Best Forbidden Love Books

The highest-rated books featuring forbidden love, ranked by readers. Browse 50 titles across Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction.

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Forbidden love strips romance down to its rawest element: desire that refuses to obey. It's compelling because the obstacles aren't misunderstandings or bad timing—they're real, structural forces that make the relationship itself dangerous or transgressive. You feel the weight of what's at stake, which makes every stolen moment matter. The emotional payoff isn't just 'they got together'—it's watching characters choose each other despite devastating consequences.

You'll find this trope across romance, fantasy, sci-fi, and literary fiction. Some books lean into the ache of separation, others into defiant passion. Expect tension, moral complexity, and relationships that exist in the cracks of systems designed to keep people apart.

These are the highest-rated forbidden love books across Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, ranked by reader ratings from Goodreads and Audible.

  1. 1
    Written in My Own Heart's Blood cover

    Written in My Own Heart's Blood

    Outlander • Book 8

    by Diana Gabaldon

    ★ 4.91 BLT Score (141.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.55 Goodreads (141.6K)
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  2. 2
    One Last Rainy Day: The Legacy of a Prince cover

    One Last Rainy Day: The Legacy of a Prince

    Ravenhood Legacy • Book 1

    by Kate Stewart

    ★ 4.81 BLT Score (55.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.53 Goodreads (55.7K)
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  3. 3
    Reverse cover

    Reverse

    The Bittersweet Symphony Duet • Book 2

    by Kate Stewart

    ★ 4.79 BLT Score (29.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.63 Goodreads (29.0K)
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  4. 4
    Dragonfly in Amber cover

    Dragonfly in Amber

    Outlander • Book 2

    by Diana Gabaldon

    ★ 4.79 BLT Score (387.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (387.7K)
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  5. 5
    Code Name Hélène cover

    Code Name Hélène

    by Ariel Lawhon

    ★ 4.69 BLT Score (82.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.41 Goodreads (82.5K)
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  6. 6
    The Song of Achilles cover

    The Song of Achilles

    by Madeline Miller

    ★ 4.66 BLT Score (2.0M ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (2.0M)
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  7. 7
    It Ends with Us cover

    It Ends with Us

    It Ends with Us • Book 1

    by Colleen Hoover

    ★ 4.65 BLT Score (4.7M ratings)
    ★ 4.08 Goodreads (4.7M)
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  8. 8
    Outlander cover

    Outlander

    Outlander • Book 1

    by Diana Gabaldon

    ★ 4.65 BLT Score (1.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.26 Goodreads (1.2M)
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  9. 9
    Death Masks cover

    Death Masks

    The Dresden Files • Book 5

    by Jim Butcher

    ★ 4.61 BLT Score (148.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (148.8K)
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  10. 10
    Tower of Dawn cover

    Tower of Dawn

    Throne of Glass • Book 6

    by Sarah J. Maas

    ★ 4.61 BLT Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4.28 Goodreads (1.1M)
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  11. 11
    Nightwork cover

    Nightwork

    by Nora Roberts

    ★ 4.60 BLT Score (41.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (41.6K)
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  12. 12
    Caught Sleeping cover

    Caught Sleeping

    The Senator's Wife • Book 2

    by Jen Lyon

    ★ 4.57 BLT Score (4.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.59 Goodreads (4.5K)
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  13. 13
    The Rose and the Thorn cover

    The Rose and the Thorn

    The Riyria Chronicles • Book 2

    by Michael J. Sullivan

    ★ 4.57 BLT Score (31.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.4 Goodreads (31.0K)
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  14. 14
    1984 cover

    1984

    by George Orwell, Thomas Pynchon

    ★ 4.55 BLT Score (5.5M ratings)
    ★ 4.2 Goodreads (5.5M)
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  15. 15
    If I Don't Ask cover

    If I Don't Ask

    Ask, Tell • Book 4

    by E.J. Noyes

    ★ 4.55 BLT Score (1.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.59 Goodreads (1.8K)
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  16. 16
    Bad Bishop cover

    Bad Bishop

    Society of Villains • Book 1

    by L.J. Shen

    ★ 4.54 BLT Score (53.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.24 Goodreads (53.8K)
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  17. 17
    Call Me cover

    Call Me

    Call Me By Your Name • Book 1

    by André Aciman

    ★ 4.53 BLT Score (604.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.1 Goodreads (604.6K)
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  18. 18
    The Book of Life cover

    The Book of Life

    All Souls • Book 3

    by Deborah Harkness

    ★ 4.51 BLT Score (221.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.21 Goodreads (221.0K)
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  19. 19
    A Court of Thorns and Roses cover

    A Court of Thorns and Roses

    A Court of Thorns and Roses • Book 1

    by Sarah J. Maas

    ★ 4.50 BLT Score (4.3M ratings)
    ★ 4.15 Goodreads (4.3M)
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  20. 20
    The Assassin's Blade cover

    The Assassin's Blade

    Throne of Glass

    by Sarah J. Maas

    ★ 4.47 BLT Score (1.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.2 Goodreads (1.2M)
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  21. 21
    Out of the Dark cover

    Out of the Dark

    The Grey Wolves • Book 4

    by Quinn Loftis

    ★ 4.46 BLT Score (16.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.47 Goodreads (16.7K)
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  22. 22
    A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 2 of 2) cover

    A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 2 of 2)

    A Court of Thorns and Roses [Dramatized Adaptation] #1, Part 2 • Book 1

    by Sarah J. Maas

    ★ 4.46 BLT Score (13.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.56 Goodreads (13.3K)
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  23. 23
    When He Was Wicked cover

    When He Was Wicked

    Bridgertons • Book 6

    by Julia Quinn

    ★ 4.46 BLT Score (269.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.98 Goodreads (269.5K)
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  24. 24
    The Viscount Who Loved Me cover

