The 15 Clean contemporary romance books for all those readers who want to read romance but without all the details. I have a friend who’s an actress (I’ve mentioned her) and she always says, there’s art to being subtle. Cinema and even books are too detailed about things that should be left to the imagination of the audience. I agree with her for once. We spent some time during the lockdown last year binge-watching Netflix. It’s shocking how much content there made us cringe. There was a lot of fast- forwarding involved. That’s how I came up with this list.
15 Clean Contemporary Romance Books
Here’s my list of best clean contemporary romances. You can find something for everyone.
Nantucket News
Charleston native, Taylor Abbott, has just relocated to Nantucket for her dream job as a junior news reporter at the local paper. Ten years ago she was Abby Hodges college roommate and is looking forward to living near her best friend again.
Until her rental cottage is available, she’s going to stay at the Beach Plum Cove Inn, Abby’s mother’s bed and breakfast.
Abby meanwhile is dealing with an issue she thought she’d resolved.
Rhett discovers someone that works for him is a thief and tries to figure out who it is.
Rumor is there’s a celebrity or two on the island and the media (including Taylor’s co-worker, Victoria), is in hot pursuit to track them down.
Saltwater Promises
Mike isn’t about to let a little thing like being forced into retirement stop him from investigating the mob activity on San Juan Island. Sure, it’s dangerous, but he can handle it. He’s about to crack the case wide open, too…then he sees her again and everything gets way more complicated.
Lynn Campbell loves retirement. Leaving the FBI gave her more time with her daughter and let her live out her dreams of being a full-time artist. But the mystery Mike brings into her life is irresistible, and unfortunately for her peace of mind, so is the man himself.
Soon, Mike and Lynn find themselves caught up in a case neither of them should’ve been working on—and in the middle of a romance they never expected. Is happily ever after possible for two retired agents in Westcott Bay? Maybe. If the bad guys don’t ruin their chances…permanently.
Saltwater Promises, the final book in the Westcott Bay series, is a sweet, romantic, mature women’s fiction read packed with excitement, suspense, and love. Get your copy today and get all the answers you’ve been waiting for!
The Summer House
Lily Bishop wakes up one morning to find a good-bye note and divorce papers from her husband on the kitchen counter. Having just moved to Alabama for his job only weeks before, Lily is devastated. New to town and knowing no one, Lily finds herself in desperate need of a job and a new place to live. When Lily hears that a hair stylist is needed at small retirement community, she decides to apply.
Rose Carrigan built the small retirement village of Safe Harbor years ago—just before her husband ran off with his assistant. Now she runs a tight ship, making sure the residents follow her strict rules. Rose keeps everyone at arm’s length, including her own family. But when Lily shows up asking for a job and a place to live, Rose’s cold exterior begins to thaw.
Lily and Rose form an unlikely friendship, and Lily’s salon soon becomes the place where the colorful residents share town gossip and a few secrets. Lily soon finds herself drawn to Rose’s nephew, Rawlins—a single dad and shrimper who’s had some practice at starting over—and one of the residents may be carrying a torch for Rose as well.
Neither Lily nor Rose is where she expected to be, but the summer makes them both wonder if there’s more to life and love than what they’ve experienced so far.
It’s Better This Way
t’s been nearly six years since Julia Jones had her heart broken. After her husband became involved with another woman, she did everything she could to save their marriage, to no avail. The couple’s two daughters continue to stand by Julia in the wake of their father’s behavior—and they’ve had a tough time getting along with the other woman who’s become their stepmother. Distraught after selling the family home, Julia moves into a condominium complex that offers the warmth and charm of a fresh start. Now, having settled into her new community and sold her successful interior design business, she’s embraced a fulfilling new life, one that doesn’t seem to need a man in it. Her beloved father’s trusty saying is ringing truer than ever: It’s better this way.
But when Julia meets a handsome new resident in the building’s exercise room, she can’t help but be drawn to him. Heath Johnson is a welcome change from the men she’s encountered on the occasional—mostly disastrous—dates her sister has eagerly planned for her over the years. As she and Heath, a divorcé himself, begin to grow close, their friendship blossoms into an unexpected love. However, they soon realize that combining families proves to be a challenge, even though their four children are adults.
When a dramatic revelation threatens the happiness they’ve found, Julia and Heath must reconcile their love for their children with their love for each other. If they can’t, their bright future together may be nothing but a dream.
I Hated You First: Sworn To Loathe You
Clay… My best friend has held a grudge against his half-sister, Lauren, forever. It’s unjustified and ridiculous, but I have to take his side. Also ridiculous? How bad I have it for her.
