymous with romance and this 2022 publication is no exception. “Dreamland: A Novel” introduces us to Colby, Morgan, and Beverly, three very different people from very different situations, but all having the same dream of living a better life (Sparks, 2022.) Over the course of one week, these characters will meet and be faced with the ultimate question of “whether the dream of a better life can ever survive the weight of the past” (Sparks, 2022.)
Dreamland: a Novel is just one of many Nicholas Sparks books held by HPU Libraries. Click here to browse our entire collection of Nicholas Sparks titles.
The First to Die at the End
The First to Die at the End is the story of Orion and Valentino, two strangers that are drawn together in New York City for a single, unforgettable day (Silvera, 2022.) When one receives an End Day Call and the other does not, despite knowing the day may end in a devastating heartbreak, Orion and Valentino decide that the only important thing is that they spend the day with each other (Silvera, 2022.) The First to Die at the End is the prequel to Adam Silvera’s smash hit They Both Die at the End, and is a must-read for fans of the the first book. If you missed out on the first book, no worries! You can find it available for checkout in our 2nd floor Readerspace.
Love is indeed a powerful force, a force that has been the muse of many poets and writers for many centuries. HPU Libraries has something for just about every reader interested in the romance genre. Stop by and check out our vast collection of print romance novels, or go online to checkout our eBook databases Overdrive, eBooks via EBSCO, or eBooks on ProQuest Central. If you have any questions, just ask a librarian!
References
Amazon (n.d.a). Dreamland: a Novel [Cover Image.]. Amazon.
Amazon (n.d.b). The First to Die at the End [Cover Image]. Amazon.
Amazon (n.d.c). Romeo and Juliet [Cover Image]. Amazon.
DisneyRebelWorks. (2020). The Enchanted Rose [Image]. Deviant Art.
Ibid. (2024). Beauty and the Beast. Wikipedia.
Silvera, A. (2022). The first to die at the end (First, Ser. [death-cast], [0]). Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. https://hpulibraries.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1286366288
Sparks, N. (2022). Dreamland : A novel (First). Random House. https://hpulibraries.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1311113556