Silent yearning and aching hearts animate this deeply emotional contemporary from Bastone (Ready or Not). It’s been one year since heroine Roz, her husband, Vin, and her brother-in-law and best friend, Raffi, were gravely injured in a car accident. While all three recovered from their physical injuries, the aftermath left recipe developer Roz and electrician Vin in an awkward place where conversation has become impossible and physical intimacy­—the area where they always communicated best—has disappeared. This rough spot comes to a head when Vin announces he’s signed a new lease and plans to move out. Looking to escape their apartment as much as possible, Roz pals around with Raffi and signs up for figure drawing classes, which ignite her creativity. A weekly class proves insufficient to help her express all that’s churning inside her, however, and she considers placing a Craigslist add seeking nude models for extra practice—until Vin volunteers to model himself, hoping to spare Roz from potential creeps. Tension-filled sketching sessions open the door for the couple to reconnect. Even at their worst, it’s easy to see that these two belong together, and Bastone makes their reconciliation a delicious slow burn while doing a good job handling their PTSD from the accident. This impresses. Agent: Tara Gelsomino, One Track Literary. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/23/2026 | Details & Permalink

This beachy romance from Rowe (Swoon) offers an ideal blend of heat and sweet. After preschool teacher Iris Benedetto discovers that her fiancé, Brandon, has been living a double life, she exposes him at the altar, quoting the sexts he sent to other women on his burner phone. A video of her outburst goes viral and she’s branded the “Horny Runaway Bride.” Meanwhile, NFL quarterback Roman Maguire is in Kauai for his cousin’s wedding, staying in a seaside bungalow—the exact bungalow where Iris and Brandon were supposed to be honeymooning. When Iris shows up for some R&R, not realizing that Brandon has canceled their reservation, Roman is charmed by the fact that Iris has no idea who he is, and invites her to stay. The pair agree to have a vacation fling, leading to a passion-filled week that ends in a dramatic argument due to the personal and professional pressures of returning to the real world. Readers will have no trouble rooting for Rowe’s first-rate leads to work things out. A stellar supporting cast of family and friends, especially Roman’s adorable four-year-old son Maverick, add heart. This emotionally satisfying contemporary is sure to charm. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 12/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Penny Becker, the sunny heroine of Dubb’s endearing second contemporary (after Birding with Benefits), manages her grandmother’s bee farm. It’s not an easy gig, especially after Penny’s ex persuaded her to make some bad financial decisions before taking off. While worrying about the mortgage payments, Penny must also organize Sullivan’s Glen, N.Y.’s annual Honey Festival. So she has no time for her handsome new neighbor, Zander Bouras, who just inherited his grandfather’s farm and, though he eventually plans to sell, has moved in with his preteen son for the summer so the boy can get to know Zander’s ex-wife’s new partner, a local. Zander was a wild teen when he used to spend summers on the farm with his grandfather, leaving Penny mistrustful of him in the present, but his entrepreneurial background might be just what Penny needs to make the Honey Festival a success. As they work together, Penny realizes Zander’s past behavior was due to a harsh family situation, and a relationship blossoms. With the antagonism between the leads dissipating relatively quickly, the main conflict instead comes from their respective family situations and finances. The diverse supporting cast adds to the appeal on the way to a satisfying, if predictable, resolution to Penny’s mortgage troubles. It’s honey-sweet. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

Exes co-inherit a restaurant in this fast-paced and highly emotional contemporary from Neilson (A Love Like the Sun). It’s been 10 years since Olivia Jones left Providence, R.I., to make her way as a prep cook in New York City. Now, Olivia spends her time flying across the world as a private chef to elite clients—until she learns that the owner of Celia’s Place, the restaurant where she worked as a teen, has died and left her a quarter of the restaurant. Another quarter went to the owner’s son, Carmello Rodriguez, who happens to be Olivia’s high school boyfriend. Initially, Carmello wants nothing to do with Olivia, as he never truly forgave her for her abrupt departure. But when Olivia resists his efforts to buy out her share, he discovers that she has some great ideas on how to boost the restaurant’s sales, and their work together reignites their old attraction. Nielson deepens the sensitive second-chance love story with an exploration of both leads’ grief. This is sure to tug on the heartstrings. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

Former Harlequin editor Ohanjanians takes readers behind the scenes of the publishing industry in her lighthearted grumpy/sunshine debut. As a second-generation Armenian immigrant, Ana Movilian feels pressure to validate her parents’ sacrifices in raising her, but after dropping out of medical school to focus on her advice podcast, she feels like a disappointment—even after her debut self-help book becomes a bestseller. When the publicist assigned to accompany her on her book tour is replaced by Ryan Grant, her publisher’s snobbish publicity director who is “markedly disinterested” in her writing, Ana has one more person to whom she must prove her worth. Over the two-week tour, opposites attract as Ana and Ryan grow closer and chemistry sparks. The forced-proximity romance plot feels familiar and occasionally becomes repetitive, but Ohanjanians mixes in plenty of humor and personal growth along the way, with witty banter between the leads and some heavier emotional beats as Ana navigates grief, cultural expectations, and societal pressures. This charms. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