My Lauren radar goes off the second she steps in the building. Did I mention we work together and her dad’s the boss? Yeah, she’s so off-limits I might as well start running now and never come back.
Except, her family is like family to me. So, I’ll do whatever it takes to stick around, even if she hates my guts.
Lauren… I date guys nothing like Clay on purpose. I will not let my old crush on him get the best of me. It’s going on the list of things I’ve outgrown and will deny ever having, like the Justin Bieber poster I used to keep on the back of my door.
It doesn’t matter that I’ve caught Clay looking at me like he’s a jewel thief and I’m a precious gem encased in glass. He’d never choose me over my brother, or his job, or his enjoyment in teasing me.
Avoiding Clay is easy, until the day I realize my dad’s asked for Clay’s help in checking up on my dates.
A Wedding in the Keys
The bonds of love that have formed and grown over the past year in Coconut Key reach a culmination of white lace and champagne…for some. For others, things may not turn out as they expected.
New arrivals on the island turn plans and lives upside down, testing the strength of relationships. Everyone has to make major decisions about life, work, and love. The future may look different for Beck, Savannah, Peyton, and Jessie…but whatever it is, with family and friends, it will be warm, happy, and dappled in sunshine.
The Coconut Key Series celebrates older heroines, second chance romance, entangled families, and lifelong friendships. With a cast of unforgettable characters and stories that touch every woman’s heart, be sure to read them all!
Gulf Coast Sunsets
Escape to the Gulf Coast of Florida with Georgia Carpenter as she gets a second chance at life, love, and happiness.
With a hurricane barreling toward Blackbird Beach, Georgia Carpenter is faced with new problems and the need to work faster than ever. The last thing she needs is more damage to the inn, but she can’t control nature.
What she can control is how the people around her weather that storm. In a bid to protect those she loves, she pulls them all close, opening her new home as a place of shelter.
Everything’s going fine, too, until the man she’s falling for, Travis Taylor, reveals he has a storm of his own going on. Will the changes in his life mean changes in Georgia’s too?
Seabreeze Summer
While renovating an old beach house, Ivy and her sister, Shelly, suddenly have full occupancy after fire forces Summer Beach residents from their homes. Even the mayor, Bennett Dylan, who was Ivy’s high school crush, moves in. As the summer heats up, attractions simmer and feuds erupt.
Living in the house Bennett had hoped could be a community center, he finds himself at odds with Ivy’s campaign for a bed-and-breakfast zoning change. And when valuable items disappear from the inn, Bennett’s friend Mitch, who owns the popular Java Beach coffee shop, is the prime suspect.
Shelly’s romance with Mitch cools when his old criminal record emerges, which leads her to question if Summer Beach is the right place for her.
Despite the chaos, Ivy has just one summer to save the house from an impending tax sale. And when a documentary filmmaker arrives to reconstruct the history of the old house and its secretive former owner, yet another secret emerges from an unlikely place.
Seabreeze Summer is a sweet summer beach read and the second novel in the Summer Beach series after the Seabreeze Inn. Book your reservation in this small beachside town of intriguing characters now.
Small Town Charm
From the New York Times bestselling author of Small Town Rumors comes a sweet Southern story of family, forgiveness, and true love.
Growing up, Cricket Lawson was never one of the popular girls. And that was just fine with her. If the Belles couldn’t deal with her curves or tell-it-like-is attitude, she didn’t want to be friends with them anyway. Now she’s perfectly content running her little bookshop and tending to her garden.
Then Bryce Walton comes to town. He’s sweet, friendly, and successful, and suddenly all the ladies in Bloom, Texas, are pulling out every ounce of Southern charm they have to win him over. But they’re shocked to discover the only one Bryce wants to spend time with is Cricket.
When one of the Belles reaches out to her for help, Cricket will have to decide whether the opportunity for true friendship means losing the man who’s quickly winning her heart.
After All
From New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin comes a heartfelt story about overcoming great loss and forgiving past sins to find happiness again.
Brooklyn Hewett hasn’t set foot in Cape Harbor for fifteen years—not since an accident claimed the love of her life, Austin Woods. Desperate to move forward, Brooklyn has focused on raising her daughter for the past fourteen years. But when the opportunity comes along to renovate the old Driftwood Inn, Brooklyn knows it’s time to go home.
But it won’t be easy. For one, Austin’s best friend, Bowie Holmes, still lives in Cape Harbor. Brooklyn hasn’t quite been able to forget him: not since the night they spent together—the same night they both lost Austin. Separated by tragedy and guilt, they’re brought together by the Driftwood project. And as they rebuild the inn, they discover they’re also rebuilding something else.
