Summer may be winding down, but the romance release schedule isn’t! The best romance books of August 2025 bring us romance for everyone. If you’re a fan of historical romance, you’re in luck, with new releases from top-of-their-game authors like Joanna Shupe, Liana De la Rosa, Erica Ridley, and more. Or, if you’re craving something quirkier, try the new releases from Olivia Dade or Mallory Marlowe. And for those of us looking for the big feelings, grab Ashley Jordan or Ivy Fairbanks’s new titles.
That’s just the beginning! Here are all of our picks for the best romance books of August 2025.
Zomromcom by Olivia Dade
Release date: August 5
Read it if: You feel like the best romance books of August 2025 could use a comedy-horror twist. During a zombie outbreak, a woman teams up with her neighbor and discovers he’s a vampire.
Publisher’s synopsis: When Edie Brandstrup attempts to save her sweet, seemingly harmless human neighbor from the first major zombie breach in two decades, she’s stunned to be saved by him—and his ridiculously large sword—instead. As it turns out, he’s actually a super-old, super-surly vampire. But for all her neighbor’s newly revealed cynicism and lethality, Gaston “Max” Boucher (yes, Gaston) is unexpectedly protective. He wants her to stay in his safety bunker until the breach is resolved. Edie can’t risk more innocent people getting killed, though. And Max won’t let her save them alone.
As they unravel a sinister conspiracy to set zombies loose on the world (again), the duo meet a host of lovable allies and discover they’re not the only ones willing to fight for the future of humanity. Despite the awful timing, Edie finds herself falling for the vampire who’s helping her save the world. But all their dangerous plans could end their future before it even begins. As she and Max battle side by side, Edie must decide whether having a love worth living for also means having a love you’d die for—and, in a world that grows deadlier by the minute, whether that’s a risk she’s willing to take.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings
Release date: August 5
Read it if: You never miss a Chicken Shop Date episode or love dating podcasts. When her call-out goes viral, a video host and her social-media-star ex come face-to-face in a very public way.
Publisher’s synopsis: Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.
Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal. Allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan
Release date: August 5
Read it if: You want the best romance books of August 2025 to put you through the emotional wringer! A playwright battles writer’s block and her feelings for her single-dad neighbor.
Publisher’s synopsis: Eve Ambroise may be a rising star playwright, but her personal life is falling part. Desperate for a fresh start, she breaks up with her fiancé, cuts off her parents, and heads to the Tennessee mountains. But keeping up the lie that she’s just on a writing retreat becomes near impossible when faced with the well-meaning townspeople and a neighbor who has just as much baggage as she has.
Coming off a contentious custody battle, Jamie Gallagher is restructuring what his life looks like as a single dad, and spending more days at his cabin makes his new “free time” a little less empty. Especially when he meets the beautiful—and prickly—woman next door. The last thing he needs is a new romance to shake up his family dynamics even more, but there’s something about Eve.
What starts out as a fling quickly becomes more serious, and it’s not long before Eve is running scared once again. She’s loved and lost in every possible way, and risking it one more time could finally break her. But like the fireflies that fill the mountains around them, Jamie’s and Eve’s lives keep falling into sync. A fairy-tale ending could be in the cards, but only if the new couple can get out of their heads and put their hearts first.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Anywhere With You by Ellie Palmer
Release date: August 5
Read it if: You’re yearning for a romance for the stressed-out responsible ones among us. A super-organized lawyer road-trips with her laid-back BFF to stop her sister’s impromptu wedding.
Publisher’s synopsis: Charley Beekman is thriving. Is she financially strapped, languishing in her legal career, and very likely the youngest divorcee at the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse on a Friday night? Yes. But, now that she’s accepted the flaws inherent in all romantic relationships, she finally has life all figured out! She’s definitely due for an upswing.
So when her free-spirited sister announces her plan to elope with her messy on-again-off-again childhood sweetheart, Charley knows she has to stop the wedding, even if it means road-tripping into the northern woods of Minnesota in a camper van with her childhood best friend, Ethan, who’s as gorgeous as he is chronically unreliable.
