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.

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.

Pole Position by Rebecca J. Caffery (2024)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Pole Position series. Kian is nearing the end of his racing career and trying to decide if this is going to be his last season. He’s basically a racing legend and super serious about the sport. And rookie Harper is joining his team this season, throwing off his mental fortitude completely. Harper is the party boy of the sport who doesn’t take things too seriously, reminds Kian of his deadbeat dad, and is distractingly handsome. It’s a mix of bad feelings all around, especially as Harper thinks that Kian is way too uptight. Total opposites here, made worse by the fact that Harper is terrified of emotional connection. Angsty and steamy and all the things. Loved it.

Ebook and audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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The Lady He Lost by Faye Delacour (2024)

Historical romance. Victorian-era England. Book 1 of the Lucky Ladies of London series. Naval Lieutenant Eli is back from the dead after being shipwrecked and captured by pirates to find that he has no money, no fiance, and might be questioned by his bosses about his time away from the Navy. His former friend Jane is being cold and he doesn’t quite know why, but he wants to regain her friendship and affection. Well, we find out that Eli and Jane had a strong friendship up until the point where Eli gets caught in a compromising position with Jane’s prettier and more sociable cousin Cecily and then gets engaged to that woman. Stuck doing the honorable thing and staying engaged to a woman he doesn’t like very much, he runs off and joins the Navy. It’s basically a cluster of immaturity for Eli there. Meanwhile Jane is trying to run a discreet gambling club for ladies and gain her own financial independence. Due to the meddling of too many of Jane’s family members, she and Eli end up at the same house party attending the horse races at Ascot and sort of maybe start a physical affair. But both Jane and Eli is dodgy about their feelings, leaving the other person totally unsure and insecure. This is one of those books where I’m just waiting for the characters to just talk to each other already. However, it was fun to read about Jane’s adventures in gambling and Eli’s unwavering support.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

A Lady’s Guide to London by Faye Delacour (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 2 of the Lucky Ladies of London series. Della is passionate about all her endeavors and in her attempt to draw more clients to the gambling club she owns with her friend, she asks the author of a gentleman’s guide, Lyman, to include her club as a destination. He says no, so she quickly decides to write her own guide instead. Except the publisher has paired them together into some co-writing mentorship sort of deal. He’s super rigid and prickly and she’s all flirtations and smiles. I enjoyed seeing these total opposites fall in love, and learn more about Lyman’s backstory. The events of this book overlap with the next one, so it’ll make a lot of sense to read them back to back.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebooks via NetGalley.

A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour (2025)

Historical romance. Regency-era England. Book 3 of the Lucky Ladies of London series. Hannah is fed up with her mother’s matchmaking, so she seizes an opportunity to ruin herself by paying a man to kiss her where they can be seen. Silas is all sorts of hesitant, but eventually agrees for the money. It’s a whirlwind of scandal that turns into a fake courtship and a fake engagement. But Silas really is a stand-up guy, even if a bit misunderstood, and totally deserving of love an affection. Hannah is a bit naive in regards to scheming to get her parents back together, but aside from that, she does have genuine affection for Silas. Definitely a case of he falls first and harder though, which I adore.

Advance ebook provided by Sourcebook via NetGalley. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

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Crash Test by Amy James (2025)

Contemporary romance. Standalone novel. Starting out strong with the angst here and letting it linger through the whole book. Travis and Jacob are both race car drivers who have been in a secret relationship for a year. We start the book with Jacob getting into a horrible accident, and then see Travis’ point of view as he finds out what happened and then tries to go see Jacob in the hospital. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching to go through all of his emotions, not knowing if the man he loves is going to survive. Especially when we hear than another driver in the crash did not. I loved this book and all its emotions, but you definitely need to be emotionally prepared for heartbreak before you get to the happy ending.

Advance ebook provided by Avon Books via NetGalley. Advance audiobook provided by Harper Audio.

Seven Points by Amy James (2025)

Contemporary romance. Follow-up novella to Crash Test. Short and mostly fluffy novella. It’s like seven months after the end of Crash Test, Travis and Jacob are together and Jacob has an opportunity to race again. It’s mostly messy from Jacob’s point of view because he’s insecure about deserving Travis’ affection. But I love a confident Travis here. Cute follow-up.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Well Endowed by Vivian Tu (2026)

Personal finance. Vivian is known on TikTok as yourrichbff, and I’ve enjoyed her content before, so I decided to pick up this book. Solid advice in an approachable format. I listened on audio and Vivian narrates the book herself. If you’re used to watching her TikToks, then audio is a great choice here. This book is a follow-up to her previous one, Rich AF, and covers more of the big life purchases like cars, houses, weddings, and kids. As someone who is financially secure and previously educated on most tenets of personal finance, I didn’t learn much new here. However, if you’re looking to increase your own finance education, this book would be a great start.

Ebook and audiobook 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.

