30 Engrossing Love Triangle Books That Will Tear Your Heart in Two

In this passionate and tender historical romance, estranged brothers Alex and Zachary Wickham find themselves reunited after the devastating death of their grandfather. 

It’s through the well-intentioned efforts of Beth, Zachary’s charming fiancée, that the two Wickhams put their tumultuous past behind them to mend fences. However, the longer that Alex lingers, the more that Beth can’t help but to feel drawn to him. 

Will the very woman who brought these brothers together be the one to tear them apart again?

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Selena MacPherson is the much-desired Scottish princess who is adored by every man she meets. Royce Campbell is the ruthless son of an infamous Highland clan who captures her heart in an instant. Veronica Blakemore is Royce's woman, an ice queen whose cool exterior hides a fiery passion. 

Together, their desires bind them together but threaten to tear apart everything around them. They are separated by the forces of business and duty, but the new world in America could be the place for them to fulfill their wildest dreams.

Willow Cayton has changed a lot since she was in college—she’s grown up, transformed her look, and inherited a chunk of cash from her grandfather. That doesn’t mean that when she runs into Luke, her old crush from school, she doesn’t fall head over heels for him all over again. 

She’s thrown for yet another loop when she meets oddball computer geek Cal, and their fast growing friendship seems to be hurtling fast towards something more. But neither man may be exactly what they seem.

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Mona Cunningham doesn't believe in marriage but she doesn't want to lose a good man, so she accepts William Lincoln's proposal. It's just that her cold feet keep getting in the way and she always finds reasons to postpone the wedding. Frustrated by the delays, William agrees to meet up with his first love to catch up on old times. Now he's the one who's thinking about pushing back the big day.

After her bandmate, Keith, died in an accident, Kathy left her rock n’ roll lifestyle behind—including her fellow lead singer and husband, Jordan. 

Now she’s moved on with a new guy, but when Jordan tries to bring the band back together and figure out how their friend really died, Kathy realizes feelings for her ex still linger. 

If you like like music, murder, or second chances, you can’t go wrong with what Publishers Weekly called a “finely crafted, extremely credible love story... for those who survived the ’60s and for anyone else who wants to understand them.”

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Teresa Garcia-Lorca is the favored daughter of El Gato Negro, the infamous Mexican revolutionary, until the truth of her paternity throws him into a murderous rage and Teresa must flee for her life. Her only hope of safety is to find her real father, Bill Burkhart, at the Rancho La Reina. 

Judy Burkhart also learns that she is not her father's daughter, which leaves her disinherited from his will. The two women must fight for their identities, their loves, and their lives.

A love triangle hits the Aspen ski slopes in this contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Janet Dailey. Actress Kit sees her acting dreams come true when she’s cast as the new lead in a movie set in her home state of Colorado. 

Acting alongside Hollywood heartthrob John Travis, Kit’s dreams may come true in more ways than one. But when she’s back in Aspen and face-to-face with her former boyfriend, Tom, her love life gets a bit rocky, on and off the slopes. 

Seeing Kit discover what she really needs is half the enjoyment here, along with the vicarious movie star thrills.

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New York City restaurant hostess Ivy Sinclair is used to rowdy customers but she's wholly unprepared for the famous playboy Jack Everett bursting into her restaurant. Thanks to the paparazzi, now the world thinks they’re a couple, even though most of the time she wants to slap him! 

But then a brooding, sexy businessman offers her a simply irresistible proposition. Cutthroat venture capitalist Daniel Gladwell has convinced Ivy to pretend to be Jack’s fiancée while on a business trip to Italy to offset his messy public image. All he has to do is keep everyone in place and not fall for the gorgeous waitress who's supposed to be madly in love with Jack...

Fans of fantasy and paranormal romance will sink their teeth into this steamy anthology. 

Ten of today's greatest writers of romance and erotica contributed bloody good tales to this collection. Cynthia Leitich Smith's story centers around a juicy love triangle between a vampire, a ghost, and a human woman —because even in the afterlife, romantic attraction is never simple.

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Sage Reese is a workaholic who loves everything about her job. That includes her debonair boss, Parker Andersen. He's the ultimate power player, but that takes a dangerous turn when a high-stakes account crosses the line from shady to illegal. 

Now, Sage must deal with Detective Dean Ryker, a tough cop investigating Parker. He's sexy in the totally opposite way that Parker is but soon she's torn between the two men. She wants one but the other makes her feel wanted in ways she's never before experienced.

Penned by an acclaimed author and British dame, The Thinking Reed is vicariously thrilling for those of us with wanderlust. Wealthy and widowed, Isabelle moves to France and finds the men throwing themselves at her—all the men. 

While there, Isabelle connects with a calm southerner, and also enjoys a dramatic romance with a Frenchman. Isabelle’s heart may lead her to a love that will transform her life. But who will it be? If you like your love stories with a big scoop of social commentary, try this treasure out.

