Fall and reading feel like two things that perfectly go hand in hand—doesn’t the thought of curling up with a blanket and a hot drink sound fantastic right about now? Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on the current state of your TBR), the upcoming season has a lot of reads in store, particularly of the romance variety.
From steamy holiday stories (yes, already!) to Hollywood himbos to wonderfully witch-centric books, this year’s fall romance releases have so much to offer, and hopefully, you’ll find something that piques your interest among our picks.
A Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
Release Date: September 24 from Avon
Why We’re Excited: Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone’s Christmas Notch series has been a bright light in the adult contemporary romance genre since they first started teaming up to write them. If you’re looking for the equivalent of a Hallmark movie with just as much heart and a LOT more steam (and we’re not over-exaggerating when it comes to how steamy), then do yourself a favor and pick up this dose of forced proximity holiday cheer.
Publisher’s Description: What happens when there’s no room at the inn and you and your potentially demonic cat become roommates with your grumpy one-night stand?
Part-time adult film actress/one-time adult film director/makeup artist Sunny Palmer has accidentally sold her very first screenplay to the Hope Channel. That was six months ago. Fast forward to a looming deadline, an uninspired Sunny has returned to the source of her inspiration in Christmas Notch, Vermont, to immerse herself in the local Christmas miracle on which her fever dream of a movie pitch was based.
Isaac Kelly, former boy band heartthrob and the saddest boy in the music biz, is the latest owner of the town’s historic mansion. After his years of heartbreak following his young wife’s death, Isaac’s record label is done waiting for new music. What better place to attempt his first holiday album than a snow-covered mansion where he can become a hermit in peace?
But after their best friends’ wedding leads to them waking up together in a freezing motel room with questionable wiring and a broken shower, Isaac takes a chance and asks Sunny to stay with him at his home. Surely the place is big enough that he’ll hardly see her or her unhinged cat. But when the two discover they’re both creatively blocked, they make a handshake deal: Isaac will help Sunny hunt down the truth behind the local lore, and Sunny will find Isaac a new muse.
And with these two opposites under one roof, there’s no way this jingle bell mingle could go off script…right?
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter
Release Date: September 24 from Avon
Why We’re Excited: If you watched Knives Out and thought it could have used a little more romance, Ally Carter’s upcoming enemies-to-lovers romance should be right up your alley. That doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of mystery, though, as the warring writers at the heart of this book are forced to team up to solve a strange disappearance at a Christmas house party. (I’m waiting for the first chilly day of fall to crack open my copy.)
Publisher’s Description: The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room three days before Christmas.
Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:
She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.
He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.
She hates his guts.
He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)
But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.
That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.
She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?
As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.
Assuming they don’t kill each other first.
The Worst Duke in London by Amalie Howard
Release Date: September 24 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: Howard has flipped the script on many of our favorite rom-coms already in her Taming of the Dukes series, and this latest installment is a somewhat looser interpretation of 10 Things I Hate About You while still delivering everything we love about the iconic Ledger/Stiles flick. Based on premise alone, this one promises to be as steamy and sparkling as anything Howard has crafted before.
Publisher’s Description: Bridgerton meets 10 Things I Hate About You in this spicy enemies-to-lovers Regency romance from a “must-read author” (Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
Lady Evangeline Raine prefers animals to people and has no interest in marriage–much to the dismay of her flirty younger sister, Viola. Because their father has one rule: Viola may be courted, only if Effie has a suitor as well.
Saddled with debt, Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, is determined to rebuild his estates. When the owner of his vowels offers him a fortune to charm the impervious Lady Evangeline for the season so Lady Viola can be courted, the game is on, even if it means pretending to seduce an unconventional wallflower.
But Gage gets much more than he bargains for in an adversary who wants to make her own scandalous arrangement. Effie will go to London for the season, but only if Gage agrees to be her lover. Yet when their fake courtship leads to passionate feelings, will their indecent proposal end with the season or be the start of something real?
