Select language, opens an overlay
  • General Recommendations
  • Staff-Created List

BostonPL_Not So Cute: 14 Romances Where Meeting Ugly Can't Stop True Love!

You've heard of the classic meet-cute: the charming or quirky first encounter between two romantic leads destined to fall in love. But sometimes first meetings aren't so nice! From spilling your coffee on a stranger to getting mistaken for the janitor, these romances show that even the worst possible beginning can lead to happily-ever-after.

Boston Public Library

14 items

  • After winning the lottery, Opal buys a failing flower farm, only to discover that her ownership is contested by Pepper—who refuses to move out!
    BookNew York : St. Martin's Griffin, 2024. — ROMANCE EDDINGS M
  • After making a horrific first impression on Maria, Jay does his best to keep his distance from his best friend's sister—but neither of them knows that they've already fallen in love through his comments on her blog.
    Book[United States?] : [Courtney Milan], [2016] — ROMANCE MILAN C
  • Sylvester, Duke of Salford, has exacting requirements for a bride, and Phoebe Marlow meets none of them. Worse still, she's written a shockingly popular novel whose villain bears an eerie resemblance to him...
    BookNaperville, Ill. : Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2011. — ROMANCE HEYER G
  • Rose has a disastrous meeting with the gruff contractor working on her home, but the more time they spend together, the more they appreciate one another and their friendship blooms into a beautiful, small-town romance.
    BookNaperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Casablanca, [2023] — ROMANCE MOHER L
  • Interior designer Astrid needs the Everwood Inn renovation to go perfectly. Too bad carpenter Jordan hates her designs. Even worse, she might be right...
    BookNew York : Berkley Romance, 2022. — ROMANCE BLAKE A
  • When the world's worst dog hater shows up at her doggie daycare, Ashanti learns a few new tricks about falling in love.
    BookNew York : Forever, 2024. — ROMANCE ROCHON F
  • After being cut off by her wealthy step-father, a partying Hollywood “It Girl” moves to Washington to help her sister run their late father’s dive bar, where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn't belong.
    BookNew York : Avon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2021] — ROMANCE BAILEY T
  • Jack Turner is a scoundrel by birth and a fixer by trade, helping those who need a particular kind of assistance. His distrust of the nobility runs deep -- but when Oliver Rivington appears on his doorstep, can he afford to turn him away?
    BookNew York, New York : Avon Impulse, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2016] — ROMANCE SEBASTIA C
  • It’s hate-at-first-sight when a jilted Irish chef returns home to Inishmore and immediately clashes with a mouthy American tourist.
    BookNew York, NY : Alcove Press, 2024. — ROMANCE EWING A
  • When his stepmother's heir Raya arrives to claim her inheritance, the Duke of Strickland fights for his castle and his reputation.
    BookNew York, NY : Avon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2023. — PB
  • Emily is roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire with her teenaged niece and meets an irritating, yet handsome, schoolteacher.
    BookNew York : Jove, 2019. — FICTION DELUCA J
  • When the death of his cousin, an earl, lands him with responsibility for an estate riddled with debt and the late earl's three sisters, Devon Ravenel finds himself drawn to his cousin's widow and committed to restoring the estate.
    BookNew York, New York : Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2015] — ROMANCE KLEYPAS L
  • A woman goes head-to-head with the CEO of a corporation threatening to destroy her neighborhood in this modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
    BookNew York : Berkley Romance, 2022. — ROMANCE PAYNE N
  • When Eva's fiancé backs out of their wedding on air, cameraman Aidan makes sure her private meltdown goes viral. To save face, now Eva has to star in a new “find-a-groom” reality segment... that forces her to work with Aidan again.
    BookNew York, NY : Dafina Books, Kensington Publishing Corp., [2017] — ROMANCE JACKSON K