African literature can be more than trauma-porn sometimes. They can feature beautiful love stories too, and that’s why we have lists like this.
Nigerian literature doesn’t just consist of never-ending trauma and suffering.
Some works of literature reflect a different reality, a reality filled with love, comedy, and happiness. These books remind us that, despite all the problems in Nigerian society, love and love stories remain constant.
Here is a ranking of the best 20 Nigerian romance novels since 2020.
The Rewrite is a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story, published on 15th August 2025, and follows Temi and Wale, who start dating after meeting in London. They eventually break up, and Wale goes ahead to be the star of a dating show.
To distract herself from the heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her writing, although publishers keep rejecting her novel. When an opportunity to ghostwrite a celebrity’s memoir passes her way, she jumps at it only to realize that the celebrity is her ex, Wale.
The story follows the rewriting of their love story and their journey back to each other.
After the Rain is a contemporary romance novel that was published on the 27th of October 2020.
It’s one book I would describe as a modern Cinderella story. However, in this case, Cinderella is Miriam, a medical school student who is forced to strip for money after her uncle threatens her family.
Fearing for her medical career, she takes on the persona of “Miss Rain” at the Ozone Club.
Meanwhile, Dr. Segun Akintola is mesmerized by her and often visits the nightclub, to the point that Mariam notices him and takes an interest in him too. When Mariam suddenly disappears from the nightclub, Segun is thrown into searching for the mysterious woman that haunts his imagination.
It Started With “I Do” was published in June 2025 and follows a married couple on the brink of divorce after two years of marriage.
Iriah Ozah is ready to walk away after feeling unseen and emotionally neglected, until her best friend suggests a four-week couples’ retreat on Bonny Island as a last resort. Her husband, Udoka Adindu, knows he has failed her in some way, so he agrees to the arrangement.
Stuck together, they are forced to re-evaluate their marriage and work out their differences.
A Love of Convenience, as the title suggests, leans into the marriage-of-convenience trope. It was published on the 14th of June 2024 and centers around Ezioma and Dili, who are set to get married so Dili can obtain a green card.
The only problem is that while Ezioma is finally marrying the man she considers the love of her life, Dili sees the arrangement as a means to an end, and his heart lies with his fiancé back home.
Who knows? The union might spark an unlikely love story between them.
Moroti Wants a Virgo was published in October 2025 and centers on thirty-five-year-old Moroti Alao-Coker, a successful otolaryngologist who has everything she wants except love.
Desperate for a partner, she hatches a plan with her best friend Priya and Jaya Auntie, a matchmaker, to find a lover for herself with a peculiar astrological requirement: he must be a Virgo.
Set against a background of family drama, she plows through disastrous dates, ghosting, and a visit from her past in hopes of finding the love of her dreams.
Amongst a Thousand Stars is a contemporary Christian romance loosely inspired by the biblical story of Gomer and Hosea. Published on the 1st of January 2024, it follows the story of Akunnaya, a.k.a. Scarlet, who turns to prostitution after leaving Nigeria for Canada.
Fate crosses her path with Celebrity gospel singer Clurkin, and an unlikely romance buds between them. They must now navigate the complexity of their relationship and Scarlet’s past as it stands against their love.
Bottom Belle features an interracial age-gap relationship between an older white man and a younger Nigerian woman.
It was originally published on October 22 and is the second book in the Lagos Lovin’ series.
Bottom Belle follows Chiluba, a successful fashion designer, and her forbidden romance with her best friend’s uncle, George, the kingpin of the West African fabric industry.
She’s eventually caught between following her heart and staying loyal to her best friend.
A Nollywood Christmas is a festive contemporary romance set in Ibadan, a city that the main character, Anu Fashoranti, doesn’t have fond memories of.
Published on 18 November 2025, it centers on Anu. She’s a network director set to oversee her first Christmas movie, but unexpectedly ignites a budding romance with the movie’s lead, Tai Smith. Amid the budding romance, she must navigate family trauma, ambition, and her career.
Rebound is a contemporary billionaire romance novel published on 23 June 2026. It’s set in Lagos and follows Eriife Williams and her Billionaire love interest, Jayeola Abayomi-Young.