    The Viscount Who Loved Me

    Bridgertons • Book 2

    by Julia Quinn

    ★ 4.45 BLT Score (498.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.99 Goodreads (498.5K)
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  25. 25
    Aurora's Angel cover

    Aurora's Angel

    by Emily Noon

    ★ 4.45 BLT Score (4.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.27 Goodreads (4.5K)
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  26. 26
    What Remains of Heaven cover

    What Remains of Heaven

    Sebastian St. Cyr • Book 5

    by C.S. Harris

    ★ 4.44 BLT Score (9.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.24 Goodreads (9.6K)
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  27. 27
    The Kingdom of Copper cover

    The Kingdom of Copper

    The Daevabad Trilogy • Book 2

    by S.A. Chakraborty

    ★ 4.44 BLT Score (93.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (93.4K)
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  28. 28
    The Senator's Wife cover

    The Senator's Wife

    The Senator's Wife • Book 1

    by Jen Lyon

    ★ 4.42 BLT Score (5.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.36 Goodreads (5.9K)
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  29. 29
    The Inmate cover

    The Inmate

    by Freida McFadden

    ★ 4.39 BLT Score (1.1M ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (1.1M)
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  30. 30
    Next of Kin cover

    Next of Kin

    Portland Police Bureau • Book 2

    by Jae

    ★ 4.38 BLT Score (2.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.33 Goodreads (2.0K)
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  31. 31
    Warrior Fae cover

    Warrior Fae

    Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac • Book 5

    by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti

    ★ 4.37 BLT Score (76.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.26 Goodreads (76.7K)
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  32. 32
    Dark Desire cover

    Dark Desire

    Dark • Book 2

    by Christine Feehan

    ★ 4.37 BLT Score (32.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.19 Goodreads (32.8K)
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  33. 33
    Just Once cover

    Just Once

    by Karen Kingsbury

    ★ 4.37 BLT Score (9.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.41 Goodreads (9.8K)
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  34. 34
    The Handmaid's Tale cover

    The Handmaid's Tale

    The Handmaid's Tale • Book 1

    by Margaret Atwood

    ★ 4.36 BLT Score (2.5M ratings)
    ★ 4.15 Goodreads (2.5M)
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  35. 35
    The Sins of the Father cover

    The Sins of the Father

    The Clifton Chronicles • Book 2

    by Jeffrey Archer

    ★ 4.36 BLT Score (67.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.11 Goodreads (67.7K)
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  36. 36
    The House of the Spirits cover

    The House of the Spirits

    Trilogía Involuntaria • Book 3

    by Isabel Allende, Magda Bogin

    ★ 4.35 BLT Score (325.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (325.3K)
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  37. 37
    Bride cover

    Bride

    Bride • Book 1

    by Ali Hazelwood

    ★ 4.35 BLT Score (722.4K ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (722.4K)
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  38. 38
    The Guy on the Left cover

    The Guy on the Left

    The Underdogs • Book 2

    by Kate Stewart

    ★ 4.35 BLT Score (8.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (8.9K)
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  39. 39
    The Tenant of Wildfell Hall cover

    The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

    by Anne Brontë

    ★ 4.34 BLT Score (133.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.04 Goodreads (133.4K)
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  40. 40
    The Wolf King cover

    The Wolf King

    The Wolf King • Book 1

    by Lauren Palphreyman

    ★ 4.33 BLT Score (175.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.14 Goodreads (175.2K)
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  41. 41
    Birthday Girl cover

    Birthday Girl

    by Penelope Douglas

    ★ 4.33 BLT Score (500.9K ratings)
    ★ 3.92 Goodreads (500.9K)
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  42. 42
    A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) cover

    A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 1 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation)

    A Court of Thorns and Roses • Book 1

    by Sarah J. Maas

    ★ 4.32 BLT Score (16.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.47 Goodreads (16.0K)
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  43. 43
    Conflict of Interest cover

    Conflict of Interest

    Portland Police Bureau • Book 1

    by Jae

    ★ 4.32 BLT Score (3.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.23 Goodreads (3.6K)
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  44. 44
    Reaping the Benefits cover

    Reaping the Benefits

    by E.J. Noyes

    ★ 4.31 BLT Score (1.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.22 Goodreads (1.3K)
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  45. 45
    The Year We Hid Away cover

    The Year We Hid Away

    The Ivy Years • Book 2

    by Sarina Bowen

    ★ 4.31 BLT Score (16.9K ratings)
    ★ 4.06 Goodreads (16.9K)
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  46. 46
    Unloved, a love story cover

    Unloved, a love story

    by Katy Regnery

    ★ 4.30 BLT Score (11.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.1 Goodreads (11.3K)
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  47. 47
    Honor Bound cover

    Honor Bound

    Honor • Book 2

    by Radclyffe

    ★ 4.30 BLT Score (2.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (2.7K)
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  48. 48
    Kingdom of the Cursed cover

    Kingdom of the Cursed

    Kingdom of the Wicked • Book 2

    by Kerri Maniscalco

    ★ 4.30 BLT Score (222.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.08 Goodreads (222.4K)
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  49. 49
    Midnight Sun cover

    Midnight Sun

    The Twilight Saga • Book 5

    by Stephenie Meyer

    ★ 4.30 BLT Score (323.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.75 Goodreads (323.2K)
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  50. 50
    The Space Between cover

    The Space Between

    Outlander #7.5 • Book 7

    by Diana Gabaldon

    ★ 4.30 BLT Score (21.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.25 Goodreads (21.8K)
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Browse Related Lists

Forbidden Love Audiobooks Forbidden Love Overview All Tropes

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →