I don’t know about you, but in my long and illustrious career as a romance reader, the answer is not enough. Oh, I have found books featuring Indigenous protagonists in these stores…but most of them were written by white authors fetishizing First Nations’ cultures, and it shows. Looking for Indigenous romances can feel like filling out some sort of horrible, depressing bingo card. Titles playing on racist slurs? Check. Covers leaning on ridiculous and offensive stereotypes? Oh yeah. Blurbs about White Saviors? You bet. Indigenous people deserve happy endings as much as anyone else, but publishing does not seem to agree. But you know what? Not only do Indigenous romance authors exist, they’re knocking it out of the park. In this list, you’ll find eight romance novels by Indigenous authors that are guaranteed to melt your heart.