Cowan sets her ambitious sophomore romance (after Untamed) in an alternate 1800s Europe where aristocratic titles can pass to women and queerness is broadly tolerated. Kate, Duke of Howard, comes of age after a childhood marked by an act of treason that wiped out most of her family. Years later, the past returns to threaten her carefully constructed authority. In Paris during the French Revolution, Kate meets Celine Genet, a Frenchwoman seeking to escape the violence, and their immediate sexual chemistry leads to a night of passion, after which Kate abandons Celine, assuming they will never see each other again. This early tryst establishes the novel’s emotional stakes before the narrative jumps to England, three years later, where political intrigue takes center stage. Rival aristocratic families maneuver in the House of Lords, proposing legislation that challenges women’s right to inherit titles, while a bill recalibrating control over coal mines ignites issues of wealth and class. When Celine arrives in London with a compromising letter about the duke’s past, the two are bound in an uneasy alliance that tips between desire and destruction. While the language in some of the sex scenes can be stilted, the chemistry between the leads is strong and Rowan’s feminist reimagining of the Regency gives the novel a bold, unwavering edge. Readers will find this refreshing and impressive. (Apr.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

Alexander follows A Gentleman’s Gentleman with another witty and bighearted, if somewhat less successful, queer Regency romance in which a motley cast struggles against convention in the search for true love. After Verbena Montrose’s father loses the family fortune, she plans a marriage of convenience with a friend she suspects to be gay, hoping to secure his reputation and her own financial security. Then Verbena meets Flora Whitcombe, a famous poet, and her life is turned upside down by the eccentric and magnetic woman. Unbeknownst to Verbena, Flora lives part of her life as William Forsyth, the son of a minor noble family. Unable to openly court Verbena as Flora or reveal the truth about this dual nature, William woos Verbena himself. A two-person love triangle forms as Verbena struggles with feelings for both William and Flora, and miscommunication and deception abounds. This clever conceit queers the long-standing historical romance plot device of cross-dressing, but the tropey mechanics of its execution leaves some romantic and character development subsumed by the complexity of the plot. Still, this is a unique, humorous, and hopeful slow burn that’s sure to please Alexander’s fans. Agent: Larissa Melo Pienkowski, Azantian. (Mar).

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

Barker continues her Regency Bow Street series (after So True a Love) with this sweet romance complete with a dynamic mystery. Two years after unfounded rumors forced Beatrice Lacey to leave London for her family home in the country, she returns to the city to visit her friend, Ginny. While enjoying an outing at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens with Ginny, Ginny’s husband, Jack, a retired law enforcement officer of the Bow Street magistrates court, and current Bow Street Runner Alexander Rawlings, Beatrice saves Alexander from a knife-wielding assailant. The man, who Alexander suspects is connected to his ongoing investigation into a viscount’s murder, gets away—and Alexander fears he will target Beatrice next because she may be able to identify him. So Alexander whisks her from London to his country estate, where, to avoid a scandal, Beatrice agrees to pretend to be his mother’s companion. Their forced proximity leads to mutual attraction as Alexander realizes he would do anything to protect the woman who constantly challenges and inspires him. The intrigue simmers and the chaste love story offers plenty of big emotions. Regency fans will be charmed. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

Ong debuts with a riveting queer sports romance that deserves a place in the subgenre’s canon. World champion wrestler Caleb Knight, aka the Ice Prince, known for being cold and ruthless, is pitted against cheerful, hardworking newcomer Asher Ross, aka the Dragon, who hopes to claim Caleb’s title and holds a personal grudge against him due to a snub when he was a starry-eyed fanboy. The men face off—but all the close physical contact and staring-into-each-others’-eyes that professional wrestling entails soon leads them away from rivalry and toward romance. There’s plenty of juicy drama along the way, and Ong paints a vivid portrait of the wrestling world, from exciting, move-by-move descriptions of matchups to explorations of the behind-the-scenes relationships between the athletes and their management. The romance takes a little while to heat up, but once it does, the chemistry between Caleb and Asher is fierce. Fans of Heated Rivalry will be thrilled. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 01/16/2026 | Details & Permalink

This pulse-pounding romantic thriller from bestseller Krentz (Shattering Dawn) follows Sophy Harper and Luke Well, whose psychic families have a long-standing feud. So when Luke comes to Sophy’s shop asking for a favor, she’s surprised. Luke has learned that Sophy’s aunt Bea and his uncle Deke were having an affair—and that they’ve now both vanished into thin air, a disappearance he thinks may be connected to a local murder. The duo team up to investigate, leading them to the Fool’s Gold Canyon Art Colony—and straight into danger. The Colony’s founder, tech bro Trent Hatch, is definitely hiding something. As Sophy and Luke search for answers, Krentz keeps the twists coming at a breathless pace. Along the way, Sophy and Luke put aside their familial rivalry and fall for each other. This romantic turn is satisfyingly executed, as are the paranormal elements, which add an extra layer of intrigue. Krentz’s fans will not be disappointed. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/09/2026 | Details & Permalink