9 Outstanding Romance Reads from 2025 You May Have Missed

Pop star Avery Fox may be a descendant of the Muscogee Nation, but she grew up away from her culture and community. When a problematic publicity stunt threatens to destroy her career, she heads to Oklahoma to connect with her grandmother and learn about her heritage. An enemies-to-lovers situation with the man running her grandmother’s ranch quickly develops, and all kinds of entertaining antics ensue. I love that Nava manages to balance important contemporary dialogues around Indigeneity with a compelling love story. Not only that, but she had me laughing along the way.

Love at Full Tilt is such a fun YA romcom! Not only that, but Howe’s smart and sexy fat-positive romance feels like a big win for young and less young readers alike. Set in Fableland, a fictional Disneyland-esque theme park in Florida, this book has amazing feel-good vibes. The story follows recent high school grad Lia Baker as she competes in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: a Fableland scavenger hunt that would get her out of her oppressive home situation and allow her to live the life of her dreams. But when she meets another (super hot) contestant who seems to be helping her, she starts to grow feelings for him at the same time her friendships are falling apart. It’s an imaginative and complex tale that manages to be laugh-out-loud funny while tackling some of the harder aspects of early adulthood.

The premise of this low-spice book is so much fun! A disillusioned middle school administrator decides to participate in a NASA simulation for living on Mars. If she and her teammates finish the simulation successfully, they’ll win a huge grant for their school, and Brianna is determined to make that happen. Imagine the sexy possibilities when the extremely attractive science teacher winds up on the team at the last minute? Trapped in a weeks-long simulation with someone she doesn’t trust is hard enough, but the simulation becomes a forced-proximity pressure cooker for their mutual attraction. It’s an out-of-this-world read you won’t want to miss.

This sapphic Regency romance is deliciously eerie. After all, it’s about two women writing Gothic romances and visiting a bunch of haunted locations in hopes of finding inspiration. Incidentally, they’re not exactly on the best of terms with each other—especially when Lady Georgina Cleeve finds out her nemesis is none other than the butler’s daughter. The chemistry between the two is well written, and the bizarre and creepy events that thrust them together make this an unexpected read that’s too enjoyable to pass up.

Jo Segura’s Raiders of the Lost Heart series is over the top, and I am absolutely here for it. Temple of Swoon is the second book in the series (but the books can be read in any order) and features petite-but-spunky archaeologist Miriam Jacobs as she leads an expedition to locate the Lost City of the Moon. I love Segura’s strong Chicana protagonist: she’s an academic but is perfectly willing to swing from vines and engage in all manner of silliness. The novel is delightfully campy, broadly riffing off the Indiana Jones universe in a way that’s both playful and steamy.

Any reader who’s felt overlooked and underappreciated at work will resonate with Eli Francis’ situation. In a move that reminds me of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Eli’s boss promises him a promotion if he teaches his recent (super awkward) date, Peter Park, how to be a better boyfriend and writes an article about it. Instead, Eli (who’s gay and trans) goes on fake dates with Peter with the idea of writing a different article about Peter’s experiences growing up as a queer person of color in the South. As you can imagine, there’s plenty of drama to go around as Eli and Peter’s relationship develops and Eli’s boss continues pressuring him. This one’s steamy and sweet in equal measure.

This third book in the Primas of Power trilogy is just as good as the first two, and the good news is you can read them in whatever order you want. Along Came Amor leans into the secret fling at its core. You’ve got Ava, a recently divorced teacher looking for a one-night stand, and Roman, a successful hotel owner who falls for Ava immediately. When a wedding forces them together beyond what Ava was looking for, the sparks really fly (and I mean really—this one’s extra spicy). Reading this book will definitely make you want to read the previous books in the series if you haven’t already.

I’ve been enjoying Disney’s Meant to Be collection, and Sutanto’s addition to it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a loose retelling of Mulan, but swaps actual war for the world of finance. Here, Mulan is up against some pretty old-school sexism (ugh, such gross toxic masculinity), and she ends up trying to pass as her father to prove herself to a big client. The insta-love between her and Shang, the client, is a joy to behold. I liked both Mulan and Shang a lot as characters in this clever retelling, but my favorite character was Mushu. Mushu’s no tiny dragon in this book—instead, she is Mulan’s loyal and exuberant cousin who adds so much vitality to the story.

This small-town love story puts a nice twist on paranormal romance. Collins Cartwright can see ghosts. She’s always been able to, and she loves it. Talking to them and learning their stories is a huge part of her life…or it was before her gift went on the fritz, right along with her photography career. When she returns to her small hometown in rural Wyoming, she’s not expecting to find love (or a sexy upholsterer). Brady Cooper wasn’t expecting love, either, so much as he was running from his last relationship. Centering two characters who are hiding from their pain, the romance at the heart of this book is sweet and a little spooky, and you’ll fall in love with the town of Sweetwater Peak right alongside these two unlikely lovers.