This fall’s romances offer an escape from reality with magical elements, mysteries, and holiday cheer underpinning Regencies and rom-coms alike.
Top 10
Fairy Godmothers Inc.
Saranna DeWylde. Zebra, Dec. 29 ($15.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4201-5314-9)
DeWylde introduces the small, enchanted town of Ever After, Mo., where love is the source of all magic and the town’s resident fairy godmothers take it upon themselves to play matchmakers.
Here to Stay
Adriana Herrera. Carina, Aug. 25 ($12.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-335-91903-8)
When Julia del Mar Ortiz’s company brings in consultant Rocco Quinn to help it go public, Julia has to fight to prove her worth in this enemies-to-lovers romance and series launch.
If the Boot Fits
Rebekah Weatherspoon. Dafina, Oct. 27 ($7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-4967-2541-7)
Weatherspoon’s second Cowboys of California romance is a contemporary Cinderella story about an aspiring screenwriter who gets a chance to attend one of Hollywood’s hottest parties where she meets—and shares a steamy encounter with—a cattle rancher turned A-List actor.
In a Holidaze
Christina Lauren. Gallery, Oct. 6 ($16 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-982123-94-9)
Lauren, a pseudonymous writing duo, put a Groundhog’s Day–style spin on their holiday-themed rom-com about a hapless heroine who’s forced to relive her Christmas vacation in a disaster-filled time loop until she can finally get a mistletoe kiss from the man she loves.
Jane in Love
Rachel Givney. Morrow, Oct. 27 ($15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-06-301908-9)
In Givney’s debut, Jane Austen accidentally time travels to the modern-day film set of Northanger Abbey. Jane befriends Sofia Wentworth, the film’s star, and falls for her handsome brother, Fred—but is a chance at love worth staying lost in time?
A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem
Manda Collins. Forever, Nov. 10 ($14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5387-3613-5)
Collins begins a new series of Victorian romances with this enemies-to-lovers tale of a police detective who reluctantly accepts the help of a female reporter in order to catch a killer.
The Rakehell of Roth
Amalie Howard. Entangled Amara, Nov. 24 ($7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-68281-515-1)
Howard follows The Beast of Bestwick with a Regency take on Sleeping Beauty about an unhappily married woman who hatches a plan to remind her husband exactly who he married.
The Roommate
Rosie Danan. Berkley, Sept. 15 ($16 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-10160-5)
Clara Wheaton’s new roommate may be easy on the eyes, but he’s a virtual stranger. When Clara goes digging for information about him online, she discovers his scandalous profession—and the revelation only brings them closer.
Spoiler Alert
Olivia Dade. Avon, Oct. 6 ($15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-06-300554-9)
Dade delves into the world of fandom in her debut rom-com about a plus-sized cosplayer who lands a date with her celebrity crush, not realizing that he’s also her favorite fan fiction author.
Written in the Stars
Alexandria Bellefleur. Avon, Nov. 10 ($15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-06-300080-3)
After straitlaced Darcy tells her brother that her disastrous date with astrologer Elle was successful, the lie spirals until the women must fake a relationship to save face.
Listings
Avon
Beauty Tempts the Beast: A Sins for All Seasons Novel by Lorraine Heath (Sept. 29, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-06-303550-8). In the finale to the series, the newly penniless Althea Stanwick turns to Benedict Trewlove, nicknamed Beast, for lessons in seduction.
Like Lovers Do: A Girls Trip Novel by Tracey Livesay (Aug. 25, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-0-06-297956-8). The second installment to Livesay’s Girls Trip series is a friends-to-lovers, fake relationship romance between an uptight surgeon and the wayward son of a medical business empire set during a scenic vacation on Martha’s Vineyard.
Loathe at First Sight by Suzanne Park (Aug. 4, $15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-06-299069-3). YA author Park’s debut rom-com, starred by PW, follows an aspiring video game designer hoping to reform the sexist gaming industry from within—and her enemies-to-lovers relationship with her boss’s nephew.
My Last Duchess by Eloisa James (Oct. 27, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-0-06-303634-5) revisits the Wilde family with this prequel about the unconventional courtship between single parents Hugo Wilde, Duke of Lindow, and Lady Ophelia Astley.
Ballantine
Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber (Oct. 13, $20, ISBN 978-1-984818-75-1). In this Christmas romance from bestseller Macomber, a workaholic heroine avoids spending the holidays with her family by booking an Amazonian river cruise—and winds up falling for her charming tour guide.
