Be still my heart! Between the new episodes of Outlander and Arrow, this has been a pretty great week for romance. And not just any standard romance either, but love stories that we have been pining over, desperately waiting for our favorite couples to reunite.
On Outlander, we finally got our Print Shop Scene, with Claire and Jamie reuniting after spending 20 years – and technically a couple of centuries – apart. As a longtime Outlander fan (of both the show and the books!), it was everything I could have dreamed of and more. Awkward, sweet, and crazy romantic. Don’t even get me started on the basically 45 minute sex scene that followed.
When it comes to Arrow, Oliver and Felicity have been dancing around their reconciliation since the end of last season when they finally started to work through their trust issues. It’s been almost two years since we last saw our favorite superhero couple in a happy, loving relationship, and I was certainly sick of the wait. As of Thursday, the two are officially back together and stronger than ever, pretty much ready to co-parent Oliver’s son William – or at least have Felicity keep adorably tutoring him while both he and Oliver gives her those signature Queen heart eyes.
My heart feels like it’s going to explode with all these happy love stories gracing our screens again. It also got me thinking about all the times I’ve had to wait for a couple to finally get together, living in a state of delicious torture while I desperately pined over their fictional love. Sometimes, it meant waiting 200+ pages before a couple declared their love. Other times, it took multiple books and even years for the two to either admit their feelings or find each other again after too much time spent apart. Either way, I’m not complaining (or not much at least), because there’s something undeniably addictive about the angst, especially when you know that it’s true love in the end. After all, there are certain romances that are just worth waiting for.
Here are 7 books couples with drawn-out love stories that will warm your heart and keep you pining:
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Finally seeing the Print Shop Scene on screen was an actual dream come true, but I can still remember finishing Dragonfly in Amber (book 2 in the series!) and rushing out to the bookstore to get my hands on Voyager as quickly as I could, unable to bear seeing Jamie and Claire separated for much longer. Reading it, I still had to wait hundreds of pages for the two to reunite, my heart pounding with every word. These two have such an epic romance, and the book dives into their reunion in even more exquisite detail. A must read.
Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons
If you haven’t read the Bronze Horseman trilogy, NOW IS THE TIME. Stupid romantic and heartfelt, it tells the story of a young Russian girl who falls in love with a soldier right before WWII lands on their doorsteps. Their romance is insanely angsty, with multiple separations and reasons for keeping their distance. By the time they finally get together, you’re pretty much begging for them to see some happiness. But things aren’t so simple, and this is a couple that will keep you pining from the very first page. The second book features one of their biggest separations – and all the drama and sacrifice that comes with it.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Whether you’re more team Ron/Hermione, or Harry/Ginny (or, like me, both!), this is definitely the most romantic Harry Potter book, finally bringing together the two couples who have been pining for each other for way too long. From Ron and Hermione’s first explosive kiss, to Harry watching Ginny’s dot move around on the Marauder’s Map, all of the epic, drawn-out love stories finally get their due.
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
I adored the Anne of Green Gables series as a kid, especially because of the charming tension/eventual friendship that existed between Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe. I was pretty sure they would get together, but Montgomery managed to draw it out for three whole books. When Anne finally acknowledged her feelings toward the end of Anne of the Island, I actually cheered.
The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
Originally published as three separate books, Bishop created an epic world in her complex fantasy series about witches, power, and sexual politics. I loved hero Daemon from the first page, especially his devotion to Jaenelle Angelline, the prophesied queen destined to rule the Blood (a race of magic users) and cleanse it of corruption. But, oh man, does it take a long time for the two to find each other, and along the way things get dark. Very, very dark. Still, this is a romance that is more than worth waiting for.
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
I was invested in quite a few couples in Stiefvater’s excellent young adult Raven Cycle series, but it was Adam and Ronan who I was dying to see get together. I was so sure nothing would happen between the two, but then book 4 finally delivered on the hints of romance (THAT KISS). Subtle and sweet, it’s a little alarming how much these two wormed their way into my heart.
Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh
For years – and I mean years – I was waiting for the love story between the powerful psy Sienna Lauren and the alpha of the SnowDancer wolf pack, Hawke. Though their first interactions were chaste, with Sienna too young and Hawke too broken, there was something in Singh’s writing that made me wonder if the two were made for each other. Soon, I was full-on ‘shipping the two, waiting for Sienna to mature and for Hawke to realize that he was still capable of love after losing his mate as a child. When they finally get together in Kiss of Snow, it’s everything I could have hoped for.
Which book romances were you willing to wait for? Let us know in the comments!
