Romance book recommendations featuring circus performers and magicians…

There’s been an influx of fantastic “circus” book bad boys in our midst. Fire breathers, dare devils, magicians… performers that steal our breath (and hearts) away! For those looking for more like “The Traveling Man” and “Hearts of Fire” this list is for you! And for those looking to fall in love with a new kind of “hero”, I bet you’ll find him in one of these!

In fact, I fell HARD a few years ago for a “circus sideshow” character that absolutely captivated me.

And I’ll start with him!

Bone Deep by Bonnie Dee <— Tattooed from head to toe… his role in the traveling circus is to be gawked at. Years of people gasping at his ghastly appearance have broken his spirit. He escapes the circus that has kept him prisoner since he’s been a young boy, and hides out in a widow’s barn. She finds him, helps him hide and well… they become amazing friends. This one is a MUST READ!!! And Eboni agrees: “I read it in one night! Couldn’t put it down. SO in love with Tom. He makes my heart hurt. Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!” (my review)

Six of Hearts by L.H. Cosway <— SEXY famous magician!! Tammy loved it! “BUTTERFLIES, and I don’t get those when reading too often. 5 stars for me for sure!!” and Mary agrees: “Just finished Six of Hearts. Love love love LH Cosway’s books! Still Life With Strings is SO good but Six? Sheesh! I need an *epic* ending like Matilda’s.” (my review)

Hearts of Fire by L.H. Cosway <— Mariana LOVED it! “With Hearts of Fire, for me, it was just a world I didn’t want to leave. It felt different to me than what I’ve been reading. And, the last circus book I read was The Night’s Circus which I LOVED but needed more romance and I guess I sort of got that here! ”

The Traveling Man (Traveling Series #1) (The Traveling series) by Jane Harvery-Berrick <— Recommended by many! Like Andrea: “The Traveling Man by Jane Harvey Berrick is the best book ever! But the cliffy just about killed me. Ughh!!!“ and Sherry loved it too! “Just finished The Traveling Man !!So I’m love with this book. I’m still smiling ” (PLUS! Here’s my review)

The Traveling Woman (Traveling Series #2) (The Traveling Series) by Jane Harvery-Berrick <— And no need to worry about that cliffhanger from book #1, ’cause #2 has been released! Sheena LOVED it: “Just finished The Traveling Woman by Jane Harvey-Berrick the sequel to The Traveling Man, this second book was just as magical as the first one and a great sequel, you really should read it.”

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern <— Lieve HIGHLY recommends it! “P.S. If you ever have the time and chance, maybe you should read ‘the night circus’ of Erin Morgenstern. I’ve never read a story more beautiful! Not easy, but heartbreaking!”

Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips <— Recommended by Andrea: “Maryse I read Mariana Zapata’s book recommendation Kiss An Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It’s got a carnival background just like Traveling Man and really really good too! Very different and it hit all the right spots :)” and bev agrees! “Kiss An Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Daisy and Alex are forced to wed by her father. Both, but especially Alex, are upset by this. Oh, and Alex is working for a circus and Daisy must go with him. She writes great rom com that still has a lot of emotion.”

Amour Amour by Krista Ritchie <— Kathy liked it! “It was really good.” and Niki did too: “Just finished Amour Amour by Krista and Becca Ritchie! It pulled me out of my Kate Daniels book funk big time!!! Loved it!!”

And a few more new-to-me finds that look pretty darn great!

• Tempting the Ringmaster (A Big Top Romance Book 1) by Aleah Barley <— “The last thing police chief Graham Tyler needs is a ragtag bunch of circus freaks rolling into town. Then he meets sassy, spirited, ringmaster Belle-Anne Black.“
• Cirque de Minuit (Cirque Masters Book 1) by Annabel Joseph <— “Before long the two are collaborating on an aerial silks act for a new production, the Cirque de Minuit. Theo’s impatience with Kelsey’s naivete is matched only by his passion for her, and the two soon become embroiled in a tempestuous, consuming romance.”
• Bound in Blue (Cirque Masters Book 2) by Annabel Joseph <— “At a small, struggling circus in Ulaanbaatar, a fearless trapezist fascinates Cirque du Monde talent scout Jason Beck, until he realizes, halfway through the act, that he already knows this exotic, blue-eyed beauty. Intimately. If he’d known she was part of the act he was here to recruit, he never would have done such basely carnal things to her the night before!“
• Master’s Flame (Cirque Masters Book 3) by Annabel Joseph <— “Valentina’s known as La Vampa, the flame of Napoli, and her tempestuous personality and wild libido soar as high as her circus tricks. To his chagrin, she wants nothing more than to be his slave. Michel finds himself drawn to the red-headed firebrand even as he tries his hardest to resist her.”
• Gifted, A Donovan Circus Novel (Donovan Circus Series Book 1) by Liz Long <— “Lucy was born with the ability to create and control fire. She longs to leave the human world for one filled with Earthshakers, Transporters, and Chameleons, to name a few. When she rejoins the circus, it’s everything she hoped it could be – new friends, a potential love interest or two, and a place where she can be herself.”
• Burned, A Donovan Circus Novel (Donovan Circus Series Book 2) by Liz Long
• Hunted: A Donovan Circus Novel (Donovan Circus Series Book 3) by Liz Long
• Girl on a Wire by Gwenda Bond <— “Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father’s footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.“
• Cirque du Shift by Kady Stewart <— super-short (maybe there’s more?) “…on the night the circus comes to town, he’s ready to put those dreams into action. He must get away from his abusive family – at any cost.“
• Mystery: Circus of Lost Souls (Mystery Thriller) by Riley J. Ford <— “Cirque du Lune is killing off teenagers, but it’s all part of the act. Or is it?“
• The Fortune Teller’s Daughter by Jordan Bell <— “Bewitched by the carnival’s handsome magician and the dark whimsy of the Carnival Imaginaire, Sera finally feels like she’s home until the mystery of her mother’s death unravels with the secrets of the carnival’s past…“