But when their cozy journey ignites a spark she’s tried to ignore for years, Charley tries to write off her feelings as fleeting. Because after failing at marriage so spectacularly with the most responsible man she’s ever known, Charley definitely shouldn’t risk it all for her non-committal, nomadic, musician best friend . . . right?
The Re-Write by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
Release date: August 12
Read it if: You’d like some winky Love Island references in the best romance books of August 2025. A struggling writer agrees to ghostwrite a celebrity memoir… only to find out it’s for her ex.
Publisher’s synopsis: Temi and Wale meet in London. They flirt, date, meet each other’s friends.
Then they break up. And Wale goes on a reality dating show.
Instead of giving in to heartbreak, Temi throws herself into her dream: writing. She’s within touching distance of a book deal that would solve all her problems. But publishers keep passing on her novel and bills still have to be paid. So, when the opportunity to ghost-write a celebrity memoir arises, Temi accepts.
And, of course, the celebrity turns out to be Wale…
Will Temi and Wale repeat the patterns of their past? Or can they write a whole new story?
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Love at First Sighting by Mallory Marlowe
Release date: August 12
Read it if: You’re in the mood for some X-Files vibes and just a hint of mystery. An influencer’s video of something strange draws the attention of an agent with a painful past.
Publisher’s synopsis: Los Angeles social media influencer El Martin seems to have a picture-perfect life. But what El wants more than anything is to find something real to make her heart race in a way it hasn’t in years. She doesn’t expect that feeling to come from capturing footage of an unidentified flying . . . thing, much less from the charming Man in Black who keeps following her around.
Agent Carter Brody is trying his best to keep the Private Intelligence Sector afloat by dragging their hopelessly out-of-date office into this century, even though what he really wants to do is follow in his father’s footsteps by identifying and hiding extraterrestrial sightings. He gets his chance after being assigned to El’s case and is stopped in his tracks not only by her ingenuity and confidence but also by an unnerving coincidence. Her sighting looks eerily like what Carter himself saw right before a family tragedy.
The deeper El and Carter fall into the mystery, the harder it is for them to ignore their growing chemistry as their own alien feelings become dangerously terrestrial.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Love Is an Open Book by Chandra Blumberg
Release date: August 12
Read it if: You want a delightfully meta vibe to the best romance books of August 2025. A successful romance writer tries to overcome writer’s block by “testing” tropes with her longtime BFF.
Publisher’s synopsis: Mia Brady never imagined her romance novels would become bestsellers, much less inspire a hit TV show. However, after signing a deal to write the final book of the series, she’s struck by a serious case of writer’s block. Her fans are clamoring for a passionate payoff, but Mia’s own experience with heartbreak—and current lack of real-life romance—is getting in the way. Do friends who become lovers ever truly have a happy ending?
Gavin Lane would like to think so. As Mia’s ride-or-die BFF, he’s been by her side through it all and convinced himself his crush on her is a thing of the past. He’s not about to let his feelings ruin their friendship, and never will. But things get complicated when Mia pitches a bold idea to help save her career: testing out tried-and-true love story tropes…together.
From workplace romance to fish-out-of-water, Mia and Gavin embark on a series of “experiments” to spark a little creativity. But they are not prepared for the flame that ignites between them. Does their friendship even stand a chance when pure fantasy suddenly becomes a little too real?
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Sun and the Moon by Rebekah Faubion
Release date: August 12
Read it if: You love the idea of a reverse Parent Trap. Mutually suspicious of their parents’ sudden engagement, two women scheme to cause a breakup.
Publisher’s synopsis: Cadence Connolly grew up in the cosmic shadow of her mother, the renowned psychic Madame Moira. Now, as a park ranger in Maine, she’s carved out her own life far away from her mother’s many premonitions and tarot cards . . . until she receives an invitation to Moira’s engagement party. Cadence doesn’t know what led to the thawing of her mother’s heart, but she’ll have to return home to discover the truth.