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Eighteen-year-old Harper has grown up under the thumb of her career marine father, but now she's ready to move on and make a life for herself. The only way she'll gain real independence is by moving away from home, so she packs up her things and moves to San Diego State University. Soon, she's introduced to a world of parties, friends, and boys. There's Brandon, her first proper boyfriend, but there's also Chase, her roommate's brother. Both men adore Harper. They'll do anything for her, and anything to have her.

Classic author Mary Renault’s long, award-winning career began with this 1937 book. A medical drama set in 1930s Britain, it’s also a complicated love triangle among three hospital workers: Vivian and Mic, who have a secret relationship, and Vivian’s scientist brother, Jan, who Mic previously had feelings for. 

If you’re looking for a meaty and complex love story, look no further.

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Haley is perfectly happy with her relationship with David Williams, thank you very much. It's just that she can't stop thinking about Scott, her boyfriend's brother. The local bad boy has definitely wormed his way under her skin. 

Romance is so much easier in the books she reads. Haley is not equipped for the messy realities of relationships, especially when you're being chased by two brothers and neither of them are great at losing. What is a girl to do?

Author Ross McMeekin delivers shocking romantic suspense in The Hummingbirds. In the glamour of Hollywood, movie producer Grant Hudson lives with his beautiful film star wife, Sybil Harper. 

Though they’re compelling and magnetic, the irresistible couple goes mostly unnoticed by their groundskeeper, Ezra Fog. Ezra is more content to spend his time with the colorful hummingbirds zipping around than anything else—that is, until Sybil dedicates herself to catching his elusive attention.

When Grant becomes suspicious of his wife’s whereabouts, he goes to Ezra with the task of following Sybil to suss out if she’s having an affair. Caught between two powerful employers, Ezra finds himself entrenched in yearning, lies, and deadly danger.

Liberty Jones has dreams to get out of Welcome, Texas, and make something of herself. It's an ambition she shares with Hardy Cates, so neither of them can get too distracted by one another's charms. But attraction gets in the way just long enough for Liberty to feel heartbroken when Hardy finally leaves town. 

Soon, she's all alone with a young sister to raise and in need of companionship. Enter a billionaire tycoon who offers her more than a Sugar Baby set-up. Now there are two men who claim they can offer her the world. Who does she pick?

Emma Blair has built herself the perfect life. After marrying her high school beau Jesse, the two of them leave their Massachusetts hometown behind to seize a life of adventure and love. But on their first wedding anniversary, Emma’s life comes crashing down around her. Jessie’s out flying on a helicopter that disappears somewhere over the Pacific.

It takes years to rebuild her broken life, but after moving back home, Emma runs into her old friend Sam. 

Like a miraculous second chance, the two of them fall in love, and happiness seeps back into Emma’s life as they become engaged. Of course, that’s when Jesse reappears, having spent all of those years away fighting to get home to Emma.

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Jenny Han’s first YA trilogy before she introduced the world of Lara Jean in To All the Boys I Loved Before was recently adapted into an acclaimed Amazon series. 

For Belly, summer is a magical time, a period where everything seems possible and she can escape to a beach house and get away from the pressures of her boring real life. Summer also means seeing Conrad and Jeremiah, the sons of her mother's best friend, Susannah. 

Belly has always nursed a crush on Conrad while Jer has been her safety net BFF. But things are different now. Belly's "turned pretty" and now the two guys she cares about the most have started to shift in their feelings for her. This summer could be terrible and wonderful and completely change Belly's life.

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Rachel White is someone who always follows the rules—if you looked up “good girl” in the dictionary, her picture would be on display. 

Even when she was a child, Rachel stood on the sidelines and let her outgoing best friend Darcy take all the spotlight. Now, all grown up as a hard working attorney at a Manhattan law firm, it’s on Rachel to play the part of Darcy’s perfect maid of honor. The only problem is, Rachel has been in love with Darcy’s fiancé Dex for years.

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When Rachel confesses her feelings to Dex on her 30th birthday, it should be good news that he feels the same way. However, with her best friend’s wedding to the love of her life growing nearer and nearer, it feels like Rachel is spinning out of control. With her whole life in the balance, will Rachel be able to do the right thing?

Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera features a love triangle for the ages: The innocent singer Christine, the naïve Vicomte Raoul, and the mysterious angel of music, Erik. It’s inspired countless retellings, but for our money, this is one of our favorites. 

In The Phantom’s Apprentice, Christine is a singer who truly wants to be a magician. While singing at the renowned Nouvel Opera in Paris, she finds herself ensnared in a web of danger, torn between a jealous diva, the mysterious phantom who obsesses over her, and the return of a beloved childhood friend who wants to be so much more.

