This post is written by Carolina Ciucci.
Romance short stories may be tricky to get just right, but when they are, they’re one of my favorite things to read. Delicious love stories that I can gulp down in one greedy bite? Or, alternately, savor like a truly excellent chocolate truffle? Yes, please, and thank you. I love a good doorstopper, but there’s something so satisfying about reading a great love story in a single sitting. And that’s what you’ll find here: eight romance short stories you can read in a single, delightful sitting.
The stories on this list all come in at somewhere between 25 and 50 pages, and there is something for everyone. You like your romance to be retellings of folklore and mythology? You got it. You prefer YA? You will find it here. You’re all about vampires? Knock yourself out. From witty bookstore owners to vampire mercenaries, there’s a variety of characters and relationship dynamics, so you’ll be sure to find something that works for you. (Personally, all of these stories worked for me.)
Most of these are part of anthologies, and a couple of them are part of a longer series of romance short stories, so you’ll be getting an embarrassment of riches if you check these out. Now take a seat, grab a cup of your beverage of choice, and dive in.
“Ọṣun” by Bolu Babalola
Beautiful Ọṣun is in a relationship with selfish Ṣàngó. But when Erinlẹ enters her life, she realizes she can be more than looked at: she can be seen.
From Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold
“Long Distance” by Varaidzo
June finds herself admiring May. There is just one problem: the two women seem to exist four years apart.
From Who’s Loving You: Love Stories by Women of Colour
“The Way We Love Here” by Dhonielle Clayton
Viola lives in a world where you can tell how close you are to meeting your soulmate by a red coil wrapped around your ring finger. She’s anxious about it…until she meets Sebastian.
From Meet Cute
“Silver and Gold” by Natasha Ngan
Mila and Ru are rivals with a romantic history that neither cares to acknowledge…until they’re snowed in together in the middle of a blizzard.
From Fools In Love: Fresh Twists on Romantic Tales
“Consignment” by Elaine Burnes
A bookstore owner. A writer looking to get her book in stores. A beautiful love story full of sweetness and (what else?) books.
From Finding Ms. Write
“With Any Luck” (The Improbable Meet-Cute #5) by Ashley Poston
Imagine being the person everyone dates right until they find their soulmate. That’s the case for Audrey Love, who’s afraid she might have kissed her best friend during his bachelor party. Why else would he have disappeared hours before the wedding? Now she needs to find the missing groom — and maybe her own happy ever after.
“Drop, Cover, and Hold On” (The Improbable Meet-Cute #4) by Jasmine Guillory
A natural disaster traps Daisy and Harris together during Valentine’s Day. What else is there to do but get closer (in more ways than one)?
“Fangs for Hire” by Jenna Black
Gemma is just your regular mercenary who’s been assigned her next hit. Regular, that is, except for the fact that she’s a vampire. And her target, Ross, happens to be distractingly hot.
From The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance
If you’re looking for more romance short stories, be sure to read about 9 of the best romance anthologies out there. If you’d like something a bit longer, how about checking out romance novellas?