Sydney Sinclair’s schedule as a pilot makes long-term relationships difficult. At least she can fly anywhere in the world for free with only her emotional baggage as a carry-on. After her mom passed, it’s always been Sydney and her dad against the world. It’s no wonder she doesn’t trust the enigmatic Madame Moira—his newly minted fiancée.
When Cadence meets Sydney, they realize they share similar suspicions about their parents’ impending nuptials. As they begin scheming to break up their parents’ engagement—they can’t possibly be in love after such a short time together—Sydney and Cadence discover an irresistible chemistry with each other instead. Despite not believing in fate, Cadence might just have found her soulmate in Sydney.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Heart Strings by Ivy Fairbanks
Release date: August 12
Read it if: You want a story of second chance in the best romance books of August 2025. Two exes cross paths again at a wedding, where he’s hoping to prove he still loves her.
Publisher’s synopsis: Cielo “Lo” Valdez doesn’t believe in second chances. Surviving cancer taught her life is too short to spend time on someone who wronged you. But Aidan O’Toole is determined to show her life is best spent together.
When the tough-as-nails Texan moved to Galway for medical school, she wasn’t looking for love. Aidan, a gorgeous, tattooed, mandolin-playing lawyer, slipped past her defenses. They each fell hard and fast. But when Aidan was given the opportunity of a lifetime—to move to London and record an album—he took it, breaking Lo’s heart. Yet more than two years and a successful album later, every song he writes is still about her, the one he let get away. And every time Lo hears his voice on the radio singing about love, it’s an arrow straight to her soul.
Now they’re on a collision course as maid of honor and best man at a weekend-long Irish castle wedding. Are some mistakes worth forgiving? Can Aidan convince Lo their song wasn’t meant to end?
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
My Best Friend’s Earl by Bethany Bennett
Release date: August 12
Read it if: You love a bit (or a lot!) of chaos with your romance. A bookseller agrees to help convince her friend’s aristocratic betrothed to break the engagement.
Publisher’s synopsis: The one thing Constance Martin wants most to avoid is a boring life. She walks her cat with a leash in Hyde Park and even called off her wedding at the altar to stop what would have been a monotonous marriage. So when an aristocratic friend comes into the store asking for help throwing over her fiancé, Constance is both sympathetic and eager for the excitement to come. What could be more fun than plotting ways to get a stuffy—but very handsome—earl to break an engagement?
Oliver Vincent, Earl of Southwyn, likes his orderly life of duty and logic. Everything’s falling into place; all that’s left is marrying the girl next door. Except the girl next door is increasingly reluctant. But marriage is a business deal, after all, and Oliver is determined to keep moving forward with the plan. If only he wasn’t so distracted by her friend—a stunning woman best described as chaos incarnate. She thinks marriage should be an adventure, and he views it as a transaction. But Oliver can’t seem to remember the downsides of falling when Constance is near…
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Love’s a Witch by Tricia O’Malley
Release date: August 26
Read it if: You’d like some cozy magic in the best romance books of August 2025. A witch attempts to break her family’s curse, only to clash with the town’s grumpy mayor.
Publisher’s synopsis: She’s hexed. He’s vexed. And for Scotland’s most magical small-town, their feud might just spell disaster.
Sloane MacGregor swore she’d never return to Briarhaven, but with her twenty-fifth birthday looming—the day witches come into their magic—her grandmother summons her and her sisters back for one tiny task: break the centuries-old curse haunting their bloodline.
Knox Douglas, Briarhaven’s grumpy mayor, has worked tirelessly to make his town a haven for magical folk. The last thing he needs is a cursed MacGregor wreaking havoc. It doesn’t matter he once crushed on her. For the sake of Briarhaven, Sloane has to go.
But magic has other plans—and in Briarhaven, love really is a witch.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Gilded Heiress by Joanna Shupe
Release date: August 26
Read it if: Dmitri from Anastasia was your crush growing up. A con man ropes an orphan into his scheme, only to realize she might be the real deal.
Publisher’s synopsis: In 1880 a baby was stolen from the wealthiest family in America. Though no ransom was ever demanded, the Pendelton family never gave up hope . . . and their reward became the stuff of legend.
