Type 1: The Perfectionist
Perfectionists are the kind of people who are self-controlled, like doing what is right because it’s the right way to do it, and hate being wrong or making mistakes. Helen Hoang’s The Kiss Quotient is a great romance novel for type ones. Stella Lane is the best at her job designing algorithms and makes more money than she knows how to spend. At 30, the only part of her life she thinks could improve is dating, so she hires an escort to help her practice. She wants to do it right. From the beginning, Stella set up clear rules, but as she starts to realize that relationships aren’t as straightforward as mathematics, she might have to become a little more flexible to find her happily ever after.
Type 2: The Helper
Helpers, as their name suggests, are generous. These empathetic people are often teachers, nurses, and prefer to be running things behind the scenes. They can tend to be people pleasers and have to watch that they aren’t denying themselves too much. American Fairytale by Adriana Herrera will let type twos be seen. Social worker Camilo Santiago Briggs has been taught his whole life that he can only rely on himself. Thomas Hughes, builder of a billion dollar business, gets everything he sets his mind to—and he wants Milo. The only problem is Milo isn’t interested in anything Tom can buy him. Typical two energy. Milo needs to learn to let someone else take care of him while Tom learns money can’t buy him love.
Type 3: The Achiever
Achievers write lists, set goals, and make things happen. They are big idea people and will work themselves into the ground to bring those ideas to fruition. Achievers are afraid that if they let themselves rest and stop producing, they lose their value. Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean has a heroine who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. Lady Henrietta Sedley has sights on running her father’s business, making her own fortune, and living her own life. One problem: she’s an unmarried woman. Hattie’s 29th year is the perfect time to enact her plan. But there’s another problem. A handsome man is hogtied in the carriage that’s intended to take her to her self-planned ruination. In true three “I see it I want it” fashion, she kisses him, then pushes him out of the moving carriage. Whit, a bareknuckle bastard known as Beast, keeps getting in her way because for him it was love at first sight.
Type 4: The Individualist
The individualists are sometimes called the Romantics. They care most about authenticity and being unique. This craving to be different is sometimes their downfall because they can get lonely in their big emotions and feel isolated from others. How to Date Your Dragon by Molly Harper can give the individualists the one of a kind love story they long for. Mystic Bayou is a rural Louisiana town that is different from other small towns in more than it’s located on a swamp. The town is full of shape-shifters of all kinds who coexist and anthropologist Jillian Ramsay intends to study every last one of them. Local sheriff Bael Boone isn’t so keen on her study being funded by a shadow government agency, even with the promise of medical care and much needed money for towns folk. Jillian can’t figure out the kind of shifter Bael is and he can’t stop noticing how good she smells. It’s not every day a PhD working for a shadow government agency falls in love with a man who can turn into a dragon at will.
Type 5: The Investigator
Investigators are analytical, intellectual, and self-reliant. They are problem solvers and want to know everything they can before moving forward or making a decision. While at healthy levels this is a strength, this desire for knowledge can make unhealthy fives obsessive and reclusive. Beard Science by Penny Reid has a hero that acts exactly like a five: gathering information, solving problems before they arise, and quickly pinpointing people. But when Cletus Winston meets Jennifer Sylvester, he can’t figure her out. He starts making regular stops by her bakery to figure out what the Banana Cake Queen of Green Valley really has going on. Another great one for fives is Alyssa Cole’s The A.I. Who Loved Me, which has a literal robot hero trying to reboot and learn everything all over again.
Type 6: The Loyalist
Loyalists are just what the name suggests: trustworthy, hard-working, and able to anticipate problems. They want to feel safe at all costs and plan for every contingency. Sometimes they can bury themselves in preparedness or work when they don’t feel secure, often at the cost of their relationships. Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai is a novel about a wealthy recluse whose bodyguard has been pining for her for years. When Katrina King’s innocent interaction with a stranger at a coffee shop goes viral, her intentionally sheltered life goes online where the whole world can see her. She doesn’t want to be in her carefully guarded home anymore, it doesn’t feel safe. Jas Singh, her bodyguard, suggests going upstate to his family farm until this whole thing blows over. Just the two of them alone in a rural house amplifies feelings they were both trying to ignore. She finds physical safety in him and he finds the emotional safety he needs in her, but will both of their pasts keep them from falling fully?
Type 7: The Enthusiast
Enthusiasts are spontaneous adventure seekers who can be scattered at times. They are optimistic, versatile, practical and playful. Being so up for anything sometimes backfires for them and they get overextended and can make impulsive decisions. House Rules by Ruby Lang has rules in the title doesn’t sound at first like something aligning with Enthusiasts. In typical seven “what could go wrong” attitude, Simon Mizrahi and Lana Kuo decide that living together in New York City years after their divorce will be mutually beneficial to both of them. They set up strict rules for each other and agree to a temporary trial. When old feelings start to surface, the couple has to examine what feelings are real and which feelings are nostalgia.
Type 8: The Challenger
Challengers are powerful and self-assured. They don’t back down when they believe in something, often coming across as combative. This straight-talking type is protective and decisive. They don’t like anything that threatens their independence and can become domineering when feeling their freedom is threatened. Not the Girl You Marry by Andie J. Christopher is a retelling and role reversal of How to Lose a Girl in 10 Days. Jack Nolan wants to stop writing fluff pieces, and Hannah Mayfield needs to show a romantic side to her boss so she can start planning weddings and climb the event planning ladder. A fake relationship ensues. Once their feelings for each other start to grow, neither wants to give up their professional dreams or each other.
Type 9: The Peacemaker
Peacemakers are easygoing and conflict avoidant, sometimes at all costs. Nines are accepting, trusting, and supportive. They want everything to go smoothly, which means they can sometimes be complacent and minimize problems. Untouchable by Talia Hibbert is a book where everyone talks about their feelings and wants what’s best for the whole. Hannah Kabbah was the perfect nanny until a huge mistake ruined her career. Nathaniel Davis is a widower with two kids he absolutely cannot handle while also caring for his sick mother. Hannah is hired to make everything easier on everyone, but she makes things…harder. Plus, Hannah is off-limits as his employee and Nate would never do anything to jeopardize the kids happiness or safety, who happen to love Hannah as much as he does. She’s not interested in dating her boss and losing the only job that’s given her a sense of purpose in years. Another great nanny book for the nines where the roles are reversed is Rafe by Rebekah Weatherspoon: hot male nanny, competent doctor mom, lots of talking about feelings and being upfront with intentions.