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Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

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Game Changer by Rachel Reid (2018)

Contemporary romance. Book 1 of the Game Changers series. Super steamy insta-lust, insta-love situation for hockey player Scott and smoothie maker Kip. Scott’s gotta keep his personal life secret because of macho sports reasons, but Kip is just excited to be with him. At first. The secret boyfriend situation will eventually be the big conflict of the book, but it’s super sweet to see these two get together and fall in love. Kip is absolutely adorable and you can totally feel his insecurities here being the big burly famous athlete’s secret. But Scott definitely has his own issues that he’s slowly working through when he realizes love is more important than anything else. Great setup for the rest of the series.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid (2019)

Contemporary romance. Book 2 of the Game Changers series. The hype is real. Everything anyone says about this book being amazing is true. Did it take a TV adaptation and all the hype to get me to read it? Yes. Have I even seen the show yet? No. But this book was so good. How the heck does a secret romance spanning 8 years over the course of the book hook you in? I don’t know, but it’s amazing. We start with Shane and Ilya being total sports enemies, sports prodigies, totally famous rookies, but also terrified of being attracted to each other. There’s hockey and then there are all the secret hookups, that start off as an angry way to get it out of their systems, but keep happening. For years. And the pining when they aren’t together is insane. Loved this book. It will change your life.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby.

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid (2020)

Contemporary romance. Book 3 of the Game Changers series. Ryan just got traded to a hockey team in Toronto, mostly known for being the tough fighter guy on the team, and has a history of anxiety. He’s not quite in the closet, but he’s socially awkward and doesn’t advertise his sexuality. And he definitely has a thing for more androgynous sort of guys, which includes Fabian, a musician that he had a teenage crush on and reconnects with in Toronto. It’s super obvious these two have a crush on each other and it’s fun seeing them stumble through their burgeoning relationship. Big fan of Fabian’s friend group and also glad to step outside and away from the sports world of this series. These two are total opposites and it totally works.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Common Goal by Rachel Reid (2020)

Contemporary romance. Book 4 of the Game Changers series. Recently divorced Eric is trying to figure out his life and he’s not happy about being attracted to the much younger and carefree Kyle, who is kind of hung up on his friend Kip who is engaged to Eric’s teammate Scott. It’s a little messy here, but somehow Eric and Kyle become friends, and then friends-with-benefits with flirting and sex lessons built in. Both of them start having feelings fast, but Eric is doing that annoyingly noble thing where he thinks he’s too old and boring and inappropriate for Kyle and pushes him away. Classic romance trope type of book here, with special appearances and humor by our favorite Russian hockey star.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

Role Model by Rachel Reid (2021)

Contemporary romance. Book 5 of the Game Changers series. Troy used to be an asshole, but I guess he’s turning things around after a video of him calling his best friend a rapist has gone viral. Troy is out of his old hockey team and onto a new suckier team, but is somehow in the most welcoming and collegial team he’s ever been on. And social media manager Harris is totally part of sunshine, with his positive attitude, apple farmboy vibes, and the caretaking of the team puppy. Troy has been trying to improve himself and that might actually mean coming out as gay instead of hiding his true personality. Luckily, he’s got Harris to help with everything. And we’re spending all our time in Ottawa, so tons of Ilya being awesome. Timeline overlaps with The Long Game, so events will be seen from multiple perspectives.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

The Long Game by Rachel Reid (2022)

Contemporary romance. Book 6 of the Game Changers series. I don’t have words. I’m in a book hangover after binging this whole series in five days. Best book binge I’ve had in awhile. We’re following Shane and Ilya for this one, still in a secret relationship, with Shane being kind of an oblivious idiot while Ilya suffers in his loneliness. Ilya’s the star of this book with his emotional journey and seeking friendship and help. Shane’s got a lot of stepping up to do here and wake up to how he hasn’t actually given up any of his life or comforts to have a secret relationship with Ilya. Lots of callbacks to previous events from prior books, and this book overlaps in timeline with Role Model. We do finally tie it up and get the happily ever after that Shane and Ilya deserve.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

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Useful Resources:

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Goaltender Interference by Ari Baran (2025)

Contemporary romance. Book 4 of the Penalty Box series. Second chance romance here between Aiden and Matt. They’ve been apart for like a decade, but meet up again after Aiden is retired and Matt is in New York with his family. They start casually angrily hooking up, with very little in the way of conversation. It’s pretty much a very slow rekindling of their relationship, especially after Aiden goes to stay with Matt in Montreal. Neither of these guys is willing to be direct or ask for what they want because they’re afraid of bursting the bubble they have right now. Add in Aiden’s post-retirement depression and we have a recipe for tons of angst. Not my fave of the series, but still a great read.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Audiobook borrowed from my local library via Hoopla.

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.

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.

Sheer by Vanessa Lawrence (2026)

Contemporary fiction. Standalone novel. Ooh, this one was fun. We have present-day scandal for beauty brand founder Maxine, intercut with her life story and how the company was founded and grew. There’s an overarching mystery of what exactly the scandal is of the present day, but we start to see glimpses of it when faced with the stories of the past. Super interesting to see how a young woman from the middle-class New Jersey suburbs fought for her independence and her art in her makeup brand. If you were ever interested in the evolution of makeup trends over the past few decades, this book might be up your alley. I really enjoyed it.

Ebook borrowed from my local library via Libby. Advance audiobook provided by Penguin Random House Audio.

Want to keep your own reading organized? Try this digital reading journal template!

Thanks so much for reading this post! Looking for more bookish resources and romance book reviews? Read the archives!

Useful Resources:

Read more about getting the most out of your library card

Want an intro to historical romance series? This post will help!

Learn more about Kindle Unlimited

Get my massive guide of all the romances I’ve read on Kindle Unlimited

Read an introduction to fanfiction

Learn more about sources for reading fanfiction

Follow me on Instagram at @randomolive

Shop my handmade bookmarks on Etsy

Support this page with a donation

Affiliate links may be used within this post. If you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Thanks for reading Random Olive Reads! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.