After being raised in a children’s asylum, Josie Smith ends up on the streets and quickly learns how to take care of herself. Her singing voice draws crowds on every corner, and she’ll stop at nothing to become famous and travel the world, loved and adored by all. Maybe then she won’t think about the family who gave her away as an infant.
Leo Hardy isn’t afraid to use his charm and wits to make a fast buck, especially with a mother and five siblings to support. When he stumbles upon a beautiful young woman singing on the street, Leo notices her striking resemblance to the infamous missing baby’s mother, Mrs. Thomas Pendelton. The Hardys lost everything thanks to the Pendeltons, and once Leo sees Josie, he seizes the opportunity to settle the score. All he needs to do is pull off the biggest swindle of his career.
As the two are catapulted into Knickerbocker High Society, they grow closer to their goal, as well as to each other. But secrets can only stay hidden for so long. Soon the truth unfolds, and both Josie and Leo must separate what’s real from what’s just gilding.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
Gabriela and His Grace by Liana De la Rosa
Release date: August 26
Read it if: You want steamy romance plus rich historical world-building among the best romance books of August 2025. An heiress chafes when her nemesis (a duke, no less!) accompanies her back to Mexico.
Publisher’s synopsis: As the youngest and most rebellious daughter of the overly protective Luna family, Gabriela Luna Valdés claws after her freedom in any way she can. This time, her hunger for adventure has led her aboard a windswept ship bearing for her homeland, away from a mob of fumbling British suitors. But Gabby can’t escape her father’s expectation that she settle down to find a proper husband—a compromise she’s unwilling to make.
For Sebastian Brooks, Duke of Whitfield, the trip to Mexico is his last chance. His last chance to rectify his family’s estate and refill their dwindling coffers. And his last chance to match wits with the sharp-tongued but deliciously tempting Gabriela.
When Gabby finds herself in need of a hasty escape, Sebastian agrees to assist her…but their close proximity sparks a red-hot passion that could ruin all their plans. With scandal looming, can Sebastian convince Gabby his regard is sincere or will she sail away with his heart?
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch
Release date: August 26
Read it if: You like academic rivals-to-lovers, but prefer a lighter, more comic approach. Rival wizards must work alongside each other for a magical grant.
Publisher’s synopsis: Sebastian Walsh: Evocation Department. Human. The first of his family to pick college over the military.
Elethior Tourael: Conjuration Department. Half-elf. Pretentious asshole. The latest legacy Tourael at Lesiara U.
Both: Mageus Research Grant finalists.
Sebastian refuses to let anyone snatch this away, least of all a snob riding on old money. But what’s worse than a nemesis stealing your grant? You could both get it. Under the condition you work together.
Sebastian is in hell. Thio’s broody. Takes up their shared lab space with his projects . . . and biceps. Brings treats for Sebastian’s familiar . . . and is nothing like Sebastian thought.
When Sebastian’s past with the Touraels forces him to choose his research or Thio, the decision should be simple. But while working with his rival is volatile . . . falling for his rival might blow up Sebastian’s future.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
A Waltz on the Wild Side by Erica Ridley
Release date: August 26
Read it if: You prefer a bit of adventure in the best romance books of August 2025. An advice columnist reluctantly teams up with a poet-slash-investigator when her cousin vanishes.
Publisher’s synopsis: Advice columnist Miss Vivian Henry hates how the Wild Wynchesters flaunt so many privileges ordinary people could never emulate. But when her beloved cousin goes missing and the authorities shrug, Viv has no choice but to beg for help from the vigilantes she despises.
Aspiring poet Jacob Wynchester prefers animals to people. He’d rather stay behind the safety of a quill than interact with prickly clients. But when he’s appointed lead investigator, Jacob finds he admires Vivian’s resourcefulness and intelligence—including the sharp wit he must parry. As they team up to rescue her kidnapped cousin, they discover just how compatible they are.
Together, they must not only save the day, but also decide how far they’re willing to go to be who they really are. And determine whether their partnership is a mistake… or the missing piece that completes them.
Get it on Amazon, or support your local bookstores through Bookshop.org.
