Picture this: You’re backstage at a concert, with a perfect view of the band, the screaming fans, and of course, the super hot lead singer. You can’t believe it’s happening, but here you are.
When the set ends and the lights go up, the band heads off the stage one by one. They pass by, nodding. They’re used to having you around, for better or worse. Finally, the lead singer. He sees you and smiles, then runs to you, swooping you up into his arms. “I couldn’t have done it without you,” he whispers, and the two of you share a passionate kiss.
If this is a fantasy you are 100% on board with, then here is a list of angsty, steamy, and enchanting Rockstar romances that will absolutely rock your world.
Drive by Kate Stewart
Stella loves music. So much so that she ended up where she is today–a successful music journalist–by getting in her car and chasing her dreams. Along the way, she met two guys.
Reid, the broken musician whom Stella’s sister always thought would break Stella’s heart, and Nate, the perfect guy who lights up the room. When you love music as much as Stella does, can you ever have just one favorite song? Can you ever love just one man? Find Drive here.
Lick by Kylie Scott
What Evelyn remembers after waking up on the floor of a Las Vegas hotel room the morning after her 21st birthday: Nothing.
What she finds out: Last night, she married the hot tattooed guy next to her.
What she learns: His name is David–one of the most famous rock stars in the world–and he’s insisting his connection with Evelyn is the real deal.
What she knows: Her life will never be the same. Find Lick here.
The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod
Unlike her fame-obsessed mother, Toni loves music and just wants to use it to make a living through the indie scene in Philly. While trying out for a new band, Toni runs into a boy from her past–Sebastian–the one who broke all his promises and left Toni behind.
After all these years, Seb feels bad and wants to reconnect, but the fiercely independent Toni blows him off. As fate and the music world continues to bring these two together though, Toni starts to wonder if maybe she should give Seb a second chance. Find The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes here.
Idol by Kristen Callihan
Libby–angry and confused about how life has treated her while living in self-imposed exile on a remote island–finds her new neighbor drunk and sprawled out on her lawn. Despite her best efforts to get him to go away (including spraying him with the garden hose), the man–Killian–ends up sleeping it off on her couch.
That’s just the beginning. When he comes to, Killian is intrigued by Libby–he wants to break down her walls. And there’s no denying the physical attraction Libby feels for him. But when she finds out he’s a famous musician, everything gets even more complicated. Find Idol here.
Lilac by B.B. Reid
The rock band Bound lost a guitarist, and they’re in desperate need of a new one. Braxton Fawn shows up just as they’re losing hope, and although the guys do their best to scare her off, Braxton’s tough–she’ll never give up.
As Braxton fights to survive life on the road with a rock band, all three of her bandmates–Houston, Jericho, and Loren–start falling for her. So now the question is: Can Braxton balance a new life as a rock star and relationships with all three men? Find Lilac here.
The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
This is the story of Frank, the owner of a music shop in 1988, and Ilse, a mysterious woman from Germany who comes into the shop one day.
Frank has an uncanny ability to recommend just what his customers need, and Ilse hires Frank to teach her everything he knows about music. What unfolds is a romance between two people on the verge of personal and cultural transformation–a love story uniquely interwoven with the music they share. Find The Music Shop here.
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
Sydney’s perfect world is shattered when she discovers that her boyfriend and roommate have been sleeping together behind Sydney’s back–for months.
Amid her heartbreak, Sydney is pulled into the quiet world of her neighbor Ridge–the mysterious man she’s heard playing guitar on his balcony. As the two draw closer, communicating through songwriting and music, something special begins to develop that neither of them can ignore. Find Maybe Someday here.
How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo
Eliza Caelum is a young music journalist who finally got the perfect job in Manhattan. Paul Hudson is the talented lead singer of the band Bananafish. Eliza and Paul find themselves sharing an apartment and bonding over their shared love for the legendary rocker Doug Blackman, and sparks fly.
When Bananafish begins to get attention from multiple record companies, however, Eliza is forced to choose between facing her fears and sacrificing everything for the career of the man she loves. Find How to Kill a Rock Star here.
The Mixtape by Brittiany Cherry
When famous rock star Oliver Smith is pressured into performing too soon after the loss of his twin brother, he flees a show and gets drunk in a dive bar.
Emery Taylor–a struggling single mom working as a bartender–is initially starstruck by Oliver, but quickly becomes disgusted with his drinking and bad attitude. Despite this, Emery finds herself helping Oliver sober up and the two discover that love might just help both of them heal. Find The Mixtape here.
Roomies by Christina Lauren
Holland Bakker has to repay her street performer crush, Calvin Mcloughlin. After all, he did save her from a drunken attack in a subway station. As a thank you, she gets Calvin an audition with her Broadway director uncle–and the audition goes spectacularly well.
When Holland learns that Calvin can’t take the job because he’s in the US illegally, she marries him to save his career. As Calvin and Holland get to know each other through their fake marriage charade–real-life feelings begin to blossom. Find Roomies here.
Midnight Blue by L.J. Shen
Indie Bellamy is desperate for money. Things have been pretty rough over the past few years and she wants to help her family. So even though the ad she answered for a personal assistant job ends up being more like babysitting the world-famous rock musician Alex Winslow–she’s all in. All Indie has to do is keep Alex sober for a few months and she’ll cash in on $300,000.
The job proves harder than she imagined–and when Indie becomes Alex’s creative muse, allowing him to write songs like never before–she feels pulled more and more into his chaotic world. Find Midnight Blue here.
