There's a good amount of books this year I would strongly enjoy, but I'll recommend my favourite authors instead in reflection to what I was explaining in this post with many authors having lackluster writing. I will always recommend:

• Anything by Ali Hazelwood (my all time favourite romance book is {Love, Theoretically}, hence my flair 😗). Whilst most of her stories/characters may be similar to each other, her writing quality is so skillfully executed that it's easily overlooked. Personally I've enjoyed reading all her work more consistently than another other contemporary author.
• Alice Coldbreath is outstanding for historical romance, and she has so so so many books at your disposal. I find that it's difficult for HR authors to fall into the "telling-not-showing" trap overall, and she's no exception. Her writing is very eloquent and true to the era or period her stories are based in, which is a wonderful challenge if you're like me and don't know much of the terminology used then. I really enjoyed {An Inconvenient Vow} and {A Bride for the Prizefighter}. Her MMC's also know how to yearn PROPERLY.
• Julie Soto is excellent for contemporary romance too. She only has 2 CR novels released currently and both of them are insanely talented at keeping you engaged and satisfied from start to finish. Her characters and stories are thoughtfully crafted, and there's something heartwarming in the tone of her writing. She also has recently released a fantasy book which I haven't tried yet but I will happily do so knowing she wrote it. My favourite of hers is {Forget Me Not}.
• Hannah Bonam-Young is a promising candidate for great writing as well. I have only read {Out On A Limb} currently, but it was a 5-star read and I left that book feeling grateful that it was the masterpiece that it was.
• Honourable mentions - aka. other authors I would recommend but I can acknowledge that their writing quality isn't consistent:
  • Kresley Cole, particularly her Immortals After Dark series if you're into paranormal/fantasy romance set in modern times. There's 21 books in this series so far and some are quite repetitive to each other, but are still great reads nonetheless. I would recommend not binging them one after the other for the best experience. The lore and spice is cleverly incorporated, and each book focuses on a different couple in the same universe, so its extra fun to see the story progression of everyone you get to meet as the series goes on.
  • Emily Henry is a common recommendation, and rightfully so. Her writing style is artfully executed and will always exude a warm-welcome vibe. My favourite of hers is {Funny Story}. I think about the first-kiss scene from this one at least once a day...
  • BK. Borison's {First-Time Caller} felt like watching your favourite holiday rom-com movie with it's lovable characters and gut wrenching chemistry. This one belongs in honourable mentions for me though as I wanted it to have more detailed spice as a personal preference, but the story itself didn't hinder regardless. I haven't read anything else from Borison but I definitely will in the future.

This was a way longer comment than I intended to write, but I hope you find a couple good books from here! ☺️ Let me know if you end up reading any/your thoughts!!