Top 5 Closed Door Romance Novels

Ok. So. Before I get into this list, it’s important to note some context. When I got back into voracious reading as an adult, I was also immersed in Christian purity culture. As such, books with ~sexual content TM~ were expressly forbidden. Ok, obviously no one forbade them outright, and it’s not in the Bible per se, but Christian culture has distinct opinions and rules about purity and as such, depictions of sex in movies, books, tv etc are frowned upon despite the frequency of the content and merit of the piece as a whole. The validity of this moral decision is neither here nor there, and really the topic for another blog entirely, but all this to say, I’ve spent a lot of time seeking out clean reads, so I’ve become somewhat of an expert at what the romance world refers to as “closed-door romances.”

It’s actually quite tricky to mine for these books because the majority of mainstream closed door is YA, and most adult contemporary romances hinge on that one (or more) crucial sex scene. Sidenote: while I actually love YA, and will defend it to my death as valid literature, sometimes you just want to read about people your own age, ya feel? All this to say, true closed-door, adult romance novels are hard to come by.

Now, I’d like to note (if for no one else, for myself) that now I very much read spicy books and unashamedly no longer skip the bedroom scenes (oops? sorry not sorry), but, I acknowledge the importance and even necessity of this sub-genre of romance. A good story is a good story after all. So, without further ado about my personal life and choices, here are five closed-door romances (that aren’t YA) that are actually worth reading.

5. The Bodyguard – Katherine Center

This book is the cutest. The premise is that the female heroine, Hannah, is part of a private bodyguard agency. She meets superstar hunk, Jack Stapleton, by being assigned to his detail in an attempt to protect him from a crazy fan while he’s home in Texas visiting his family. Problem is, they have to pretend to date so that his family doesn’t know she’s his bodyguard. Obviously, you can guess what happens from there. Fake dating tropes don’t have too much variance.

Anyhow it’s a super cute read with a cool premise. Not to mention, I’m about 95% sure Jack was based on Zac Efron and so being able to imagine that is reason enough to read this book.

4. The Cheat Sheet – Sarah Adams

This book is one of those books that I devoured in a day. It’s very sweet. Almost too sweet. Like rot-a-hole-in-the-middle-of-your-tooth type of sweet. I don’t usually pick up sports romances, but I found this one on Kindle Unlimited before it went mainstream. It follows best friends Bree, the ballet teacher, and Nathan, the star quarterback. It’s a classic friends-to-lovers AND fake dating romance with plenty of pining and lots of steam. Yet, despite the steam, it remains closed door.

3. Maid of Dishonor - Gracie Ruth Mitchell

This one I found on a deep dive into Kindle Unlimited (where a lot of closed-door romances live). While it remains in obscurity and not necessarily on the shelves at your local Barnes and Noble, it’s one of my favorites that I’ve read. The idea is that the main character, Samantha, is planning a wedding for her best friend, Carter’s, cousin. Which means, she will likely be spending a lot of time with Carter. Problem is, she’s in love with him, but feels she’s been friend-zoned; planning a wedding with him is sure to be torture. What she doesn’t know is that Carter secretly loves her as well. This one, y’all. It’s so cute, and it’s probably my favorite friends-to-lovers book I’ve read in a while. I thought about it after I finished for the next like 5 days. Not only was the story good, but I loved how the author wrote it. Win, win.

2. #Awestruck – Sariah Wilson

Let me tell you something: Sariah Wilson is the queen of closed-door romance.

She’s another Kindle Unlimited queen so she’s not well known, but I always love reading her writing. This series in particular is one of my favorites. I know I said earlier that I don’t really gravitate towards sports romance, but here’s another one on my top 5 list so I guess I kind of do? Do I secretly want to date an athlete? I digress. I’ll explore that another time.

The story follows aspiring sports reporter, Ashton, as she makes her way into the reporting sphere. Of course, given the shared atmosphere, she has run-ins with star quarterback and old flame, Evan. She wants to use her platform to expose him as a means to get revenge on her for breaking her heart when they were teenagers, but what ends up happening is a fake dating situation to end all fake dating situations.

The book is filled with steam. Somehow Sariah piles on the tension and make-out sessions so it feels steamier than it actually is. Closed-door romance magic from resident wizard, Sariah Wilson.

1. If the Shoe Fits – Julie Murphy

And coming in at number one is Julie Murphy’s If the Shoe Fits. This book is the first book in a “Disney” retelling series geared towards adults. As the name suggests, this one is a Cinderella retelling. What I love about this one specifically is that it features a curvy girl lead, which is my own personal brand of heroin. You’re telling me that a handsome man falls for a woman with some curves? By choice? Cue the tears. There really is something special about seeing yourself in books.

The idea is that main character, Cindy, somehow (reluctantly) gets roped into a bachelor-style reality show by her producer step-mother. If that weren’t bad enough, she will be competing against her step sisters, and will likely be the only curvy girl there.

She meets this handsome stranger on her plane ride to this reality show destination only later to find out that he is the show’s bachelor. They fall for each other, and it’s just a wonderfully sweet tale. Plus, my favorite part (other than the representation) is that Julie adapted the relationships between Cindy’s step mother and step sisters. While there was conflict, it wasn’t the traditional evil that we come to expect from Cinderella stories, and I really appreciated that change.

Honestly, I can’t remember the steam details, but my research assures me this read is closed-door if for no other reason than that Julie’s background is YA.

Honorable Mention: The Unhoneymooners – Christina Lauren

Today’s Honorable Mention actually would be my number one if I wasn’t such a purist. It is an Honorable Mention simply because it doesn’t fall directly into this category. The Unhoneymooners is actually more of a “cracked-door” romance if you will. There’s definitely steam, but it’s very tasteful and from what I can remember, not much if any sex is described. I loved this book…so much.

The idea is that main characters, Olive and Ethan, take on a free honeymoon from their siblings, the bride (Olive’s sister) and groom (Ethan’s brother), after a terrible food poisoning debacle at their wedding. Problem is, Olivia and Ethan hate each other…until they don’t.

Each chapter was engaging and I loved how the authors merged a variety of conflicts into one story. More than anything though, it was just so swoon worthy. If you can handle a bit more spice than traditional closed door, definitely pick this one up!

So, there you have it! My list of the top 5 closed door romances. The biggest takeaway here being that if you want more closed-door romances, you need to join Kindle Unlimited. Are there any I missed? Leave a comment below!