Behind the hearts and roses of Valentine’s Day lies a story that feels almost like a novel itself; layered, romantic, and a little mysterious. Valentine’s Day is most often linked to Saint Valentine, a 3rd-century priest in Rome who, according to legend, secretly performed marriages after they were banned by the emperor. His quiet rebellion in the name of love ultimately led to his execution around 14th February (there are conflicting reports as to the actual date, but let’s go with the popular view of 14th February). Centuries later, Pope Gelasius I declared the date as St. Valentine’s Day, and poets like Geoffrey Chaucer helped entwine the day with romance by writing of it as the moment when ‘birds and hearts begin to choose their mates.’

I love knowing that Valentine’s Day was born from both courage and poetry. It reminds us that love has always been something worth risking for, writing about, and celebrating. Long before chocolates and cards, Valentine’s Day was a quiet promise that love, whether whispered, written, or lived boldly, matters. And perhaps that is why, so many centuries later, we still feel its pull every February: because stories of love, in all their forms, never truly go out of season.

Valentine’s Day holds a very special love and unique magic to me, because it was the day my son, Joss, was born. He arrived at 1:13am on 14th February, and I spent the whole day in a state of total love and complete bliss just looking at him. And Valentine’s Day has only ever meant love for Joss ever since. It’s a special day for me, because of him... reminding us that love and connection aren’t just about romantic love that the commercialism suggests, it is so much more than that; to me, it’s about how love changes you, enhances you and breathes new life into you.

But beyond my own personal love for St Valentine’s Day, at Novus Publishing House, we believe deeply in the power of story, not just to entertain, but to connect, heal, and remind us of who we are and what we long for. And if there’s one genre that does this with unmatched tenderness and intensity, it’s romance.

But as you can see, romance is not one-size-fits-all.

Some of us crave sweeping epics, corseted heroines, and slow-burning longing. Others want raw, contemporary stories that mirror the messy beauty of modern love. And many readers, beautifully, want both.

This Valentine season, I invite you to explore a conversation between eras: the timeless classics that shaped our idea of romance, and the modern love stories that reflect today’s complexities, identities, and emotional truths.

Let’s talk about both, and why every kind of love story deserves a place on your bookshelf.

The Enduring Power of Classic Romance

Classic romance novels feel like heirlooms to me. They are stories passed down through generations, not because they’re perfect, but because they’re unforgettable, and have stood the test of time.

When you open Gone with the Wind, you step into a world of grand emotion and historical upheaval. Scarlett O’Hara is not an easy heroine to love, and Rhett Butler is far from a fairytale prince. Yet their relationship burns with intensity, pride, regret, and longing. It reminds us that love can be passionate and destructive at the same time and that sometimes the greatest love stories are also cautionary tales.

Then there are the novels of Jane Austen, whose work continues to feel brilliantly alive centuries later. Pride and Prejudice offers us Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy (was there ever a better Mr Darcy than Colin Firth?), two people who must confront their own flaws before they can truly love each other. Austen’s brilliance lies in her understanding of human nature. Her romances aren’t just about falling in love; they’re about becoming worthy of love and truly feeling ready for love.

Classic romance often unfolds slowly. Letters matter. Conversations matter. A single glance across a room can carry the weight of an entire chapter. These stories invite us to linger in longing, to savour anticipation, and to appreciate love as something earned through patience and growth. This reminds me of first love….do you recall the anticipation, excitement, trembling worries? These moments all come rushing back whenever I read an Austen book, and it’s not because I am typically romantic, its that she has the ability to create a deep emotional connection with her readers, with an evocative but dreamy energy.

Pride & Prejudice — *Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen*

Ok, let’s move forward to a more contemporary classic before I feel the need to go re-read Pride and Prejudice! Let’s talk about the amazing ‘’The Notebook’’ by Nicholas Sparks. This novel bridges traditional and modern romance beautifully, I just have to let out a deep sigh as I type that.

