Contemporary Romance-Nicholas Sparks

According to the Romance Writers of America, "Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally-satisfying and optimistic ending." Both the conflict and the climax of the novel should be directly related to that core theme of developing a romantic relationship, although the novel can also contain subplots that do not specifically relate to the main characters' romantic love. Other definitions of a romance novel may be broader, including other plots and endings or more than two people, or narrower, restricting the types of romances or conflicts.

One of the stars of Contemporary Romance is Nicholas Sparks. Meet Nicholas and take a look at some of the wonderful novels he has written.

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most loved authors. His novel, A Bend In the Road, reached number two in the New York Times bestseller list and The Rescue was a number one. His other books, The Notebook, Message In a Bottle and A Walk to Remember - were international bestsellers that have been translated into more than thirty languages and adapted into major films. He is also co-author of Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding. Nicholas Sparks lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

The Best of Me

THE BEST OF ME is the heart-rending story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they've taken wildly divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined . . . and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever altered their world. When they are both called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter, they will be forced to confront the choices each has made, and ask whether love can truly rewrite the past.

The Notebook


A story in an old notebook is read to an elderly woman by a sad stranger. It is the story of Noah and Allie, who fell in love but were kept apart for many years. As the stranger reads, it becomes clear that he is engaged in a desperate struggle to reach the woman who no longer remembers her past.

The novel is also a major motion picture from New Line Cinema.

Safe Haven

Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again you must learn to trust again. When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small American town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet unassuming, Katie is determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community. But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts her... Eventually, though, Katie realizes that a choice must be made between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards... and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

The Lucky One

In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life.

Is there really such thing as a lucky charm? The hero of Nicholas Sparks' 2010 novel believes he's found one in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he's never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny. The chain of events that leads to him possessing the photograph and finding the woman pictured in it is the stuff of love stories only a master such as Sparks can write.

Nights in Rodanthe

At 45, Adrienne Willis must rethink her entire life when her husband abandons her. In search of a respite, she agrees to tend a friend's inn for the weekend in the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina. But a major storm and an unexpected guest bring two wounded people together.

The Last Song

#1 bestselling author Nicholas Sparks' 2009 novel is at once a compelling family drama and a heartrending tale of young love.

Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alientated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.

The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.
The novel is a major motion picture starring Miley Cyrus.