Bad Reputation by Emma Barry
Release Date: October 1 from Montlake
Why We’re Excited: A romance about an intimacy coordinator feels like it should be well-trod ground in romance by now, but the profession itself is still pretty new in Hollywood. (So new, in fact, that we wouldn’t blame you if you’re only just hearing that it exists now!) Barry has continued to get better and better with every romance she writes, which makes us all the more excited for her latest.
Publisher’s Description: Cole James’s reputation as Hollywood’s favorite himbo no longer suits him. His fans can’t separate the real man from the character he played on a soapy teen drama decades ago. But that’s going to change with Waverley, the hit streaming historical romance series.
Maggie Niven hates her own notoriety. Fired for directing a divisive play, Maggie takes her fight against censorship public. When Hollywood comes calling, she becomes the new intimacy coordinator for Waverley. But it’s harder than she imagined to focus on the job.
Cole isn’t what she expected—and Maggie is more than he dreamed of. As filming gets underway, the cast’s old traumas lead to real intimacy, and Cole and Maggie struggle with feelings they shouldn’t have. Having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career.
The show must go on. But if Cole and Maggie want a happy ending, they’ll have to start doing things their own way.
Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi
Release Date: October 1 from Dell
Why We’re Excited: What’s more perfect for fall than a witchy romance? A witchy romance that pairs sweetness and spice. Nadia El-Fassi’s debut is the perfect blend of both, revolving around a self-professed “kitchen witch” who falls for a museum curator, almost to her own chagrin, and then has to spend time with him over the weekend of their friends’ Halloween wedding.
Publisher’s Description: As a skilled kitchen witch, Dina Whitlock knows her way around a pastry recipe. In fact, she runs her very own London café serving magic-infused pastries for her loyal customers. But only a select few friends know about her magical abilities or the hex that has plagued her love life. It’s hard to fall in love when your partner is guaranteed to have a string of bad luck the second they start to have feelings for you.
Scott Mason is back from traveling the world and is excited to begin his new job as a curator at the British Museum. After leaving London to heal from a brutal breakup two years ago, Scott only now realizes how much he missed out on. Now that his best friend’s wedding is right around the corner, Scott is determined to be the most amazing best man ever, but he doesn’t expect to be bewitched by the maid of honor, who also happens to be the owner of his new favorite café and, more surprisingly, a witch?!
After a weekend in the countryside full of peculiar hedge mazes, palm readings by candlelight, and a midnight Halloween ritual, there’s no denying the chemistry between them. But there’s just one problem: The hex still holds, and Dina knows that Scott is in danger. In the past, she’s always cut her losses, but this time is different. Scott could be the one. Will Dina be able to undo the hex, before it’s too late?
Deja Brew by Celestine Martin
Release Date: October 1 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: Celestine Martin has delivered a wealth of witchy romance novels through her Elemental Love series, and we’re here for them all. Her latest, Deja Brew, is one of the coziest, sweetest choices you could put on your shelf this fall, written with the kind of unique magic that can only wrap up in the most perfect of HEAs.
Publisher’s Description: Ex-celebrity chef Sirena Caraway has had the wackiest October ever. Her cooking powers are on the fritz, she failed to land a career-saving job, and she embarrassed herself at the town’s Halloween party. Just before midnight, she makes a desperate wish for a second chance to fix her life. The next morning Sirena wakes up and realizes that she’s repeating the entire pumpkin spice-flavored month. Even sweeter, she runs into Gus Dearworth, whose magic leaves her spellbound.
A former reality star, Gus moved to Freya Grove to rebuild his reputation and heal his broken heart, but his restless magic is tempting him to return to the spotlight. And his secret crush on Sirena is making him want to try something dangerous like fall in love again. When Sirena realizes he can help her fix her powers, Gus makes her a deal. If she’ll help decipher a mysterious cookbook in his collection, he’ll help get her magical groove back.
Every encounter offers a new adventure—from tasting menus, harvest mazes, and a growing attraction that’s taking on an irresistible enchantment of its own. But as the month winds down and the wish grows stronger, Sirena and Gus have a decision to make. Will their second chance be their happy-ever-after ending or a bittersweet memory?
