Okay, hear me out. Does the romance genre get a bad rap sometimes? Yes. Can that bad rap be directly linked to some of these book covers? That is unproven and will remain an unanswered question. I’m not shaming anyone here, I’m the queen of reading trashy romance novels. They’re hilarious, and kind of good…? I’ve read some weird books in my day (rip to my search history), here are some romance book covers that never fail to throw me into a laughing fit.
As someone who buys books solely based on their cover, I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of covers. Also just a small disclaimer, I do not support the bashing of any creator or their works. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m just here to provide entertainment for the masses and (fortunately for you) these covers entertain me.
Kissing the Coronavirus
Starting off strong, we have Kissing the Coronavirus by M.J. Edwards. Please note that this is book one of four! I will commend this author for making light of a situation that had so many people in a bad headspace. While reading this book, I feel like the only thing that would put me in a bad place would be if the female main character died because of COVID-19. I think that might put a damper on the romance.
Amish Vampires in Space
Y’all I can’t make this up. Surprisingly, Kerry Nietz’s Amish Vampires in Space has a 4.2 out of 5 rating on Amazon. This is the first of Nietz’s Peril in Plain Space trilogy. It seems to me that these types of romance books always come in either pairs or more. Like it’s rare that you’ll find a one-off if you know what I mean? As I was sifting through different books for this article, I came across quite a few Amish Romances, but this one really took the cake. I mean, look at the material.
Cowboy Up
I have questions… where is this water coming from? Is his hat just completely soaked through? I’m not complaining because the man is working with what he was given, but… the water? Or worse, is that meant to be sweat? (Gross). Once again though, Cowboy Up by Vicki Lewis Thompson is one in a series, number 5 out of 10 to be precise. It follows all the classic requirements for a romance book cover. An attractive half-naked individual in front of a vague background that gives no information about the love interest.
Abducted by the Highland Pirate
Yet again! Attractive half-naked individual, but this time we’ve hopped the pond only to be stopped mid-journey by this Scottish pirate. Is the kilt practical when traveling by boat? Abducted by the Highland Pirate by Emilia C. Dunbar is available exclusively on Kindle Unlimited, and it’s the first of five in Highlands’ Infamous Pirates series by Dunbar. It’s described as a steamy, Scottish, historical romance novel. I’m getting all of those things from the cover, is that just me?
State of Affairs
This one doesn’t make me giggle as much as cringe. The description on this one is actually really interesting and I feel like if I didn’t make snap judgments I would enjoy it. However, Rome wasn’t built in a day and I will continue to make snap judgments at my leisure. It has the makings of a classic romance (like the old, old covers, don’t worry, examples will be provided further down). State of Affairs by Marie Force is the first in the First Family Series.
Vampires Are Forever
Look– I– no. Okay, several things, many thoughts and feelings with this one. The cover itself functions as a romance book cover. That being said, the block lowlights in miss girl’s hair? The temporary tattoo on this man’s arm? Why is his hair wet? Would I still read it? Hell yes. I can’t stop myself, it’s like a disease. I see books like Lynsay Sands’ Vampires Are Forever and I can’t help myself. Bonus points if it’s part of a series, which this one is number 5 of (get this) 35!
Tricking Chase
I feel like this cover is staring straight into my soul. Y’all will hear this from me a lot, but this is a Wattpad story cover from 2012. That’s the energy I’m getting right now and you can’t change my mind. Tricking Chase by Jessie G is book one of four in the Devils Pride MC series. I don’t have much to say about this one, other than I don’t like it, but it makes me laugh when I look at it.
Brutal King
That skull is photoshopped onto the body of this poor model. And it’s not photoshopped on there well. And if I’m being truthful, I think those tattoos are photoshopped on there too. This one does get a tick in the pros column because it has a guaranteed happy ending, but do the ends justify the means of this cover? Brutal King by Jagger Cole is part of the Savage Heirs series, consisting of six standalone books within the same universe.
I will say that’s one thing that I really like about romance books recently. Many of them are stand-alones within the same storyline. They’re all individual, but they operate in harmony with each other. I don’t know how romance authors are able to crank out this many books in such a short amount of time.
Ladies First
Can I confess a little secret just between me and you (and the rest of the internet)? I’ve read this book. Added it to my Kindle library and everything. I didn’t particularly enjoy the narrative it was pushing, but I had to know what the tea was. We see the classic romance elements of this love story, really the cover tells you everything you need to know about Ladies First by Liberty Adams. Maybe I’m a little biased on this one, but I think my giggles are justified.
Oath Sworn
I’ve seen this exact type of cover on Wattpad stories that I read when I was in junior high. Am I mad at it? Absolutely not, I know exactly what to expect from this story (assuming that it subscribes to the obligatory Omegaverse rules). Although I will say that the cover girl of Oath Sworn by K. N. Banet looks like she was lifted straight out of a 2010 version of GTA.
The Engima of a Widow
Really the thing that makes me laugh about this one is the fact that every piece of this looks to be photoshopped together. I just– like, this is nothing new, but it just seems like it’s overdone here? I like that the cover of The Enigma of a Widow by Linda Rae Sande mimics the original classics. I’d bet my bottom dollar that the font for that title is metallic.
Hellfire, Texas
As a proud resident of Texas, I’m offended. No, I’m not really, but is this romance between the man and these horses? Apparently, I’m a big fan of having either both main characters (or just one) on the cover of books. Just FYI, I’m always down for a firefighter romance, and Hellfire, Texas by Elle James is no exception.
Christmas with a Vampire
When I said that I like just the main characters on the cover, I didn’t mean this. I can’t get over this little bat above the title. Christmas with a Vampire wins most authors by having five different authors, Merline Lovelace, Lori Devoti, Linda Winstead Jones, Lisa Childs, and Bonnie Vanak. What would y’all do if I pulled this out of my tote bag at the beach? Bully me, I guarantee it (my friends would definitely poke some kind of fun).
A Slice of Honey Bear Pie
Ending this lovely list with the cover that made our CEO, Scott, fall out of his chair while laughing, I present A Slice of Honeybear Pie by Jacqueline Sweet. As soon as we began talking about this article, Scott knew which cover he wanted to be included. Rightfully so, a bear shifter romance with this title and amazing cover? 10/10, would recommend (I have never read this story, please take my recommendation with a grain of salt). I think Scott might have been under the impression that this referred to ‘bear’ in a different context.
Thank you for joining me in a little laugh session! I hope that you enjoyed this just as much as I did. Let’s remember that covers of books follow the trends of their industry, and we shouldn’t judge them (too harshly, at least).
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