The old adage to “never judge a book by it’s cover” is indeed a wise one. My only problem with the phrase is that it was coined before the advent of the modern romance novel. There are a lot of romance novels. A whole lot. And let’s be honest, if you’re not judging them by the strapping man on the cover then you’re just plain doing it wrong. But today is your lucky day! I’ve done the legwork for you! I’ve scoured our shelves to find the hottest stud-muffins to ever grace the cover of a literary work and compiled them here for your benefit. So, without further ado, here’s our Top 5 Hunkiest Romance Novel Covers. You’re welcome. 

romance

1. Light My Fire, G. A. Aiken

If beefcakes with swords is your thing, then look no further. Light My Fire is sure to light yours. It’s a story about some kind of hybrid dragon-man who must keep protect his queen by keeping her assassin alive… I’m not sure if that entirely makes sense, but none of that’s really important anyway. I mean look at this guy…he’s like Highlander if the Highlander was actually hot. Can he even take that armband off? Did I mention he’s also a dragon?

romance

2. How To Wrangle A Cowboy, Joanne Kennedy

Okay, so maybe “The Hotlander” isn’t your thing. No worries, because next up we’ve got How To Wrangle A Cowboy. This one features a woman in debt who has incidentally inherited a ranch and a rugged single-dad cowboy who who, despite his best efforts, can’t seem to catch a break. Something tells me that if they team up, things might just work out in the end (just a hunch). But again, does any of this filler junk really matter? Look at those airbrushed abs!  

romance
3. Nauti Nights, Lora Leigh

Blackmail…Deception…A pseudo-stalker ex-marine biker hunk named “Dawg”…That’s right, I’m talking about Nauti Nights. If motorcycles are what gets your motor running, then this is the novel for you. Nuff said.

romance
4. Wild Embrace, Nalini Singh

Wild Embrace is a “collection of four all-new Psy-Changeling novellas,” so you’re already getting more bang for your buck (no pun intended). Basically, there are a lot of shirtless psychic werewolves in this one, so anyone on Team Jacob is going to be pleased. More importantly, I want to address what’s going on with this dudes chest…are abs supposed to look like that? Lets just assume it has something to do with his shapeshifting abilities and a ton of side plank. 

romance
5. Too Hot To Touch, Louisa Edwards

Last but not least, we’ve got Too Hot To Touch. Arguably the most mundane book on the list, Too Hot To Touch features Max Lunden, a self-employed professional chef. Sure, he doesn’t have swords, magic powers, or a six shooter. As far as I know he can’t change shape and he’s not really throwin’ out those bad boy vibes but, all that being said, he does cook.  Apparently pretty well. Well enough to travel the world and pick up babes with his culinary skills. That’s pretty hot in and of itself. Plus he’s got mad pecs and an awesome 5 o’clock shadow. So yeah. Max makes the list.

Okay, so there you have it! The top 5 absolute hottest romance novel covers that I could find in our entire store. Think you can do better? Let us know what we’re missing out on in the comments below. Next time you’re itching for a little literary lust, head on over to Bookmans and check out our huge selection of romance novels.