How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein
Release Date: October 1 from St. Martin’s Griffin
Why We’re Excited: Small-town romance is a pretty common subgenre in romance, but combining that element with werewolves is an extra level of brilliance. How to Help a Hungry Werewolf is also filled to brimming with what we love to read in a Charlotte Stein romance — body positivity, witty banter, and a surprise hit of fated mates.
Publisher’s Description: What We Do in the Shadows with the small town feels of Gilmore Girls in this swoon-worthy romance that will leave readers delightfully cozy and hungry for more.
When Cassandra Camberwell returns to her hometown of Hollow Brook to clear out her late grandmother’s ramshackle old house, the last thing she expects is Seth Brubaker on her doorstep. Her former best friend was responsible for the worst moment of her high school life, and she can’t imagine he wants to do anything but torment her all over again.
Until she unearths the real reason this annoyingly gorgeous beast of a man keeps hanging around: he’s an actual werewolf, who’s certain she’s the witch that will ease his suffering. But Cassie just isn’t sure if she can trust him again. So Seth offers a pact: he’ll teach her all about her undiscovered magic, and she will brew the potions he needs. No feelings, no funny business, just a witch and a werewolf striking a deal.
Totally doable. Until they get hit with a do-or-die mating bond. And now the heat is rising, in between fights with formers bullies and encounters with talking raccoons. They just have to not give in. Unless giving in just might be the very thing they never knew they always wanted.
Make the Season Bright by Ashley Herring Blake
Release Date: October 1 from Berkley
Why We’re Excited: Holiday romances lend themselves to all kinds of familiar tropes, but the best one is undeniably forced proximity. But what happens when two exes — let alone two women who used to be engaged to each other — are stuck in the same house over the holidays? The results are bound to be achey, but we also have the certainty of an HEA at the end of it all.
Publisher’s Description: It’s been five years since Charlotte Donovan was ditched at the altar by her ex-fiancée, and she’s doing more than okay. Sure, her single mother never checks in, but she has her strings ensemble, the Rosalind Quartet, and her life in New York is a dream come true. As the holidays draw near, her ensemble mate Sloane persuades Charlotte and the rest of the quartet to spend Christmas with her family in Colorado—it is much cozier and quieter than Manhattan, and it would guarantee more practice time for the quartet’s upcoming tour. But when Charlotte arrives, she discovers that Sloane’s sister Adele also brought a friend home—and that friend is none other than her ex, Brighton.
All Brighton Fairbrook wanted was to have the holliest, jolliest Christmas—and try to forget that her band kicked her out. But instead, she’s stuck pretending like she and her ex are strangers—which proves to be difficult when Sloane and Adele’s mom signs them all up for a series of Christmas dating events. Charlotte and Brighton are soon entrenched in horseback riding and cookie decorating, but Charlotte still won’t talk to her. Brighton can hardly blame her after what she did.
After a few days, however, things start to slip through. Memories. Music. The way they used to play together—Brighton on guitar, Charlotte on her violin—and it all feels painfully familiar. But it’s all in the past and nothing can melt the ice in their hearts…right?
Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
Release Date: October 15 from Ace
Why We’re Excited: We, along with everyone else, fell in love with the big, blue aliens of Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarians series, so we’re along for the ride no matter what she chooses to do next. Turns out that’s a romantasy featuring a love story between an artifact hunter and a minotaur, and the best part? They’ve already been married for convenience’s sake.
Publisher’s Description: As a Holder’s daughter, Aspeth Honori knows the importance of magical artifacts . . . which is why it’s a disaster that her father has gambled all theirs away. Now that her family is in danger of losing their hold—and their heads—if anyone finds out the truth, Aspeth decides to do something about it. She’ll join the Royal Artifactual Guild and the adventurers who explore ancient underground ruins to retrieve the coveted arcane items.
It’s a great plan—with one big problem. The guild won’t let her train because she’s a woman. Aspeth needs a chaperone of some kind. The best way to get around this problem? Marry someone who will let her become an apprentice. Who better than a surly guild member who requires a favor of his own? He’s a minotaur (it’s fine) who is her teacher (also fine) . . . and he’s about to go into rut (which is where it gets tricky). He also has no idea she’s a noble (oops), and he’ll want nothing to do with her if he discovers her real identity.