Smitten by Lauren Rowe
Matthew, or Fish, as he’s known in his band, has never gotten attention from women. That is until his music took off and his band became famous. The women are everywhere now–but Fish’s lack of experience comes off as awkward.
When he meets aspiring musician Alessandra, though, he realizes what he’s always been missing, and he falls hard. Now, this nice guy has to figure out how to get the girl–and keep her. Find Smitten here.
Xeni: A Marriage of Inconvenience by Rebekah Weatherspoon
When Xeni’s favorite aunt Sable dies, she heads to upstate New York to pack up the house she expects to inherit. What she gets instead, however, is a surprise inheritance of not just the house, but also millions of dollars with one condition: Xeni must marry Mason, her aunt’s Scottish musician friend.
Shocked, Xeni and Mason go along with Sable’s plan for as long as they need for Xeni to get her inheritance. While playing the role of a loving couple, however, real feelings begin to grow between them. Find Xeni here.
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
Thirty-nine-year-old Solene never thought she’d take her teenage daughter to see the famous boy band August Moon. But since her divorce, she’s needed ways to stay close to Isabelle, so here they are.
When Solene meets a member of the band–Hayes–in a chance encounter, their attraction is immediate and intense. What begins as a secret fling soon turns into something more, but there is a problem: Hayes is only twenty years old. And when the media finds out about their affair, how much of her life is Solene willing to blow up to keep the new life she’s discovered? Find The Idea of You here.
Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin
Liam fell in love with Josie in high school. Back then, she was his best friend, his first love, his everything. But if he wanted to make it as a musician, he had to leave everything–including Josie–behind and focus only on his career. And he did, beyond his wildest dreams.
Now, ten years later, when the lights go down and the fans go home, Liam is left alone and wondering if Josie might still love him. When he returns home at last to find out, he discovers the toll his abandonment has taken on Josie. Can two people who have spent years apart find their way back to each other? Find Forever My Girl here.
Rise by Karina Bliss
Zander is on a mission to reinvent his band, Rage, and himself. In the process, he hires Elizabeth Winston–a successful literary biographer–to write his memoir. The attraction between the two is instantaneous.
As their working relationship becomes more, Zander shows Elizabeth a side to life she hasn’t explored since she was much younger. But Elizabeth needs to dig deeper into Zander’s past to write his memoir. And as Zander falls hard for Elizabeth, he worries that she won’t like what she sees.Find Rise here.
Reckless Obsession by Samantha Christy
Music has always been Crew’s lifeline: the thing that keeps him going when nothing else can. So when his band enlists a female member–Bria–he fights it tooth and nail. He wants nothing to get in the way of his music.
Problem is, as soon as Bria joins the band, Crew feels himself falling for her. Maybe even obsessed with her. And to complicate things even more, Bria discovers Crew’s secret journal of song lyrics that reveal his deepest, darkest secrets–truths she’s not sure she ever wanted to know. Find Reckless Obsession here.
Cake by J. Bengtsson
When Jake McCallister and Casey Caldwell meet at a family wedding, both assume they’ll have nothing in common. He’s a guarded, successful musician with a traumatic past, and she’s bubbly and outgoing–but not musical at all.
So it’s a surprise to both of them that they hit it off right away–Casey makes Jake feel at ease and he even laughs at her jokes. Casey, intrigued by Jake and his rock star life, decides to join him on the road. But as the two fall further for each other, will Jake’s dark past resurface and ruin everything? Find Cake here.
A Stone in the Sea by A.L. Jackson
Shea Bentley wants nothing more than to quietly do her job as a bartender, take care of her daughter, and avoid her chaotic past. So when a sexy tattooed stranger shows up in her bar and Shea feels herself light up–she knows she should stay away.
Sebastian has a secret–he’s the lead singer of the band Sunder–and he’s on the run from an assault charge. He shouldn’t get involved with anyone now, especially a woman whose secrets may be even darker than his. Soon enough, Shea and Sebastian are drowning in a sea of passion. Can they come up for air without getting hurt? Find A Stone in the Sea here.
Lies and Lullabies by Sarina Bowen
After an unforgettable summer together, Kira and Jonas go their separate ways–thinking they’ll never meet again. Years later, Jonas shows back up in Kira’s small town unexpectedly, and reveals he’s actually a famous rock star on tour.
Kira has a secret of her own–she now has a daughter and Jonas is the father. As the two get to know each other again, old passions resurface. But can their new love bear the weight of the lives they’ve built in their time apart? Find Lies and Lullabies here.
FAQs
What is Rockstar romance?
Rockstar romance usually involves a relationship between a musician or celebrity who is loved and adored by fans, and a regular person. They fall in love, the regular person gets to be invited into the celebrity’s glittery world, and the relationship can get complicated or challenging because their worlds are so different. So the question is: can their love work?
Why do people like Rockstar romance so much?
As with any romance novel, Rockstar romance plays on readers’ fantasies. The idea of being a “regular” person who suddenly gets special attention from a celebrity is delicious, and most of us would love to walk a mile in those shoes. And when you add in the power of music to heighten all of our emotions…well. You’ve got something explosive and super enjoyable to read.
Allison Fitzpatrick taught middle school English for fifteen years before leaving the classroom to dabble in writing and bookselling. She adores reading young adult books, and her current favorite is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. She lives in Southern California with her family. You can find her on Instagram @happybookbag.
