Fri
Feb 1 2013 9:01am

Best Romance Novel Cover?

Yesterday saw the unveiling of not one, but TWO covers for highly-anticipated books: Sylvia Day's third Crossfire series book, Entwined with You, and Nalini Singh's twelfth Psy/Changeling book, Heart of Obsidian.

Even in the age of e-readers, covers are critically important (for example, Sylvia Day's original sexy covers were made more mainstream by replacing the nudity with items of iconic male accoutrements).

Which romance novel cover do you think is the best ever?

Morning Coffee: ‹ previous | index | next ›

contemporary, paranormal, historical, suspense

Sean Bean Meets His Waterloo in <i>Sharpeâ��s Waterloo</i>

Sean Bean Meets His Waterloo in Sharpe’s Waterloo

The White Queen Trailer

What Does He Like to Read?

Preparing for Sunday: Infusion of <i>True Blood</i>

Preparing for Sunday: Infusion of True Blood

Whatâ��s Your Favorite Dystopian Romance?

What’s Your Favorite Dystopian Romance?

12 comments

1. Vi Dao

Friday February 01, 2013 08:30am EST

Jaci Burton's Play-By-Play series has the best covers. They are so sexy with the mantitty. I primarily by ebooks, but I have to buy these books in softcover so I can admire/ogle the covers.

3. jane321

view all by jane321 | Friday February 01, 2013 09:20am EST

I absolutely agree with Vi Dao....
The covers of Jaci Burton's Play by Play series ... Best. Covers. EVER. The Perfect Play (Book 1) is the best of the best. The books are really good...if you can stop looking at the covers long enough to actually open the book and start reading. ;-)

4. ChelleP

view all by ChelleP | Friday February 01, 2013 09:42am EST

Historicals are my favorite genre, but the covers usually make me giggle instead of drooling. Fluffy dresses and puffy shirts just don't do it for me. But I also have to add that Carolyn Jewel's books are clever and hot...romance for smart people.

I much prefer the covers of urban fantasy (contemporary) books like Patricia Briggs or Kresley Cole's IAD series. I need some tight leather pants with a laced up corset (on the heroine...of course). ;)

5. CutMyTeethOnKleypas

view all by CutMyTeethOnKleypas | Friday February 01, 2013 11:20am EST

Historicals: Pretty dresses, please! (and I'm still a fan of the open back dress cover)

Paranormals: JR Ward Lover Eternal and Lover Avenged. I'm a fan of guys w/ tattoos and all the ruggedness.

Oddly enough, I also pay attention the hair on cover models... glorious mermaid Lady Godiva hair for my heroines . Or anything punk/grunge looking for the paranormals and contemporaries - I esp like Patricia Briggs Moon Called & Silver Borne. It's good to see chicks with ink too (just my $0.02).

6. emmel

view all by emmel | Friday February 01, 2013 11:54am EST

I think it's fun to look at the results of the annual romance cover contest at covercafe to see what's been named there:

www.covercafe.com/

7. AmyWilkins

Friday February 01, 2013 12:06pm EST

This cover for a Diane Gaston historical is my all-time fave and has pride of place in my cubicle (full disclosure: I work at Harlequin):

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7945490-chivalrous-captain-rebel-mistress

He looks like Karl Urban, swoon.

8. kwanawrites

view all by kwanawrites | Friday February 01, 2013 12:21pm EST

I had not read Nalini Singh's series, but I will admit I was pulled in over on twitter by all the excitement over her cover reveal. I thought it was fantastic seeing the fans look for clues in the cover. It made me want to start reading the series and gave me great hope that publishers will put even more care and thought into book covers in the future. Obviously the fans are talking.

9. LegeArtis

view all by LegeArtis | Friday February 01, 2013 01:08pm EST

Lori Foster's MWWTEoH series are hot.
I really love Lauren Dane's Brown Siblings covers, but I couldn't take my eyes from this one:

I love her work, so covers are not of big importance for me, but she usually have eye-catching covers.
I'm in love with Aleksandr Voinov's Dark Soul Vol. 1 cover:

I could stare for hours in Dark Space by Lisa Henry:

10. JBeck

Friday February 01, 2013 02:33pm EST

The beautiful man on Sabrina Jeffries' The Dangerous Lord. WOW.

11. Maddie Grove

Friday February 01, 2013 05:15pm EST

To Taste Temptation by Elizabeth Hoyt. It's nothing unusual, just a lady in a fancy blue dress from the nose down, but her posture and expression is so sexy.

Does anyone else imagine the heroine of the novel wearing the dress on the cover throughout the book, unless the narration says otherwise? And, if it's not a lady-in-a-dress cover, does anyone just picture the heroine wearing that color all the time?

12. carmenlire

view all by carmenlire | Friday February 01, 2013 09:33pm EST

I agree JBeck! That is a great cover. The BDB covers are great too. I like the historical covers, with the elaborate dresses; but I like the contemporary covers with the men.

13. Chalice

Tuesday February 05, 2013 02:35pm EST

I don't know how the artist managed to raid my subconscious for this image, but I need to wrap this book in plastic before it get's ruined...

Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost