Ready for 2025? Neither are we — but we are very ready for a new year of fantastic reads! The best romance books of January 2025 are the perfect way to ring in the new year. If you’re looking for new authors to love, check out debuts from Jessica James, Erin Connor, and others. Or, find new titles from your existing faves, like Loretta Chase, Jo Segura, Chloe Liese, and Lauren Kung Jessen.
It’s time to get your new reading year off to a great start! Keep reading for all our picks for the best romance books of January 2025.
For One Night Only by Jessica James
Release date: January 7
Read it if: You loved Behind the Music or wished Daisy Jones & the Six had a HEA! Years after a messy split, the Glitter Bats reunite for a one-night concert. When the (in)famous exes of the bunch fake-date for publicity, it brings back some old real feelings.
Publisher’s synopsis: After her recurring role in tabloid headlines, Valerie Quinn’s musical TV show is on the network chopping block. Desperate for good press, she hastily reassembles her wildly beloved pop punk band, Glitter Bats. A reunion concert could be the former lead vocalist’s ticket to a media makeover, especially if it renews public speculation around her iconic situationship with bassist Caleb Sloane.
The only problem? They haven’t spoken in six years.
Caleb had the makings of a rock god, but fallout from the messy Glitter Bats breakup left him broke, anxious, and resentful of the industry. But when Valerie shows up at Caleb’s doorstep with that devastating smile and a plea for help, he reluctantly agrees to put on one last show.
So what if the fandom assumes the two of them are back together too? They’ll play along. You know…for the press.
Making music together not only revives the harmony between them, but also the discord that led to the band’s downfall. With their futures—and the Glitter Bats—in the balance, can they survive a romantic reprise?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Lodge by Kayla Olson
Release date: January 7
Read it if: You think the best romance books of January 2025 should include some true winter vibes! A ghostwriter falls for a ski instructor while learning secrets about an infamous boy band.
Publisher’s synopsis: Alix Morgan just got her big break as the ghostwriter of a memoir by Sebastian Green, a former member of the boy band True North. And when he offers her a penthouse at a luxurious resort in Vermont, she jumps at the chance to work far away from her noisy, cramped apartment.
Her career as an entertainment journalist has been building toward this dream job—after all, she used to cover True North and was one of the last people to interview former front man Jett Beckett before he disappeared. As she combs through her client’s voice memos, the specter of the missing lead singer remains, and fans are desperate to know the full story.
But Alix also has time for some fun at this glamorous resort, where she begins ski lessons with a handsome instructor named Tyler. As Alix and Tyler fall in love on the slopes, Alix’s work takes a complicated turn—and the mystery of True North’s downfall may be hers to solve.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura
Release date: January 7
Read it if: You want the best romance books of January 2025 to include some rollicking adventure! A pun-loving archaeologist leads an expedition to a famous lost city, hoping to make her reputation. But the journalist along for the ride knows more that he’s letting on…
Publisher’s synopsis: While her mentor may be the world’s most badass archaeologist, the only thing bad about Dr. Miriam Jacobs are her corny jokes. But when Miri is charged with leading an unmapped expedition through the Amazon for the fabled Lost City of the Moon, she finally has her chance to prove to her colleagues that she’s capable—and hopefully prove it to herself, too.
Journalist Rafael Monfils has joined the archaeological team to chronicle their search for the lost city. Or at least, that’s what they think he’s doing. Rafa’s real goal? Make sure the team does not reach the Cidade da Lua, stopping the desecration of the holy city and protecting his mother’s legacy. All he needs to do is keep them on the wrong path.
If only the endearingly quirky Dr. Jacobs wasn’t so damn tenacious—each of Rafa’s tricks and purposeful wrong turns only seem to fuel her determination. Even worse, he’s charmed by her goofy attempts to channel Lara Croft as they traverse the dangerous Brazilian rainforest. But they’re not the only crew hunting for the lost city, and soon the untamed jungle—and their untamed hearts—might be the least of their worries…
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Playing Flirty by Shameez Patel
Release date: January 14
Read it if: You’re a proud nerd — and maybe a wee bit competitive. When a hyper-competitive young woman wants to enter her original board game in a contest, she turns to the one friend who brings out her worst… and her best.