Berkley
Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams (Oct. 27, $16 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-984806-13-0) continues the Bromance Book Club series—about an all-male book club in which members use the lessons they learn from romance novels to improve their own love lives—with this love story between a hacktivist and the owner of a cat café.
Meet You in the Middle by Devon Daniels (Sept. 8, $16 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-19921-3). Love bridges the political divide in Daniels’s debut rom-com about the enemies-to-lovers relationship between a liberal Senate staffer and a conservative powerhouse in Washington, D.C.
Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh (Aug. 25, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-984802-39-2). Balogh’s eighth Wescott Regency novel follows practical Lady Jessica Archer as she sets out to find a husband, never believing she’ll fall in love—until enigmatic Gabriel Thorne, the recent inheritor of a mysterious fortune, declares his intention to court her.
You Lucky Dog by Julia London (Aug. 25, $16 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-593-10038-7). After a dog walker accidentally mixes up one client’s perky pup for another’s depressed hound, the owners meet to switch their pets and wind up falling in love in this rom-com from bestseller London.
BHC
The Magic Number by Natalie Gibson (Dec. 8, $25.95, ISBN 978-1-64397-163-6). This standalone work of erotica set in the universe of Gibson’s Witchbound series explores the world of BDSM through a powerful coven of witches who draw their magic from sexual energy.
Blackstone
The Raven Lady by Sharon Lynn Fisher (Oct. 13, $15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-982572-79-2). To ensure an alliance between the Kingdom of Ireland and the Icelandic shadow elves, Queen Isolde arranges a marriage between her cousin, Duncan, and the Elven princess, Koli, in this fantasy romance from Fisher.
Bold Strokes
Her Lady to Love by Jane Walsh (Nov. 10, $16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-63555-809-8). Wallflower Honora Banfield needs a husband and asks the scandalous Jacqueline Lockhart for help in catching one, but their friendship soon turns to passion in this f/f Regency from Walsh.
The Holiday Detour by Jane Kolven (Sept. 15, $16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-63555-720-6). This holiday-themed romance features a high-strung Jewish lesbian, a nonbinary pig farmer, and the spontaneous, mishap-filled road trip that brings them together.
CamCat
The Brass Queen by Elizabeth Chatsworth (Jan. 12, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-7443-0009-3). Wealthy Lady Constance Haltwhistle lives a double life as the “Brass Queen,” inventing the finest weapons in Victorian England. When Constance’s life is thrown into danger, she teams up with American spy J.F. Trusdale to save Great Britain and the world in Chatsworth’s genre-bending romance.
Carina
Better Than People by Roan Parrish (Aug. 25, $14.99 trade paper ISBN 978-1-335-54282-3). Anxious pet lover Simon Burke meets grumpy children’s book author Jack Matheson, the owner of a pack of rescue animals, through a pet sharing app, in Parrish’s contemporary romance.
The Love Study by Kris Ripper (Sept. 28, $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4880-7686-2). An office temp with a fear of commitment agrees to go on a YouTube dating show, but instead of falling for any of the dates the show sets him up with, he develops feelings for the nonbinary host.
City Owl
Hex, Love, and Rock and Roll by Kat Turner (Sept. 15, $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-64898-009-1) pairs a bumbling witch with a famous rock star whose life may be in danger from a scarab-worshipping cult, in her debut paranormal romance, the first in the Coven Daughters series.
Dafina
The Way You Hold Me by Elle Wright (Nov. 24, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-4967-2579-0). Wright’s second contemporary to feature the Hollywood fixers of the Pure Talent Agency follows agent Skye Palmer as she tries to control the narrative around a client’s divorce. But when Skye’s client’s husband hires Skye’s ex to do the same, the situation gets much more complicated.
Won’t Go Home Without You by Cheris Hodges (Jan. 26, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-4967-3189-0). A man tries to save his failing marriage in Hodges’s second Richardson Sisters romance, set against the backdrop of the family’s historic South Carolina bed and breakfast.
Entangled Amara
Follow Me Darkly by Helen Hardt (Sept. 29, $15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-68281-499-4). The first in a new series of erotic romances from bestseller Hardt sees a farm girl with dreams of becoming a photographer transplanted to the big city, where she falls for a domineering billionaire with a dark side. 75,000-copy announced first printing.
Forever
Kiss My Cupcake by Helena Hunting (Aug. 11, $15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-5387-3467-4). Sparring bar owners compete for business until realizing they work better together, in Hunting’s sophomore rom-com, starred by PW. 60,000-copy announced first printing.
