One of the best things about a new year is a whole new lineup of books to look forward to! Romance readers will have plenty of choices to add to their never-ending TBRs this year, with new romance books of every stripe coming out in the months ahead.
Whether you’re a historical fan or more into contemporaries, whether you’re looking for familiar names or hoping to find new favorite authors, 2025 has something for you! We’ve rounded up a couple dozen of the most intriguing, buzzworthy, and — of course — deeply romantic reads coming to bookshelves near you in 2025. Mark these release dates on your calendars, and happy reading!
For One Night Only by Jessica James
Release Date: January 7 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: Julie and the Phantoms meets Daisy Jones and the Six in James’s glittery, glorious debut. Valerie, current TV star (and tabloid regular) and former punk-band member, is trying to save her musical TV show. Her desperation leads her to make an impulsive decision: reassemble the old band, the Glitter Bats, for a one-night reunion concert. Oh yeah — one of her bandmates, Caleb, bailed on the industry after their personal and professional split, but now they’re going to fake-date for publicity. What could possibly go wrong?
Publisher’s Description: After her recurring role in tabloid headlines, Valerie Quinn’s musical TV show is on the network chopping block. Desperate for good press, she hastily reassembles her wildly beloved pop punk band, Glitter Bats. A reunion concert could be the former lead vocalist’s ticket to a media makeover, especially if it renews public speculation around her iconic situationship with bassist Caleb Sloane.
The only problem? They haven’t spoken in six years.
Caleb had the makings of a rock god, but fallout from the messy Glitter Bats breakup left him broke, anxious, and resentful of the industry. But when Valerie shows up at Caleb’s doorstep with that devastating smile and a plea for help, he reluctantly agrees to put on one last show.
So what if the fandom assumes the two of them are back together too? They’ll play along. You know…for the press.
Making music together not only revives the harmony between them, but also the discord that led to the band’s downfall. With their futures—and the Glitter Bats—in the balance, can they survive a romantic reprise?
Playing Flirty by Shameez Patel
Release Date: January 14 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: Perfect for gamers and introverts alike, Patel’s debut romance is full of banter and a low-stakes “rivals to lovers” setup. Rose is the type of person to have everything planned out to a T — but she does have one big dream: turning the board game she dreamed up into a reality. Her reluctant partner winds up being William, her BFF’s half-brother who happens to be a videogame designer. Cozy and charmingly nerdy, it’s basically sports romance for those of us who hated PE as a kid!
Publisher’s Description: For Rose Marie Jones, risks are a hard no–except for Game Night. For one precious evening a week, Rose can forget about her demanding boss and her lackluster sex life and focus on beating the pants off her friends. But none of them brings out her hyper-competitive side quite like William Ashdern.
Her best friend’s half-brother, William is the paragon of a sexy nerd. The tall, dorky, and handsome game designer is Rose’s playing nemesis. But when Rose decides to enter a contest with the board game she’s secretly invented, there’s only one person who can help her win.
Now what has always been a game between Rose and William is getting a lot more serious. And after spending her entire life trying not to lose, Rose might finally be ready to risk it all–and play to win.
Unromance by Erin Connor
Release Date: January 14 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: If you want a romance that lovingly winks at the genre, this one’s for you. Sawyer, a recently single romance writer suffering writer’s block, runs into Mason, her recent one-night-stand, at a cheesy holiday market. They make a pact: she’ll help “cure” him of his romanticism by playing out all the romance tropes — while she looks for inspiration for her next novel — but with a promise not to fall for each other for real. One guess as to how well that’s going to work out?
Publisher’s Description: Sawyer Greene knows romance. She’s a bestselling author of the genre—or she was, until her ex left her with nothing but writer’s block and a broken heart. But when she gets stuck in the elevator with a handsome stranger, she sees their meet cute for what it is: just a one-night stand. It might have worked, too, if they could stop running into each other.
Actor Mason West sees Sawyer’s reappearance in his life as a sign. Obviously, they’re meant to cure each other. Him of the hopeless romanticism that only ends in heartbreak—and tabloid trainwrecks—and Sawyer of her writer’s block. Their agreement is simple: 1. No (more) sex, and 2. No matter how swoony the circumstances, absolutely no falling in love.
It’s a foolproof plan–until Sawyer and Mason find that, once set in motion, some plots can’t be stopped—and that they might be hurtling towards a happy ending…
Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti
Release Date: January 21 from St. Martin’s Griffin
Why We’re Excited: Alexandra Vasti’s Ne’er Duke Well was one of 2024’s most delightful historical romances, and she’s back now with a follow-up! This time, we’re following Lydia, who we first met as an heiress who pseudonymously writes scandalous pamphlets for a women’s library. She’s also been corresponding with Arthur, an ambitious and charming earl. When he mentions his financial issues, she offers her own hand in marriage, only to find out the real Arthur a) has no idea who she is, and b) could use an assist dealing with his spy-entangled brother.
Publisher’s Description: For three years, wallflower heiress Lydia Hope-Wallace has anonymously penned seditious pamphlets—and for almost as long, she’s corresponded with the reclusive Earl of Strathrannoch. When Arthur’s latest letter reveals his dire financial straits, Lydia sets out for Scotland to offer him the only salvation she can think of: a marriage of convenience. To, um, herself.
But the real earl has no idea who she is. When a bewitching stranger offers him her hand in marriage, Arthur Baird is stunned. And when he learns that his traitorous brother has been writing to her under Arthur’s name, he’s bloody furious. He’s content to live alone in his moldering castle, and he has no desire for a radical wife. (Or at least, he shouldn’t.)
But Arthur is desperate to track down his brother, who’s become dangerously entangled in British espionage, and he needs Lydia’s help. What he doesn’t need? The attraction that burns hotter each moment they spend together. As Lydia slips past his defenses and his brother’s mysterious past becomes a very present threat, Arthur will have to risk everything to keep her safe—even his heart.
I Think They Love You by Julian Winters
Release Date: January 28 from St. Martin’s Griffin
Why We’re Excited: Fake dating plus second-chance romance? Sign us up! Denz needs to convince his judgmental family members to take him seriously as a successor to his CEO father. So he does the only thing he can think of: lies about being in a long-term relationship. When his BFF flakes on pretending to be Denz’s boyfriend, Denz is stuck turning to Braylon, his ex who broke his heart. Braylon could also use a boost to his mayoral ambitions, but it soon becomes hard for both men to separate what’s for show and what’s real.
Publisher’s Description: When Denzel “Denz” Carter’s workaholic father and CEO of 24 Carter Gold unexpectedly announces his retirement, the competition is on for who will become his successor. To convince his family members that he’s capable of commitment, Denz impulsively lies about being in a serious relationship.
Now Denz needs to find a fake boyfriend to seal the deal on the CEO position. Denz is forced to turn to the last person he wants to be in a pretend (or any) relationship with: Braylon, the man who broke his heart.
Braylon’s sudden reappearance in Denz’s life turns everything upside down. But, apparently, he needs Denz’s connections to the mayor to win his own promotion. So, they strike a deal. It’s all business until the funny texts and the confusing kisses leave Denz struggling to separate this temporary arrangement from the affairs of his heart.
Never Gamble Your Heart by Lindsay Lovise
Release Date: February 4 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: In Lindsay Lovise’s latest series, London society has been quietly infiltrated by an unexpected source: a group of spies masquerading as governesses and other household staff. Math-minded Frankie realizes that her sister’s disappearance is connected to a spate of unlikely marriages and an infamous gambling hell. To find out the truth, she’ll have to get close to the club’s owner, Jasper. When her ruse is discovered, he agrees to help her out — realizing along the way that his own heart is at risk for the first time.
Publisher’s Description: When the genteelly born, impoverished Frankie Turner’s impulsive younger sister goes missing, Frankie has no idea where to begin the search to find her. But when she discovers hasty marriages materializing between “troublemaking” women and men who don’t deserve them, she knows her sister is somehow involved. The only thread connecting the groomsmen is a membership to Rockford’s, an exclusive gambling hell owned by the devilish Jasper Jones. And it just so happens that Jasper has recently become the guardian of a sullen fifteen-year-old.
Jasper suspects his new governess has an ulterior motive for being in his household, but he can hardly find the time to uncover it when his life is in a constant uproar. First, Frankie teaches his niece how to count cards and then she tries to break into his study. When he finally learns Frankie’s true reason for being there, he agrees to help the brilliant mathematician find her missing sister, even if it means giving her a fake dowry and watching men trip over themselves in her presence. As he and Frankie work together to dismantle a nefarious scheme, Jasper realizes that for the first time in his life, he’s gambled his heart—and possibly lost it.
A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera
Release Date: February 4 from Canary Street Press
Why We’re Excited: If you like your historicals with loads of historical detail, deep social commentary, and deliciously steamy romance, Herrera’s Las Leonas series can’t be missed. The third installment pairs Aurora, a physician running an underground women’s clinic, and Apollo, a duke struggling to settle into his role. He’d like nothing more than to turn their torrid affair into a lifelong romance, but she’s not interested in settling for anything less than her independence. We love outspoken heroines who remind us that the romance genre can be an act of rebellion, too!
Publisher’s Description: Paris, 1889. Physician Aurora Montalban Wright takes risks in her career, but never with her heart. Running an underground women’s clinic exposes her to certain dangers, but help arrives in the unexpected form of the infuriating Duke of Annan. Begrudgingly, Aurora accepts his protection, then promptly finds herself in his bed.
New to his role as a duke, Apollo César Sinclair Robles struggles to embrace his position. With half of society waiting for him to misstep and the other half looking to discredit him, Apollo never imagined that his enthralling bedmate would become his most trusted adviser. Soon, he realizes the rebellious doctor could be the perfect duchess for him. But Aurora won’t give up her independence, and her secrets make her unsuitable for the aristocracy.
When dangerous figures from their pasts return to threaten them, Apollo whisks Aurora away to the French Riviera. Far from the reproachful eye of Parisian society, can Apollo convince Aurora that their bond is stronger than the forces keeping them apart?
Something Cheeky by Thien-Kim Lam
Release Date: March 4 from Avon
Why We’re Excited: Calling my Broadway babies! There’s a delightful put-on-a-show energy to this tender and sexy showmance. Zoe and Derek were the best of friends in college, until a professor sent Zoe away from her costume design dreams. Years later, she’s an out-and-proud demisexual designer of gorgeous lingerie, far from her old theatrical stomping grounds. Then Derek comes calling with an offer to design for the show he’s doing: the all-Asian Cinderella rock musical of their dreams. But he’s also got another motive: to reconnect with Zoe — even as they clash over the vision.
Publisher’s Description: Zoe Tran is living her best life, designing plus-size lingerie at her own award-winning clothing boutique, when suddenly her college best friend reenters her life. Derek Bui is offering a tantalizing chance to recapture a forgotten dream: designing costumes for the musical they created together years ago.
Derek has loved Zoe since freshman year but never had the guts to confess his true feelings. Now he’s directing the Vietnamese Cinderella rock musical they dreamed up in college. The stakes are high: it’s the first production with an all-Asian cast and creative team at Washington, D.C.’s largest theatre and if they can make it work, they’ll head to Broadway. But his real goal: get Zoe back in his life.
A proud demisexual, Zoe only ever saw Derek as her best friend, but working on their dream production together brings them closer than ever. Sparks ignite under the hot spotlights. But when the theatre’s artistic director pressures Derek to make the musical “less Asian,” he and Zoe clash on whether to stay true to their vision or compromise to keep the production alive.
Will Zoe and Derek finally let love take center stage or will their creative differences close the curtains on them forever?
The Love Simulation by Etta Easton
Release Date: March 4 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: There are some definite Abbott Elementary vibes to this STEM-adjacent romance! Brianna, a vice-principal with a can-do attitude, is infuriated when her principal reallocates her library funding for a football field. She impulsively joins a group of teachers spending the summer in a Mars simulation, alongside Roman: the handsome, guarded son of that same principal. She’s sure he’s there to sabotage them; he’s not great at opening up, but extraordinary circumstances can lead to some pretty big feelings!
Publisher’s Description: Brianna Rogers has been told a time (or six) she needs to stop jumping into things head first. But when the principal rescinds his approval for a library upgrade, deciding to spend the money on a football field instead, she sees red. Literally. Brianna throws her hat in the ring and joins a team of teachers who will spend their summer in a Mars simulation. As the sister of an astronaut, this should be easy, right? What she didn’t count on was the last-minute addition to the team—Roman Major: science teacher, son of the principal, and too handsome for his own good.
Roman and Brianna have been hot and cold all year, and living in close quarters intensifies their animosity and attraction. Brianna is sure he’s been sent by his father to sabotage them, foiling their chance at prize money that will cover all of the school’s actual needs. But each day, Roman proves himself to be a dedicated teammate—and Brianna finds herself falling harder and harder. While it’s clear the feeling is mutual, she can’t shake the sense that he’s hiding something. As the simulation nears its end, Brianna realizes she may have to make an impossible choice, between the school she’s dedicated herself to, and the man who has won his way into her heart.
A Wager at Midnight by Vanessa Riley
Release Date: March 25 from Zebra Books
Why We’re Excited: Vanessa Riley’s historical romances are always something to look forward to. In this installment, Scarlett, an admitted spinster, dedicates herself to her studies, disguising herself as a man in order to attend medical lectures. When she’s discovered, Stephen, a physician, pretends to be her cousin. He has no interest in a privileged lady, but the more time they spend together, the more they both come to realize that they may have met their perfect match of both heart and mind.
Publisher’s Description: Scarlett Wilcox is willing to live out her life as a spinster if it means being able to continue her medical research to help a friend in need. After all, few husbands would tolerate her dressing as a man to attend lectures at the Royal Academy of Science. If the Duke of Torrance finds her such a specimen, she’ll agree to a marriage in name only, much to the dismay of her elder sister, the Viscountess.
When she’s unmasked at a lecture on ophthalmology, Scarlett prepares to be disgraced, but she’s saved by Trinidadian-born physician Stephen Carew who claims her as a cousin. Dedicated to caring for his community, Stephen has no wish to marry a frivolous and privileged lady, no matter how many fall for his disarming accent and seductive charm. But Scarlett proves the opposite of any he’s ever met before. Yet the pressure to marry blinds them both to the chemistry growing between them, pitting their brilliant minds against their reluctant hearts—as the Duke and Viscountess await with bated breath to see who will win . . . a wager at midnight.
No Ordinary Love by Myah Ariel
Release Date: April 1 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: Myah Ariel’s debut, When I Think of You, was one of 2024’s most buzzed-about romances (and most gorgeous covers). Her next book returns us to a complicated world of stardom, ambition, and big emotions. Global pop star Ella is finally done with her relationship with a lying, cheating producer, but their prenup is making her next steps difficult. An awards-show mishap, however, lands her in tabloid headlines with MLB star Miles. The solution? A fake romance to repair their reputations… while ignoring the real chemistry between them.
Publisher’s Description: Ella Simone’s popstar life is what dreams are made of. Her eight year marriage to renowned music producer, Elliot Majors, has helped garner the hits, awards, and adoring fans to prove it. But when Ella tires of Elliot’s many infidelities, she decides to fight for her independence despite the ironclad prenup that threatens her career.
To help her case, Ella is under strict orders to stick to The Plan: no headlines, no rumors, no rocking the boat. But this strategy is thrown a curveball after an awards show wardrobe snafu and quick rescue by Miles Westbrook, MLB’s most eligible player, sends the tabloids into a frenzy. Amid tricky divorce proceedings, Ella’s magnetic connection with the charismatic pitcher might just be her downfall.
Now the pressure is on to turn a scandal into an opportunity and give their teams what they want: a picture-perfect performance that will shore up both Ella and Miles’ reputations. But as the lines between reality and PR begin to blur, Ella will either stick to the choreographed life she knows so well, or surrender to a love that could set her free.
Any Trope But You by Victoria Levine
Release Date: April 1 from Atria Books
Why We’re Excited: There are few things as good as a romance about cynical romance writers, and this one adds a wink and a nod to today’s “trope”-based romance culture, too! Margot is a successful romance novelist with a secret: she doesn’t believe in HEAs, and even writes depressing “alternate” endings just for her… or at least, they were until her document is hacked and goes viral. Now dropped by her publisher and readers alike, she decides to switch to writing murder mysteries. Then her Alaska writing retreat goes sideways, and she falls (almost literally) into the arms of Forrest, a cancer researcher turned reluctant hotel proprietor.
Publisher’s Description: Beloved romance author Margot Bradley has a dark secret: she doesn’t believe in Happily Ever Afters. Not for herself, not for her readers, and not even for her characters, for whom she secretly writes alternate endings that swap weddings and babies for divorce papers and the occasional slashed tire. When her Happily Never After document is hacked and released to the public, she finds herself canceled by her readers and dropped by her publisher.
Desperate to find a way to continue supporting her chronically ill sister, Savannah, Margot decides to trade meet-cutes for murder. The fictional kind. Probably. But when Savannah books Margot a six-week stay in a remote Alaskan resort to pen her first murder mystery, Margot finds herself running from a moose and leaping into the arms of the handsome proprietor, making her fear she’s just landed in a romance novel instead.
The last thing Dr. Forrest Wakefield ever expected was to leave his dream job as a cancer researcher to become a glorified bellhop. What he’s really doing at his family’s resort is caring for his stubborn, ailing father, and his puzzle-loving mind is slowly freezing over—until Margot shows up. But Forrest doesn’t have any room in his life for another person he could lose, especially one with a checkout date.
As long snowy nights and one unlikely trope after another draw Margot and Forrest together, they’ll each have to learn to overcome their fears and set their aside assumptions before Margot leaves—or risk becoming a Happily Never After story themselves.
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
Release Date: April 8 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: Jasmine Guillory is a mainstay of contemporary romance, and she’s debuting her first sapphic romance this spring! Come for the Dirty Dancing cover, stay for the, well, “flirting lessons” of the title. Fresh off a breakup, Avery wants to come out of her shell and gain confidence when it comes to romance. Enter Taylor, a serial flirt whose BFF bets her she can’t go two months without sex. Avery enlists Taylor’s help to learn how to flirt, but the lessons soon go from practice to reality. It’s hard not to love watching characters fall in love while insisting to everyone that they aren’t!
Publisher’s Description: Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially women), flirt with everyone she sees, wear something not from the business casual section of her closet—all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One problem: Avery doesn’t know where to start. She doesn’t have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and despite being self-assured at work, she doesn’t have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance.
Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley’s biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can’t make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It should keep her busy and stop her from texting people she shouldn’t. And it might take her mind off how inadequate she feels compared to her friends, who all seem much more settled and adult than Taylor.
At first, Avery is stiff and nervous, but Taylor is patient and encouraging, and soon, Avery looks forward to their weekly lessons. With Taylor’s help, Avery finally has the life she always wanted. The only issue is: now she wants Taylor. Their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, despite them both insisting to themselves and everyone else that it isn’t serious. When Taylor is forced to confront her feelings for Avery, she doesn’t know what to do—and most importantly, if she’s already ruined the best thing she’s ever had.
Passion Project by London Sperry
Release Date: April 8 from Penguin Books
Why We’re Excited: This one’s for anyone who feels adrift in life or in love and is looking for that affirming story to make them feel hopeful again. Grieving the death of her first love and listless in her mediocre career, Bennet stands up a planned date with Henry — then runs into him just hours later. When she admits the truth, Henry makes her an unexpected offer. He’ll be her friend and show her around NYC, helping her rediscover her sense of passion again. As they go on adventure after adventure, Bennet finally figures out what moving on and finding a new spark could be like.
Publisher’s Description: If your twenties are supposed to be the best years of your life, Bennet Taylor is failing miserably . . . with a big emphasis on the miserable. Where’s that zest she keeps hearing about? She’s a temp worker in New York City with no direction, no future, and no social life. And at the painful center of this listlessness is grief over the death of her first love.
When Bennet runs into Henry Adams just hours after standing him up for a first date, she makes an alcohol-fueled confession: She’s not ready to date. In fact, it’s been years since she felt passion for something. Not even pottery, or organized sports—not anything. Rather than leaving her to ruminate, Henry jumps at the opportunity for adventure: Bennet needs to find a passion for life, and Henry will help her find it. Every Saturday, they’ll try something new in New York City. As friends, of course.
As their “passion project” continues, the pair tackle everything from carpentry to tattooing to rappelling off skyscrapers, and Bennet feels her guarded exterior ebbing away. But as secrets surface, Bennet has to decide what she wants, and if she’s truly ready to move on. With emotional resonance and sparkling banter, Passion Project is a fun, flirty, thoughtful story of finding a spark—and igniting happiness.
The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton
Release Date: April 8 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: India Holton’s books are unlike anything else in romance right now — and that’s very much a compliment! Her witty, quirky, light-academia series continues with this sprightly adventure. Elodie and Gabriel are Victorian-era geography professors who, years ago, entered into a marriage of convenience and are now estranged (though both secretly love the other). When they’re both summoned to investigate a magic-triggered disaster, they’ll have to work together once again — and maybe confess those feelings?
Publisher’s Description: Professor Elodie Tarrant is an expert in magic disasters. Nothing fazes her—except her own personal disaster, that is: Professor Gabriel Tarrant, the grumpy, unfriendly man she married for convenience a year ago, whom she secretly loves.
Gabriel is also an expert in magic disasters. And nothing fazes him either—except the walking, talking tornado that is his wife. They’ve been estranged since shortly after their wedding day, but that hasn’t stopped him from stoically pining for her.
When magic erupts in a small Welsh village, threatening catastrophe for the rest of England, Elodie and Gabriel are accidentally both assigned to the case. With the fate of the country in their hands, they must come together as a team in the face of perilous conditions like explosions, domesticated goats, and only one bed. But this is easier said than done. After all, there’s no navigational guide for the geography of the heart.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Release Date: April 22 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: If you love books about books, Henry’s latest is perfect for you! We’re a bit back in Beach Read territory in this tale of warring writers: optimistic, undiscovered Alice, and grumpy, Pulitzer-winning Hayden. They’re both on a little island to write the biography of a famous recluse who is “auditioning” them both. Unfortunately for them, she’s only telling each of them part of the story, and their NDAs (and general distaste for each other) are keeping them from getting the whole truth. You know rivals will become lovers; the joy is finding out how.
Publisher’s Description: Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize-winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.
When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game.
One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over.
Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication.
Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition.
But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room.
And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad…depending on who’s telling it.
A Wallflower’s Guide to Viscounts and Vice by Manda Collins
Release Date: April 22 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: Prefer your romances with a hint of cozy mystery too? Collins’s new series once again blends classic tropes of historical romance (Fortune hunters! Feisty spinsters! Oh no, I have to get married for financial reasons!) with a delightful, chemistry-building mystery plot. Lucy, a wallflower who loves detective novels, is busy fending off men who just want her wealth. When she and her brother’s BFF, Viscount Gilford, accidentally witness a murder, they’re stuck sleuthing with each other. Unfortunately, gossip picks up on their bond… and so does the killer.
Publisher’s Description: A wallflower by choice, wealthy Lucy Penhallow would rather sit out the dancing all season than listen to false flattery from the fortune hunters who pursue her. But when she and her best friend’s brother witness a crime in progress, they’ll need to put every skill Lucy’s learned from reading detective stories to the test in their hunt for a missing woman. And if Viscount Gilford happens to be handsome as sin and clever to boot? Well, that’s no hardship for her.
Viscount Gilford needs a wife to save him from financial ruin, and there’s only one heiress who’s off limits. So when he and Lucy find themselves inextricably linked in the tabloids, it’s a disaster. As their investigation progresses, their once unwelcome alliance becomes something more—a love match neither will give up. But there’s a killer watching their romance from the wings who’s only too happy to keep these meddlesome sleuths together . . . in the afterlife.
Time Loops and Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau
Release Date: May 6 from Atria/Emily Betler Books
Why We’re Excited: Jackie Lau puts her own spin on the classic Groundhog Day trope, this time triggered by (why not?) some mysterious night market dumplings. As she struggles to figure out how to get out of the time loop, Noelle meets another girl who ate the same dumplings, as well as Cam, a charming man who might be the key to helping her. The problem is, he never remembers her after each day gets reset. And even if she’s successful, will he remember her once the spell is broken? It’s a classic rom-com setup with one very tasty twist!
Publisher’s Description: Noelle Tom really shouldn’t have eaten those dumplings at the night market. But the old woman at the stall said they’d give her what she needed most, and what Noelle desperately needed after another long workweek was food.
Except now she’s reliving the same Friday. Every morning her alarm goes off at 6:45, and the Wordle answer is always “happy.” Worst of all, any work she does at her job as an engineer? It’s erased when she wakes up. Monday might never come in this workaholic’s nightmare. Noelle has no idea how being trapped in a time loop is the “thing she needed most,” and a trip to the food stall doesn’t help…because there’s no sign of it.
Then she meets good-looking Cam, who appears in multiple places on her Friday. While the brewery owner seems to have no memory of their encounters, there are signs he might be the key to getting un-stuck. But Noelle can’t figure out how, even when she steps outside of her comfort zone and lives a little. As she grows attached to him, she becomes more worried that she’ll never escape the loop and he’ll never recall her name. And if she does ever get out, can they be together in the “real” world?
Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews
Release Date: May 20 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: In a smash-the-patriarchy mood? Mimi Matthews launches a new series with this spy-tinged historical romance. Euphemia is a bitter ex-pupil of a secretive Academy that trains women to dismantle the systems built by powerful men. She’s offered a deal: take down an odious viscount, and she’ll finally have her freedom. Unfortunately, she didn’t plan on Gabriel, who uses the very same viscount to shield his own underground enterprise. Euphemia and Gabriel continually butt heads as they fight for their own interests… despite how much they’re attracted to each other.
Publisher’s Description: On the outskirts of London sits a seemingly innocuous institution with a secretive aim—train young women to distract, disrupt, and discredit the patriarchy. Outraged by a powerful politician’s systematic attack on women’s rights, the Academy summons its brightest—and most bitter—pupil to infiltrate the odious man’s inner circle. A deal is struck: bring down the viscount, and Miss Euphemia Flite will finally earn her freedom.
But betting shop owner Gabriel Royce has other plans. The viscount is the perfect pawn to insulate Gabriel’s underworld empire from government interference. He’s not about to let some crinoline-clad miss destroy his carefully constructed enterprise—no matter how captivating he finds her threats.
From the rookeries of St. Giles to the ballrooms of Mayfair, Euphemia and Gabriel engage in a battle of wits and wills that’s complicated by a blossoming desire. Soon Euphemia realizes it’s not the broken promises to her Academy sisters she should fear. . . . It’s the danger to her heart.
Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria
Release Date: May 27 from Avon
Why We’re Excited: The long-awaited third Primas of Power novel is here! It’s that most delicious of tropes: a fling that quickly develops those darn strings. Ava, a recently divorced schoolteacher, insists that her hookup with Roman is just for fun. Then he shows up at her cousin’s engagement party — because he’s the best man. Although Ava wants to conceal their connection, Roman isn’t so sure anymore, and they’ll have to deal with both internal stressors and external (aka: familial) pressures if they want to get to their happily-ever-after.
Publisher’s Description: After Ava Rodriguez’s now ex-husband declares he wants to “follow his dreams”—which no longer include her—she’s left questioning everything she thought she wanted. So when a handsome hotelier flirts with her, Ava vows to stop overthinking and embrace the opportunity for an epic one-night stand complete with a penthouse suite, rooftop pool, and buckets of champagne.
Roman Vasquez’s sole focus is the empire he built from the ground up. He lives and dies by his schedule, but the gorgeous stranger grimacing into her cocktail glass inspires him to change his plans for the evening. At first, it’s easy for Roman to agree to Ava’s rules: no strings, no feelings. But one night isn’t enough, and the more they meet, the more he wants.
No falling in love
Roman is the perfect fling, until Ava sees him at her cousin’s engagement party—as the groom’s best man, no less! Suddenly, maintaining her boundaries becomes a lot more complicated as she tries to hide the truth of their relationship from her family. However, Roman isn’t content being her dirty little secret, and he doesn’t just want more, he wants everything. With her future uncertain and her family pressuring her from all sides, Ava will have to decide if love is worth the risk—again.
Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Release Date: June 3 from Hyperion Avenue
Why We’re Excited: Every year, it’s a delight to guess which Disney princess story will be reimagined — and by which beloved writer — for the Meant to Be series. For 2025, Sutanto takes over for this modern-day, corporate-politics retelling of Mulan. When her father falls ill in the middle of acquiring a hyper-masculine whiskey brand, Mulan poses as him. Then, the emails turn into a face-to-face invitation. Now, she’ll have to convince everyone (including overworked-but-intriguing Shang) that she’s the hedge fund CEO. It’s a story for everyone who’s ever felt like they’ve had to work twice as hard only to be overlooked for who they are.
Publisher’s Description: As the right hand of her father’s hedge fund company, Fa Mulan knows what it takes to succeed as a woman in a man’s world: work twice as hard, be twice as smart, and burp twice as loud as any of the other finance bros she works with. So when her father unexpectedly falls ill in the middle of a critical acquisition, she is determined to see it through. There’s just one hitch: the family company in question is known for its ultra masculine whiskey brand, and the brood of old-fashioned aunts, uncles, and cousins who run it—lead by the dedicated but overworked Shang—will only trust Mulan’s father, Fa Zhou, with the future of their business.
Rather than fail the deal and her father, Mulan pretends she’s Fa Zhou. Since they’ve only corresponded over email, how hard could it be to keep things moving in his absence?
But the email leads to a face-to-face meeting, which leads to an invitation to a week long retreat at Shang’s family ranch. One meeting she can handle, but a whole week of cattle wrangling, axe-throwing, and learning proper butchering techniques, all while trying to convince Shang’s dubious family that this young woman is the powerful hedge fund CEO they’ve been negotiating with? Not so much—especially as she finds it harder and harder to ignore the undeniable spark between her and Shang. Can she keep her head in the game and make her father proud, all while trying not to fall into a trough, or in love with Shang?
Seduce Me in Secret by Felicia Grossman
Release Date: June 24 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: Felicia Grossman’s Once Upon the East End series is always a treat, with classic fairy tales retold in the Jewish community of 1830s London. We’ve had Cinderella and Snow White (gender-flipped!), and now it’s time for Beauty and the Beast. The universe of these stories is rich, nuanced, and always complex — and deeply romantic too, of course. Not many details have been released about this year’s entry, but if the first two books are anything to go by, it’ll definitely be one of the year’s most talked-about!
Publisher’s Description: Felicia Grossman continues the “revolutionary storytelling” of the Once Upon the East End series with a passionate Regency romance retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa
Release Date: June 24
Why We’re Excited: Sometimes, the best romances are the ones with less-than-realistic rom-com-y premises! That’s at the heart of Sosa’s latest, where Javi and Mari make a pact in college to never date anyone the other disapproves of. Years later as adults, they’re still trying to stick to this promise… sort of. Javi has been pining for Mari for years, but now Mari has broken the deal and is moving on with her life (and with a new man). Now, Javi has six weeks to convince Mari that she’s making a mistake — and he’ll do anything to get her to see it.
Publisher’s Description: On the eve of their college graduation, best friends Javier Báez and Marisol Campos swore never to date someone the other doesn’t approve of. Now, almost a decade later, Javi has a problem. Mari, the woman he’s secretly pined for since sophomore year, is engaged—and Javi didn’t even get the chance to vet the Pedro Pascal knockoff she plans to marry.
Mari, a successful entertainment lawyer in Los Angeles, is no longer seeking Javi’s dating advice or waiting for him to declare his love for her. Instead, Mari’s made a different pact—with herself. And to succeed, she’s vowing to build a future with someone else.
With his life and theater career finally on track, Javi’s ready to confess his feelings. Except Mari’s changed the script and moved on without him. Javi has just six weeks to convince Mari this marriage is a flop. If that means he needs to ruffle some feathers to help Mari avert a disaster, well, he’s up for the challenge. After all, isn’t that what best friends are for?
Eliza and the Duke by Harper St. George
Release Date: June 24 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: “Just one night” never is just one, not in the romance genre! Eliza Dove is intended for a quiet marriage of convenience. Before settling down, though, she wants one night of adventure, exploring the hidden corners of ondon with Simon, a disreputable boxer known as “the Duke”. To safeguard his own secrets, he agrees to Eliza’s plan. But neither of them expected to want more after their one whirlwind adventure, and Eliza’s next, even more shocking plan could upend both their lives.
Publisher’s Description: All hopeless romantic Eliza Dove asked for was one night of adventure. One glorious evening of freedom to explore the dark corners of London with a mysterious stranger before a lifetime trapped in a quiet, respectable marriage of convenience. Except now she wants more. Now she wants him.
Simon Cavell is no gentleman. Known only as ‘the Duke,’ Whitechapel’s prize boxer is one fight away from achieving his goal: to safeguard his late sister’s only treasure and leave the streets for good. He cannot allow some pretty young heiress to spill his secrets, no matter how tempting she might be. In return for her silence, Simon will give Eliza a taste of the darkness…and hope he doesn’t lose his heart in the process.
But one night together could never be enough. And now Eliza has a new plan—an even more scandalous bargain that will either land the heiress her duke or ruin them both.
Roll for Romance by Leonora Woods
Release Date: July 15 from Dell
Why We’re Excited: There’s a charming Ren-Faire energy to this D&D-themed romance about second chances, luck, and unexpected love. After losing her NYC marketing job, Sadie finally agrees to join her BFF’s D&D campaign. She takes on the role of a goddess-blessed cleric — someone whose in-story luck is the exact opposite of Sadie’s own life. Her in-game romance with a charming “elf” starts to mirror her interest in Noah, the charming bartender roped into their game. When an opportunity to return to NYC arrives, though, she’ll have to get honest about what she really wants and which kind of adventure awaits her future.
Publisher’s Description: For years, Sadie Brooks has declined her best friend’s standing invitation to join his Dungeons & Dragons campaign. But when she unexpectedly loses her marketing job and flees New York City to spend the summer with him in small-town Texas, she also runs out of excuses to say no.
In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful and self-assured human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck with spells to heal her companions. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out, and she hopes the distraction will give her time to clear her head and plan next steps.
She never expected Noah Walker—the handsome, outgoing bartender roped into joining them—to factor into that plan. Like Sadie, he’s new in town. But with a taste for adventure, Noah never stays in one place for long. He’s something of a traveling bard—just like his character Loren, the charismatic, lute-strumming elf. While Jaylie finds herself succumbing to the bard’s charms over the course of their party’s travels, Sadie also begins to fall under Noah’s spell.
As their relationship progresses in both worlds, Sadie can’t help but wonder if they might last beyond the game. But when a surprising new opportunity opens in New York, she must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place—and whether she and Noah have found something in Texas worth staying for. Torn between her career dreams in the city and the exciting uncertainty of a new adventure, she will have no choice but to roll the dice.
Love Is a War Song by Danica Nava
Release date: July 22 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: Pop star Avery poses wearing a feather warbonnet on a magazine cover, only for her tribute to her Muscogee culture to turn into a cancel-worthy scandal. She tries laying low on her grandmother’s ranch on the reservation, where she meets Lucas, who runs the ranch. He dislikes everything about Avery, but when the ranch is threatened with closure, they may have to work together to save it. And perhaps, in the process, she’ll learn more about connecting with her heritage and he’ll learn more about making assumptions…
Publisher’s Description: Pop singer Avery Fox has become a national joke after posing scantily clad on the cover of Rolling Stone in a feather warbonnet. What was meant to be a statement of her success as a Native American singer has turned her into a social pariah and dubbed her a fake. With threats coming from every direction and her career at a standstill, she escapes to her estranged grandmother Lottie’s ranch in Oklahoma. Living on the rez is new to Avery—not only does she have to work in the blazing summer heat to earn her keep, but the man who runs Lottie’s horse ranch despises her and wants her gone.
Red Fox Ranch has been home to Lucas Iron Eyes since he was sixteen years old. He has lived by three rules to keep himself out of trouble: 1) preserve the culture, 2) respect the horses, and 3) stick to himself. When he is tasked with picking up Lottie’s granddaughter at the bus station, the last person he expected to see is the Avery Fox. Lucas can’t stand what she represents, but when he’s forced to work with her on the ranch, he can’t get her out of his sight—or his head. He reminds himself to keep to his rules, especially after he finds out the ranch is under threat of being shut down.
It’s clear Avery doesn’t belong here, but they form a tentative truce and make a deal: Avery will help raise funds to save the ranch, and in exchange, Lucas will show her what it really means to be an Indian. It’s purely transactional, absolutely no horsing around…but where’s the fun in that?
Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa
Release date: August 26 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: Serious political underpinnings alongside steamy historical love stories — it’s hard to beat De la Rosa’s Luna Sisters trilogy. The third and final book features Gabriela, the rebellious youngest of a trio of politically astute Mexican heiresses. Pursuing her own hopes, she’s bound for Mexico again, leaving a slew of British suitors behind — but her father still insists on a proper marriage. Meanwhile, Sebastian, a duke in financial trouble, treasures his chances to banter with Gabby. When she needs an escape, he agrees to help, but it will take more than that to convince Gabby that his love for her is real.
Publisher’s Description: As the youngest and most rebellious daughter of the overly protective Luna family, Gabriela Luna Valdés claws after her freedom in any way she can. This time, her hunger for adventure has led her aboard a windswept ship bearing for her homeland, away from a mob of fumbling British suitors. But Gabby can’t escape her father’s expectation that she settle down to find a proper husband—a compromise she’s unwilling to make.
For Sebastian Brooks, Duke of Whitfield, the trip to Mexico is his last chance. His last chance to rectify his family’s estate and refill their dwindling coffers. And his last chance to match wits with the sharp-tongued but deliciously tempting Gabriela.
When Gabby finds herself in need of a hasty escape, Sebastian agrees to assist her…but their close proximity sparks a red-hot passion that could ruin all their plans. With scandal looming, can Sebastian convince Gabby his regard is sincere or will she sail away with his heart?
The Gilded Heiress by Joanna Shupe
Release date: August 26 from Avon
Why We’re Excited: You had me at “Gilded Age Anastasia retelling.” Shupe is arguably the queen of American Gilded Age romance, and this one is truly for all the millennials whose first animated crush was a floppy-haired Russian con man! Josie was raised in a children’s asylum and now sings on the street as she hopes for a world-famous career. When her voice catches the attention of Leo, a young man with a mother and siblings to support, he notes her resemblance to the mother of a famously lost infant. Leo sees the opportunity for revenge on a family that cost his own family everything, but his growing affection for Josie could ruin everything — or save them both.
Publisher’s Description: In 1880 a baby was stolen from the wealthiest family in America. Though no ransom was ever demanded, the Pendelton family never gave up hope . . . and their reward became the stuff of legend.
After being raised in a children’s asylum, Josie Smith ends up on the streets and quickly learns how to take care of herself. Her singing voice draws crowds on every corner, and she’ll stop at nothing to become famous and travel the world, loved and adored by all. Maybe then she won’t think about the family who gave her away as an infant.
Leo Hardy isn’t afraid to use his charm and wits to make a fast buck, especially with a mother and five siblings to support. When he stumbles upon a beautiful young woman singing on the street, Leo notices her striking resemblance to the infamous missing baby’s mother, Mrs. Thomas Pendelton. The Hardys lost everything thanks to the Pendeltons, and once Leo sees Josie, he seizes the opportunity to settle the score. All he needs to do is pull off the biggest swindle of his career.
As the two are catapulted into Knickerbocker High Society, they grow closer to their goal, as well as to each other. But secrets can only stay hidden for so long. Soon the truth unfolds, and both Josie and Leo must separate what’s real from what’s just gilding.