If you peruse the romance aisle at your local bookstore or library, you’ve probably noticed a trend quickly overtaking the genre: illustrated covers, especially in a cartoony, not very detailed style. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that style. Some of my favorite romances have a cartoon cover, and they can be done very well. On the other hand, sometimes the designs are so simple that the cover looks generic, with silhouettes of the vague shape of a person instead of specific characters. Regardless of quality of illustration, they can begin to blend together and flatten differences between styles, settings, tones, and subgenres. Are you picking up a cute, fluffy, closed-door romance or a dramatic, heart-wrenching, open-door romance? You likely won’t get many clues from the cartoon cover!
That’s why task #10 of the 2025 Read Harder Challenge is “Read a romance book that doesn’t have an illustrated cover.” It isn’t that there’s anything wrong with illustrated romance book covers, but because they’re so ubiquitous right now, it’s worth highlighting the books going against the trend and showcasing gorgeous, romantic, photographic covers. There’s a real art to them that deserves to be recognized.
Of course, all covers have a design element, so I’ve included covers that feature photography but are complemented by illustrated elements. You could also pick up a romance book with a typographic design. Honestly, I would still count it even if you used a romance cover featuring a painting, because the point of this task is just to bring some attention to something other than the standard cartoony cover.
I’ve tried to credit the cover designers and photographers, but unfortunately, that information is not always accessible.
Here are ten fantastic photographic romance covers to get you started. If you’re looking for more, try going through Harlequin’s catalogue, which is almost entirely made up of photographic covers!
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera
It’s the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, and the streets are full of sapphics. Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan is spending her last summer before marriage showing her paintings and thriving with her two friends in the city. Hearing Manuela has land she swore to never sell, Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, knows this is her chance to get ahead of her business rivals. They come to an agreement satisfying both parties: Manuela’s land in exchange for a fun and fearless summer with Cora. Their business proposal creates a hot summer and a scandalous path to happiness that could change their lives forever. —R. Nassor
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams
Tia Williams hit it big with Seven Days in June, which is an incredible book. I think I may love this even more! It’s whimsical, imaginative, and beautiful. Ricki is a chaotic queen who goes against her family’s wishes to move to Harlem and start the flower shop of her dreams. There, she meets a mysterious man named Ezra, and the way they are drawn to each other is simply magical. As with Williams’s previous book, this book does go to some dark places. I did not find the book to be a bummer overall, though. It’s a rich exploration of lively characters and relationships with a swoony romance at the core. —Isabelle Popp
Cover design by Sarah Congdon. Cover photograph by Adrian McDonald.
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