The Truth About Dukes by Grace Burrowes (Nov. 3, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-5387-0033-4). In the fifth Regency romance of Burrowes’s Rogues to Riches series, a duke hoping to conceal his scandalous past through a respectable marriage, however dull that prospect may be, sets his sights on a seemingly demure lady harboring secrets of her own. 150,000-copy announced first printing.
Gallery
The Jackal, Vol. 1, by J.R. Ward (Aug. 11, $28, ISBN 978-1-5011-9506-8). Bestseller Ward launches a new paranormal romance series, a spinoff of her Black Dagger Brotherhood books, set in a subterranean prison camp full of murderous supernatural creatures.
Grand Central
The Return by Nicholas Sparks (Sept. 29, $28, ISBN 978-1-5387-2857-4). A Navy doctor recuperates from wartime injuries in his recently deceased grandfather’s North Carolina cabin in this small town romance from bestseller Sparks. As Dr. Trevor Benson heals, he develops a connection with deputy sheriff Natalie Masterson and uncovers the truth about his grandfather’s mysterious death. 1,500,000-copy announced first printing.
Griffin
The Love Scam by Maryjanice Davidson (Aug. 4, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-250-05316-9). Claire Delaney, a consumate do-gooder, tracks down wealthy ne’er-do-well Rake Tarbell in Venice, Italy, to reunite him with the daughter he never knew he had, in Davidson’s twisty contemporary rom-com.
Harlequin Desire
The Wife He Needs by Brenda Jackson (Dec. 1, $5.25 mass market, ISBN 978-1-335-20949-8). CEO Garth Outlaw’s meddling sister sets him up with his employee, Regan, who has had a crush on Garth for years, by sending them on a week-long romantic getaway, in this contemporary series launch from Jackson.
Harlequin Presents
Claiming His Bollywood Cinderella by Tara Pammi (Oct. 20, $5.25 mass market, ISBN 978-1-335-14900-8). Naina Menon meets Bollywood superstar Vikram Raawal at a masquerade ball in this contemporary romance from Pammi. Despite a rocky first meeting, the pair soon discover a passion that disproves Vikram’s cynical theory that love exists only in the movies.
HQN
Scandalous Secrets by Synithia Williams (Aug. 25, $9.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-335-01399-6). Bryon Robidoux helped his good friend (and secret crush) Zoe Hammond avoid a scandal when they were in college. Now, with Bryon running for Senate, a blackmailer digs up their long-buried secrets, threatening Bryon’s career and throwing the lives of Zoe and her daughter into chaos.
Then There Was You by Mona Shroff (Jan. 26, $9.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-335-41855-5). In Shroff’s sophomore contemporary romance, Daniel Bliant, a helicopter medic with demons in his past, falls for Annika Mehta, a brokenhearted kindergarten teacher who moonlights as a bartender. But will their chemistry be enough to break down their walls?
Kensington
The Brightest Star by Fern Michaels (Sept. 29, $26, ISBN 978-1-4967-2619-3). A small business owner struggles to hold her own against online competitors during the holiday season in this Christmas-themed romance from bestseller Michaels. 100,000-copy announced first printing.
Notorious by Minerva Spencer (Nov. 24, $15.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4967-3283-5). Strong-willed Drusilla Clare doesn’t believe in marriage, but when she meets rakish Gabriel Marlington, she can’t deny her attraction. After a scandal leaves the pair with no choice but to marry, the unlikely duo must navigate newlywed life.
Love Inspired
A Haven for Christmas by Patricia Davids (Oct. 20, $5.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-335-48847-3). Romance tropes collide in Davids’s contemporary romance about an injured cowboy recuperating on an Amish widow’s farm at Christmas time.
Lyrical Press
London’s Most Elusive Earl by Anabelle Bryant (Oct. 13, $6.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5161-1092-6). Lord Jonathan Cromford, a rakish earl who must produce an heir in order to receive his inheritance, meets Lady Caroline Nicholson, who is determined to make a respectable match—but can’t deny her attraction to Cromford—in Bryant’s fourth Midnight Secrets romance.
Who’s That Earl? by Susanna Craig (Aug. 18, $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5161-1057-5). Craig’s Live and Let Spy series launch, starred by PW, sees Jane Quayle, an author writing under a pen name to conceal her gender, reuniting with Lt. Thomas Sutherland, the earl who has loved her for years.
