If You Loved These Romance Novels, You’ll Love Where There’s Smoke

Exploring Love, Loss, and Healing Through Heartfelt Romance

When I first began writing Where There’s Smoke: A Texas Love Story, it started as a lighthearted challenge from my wife—something inspired by Hallmark movies, with a predictable love story and a feel-good ending. But as I wrote, the story deepened. It became a journey through grief, memory, and second chances—centered around a woman returning to her hometown as her mother’s health declines.

In many ways, this book became a way for me to process the loss of my own mother to Alzheimer’s—a space for reflection and healing, wrapped in the warmth of small-town charm, slow-burn romance, and smoky Texas barbecue.  If that sounds like your kind of story, you’ll be able to find Where There’s Smoke starting June 1, 2025, on both Amazon and directly from our website: Rocket Ribs & BBQ.

If you’ve ever been moved by stories that blend love and loss, grief and hope, here are some novels that might already be on your shelf—and why readers of those stories will feel right at home in the pages of Where There’s Smoke: A Texas Love Story.

Top Romance Novels That Explore Grief, Love, and Loss

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

While often categorized as young adult fiction, The Fault in Our Stars resonates with readers of all ages due to its emotional depth and unflinching look at love in the face of terminal illness. Hazel and Augustus, two teenagers living with cancer, form a deep and moving bond that is both life-affirming and heartbreaking. The novel captures not only the sorrow of looming loss but also the beauty found in fleeting joy and meaningful connection. For readers who appreciate raw vulnerability paired with moments of levity and insight, this story delivers a powerful emotional journey.

2. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

This classic novel is often remembered for its sweeping romance, but at its core, it is a story about memory, aging, and the lasting impact of love through life's hardest moments. As Noah reads their love story aloud to Allie—his wife, who is slowly losing her memory to Alzheimer’s—their bond becomes a touching portrayal of devotion in the face of grief and decline. Sparks delicately explores how love can anchor us even as we lose pieces of ourselves or those we cherish. It’s a tender reminder that love doesn’t fade, even when memory does.

3. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

In this moving coming-of-age romance, Sparks tells the story of Landon and Jamie—two high school seniors who fall for each other under unexpected circumstances. When Jamie reveals that she is battling leukemia, the story shifts from light teenage romance to a deeply emotional exploration of love, loss, and acceptance. What makes this story resonate is not only Jamie’s quiet strength but also how her illness transforms Landon, awakening in him a maturity and depth of love he didn’t know he was capable of. The novel balances heartbreak with hope, offering a powerful meditation on how love can leave a lasting legacy.

4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Though written in the 19th century, Wuthering Heights remains a haunting exploration of grief, obsession, and the shadows of lost love. The novel follows Heathcliff and Catherine, whose intense bond transcends time, even after death. The grief that permeates the story—especially after Catherine’s passing—reveals how loss can distort love, leaving emotional wreckage in its wake. It’s a more tragic take on the romance genre, but one that powerfully illustrates how the past continues to shape our hearts, long after those we love are gone.

5. Goodbye Hobbs by Laura Jean McKay

This poignant novel weaves together themes of parental loss, emotional isolation, and the redemptive power of human connection. The protagonist must navigate the grief of losing a parent while grappling with the fragments of her own identity left in the wake of that loss. What sets Goodbye Hobbs apart is its quiet, lyrical exploration of healing—not through grand romantic gestures, but through small, honest moments of intimacy, vulnerability, and reflection. It’s a book for readers who crave emotional resonance and stories that show grief not just as an end, but as a beginning.

Where There's Smoke: A Texas Love Story

Where There’s Smoke: A Texas Love Story

If you’ve been moved by any of these books, I believe you’ll connect with Mae Whitaker’s journey in Where There’s Smoke. It’s a story of coming home, caring for a parent in decline, and rediscovering love in the ashes of the past.

Grief can hollow us out—but it can also open space for something new to grow. What are your favorite books in this genre? Comment below.