Get a free notion reading tracker
Best Romance Books with a Smart Female Character
Are you tired of a romance book where the female lead is nothing more than a pretty face waiting to be saved?
If you’re nodding your head, you’re not alone. The romance genre has evolved tremendously, and today’s readers crave stories with fierce, independent heroines who know their worth.
In this collection, I’ve curated 15 exceptional romance novels where the women stand just as tall as the men they fall for, sometimes even taller.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my other romance book posts:
11 Enemies-to-Lovers Romance Books Recommendation
If “Cardigan” Was a Book: Hauntingly Romantic Books You’ll Love
Contemporary Romance
1. Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino
A deeply emotional second-chance romance that spans over fifteen years.
Matt and Grace, once inseparable during their college years, are torn apart by circumstance and ambition. When fate brings them back together through a chance encounter, old feelings resurface, but time has changed them both.
As they rediscover each other, they must confront past mistakes, unspoken regrets, and the lingering question—do they still belong together after all these years?
- Second-chance romances with deep emotional stakes
- College sweethearts reuniting years later
- A love story told through past and present perspectives
- Heartfelt, bittersweet storytelling with a hopeful resolution
Topics & Genre: Contemporary romance, emotional storytelling, fate & missed connections, artistic protagonists
2. The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang
The Kiss Quotient is a heartfelt and steamy romance featuring a heroine unlike any other. Stella Lane is brilliant with numbers but struggles with social interactions and intimacy due to her autism.
After realizing she needs more experience in dating, she hires Michael, a charming escort, to teach her how to navigate romance. What starts as a practical arrangement soon turns into something much deeper, as both Stella and Michael find themselves falling for each other in ways they never expected.
- Neurodivergent protagonists in romance
- Slow-burn love stories with undeniable chemistry
- Kind and protective heroes with troubled pasts
- Sensory-friendly depictions of intimacy
- Smart, witty, and emotionally rich storytelling
Topics & Genre: Contemporary romance, neurodivergent representation, emotional healing, opposites attract
3. It Ends With Us – Colleen Hoover
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover is a deeply emotional and thought-provoking novel that explores love, resilience, and the strength it takes to break free from harmful cycles.
The story follows Lily Bloom, a determined and ambitious woman who has built a new life for herself despite a difficult past.
When she falls for Ryle Kincaid, a confident and successful neurosurgeon, their relationship seems perfect, until unexpected challenges force Lily to confront painful truths about love and self-worth.
Lily’s journey unfolds with raw honesty, drawing readers into her internal struggle as she navigates a situation she never thought she would face.
- Emotionally intense and character-driven stories
- Strong, resilient heroines facing life-changing decisions
- Complex relationships that challenge traditional romance tropes
- Thought-provoking narratives with real-world relevance
- Heart-wrenching yet empowering storytelling
Contemporary fiction, emotional resilience, difficult relationships, personal growth, women’s fiction
Historical Romance
1. Bringing Down the Duke – Evie Dunmore
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore is a captivating historical romance set against the backdrop of England’s suffragist movement in 1879.
Annabelle Archer, a brilliant but penniless vicar’s daughter, earns a place among the first female students at Oxford. In exchange for her scholarship, she must support the growing women’s rights movement by persuading powerful men to join their cause.
Her mission leads her straight to Sebastian Devereux, the formidable Duke of Montgomery, a political strategist who holds immense influence at the Queen’s court.
- Strong, intelligent heroines challenging societal norms
- Grumpy-meets-sunshine romance with witty banter
- Slow-burn tension with sizzling chemistry
- Historical settings with a feminist perspective
- Powerful, brooding heroes with a hidden soft side
Topics & Genre: Historical romance, women’s suffrage movement, opposites attract, class differences, forbidden love
2. The Duchess Deal – Tessa Dare
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare is a heartwarming and witty historical romance featuring the beloved marriage of convenience trope.
The brooding Duke of Ashbury, scarred from war and resigned to a life in the shadows, decides that he needs a wife to produce an heir.
When Emma Gladstone, a strong-willed seamstress, unexpectedly arrives at his doorstep in a wedding gown, he sees it as fate, and promptly proposes a business-like marriage arrangement.
- Marriage of convenience turning into true love
- Witty banter and laugh-out-loud humor
- Scarred, brooding heroes with hidden vulnerabilities
- Strong heroines who challenge society’s expectations
- Beauty and the Beast-inspired historical romance
Topics & Genre: Historical romance, regency era, marriage of convenience, slow-burn romance, emotional healing
Fantasy Romance
1. Radiance – Grace Draven
In a world where humans and Kai, a nocturnal, inhuman race, coexist uneasily, Ildiko and Brishen are forced into a political marriage to secure an alliance.
To each other, they are strange, even unattractive, yet what begins as duty soon blossoms into a deep bond built on respect, humor, and unexpected affection. As dark forces threaten their kingdoms, their unlikely love becomes their greatest strength.
A refreshing take on arranged marriage with mature, thoughtful protagonists, slow-burn romance, and stunning world-building.
- Arranged marriage tropes with a twist
- Strong friendships evolving into love
- Fantasy romance with rich world-building
Fantasy romance, cross-cultural relationships, slow-burn love, political intrigue
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J. Maas
When nineteen-year-old Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, she unknowingly breaks a sacred treaty and is taken to the fae lands of Prythian as punishment.
Held captive by Tamlin, a powerful High Fae, she soon discovers that his world is not as terrifying as she once believed.
As she grows closer to him, a dark force threatens to destroy everything, forcing Feyre to fight for both love and survival.
A fantasy romance filled with magic, danger, and slow-burning passion, this book reimagines Beauty and the Beast with a darker, more seductive twist.
- Enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance
- Strong heroines navigating magical worlds
- Slow-burn relationships with intense chemistry
Topics & Genre: Fantasy romance, fae mythology, adventure, dark magic
3. The Bridge Kingdom – Danielle L. Jensen
Lara has spent her life training as a weapon, believing King Aren of the Bridge Kingdom is her enemy.
Sent as his bride under the guise of peace, her true mission is to dismantle his kingdom from within. But as she gains insight into the war over the bridge, she begins to question whether she is the hero or the villain.
Torn between loyalty to her homeland and growing feelings for Aren, Lara faces an impossible choice, save the kingdom she was meant to betray or destroy the man she’s come to love.
- Enemies-to-lovers romance with high tension
- Smart, ruthless heroines
- Political intrigue and betrayal
Topics & Genre: Fantasy romance, espionage, forbidden love, strategic warfare
So there you have it, proof that romance novels aren’t just about damsels sighing dramatically while waiting for a brooding man to notice them. These heroines take charge, kick butt (sometimes literally), and still manage to find love without losing themselves in the process.!