Noah and Allie’s love is tender, steadfast, and deeply emotional. It reminds us that true love is not just about the first spark; it’s about choosing each other, again and again, even when time and circumstance try to pull you apart. It’s a deeply moving novel, a timeless movie that I am sure we have all watched several times, and for me, it is a courageous, deep love that endures no matter what. Does that make it a perfect love, I wonder?

For me, classic romances often promise something really comforting: that love can endure, that devotion matters, and that even heartbreak has meaning.

They wrap us in nostalgia. They whisper, Love is worth the risk.

Modern Love Stories for a Changing World

Modern romance, on the other hand, is unafraid to be messy, harsh, often disturbing and completely free of conventional expectations!

These stories don’t always offer tidy, happy endings. Instead, they give us emotional honesty, complicated characters, and love that exists alongside trauma, mental health struggles, and difficult choices.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover is a powerful example. This is not a soft, escapist romance. It is a brave, deeply personal exploration of love, cycles of abuse, and the courage it takes to choose yourself. Hoover doesn’t romanticise pain, she confronts it. And in doing so, she shows us that sometimes the most loving thing you can do is walk away. Oh my, I have done that way too many times!! (too honest for a blog? Maybe….but I have always held the view, ‘life is short. If something isn’t right, it’s wrong, and I won’t waste my life on the wrong things.’ So, no apologies, to the ex-Mandy men!!)

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes asks equally difficult questions. What does it mean to love someone who doesn’t want to be saved? Can love really be enough when two people want fundamentally different outcomes? This novel lingers long after the final page, not because it is easy, but because it is achingly human.

Modern romance also embraces a wider spectrum of love stories, including LGBTQ+ narratives that have too often been marginalised, in my opinion.

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai is a stunning, heartbreaking, and hopeful exploration of love, friendship, and loss during the AIDS crisis and beyond. It reminds us that love exists not only in romantic partnerships, but in chosen families and enduring friendships.

And then there is Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman, a lyrical, intimate portrait of first love between two young men in Italy. This story captures that universal ache of wanting, discovering yourself, and knowing that some loves shape you forever, even if they don’t last.

Modern romance gives us permission to acknowledge that love can be transformative even when it’s imperfect.

Sometimes, especially when it’s imperfect.

When we place classic and modern romance side by side, something beautiful happens. The classic romantic novels teach us about endurance, devotion and the slow unfolding of love, whilst for me, modern romance teaches us about boundaries, self-respect, identity and emotional truth. Together they create a fuller, richer picture of what love really is.

Love is not just grand gestures and poetic declarations; love is also difficult conversations. Love is choosing yourself. Love is staying. Love is leaving. Love is surviving grief and experiencing utter joy. Love is family. Love is the smallest of details. Love is connection and fulfilment, no matter who or what provides and receives that love.

And every one of these experiences deserves to be told.

I believe the future of romance is expansive, inclusive and deeply human like never before, so expect many more variations of exceptional reads within the ‘romance’ genre, and I personally cannot wait to experience and appreciate such writing, because as a publisher, a writer, and a lifelong reader, I am constantly inspired by how stories evolve.

A Valentine’s Invitation

This February as we fall into the romance of St Valentine’s Day, I encourage you to read something that stretches you. If you usually live in classics, pick up a contemporary romance and see how love is being reimagined today. If you usually gravitate toward modern novels, try a timeless classic and experience the roots of the genre. Better yet, read both.

Let yourself fall in love with Elizabeth Bennet’s wit and Lily Bloom’s resilience.

Let yourself ache for Noah and Allie, and for Elio and Oliver. Let yourself feel, really feel.

Because reading romance is not about escaping reality. It’s about understanding it more deeply. It’s about recognising pieces of yourself in someone else’s story. It’s about hope. And hope, my friends, is the most romantic thing of all.

From my heart to yours, ‘’Happy Valentine’s’’ and happy reading. I hope you experience a special kind of love, whether from a partner, a child, a friend, a treasured pet, or even a little self-love, because after all, you deserve love in all its forms…

With love,
Mandy x
Owner & Creator, Novus Publishing House