The Best Black Cat/Golden Retriever Romances
When it comes to romance tropes, black cat/golden retriever is one of the greats. The black cat in the relationship is aloof and standoffish while the proverbial golden retriever is friendly and approachable, the setup for a perfect opposites-attract pairing.
Similar to a grumpy/sunshine pairing, black cat/golden retriever best describes the characters’ initial dynamic and outward persona. When black cat/golden retriever romances are written well, characters become more complicated beyond those first impressions. Over the course of the romance, characters discover how their unique dynamic makes them both better. A good black cat/golden retriever pairing gives characters permission to be complicated, to work against their public persona and become more fully realized in the eyes of the person who loves them.
At the core of the romance genre is selling readers on the experience of becoming deeply known and seen. If you can’t sell readers on that knowing, it is impossible to sell the HEA. When you have two characters with opposing personalities, like with black cat/golden retriever romances, you just have to sell it a little harder.
There are a lot of books that do so successfully, so narrowing down a list of the best black cat/golden retriever romances was difficult. I chose a few contemporaries, historicals, and fantasy romances to give the people what they want—irresistible black cat/golden retriever romances.
Contemporary Black Cat/Golden Retriever Romances
The Remaking of Corbin Wale by Roan Parrish
When a big city baker moves back home to take over the family café, he meets a town recluse who changes his life forever. Alex lost his job, partner, and home in the span of two days, so returning to Michigan to open a bakery was an obvious choice—a choice that leads him to a solitary black cat of a man who comes in every day to draw. Corbin is used to being excluded and alone. That is until he meets Alex, who welcomes him at every turn and even offers him a job. Both men might just be remade by their strange and undeniable love.
All the Feels by Olivia Dade
TV star Alexander Woodroe risked his entire career when the tabloids caught wind of his latest barfight. To keep his job, the network has hired Lauren, a former ER therapist looking for a break, to be his new minder. Lauren would love to hate Alex, but his golden retriever energy makes it impossible. He happens to have a kind of bone-deep goodness she cannot deny. So when he gets into a second scandal, she is willing to take a leap to stay with the man she’s begun to love.
A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert
Ruth is autistic, obsessed with comic books, and alone in a small town that won’t forget a scandal from her past. But when Evan, a hot, outgoing neighbor, moves in next door, he doesn’t seem to care. He just keeps talking to her and bringing her home-cooked meals. Ruth’s been burned in the past by trusting someone too quickly, but Evan might just be able to break down her defenses. The Ravenswood series is truly excellent and filled with other black cat/golden retriever romances for you to enjoy.
Historical Black Cat/Golden Retriever Romances
Wild Rain by Beverly Jenkins
In Wyoming after the Civil War, a reporter from a Black newspaper in D.C. travels to interview a Black doctor and falls for his sister instead. Spring runs her own ranch and has the talent to make her own way, so when a big city reporter gets in an accident and needs a place to recuperate, she doesn’t want to say yes. If Garret were any less kind and courteous, Spring wouldn’t have helped him at all. As his stay lengthens, she cannot deny she likes him more than she should. Even if Spring doesn’t want love, Garret might just be the one to change her mind.
You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian
Golden retriever baseball player Eddie O’Leary isn’t happy with how his 1960s season in New York is going. He is away from home, he can’t hit a ball, and his team can’t stand him. His biggest bright spots are his calls home to his mother and his burgeoning relationship with the reporter, Mark Bailey. Mike is an arts writer grieving the death of a partner no one could know about. He didn’t want to cover Eddie or anything to do with sports, but as he gets to know the athlete, he cannot deny his attraction. Even if it will complicate their lives, neither man can deny a good thing for long.
The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan
Jeremy Wentworth is a secret duke who spent years trying to become a man worthy of wooing his childhood crush, Chloe Fong. When he realized that was impossible, he decided to come back to her hometown during the famous Wedgeford Trials to ask for her hand in marriage. Chloe has more plans and lists than an average person would know what to do with. So, when she decides this is the year she will sell her father’s sauce, she has a plan to succeed—one that doesn’t include Jeremy’s return. Nevertheless, he is determined to win her over after he reveals his real name and the fact that he owns her village.
Fantasy (or Romantasy) Black Cat/Golden Retriever Romance
Blood on the Tide by Katee Robert
The second book in the romantasy Crimson Sails series jumps right back in with our favorite murderous black cat vampire, Lizzie. Reluctantly helping the resistance while she waits for their help finding her family heirlooms and a portal back home is the last thing she wants to do. So, when she rescues a captive selkie, Maeve, Lizzie believes she’s found a shortcut. She will help the selkie get her skin back, and in return, Lizzie will have a guide who can help her find her heirlooms. The biggest problem Lizzie now faces is denying her overwhelming attraction to the selkie at her side.
This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher
When four heroes saved the realm, three emerged alive and their lives haven’t been the same since. A decade later, the queen is bringing the gang back together for her wedding and they cannot say no. Elowen was lured out of a secluded nightmare forest by her former flame, ex-villain Vandra. The recently divorced noble Beatrice and the public hero Clare have their own romantic past to work through on their journey (our black cat/golden retriever pairing of the book). As a simple wedding invite develops into a quest, our heroes will have to navigate who they’ve become in their time apart if they want to successfully work together and have romantic relationships that work out this time around.
Homegrown Magic by Jamie Pacton, Rebecca Podos (March 11)
Yael Clauneck is the scion of a wealthy banking family who doesn’t want the life set out for them. Fleeing their graduation party on a stolen mechanical horse with no plan in place might not have been the best choice, but it felt like the only one at the time. Luckily, they found themselves in their childhood friends’ hometown. Margot Greenwillow is a plant witch who is quickly running out of ways to keep her family’s magic remedies business in operation. When her childhood crush, Yael, arrives and asks for a place to stay, she accepts their help right away. Even in the countryside, life cannot be put on pause forever, and eventually, Yael and Margot will have to confront how their growing attraction fits into their real futures.
That Time I Got Drunk and Yeeted a Love Potion at a Werewolf by Kimberly Lemming
Felix may be the most golden retriever werewolf to ever court a black cat cheese monger like Brie. When Brie accidentally throws a drink with a love potion at the person behind her target, she immediately feels the effects of her mistake. Now she must convince Felix that he has been drugged, and she is not his long-awaited fated mate. Brie only needs to endure his charm, enthusiasm, and willingness to do her chores until it wears off. Easy…right?
I hope you enjoy discovering these black cat/golden retriever romances! If you’re now to romance or want to explore more romance subgenres, see our guide to romance tropes. Make sure to check out 20 New Romance Books Out in January for the latest romance releases and tons more recommendations in our romance archives.