My Top Ten Favorite Bookish Romances

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Thank you to Jess from Gone with the Words for letting me use her pretty TTT image above:)

I could definitely pick more than 10 favorite romances (in fact, I cheated and picked 11 here.) But I've decided to stick with contemporary books, no classics are on this list. Not that I don't adore Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, or Jane and Mr. Rochester, or Scarlet and Rhett, or Daisy and Jay.  I DO. But today I chose my favorite modern day romantic couples:)

And because I love including excerpts in my reviews, I'll let the authors and the characters do all the talking today. 
Hopefully what they have to say will prove their worth for today's Top Ten List:)

10. Perry and Aria from Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Perry has asked Aria to sing for him:

The lyrics flowed out of her, springing straight from her heart. Words full of drama and wild abandon that had always embarrassed her before, because who flung themselves at raw emotion like that? 
    
She did it now...

   ...  Perry closed his eyes when she was finished. "You have a voice as sweet as your scent," he said, his words deep and quiet. "Sweet as violets." Her heart stopped in her chest. He thought she had a scent like violets? "Perry...do you want to know the words?"  His eyes flew open. "Yes."  She took a moment to think through the lyrics, and then to muster up the courage to tell him--everything-- without looking away.

"How the stars shone. How sweet the earth smelled. The orchard gate creaked, and a foostep pressed on the sand. And she entered, fragrant as a flower, and fell into my arms. Oh, sweet kisses, lingering caresses. Slowly, trembling, I gazed upon her beauty. Now my dream of true love is lost forever. My last hour has flown, and I die, hopeless, and never have I loved life more."

They reached for each other then like some force had pulled their hands together. Aria looked at their fingers as they laced together, bringing her the sensation of his touch. Of warmth and calluses. Soft and hard together. She absorbed the terror and beauty of him and his world. Of every moment over the past days. All of it, filling her up like the first breath she'd ever taken. And never had she loved life more. 
                                       

9. Augustus and Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

"I'm in love with you," he said quietly.
"Augustus," I said.
"I am," he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you."

8. Finnikin and Evanjalin from Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

And this is the way Froi of the Exiles remembered that moment they entered the golden meadow that hurt his eyes but made him dream of all things good. 

On the one side of the path was a stone fence half-covered with overgrown weeds. On the other, olive groves with pomegranate and apple trees mixed. And there in the middle stood the priest-king like one of those ghosts who appear in dreams and Froi saw Evanjalin in the high grass, her face pale but not with death or fever. She wore flowers in her hair and Froi liked the way their stems fit into the bunch of hair beginning to stick out of her head. 

And when Finnikin grabbed her to him and buried his face in her neck and then bent down and placed his mouth on hers, the others pretended that there was something very interesting happening in the meadow. The priest-king even pointed at the nothing they were pretending to see. But Froi didn't. He just watched the way Finnikin's hands rested on Evanjalin's neck and he rubbed his thumb along her jaw and the way his tongue seemed to disappear inside her mouth as if he needed a part of her to breathe himself. 

And Froi wondered what Evanjalin was saying against Finnikin's lips when they stopped because whatever the words were it made them start all over again and this time their hunger for each other was so frightening to watch it made Froi look away.

7. Etienne and Anna from Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

"You're the most incredible girl I've ever known. You're gorgeous and smart, and you make me laugh like no one else can. And I can talk  to you. And I know after all this I don't deserve you, but what I'm trying to say is that I love you, Anna. Very much."

I'm holding my breath. I can't talk, but my eyes are filling with tears. 

He takes it the wrong way. "Oh God. And I've mucked things up again, haven't I? I didn't mean to attack you like this. I mean I did but...all right." His voice cracks. "I'll leave. Or you can go down first, and then I'll come down, and I promise I'll never bother you again--"

He starts to stand, but I grab his arm. "No!"

His body freezes. "I'm so sorry, " he says. "I never meant to hurt you."

I trail my fingers across his cheek. He stays perfectly still for me. "Please stop apologizing, Etienne."

"Say my name again,"  he whispers.

I close my eyes and lean forward. "Etienne."

He takes my hands into his. Those perfect hands, that fit mine just so. "Anna?"

Our foreheads touch. "Yes?"

"Will you please tell me you love me? I'm dying here."

And then we're laughing. And then I'm in his arms, and we're kissing, at first quickly--to make up for lost time--and then slowly, because we have all the time in the world. And his lips are soft and honey sweet, and the careful, passionate way he moves them against his own says that he savors the way I taste, too.

