There are a lot of stunningly beautiful love stories out there, and all they need is for someone to pick them up and read them.
Love can take many forms, including romantic, familial, friendship, and more. It’s all quite fantastic, and it provides some great storytelling material.
In this list, we’ve rounded up the very best Native American romance novels for you to sink your teeth into.
All of the books on this list have been written by Native Americans themselves, so they can tell these stories in the most authentic way possible.
It’s very important to allow members of underrepresented groups to share their experiences in their own words, and in these books, it has been done beautifully.
If you aren’t Native American, we hope that this list will still motivate you to read a book that you’re not familiar with or to explore new authors you’ve never heard of.
If you are a fan of romance and Native American culture, we hope that you will find a few books that you will want to add to your reading list!
Beautiful Native American Romance Novels
These are the very best Native American romance novels written by people from these cultures.
With each book exploring a different aspect of romance in a new and exciting way, there should be a book on this list for everyone to enjoy.
1. Trail Of Lightning – Rebecca Roanhorse
If you’re looking for a romance novel with a bit of the end of the world thrown in, this is the book for you.
In this thrilling story (which is part 1 of The Sixth World duo), almost all of the earth has been
submerged beneath the rising waters of the oceans thanks to a devastating climate catastrophe.
Nevertheless, the former Navajo reservation, which is now known as Dinétah, has been reborn with the gods, heroes, and monsters of legend.
Maggie Hoskie, a monster hunter who possesses supernaturally given abilities, is a tiny town’s only hope of finding a girl who went missing.
During her investigation, Maggie comes across a beast that is more terrifying than any she has ever faced, and as a result, she is compelled to seek the assistance of an unusual healer named Kai Arviso.
Kai Arviso, an unusual medicine man, and Maggie tour the rez, deciphering clues from old traditions, bartering favors with tricksters, and combating evil witches in a world made up of disparate pieces of technology.
Maggie will have to face a part of her life that she would prefer not to remember to get to the bottom of this mystery, but perhaps she may find the companion she’s always secretly needed along the way.
2. Heartbeat Braves – Pamela Sanderson
At the Crooked Rock Urban Indian Center, where Rayanne Larson works, she does everything in her power to assist native people who make their homes in the city.
Rayanne has personal experience with the hardships that face native people. Her job at Crooked Rock allows her to help Native Americans in meaningful ways.
She has high hopes for the Center’s growth until its new leader gives her special project off to his underachieving and distractingly handsome nephew.
Henry Grant has never lived anywhere else but in the city, and up until the time he met Rayanne, he wasn’t very interested in the profession that his uncle effectively made him take.
Her drive to make other people’s lives better is inspiring to Hnery, although he isn’t fully on board with running the center just yet.
They are brought together because of a crisis in the center, and at that point, they are unable to ignore the tension that is rising between them.
This book is the first out of four in the Cooked Rock book series, so if you loved this read, there’s plenty more to come!
3. Owls Don’t Have to Mean Death – Chip Livingston
Peter Strongbow was instructed when he was still a young boy, that the appearance of an owl is a very bad omen indeed.
This lesson has stuck with him all his life, and even the sound of a hoot is enough to make Peter nervous.
So you can imagine his devastation when Peter, while out for a romantic drive with his partner, accidentally ran into one with his car.
But this isn’t really a story about an owl, it’s a story about queer love and a community coming together to help those in need.
Peter finds out that Cache, the love of his life, is HIV-positive.
Turning to the Creek community and his family for support, everyone rallies around the couple and shows both Peter and Cashe how to cope with what they’re going through.
This is a story of hope, adversity, and the meaning of love in its purest form.
4. Maud’s Line – Margaret Verble
This novel is the author’s first, and it tells the story of the life and loves of a heroine who’s feisty, earthy, and captivating.
This book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and is a must-read for anyone interested in Native American literature.
In 1928, Maud Nail is living on a Cherokee allocated piece with her rebellious father and emotionally fragile brother.
The setting is Eastern Oklahoma, in what can only be described as a pretty depressing place.
She puts in a lot of effort every day to do the various jobs around the home and reservation and then rewards herself with the little pleasures that she’s permitted.
She has no choice but to accept the fact that her life is not likely to get much better because she’s surrounded by bloodshed and misery at every turn.
But one day, an attractive stranger walks in, and Maud can’t help but take note of him.
This one look at a handsome stranger changes Maud’s life forever, and she is forced to make very difficult choices that will not only determine her future but also the future of others she cares about.
5. Love Beyond Body, Space, And Time – An Anthology – Hope Nicholson
Perhaps one big romance story isn’t for you. If you want to read about multiple stories across time and space, then this anthology book is for you.
This anthology of science fiction and urban fantasy includes stories written by indigenous LGBT and two-spirit authors and is all about indigenous LGBT and two-spirit characters.
These tales cover a wide range of topics, from the experience of a transgender lady undertaking an experimental transition process to the reuniting of young lovers who have been estranged for several decades in their own individual far futures.
These are tales of love and self-love, machines and magic, and other forms of love you may not have even thought of.
Each of the tales is unique, captivating, and epic in terms of its setting and plot. No matter what kind of love you want to read about, you’ll find it in this book.
6. Hearts Unbroken – Cynthia Leitich Smith
After witnessing her first boyfriend disparage Native Americans and treat them with disrespect in front of her, Louise Wolfe does not feel any remorse for breaking up with him over email.
She would rather spend the year with individuals who appreciate her and work on the school newspaper.
While on the job she is paired up with photographer Joey Kairouz to work on a story on a musical director’s inclusive casting of The Wizard of Oz, which has been getting a lot of backlash in the predominantly white and predominantly middle-class town.
The story they’re writing focuses on the anger of the musical director’s decision to cast more people of color in the roles of Dorothy and Toto.
Along with the blossoming affection between Lou and Joey, prejudice and hostility are also on the rise.
This book asked the question, is it more important to keep her heart safe, or should she give love a chance?
7. Shadows Cast by Stars – Catherine Knutsson
Two hundred years from now, when the Plague finally arrives, blood will suddenly be worth a great deal more than money, particularly the blood of Native populations due to the presence of antibodies in their blood that can make them immune.
Even though Cassandra Mercredi may have been blessed with immunity, this doesn’t guarantee that she’s safe, especially when the government is rounding up Native people to extract their blood.
Cassandra and her family are chased by their pursuers and are eventually forced to take refuge on an Island, a strange place that is guarded by a band of guerilla warriors as well as an energy barrier.
Cassandra is taken in and cared for by the village healer in the spirit realm, and the son of the tribe’s chieftain falls in love with her.
Yet, Cassandra may have an even more important mission. The spirit world is calling to her, and it’s in a furious mood.
Will Cassandra give into the voice and become an envoy of the spirit realm? Read this book to find out!
Summary
These have been just 7 of the many beautiful native American romance stories out there.
These are excellent books t start with if you want to dip your toe into both the romance genre and Native American storytelling.
With many different types of love shown in these books, there should hopefully be something that appeals to everyone on this list.