Mira
Rescue You by Elysia Whisler (Oct. 27, $16.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-0-7783-1008-2). Constance Morrigan signs up for a membership at Rhett Santos’s gym. Rhett, a former soldier, is prickly and has PTSD, but the alluring Constance gets past his defenses. With Constance’s dog rescue on the brink of closure, Constance sees an opportunity for the dogs to help Rhett heal.
Montana Born
Montana Cowboy Christmas by Jane Porter (Nov. 10, $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-951786-96-0). Rodeo star Ivy Wyckoff heads home for the holidays, where she reconnects with her ex, fellow rodeo champ Sam Wyatt, in this second installment to the Wyatt Brothers series.
Shadow Mountain
The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden (Nov. 3, $15.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-62972-790-5). Eden’s Victorian-era romance sees a well-to-do gentleman who secretly writes penny dreadfuls falling head over heels for a woman leading a double life as a music teacher by day and notorious thief by night.
She Writes
The Aloha Spirit by Linda Ulleseit (Aug. 18, $16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-63152-723-4). Free-spirited Dolores searches for love in 1922 Honolulu, running away from home and straight into an abusive marriage. When Alberto, one of her husband’s relatives, helps her escape, it sparks an unexpected passion. But can Dolores learn to trust again?
Sourcebooks Casablanca
Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder (Jan. 26, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-72821-497-9). New York City serves as a sanctuary for supernatural creatures in Snyder’s first Third Shift paranormal romance. After vigilante Joe Peluso takes down six members of a clan of criminal bear-shifters, lawyer Neha Ahluwalia comes to his defense—putting targets on both their backs.
The Duke’s Princess Bride by Amalie Howard (Jan. 26, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-72821-719-2). After Princess Sarani Rao’s father, an Indian maharaja, is murdered, Sarani must flee aboard the ship of the man she used to love to avoid meeting the same fate. Will reuniting with British Capt. Rhystan Huntley reignite their old flame?.
Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler (Oct. 6, $14.99 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-4926-9316-1). Lana Montgomery moves home to Moose Springs, Alaska, determined to stop the fabled “Santa Moose” from rampaging through the town’s Christmas decorations. But the tranquilizer dart meant for the moose accidentally lands in Rick Harding, a man who’s harbored feelings for Lana for years.
The Stormbringer by Isabel Cooper (Dec. 29, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-72822-928-7) introduces a world full of monsters, in this fantasy romance about a man newly awakened from a mystical sleep who teams up with a fierce female warrior to save the world from the Traitor God.
Sparkpress
Charming Falls Apart by Angela Terry (Aug. 4, $16.95 trade paper, ISBN 978-1-68463-049-3). After Allison James’s perfect life falls to pieces, she decides to put herself first for once. She raids the self-help aisle of the bookstore, visits an astrologer, and tries meditation—all while flirting with the attractive owner of her neighborhood café.
St. Martin’s
All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne (Sept. 29, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-250-31886-2). Byrne’s second Devil You Know romance sees Lord Chief Justice Cassius Ramsey setting out to investigate London’s most notorious gaming hall, unaware that the owner is Cecilia Teague, the alluring woman he hopes to court.
A Highlander Is Coming to Town: A Highland, Georgia Novel by Laura Trentham (Sept. 29, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-250-31505-2). The singer of a touring Scottish rock band falls for a beleaguered farmer during the Christmas season in Trentham’s third rom-com set in Highland, Ga.
Zebra
Holding Out for Christmas by Janet Dailey (Sept. 29, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-4201-5106-0). It’s Christmas in Branding Iron, Tex., and cowboy Conner Branch is eager to reconnect with the singer who stole his heart at last year’s Cowboy Christmas Ball.
Once Dishonored by Mary Jo Putney (Sept. 29, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-4201-4811-4). A disgraced naval officer helps a widow with a tarnished reputation of her own to clear her name of scandal and reunite with her young son amid judgmental London society and mounting dangers in Putney’s fifth Rogues Redeemed Regency romance.
Searching for Rose by Dana Becker (Aug. 25, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-4201-5188-6). Journalist Avi Steinberg, writing as Becker, makes his romance debut with this romantic suspense novel about a woman’s search for her missing sister and the Amish man who comes to her rescue.
Silver Creek Fire by Lindsay McKenna (Oct. 27, $7.99 mass market, ISBN 978-1-4201-5082-7). Bestseller McKenna kicks off a new romantic suspense series with the love story between a carpenter with a traumatic past and the rancher who hires her to fix up his property, despite a series of mysterious events on the ranch.