Brooklyn’s always been desperate to move on, not knowing that she first needs to reconcile past transgressions. She can’t forget, but she can forgive—Austin, Bowie, and herself—on her way toward long-awaited happiness.
Sweet Bliss
Welcome to Harper Landing, a small town filled with people who believe in happy endings.
Left raising his newly orphaned nephew after a tragic accident, Aaron Baxter fears he’s not cut out to be a single dad. But to give baby Jack the life he deserves—and to find a peaceful refuge for himself—Aaron moves to the idyllic Pacific Northwest town of Harper Landing.
Julia Harper, descendant of the town’s founder and successful frozen yogurt shop owner, is mostly resigned to her role as the often-overlooked girl next door. But when the town newcomer, Aaron, reaches out for help with Jack, she finds herself yearning to take part in a sweet love story of her own.
To Aaron, the grace Julia extends is a balm for his aching heart and the guilt he feels over his sister’s death. To Julia, Aaron’s adoration is the key to finally realizing her own worth. With a baby in the middle, can these two hurting souls find completeness in each other?
The Island House
Charlotte Madsen’s whole world came crashing down six months ago with the words, “I met someone else.”
Thirty-seven, recently divorced, and childless. That’s Charlotte when she disembarks from the plane in Getaway Bay. She wants to get away, that’s for sure. She thought the best way to do that was to buy a run-down house overlooking the bay, knowing she’ll need all her fixer-upper skills to get it in shape. Which is just fine. She’s hoping as she overhauls the house, she’ll get a life makeover too.
She was not expecting a tall, handsome man to be under the kitchen sink when she arrives at the supposedly abandoned house. She wasn’t expecting to get drenched when the non-plumber twists something the wrong way. And she certainly wasn’t expecting her heart to be well enough to feel anything for anyone.
But former Air Force pilot, Dawson Dane, has a charming devil-may-care personality, and Charlotte could use some carefree laughter in her life. But everything with Dawson isn’t sunshine and unicorns. He’s estranged from his family, though he does speak to one of his brothers. And he’s never committed to anything except his career, even choosing flying over an engagement years ago.
Can Charlotte navigate the healing process as she renovates the island house? Can Dawson finally make a commitment to a woman? Or will he and Charlotte decide a relationship is just too hard?
One Summer in Italy
Reeda Summer is running from a troubled marriage and a truth she can’t face.
When the Summer sisters discover their grandmother’s journals after her death, they unlock a mystery that shakes their family to the core. Who is Charlie Jackson? Is he their grandfather? And if so, what happened to him?
Reeda leaves the Waratah Inn and returns to Sydney, her husband, and her thriving interior design business, only to find her marriage in tatters. She’s lost sight of what she wants in life and can’t recognise the person she’s become.
Instead of facing her problems, Reeda embarks on a journey to discover more about the grandfather she never knew, leaving her troubles behind her.
Her search takes her to Italy, where a trail of clues leads her across the country with few answers to satisfy her burning curiosity about the past. And instead of helping her to forget, her pilgrimage reminds her of everything she loves and what she’s left behind.
Under the Italian sky, Reeda discovers that the joy she was searching for was hidden inside her all along. And instead of running from her problems, she embraces the healing she needs to face them.
Good Guys Love Dogs
She’s Main Street. He’s Wall Street.
Desperate father Ian McKinley moves his delinquent teenage son to the small Virginia town of Keeling Creek, a place very unlike the New York City life he has been leading. Love takes him by surprise when he falls for Colby Williams, a woman unlike anyone he has ever been drawn to, a small town vet with a heart for animals and a fierce love for a teenage daughter she is also struggling to raise.
But Colby has a secret in her past, a secret she’s not sure her daughter will ever forgive her for. And as for Ian McKinley, he seems too good to be true. If she had learned anything from the one time she had thrown her heart fully into love, it was that it didn’t last.
Starting Over
Cara Wallace is stunned to find Nathan Reynolds back in Henderson County. His sudden arrival brings to the fore unresolved questions of what might have been.
How could she unwrite the past?
Could she undo the mistakes?
How could she unlove him?
Nathan Reynolds can’t understand why Cara chose to stay in this small town. How could she sacrifice her career, her future and their love for a small run-down cottage in the middle of nowheresville?
Whatever her reasons, Nathan intends to find out and start over again!
Do you have a favorite clean contemporary romance book?
I’d like to know what authors you read when it comes to wholesome romance. Do you have a favorite clean contemporary romance? Let me know.