Molly Barlow has to go home for the summer, and it’s going to be the longest 99 days of her life. It’s bad enough that Molly broke her childhood best friend and boyfriend’s heart by cheating on him with his brother, but then her mother had to go and write a book about it. 

Now, Molly has to carry around the guilt and walk around as the most hated person in town for three blistering months. But Patrick and Gabe are still lingering around in her life, and she’s still feeling very conflicted...

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It’s 1996 when Benjamin Bentley falls in love with Tim Wyman in the baking Texas heat, but they’re only teenagers, and even if Tim wasn’t troubled and difficult, the world seems like it’s against them. 

Over the course of twelve years, Ben can’t seem to escape the complicated orbit of his first love—even as he builds a life with his new boyfriend Jace Holden. 

Ben’s life goes through a rapid series of changes while seeming to remain very much the same. In the end will Ben escape his past, or will he embrace it?

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If you’re yearning for a beautifully-written tearjerker with an unconventional love triangle, My Last Love Story will have you reaching for the tissues in gratitude. 

In it, Simi Desai’s husband is dying. But the generous man wants two things before he passes: for Simi to carry his baby, and for her to find love again with their dear friend, who’s also her former flame. Are you tearing up yet? 

Popular romance author Sonali Dev loved this one, calling it “at once heartbreaking, delightful, and completely unexpected.” 

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With over 100,000 ratings on Goodreads, it’s no wonder this 2016 Colleen Hoover novel was a Goodreads Choice Award winner. When Lily meets neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, she falls for him—but Ryle has no interest in relationships, and Lily’s thoughts soon turn to her first love, Atlas, a homeless boy who always protected her. 

The novel is many things—raw, smart, unpredictable—and one of those that will tear your heart out. In the words of fellow New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia, “Every person with a heartbeat should read this book.”

This novel by popular and praised author Renée Carlino follows Charlotte, an aimless L.A. girl. Charlotte drifts between her job as a waitress and the rundown home she shares with her best friend. 

When she meets Adam, everything seems to come together, and they spend the night connecting. But the next morning, he’s cold to her… and she has no idea why. 

Months later, Charlotte has moved on to a cute baseball player, but she can’t help but wonder what happened with Adam. Hint: he’s got a whopper of a secret.

A nominee for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, Tell Me How This Ends is a love triangle at its most tense: a tug-of-war between two close brothers. Since their mom died, Jude McAllister has taken care of his sweet and smart college-age brother, Ryan. 

Though responsible at home, Jude’s a playboy. But when he meets Lizzie, he finds himself falling for her. Unfortunately, he’ll soon find out she’s dating his brother. What follows is a shaky, emotional ride as Lizzie struggles between her attraction for both brothers. 

They’re both so appealing in their own way, you won’t know who to root for.

A novel based on a juicy bit of history, The Secret Life of Mrs. London centers on the world of 1915 San Francisco and Charmian, wife of the great writer Jack London. Mired in tension with her famous husband, Charmian’s life takes an unexpected turn when she’s picked from the audience by Harry Houdini at one of his magic shows. 

Drawn by the incredible chemistry between them, Charmian is tempted to have an affair with the magician. If you love historical fiction and/or tales of women torn between two powerful men, check out this Rebecca Rosenberg novel.

When you hear “Stephenie Meyer” and “love triangle” in the same sentence, your mind probably jumps to the Edward/Jacob vampire/wolf rivalry for Bella’s affection in Twilight. But even more interesting in some ways is the odd love triangle in her later novel, The Host. 

After an alien parasite invasion, Melanie’s body is taken over by Wanderer, one of the strange species who exists in a host. But Melanie’s consciousness still exists, and as she remembers Jared, the guy she loved, Wanderer starts to fall for him, too. 

More adult than Twilight, Publishers Weekly praised this sci-fi romance, saying it “shines with romantic intrigue.”

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Two brothers are again torn between one woman in the second book of Jamie Beck’s Sterling Canyon series. Kelsey’s ready to find a husband, but since no one around is filling that role, she decides to have fun with playboy skier Trip. 

Then Kelsey meets a man who does seem like husband material, but it turns out it’s Trip’s half-brother. She ends her fling with Trip to settle down. Meanwhile, Trip finds himself inexplicably jealous… Is it possible Kelsey chose the wrong brother?

The first in a series of the same name, Collide is a love triangle romance for those of us who like our heroes to be buttoned-up billionaires who get smacked over the head by love. (And there’s a lot of us.) 

Emily is still grieving her mother’s death when she moves to New York with her sweet boyfriend, Dillon. But an unexpected encounter with wealthy player Gavin leaves her breathless. 

Is it worth risking the good thing she has going on? Fellow bestselling author A.L. Jackson calls this triangle romance “sexy, emotional, and absolutely unforgettable,” and she’s 100% right.

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