We love a good Love Story, but what I love even more is when love stories get the weird, strange, or slightly magical treatment and are a bit unique and unpredictable.
So just in case you're bored of the same old Happy Ever After, here are some less conventional love stories for you to read this Valentines, ones that I myself have read and loved (except for the final one which is on my TBR thanks to my husband who tells me I need to read it).
Shark Heart
by Emily Habeck
One of my favourite books, this is a story about love and grief explored through the story of a Man who is turning into a Great White Shark. Sounds weird, is weird, but it's also beautifully written and incredibly touching. It’s one of those stories about love that is also incredibly tragic so keep that in mind and be prepared to cry over a shark related illness.
This is How You Lose the Time War
by Max Gladstone and Amal El-Mohtar
This book is one you’ll either love or hate, but I absolutely loved it. Written by two authors who write the two agents travelling across time, known as Red and Blue, as they write increasingly intense and lyrical letters to each other. The epistolary and poetic style of writing is beautiful, the love story is unlike any other. It’s a stunning speculative book.
The Ministry of Time
by Kaliane Bradley
Another time travel romance, but this one is a little less bizarre and takes place in the near future in London where we have figured out how to bring people though time into our current day. An agent is helping a polar explorer from the 1800s adjust to everyday life and the increasing romantic tension between the two is beautiful, but also the hilarious reflections and insights into modern life are also excellent.
Fangs for Nothing
by Steffanie Holmes
This one is more your standard romance with a couple you know are going to end up together but you’re not quite sure how. It is a little less standard though in that the couple are a vampire with a hoarding problem and an overinvolved mother, and a declutterer who is being paid to help him sort his life out. It’s a bit spicy, written by an amazing Kiwi, and a whole load of fun. Plus, book two is out (A Grave Mistake) so you can jump right into another quirky romance straight after.
Our Infinite Fates
by Laura Steven
I listened to this on audio and was spell bound the entire time - we are thrown into the beautiful and tragic story that takes enemies to lovers to a whole other level as we watch Evelyn spend every one of her repeated lifetimes hunting and being hunted by the one she is inexplicably drawn to. It’s perfect for fans of Addie La Rue and a beautiful YA fantasy that took my breath away.
Someone You Can Build A Nest In
by John Wiswell
This is a cozy fantasy with a beautiful relationship at its center, however as with all of the books on this list, it’s a little unconventional in that one of the characters is a shapeshifting monster who lives in a swamp. The description of this book sounds incredibly unique, my husband is constantly telling me I need to read it, and its descriptions of being both beautifully touching and gruesomely violent have me convinced.
We love our Pride and Prejudice, and I’m a big fan of Emily Henry and Abby Jiminez, but sometimes I like my love stories told with a bit of strangeness to them. Let me know in the comments what weird love stories with a bit of magic, murder, or time travel I’ve missed so I can add them all to my never ending TBR!
Aroha nui,
Lizzy