And in between kisses, I tell him I love him.

Again and again and again. 

6. Sean and Puck from The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Because their romance is a subtle one, there are many small moments between Puck and Sean that stand out to me:

“That's a poor match, Sean Kendrick," says a voice at my elbow. It's the other sister from Fathom & Sons, and she follows my gaze to Puck. 

"Neither of you are a housewife."

I don't look away from Puck. "I think you assume too much, Dory Maud."

"You leave nothing to assumption," Dory Maud says. "You swallow her with your eyes. I'm surprised there's any of her left for the rest of us to see.” 


and this one:



I say, 'I will not be your weakness, Sean Kendrick.'

Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, 'It's late for that, Puck.'


and this:

Sean reaches between us and slides a thin bracelet of red ribbons over my free hand. Lifting my arm, he presses his lips against the inside of my wrist. I'm utterly still; I feel my pulse tap several times against his lips, and then he releases my hand.

"For luck," he says. He takes Dove's lead from me.

"Sean," I say, and he turns. I take his chin and kiss his lips, hard. I'm reminded, all of a sudden, of that first day on the beach, when I pulled his head from the water. 

"For luck," I say to his startled face. 

5.5 Clara and Tucker from Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Clara, with her angel blood, can feel what Tucker is feeling when they kiss the first time:

The corner of his mouth lifts, and then I kiss him. Not so gently this time. His hands drop from my face and grab at my waist and pull me to him. A small soft groan escapes him, and that noise makes me feel absolutely crazy. I lose it. I wind my hands around his neck and kiss him without holding anything back. I can feel his heart thundering like mine, his breath coming faster, his arms tightening around me. 

And then I can feel what he feels. He's waited such a long time for this moment. He loves how I feel in his arms. He loves the smell of my hair. He loves the way I looked at him just now, flushed and wanting more from him. He loves the color of my lips and now the taste of my mouth is making his knees feel weak and he doesn't want to seem weak in front of me...

5. Juliette and Warner from Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

From the now infamous Ch. 62:

“I want to be the friend you fall hopelessly in love with. The one you take into your arms and into your bed and into the private world you keep trapped in your head. I want to be that kind of friend. The one who will memorize the things you say as well as the shape of your lips when you say them. I want to know every curve, every freckle, every shiver of your body. 

I want to know where to touch you, I want to know how to touch you. I want to know how to convince you to design a smile just for me. Yes, I do want to be your friend. I want to be your best friend in the entire world.” 


“I want so many things,” he whispers. “I want your mind. Your strength. I want to be worth your time.” His fingers graze the hem of my top and he says “I want this up.” He tugs on the waist of my pants and says “I want these down.” He touches the tips of his fingers to the sides of my body and says, “I want to feel your skin on fire. I want to feel your heart racing next to mine and I want to know it’s racing because of me, because you want me. Because you never,” he says, he breathes, “never want me to stop. I want every second. Every inch of you. I want all of it.” 

4. Simon and Caroline in Wallbanger by Alice Clayton

Caroline, in a blubbering confession, admits to Simon that not only has she lost her "O", but that she also loves him:

  All stop. Breathe. What did I just say?
 "Caroline, hey, stop crying, you gorgeous girl. Mind running that last part by me again?"
    I'd just told Simon I loved him. While my snot soaked into his North face. I breathed in his scent, then peeled myself off him and headed to the wall to peel off the dough stuck there. Nerves sprang to life, for once working for us. Could I cover? Could I rally?
   "Which part?" 
    "That last part," I heard him say, his voice strong and clear.
   "I killed my brioche?" I hedged.
   "You really think that's the part I'm asking about?"
   "Um, no?"
   "Try again."
   "I don't wanna."
   "Caroline--wait, what's your middle name?"
   "Elizabeth."
   "Caroline Elizabeth," he warned, in a deep voice that unexpectedly made me giggle.
   "Brioche is really good, when it's not flavored with wall," I blurted, my exhaustion mixing with my confession for an odd buzz. I actually felt a little relieved. 
   "Turn around, please," he asked, and so I did. He leaned against the counter, unzipping his snotty North Face. "I'm a bit jet-lagged, so a quick recap, if I could. One, you seem to have lost your orgasm, yes?"
   "Yes," I mumbled, watching as he took off his fleece, throwing it over the back of one of my chairs. 
   "Two, brioche is really hard to make, yes?"
   "Yes," I breathed, not able to take my gaze away from him. 
   "And three, you think you love me?" he asked, his voice deep and thick, like molasses and honey and all things afghan--blanket, not country. 
   "Yes,"  I whispered, knowing it was one hundred percent the truth. I loved Simon. Big, giant, 'dur'.
   "Well, now. That's something to consider, isn't it?" he replied, his eyes dancing as he drew near. "You really have no idea, do you?" 
   My breathing quickened, my body sparking to life in spite of myself. "No idea about what?" I murmured.
"How thoroughly you own me, Nightie Girl," he said, leaning in to whisper this part in my ear. "And I know I love you enough to want you to have your happy ending."


