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One of the most trite and often misused quotes opens William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” from 1602: “If music be the food of love, play on.”
Over the last 400 years, the connection between music and love has resulted in radio hits and full scale symphonies, ballets and violin concertos.
This dual passion has also inspired literature, including romance novels. Sales of romance novels have skyrocketed in recent years, making it a best selling genre and leading to dedicated romance book shops and romance-only literary conferences.
The genre is nearly 200 years old, dating to the 18th century, and books from 19th century authors such as Jane Austen and the Brontes family are still popular. Because these authors were all accomplished women, and music was a necessary feature of an accomplished woman’s education, it was part of their heroines’ stories, as well, with characters performing Mozart, Haydn, and Gluck.
Sure, romances have a certain dependable structure, falling into familiar tropes—enemies to lovers, fake relationship, love triangle, opposites attract, to name a few—but then again, so does standard classical music, like sonata, ternary or rondo form, or theme and variations.
Caveat: some fictional books about people playing music are to musicians what a cop drama is to law enforcement officers or a medical story is to trained care providers—best enjoyed with a hearty release of factual music practice.
Here are a few romantic reading recommendations with a classical connection from me and local book experts:
“The Heart Principle,” by Helen Hoang (not to be confused with concert pianist Helen Huang), is about violinist Anna Sun on the brink of a burnout, with a selfish boyfriend and overwhelming family. Enter Quan Diep, perhaps one of the most sympathetic leading men in current romantic fiction. This is the third of a series by Hoang, who combines Asian American culture, neurodivergent representation, mental health advocacy, and plenty of spice into captivating reads.
Kaite Stover is the director of reader’s services at the Kansas City Public Library (and a frequent guest on KCUR’s Up To Date) and shared these recommendations.
“Musical Chairs,” by Amy Poeppel, blends classical music, small town charm, and the bonds of blood relatives and found family in a multi-layered love story about old flames and new experiences. This one also has one of the more realistic introductions to a musician character…checking his email, working on a rehearsal schedule, and needing to update his website.
“The Second Ending,” by Michelle Hoffman, isn’t so much a romance between two people but a romance between the music and the players who’ve lost their way. Now an empty nester, a former child prodigy searches for meaning in her life, when a series of misadventures have her performing on a dueling piano-style competitive television show.
Under the Cover is Kansas City’s only romance book store, which opened in 2023 in Midtown.
Owner Carley Morton had a few suggestions to share, too, including “Not Another Love Song,” by Julie Soto (a violinist and a cellist in an enemies-to-lovers trope) and “Player,” by Staci Hart (Broadway musicians in the pit orchestra for “Wicked,” a trumpet player and a bassist swing dance their way to love.)
But if you are a fan of the Regency-era Bridgerton series by Juila Quinn, then the Smythe-Smith Quartet is for you. Another Morton recommendation, these four books are a spinoff from the popular series, following siblings and cousins of the Smythe-Smith family as they prepare and perform at the family’s annual musicale. While many books featuring classical music are full of overwrought prose about art and purpose, Quinn took a running joke in the original series about a notoriously atrocious string quartet of marriageable maidens and weaves refreshing and frothy romances for these winning debutantes.
And for a classical-adjacent recommendation, I enjoyed “Ellie and the Harpmaker,” Hazel Prior’s debut novel, written in alternating perspectives. Grieving thirty-something Ellie decides to shake up her housewife routine and learn to play the Celtic harp, which changes her life and the life of the reclusive Exmoor harpmaker.
Like the cadence to an epic symphony, a good love story excites, challenges and, ultimately, provides a classic happily ever after.