Publisher’s synopsis: For Rose Marie Jones, risks are a hard no–except for Game Night. For one precious evening a week, Rose can forget about her demanding boss and her lackluster sex life and focus on beating the pants off her friends. But none of them brings out her hyper-competitive side quite like William Ashdern.
Her best friend’s half-brother, William is the paragon of a sexy nerd. The tall, dorky, and handsome game designer is Rose’s playing nemesis. But when Rose decides to enter a contest with the board game she’s secretly invented, there’s only one person who can help her win.
Now what has always been a game between Rose and William is getting a lot more serious. And after spending her entire life trying not to lose, Rose might finally be ready to risk it all–and play to win.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese
Release date: January 14
Read it if: You’re excited for a Shakespeare riff among the best romance books of January 2025. Heartbroken Juliet has sworn off love, but when Will needs help learning to woo women, she’s happy to help out. It’s Twelfth Night with a Much Ado/Romeo & Juliet backstory!
Publisher’s synopsis: Since heartbreak entered the scene, Juliet Wilmot, once a hopeless romantic, has sworn off love. But when she’s presented with the chance to revisit romance—purely for practice—with the gorgeous, off-limits guy she keeps serendipitously running into, it feels like a sign from the universe.
Quiet, shy Will Orsino knows happily-ever-after isn’t on his horizon. Problem is, for the sake of the family business, marriage is. Resigned to the inevitable, but with no confidence he can woo a wife, he can hardly say no when fate hands him the alluring, unattainable woman he keeps crossing paths with, offering to help him learn the ropes of romance.
Neither of them looking for love, Jules and Will agree they’re the perfect pair to practice romance. Except that practicing to perfection leads to an irresistible attraction. Their once smitten hearts, though still twice shy, might have happily-ever-after written in the stars for them, after all.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Unromance by Erin Connor
Release date: January 14
Read it if: You want one of the best romance novels of January 2025 to be a little meta about romance novels. A heartbroken TV star and a cynical romance novelist agree to cure each other of their hopeless romanticism.
Publisher’s synopsis: Sawyer Greene knows romance. She’s a bestselling author of the genre—or she was, until her ex left her with nothing but writer’s block and a broken heart. But when she gets stuck in the elevator with a handsome stranger, she sees their meet cute for what it is: just a one-night stand. It might have worked, too, if they could stop running into each other.
Actor Mason West sees Sawyer’s reappearance in his life as a sign. Obviously, they’re meant to cure each other. Him of the hopeless romanticism that only ends in heartbreak—and tabloid trainwrecks—and Sawyer of her writer’s block. Their agreement is simple: 1. No (more) sex, and 2. No matter how swoony the circumstances, absolutely no falling in love.
It’s a foolproof plan–until Sawyer and Mason find that, once set in motion, some plots can’t be stopped—and that they might be hurtling towards a happy ending…
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Work in Progress by Kat Mackenzie
Release date: January 14
Read it if: You want the best romance books of January 2025 to include sassy octogenarian sidekicks! An uptight woman winds up on a literary bus tour with a bunch of grannies and one handsome guide.
Publisher’s synopsis: Alice loves a good list. But careful planning didn’t stop her from losing her job and her fiance in one fell swoop. With her dreaded 30th birthday looming on the horizon, Alice makes the first impulsive decision of her life – booking a flight to the UK for a three-week, all-female, literary bus tour. What could possibly go wrong?
Turns out – everything.
Alice arrives to discover that this tour isn’t what she expected. At all. Instead of cool, globe-trotting thirtysomethings with meaningful tattoos, she finds a rickety, antique bus full of fluffy-haired octogenarians. And to make matters infinitely worse, the tour guide makes her blood boil! And that devilish grin of his tells her he’s dead set on making her trip a misery.
But as they travel from castle ruins to cozy pubs, Alice may just find that she’s got it all wrong. The ladies are vivacious. The book club chat is on fire. And damn if that mischievous smile doesn’t threaten to turn her world upside down – and her beloved list right along with it!
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Flirting With Disaster by Naina Kumar
Release date: January 14
Read it if: You not-so-secretly love Sweet Home Alabama. A high-powered lawyer is ready to get married… but first, she needs to finally get divorced.
Publisher’s synopsis: It’s been years since Meena separated from her husband, Nikhil . . . years since they first laid eyes on each other in their home state of Texas, years since they spontaneously wed in Las Vegas and she felt true happiness. Now a high-powered lawyer on Capitol Hill and ready to move on (at least, she thinks so) with another successful lawyer, Shake, Meena has returned to Texas. This time, finally to obtain a divorce.
But there’s one thing Meena didn’t account for: a hurricane forming in the Gulf, veering right toward them and giving them no choice but to hunker down in the home they had built together. Suddenly, she finds herself trapped amid gale-force winds and pelting rain with the man she once loved.
As they spend more time together, Meena begins to remember everything that drew her to Nikhil: his small-town charm, his thoughtful nature . . . his absurdly good looks. But being with Shake makes sense to her. He’s steady, ambitious, and wants exactly what she wants. So she’ll stick to her plan, come hell or high water. But will her windswept heart make the right choice, once the eye passes over and the storm settles?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Zoe Brennan, First Crush by Laura Piper Lee
Release date: January 21
Read it if: You’ve ever wondered what your first crush is up to. A lonely woman’s first crush careens back into her life in a very unexpected way.
Publisher’s synopsis: Zoe Brennan may be the loneliest lesbian in Blue Ridge, but at least she has her family vineyard to keep her busy.
When a prestigious wine festival announces it’s coming to town, it kicks off a battle royale among local vineyards vying for the opportunity to host it. Zoe’s in it to win it—being chosen would put Bluebell Vineyards on the map, and she could stick it to the vineyard next door, run by her ex–best friend (now enemy), Rachel. But when Zoe’s father is called home to Italy to care for his sick mother, Bluebell is left without a vintner.
Dejected, Zoe impulsively agrees to a blindfolded threesome with a friend, and excitingly, a stranger. But once the blindfolds come off, Zoe realizes the hot butch that rocked her world isn’t a stranger at all. It’s Laine Woods—Zoe’s first crush, Rachel’s big sister, and, Zoe is horrified to discover, the Napa-trained vintner Zoe’s dad just hired as his replacement.
While they try to ignore their sizzling chemistry, Laine’s snobbery and Zoe’s pride collide at every step, creating a generous pour of professional—and sexual—tension. Collaborating is the only way to win the festival, but when that means late nights under the stars and letting go of the past, Zoe must be careful—or Laine might crush her heart for good.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Broposal by Sonora Reyes
Release date: January 21
Read it if: You love The Proposal but wish the power dynamics were less mid-’00s. A pair of BFFs in a fake green-card romance start wondering if they might have feelings for real.
Publisher’s synopsis: It’s about time roommates Alejandro and Kenny get married. Or at least, that’s what all their close friends and family think when they announce their engagement. The kicker? The two are faking their whole relationship so Alejandro can get a green card. But if Han was going to marry anyone, it would be his ride or die since second grade.
Han has never been able to put down roots, and the only one who truly breaks through his walls is Kenny. Sweet, sensitive Kenny is newly single, and what better distraction from his soul-sucking relationship than proposing marriage to Han? Kenny can’t think of anything more fun than spending his life with his best friend, even if it’s just for a piece of paper. But as Kenny keeps up the charade, he’s soon struggling to resist their sizzling chemistry.
The line between fact and fiction begins to blur the closer they get to their wedding date. With all eyes on Han and Kenny—including a meddling ex and immigration officers—will these two bros make it down the altar for real?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
My Inconvenient Duke by Loretta Chase
Release date: January 21
Read it if: Your best romance books of January 2025 list wouldn’t be complete without a historical romance icon. An aristocratic lady turns to the man who once rejected her when she needs a marriage, fast.
Publisher’s synopsis: Of all the dukes in all the world, why does it have to be him?
Lady Alice Ancaster needs a husband, and fast, because her reckless brother is going to get himself killed, leaving the dukedom—and her future—in their repellent cousin’s clutches.
The Duke of Blackwood has known Alice since childhood, and they’ve always had a special connection. But years ago he broke it, when he chose a riotous life with his two best friends instead of a reasonable one with her.
The trouble is, the tall, dark, sardonic rogue keeps turning up exactly when needed, and ready—though he sometimes needs a push—to play the hero, if only for as long as it takes.
Being irresistibly drawn to the Wrong Man is not convenient, but when events come to a crisis, Alice has to make a choice. The question is, can she live with it?
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Only in Your Dreams by Ellie K. Wilde
Release date: January 21
Read it if: You want a sports romance among the best romance books of January 2025. A young woman agrees to step in for her brother on a camping retreat, only to come face-to-face with the guy who broke her heart.
Publisher’s synopsis: Ten years after one of the most heartbreaking nights of her life, Melody Woods is back in her small hometown of Oakwood Bay, broke, jaded, and unceremoniously dumped by her big-city boyfriend. To top it all off, her twin brother, Parker, is pushing her to take his spot on a camping trip with the one guy she’s spent a decade avoiding.
For college football coach Zac Porter, his best friend’s twin sister, Melody, has always been off-limits. And after fumbling his chance ten years ago, a devastated Zac was sure he’d lost Melody for good. So, when Melody shows up at the campsite instead of Parker, Zac realizes that now is the time to prove to her that they were always meant to be, no matter how long it takes to make up for his teenage self’s mistake.
Reeling from the truth of her last relationship, Melody plans to stay in town just long enough to get back on her feet. Then, she’s gone again. Meanwhile, Zac is facing an uphill battle to coach his team to its first winning game in years, to show Melody how she deserves to be loved, and to keep Parker from ever finding out. Maybe then, being with her will be more than just a dream.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen
Release date: January 28
Read it if: You love books where strangers just happen to be heading in the same direction. A stressed sister-of-the-bride and a womanizing best man must team up to make it to the wedding on time.
Publisher’s synopsis: Ada’s little sister is getting married. Which should be a happy thought, right? But the once close sisters have been in a year long fight, the wedding is all the way in Ireland, and Ada is so broke that she just barely managed to get a ticket on a budget airline. And as if things couldn’t get worse, said airline just cancelled her connection. Which means Ada is stuck in London with no way to make it to the wedding.
Surely she’s hit rock bottom?
So, there’s no reason for her not to spill her heart out about the over-the-top wedding, her sister’s worryingly quick engagement, and the womanizing best man she’s dreading meeting to a handsome also-stranded stranger at the bar. Until she realizes the stranger is headed to the same wedding. Oh, and he’s the infamous best man.
Now, Jack and Ada must put their simmering attraction behind them to make it to Belfast before they miss the nuptials. But between flat tires, missed trains, and suspect hostels, Jack and Ada start to question whether their feelings are worth going the distance, or just a distracting detour along the way.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Yin Yang Love Song by Lauren Kung Jessen
Release date: January 28
Read it if: You’ve ever felt like your love life is literally cursed. Perpetually single, a woman agrees to fake-date a musician in exchange for his support of her family’s business.
Publisher’s synopsis: Chinese herbalist Chryssy Hua Williams never actually believed in the Hua family curse. But after Break-Up #9, Chryssy stopped laughing. Now she and her aunties run a special healing retreat center for the broken-hearted. After all, there’s nothing a proper cup of herbal tea can’t fix…but Chryssy’s innocent run-in with celebrity cellist and bad boy Vin Chao has everyone brewing about a different kind of tea. So he offers her a deal: they’ll fake-date, he’ll “break” her heart (and increase ticket sales), and in return, he’ll promote her business.
It’s like Chryssy’s whole cursed love life has been leading up to this moment. But all it takes is one kiss—and a whole lot of unexpected chemistry—to land both of them in hot water . . .
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young
Release date: January 28
Read it if: You want big, messy emotions in the best romance books of January 2025. A long-married couple go on a hiking trip to try to figure out if their relationship can be saved.
Publisher’s synopsis: High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. For the past seventeen years, they have had each other’s backs through all of life’s ups and downs.
But Sarah has begun to wonder . . . who is she without her other half?
When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memory of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter after all, independent and capable.
That is, until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.
The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances and doubts. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?
In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to get out of their comfort zones and join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches. What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.
Get it on Amazon or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
