Valentine’s day is days away and I’ve never been one to celebrate it. One year in junior high a friend and I, fed up with the day, threw rocks in a pond and named each rock after a boy. It’s my favorite Valentine’s Day memory.

Now I write a blog about fairy tales, which for some is the touchstone of romance. I, on the other hand, prefer something more modern. So in honor of a holiday I don’t celebrate I offer a list of modern fairy tale romances I wish I’d known about in junior high:

Outlander series: Despite being set in the past, Jamie’s oddly progressive views about a strong, capable woman is worth wishing for. Plus, the accent…

Followed by Frost: A fairy tale retelling of the Snow Queen, it’s a rare redemption story that focuses on loving oneself before loving someone else

The Rules of Magic: Not an obvious choice, but I appreciate a story that shows that Love doesn’t have to last to be deep, meaningful and powerful

The Woodcutter: The ultimate story about faithfulness versus duty. His love of his wife is all that sustains him and keeps him strong for all the trials ahead even though it isn’t a given that he’ll return. I also love that she isn’t described as a great beauty, just someone precious to him

His Majesty’s Dragon: Not all Love Stories have to be romantic. Friendship is just as powerful and the love between a man and his dragon, while distinctly an idea of fantasy writers, is no less valid.

Those are my top five romances for people who need a little something extra in their love stories. Here’s hoping my paranormal romance, The Cemetery Circle, makes it on to your list of unconventional romances.

Stone Watcher. The term holds no meaning for 30-year-old Cia, who thought a free vacation to Scotland would be the perfect escape from her troubles—not knowing it would commit her to a lifelong promise made centuries before her time.

The Cemetery Circle is a paranormal fantasy novella that begs the question—who would volunteer to live next to a graveyard? The answer is—no one.