Eriife finds herself working for Jayeola after he had previously kissed her and cemented himself in her memory. Now they must navigate class differences and many other obstacles for their romance to flourish.
Honey and Spice is a humorous college romance novel between a young black woman, Kiki Banjo, and her unexpected fake relationship with Malakai Korede.
It was published on the 21st of June 2022 and centers on Kiki, who isn’t particularly searching for love. She runs a radio show, Brown Sugar, where she doesn’t want her fellow college ladies to fall for the lies of players like Malakai.
However, in a desperate bid to save her reputation, she ends up in a fake relationship with him. Kiki must now confront her aversion to love and open herself up to an unexpected romance.
This Thing Called Love is a short story collection, and although it’s not technically a novel, it remains popular in the world of romance fiction. It was published on the 7th of October 2025, and the stories explore themes of friendship and the unexpected ways it can turn into love.
As the book’s blurb suggests, not all demons have horns, but some wear custom Agbadas.
Yoruba Demon is a slow-burn, arranged-marriage romance novel published on May 30, 2025.
It centers around Femi, a billionaire mogul who guards his heart until his wall crumbles when Enesi, an upcoming artist signed to his record label, waltzes into his life.
Their paths cross through an arranged marriage, and the rest is history.
A Very Gidi Christmas is a contemporary Christmas holiday romance story published on 29 October 2024.
It centers on radio presenter Biodun Gomez, who struggles with work problems and overdue rent, and Kumle Bakare, a retired ladies’ man who wants to take over his family’s company.
Somewhere between the lines, their lives become entangled and romance blossoms between them.
Ginika’s Bridesmaids: Ozioma is the fourth book in the Ginika Bride’s Maid series and was published on September 21, 2021.
It’s a contemporary romance novel that centers on Ozioma, Ginika’s eccentric and gregarious bridesmaid, who desperately needs a husband. She finds herself torn between Onochie, a rich, handsome Igbo man, and her longtime best friend Banji, with whom unexpected sparks fly.
Ozioma must make the tough choice: follow her head or her heart.
Ginika’s Bridesmaids: Ara is the first book in the Ginika’s Bridesmaids series and was published on September 1, 2020.
It’s the most popular book in the series and centers on Ara and her friend C.J., who pretend to be a couple to make their exes jealous but unexpectedly learn, through each other, the meaning of love.
The story is a classic contemporary and friends-to-lovers romance.
When Love Visits is a contemporary Christmas romance novel published on 1 July 2024.
The story follows Ugu, a woman who has found success in every area of her life except love. Then there’s Tade, an equally successful man who swears off love after surviving a devastating breakup.
Tade returns home from the US, and fate pulls them together in a whimsical way when they meet on a particularly dreamy night.
Hafsatu Bebi is a contemporary romance/drama novel that largely centers on family drama and is set in Northern Nigeria.
Published on 16 May 2025, it follows Hafsatu, a 22-year-old fashion entrepreneur who shares a deep bond with her family. She’s in a long-term relationship with Sadiq, a businessman with a difficult past.
Their love is threatened when a decision she makes exposes a family secret that began long before she was born.
No Perfect Love is a contemporary romance that features second-chance romance and marriage drama.
Published on 11 March 2025, it follows Gina, whose seemingly perfect life is shadowed by the reality of her crumbling marriage. She encounters her ex, Mudiaga, whose father rejected their union due to tribal prejudice.
Gina must now choose between rekindling an old love story or holding on to the pieces of her failing marriage.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a contemporary romance novel. It was originally published on 24 May 2022 in the United States and later on 26 May 2022 in the United Kingdom.
It follows the story of Feyi Adekola, a Brooklyn-based visual artist who has been grieving her deceased husband for 5 years. Encouraged by her best friend Joy, Femi returns to the dating world, where she meets a man named Milan. Here, she faces the possibility of finding love again after isolating herself from the idea since the death of her husband.
Broken: Not a Halal Love Story is arguably the most recognizable contemporary romance novel in recent Nigerian literature. It was published on 31 May 2024.
The novel follows the love story of Fa’iza Mohammed, raised in a conservative Muslim family, and Ahmad Babangida, a rebellious ambassador’s son living life on his own terms.
The story centers on the complexity of their relationship and their struggle to maintain it despite their clashing backgrounds.
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