Despite the Duke by Kathleen Ayers (2026)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 1 of the London Vices series. So much scandal here. Tragic prologue when a duchess is running for her life after her husband is attacked. She dies giving birth to the next duke. We start Chapter 1 in Sophia’s perspective, where she is the oddball daughter of an earl and then compromised by a handsome duke in the garden. When called upon the next day by her father, the drunken Alexander has no recollection of going to the ball, let alone compromising a young lady. But they have to marry anyway because of propriety and all of that. There is so much bickering between these two, since they don’t really want to be trapped into marriage with each other. It was so much fun watching them slowly soften towards each other and fall in love. Plus there’s the overarching mystery of why Alexander’s uncle is sketchy and the possibility of fraud somewhere.
Advance ebook provided by Dragonblade Publishing via NetGalley.
The Governess’s Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses by Amy Rose Bennett (2026)
Historical fantasy romance. Book 2 of the Parasol Academy series. Governess Mina kidnaps a viscount when she thinks the young boy is in danger. A magical mishap brings her and Christopher to another ship in motion, where she meets Phinn, the Marquess of Kinsale. He’s got his own problems being a former prizefighter with a noticeable accent and stammer. However, he ends up enlisting Mina’s help with his etiquette and speech. It’s an obvious sort of slow burn romance here with Mina and Phinn falling in love, and I enjoyed how Phinn basically rescues a street urchin to have an excuse to hire a governess. It might be one of my fave microtropes. No third act breakup here either.
Advance ebook provided by Kensington Books via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
First to Finish by Rebecca J. Caffery (2026)
Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Pole Position series. Poor Johannes is in a rough place with his secret boyfriend being a total asshole. Heartbreak all around really. And it’s affecting his racing. Luckily, his race engineer Caleb is super competent. And also super hot. The tentative build of their friendship and relationship was so much fun to watch. Plus Caleb is way better for Johannes than the old boyfriend. Loved this one.
Advance ebook provided by One More Chapter via NetGalley.
The Scoundrel and the Siren by Christy Carlyle (2026)
Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 2 of the Princes of London series. Awkward first meeting for Dom and Tess who are at odds in a noblewoman’s library. Luckily, they meet again very soon at the site of an archeological dig. Attraction is strong between these two, but Dom is usually the carefree rake and Tess has been burned by a gentleman before. They have to work together at the dig and grow closer along the way. The flirtatious banter is delightful and I loved seeing Tess be the one to tame Dom. Loved it.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan (2026)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Second chance romance with so much angst. Andy has ditched her Hollywood lifestyle after a final betrayal from longtime girlfriend and co-star Nikki, has been hiding in a tiny seaside town for the past five years, and is a floral designer at a struggling flower shop. Unfortunately for her, Nikki is also in the same seaside town and also writing a memoir. It’s a lot of push and pull here as Nikki tries and fails to apologize for all the things that went wrong between them. The whole story is told from Andy’s point of view and we’re really left wondering if it’s even possible for forgive Nikki, especially when Andy is trying so hard to avoid talking about heavy topics. Loving Andy’s support network of friends and supportive parents here too.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Audio via NetGalley.
Better than a Duke by Suzanne Enoch (2026)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Standalone novel. Opposites attract single parent romance here. Single dad Beckett is in town for the Season, courting a very proper young lady, at the insistence of his mother. His daughter Rebecca is nine years old and will likely need a mother figure soon to ease her way into society. And then Rebecca instantly makes friends with the boy next door, Edmund, who very conveniently has a widowed mother, Iris. As the two kids spend more time together, so do Beckett and Iris, forming their own friendship. The kids try to scheme to get their parents to couple up, but they’re mostly oblivious and trying to do what’s proper, even if they’re attracted to each other. Fun series of hijinks throughout the book and I love their blended family.
Advance ebook provided by Bramble Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Dreamscape Media via NetGalley.
Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel by Elizabeth Everett (2026)
Cozy fantasy romance. This book was so cute and funny with the mix of wacky characters. So former knight Pax runs the Wayside Hotel, which is actually a magical traveling form of lodging that goes between worlds. The magic at the hotel has run out and they’re stranded in the human world. Josie and her son Amos are looking for a new place to live and lucky for them, there’s an affordable opening at the Wayside. The romance here between Josie and Pax is very sweet, but the real entertainment is how the other ragtag residents interact with each other and with Josie, all while keeping their magical origins a secret.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
A Bride For Marcus by Anne Gracie (2026)
Historical romance. Book 6 of the Devil Riders series. Prologue with Marcus and Tessa as children on neighboring estates and becoming friends. Then we start with Marcus at a ball, seeing Tessa for the first time in many years, and then realizing that she is widowed twice and the victim of her brother’s greed. The first half of the book is Marcus helping Tessa escape her terrible situation and slowly becoming friends again. We’re working up towards the marriage of convenience suggested in the summary, but it takes more than half of the book to get there. Once we do, it’s obvious that these two dummies have real feelings for each other, just wary of the practical arrangement they agreed upon. Loved it, as I love all of Anne Gracie’s books. And we get to visit our favorite modiste, Daisy Chance.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.
