Friends become lovers. Enemies become lovers. Former lovers get a second chance together. Arranged marriages generate real feelings. A human falls in love with a high lord of the fae. These are just a few of the plots readers can find in modern romance novels, which vary in tone, setting, and characters but are united by one key characteristic: a central love story that culminates in the all-important HEA (happily ever after, for the uninitiated). Everything leading up to that—the meet-cute, the first kiss, the third-act breakup—is left to the author.

In recent years, the expansion of the format, and the plot freedom that followed, have led to a wider diversity of stories for readers who might want something other than the typical supermarket paperback offerings. As Adriana Herrera, a best-selling author of more than a dozen romances, told me, “The great thing about romance is that there is literally a writer or a book for every single reading taste in the moment.” There are historical romances, as well as romances set in futuristic dystopias. There are cozy romances and dark romances. There are holiday romances, cowboy romances, hockey romances.

In other words, anyone open-minded enough to set aside popular preconceptions about the genre really can find their perfect match. The eight books below are all absorbing enough to draw in longtime romance fans and newbies alike.