It’s safe to say that I love pretty much every love story, and therefore, the couple involved. What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic! But every once in a while, there’s that couple and their story that stands out from the crowd. Something about who they are, how they fell in love, or how they show that love is just special.
As February is the month of love (Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!), I thought it would be fun to feature some of my favorite love birds. Now, choosing favorite books and characters can sometimes be like choosing a favorite child (somehow I know that even though I don’t have kids yet LOL), but as I looked back through my “read” shelf on Goodreads, I made myself pick only a few that really stood out.
How can I start this list with anyone else besides…
Gabi and Marcello from The River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren
Marcello and the two other leading men of this “fan-freakin-tastic” (as Gabi would say) time-travel series are my book boyfriends. They can make me swoon any day, and I’ve never been able to decide just who is my favorite. So **obvi** Marcello and his lady-love—the fiery, fierce, and hilarious—Gabriella (Gabi) Beterinni had to be at the top of this list.
Coming just behind them is…
Lia and Luca from The River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren
Luca is Marcello’s equally charming cousin. His flirty, goofy sense of humor endeared him to me from the start as he pursued the much more reserved, introverted Evangelia (Gabi’s younger sister). Their love story doesn’t stand in the shadow of Gabi and Marcello’s; it’s totally different and holds its own over the course of the series. The moment they finally admit their feelings for one another is so worth the wait!
NOTE: The River of Time is in my Top 3 favorite series EVER, and it won’t be giving up that spot anytime soon. I could literally fan-girl over it for hours if you let me. I plan on writing a spotlight post on it some day—I promise it won’t take you hours to read it, though. Ha!
Next is another unlikely pair—a doctor from the 21st century, and an early church leader from the 3rd…
Lisbeth and Cyprian from The Carthage Chronicles by Lynne Gentry
I had the privilege of meeting Lynne Gentry in February 2015, a year after the release of Healer of Carthage. She was SO SWEET, encouraged me to keep pursuing my dream, and even asked to pray with me, right then and there, that God would bless my writing. I bought a signed copy of Healer of Carthage from her that day, and upon reading it I fell in love with not only the book as a whole, but the main characters, Lisbeth and Cyprian. This is not a love story for the faint of heart—all the tears, all the tears!—but it is one you won’t soon forget. I definitely need to squeeze in the time to revisit this series!
If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, chances are you have already read about my love of Connilyn Cossestte’s books. If you read my review of her 2019 release, Until the Mountains Fall, you will remember that I said it’s my favorite book of hers yet, and that IS the honest truth! I loved Rivkah and Malakhi’s beautiful love story so much! However, for the sake of this list, I decided to go with a different set of her characters whose story stands as an example of what true love looks like through every season of life.
Moriyah and Derek from A Light on the Hill by Connilyn Cossette
Moriyah and Derek are Malakhi’s parents, and in book one of the Cities of Refuge series, we see them fall in love and defy the odds to be together. But their story doesn’t stop with “I do”. In book two, we get to see them as an established couple with a large brood of young children, and by book three, we see them as a middle-aged couple with a nearly empty nest and a love that’s only deepened with the passing of time. Their unconditional, lasting love is true couple goals!
This next couple grabbed me by the heartstrings and left me in (happy) tears!
Aven and Thor from Sons of Blackbird Mountain by Joanne Bischof
Thor is a sweet, gentle-giant who’s spent the last several years entranced by the picture of his Norwegian cousin’s auburn haired bride. When Aven, the girl from his treasured photograph, is widowed and moves to America to live with Thor and his brothers, Thor gets his chance to earn her affection. The problem? He’s deaf and mute and can’t express the way he feels for her! **tears!** But when two people are meant to be together, love will find a way to flourish no matter the challenges.
That’s just a quick rundown of Aven’s and Thor’s romance and it’s really only scratching the surface. You have to read the book for yourself to see just how achingly beautiful this love story is!
Next is a couple from another series that deserves it’s own dedicated post…
Marcus and Haddassah from The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers
I could talk about this couple and this series all day. Seriously. I will never stop shouting from the rooftops how amazing and life-changing (yeah, life-changing) this series is. Marcus and Haddassah’s love story is sweeping and dramatic, but well worth the at times difficult ride. When I read the final pages of one of the books (I won’t tell you which one so there won’t be any spoilers!) I was bawling like a baby!! You can ask my sister. She found me sobbing hysterically in our family room, having to take a break every few paragraphs to cry into a pillow. HAHAHAHA! I’m not lying, y’all… Maybe my reaction was over-the-top, but Marcus and Haddassah’s love story is just that good.
Lastly, we have a couple from the best-selling author Melanie Dickerson…
Annabelle and Ranulf from The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
I’ve been a fan of Melanie’s for many years now and I’ve read all of her books except her most recent releases—they are on my list to buy very soon! The love stories found in her Hagenheim series are all swoon-worthy, and several of them are dear to my heart, so it was hard to pick just one to feature. But eventually I had to choose The Merchant’s Daughter because it’s a retelling of Beauty and the Beast (my favorite fairytale/Disney princess movie!). And because a particularly sweet and romantic scene in the final climax of the book is one of my favorites that Melanie has written. **Sigh** I really need to revisit this beloved couple.
Do you have any favorite book couples whose stories give you ALL THE FEELS? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