Now Aspeth just has to pass the guild tests, thwart a fortune hunter, and save her hold—oh, and survive a rut with her monstrous, horned husband, whom she might be falling in love with.
It’s time to dig deep. Literally.
If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkins
Release Date: October 15 from St. Martin’s Griffin
Why We’re Excited: Writers retreat at a haunted castle in Scotland? Check. Ghost story where the ghosts may or may not be real? We’re listening. Feud between two writers who are forced into realizing their true feelings for each other amid these spooky circumstances? Give us a copy of Wilkins’ debut romance immediately.
Publisher’s Description: An enemies-to-lovers romance with a spooky twist where two feuding writers end up on a writers’ retreat together at a haunted castle in Scotland
It’s been months since horror author Penelope Skinner threw a book at Neil Storm. But he was so infuriating, with his sparkling green eyes and his bestselling horror novels that claimed to break Native stereotypes. And now she’s a publishing pariah and hasn’t been able to write a word since. So when her friend invites her on a too-good-to-be-true writers retreat in a supposedly haunted Scottish castle, she seizes the opportunity. Of course, some things really are too good to be true.
Neil wants nothing less than to be trapped in a castle with the frustratingly adorable woman who threw a book at him. She drew blood! Worse still, she unleashed a serious case of self-doubt! Neil is terrified to write another bestselling “book without a soul,” as Pen called it. All Neil wants is to find inspiration, while completely avoiding her.
But as the retreat begins, Pen and Neil are stunned to find themselves trapped in a real-life ghost story. Even more horrifying, they’re stuck together and a truly shocking (extremely hot) almost-kiss has left them rethinking their feelings, and… maybe they shouldn’t have been enemies at all? But if they can’t stop the ghosts pursuing them, they may never have the chance to find out.
Christmas Is All Around by Martha Waters
Release Date: October 22 from Atria Books
Why We’re Excited: Martha Waters has already been the author of so many of our favorite Regency romances, so naturally, we’re waiting with bated breath for her foray into contemporaries. Pairing a lead who’s more cynical about the holidays with one who needs the holidays to keep his family’s business is going to make for an irresistible conceit.
Publisher’s Description: A former child star learns that holiday magic can come from a change in perspective in this charming and hilarious holiday rom-com.
Charlotte hates the holidays. As a former child actress, she starred in a modern classic of a holiday movie, and its fans won’t let her move on. When a piece revealing that her reluctance nixed plans for a reboot, she flees to London to spend the five-week countdown to the holidays with her sister.
But the ghosts of Christmas past follow her there when she ends up at Eden Priory, a filming location for the movie she has never visited. There, after being recognized by a fan while viewing the extraordinary holiday decorations, she’s accidently left behind, forcing her to accept a ride back to London by Graham, the son of the owners. Their family business—and the funds to keep their historic house running—relies on holiday cheer, and Graham knows a visit from a holiday star would bring in more visitors.
Now an illustrator, Charlotte accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes in London and its environs. Graham offers to help escort her, as long as she’ll commit to an art workshop at Eden Priory. But as Charlotte’s chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time scouting locations with Graham. Charlotte may not love Christmas, but is it so bad if you’re also falling in love?
Sleeping with the Frenemy by Natalie Caña
Release Date: October 29 from Mira
Why We’re Excited: We’ve been fans of Natalie Caña’s hilarious and delightful Vega family since the very beginning, and the latest installment revolves around a long-awaited romance between Leo Vega and Sofi, the woman he’s been secretly involved with for years. When they’re brought back into each other’s orbit, they have to decide once and for all if they’re going to take their relationship into the spotlight or let the possibility of a certain future slip through their fingers.
Publisher’s Description: Leo Vega’s love life has been on life support since long before the gunshot wound that put him on leave from the fire department. Now, a year after his injury, he’s finally able to return to work, but he’s no closer to fixing things with Sofi, his sister’s best friend and the woman he’s had a secret on-again, off-again relationship with for years. Sofi is still reeling from the revelation that her best friend lied to her years ago, setting her life on a course she’s resented ever since. She’s done with the Vega family, and that includes Leo, who has always prioritized his tight-knit clan over their relationship. She’s moving on with her life, but then circumstances beyond their control push Sofi and Leo into a tense roommate situation. It’s almost impossible to move on with someone new when Leo is there, reminding her what they had, every day.
