May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a celebration of the lives, achievements, and influence of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islander Americans to the United States. This year is the 35th anniversary of the first AAPI Heritage Month, which sought to commemorate the oft-misunderstood and underdiscussed history of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, who have been in the country for hundreds of years.
As diversity in romance has improved over the years, albeit incrementally, AAPI-centered romances remain dishearteningly rare, but they are certainly worth looking out for. Here are eight such romance novels to check out.
I'll Be the One
Skye Shin dreams of joining the world of K-Pop. She loves to sing, dance, and bring joy to the world. But everyone keeps telling her that there's no space for a fat girl in this business. She won't let that stop her, of course. She's going to challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star.
She's got her eyes on the prize, but going up against the fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry and the nightmare of the tabloid media is easier said than done. She'll need to remain true to herself even as the world tells her to change.
But at least there's Henry Cho, her very cute competitor, to help her get through it all.
The Dating Dare
Tara Park doesn't want a serious relationship. But it was probably also a bad idea to hop into bed with her best friend’s new brother-in-law. Still, Seth Kim is temptation personified, and she just can't say no to that face.
When a friendly game of Truth or Dare leads to an uncomplicated four-date arrangement with Seth, Tara thinks it'll be the perfect way to blow off some steam. Seth is leaving for a new job in Paris in a month, so some no-strings-attached fun suits them both. Soon, however, they both realize that they're not ready to let this end after four dates.
If it's not serious but not a one-off, then what is it, and what do they really need from one another?
Loathe at First Sight
Melody Joo is thrilled to land her dream job as a video game producer, but her new position comes with a ton of challenges. The hours are long, her colleagues are sexist boors, and the new intern, Nolan MacKenzie, is a blatant nepo-baby who only got the job because his uncle is the boss. She's ready to jump ship when she comes up with the next unexpected smash hit mobile game, where male strippers fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Suddenly, she's got a success on her hands and is running the show.
When Nolan is assigned to Melody’s team, she’s sure he’ll be useless. But as they grow closer, she realizes there's more to him than her first impressions. He might be the ally she needs in this messy industry of back-stabbers and misogynists, but does love have a place in the workplace?
The Right Swipe: A Silicon Valley Love Story
Rhiannon Hunter thinks she's figured out love. As the creator of a popular dating app, she's boiled down the formula for romance to a few simple rules that everyone must follow. The most important of them is simple: "Protect your heart." But she can't listen to her own advice when it comes to her newest match, former pro-football player Samson Lima. He's gorgeous, smart, and sweet. And after one amazing night together... he disappeared.
Rhi thought she was over her, until he returned a few months later as the business partner of her biggest professional rival. He says he won't fumble their second chance, but how can she bend her own rules for him? Is it worth the risk?
Anna K Away
Anna K was once the golden girl of Greenwich, Connecticut, the ultimate party girl who everyone wanted to associate with. But the tragic death of her first love, Alexia Vronsky, and the leaking of a sex tape has made her persona non grata. At the beginning of the summer, her father takes her to the other side of the world, to connect with his family in South Korea and give her space from the drama.
Back in the U.S., her friend Lolly is trying to move on with her boyfriend Steven after he confessed to infidelity. But then she meets a boy at theater camp who might be everything she's really needed in a relationship. Meanwhile, in Manhattan, everything between Kimmie and her new boyfriend, Dustin, is perfect, except for the topic of s-e-x.
While Anna K is away, the city will play.
Scarlet Lies: Book One in the Scarlet Series
Sixteen years ago, Scarlet’s family sent her away in disgrace. Now, she's back, in time for her little sister's wedding, escorting her wedding dress across three time zones to the big day. The last thing she wants is to spend three weeks with the people who have caused her so much grief, and to be paraded down the aisle as a bridesmaid in front of six hundred guests.
On the plane, she meets a handsome stranger, Jackson, who could be the respite she sorely needs. But there's a lot on the table to deal with first, and it means confronting a dark past and the people who threw her to the wolves even though they were supposed to protect her. It'll all end in disaster, surely?
The Lotus Palace
Within the hallowed walls of the Pingkang Li, the Lotus Palace houses the most beautiful courtesans in all of China. Yue-ying, a maidservant, is happy to remain on the sidelines and serve her mistress, until she meets the aristocratic playboy Bai Huang.
He is the product of pure privilege, from a world completely different to hers, but they are thrown together to solve a deadly mystery at the heart of the palace. Bai Huang's position means that she could never be his wife, only his concubine. Will she sacrifice her pride to follow her heart?