  

3. Marcus and Jessica from Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

The one and only song that Marcus Flutie will ever sing. And he sings it to Jessica while wearing a "passion-red" t-shirt that says "You, yes, you." on it:

I confess, yes, our Fall was all my fault.
If you kissed my eyes, your lips would taste salt
But you think my regret is a lie, and the tears I cry are the crocodile kind.

The sweat on your upper lip starts to boil
white hot with anger, still convinced I'm your foil
you keep fighting me, though my eyes are free from crocodile lies.

You, yes, you, linger inside my heart. The same you who stopped us before we could start
I didn't want to leave, but you began to believe your own crocodile lies.
The only person stopping you is yourself, you won't accept that I want no one else, 
so until you do, I'll let someone else have you. 
Every day I live the lie, but not the crocodile kind.

2. Allyson and Willem from Just One Day by Gayle Forman

When he finally kisses my mouth, everything goes oddly quiet, like the moment of silence between lightening and thunder. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. Four Mississippi. Five Mississippi. 

 Bang. 

We kiss again. The next kiss is the kind that breaks open the sky. It steals my breath and gives it back. It shows me that every other kiss I've ever had in my life has been wrong. 

1. Joe and Lennie from The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

My favorite book, and favorite couple, get the top spot. 

Here, Joe tells Lennie that for months he has been discovering and collecting the discarded poems she wrote to her dead sister, Bailey:

He's staring at me, tapping the clarinet on his leg. He looks nervous again. "Okay, say something. Don't feel weird. They just made me fall more in love with you." And then he smiles, and in all the places around the globe where it's night, day breaks. "Aren't you at least going to say quel dork?"

I would say a lot of things right now if I could get any words past the smile that has taken over my face. There it is again, his I'm in love with you obliterating all else that comes out of his mouth with it. 

He points to the box. "They helped me, I'm kind of an unforgiving doltwad, if you haven't noticed. I'd read them--read them over and over after you came that day with the roses--trying to understand what happened, why you were with him, and I think maybe I do now. I don't know, reading all the poems together, I started to really imagine what you've been going through, how horrible it must be..." He swallows, looks down, shuffles his foot in the pine needles. "For him too. I guess I can see how it happened." 

How can it be I was writing to Joe all these months without knowing it? When he looks up, he's smiling. "And then yesterday..." He points at me. "I own your ass."

I smile. "Making fun of me?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter because you own my ass too." He shakes his head and his hair flops into his eyes so that I might die. "Totally."

A flock of hysterically happy birds busts out of my chest and into the world. I'm glad he read the poems. I want him to know all the inside things about me. I want him to know my sister, and now in some way, he does. Now he knows before as well as after...

...He takes my hand, holds it to his mouth, kisses it. I close my eyes, feel shivers run through me--it's been so long since we've touched. He rests my hand back down. I open my eyes. His are on me, questioning. He smiles, but the vulnerability and hurt still in his face tears into me. "You're not going to do it to me again, are you?" he asks.

"Never," I blurt out. "I want to be with you forever!" Okay, lesson learned twice in as many days: You can chop the Victorian novel to shreds with garden shears but you can't take it out of the girl. 

He beams at me. "You're crazier than me."

We stare at each other for a long moment and inside that moment I feel like we are kissing more passionately than we ever have even though we aren't touching.

I reach out and brush my fingers across his arm. "Can't help it. I'm in love.'

"First time, " he says. "For me."

"I thought in France--"

He shakes his head. "No way, nothing like this."  He touches my cheek in that tender way that he does that makes me believe in God and Buddha and Mohammed and Ganesh and Mary, et al. "No one's like you, for me," he whispers. 

Sigh. I want to go back and read all of these books again after pulling these amazing excerpts:) 

So, did any of my favorite romantic couples make your list too? 

Drop me a comment and link me up below!