The Fortune Flip by Lauren Kung Jessen (2026)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Funny enough, having just read a personal finance book, reading a book where the main character wins the lottery is really interesting. Hazel is having the worst day ever (lost her job, got divorced) on top of having to financially bail out her brother and father constantly. She meets Logan during a fortune-telling mishap and they end up buying a lottery ticket. Lucky for them, it’s a winner. Unlucky for Logan, it seems that he’s run into a string of bad luck while Hazel has had her luck improve. We’ve got a cute luck-swap story here and a fairly straightforward romance. I like how Hazel and Logan communicate with each other and support each other as they slowly bond. Cute, mostly fluffy, except for their tragic backstories and Hazel’s toxic family. Audio is duet narration.
Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Hachette Audio.
Never Spar With a Viscount by Lindsay Lovise (2026)
Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Secret Society of Governess Spies series. Ivy is a governess who teaches self-defense classes to women in the village at night. One day, she’s approached by the Dove to spy on her new employer, grumpy viscount Owen. She’s generally wary of him, as she is with all men, due to the cruelty of her father. But aside from being a general grump, he’s a great guy to his eight younger sisters. And then somehow they enter a fake courtship to prevent Ivy from being married off to a brute and the help Owen avoid his stepmother’s matchmaking. Plus, there’s an actual mystery afoot with women falling ill and someone trying to kill Owen. Super entertaining to read and I loved Owen’s support of Ivy’s strength and independence.
Advance ebook provided by Forever Books via NetGalley.
Darling Daffodils Farm by Brittanée Nicole (2026)
Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Hope Harbor series. Tally is back in her small town to help out at her family farm, but she’s itching to leave and get back to her seasonal kitchen work. Everyone in town thinks that she’s super flighty and doesn’t want to set down roots, but really, she wanted to earn her way in the world so her parents didn’t need to pay for culinary school. It’s always been the dream to come back to the small town and open a bakery, but she seems to think she needs pastry chef training to do it. Sounds a little far-fetched to me; aren’t small town bakeries just run by small town bakers? But that’s not the main conflict here. It’s actually that her family has not told her than a farmer named Walker was hired by her late father to work on the farm, and that he lives in the house, while her widowed mother lives in his old cottage. He’s gruff and surly and grumpy and doesn’t tell her why he’s there or why he cares so much about the farm. Mostly because her parents made him sign an NDA, and also because he’s way too attracted to her and should stay away. She’s mostly immature and annoying through this book and is suspicious of Walker the whole time. Maybe because no one is really talking to each other. But once the attraction breaks through, the flirting and steam is really quite good. And you know, once Walker figures out what Tally really wants, he’s nothing but supportive. Typical funny small town shenanigans, including a nosy group of old ladies and a humorous town group chat.
Advance ebook provided by Putnam Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.
Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian (2026)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. I love a messy slow burn romance, especially when one of the partners is especially grumpy. Simon is the serious actor who is on a sci-fi drama and wants out, especially if it means never having to talk to his less-serious bubbly co-star Charlie. But then somehow, he’s starting to see Charlie in a new light, and then they kinda sorta fake a friendship to make sure people don’t think Simon is leaving the show on bad terms. And then Charlie needs to track down his missing stepdad and Simon comes along for the ride. These two end up being way more emotionally vulnerable about their families and their upbringing, and in that process, they see each other as more human and approachable. Tons of heavy emotions here, especially when dealing with Simon’s anxiety and migraines. This book was so good.
Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley.
Thirty Love by Tom Vellner (2026)
Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Loved this rivals to lovers story. Single POV from Leo’s side as he struggles to win the US Open. He pretty much always chokes up when he has to play against Gabe, his lifelong rival on the tennis court. Leo’s got a complicated relationship with tennis, with his dad being his head coach and a legend in his own right. And add the part where Leo is closeted and distractedly attracted to Gabe, it’s all a recipe for mess. But the best part is when Leo and Gabe establish a truce with each other and so much more. I loved seeing them actually learn to understand each other and get to know more about why things have been strained all these years. Even with Leo explicitly stating that they need to keep their burgeoning relationship a secret, Gabe is still on board and believes it’s worth it. The friend group that Leo has is also awesome, and I hope to see more of them in the future.
Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Spotify Audiobooks via NetGalley.
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