When his great-granddaughter Rosie tips Papo Vega off about what’s been going on between Leo and Sofi, he’s on the case, with reinforcements. Working behind the scenes alongside Sofi’s mom, he’s determined to help these two stubborn lovebirds end up where they belong—together.
The Co-op by Tarah DeWitt
Release Date: November 12 from St. Martin’s Griffin
Why We’re Excited: Tarah DeWitt’s romance isn’t the only one getting the tradpub treatment this fall, but it’s easy to see why with The Co-op, one of her best yet. Two people reunite to fix up the building their grandmothers left to both of them, and through the effort of flipping the property in an effort to sell it, realize that there are plenty of walls that need to come down — both physical and emotional.
Publisher’s Description: They say love and construction don’t mix. By that logic, hate and construction may as well be condemned.
LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds had one short and contentious summer fling when they were teens.
Certainly nothing to build a foundation on.
But a decade later, when their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, they’re thrust back together and have to figure out how to brace up the pieces.
LaRynn has the money, but to access her trust, she has to be married.
Deacon has the construction expertise, but lacks the funds.
A deal is struck: Marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and cut ties.
Thrust into a home without walls, they quickly learn that it’s easy to hide behind emotional ones, even in a marriage. But, with all the exposure and pitfalls that come with living with the opposite sex (and none of the perks) they’ll also have to learn what it means to truly co-operate as a team.
Reel by Kennedy Ryan
Release Date: November 12 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: Kennedy Ryan’s Reel is also getting a tradpub release this fall, but it’s earned a spot on many best-of lists already, and with good reason. Swoony, steamy, and heartwarming, with enough feels to pack the kind of punch that leaves you breathless but still eagerly turning each page to find out what happens next.
Publisher’s Description: For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in the wings, preparing for my time to shine. I never imagined he would watch in the audience that night.
Canon Holt. Famous film director. Fascinating. Talented. Fine.
Before I could catch my breath, everything changed. I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood. From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone’s lips when Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic.
But stars shine brightest in the dead of night. Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream. Could this one shot—the role of a lifetime, the love of a lifetime—cost me everything?
Duchess Material by Emily Sullivan
Release Date: November 19 from Forever
Why We’re Excited: Emily Sullivan has been a longtime favorite for us with her previous historical romances, so we’re already signed up for the first installment of a brand-new series — which flips the script with a Victorian setting and a friends-to-lovers dynamic within an adventure-filled mystery. Pair that with a lingering childhood crush that has never really subsided, and Sullivan’s latest ensures we’ll be reading it first thing on pub day.
Publisher’s Description: Phoebe Atkinson is what society might call unconventional. Instead of marrying well like other women born to wealth, she chose to be a schoolteacher. Not to mention she lives in a leaky flat in an unfashionable part of town rather than stay in her parents’ mansion. But when her most promising pupil goes missing and the police ignore her, she has only one beg her sister’s best friend, the powerful Duke of Ellis, for help. If sending him a message from the police station doesn’t get his attention, nothing will.
The last thing William Margrave ever expected was to inherit a dukedom. But now that he has it, he’s determined to act the part perfectly—and that includes marrying the perfect duchess. A bluestocking Bohemian schoolteacher is decidedly not duchess material. But he can’t resist her plea for help regarding her missing student. As they fall further into the mystery, William discovers two that he never really got over his childhood crush on Phoebe, and he doesn’t really want to.
Carly Lane is an Atlanta-based writer who considers herself a lifelong Star Wars fan, newbie Trekker, diehard romance reader, nascent horror lover, and occasional live-tweeter. She is the senior TV editor at Collider, a former contributing editor for SYFY FANGRRLS, and has also written for Vulture, the Boston Globe, Nerdist, Teen Vogue, Den of Geek, The Toast, and elsewhere around the Internet.
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